Palace to oppose Arroyo plea for gadgets at VMMC By Danessa O. Rivera and Gina Peralta-Elorde 12/04/2011

Palace to oppose Arroyo plea for gadgets at VMMC

By Danessa O. Rivera and Gina Peralta-Elorde 12/04/2011

The Palace will oppose the appeal of former President Arroyo’s camp to bring in communications gadgets at the Veterans Memorial Medical Center (VMMC) suite where she will be transferred anytime next week under a hospital arrest, as presidential deputy spokesman Abigail Valte said detention prisoners are curtailed of rights in having such “amenities.”

“This is an ordinary procedure on a prisoner, when you’re arrested and placed in jail, these devices are not allowed,” Valte insisted.

“Whether she is a detention prisoner or a convict serving time, these are not allowed in detention facilities,” she added..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20111204hed3.html

HLI to seek SC clarification on Luisita distribution 12/04/2011

HLI to seek SC clarification on Luisita distribution

12/04/2011
Owners of the disputed Hacienda Luisita sugar plantation in Tarlac province will raise before the Supreme Court (SC) next week two concerns related to the high tribunal’s unanimous November 22 decision for the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) to distribute the huge sugar estate to 6,296 qualified farm worker-beneficiaries (FWBs).

The owners will seek SC’s clarification on the date when valuation for the land will be reckoned, Hacienda Luisita Inc. (HLI) spokesman Tony Ligon yesterday told a forum in Quezon City.

“We’ll also request clarification on the number of FWBs who’ll be covered by the land distribution,” he added..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20111204hed4.html

SC absolves GMA in torture, abduction of activist 12/04/2011

SC absolves GMA in torture, abduction of activist

12/04/2011
The Supreme Court (SC) has cleared former President Arroyo in the disappearance and torture harges of an activist two years ago.

In a full court resolution by Associate Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno, the SC upheld with modification the decision of the Court of Appeals (CA) on the alleged torture of Noriel Rodriguez, a member of a farmers’ organization and the youth group Anakbayan, in 2009.

“Rodriguez failed to prove through substantial evidence that former President Arroyo was responsible or accountable for the violation of his rights to life, liberty and property,” the high court stressed..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20111204hed6.html

S. Korean dogfighting racket busted in RP 12/04/2011

S. Korean dogfighting racket busted in RP

12/04/2011
Police have arrested six South Koreans suspected of running a massive, high-tech dogfighting operation where matches in the Philippines were shown online to overseas bettors, police said yesterday.

About 240 pitbulls were confiscated in the raid late Friday from a secluded compound where the dogs were kept and the matches held, the local police intelligence chief said.

“They had an arena enclosed with mirrors. They had videocams, computers and they would show live fights of the pitbulls and it could be seen on their Web site in Korea,” chief Insp. Romeo Valero said..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/nation/20111204nat1.html

Deles: Civil society group supports AFPs Bayanihan strategy 12/04/2011

Deles: Civil society group supports AFPs Bayanihan strategy

12/04/2011
The Internal Peace and Security Plan (IPSP), the military’s newest counter-insurgency strategy of winning the peace sans bullets, has been given a big boost with the support of civil society led by the Bantay Bayanihan group.

“Bantay Bayanihan is an affirmation that we are crafting a peace shared by all,” said Presidential adviser on the Peace Process Teresita Quintos-Deles in a speech read for her by Undersecretary Gettie Sandoval at the launching of the project at Richmonde Hotel in Ortigas Center, Pasig City early this week.

Deles said Bantay Bayanihan is aimed at institutionalizing the participation of civil society and relevant agencies in the implementation of the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ IPSP, otherwise known as “Oplan Bayanihan.”.... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/nation/20111204nat4.html

SSC sports exec wants Lim, some Lions banned By Arman Carandang 12/04/2011

FRIDAY FRACAS AFTERMATH

SSC sports exec wants Lim, some Lions banned

By Arman Carandang 12/04/2011

San Sebastian College yesterday pleaded to have San Beda coach Frankie Lim and some of his players involved in last Friday’s melee banned from playing in the next basketball season of the National Collegiate Athletic Association.

SSC athletic moderator Frank Gusi issued the statement in the aftermath of the latest fracas to hit the country’s oldest collegiate athletic meet in years.

“We will recommend (the banning) to the (policy) board,” said Gusi in a message to The Tribune yesterday..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/sports/20111204spo1.html

BI tells foreign athletes, entertainers: Better secure special work permits, or else By Conrado Ching 12/04/2011

BI tells foreign athletes, entertainers: Better secure special work permits, or else

By Conrado Ching 12/04/2011

The Bureau of Immigration (BI) yesterday warned professional foreign athletes and entertainers that they have to secure a special work permit (SWP) from the bureau before they could play or perform in the Philippines, or they will be sanctioned for violating the country’s immigration laws.

Immigration Commissioner Ricardo David Jr. reminded the professional foreign athletes and entertainers that they cannot engage in gainful activity in the country unless they obtain a work permit from the BI as required by the agency’s rules and regulations.

