Behind the propaganda DIE HARD III Herman Tiu Laurel 07/12/2010

Behind the propaganda

DIE HARD III Herman Tiu Laurel 07/12/2010 If only the nation could see through the propaganda, it would be obvious to one and all that the kind of government we are seeing today is nothing but a continuation of the anti-people, pro-oligarchy, and pro-Western regimes of Corazon Aquino, Fidel Ramos and Gloria Arroyo. Just watch closely how a few days after the presidential inauguration, one of the key economic and financial managers of PeNoy Aquino, budget and Management chief Butch Abad, already turned around and announced that the 2010 budget deficit will be increasing from Gloria’s 3.6 percent to PeNoy’s 3.9 percent! At the same time, even as the Arroyo-appointed board at the PNOC-EC, which owns 10 percent of Malampaya, had previously delayed the sale of those shares (which Joseph Estrada as president had acquired for government), PeNoy’s Cesar Purisima is now saying that such shares are also “on the table” (i.e. ready to be sold along with two other state assets). The expected revenues from selling the 10 percent share of government would fetch up to P16 billion, an amount that is ridiculous considering that this natural gas asset remitted P13 billion in revenues from royalties and other incomes in 2008 alone. The pressure to sell these government shares invariably come from foreign energy companies. Like all previous government finance managers usually backed by international bankers and multilateral financial institutions, the issue of the national budget deficit is regularly invoked to press the sale. We are therefore not surprised that the Budget and Finance secretaries of PeNoy seem to be in a coordinated play to justify the sale of extremely profitable government assets again, including the Food Terminal Inc. in Taguig, as well as our nation’s properties in Japan. Shell Philippines Exploration BV, developer of the Malampaya natural gas wells, has by now fully recovered its investment of $4.5 billion after operating for the past decade. This is therefore the time that the Philippines should be negotiating for a substantially larger share of the project. It is certainly not the time to sell if government is thinking of the public good. If the Filipino people do not awake from the trance of “wang-wang” and “PNoy” which the mainstream print and broadcast media are feeding into the public’s subconscious, the vested interests moving in for the kill will finally succeed in this swindle of the century. PeNoy Aquino may also turn out to be the final villain in this Malampaya saga, with the ruling oligarchs behind Shell Philippines and their propaganda for him becoming instrumental in his infamy. The propaganda to make PeNoy into the “humble, uncomplaining, incorruptible” PNoy is deliberately being generated to overshadow and drown out discussions on vital issues of strategic importance to the public. This is one way to “manufacture consent” as noted linguist, philosopher, cognitive scientist and political activist Noam Chomsky has often written about. He explains: “I think there is a good reason the propaganda system works that way. It recognizes that the public will not support the actual policies. Therefore it is important to prevent any knowledge or understanding of them.” The same people behind Gloria Arroyo and, now, PeNoy Aquino are still doggedly after the total conquest, occupation, and usurpation of all the wealth of this nation. PeNoy’s Cabinet secretaries’ reversals on the budget deficit and full Malampaya privatization are just some of the glaring examples of the continuation of Arroyo’s disastrous policies. Another one has to do with recent pronouncements on the unconstitutional Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain (MoA-AD). The duplicity behind the MoA-AD’s near-consummation was a major issue against Gloria. PeNoy was supposed to offer a departure from that and a hope for a reversal of the previous regime’s policy of appeasement. But in an interview with Ces Drilon on ANC’s The Rundown, PeNoy’s Peace Process chief Ging Quintos Deles even praised that piece of high treason as well-intentioned and designed to benefit the Mindanaoans, but which lacked only in transparency. When pressed for details, such as the US Embassy’s undue interest on the matter, Deles could only say that in such sensitive issues she has learned not to open her mouth too much, which in itself is a denial of openness and transparency. Let me note that Deles and her husband have lived largely on foreign governments’ and foundations’ projects and funds, such as the Canadian International Development Agency. Ging Deles’ deliberate ambiguity is just a new approach to duplicity; thus, we can expect the PeNoy government to use his so-called “political capital” from his Hocus-PCOS “victory” plus the constant barrage of propaganda to finally consummate the MoA-AD. There are more duplicities hiding behind ambiguities: The pursuit of evidence on Gloria Arroyo’s many alleged crimes, including the Fertilizer Fund scam, through a toothless Truth Commission led by a dubious chairman, defended and reaffirmed by PeNoy Aquino himself. Another major issue is the wanton abandon with which the energy companies are raising power rates. The Philippine Electricity Market Corp., for starters, is already seeking a three-fold increase of its fees for “governance and market” operations in the energy market — an additional overhead in privatization that very few know about. Yet little, if any, public discussion initiated by government has come up about this major manipulation in the energy market. Why then is this policy of silence being continued by PeNoy Aquino? It certainly feels like these are just a foretaste of more insidious propaganda from the PeNoy regime. Could this be why there was that compelling need to form a fortified propaganda war room in the guise of a presidential communications group? (Tune in to 1098AM, Sulo ng Pilipino, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, 6 p.m. to 7 p.m.; Destiny Cable Channel 21, Talk News TV — Infowars Edition, Tuesday, 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. on “Election Annulment” with Gov. Bono Adaza and Engr. H.R. Estrella; also visit http://hermantiulaurel.blogspot.com)  (Reprinted with permission from Mr. Herman Tiu- Laurel) Source:  The Daily Tribune URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20100712com4.html

