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Curiouser and curiouser EDITORIAL 07/13/2011

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Curiouser and curiouser

EDITORIAL
Click to enlarge
07/13/2011
Sen. Panfilo Lacson, in a TV interview yesterday, showed his travel document and claimed that this was authentic, but that he had mistakenly written down the wrong document number — which is now an entirely different tune he is singing, given the fact that the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), through Undersecretary Rafael Seguis, came out openly to state that the registry number that Lacson had pointed to was never issued to him.

But this issue has become much more curious, as Lacson, despite having shown his document on TV, still asked not to make public in the meantime details that would show where it came from, as he wishes to protect those who helped him while he was on the run abroad..... MORE

SourceThe Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20110713com1.html

Making more enemies FRONTLINE Ninez Cacho-Olivares 07/13/2011

Making more enemies

FRONTLINE
Ninez Cacho-Olivares
07/13/2011
Noynoy isn’t satisfied with the apology made by the bishops and says his legal team is still reviewing the constitutional violations committed by the Church under the principle of the separation of powers between church and state.

Just what is wrong with this president that he insists that the bishops violated the constitutional proviso?

In the first place, if Noynoy still does not fathom it, the bishops did not apologize to Noynoy but to the Filipino people. So whether or not Noynoy is satisfied with the apology is of no importance and it is downright silly of him to say he is not satisfied with the apology and is still digging for something with which to charge the bishops.

But if Noynoy insists that there have been violations committed against the Constitution and the laws of the land by the bishops in this matter of charity donations through requests made, then he should start charging not only the former Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office chief but also his appointee, Margie Juico, because there have been donations then and donations today to priests, as well as congressmen, but this time, with Margie at the PCSO, it is the allies of Noynoy who are the beneficiaries..... MORE

SourceThe Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20110713com2.html

Famed Australian dance company shuns ‘ooga booga’ LETTER 07/13/2011

Famed Australian dance company shuns ‘ooga booga’

LETTER

07/13/2011
SYDNEY — Australia’s Aboriginal dance company Bangarra has won global accolades but says it has been a victim of its own success in terms of funding at home and at times faces demands for “ooga booga” abroad.

Formed in 1989, the Bangarra Dance Theatre is the country’s foremost indigenous performing arts company and is often called on to be Australia’s cultural ambassador at major events.

But the troupe, which performs everywhere from remote Australian outback communities to the likes of the World Economic Forum in Davos, carries a significant but underfunded cultural load, said executive director Catherine Baldwin..... MORE

SourceThe Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20110713com5.html

An RTC judge’s denial LETTER 07/13/2011

An RTC judge’s denial

LETTER

07/13/2011
Dear Editor:
This is regarding the front-page news stories on the NAIA-3 case in the Daily Tribune issues of July 4 and 7, 2011.

In the strongest terms possible, I categorically deny any misconduct in the case, whether explicitly claimed in the news stories or implicitly insinuated by them.

With a clear conscience, I assure the people that I have done no wrongdoing.

In a proper forum (a newspaper is not such a forum), I can and will readily prove my innocence.
In the meantime, I will continue to work quietly on the case to the best of my ability as a public servant and the dictate of my conscience as a judge — undeterred by the machinations from anonymous and unscrupulous quarters or by any publicity of whatever sort..... MORE

SourceThe Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20110713com6.html

Ex-ARMM gov. singing like a canary By Virgilio Bugaoisan 07/13/2011

NOYNOY CONTRADICTS DE LIMA ON ZALDY AS STATE WITNESS

Ex-ARMM gov. singing like a canary

By Virgilio Bugaoisan 07/13/2011

President Aquino publicly rebuked Justice Secretary Leila de Lima again after he announced that his administration is still considering former Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) Gov. Zaldy Ampatuan as a possible state witness in the Maguindanao massacre case despite strong objections from the Department of Justice (DoJ).

It appears that Aquino sees Zaldy as a major state witness after having heard the former ARMM governor’s confessions as bared in an exclusive interview with ABS-CBN Radio-TV anchor Anthony Taberna.

Zaldy not only implicated his father and brother, Andal Ampatuan Sr. and Jr. as having planned the massacre, but has also implicated former President now Rep. Gloria Arroyo and her spouse, Jose Miguel “Mike” Arroyo, to the poll fraud in the ARMM during the 2007 senatorial elections.

Zaldy Ampatuan, during the interview bared that Arroyo and her husband were responsible for the poll fraud in Maguindanao in 2007 that allowed now Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri to snatch the last Senate post, stressing that he is willing to testify and put closure to the case..... MORE

SourceThe Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20110713hed1.html

‘Apology not enough to absolve bishops’ By Virgilio J. Bugaoisan and Michaela P. del Callar 07/13/2011

‘Apology not enough to absolve bishops’

By Virgilio J. Bugaoisan and Michaela P. del Callar 07/13/2011

A simple denial by his allies when allegations of wrongdoing are leveled against them is sufficient for President Aquino to absolve them, but not when it comes to bishops and their public apology for the controversy over the charity donations of Sports Uitility Vehicles (SUVs) with a worth of P6.9 million they had obtained from the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) during then President Arroyo’s term.