David said the BI has been enforcing the SWP requirement on foreign athletes and entertainers since 1999 when the bureau launched a crackdown on imports playing in the Philippine Basketball Association..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/metro/20111204met2.html

MMDA opens more Xmas lanes for motorists 12/04/2011

MMDA opens more Xmas lanes for motorists

12/04/2011
In anticipation of heavy traffic along major thoroughfares of Metro Manila as the Christmas season nears, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) yesterday said it is opening more Christmas lanes for motorists.

“It is a part of an improved traffic plan for the holidays, but give us 10 more days because we are still in the process of clearing the roads of obstructions,” MMDA Chairman Francis Tolentino said, adding the agency has yet to identify the alternate routes that would be opened.

The Christmas lanes, also known as Mabuhay lanes, were introduced by the MMDA last year in line with its continuous efforts to decongest Edsa, particularly during the Christmas season when traffic is usually heavy..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/metro/20111204met4.html

Labor, business back measures vs. high electricity rates

Labor, business back measures vs. high electricity rates
Small Filipino businessmen reportedly concede that it is not wage which is eating up a huge chunk of their profits, but energy costs.

By MARYA SALAMAT
Bulatlat.com
MANILA – Labor and business found an issue to agree on when they discussed last Monday the high electricity rates in the country and how it burdens both sectors. In a forum held at the University of the Philippines–Diliman, leaders from labor and business groups called on the government of President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III to immediately take action to reduce electricity rates in the country.

Participants to the forum dubbed as “Highest Power Rates in Asia: A Labor-Business Consultation on Electricity,” urged Aquino to reject petitions for rate hikes, stop hearings for such petitions, terminate onerous contracts with independent power producers, and investigate the PSALM Corporation and Napocor to determine the government’s true financial obligations.

(Photo by Pia Arellano / bulatlat.com)

Members of labor center Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) and its federations, the Independent Philippine Petroleum Companies Association (IPPCA), Filipino-Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FFCCII) and the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI), stood united and with blown-up images of electric currents they took swipes at the “Highest Electricity Rates in Asia.”

“High electricity rates are a huge burden to Filipino workers already suffering from meager wages and the increasing prices of basic goods and services,” said Roger Soluta, KMU secretary general. The labor center has twice rallied in front of the head office of Manila Electric Company (Meralco) last month to protest the latest price hikes it had imposed.

Price hikes in utilities reportedly dig deep into the pockets of the Filipino working class, considering that their wages have not improved much over the past decade. In fact, in a research with the title “Prices and Earnings” released last August 2011 by UBS (formerly Union Bank of Switzerland), where they compared price levels, wage levels and purchasing power in 72 cities, they found out that Manila ranks second lowest in price levels, second lowest in wage levels, and third lowest in purchasing power..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://bulatlat.com/main/2011/12/02/labor-business-back-measures-vs-high-electricity-rates%E2%80%A8/

Luisita farm workers hold assembly, call for immediate land distribution

Luisita farm workers hold assembly, call for immediate land distribution
 
“Somehow, we see justice for our martyrs who struggled hard for this day to come.” – Lito Bais, Unyon ng Manggagawa sa Agrikultura

By RONALYN V. OLEA
Bulatlat.com
HACIENDA LUISITA, Tarlac – “This is an early Christmas gift from the Lord,” Mila Gonzales, 58, said, referring to the Supreme Court decision ordering the land distribution of Hacienda Luisita. “We can now afford to buy a carabao to be used for farming. Now, we can eat regularly,” she said.

Gonzales is one of the hundreds of farm workers who trooped to the nipa hut at the 11th street in Balete village, past lunch of Nov. 29. All smiles, members of the Alyansa ng Magbubukid sa Asyenda Luisita (Ambala) listened intently to their leaders and representatives of the Unyon ng Manggagawa sa Agrikultura (Uma) and the Sentro para sa Tunay na Repormang Agraryo (Sentra).

The Ambala’s general assembly was held a few days after the high court, voting 14-0, ordered the distribution of 4,916 hectares of land, owned by the family of President Benigno S. Aquino III, to the original 4,296 original farmworker beneficiaries (FWBs).

“When we heard the news, many shed tears of joy. We won the first round of the battle but there is still a long way to go,” Lito Bais, Uma chairman, told Bulatlat.com in an interview shortly after the assembly. “What we want is genuine agrarian reform.”

“If only the Cojuangco-Aquinos returned our land to us much earlier, we would not have suffered so much,” Gonzales said. Her six children finished only Grade 6. “How could I send them to high school with a meager P9.50 ($0.22) salary per week? I could not even finish my laundry with that amount.”

The P9.50 ($0.22) was the payment received by farm workers before they staged a strike in November 2006. Under the stock distribution option (SDO) scheme implemented in the hacienda, farm workers were entitled to only one day of work per week at the sugar plantation.

Now, like the rest of the farm workers, Gonzales is dreaming of a better life ahead.

Genuine agrarian reform

The farm workers are preparing for their next move. First, Bais said they will assert zero compensation for the Cojuangco-Aquinos.