COMMENTARY EDITORIAL Fumbling Palace men FRONTLINE Resurrecting EO 464 ENQUIRY The Senate presidency DIE HARD III Behind the propaganda FEATURE New York lights fire under city’s smokers LETTER Calling Agence France Presse HE SAYS Cleaning up a mess SHE SAYS Fertile minds

New York lights fire under city’s smokers FEATURE 07/12/2010

New York lights fire under city’s smokers

FEATURE 07/12/2010 NEW YORK — New York’s smokers are puffing nervously in the face of new measures that leave them wondering how to afford their habit — and even where to light up. A tax increase earlier this month sent prices, already the highest in the United States, shooting to anything between $11 and $15 a pack, or as much as 75 cents a smoke. Then this week, Mayor Michael Bloomberg, a passionate anti-smoking former smoker, for the first time gave public backing to an idea aired by health officials to outlaw smoking in parks and on beaches. Smokers — already banished from bars, restaurants, office buildings and other interior public spaces — are gasping with rage. “We’re under assault from all sides,” said film maker Tom Hruby, 50, as he pulled at a Pall Mall while chatting with a friend by Central Park. “Try to regulate the airspace of a park and you’re one step from a fascist state.” “It’s crazy,” his friend and fellow smoker Arron Williams, 52, echoed. “Where are we going to smoke?” City and state officials hope that soaring cigarette prices will replenish tax coffers and force many to quit, eventually lowering health costs.... MORE Source:  The Daily Tribune URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20100712com5.html

COMMENTARY EDITORIAL Fumbling Palace men FRONTLINE Resurrecting EO 464 ENQUIRY The Senate presidency DIE HARD III Behind the propaganda FEATURE New York lights fire under city’s smokers LETTER Calling Agence France Presse HE SAYS Cleaning up a mess SHE SAYS Fertile minds

Calling Agence France Presse LETTER 07/12/2010 Dear Editor:

Calling Agence France Presse

LETTER 07/12/2010 Dear Editor: We wish to bring to your immediate attention and appropriate action the Agence France Presse sourced article published in the April 15, 2010 issue of your newspaper entitled “A never-ending wait for justice in jail” written by Jason Gutierrez based on an interview of Jerry Ballento of cell block number 5 who allegedly entered the prison system when he was just 17 years old. We verified the information and records show that Jerry Ballento is actually Jeronimo Lariago Balintong, arrested for the killing of Raffy Grafil Alejar, 20 years old, on 25 Dec. 25, 2002. .... MORE Source:  The Daily Tribune URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20100712com6.html

