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Noy’s political cleansing EDITORIAL 05/15/2011

Sunday, May 15, 2011

Noy’s political cleansing

EDITORIAL
Click to enlarge
05/15/2011
Noynoy is back again on the belligerent path picking up a fight where none is necessary against the Sandiganbayan for its recent ruling upholding the plea bargain agreement between the Office of the Ombudsman and former military comptroller Maj. Gen. Carlos Garcia.

The Sandiganbayan said it merely ruled on the agreement after determining that it satisfied all legal requirements, thus warranting its approval.

Reason is not the agenda of Noynoy and his Yellow vigilantes, however, in raising a howl against the Sandiganbayan’s resolution. The past few days saw a series of theatrics that appeared scripted which was fired off by House allies of Noynoy who spearheaded the impeachment of Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez calling for the resignation of the Sandiganbayan justices.

Apparently, Noynoy and his allies have a simple solution whenever they don’t agree with decisions made by independent bodies: Put the pressure on them to resign then appoint Palace-friendly justices and Ombudsman in their stead, which would serve as a guarantee of their toeing the Noynoy line..... MORE

SourceThe Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20110515com1.html

Waging a losing war FRONTLINE Ninez Cacho-Olivares 05/15/2011

Waging a losing war

FRONTLINE
Ninez Cacho-Olivares
05/15/2011
Bishops are waging a war to stop the passage of the Reproductive Health (RH) bill, but they know they can’t possibly win, mainly because surveys or no, majority of the Filipinos know that the time has come for responsible parenthood and the curbing of the population growth — through the means of couples spacing their children.

Couples know they can hardly afford to have yet another mouth to feed.

Not even if the bishops stage a nationwide demonstration against the RH bill passage, because it is really not even a religious cause majority of the Filipinos believe in. Haven’t the bishops realized yet that even without the RH bill, there are already many who are into taking the right precautions to prevent pregnancy? The problem is that the poor do not have the wherewithal to buy these contraceptives, which is why it is important that the government provides the right access to the couples who want it.

Understandably, the bishops are passionately against the passage of this RH bill, mainly because this is what their religion and the Vatican decree. But no matter how much they huff and puff religiously, this cause just won’t fly with the general public..... MORE

SourceThe Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20110515com2.html

RH war on the grassroots TABLETS OF STONE Larry Faraon, OP 05/15/2011

RH war on the grassroots

TABLETS OF STONE
Larry Faraon, OP
05/15/2011
On hindsight, the RH war really is not so much on the moral advocacy and legislative levels, creating an unnecessary conflict between the Church and the government, which is heating up lately with pronouncements and counter-pronouncements from either side. With the exposé of Sen. Vicente Sotto on the alleged ghost deliveries and misappropriations of “health programs for the family” (of course, we know the masked disguise) amounting to P2.6 billion, the RH covert or anticipatory moves by the local government units are being brought to the fore of national attention. Sen. Ralph Recto in support of his colleague sounded off his governor-wife’s concern about millions of pesos allegedly being received by the Batangas province from the Department of Health between 2008 to 2010 where no actual deliveries of contraceptives, or at least “symbolic” or “token” reproductive health aid was unloaded to local destinations. Expect therefore in the next few days, other local government units extricating themselves one after the other..... MORE

SourceThe Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20110515com6.html

India’s politician of love FEATURE 05/15/2011

India’s politician of love

FEATURE

05/15/2011
CHENNAI — Kumar Sri Sri wants to bring a bit of love to India’s parliament.

Even in a democracy known for its political diversity, the 35-year-old part-time make-up artist stands out as founder and leader of one of the country’s unlikeliest political groups, the All India Lovers Party (ILP).

Motivated by the prejudices he had to overcome to marry his own wife, Kumar created the ILP in 2008 to support couples who wish to marry despite parental disapproval over differences in caste, religion and social rank.

Those who stray outside the norm can end up estranged from their parents or, in the worst cases, as victims of “honor killings” carried out by outraged relatives to protect what they see as the family’s reputation and pride..... MORE

SourceThe Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20110515com7.html

Painful yet truthful VIEWPOINTS Archbishop Oscar V. Cruz 05/15/2011

Painful yet truthful

VIEWPOINTS
Archbishop Oscar V. Cruz
05/15/2011
\"Philippine politics — the way it is practiced — is possibly the biggest bane in our life as a nation and the most pernicious obstacle to our achieving full human development.”

The above phrase is an admittedly strong indictment of practical politics in the country. The evaluative pronouncement was not made by these or those rebels or ideologues. It was neither owned by these and those over idealistic individuals living in “Cloud 9.” Much less did it come from those who had nothing better to do and/or to say. Here is the source: CBCP Pastoral Exhortation on Philippine Politics, Sept. 16 1997.

It is but right and proper to take note of the following observations for a better understanding of the above-cited formal and official written statement from the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines:.... MORE

SourceThe Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20110515com5.html

Marcelo failed to cite Garcia as comptroller 05/15/2011

SANDIGANBAYAN BARES DEFICIENT CASE

Marcelo failed to cite Garcia as comptroller

05/15/2011
The case filed by former Ombudsman Simeon Marcelo against accused plunderer retired Maj. Gen. Carlos Garcia was so filled with holes or very deficient that it did not even mention Garcia’s position as comptroller in the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), in which he should have been accused of having benefited illegally and in turn became the basis for the crime of plunder, the second division of the Sandiganbayan said in its ruling approving the plea bargain agreement between Garcia and the Office of the Ombudsman.