Bais said the Cojuangco-Aquinos have long benefited from the land. “This is where their wealth came from. This has also been the source of their political power. The land is ours, they just took it from us,” Bais said.
Reacting to the SC decision, Aquino was quoted as saying, “Let us not forget that under existing agrarian reform policies, we are pushing for two objectives: first is the empowerment of the farmers, and then enough capital should be left such that there is also just compensation for the landowners.”.... MORE

Source:  Bulatlat.com

URL: http://bulatlat.com/main/2011/11/30/luisita-farm-workers-hold-assembly-call-for-immediate-land-distribution/

US sabotaging UN climate talks in South Africa – environmental groups

US sabotaging UN climate talks in South Africa – environmental groups

“In Durban, it’s time for governments to listen to the people, not the polluting corporations.” – Greenpeace
By INA ALLECO R. SILVERIO
Bulatlat.com

MANILA — Filipino climate activists are pushing for a binding climate agreement, but at the same time insist that the United States is also sabotaging the ongoing climate talks.

As the Conference of Parties (COP) 17 to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) continues in Durban, South Africa to discuss and find solutions to global warming, Filipino climate activists from the Philippines warn of unpleasant results from the climate conference. The Kalikasan People’s Network for the Environment and the International League of Peoples Struggle (ILPS) said that even before of the start of the COP 17, top polluting countries signified their unwillingness to cut their carbon emissions.

The UN gathering brings together representatives of the world’s governments, international organizations and civil society organizations. Discussions are focused on developments in the implementation of the Convention and the Kyoto Protocol, as well as the Bali Action Plan, agreed at COP 13 in 2007, and the Cancun Agreements, reached at COP 16 last December.

Kalikasan, however, pointed out that the United States, Japan, Canada and the European Union already positioned themselves that there would be no climate agreement, which will bind them to significantly reduce their carbon emissions, in Durban.

“In the first day of the COP last November 28, US climate envoy and lead negotiator Todd Stern reiterated this position when he indicated that there will likely be no binding climate agreement in force before 2020,” said Clemente Bautista, national coordinator of Kalikasan-PNE.

Bautista explained that the US continues to be the world’s “number one carbon polluter,” and that it continues to refuse to commit to the Kyoto Protocol. The Kyoto Protocol is the only international agreement that commits countries to reduce their carbon emissions. It targets to reduce global carbon emissions by 5.2 percent from 1990 levels by 2012..... MORE

Source:  Bulatlat.com

URL: http://bulatlat.com/main/2011/12/01/us-sabotaging-un-climate-talks-in-south-africa-%E2%80%93-environmental-groups/

Egypt: Between Sharia law and anarchy (w/ Video)

Egypt: Between Sharia law and anarchy

Egyptian officials say voter turnout for the opening round of parliamentary elections has been the highest-ever in the country "since the pharaohs". Exit polls suggest that the Muslim Brotherhood have secured some 40-45 per cent of the votes.

Voter turnout was 62 per cent as announced by the head of the election committee. The announcement follows a two-day delay in publishing the outcome and the result still failed to paint a full picture, with the vast majority of candidates now set to contest a run-off.

Abdel-Mooaez Ibrahim did not announce the full results but welcomed the turnout as “the highest since the time of pharaohs.” More than 8 million voters of some 14 million have cast their ballots in the first round of parliamentary elections..... MORE

Source:  RT.com

URL: http://rt.com/news/egypt-vote-results-islamists-835/

Stallman: Facebook IS Mass Surveillance (w/ Video)

Stallman: Facebook IS Mass Surveillance (w/Video)


The father of free software philosophy spoke to RT on evil developers, spying social networks, the almost-legitimacy of Anonymous hacks and the condition under which he would take a proprietary program and a million dollars.

Stallman is the man behind the concept that every computer program must be free for users to study and modify as they want. This is the only way to ensure that by using the software users do not compromise their human rights, he says.

“Free software literally gives you freedom in the area of computing. It means that you can control your computing. It means that the users individually and collectively have control over their computing. And in particular it means they can protect themselves from the malicious features that are likely to be in proprietary software,” he told RT.


Source:  RT.com

URL: http://rt.com/news/richard-stallman-free-software-875/

Senate approves indefinite detention and torture of Americans

Senate approves indefinite detention and torture of Americans

The terrifying legislation that allows for Americans to be arrested, detained indefinitely, tortured and interrogated — without charge or trial — passed through the Senate on Thursday with an overwhelming support from 93 percent of lawmakers.

Only seven members of the US Senate voted against the National Defense Authorization Act on Thursday, despite urging from the ACLU and concerned citizens across the country that the affects of the legislation would be detrimental to the civil rights and liberties of everyone in America. Under the bill, Americans can be held by the US military for terrorism-related charges and detained without trial indefinitely.