COMMENTARY EDITORIAL Fumbling Palace men FRONTLINE Resurrecting EO 464 ENQUIRY The Senate presidency DIE HARD III Behind the propaganda FEATURE New York lights fire under city’s smokers LETTER Calling Agence France Presse HE SAYS Cleaning up a mess SHE SAYS Fertile minds

Cleaning up a mess HE SAYS Aldrin Cardon 07/12/2010

Cleaning up a mess

HE SAYS Aldrin Cardon 07/12/2010 From a sacred cow to a sacred cow, that is how Cito Lorenzo is fast becoming as talks once again center on past anomalous deals Gloria Arroyo’s administration had entered into, particularly the so-called Fertilizer Scam (the flavor of the week in the very young Aquino administration), in which Lorenzo and his alleged partner-in-crime Jocelyn “Joc-joc” Bolante were the major players. Palace hands are eagerly trying to extract information from Lorenzo in exchange for immunity by making him a state witness, a hero of sorts now after his flight from the previous investigations on the same matter, and he is expected to turn his back now on his former master, who was said to have benefitted from the anomaly as overpriced fertilizer money was used to buy off local officials in exchange for Gloria’s victory over famous actor Fernando Poe Jr., now deceased, in 2004. Lorenzo, GMA’s Agriculture secretary, cannot claim to have clean hands in the affair, and former Sen. Ramon Magsaysay Jr. could not be accused of simply insinuating this as he took part in the first Senate investigation of the mess, which at least revealed flaws in the structure on how authority over the fertilizer money flowed from top to bottom. Magsaysay suspects the Aquino administration is finding a way to give Lorenzo, whose brother was a big contributor to President Noynoy Aquino’s campaign kitty, the “kid glove treatment,” even as he claimed Lorenzo and Bolante are equally guilty as partners in the affair. Magsaysay, who probed the fertilizer fund mess in 2005, said government should hold Lorenzo and Bolante accountable for the misappropriation of P728-million, which not a few believe was used to prop up Gloria’s chances against Poe.... MORE Source:  The Daily Tribune URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20100712com7.html

COMMENTARY EDITORIAL Fumbling Palace men FRONTLINE Resurrecting EO 464 ENQUIRY The Senate presidency DIE HARD III Behind the propaganda FEATURE New York lights fire under city’s smokers LETTER Calling Agence France Presse HE SAYS Cleaning up a mess SHE SAYS Fertile minds

Fertile minds SHE SAYS Dinah S. Ventura 07/12/2010

Fertile minds

SHE SAYS Dinah S. Ventura 07/12/2010 In 2006, people asked: Where in the world is Luis “Cito” Lorenzo? In 2010, some wondered: Who in the world is Cito Lorenzo? Pinoys are notorious for being tremendously short in memory, but in this case, when the dust never settled on the P728-million fertilizer fund scam, forgetting the key characters is unforgivable. To refresh our memory, erstwhile Department of Agriculture (DA) Secretary Cito Lorenzo disappeared at the height of investigation of the alleged scam, where funds intended to buy organic fertilizers and other farm inputs were allegedly diverted to the war chest of then President Arroyo for her 2004 campaign. Then DA Undersecretary Jocelyn “Joc-joc” Bolante tried to implicate his former boss by testifying that it was Lorenzo who had ordered the release of funds under the DA’s Ginintuang Masaganang Ani (GMA) program. At the time, Lorenzo was already “keeping a low profile while doing good” — that is, serving as consultant for the Gawad Kalinga. After the elections, he left his post at the DA, which he had held from December 2002 to June or July 2004. News reports after the 2004 elections hinted that politics was behind his forced resignation from the DA, along with those of Joey Lina (former secretary of the Interior and Local Government) and (Social Welfare Secretary) Dinky Soliman. According to opposition Sen. Aquilino Pimentel Jr. in a July 12, 2004 Philippine Star report, “President Arroyo forced the Agriculture secretary to quit because she lost in the areas in Mindanao where the Lorenzo family runs agricultural plantations and agriculture-based businesses.” Then again, she gave him the task to “create one million jobs” as her adviser on countrywide development, a position which he held for a time.... MORE Source:  The Daily Tribune URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20100712com8.html

