The ANC Brief: Hot seat for the top cop

Here are the big stories making the headlines on ANC today:

Fingers pointing at PNP chief
During Wednesday’s Senate hearing, the chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP), Gen. Oscar Albayalde, was directly implicated in the “ninja cops” controversy. Former PNP Region 3 official Rudy Lacadin said Albayalde called him to ask about the case of 13 “ninja cops,” or officers who recycle illegal drugs, who were ordered dismissed after a 2013 drug raid in Pampanga. Albayalde insisted he was innocent. Former Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) chief and now Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong said Albayalde was lying. During the hearing, it was also revealed Albayalde endorsed awards and promotions for himself and the 13 Pampanga police officers.

Slumping numbers
In its latest survey, the Social Weather Station (SWS) reported that President Rodrigo Duterte’s satisfaction rating went down slightly but was still “very good.” The results come after a Pulse Asia survey also showing a drop in Duterte’s numbers. Presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo said the drop was “insignificant.”

Challenge accepted
Speaking of Panelo, the president’s mouthpiece walked back his denial of a mass transport crisis. He said commuters had a “crisis of suffering,” whatever that means. He also accepted the challenge issued by militant groups to take public transportation. Rep. Ruffy Biazon called on government officials to stop being in denial on a transport crisis. MMDA Task Force EDSA chief Bong Nebrija will be on ANC’s Headstart to talk about the traffic situation in the city’s major thoroughfare.

Slumping economic numbers
The Philippines’ ranking in the latest World Economic Forum global competitiveness survey dropped from 56th to 64th out of 141 economies. The country declined in the areas of infrastructure, ICT adoption and macroeconomic stability. Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Ernesto Pernia said the government had to do more to improve its ranking. Meanwhile, the World Bank will hold a forum on economic updates for Philippines and East Asia and the Pacific.

Future sport
With height and physical strength not much of a factor, and our longstanding heritage in combat sports, jiu-jitsu can be the next big thing for Filipino athletes. And, as ANCX pointed out, our fighters can showcase what they've got in its debut in next month's Southeast Asian Games.