Additionally, another amendment within the text of the legislation reapproved waterboarding and other “advanced interrogation techniques” that are currently outlawed..... MORE

Source:  RT.com

URL: http://rt.com/usa/news/detention-legislation-torture-senate-891/

China says no clemency for Pinoy ‘drug mule’ By Michaela P. del Callar 12/03/2011

China says no clemency for Pinoy ‘drug mule’

By Michaela P. del Callar 12/03/2011

Ignoring pleas from the Philippine government, China has defended its high court’s death ruling on a Filipino who smuggled huge amounts of prohibited drugs to the country.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry hinted that the sentence of the Filipino will not be commuted despite last-ditch appeal from Manila.

“I want to point out that China is a country ruled according to law, and the legal system has sentenced the Filipino drug smuggler according to law,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei told a press conference.

Hong added the Chinese government has noted the Philippines’ earlier statements that it respects the court decision..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20111203hed4.html

Arroyo camp protests vs no-gadget policy on Gloria 12/03/2011

Arroyo camp protests vs no-gadget policy on Gloria

12/03/2011
The camp of former President Gloria Arroyo yesterday said it will appeal the no-gadget policy to be imposed on the incumbent Pampanga Representative at the Veterans Memorial Medical Center (VMMC).

According to the Philippine National Police (PNP), Arroyo will not be allowed to use cellphones, computers and other communication gadgets once she is transferred to the hospital detention facility in Quezon City.

Arroyo spokesman Elena Bautista Horn said they will file a supplemental motion for reconsideration before the Pasay City court that handles her electoral sabotage case.

“She must continue interacting with her constituents (in the second district of Pampanga),” she stressed, adding that Arroyo may want to write a book using her laptop..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20111203hed3.html

Koko urges Comelec to file electoral sabotage charge against Abalos 12/03/2011

Koko urges Comelec to file electoral sabotage charge against Abalos

12/03/2011
Sen. Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III yesterday asked the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to explain why its former chairman, Benjamin Abalos, has not been formally charged for electoral sabotage for his involvement in massive fraud in the 2007 senatorial elections.

“The Comelec should explain to the people why Abalos remains scot-free and has not been formally charged despite testimonies of witnesses naming him as one of the masterminds of dagdag-bawas in the 2007 elections,” Pimentel said..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/nation/20111203nat6.html

Solon describes plot to kill GMA as ‘imaginary’ By Angie M. Rosales 12/03/2011

Solon describes plot to kill GMA as ‘imaginary’

By Angie M. Rosales 12/03/2011

A work of an imaginary mind, was how Sen. Panfilo Lacson yesterday described the alleged plot to kill former President and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Arroyo.

“It should not be taken seriously because the public knows it’s not true, it’s fictional. If there’s really have a death threat, they should all the more be thankful (to the government) because the former President will be placed in a military installation.

“Why would they opt for a house arrest if there’s really a death threat? They will be compromising their own safety if they’re not secured,” he said during a radio interview.

Lacson said it will be very unintelligent of the administration to consider of inflicting harm on Arroyo while she’s under the care of a government hospital, if indeed the supposed threat is coming from the camp of President Aquino..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/nation/20111203nat7.html

American fugitive wanted in US for drug trafficking deported by BI 12/03/2011

American fugitive wanted in US for drug trafficking deported by BI

12/03/2011
The Bureau of Immigration (BI) has deported an American fugitive wanted for trafficking and possession of illegal drugs in the United States.

Immigration Commissioner Ricardo David Jr. yesterday said Paul John Zambuto, 35, was expelled last Nov. 28 aboard a Philippine Airlines flight to Los Angeles following the issuance of a summary deportation order by the BI board of commissioners.

David said the board also ordered Zambuto’s inclusion in the immigration blacklist for being an undesirable, overstaying and undocumented alien.

BI fugitive search unit head Uso Dan Salasim disclosed that his men arrested Zambuto at his unit at the Paseo Parkview condominium along Valero Street, Makati City last Nov. 17..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/metro/20111203met3.html

Police nab 5 men for possessing 60 pieces of prohibited piranha By Arlie O. Calalo 12/03/2011 Police arrested five persons for possessing at least 60 pieces of piranha that is commonly found at the Amazon River in South America late Thursday night in Caloocan City. “Behind bars are Gary Alcantara, 28; James Gabriel, 33; Karl Felizardo, 25; Rodrigo Luciano, 27 and Joan Tobias, 28, all residents of Rizal province,” city police chief Senior Supt. Jude Wilson Santos said. The seized prohibited species of fish were immediately turned over to the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) for proper disposition upon the approval of the Assistant City prosecutor Darwin Canete.

Police nab 5 men for possessing 60 pieces of prohibited piranha

By Arlie O. Calalo 12/03/2011
Police arrested five persons for possessing at least 60 pieces of piranha that is commonly found at the Amazon River in South America late Thursday night in Caloocan City.

“Behind bars are Gary Alcantara, 28; James Gabriel, 33; Karl Felizardo, 25; Rodrigo Luciano, 27 and Joan Tobias, 28, all residents of Rizal province,” city police chief Senior Supt. Jude Wilson Santos said.