COMMENTARY EDITORIAL Fumbling Palace men FRONTLINE Resurrecting EO 464 ENQUIRY The Senate presidency DIE HARD III Behind the propaganda FEATURE New York lights fire under city’s smokers LETTER Calling Agence France Presse HE SAYS Cleaning up a mess SHE SAYS Fertile minds

Ex-rebel general wants Garci probe reopened By Mario J. Mallari 07/12/2010

RELEASE OF MAYUGA REPORT ALSO SOUGHT Ex-rebel general wants Garci probe reopened By Mario J. Mallari 07/12/2010 Former Scout Ranger chief Brig. Gen. Danilo Lim, who was recently released from military detention, is calling for the reopening of the investigation into the supposed participation of high-ranking members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) in the massive and orchestrated election cheating during the 2004 polls that gave former President Arroyo a fresh six-year term as alleged in the “Hello Garci” recordings. Lim said the reopening of the probe should take off with the findings of the Mayuga Report which contained the AFP investigation regarding the alleged involvement of some ranking AFP officers in the 2004 electoral fraud submitted by then Inspector General Rear Admiral Mateo Mayuga. “We should use the Mayuga report as a starting point and those who were not interviewed before should be interviewed now,” said Lim, who himself was not called by the investigation panel, led by Mayuga who rose to become Navy chief after the conclusion of the investigation. The findings of the Mayuga Report, however, were not made public. “I am convinced that there were really cheating,” Lim stressed. Lim said the AFP should really come out clean regarding the issue and go after the officers who were involved, in order to move on. “There should really be closure to this issue as far as the AFP is concerned, that is the original sin. We cannot move forward if this is not addressed. If there were really involved in the cheating, and definitely there was cheating, they should be held responsible and face the consequences,” said Lim.... MORE Source:  The Daily Tribune URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20100712hed1.html

HEADLINES Ex-rebel general wants Garci probe reopened Former PAOCTF colleague twits Gatdula on Lacson quip No LP monopoly on key House panels — Belmonte LP not pursuing impeach raps vs Ombudsman as yet Robredo vows DILG reform, end to jueteng OFW stabbed to death in Iran

Former PAOCTF colleague twits Gatdula on Lacson quip By Angie M. Rosales 07/12/2010

Former PAOCTF colleague twits Gatdula on Lacson quip

By Angie M. Rosales 07/12/2010 The camp of Sen. Panfilo Lacson yesterday did not take lightly the statements made by newly appointed National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Director Magtanggol Gatdula that there will be no letup in pursuing the fugitive legislator over an arrest order for his involvement in the Dacer-Corbito double murder case despite Gatdula’s past association with Lacson. “Gatdula should know Lacson better. He won’t use their past association to make him not perform his job,” said Lacson’s administrative officer, retired Chief Insp. Ricardo Dandan. Dandan issued the reaction in view of the pronounce-ments made by Gatdula, who will formally assume the NBI post this week, that the country’s premier investigating body will go soft on the fugitive senator who happens to be a former superior at the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Task Force (PAOCTF). Dandan, himself a former subordinate of Lacson at the Philippine National Police (PNP), reminded the incoming NBI chief that the senator is not known to have used past associations to keep the likes of Gatdula from performing his duty. Gatdula will most likely formally assume his new post today, facing tasks to handle the controversial cases including the Dacer-Corbito killings, “Hello Nico and compact flash card election related probe,” and the Nov. 23, 2009 massacre.... MORE Source:  The Daily Tribune URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20100712hed2.html

HEADLINES Ex-rebel general wants Garci probe reopened Former PAOCTF colleague twits Gatdula on Lacson quip No LP monopoly on key House panels — Belmonte LP not pursuing impeach raps vs Ombudsman as yet Robredo vows DILG reform, end to jueteng OFW stabbed to death in Iran