Aquino was not content with the apology issued by the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) president in connection with the alleged irregularities in the PCSO and said that his government will still seek the possible violations in connection with the constitutional provision on the separation of the Church and the State..... MORE

SourceThe Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20110713hed2.html

Robredo orders probe of P131-M worth of rubber boats, motors By Gina Peralta-Elorde 07/13/2011

Robredo orders probe of P131-M worth of rubber boats, motors

By Gina Peralta-Elorde 07/13/2011


Controversies have been hounding the Philippine National Police (PNP) nowadays with the second-hand helicopters scam exposed earlier and now the misused of PNP funds over alleged overpriced in buying rubber boats and outboard motors amounting to P131 million.

Reports said that the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Jesse Robredo ordered an inquiry into the alleged purchased of 75 rubber boats and 93 outboard motors which were bought after tropical storm “Ondoy” (Ketsana) in 2009.

Robredo questioned the PNP with regard to the procurement of P131 million of rubber boats and outboard motors..... MORE

SourceThe Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/nation/20110713nat2.html

CA upholds indigenous people’s claim to land Benjamin B. Pulta 07/13/2011

CA upholds indigenous people’s claim to land

Benjamin B. Pulta 07/13/2011

A ruling by the Court of Appeals (CA) has upheld the awarding of more than 22,000 hectares of land and sea made by the National Commission on Indigenous People (NCIP) in favor of the Tagbanua Indigenous Cultural Community in Palawan (TICP).

In its decision by Associate Justice Josefina Guevarra-Salonga, the appellate court denied the petition filed by the provincial government of Palawan questioning the ruling which awarded the Tagbanua a Certificate of Ancestral Domain Title (CADT).

Associate Justices Mariflor Punzalan Castillo and Franchito Diamante concurred.

“It bears stressing that our disposition herein does not touch upon the validity of the NICP resolution which became the basis of the subject since to do so would in effect allow a collateral attack on the legality of its issuance,” the CA decision stated..... MORE

SourceThe Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/nation/20110713nat4.html

PCGG to auction off prime real estate properties worth P138 million 07/13/2011

PCGG to auction off prime real estate properties worth P138 million

07/13/2011
The Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG) yesterday announced it would auction off two prime real estate properties in Manila and Baguio.

According to a statement from the agency, the two surrendered properties to be disposed include a prime property in Mandaluyong City consisting of 2,012 square meters of commercial land with a minimum floor price of P101.606 million and the 3,875.57-square meter Hans Menzi compound in Baguio City with a minimum floor price of P37.246 million. Total value for the two properties is P138.852 million.

PCGG Commissioner for Asset Management Richard Roger Amurao said the commission’s decision to dispose the two prime properties is in line with the agency’s privatization program schedule crafted under the new commission headed by Chairman Andres Bautista.

Amurao said the PCGG’s decision to sell the recovered properties has been cleared by the Government’s Privatization Council as contained in its letter to the PCGG on June 22, 2011 approving its proposal to sell the real estate properties through sealed public bidding..... MORE

SourceThe Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/metro/20110713met2.html

Aquino urged to convince his relative-owners to distribute Luisita to farmer – beneficiaries By Charlie V. Manalo 07/13/2011

Aquino urged to convince his relative-owners to distribute Luisita to farmer – beneficiaries

By Charlie V. Manalo 07/13/2011

If it is really the intent of President Aquino to have the Hacienda Luisita distributed to farmers, all he has to do is to prevail upon his relative-owners of the contested sugar estate to transfer the ownership of the controversial landholding to the agrarian beneficiaries, instead of instructing government officials to interpose a reconsideration of the Supreme Court’s (SC’s) directive for the holding of another referendum.

Thus said House Minority Leader Edcel Lagman in reaction to reports Aquino has instructed Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) Secretary Virgilio de los Reyes and Solicitor General Joel Cadiz to file a motion for reconsideration on the SC ruling, which revoked the stock distribution option (SDO), called for a new referendum among the Luisita farmer-beneficiaries to settle the issue for themselves.

In a statement, Lagman said although the high court called on the Luisita farmer-beneficiaries to settle the issue for themselves, the SC decision “does not prohibit or deter the Aquino landlords from complying with the constitutional mandate on the distribution of all agricultural lands to the landless tillers,” thus Aquino, can for himself, unilaterally call for the distribution of the more than 6,000 hectares sugar estate his family owns..... MORE

SourceThe Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/metro/20110713met1.html

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