The seized prohibited species of fish were immediately turned over to the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) for proper disposition upon the approval of the Assistant City prosecutor Darwin Canete..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/metro/20111203met2.html

STRATEGIC OFFENSIVE: Confronting the threat of US interests in the Philippines

(This article was first published in print in issue 18 of the Philippine Collegian on 29 November 2011.)

by John Toledo

It was business as usual for United States (US) Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

In the morning, she signed the “Partnership for Growth” (PFG) Framework on the US Navy destroyer USS Fitzgerald before meeting with Philippine (PH) President Noynoy Aquino in Malacañang.

That afternoon, as she travelled to the National Museum, some fifty protesters hurled red paint and eggs on her convoy’s windows. Later, in an interview on national television, a protester in the audience shouted, “There is nothing mutual in the Mutual Defense Treaty [MDT]!”

Clinton was impervious to the protests. “I obviously disagree… I think there’s a real benefit to mutual solidarity… but it goes with that rhinoceros skin, you have to get used to it.”

The PH-US relationship has been characterized by imbalance, not the least in the staggering indifference of the US to the impact of its aggressive pursuit of its interests on the Filipino people. In events of diplomacy such as Clinton’s visit, US reaffirmed its vow to maintain dominance amidst growing political instability and financial turmoil.

Control

The five-year PFG framework Clinton signed last November 16, the latest in a century-long string of skewed agreements between the two countries, is intended to increase “trade [relations] and exports with other nations” to ensure a more “competitive” open market in the Philippines. With the PFG, America reassures the Pacific that they “are here to stay” as economic superpower of the Pacific.

The PFG could not have come at a more strategic time for the US. The numerous unproductive wars of aggression in Iraq and Afghanistan had wasted almost $3 trillion with no returns, according to American economist Joseph Stiglitz. This state of financial turmoil has pushed US to bargain with other nations, where support for the ailing free market is secured with military and political aid..... MORE

Source:  Philippine Collegian

URL: http://www.philippinecollegian.org/strategic-offensive-confronting-the-threat-of-us-interests-in-the-philippines/

Robin Hood op: Anonymous, Poison target the 1%

Robin Hood op: Anonymous, Poison target the 1%

 Two hacker groups, the hactivists Anonymous and Team Poison, which made headlines by cracking a UN server, have joined forces to steal from the banks and give to the charities.

­“Operation Robin Hood is going to return the money to those who have been cheated by our system and most importantly to those hurt by our banks. Operation Robin Hood will take credit cards and donate to the 99 per cent, as well as various charities around the globe,” the duo said in a YouTube video statement.

The idea apparently relies on stealing personal data of credit card holders and using, just like your regular cyber criminals do, and distribute it to the poor instead of pocketing it. The collaboration, which calls itself Poisanon, believes that the banks will be forced to reimburse the damages caused by the hack and thus will be the ones to pay..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://rt.com/news/robin-hood-hackers-anonymous-743/

Crossing police lines: US cops defect to OWS (w/ Video)

Almost 5,000 people have been arrested during Occupy protests across the US since the movement started on September 17 in New York. And as it is showing no signs of slowing, even some police seem to be defecting to the other side.

­Retired Philadelphia police Captain Ray Lewis became the game changer on November 17.  Arrested while demonstrating with Occupy protesters on the streets of New York City, the 24-year veteran of the force was held in police custody for 11 hours and received one comment from a New York cop.

“Nobody talked to me. This one individual later on told me that I had the testicles of an elephant,” says Ray Lewis.

Occupy Wall Street has become an undeniable American household name..... MORE

Source:  RT.com

URL: http://rt.com/news/police-join-protesters-ows-621/

Iranian quest for casus belli (w/ Video)

Iranian quest for casus belli

 A string of attacks on Iran, from assassinations of key nuclear and military personnel to attempts to alienate it internationally, ring the bell. Is the West hunting for a pretext for a new war in the Middle East?

We believe that the integrity of embassies should always be honored; there is no justifying any country attacking any other country’s embassy. Even if war breaks out, embassies are the last thread that should be severed.

That being said, and whilst it is unclear who agitated and mobilized Iranian protesters to attack the British Embassy in Tehran, the local police certainly came out in full force trying to restore order in what has become an all-too-common scene throughout the Middle East and North Africa.

First question: who benefits from this attack which the Western media are highlighting in red alert colors and harsh tones? British Foreign Secretary William Hague immediately ordered the closure of the Iranian Embassy in London, whilst US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton condemned this as an “affront on the British, but also on the International Community,” on whose behalf (i.e., the “international community’s”) the US and UK somehow feel they are empowered to speak..... MORE

Source:  RT.com

URL: http://rt.com/news/us-war-iran-embassy-753/

Among graves, Dutch teens build bridges FEATURE 12/01/2011

Among graves, Dutch teens build bridges

FEATURE

12/01/2011
AMSTERDAM — On a chilly Sunday morning, a group of Dutch teenagers gather in an overgrown patch of land in east Amsterdam to work on a unique project: cleaning up a 300-year-old graveyard.

But the volunteers involved in restoring the Zeeburg Jewish cemetery are more than just beautifying: drawn from the city’s Jewish and Moroccan Muslim residents, they are building bridges between two divided communities.