No LP monopoly on key House panels — Belmonte By Gerry Baldo 07/12/2010

No LP monopoly on key House panels — Belmonte

By Gerry Baldo 07/12/2010 Key positions in the House of Representatives will not only be held by members of the Liberal Party but also by members of its coalition partners that include the Lakas-Kampi-CMD, the Nationalist People’s Coalition, the Nacionalista Party and the smaller parties like the PDP-Laban and the Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino. According to Quezon City Rep. Feliciano Belmonte, LP’s bet for the speakership race, he is now in the process of talking to possible candidates for the chairmanships of at least 57 House committees. “We talk to the prospective chairpersons on who will be more qualified to lead this or that committee. We will take into consideration factors like experience and seniority,” Belmonte said. He, however, stressed that members of the LP will be holding strategic posts and major committees. “Like in any organization in the past, the administration has a say on how the committees are filled up. A committee would want to have access to people in the administration. That is a normal course,” Belmonte stressed. He, however, was quick to say that the LP will not monopolize the major posts, saying seniority, experience and capability to lead the panel remain as major requirements..... MORE Source:  The Daily Tribune URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20100712hed3.html

HEADLINES Ex-rebel general wants Garci probe reopened Former PAOCTF colleague twits Gatdula on Lacson quip No LP monopoly on key House panels — Belmonte LP not pursuing impeach raps vs Ombudsman as yet Robredo vows DILG reform, end to jueteng OFW stabbed to death in Iran

LP not pursuing impeach raps vs Ombudsman as yet By Gerry Baldo 07/12/2010

LP not pursuing impeach raps vs Ombudsman as yet

By Gerry Baldo 07/12/2010 While an ally of the Liberal Party (LP) is hankering for the removal of Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez, senior members of the ruling administration are reluctant to do so despite serious allegations of bias on the part of the anti-graft body. According to some ranking members of the party, they have yet to decide and review the allegations against Gutierrez who has allegedly recently tried to dampen the charges against those involved in the P728-million fertilizer scam during the Arroyo administration. Cavite Rep. Joseph Emilio Abaya, secretary general of the LP, said it is the right of Akbayan party-list Rep.Walden Bello as member of the institution to push the impeachment of Gutierrez who successfully evaded a similar complaint when it was junked by the 14th Congress at the time of former President Gloria Arroyo. “I have yet to find out the grounds they are raising and alleged facts to support such grounds. That is the right of Congressman Bello and Akbayan if they think the Ombudsman has committed an impeachable offense,” Abaya stressed. Gutierrez, a close ally of the former president, is perceived to be a loyal follower who would not lift a finger that could put the Arroyos and their minions at harm’s way.  Gutierrez is also a classmate of the former presidential spouse. Quezon Rep. Lorenzo “Erin” Tañada III, spokesman of LP, also admitted that the LP has yet to make a stand on the move to impeach Gutierrez..... MORE Source:  The Daily Tribune URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20100712hed4.html

HEADLINES Ex-rebel general wants Garci probe reopened Former PAOCTF colleague twits Gatdula on Lacson quip No LP monopoly on key House panels — Belmonte LP not pursuing impeach raps vs Ombudsman as yet Robredo vows DILG reform, end to jueteng OFW stabbed to death in Iran

Robredo vows DILG reform, end to jueteng By Pat C. Santos 07/12/2010

Robredo vows DILG reform, end to jueteng

By Pat C. Santos 07/12/2010 Newly named Interior and Local government Secretary Jesse Robredo vowed to pursue his reform agenda in the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), including the stamping out of the illegal numbers game jueteng as a way to regain the trust and confidence of the people in the government.  Robredo said on radio reforms are upcoming in the three major line agencies under the DILG, namely, the Philippine National Police (PNP), the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) and the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP).  Robredo, who is expected to formally assume the DILG top post either today or tomorrow also vowed transparency on financial transactions at the DILG.  Robredo said his first move against jueteng would be to review the operations of the small town lottery (STL) which is reported to be mostly a front for the illegal numbers game. The Ramon Magsaysay Awardee said that all procurement would be posted onthe DILG’s web site to maintain transparency.  On the PNP side, Robredo said the ongoing Integrated Transformation Program (ITP) should be observed down to the station level to attain better police service.  He vowed full support to the PNP-ITP program. Robredo also asked the PNP to immediately address violence against media practitioners.... MORE Source:  The Daily Tribune URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20100712hed5.html