President Aquino had called the graft court’s decision “legally wrong” and unacceptable while his allies called for all the Sandiganbayan justices to step down.

Former Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez, who resigned recently and was the successor of Marcelo, had claimed that the plea bargain her office entered into with Garcia was meant to save the government from being left empty-handed from the deficient case filed by Marcelo..... MORE

SourceThe Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20110515hed1.html

Melodramatics, Palace says on Noy-Marcos analogy By Aytch S. de la Cruz 05/15/2011

Melodramatics, Palace says on Noy-Marcos analogy

By Aytch S. de la Cruz 05/15/2011

The Palace accused yesterday Church leaders, who likened President Aquino to the political nemesis of his parents, the late strongman Ferdinand Marcos, over Aquino’s threat of slapping sedition charges on pro-life groups who will stage civil disobedience over the Reproductive Health (RH) bill debate, of engaging in melo-dramatics.

Malacañang said the prelates should quit their “melodramatics” and “name-calling” for the sake of principled discussion over the hotly-contested Reproductive Health (RH) and Responsible Parenthood (RP) bills.

The comparison between Aquino and Marcos was raised by the Catholic community last Friday immediately after Aquino said he won’t hesitate to file sedition charges against them and other anti-RH groups that would mount a civil disobedience campaign through a tax boycott..... MORE

SourceThe Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20110515hed2.html

QC police hunt for 2 bus drivers in Simbulan mishap 05/15/2011

QC police hunt for 2 bus drivers in Simbulan mishap

05/15/2011
The Quezon City Police District (QCPD) launched yesterday a manhunt against the unidentified drivers of the two buses which rammed a taxi cab and instantly killed veteran journalist-educator Lourdes “Chit” Estela-Simbulan in Diliman, Quezon City Friday night.

Estela-Simbulan, 54, was a co-founder editor of VERA Files, former correspondent of Manila Bulletin/Tempo, faculty member of the University of the Philippines (UP)-College of Mass Communications and member of the National Union of Journalists in the Philippines (NUJP).

QCPD-Traffic Enforcement Unit (TEU) Sector 1 team leader Chief Insp. Reynaldo Z. Medina said Estela-Simbulan, a resident of Tandang Sora, Novaliches, Quezon City, was aboard an Abu Abbey taxi (TXH-532) driven by Vito Jagunos when the accident took place at around 6 p.m. in front of the Ayala Techno Hub on Commonwealth Avenue..... MORE

SourceThe Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20110515hed7.html

Pacquiao opposes RH Bill By Charlie V. Manalo 05/15/2011

Pacquiao opposes RH Bill

By Charlie V. Manalo 05/15/2011

World boxing champion, Sarngani Rep. Manny Pacquiao yesterday reiterated his opposition to the controversial Reproductive Health (RH) bill, saying it is not the solution in alleviating the country’s woes.

In a radio interview, Pacquiao, who just arrived from the United States after successfully defending World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight belt against former champion Shane Mosley, said contrary to the statements propagated by RH proponents, it is corruption which poses a bigger problem than over population.

“It is not RH bill the solution to uproot poverty. The solution is to weedout corruption because this is the real culprit why our countrymen are poor,” Pacquiao said..... MORE

SourceThe Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/nation/20110515nat8.html

300 colleges, universities increase tuition By Jason Faustino 05/15/2011

300 colleges, universities increase tuition

By Jason Faustino 05/15/2011

Some 300 colleges and universities jacked up their tuition for the coming school year, reports said.

This was announced by the Department of Education (DepEd) before the opening of classes of public schools on June 6.

According to the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), out of 1,792 colleges and universities nationwide, 282 asked for tuition hike.

The average tuition increase being sought was at 7.2 percent or P72 per unit..... MORE

SourceThe Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/nation/20110515nat1.html

PhilHealth urged to put up drug stores in all hospitals By Charlie V. Manalo 05/15/2011

PhilHealth urged to put up drug stores in all hospitals

By Charlie V. Manalo 05/15/2011

A lawmaker is asking the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) to put up drug stores or pharmacies in government and private hospitals that will offer cheaper medicines for underprivileged Filipinos.

Biliran Rep. Rogelio Espina, author of House Bill 4235, said poor Filipino families will be the beneficiaries of such an undertaking considering the fact that PhilHealth is a government-owned and controlled corporation (GOCC).

“This is not only to lessen or hopefully remove from the deprived public the burden of buying expensive medicines and being reimbursed for less but also to cut short the process of reimbursement,” Espina added.

Under the law, expenses for medicines are being reimbursed by PhilHealth based on the coverage of the holder, according to Espina..... MORE

SourceThe Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/metro/20110515met1.html

‘JV’ appeals to giant oil firms: Have mercy on Pinoys 05/15/2011

‘JV’ appeals to giant oil firms: Have mercy on Pinoys

05/15/2011
San Juan City Rep. Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito has appealed to the oil companies to execute corporate social responsibility on fellow Filipinos so as to help ease the burden of the continuing increase in crude prices.

“We consider the fact that oil prices are indeed skyrocketing now in the world market due to the political crisis happening in the Middle East. We also understand that it is within the books of business, especially oil companies, to gain sufficient profit and capital here in the Philippines,” Ejercito said..... MORE

SourceThe Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/metro/20110515met4.html

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