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Losing credibility EDITORIAL 03/29/2011

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Losing credibility

EDITORIAL
Click to enlarge
03/29/2011
More interesting than a poll stating that the military, followed by the police, is the most corrupt government agency in the latest Pulse Asia survey is how the respondents viewed the military whistle-blowers’ credibility.

It was more or less predicted, given the big and long media exposure on the military corruption involving the former Armed Forces of the Philippines’ (AFP) chiefs of staff, which first focused on the CoS Angelo Reyes’ welcome and send-off gifts in the tens of millions, as well as the monthly P10 million taken from the budget, followed by three more CoS, with even bigger pabaons, that the military would come on top of the most corrupt government agency.

What was surprising was the respondents’ voice on the whistle-blowers, such as then Commission on Audit (CoA) auditor Heidi Mendoza, whom largely, the media hailed as a heroine, and with her dramatically crying while testifying before the House and the Senate panels..... MORE

SourceThe Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20110329com1.html

Drastic drops FRONTLINE Ninez Cacho-Olivares 03/29/2011

Drastic drops

FRONTLINE
Ninez Cacho-Olivares
03/29/2011
Ratings of Noynoy Aquino are drastically dropping, even if Social Weather Stations (SWS) does give him a “very good” and “good” rating, on the basis of its interpretation of what net percentage is, consisting of excellent at +70 and above; very good at +50 to +69; good at +30 to +49; moderate, at +10 to +29; neutral at +9 to -9, “neutral”; poor at -10 to -29; bad at -30 to -49, very bad at -50 to -69; and -70 and below as “execrable.”

Personally, I find such SWS net ratings interpretation “execrable.”

His ratings are down 13 points to +51, but it is to be noted that his public dissatisfaction rating is rising, now at 18 percent. And he has been in office for just nine months.

Do Noynoy and his idiots in the Palace still think that his constant politically charged histrionics against his perceived political foes have public support, or that his non-explanation and non-disclosure of his purchase of luxury cars, such as his Porsche and his Lexus, not to mention his BMW that he had shown off shortly after his proclamation, which he keeps silent about to this day?.... MORE

SourceThe Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20110329com2.html

Obama labors to answer Libya critics focus 03/29/2011

Obama labors to answer Libya critics

focus

03/29/2011
WASHINGTON — The Obama administration defended its intervention in Libya on Sunday by suggesting that refugees fleeing Moamer Kadhafi would have destabilized neighboring Egypt and Tunisia.

President Barack Obama is struggling to convince a war-weary American public preoccupied by domestic economic concerns that US involvement in Libya is necessary and that he has a clear idea of what the endgame is.

Lawmakers, including many from Obama’s own Democratic Party, are angry that Congress was not consulted before troops were deployed and have raised concerns that the Libya mission is ill-defined and the exit strategy unclear..... MORE

SourceThe Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20110329com3.html

Laughing at the expense of a 6-year-old NO HOLDS BARRED Armida Siguion-Reyna 03/29/2011

Laughing at the expense of a 6-year-old

NO HOLDS BARRED
Armida Siguion-Reyna
03/29/2011
“I do not believe in censorship in any form, manner or circumstance, but if I were to indulge a hypothetical, (Willie Revillame) would be the best excuse for censorship.”

I didn’t say that, lawyer Teddy Te did, in a note he’d posted on FaceBook. But I agree. And so do a whole lot of others, who’ve seen the 10-minute video clip of the TV host egging six-year-old Janjan to dance (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2YRCxh9q64w) like a “macho dancer,” not just once but five times, with Revillame joining in, twice, simultaneously laughing at the boy’s crying. As did Revillame’s personal lawyer, lawyer Alfonso “Boy” Reyno, shown thrice in the clip, laughing just as hard, at one point even tearfully so.

Of the 289, 770 hits on one of the YouTube links (there are several; some are shorter at three minutes plus, while the link I have above clocks at 10:02) there are 1,131 likes and 747 dislikes. Last night the count for Revillame hit the thousandth mark, today the angry appear to be swiftly catching up. The angry at Revillame, that is..... MORE

SourceThe Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20110329com4.html

Conception and abortion VIEWPOINTS Archbishop Oscar V. Cruz 03/29/2011

Conception and abortion

VIEWPOINTS
Archbishop Oscar V. Cruz
03/29/2011
More than but engaging in mental gymnastics, it is but right and proper to think and reflect upon the significance and import of the lateral connection between conception and abortion. No. They are not necessarily interlinked. Yes. Reason says they are easily intertwined.
How? There are their two key parings thereof: Anti-conception and pro-abortion and pro-conception and anti-abortion. Once more with emphasis: Neither of the two parings is ground reality — but one logically or assumes the other.