HEADLINES Ex-rebel general wants Garci probe reopened Former PAOCTF colleague twits Gatdula on Lacson quip No LP monopoly on key House panels — Belmonte LP not pursuing impeach raps vs Ombudsman as yet Robredo vows DILG reform, end to jueteng OFW stabbed to death in Iran

OFW stabbed to death in Iran 07/12/2010

OFW stabbed to death in Iran

07/12/2010 A Filipino male worker, who was waiting for his re-entry visa to the United Arab Emirates, was reportedly killed by a Sudanese during a fight on Kish Island, Iran, a migrant worker group yesterday said. John Leonard Monterona, regional coordinator of Migrante Middle East Chapter, declined to identify the Filipino fatality pending notification of his next of kin, but said he was killed last July 1. “We are trying to get in touch with his relatives in the UAE and in the Philippines so that we could provide them the needed assistance and guidance,” Monterona said in a statement. The Department of Foreign Affairs in Manila said it is currently verifying the report with its embassy in the UAE and Iran. Citing witness accounts from stranded Filipino workers in Kish Island, Monterona said a Sudanese challenged the Filipino to a fight. Monterona said the Sudanese got angry when the Filipino ignored him and slapped the Filipino several times. The Filipino worker retaliated to defend himself. Monterona said another Sudanese, who was armed with a knife, stepped in and stabbed the Filipino on the chest. The Filipino was taken to Kish Hospital but was declared dead on arrival.... MORE Source:  The Daily Tribune URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20100712hed6.html

HEADLINES Ex-rebel general wants Garci probe reopened Former PAOCTF colleague twits Gatdula on Lacson quip No LP monopoly on key House panels — Belmonte LP not pursuing impeach raps vs Ombudsman as yet Robredo vows DILG reform, end to jueteng OFW stabbed to death in Iran

Why not ask her to leave? EDITORIAL 07/11/2010

Why not ask her to leave?

EDITORIAL Click to enlarge 07/11/2010 The headache that is Merceditas Gutierrez, she who simply refuses to fade away during the Arroyo administration and she hopes now, is facing a determined effort from the Aquino administration to have her removed from her position as Ombudsman. Having former First Gentleman Mike Arroyo as a classmate in the Ateneo de Manila University Law School, reportedly as her main credential for being the former Justice secretary and now the incumbent Ombudsman, Gutierrez is understandably considered a hindrance by the Aquino administration in prosecuting cases against Gloria and her cabal over their nine-year reign of anomalies. Bereft of any other sterling record in the field of dispensing justice, the only reason for Gutierrez’s appointment to her post, many have been suspecting, then and now, involves a deal of protecting her patrons and their allies when the time comes where cases are filed against them. Gutierrez, after graduating from Ateneo, failed the Bar exams in her first attempt. In the government, she became the legal officer of the Philippine Aerospace Development Corp., then legal officer of the Presidential Office and also a counsel for the National Economic and Development Authority (Neda). Her appointments it seems were dictated by the most immediate requirements of the occupants of the Palace. At the Department of Justice, she quickly rose from the ranks of state counsel to undersecretary to twice Justice secretary, initially to fill-out the seat left vacant by Hernando “Nani” Perez in 2002 and a longer stint after succeeding Simeon Datumanong in 2004.... MORE Source:  The Daily Tribune URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20100711com1.html