“Come on guys, lets get going!” volunteer Alfie de Vries, 13, urges his friends Jonas Poolman and Max Zegerius as they grab garden rakes and a spade to join some 30 other teenagers hacking away in a nearby clearing.

With help from Ahmed Bularoez, 21, they pull down branches and clean up strands of dead grass to reveal a grey stone slab with an inscription in Hebrew and the Star of David on it..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20111201com7.html

Conscience VIEWPOINTS Archbishop Oscar V. Cruz 12/01/2011

Conscience

VIEWPOINTS

Archbishop Oscar V. Cruz

12/01/2011
Conscience is the judgment of reason whereby the human person recognizes the ethical dimension or moral quality of a concrete act — already done, being done or about to be done. It is highly important for every person to head and follow the voice or bidding of his conscience — not only for himself but also for all those affected by his acts. Reason: It is conscience that clearly and silently whispers to every human agent with the proper use of reason and free will, what is the right and just thing to do as well as the evil and vicious thing to avoid. This is why listening to one’s conscience is a must when one is awake and in command of his superior faculties.

But what if one has a so called “Doubtful Conscience?” When one is precisely in doubt about what is the right to do or the wrong thing to avoid?

This is exactly the case when someone should ask for advice — neither from those who are his beneficiaries nor from who suffer losses on his account. In the concrete, for someone who has but an honest goodness common sense, it will not be hard for him to seek counsel from sincere and upright resource persons he personally knows and really respects..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20111201com6.html

‘Surprised’ AFP brass to allow officials to testify on poll fraud By Mario J. Mallari 12/01/2011

‘Surprised’ AFP brass to allow officials to testify on poll fraud

By Mario J. Mallari 12/01/2011

Following the bombshell testimony dropped by Col. Pedro Sumayo of the Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (Isafp) during a Senate hearing on poll fraud, which caught top military officers by surprise last Tuesday, the AFP yesterday vowed not to bar any of its personnel from appearing before any investigating body, particularly the upper chamber, to shed light on the alleged manipulation of the 2004 and 2007 national elections.

At a press briefing, AFP spokesman Col. Arnulfo Marcelo Burgos Jr. said the military organization is taking the Senate inquiry as part of the quest for truth on what really transpired during the 2004 and 2007 elections.

“We are one with the people in quest for truth and justice. In terms of information, documents and resource persons that higher authorities or court of laws may require from us, we will not bar them from appearing,” he stressed.

Burgos added AFP Chief of Staff Gen. Eduardo Oban Jr. said whoever has knowledge of the matter being investigated by the Senate may appear..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20111201hed3.html

Akbayan not a ‘party of interest’ in recusion issue By Angie M. Rosales 12/01/2011

YELLOW MOB BARKING UP WRONG TREE IN SEEKING CORONA’S INHIBITION

Akbayan not a ‘party of interest’ in recusion issue

By Angie M. Rosales 12/01/2011

The Yellow mob of President Aquino that arrogantly disrupted the Supreme Court’s proceedings Tuesday with its staged display of filing a case against SC Chief Justice Renato Corona in seeking his inhibition from all cases involving former President Arroyo and even protested loudly against the SC CJ right in front of the SC compound, in violation of the law, and without any presence of the riot police squad around to break up the protest, was barking up the wrong branch and showed the Yellows up as ignoramuses when it comes to the law, which does not excuse them.

As Palace supporters remained steadfast in their resolve to press the inhibition of Chief Justice Renato Corona from these cases, and again threatening impeachment if he does not recuse himself, there are also those who assailed the actions taken by Akbayan, a known pro-Aquino group with its leaders said to be very influential with President Aquino, having landed Cabinet posts in his administration.

Sen. Francis “Chiz” Escudero yesterday said the group Akbayan is in no position to join the fray since it’s not a “party of interest” in the cases of Arroyo pending before the high tribunal..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20111201hed1.html

Convicted Pinoy drug mule to be executed on Dec. 8 By Michaela P. del Callar and Virgilio Bugaoisan 12/01/2011

Convicted Pinoy drug mule to be executed on Dec. 8

By Michaela P. del Callar and Virgilio Bugaoisan 12/01/2011

Despite repeated appeals from the Philippine government, a Filipino convicted of smuggling huge amounts of illegal drugs in China will be executed on Dec. 8, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said yesterday.

The Filipino, whose identity was withheld by the department, is 35 years old and will die by lethal injection after China’s Supreme People’s Court in Beijing affirmed the death sentence last Monday.

Malacañang has given up hope on the case of the Filipino drug mule in China and declared that it has already exhausted all means necessary to at least mitigate the term of his sentence.

The Palace also said it respects Chinese Law..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20111201hed4.html

PNP confirms report of having in custody Zambo blast suspect 12/01/2011

PNP confirms report of having in custody Zambo blast suspect

12/01/2011
Spokesman Col. Arnulfo Marcelo Burgos Jr. said the military organization is taking the Senate inquiry as part of the quest for truth on what really transpired during the 2004 and 2007 elections.

“We are one with the people in quest for truth and justice. In terms of information, documents and resource persons that higher authorities or court of laws may require from us, we will not bar them from appearing,” he stressed.