In other words, it is probable that those who are anti-conception are also pro-abortion, and that those pro-conception are also anti-conception. In its wherefore rather improvable that those who are anti-conception would also be anti-abortion, and those who are pro-conception would likewise be pro-abortion. Thus stands the danger of the so called “RH Bill” which their leading proponents insist that it is intended to stop conception but definitely not intending to promote abortion..... MORE

SourceThe Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20110329com7.html

Yamashita’s gold revisited AN OUTSIDERS VIEW Ken Fuller 03/29/2011

Yamashita’s gold revisited

AN OUTSIDERS VIEW
Ken Fuller
03/29/2011
Gold Warriors, an account by Sterling and Peggy Seagrave of how the USA recovered Japanese war loot and used it as a covert political fund in various countries around the world, is an entertaining read. First published in 2003, with a second edition two years later, I wondered why I had not previously heard of it. Now I know.

The Seagraves first trace the looting of Korea, Manchuria (where the money came mostly from drugs) and China. But Asia was not the only source of treasure, for there was also Nazi loot, and gold Mussolini had taken from Ethiopia (then Abyssinia). The latter was used to subvert the left in the Italian elections of 1948. Elections were also bought in Greece and, of course, Japan. There were bribes and murders, and in Japan Douglas MacArthur and his intelligence chief, General Willoughby, were fully involved in the funding thereof.

This outsider was prepared to take the Seagraves’ word for their claims regarding the other countries, but when it comes to the gold alleged to have been salted away in the Philippines and then recovered by various treasure hunters, including the US government and Ferdinand Marcos, it must be said that the authors hit an awful lot of bum notes..... MORE

SourceThe Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20110329com5.html

Pinoy drug mules, kin may meet on execution day — DFA 03/29/2011

Pinoy drug mules, kin may meet on execution day — DFA

03/29/2011
The families of the three convicted Filipino drug mules who were sentenced to die by lethal injection in China tomorrow would be given a chance to see their loved ones only a few hours before they are executed, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) yesterday said.

DFA spokesman Eduardo Malaya said the relatives of Ramon Credo, Sally Ordinario-Villanueva and Elizabeth Batain would have a chance to meet them on the morning of March 30 after the promulgation of sentence.

“I was told that in the morning of March 30 they will have the promulgation of the sentence. After the promulgation, there will be an opportunity for relatives to see their loved ones,” Malaya said in a radio interview.

Executions for Credo and Ordinario-Villanueva will be held in Xiamen and in Shenzhen for Batain..... MORE

SourceThe Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20110329hed6.html

De Lima to Ping: Prosecutor just doing her job By Benjamin B, Pulta 03/29/2011

De Lima to Ping: Prosecutor just doing her job

By Benjamin B, Pulta 03/29/2011

Justice Secretary Leila de Lima took the cudgels for a female prosecutor whom Sen. Panfilo Lacson said went out of her way to solicit testimony by browbeating witnesses against the lawmaker in connection with the government’s reinvestigation into the killing of publicist Salvador “Bubby” Dacer and Emmanuel Corbito.

Speaking with newsmen, De Lima insisted that she is “neither friend nor enemy” to Ping who is perceived as having strong connections with President Aquino, being a close political ally.

Lacson has also accused De Lima’s predecessors in the Justice department of persecuting him to pressure him from backing off from his criticism of former President Gloria Arroyo..... MORE

SourceThe Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20110329hed4.html

Libyan rebel advance halted, Nato jets raid Kadhafi town 03/29/2011

Libyan rebel advance halted, Nato jets raid Kadhafi town

03/29/2011
BIN JAWAD — Loyalist troops yesterday halted a rebel advance on Moammar Kadhafi’s home town Sirte, which was pounded overnight by coalition jets after Nato took command of military operations in Libya.

An Agence France Presse reporter who for the past two days have raced westwards toward Sirte came under heavy machine-gun fire from regime loyalists in pick-up trucks on the road from Bin Jawad to Nofilia.