COMMENTARY EDITORIAL Why not ask her to leave? FRONTLINE Wrong moves ANALYSIS Serbia steps up harsh rhetoric ahead of ICJ Kosovo ruling BLURBAL THRUSTS NPC for arming of newsmen C.R.O.S.S.R.O.A.D.S Here’s one for Secretary Romulo TABLETS OF STONE Presidential ‘system’ VIEWPOINTS Marriage

Wrong moves FRONTLINE Ninez Cacho-Olivares 07/11/2010

Wrong moves

FRONTLINE Ninez Cacho-Olivares 07/11/2010 Noynoy and his boys in Malacañang always appear to go about things the wrong way. Two days ago, at a press briefing, Noynoy’s spokesman, Edwin Lacierda, bared that the Palace is looking at forcing Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez to resign, and failing that, would seek her impeachment in the House of Representatives, through their ruling Liberal Party congressmen-allies. A third option would be to question Gutierrez’s status as Ombudsman before the courts, on account of her having overstayed in her position, since Malacañang says, she was appointed Ombudsman by Gloria Arroyo, and is to merely continue the term of her predecessor, Simeon Marcelo, who had resigned after two years in the post. And they in Malacañang want her kicked out because they distrust her, being a classmate of the First Gentleman, and being very close to the First Couple. Gutierrez is hardly my cup of tea, but — and it’s a big but — their dislike of her is hardly a good reason to kick her out of her position through force, or impeachment, or a question of law and the Constitution. The reality is that whether she is close to Gloria and Mike Arroyo, to the point of protecting them from suits, after she has lost her immunity is that she, being in the outs with the Aquino government, would prove to be more independent than when she was in with the Arroyo government--at least in the matter of the new Palace cronies and relatives.... MORE Source:  The Daily Tribune URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20100711com2.html

COMMENTARY EDITORIAL Why not ask her to leave? FRONTLINE Wrong moves ANALYSIS Serbia steps up harsh rhetoric ahead of ICJ Kosovo ruling BLURBAL THRUSTS NPC for arming of newsmen C.R.O.S.S.R.O.A.D.S Here’s one for Secretary Romulo TABLETS OF STONE Presidential ‘system’ VIEWPOINTS Marriage

Serbia steps up harsh rhetoric ahead of ICJ Kosovo ruling ANALYSIS 07/11/2010

 Serbia steps up harsh rhetoric ahead of ICJ Kosovo ruling

ANALYSIS 07/11/2010 BELGRADE — Serbia is stepping up its harsh rhetoric on Kosovo ahead of an expected opinion of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on the legality of Kosovo’s unilateral 2008 proclamation of independence. “It is absolutely clear that no democratic leadership in Serbia will ever, under any circumstances, implicitly or explicitly, recognize” the independence of Kosovo, Serbian President Boris Tadic said Tuesday at the UN Security Council in a very combative speech. “There are those who expect us to yield eventually. This will not happen,” he stressed in the speech which lashed out at the authorities in Pristina and the international community. Analysts say Serbian officials are clearly outlining Belgrade’s position ahead the ICJ opinion on the legality of Kosovo’s declaration of independence in February 2008. The ruling may not be binding for the states, but it will at least provoke renewed debate on Kosovo’s status in the coming months. According to various sources, the opinion on the UN’s highest court could be handed down sometime between late July and September. Serbian Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic has said that the ICJ could send its conclusions to the United Nations General Assembly “during the summer.”... MORE Source:  The Daily Tribune URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20100711com3.html

COMMENTARY EDITORIAL Why not ask her to leave? FRONTLINE Wrong moves ANALYSIS Serbia steps up harsh rhetoric ahead of ICJ Kosovo ruling BLURBAL THRUSTS NPC for arming of newsmen C.R.O.S.S.R.O.A.D.S Here’s one for Secretary Romulo TABLETS OF STONE Presidential ‘system’ VIEWPOINTS Marriage

