Rename Philippines... Dutzland!

The government has tracked down the whereabouts of former Bureau of Corrections chief Gerald Bantag, but law enforcement authorities are taking precautions in arresting the wanted fugitive who earlier vowed he would rather die than end up in jail, an official of the Department of Justice said yesterday.

A party-list lawmaker has filed a bill that will penalize local government officials who practice favoritism in giving out cash, livelihood and relief assistance.

Government troops recovered the bodies of three female New People’s Army rebels at Barangay Malbang in Pantabangan town, Aurora province, police said yesterday.

The government believes it is still possible to achieve upper middle-income status by late next year, if it attains the economic growth target for this year, the National Economic and Development Authority said.

State-run pension fund Government Service Insurance System has renewed its collaboration with the data center subsidiary of telco giant PLDT Inc. for better information technology disaster resilience.