Burgos added AFP Chief of Staff Gen. Eduardo Oban Jr. said whoever has knowledge of the matter being investigated by the Senate may appear.

He, however, stressed the AFP is not keen on conducting its own investigation of the issue surrounding Sumayo and Lt. Col. Emil Zosa, both former officers of the Isafp. Sumayo used to head the Military Intelligence Group-21(MIG-21) which was tagged in the infamous “Hello Garci” recordings..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/nation/20111201nat2.html

Tribunal asked to resolve row over property of UP Technohub 12/01/2011

Tribunal asked to resolve row over property of UP Technohub

12/01/2011
Government lawyers have asked the Supreme Court (SC) to take up the case of the University of the Philippines-North Science and Technology Park (S&T Park), known as the UP-AyalaLand Technohub, along Commonwealth Ave., Quezon City.

The case, now pending before the tribunal’s Second Division, involves the issuance in favor of a private individual of a land title over the property on which the S&T Park now stands.

The land was registered under the name of UP and UP’s title to the property has in fact been upheld several times by the high court itself in the past.

The Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) in its motion said the case is of such paramount importance to the country that it merits the attention of all 15 sitting justices of the SC, considering that the case involves a large tract of government land reserved for none other than the university and represents substantial business investments from various private partners, including the AyalaLand Inc..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/metro/20111201met3.html

Tutuban Commercial Center pays tribute to Bonifacio M E T R O F I L E 12/01/2011

Tutuban Commercial Center pays tribute to Bonifacio

M E T R O F I L E

12/01/2011
A picturesque representation on the life and times of Gat Andres Bonifacio and other noted Filipino heroes is shown in a photo exhibit entitled Bonifacio: Portrait of a Hero at the Mezzanine area of CenterMall 2 Activity Plaza. Tutuban Commercial Center. The photo exhibit features the revered hero’s history from his younger days up to the time of the revolution..... MORE
Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/metro/20111201met9.html/

Aquino acting as spokesperson of Hacienda Luisita – Pamalakaya

Aquino acting as spokesperson of Hacienda Luisita – Pamalakaya

“The value of the hundreds of thousands of tons of Luisita sugar comes from the labor of the farmers and the mill workers. Without them, the Hacienda would have remained a vacant lot.The farmers have already paid for their lands many times over.” – Anakbayan
By INA ALLECO R. SILVERIO
Bulatlat.com

President Benigno Aquino III is using his influence as executive to throw a monkey wrench in the preparations for the transfer ownership of the Hacienda Luisita sugar estate to qualified agrarian reform beneficiaries.

This was the allegation of the fisherfolk alliance Pambansang ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya), one of the long-time supporters of the farmworkers of Hacienda Luisita.

Pamalakaya chairman Fernando Hicap said Aquino would do well to remember that he is the president of the country and not the spokesperson of Hacienda Luisita Inc. (HLI). Hicap was reacting to the statement made by Aquino that the land owners of HLI deserve “just compensation from the government” once they relinquish their control over the sprawling 6,453-hectare hacienda, of which 4,915 hectares have been declared by the Supreme Court as immediately viable for land reform.

While he refused to directly comment on the Supreme Court’s decision declaring that Hacienda Luisita should be given to the farmworkers, Aquino said one sector should not be sacrificed just to accommodate the other on the issue of land distribution..... MORE

Source:  Bulatlat.com

URL: http://bulatlat.com/main/2011/11/30/aquino-acting-as-spokesperson-of-hacienda-luisita-pamalakaya/

George Orwell’s guide to the news

George Orwell’s guide to the news

Photo credit: RT.com

 The Western mainstream media falsifies the news resorting to euphemisms, half-truths and lies in the best (worst) style of George Orwell’s novel 1984. We all live in the unreal world of “Newspeak” used by the Global Power Elite to control our minds.

Man gets confused when things that happen around him and to him, or which are done in his name, cannot be properly grasped, understood or made sense of. Normally, such confusion leads to inaction. If you’re lost at night in the middle of a forest but you can still see the stars, then a bit of astronomical knowledge will at least quickly tell you which way is north. But if it’s cloudy or you’re ignorant of the constellations in starry heaven, then you might as well light up a fire and do nothing until dawn…. You’re Lost!

Today, mainstream media coverage uses programmed distortion, confusion, even outright lying when its Money Power masters order it to support the “official story” on any major political, economic or financial process..... MORE

Source:  RT.com

URL: http://rt.com/news/media-lies-global-elite-447/

Strike 1: UK civil servants cripple country (w/ Video)

 Strike 1: UK civil servants cripple country

More than 2 million participants put the public sector on hold in the UK, as unions stage a massive public sector strike. It is the largest of its kind in 30 years.

­A public services strike called for by the United Kingdom’s Trades Union Congress (TUC), has taken effect on Wednesday, the largest work stoppage of its kind in more than 30 years.  The strike targets public schools, the health sector, UK court systems and transportation systems as well.  More than 2 million workers are expected to participate, in rallies and picket lines all across the country.