NPC for arming of newsmen BLURBAL THRUSTS Louie Logarta 07/11/2010

NPC for arming of newsmen

BLURBAL THRUSTS Louie Logarta 07/11/2010 Customs Commissioner Lito Alvarez’s first order of business upon assuming office last week was, according to sources, order an audit of the Manila International Container Port (MICP), one of the agency’s billionaire ports, after it failed to meet its collection target for the first semester of the year by almost P400 million. Well and good, because he wishes to make a good impression on the people who placed him in one of the most coveted positions in government (we’re told some people would willingly shove their mother-in-law off a cliff in order to get it) and more importantly dispel suspicions that he would favor certain importer-friends, since everyone knows he was the bossman of Airfreight 2100, a cargo forwarding company owned by businessman Bert Lina (also a former Customs commissioner until he joined the Hyatt 10 group in resigning from their respective posts in the Gloria government in July 2005) before he was named to his new position, that counts on many of them as valued clients. The move will go a long way in showing to the world he is dead serious in doing a performance check at the BoC which has been ranked by survey firms as one of the most corrupt government agencies around. But the commissioner has his work cut out for him because he will not only be fighting corrupt personnel but also facilities and perceptions that actually make it hard for Customs officials to do their jobs properly. There is a reason the MICP collected only P27.62 billion from January to June (as against its target of P28.06 billion) although it is the second-busiest port in the country, in terms of volume of containers. For the longest time, importers have been emboldened to misdeclare or undervalue shipments because it is so easy to do so over there; so to speak, institutionalized already. These importers are encouraged by big-time smugglers, many of whom are identified with the previous administration. These dicks have the temerity to process their contraband through the MICP, where the International Container Terminal Services Inc. (ICTSI) which owned by certified billionaire Ricky Razon — one-time crony of former President Arroyo and her husband Mike — has its franchise area..... MORE Source:  The Daily Tribune URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20100711com4.html

COMMENTARY EDITORIAL Why not ask her to leave? FRONTLINE Wrong moves ANALYSIS Serbia steps up harsh rhetoric ahead of ICJ Kosovo ruling BLURBAL THRUSTS NPC for arming of newsmen C.R.O.S.S.R.O.A.D.S Here’s one for Secretary Romulo TABLETS OF STONE Presidential ‘system’ VIEWPOINTS Marriage

Here’s one for Secretary Romulo C.R.O.S.S.R.O.A.D.S Jonathan De la Cruz 07/11/2010

Here’s one for Secretary Romulo

C.R.O.S.S.R.O.A.D.S Jonathan De la Cruz 07/11/2010 Now that he has taken to personally attend to pressing problems involving his department, especially after that spirited exchange with our friend and Malaya columnist Ellen Tordesillas, DFA Secretary Bert Romulo may want to take a hard look at the activities of Consul General Domingo Nolasco in our Embassy in Washington DC. If our man in the US, Ambassador Willy Gaa, has not reported the matter to him yet, the good secretary may wish to find out for himself how this Nolasco has been behaving since he took over consular affairs not too long ago. Highly irregular and unflattering are just two of the more benign descriptions of Nolasco’s activities since he took over consular matters in the embassy including those of the honorary consular posts within the US and other areas within its jurisdiction. We are told, for example, that in his meetings with various Filipino communities in the United States, Nolasco has been particularly interested in pitching for recruitment possibilities for a number of agencies in Manila. Hinting that he can help with any consular issues which may arise out of such business operations Nolasco allegedly has even asked some of his staff including the honorary consuls in the US to “look around” in exchange for some “piece of the pie.”  To make matters worse, Nolasco allegedly has gone to the extent of imposing questionable rules to streamline matters only to make matters worse for our kababayans who are made to travel all the way to Washington DC to have their passports renewed or to have new passports.... MORE Source:  The Daily Tribune URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20100711com5.html

COMMENTARY EDITORIAL Why not ask her to leave? FRONTLINE Wrong moves ANALYSIS Serbia steps up harsh rhetoric ahead of ICJ Kosovo ruling BLURBAL THRUSTS NPC for arming of newsmen C.R.O.S.S.R.O.A.D.S Here’s one for Secretary Romulo TABLETS OF STONE Presidential ‘system’ VIEWPOINTS Marriage