The rebels on Sunday seized Bin Jawad, 140 kilometers east of Sirte, after retaking the key oil town of Ras Lanuf as they advanced with the support of coalition air strikes on Kadhafi’s forces..... MORE

SourceThe Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20110329hed5.html

AFP tops most corrupt list—Pulse By Mario J. Mallari 03/29/2011

HEIDI GETS LOW MARKS IN CREDIBILITY, OTHER WHISTLE-BLOWERS LOWER

AFP tops most corrupt list—Pulse

By Mario J. Mallari 03/29/2011

Too many Filipinos may be turning cynical, going by the latest release of Pulse Asia on corruption, with the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) now topping the list of “most corrupt” government agencies, with the military seen by almost five out of every two Filipinos (48.9 percent) as the most corrupt government agency.

Worse, even the whistle-blowers and the accused are now seen as “not credible,” with the highest “credibility” ranking at only 22 percent.

The skyrocketing of the perception of corruption on the AFP was seen as startling, since the AFP in a February 2009 poll had only an 8.1 percent rating, jumping to a rating of close to a majority number..... MORE

SourceThe Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20110329hed1.html

‘No irregularities in PCG fund utilization’ 03/29/2011

‘No irregularities in PCG fund utilization’

03/29/2011
The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) yesterday denied that there are irregularities in the fund utilization of the agency.

The PCG said that the P125 million fund released or transferred by the Department of Transportations and Communications (DoTC) to the PCG from the P450 million special allotment released by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) to the DoTC on Jan.19, 2007 was used to procure marine pollution and hazardous material equipment for the Marine Environmental Protection Command, and repair of vessels and air assets, which were utilized not only for search and rescue operations but also for marine environmental patrols and oil pollution prevention activities. All transactions were “above board and properly documented,” the PCG added..... MORE

SourceThe Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/nation/20110329nat5.html

AFP to upgrade its capability in disputed Spratly Islands By Mario J. Mallari 03/29/2011

AFP to upgrade its capability in disputed Spratly Islands

By Mario J. Mallari 03/29/2011

The Armed Forces of the Philippine (AFP) will be upgrading its capability at the disputed Spratly group of islands on South China Sea as it maintained that the Reed Bank, where the Department of Energy (DoE) is conducting oil exploration, is well within the country’s territorial waters.

At a luncheon meeting with Camp Aguinaldo reporters, AFP Chief of Staff Gen. Eduardo Oban Jr. yesterday said the upgrade will start with the allotment of P31 million for the rehabilitation of the Rancudo Airfield on Philippine-occupied Pagasa  Island which was already approved by President Aquino.

“That’s a standing order…we will be having rehabilitation of the runway in Pagasa,” said Oban, adding the upgrading will be started “as soon as possible, we need to address that immediately. Matter of fact, there are funds for that already.”.... MORE

SourceThe Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/nation/20110329nat2.html

Binay seeks clarification from Saudi on OFW ban By Michaela P. del Callar 03/29/2011

Binay seeks clarification from Saudi on OFW ban

By Michaela P. del Callar 03/29/2011

Vice President Jejomar Binay will seek clarification from the government of Saudi Arabia on its decision to ban Filipino maids from working in the Kingdom during a visit to the Middle East this week.

The monthly wage increase sought by the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) for Filipino domestic helpers from $200 to $400 is seen as a major reason why the Saudi government decided to impose the deployment ban, migrant worker group Migrante said.

It said the Saudi government issued a note verbale to the Philippine Embassy in Riyadh saying “processing and verification of household service workers have been stopped until further notice.”.... MORE

SourceThe Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/nation/20110329nat6.html

Coalition groups to stage people’s protest vs oil price hike on Thursday By Pat C. Santos 03/29/2011

Coalition groups to stage people’s protest vs oil price hike on Thursday

By Pat C. Santos 03/29/2011

Various sectors, led by the Koalisyon ng Progresibong Manggagawa at Mamamayan or KPMM, will stage the national people’s protest on Thursday against the unhampered hikes in the prices of petroleum products, the coalition’s leaders announced yesterday at a press conference.

The people’s protest will include protest marches and transport strikes throughout the country and a protest caravan in Metro Manila, the statement said.

“We banded together in our alliance to fight for a substantial wage hike for private and public sector workers, and the No. 1 enemy of our wages’ real value at present is the unabated oil price hikes and its devastating effects on the prices of basic commodities. The oil price hikes have to be stopped and that is why we are joining the people’s protest on Thursday,” said Larry Tan, KPMM spokesperson and vice chairperson of the National Food Authority Employees’ Association..... MORE

SourceThe Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/metro/20110329met1.html

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