At the heart of the issue are cuts to public sector pension programs asking workers to contribute 3% more of their own money into the system, raising the retirement age to the age of 66 by the year 2020 and to amend pensions to be based on the average of a career rather than the final salary.  Unions are strongly against the proposed reforms which the TUC argues would make workers pay more and work longer for fewer benefits..... MORE

Source:  RT.com

URL: http://rt.com/news/public-sector-uk-strike-573/

Occupy LA camp raided, cops arrest over 200 (PHOTOS)

Occupy LA camp raided, cops arrest over 200 (PHOTOS) 

The Los Angeles police chief says more than 200 Occupy LA protesters were arrested as over a thousand officers moved in to dismantle the Occupy LA City Hall Camp. A similar encampment in Philadelphia have been cleaned early hours on Wednesday.

­Messages on Twitter suggest 10 to 15 people have been arrested in Philadelphia and one person has been sent to hospital as police on horses apparently trampled peaceful protesters.. Messages also suggest police using extreme measures to silence the movement while protesters remain non-violent.

Reports also suggest police are stepping up as law enforcers in LA have closed off streets surrounding the encampment as hundreds waited for what they believed was an imminent operation.

Messages on Twitter from LA reveal the wrangle between the two sides. Police tell protesters they are in violation of penal codes. Protesters tell police they are in violation of the Constitution..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://rt.com/news/occupy-us-camps-dismantle-543/

Malaysia tribes struggle with modern problems focus 11/30/2011

Malaysia tribes struggle with modern problems

focus

11/30/2011
SUNGAI ASAP — Tribal chief Danny Ibang lived most of his life in the pristine jungles of the Malaysian portion of Borneo island until he was pushed into a modern world he was told would be better.

And in many ways, it is.

His Kenyah community of 2,000 enjoys electricity, running water, health and educational facilities previously undreamed-of since being moved out of the jungles to a new village to make way for the huge Bakun hydroelectric dam.

But as expanding dams, oil-palm plantations and other development forces thousands off ancestral lands in the state of Sarawak, a host of modern new problems threaten to break down once tight-knit tribal communities.
Village elders and activists say alcoholism, drug use, and crime are on the increase and anger is rising over continuing encroachment on native lands..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20111130com5.html

Legal experts to Aquino govt: Comply with peace agreements

Legal experts to Aquino govt: Comply with peace agreements

“Agreements are binding and not only pieces of paper. One of the basic principles of international law is that agreements must be executed in good faith. There are no documents without obligation.” – Jan Fermon, professor of law at the University of Maastricht and a member of the International Legal Advisory Team
By RONALYN V. OLEA
Bulatlat.com
MANILA – A group of international legal experts urged the Aquino government to comply with the past agreements it signed with the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP).

In a press conference via Skype from Utrecht, the Netherlands, Nov.14, members of the newly-formed International Legal Advisory Team (Ilat) said that if the Government of the Philippine (GPH) wants peace talks to move forward, it must respect the 12 important agreements signed by both parties since 1992.

Peace talks between the Government of the Philippines (GPH) and the NDFP have been stalled since June, with the GPH refusing to release the remaining 13 NDFP detained consultants. The NDFP decried it as a violation of Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees (Jasig) and of Comprehensive Agreement on Respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law (CARHRIHL).

Jan Fermon, professor of law at the University of Maastricht and a member of Ilat, said the GPH has not respected its own commitment to abide by the agreements it has signed. “The only way?forward,” he declared, “is to respect and comply with these agreements.”

The more than 40-year old armed revolutionary struggle in the Philippines is the longest in Asia.
“Agreements are binding and not only pieces of paper,” Fermon said. “One of the basic principles of international law is that agreements must be executed in good faith. There are no documents without obligation.”.... MORE

Source:  Bulatlat.com

URL: http://bulatlat.com/main/2011/11/17/legal-experts-to-aquino-govt-comply-with-peace-agreements/

The EcoShield advantage C.R.O.S.S.R.O.A.D.S Jonathan De la Cruz 11/30/2011

The EcoShield advantage

C.R.O.S.S.R.O.A.D.S

Jonathan De la Cruz

11/30/2011
Wonder no more why Bulacan Gov. Willy Sy Alvarado has braved all odds in pushing for the EcoShield Project in Barangay Salambao, Obando, a coastal town along the heavily polluted Marilao-Meycauayan-Obando River System (MMORS) which flows to the Manila Bay. The former three-term congressman is an active environmentalist and was one of the principal sponsors of the country’s much heralded environmental laws such as the Solid Waste Management Act and Clean Water Act, among others. In fact, he has gone out of his way to convince his constituents to actively participate in the Supreme Court mandated clean-up of the rivers as part of the bigger “Writ of Kalikasan” initiative under then Chief Justice Reynato Puno to rehabilitate Manila Bay.

One notes that the MMORS has been identified by various environmental groups, including the New York-based Blacksmith Institute, as one of the world’s dirtiest river systems. Combined with the Pasig River and its various tributaries all of which flow out into Manila Bay carrying the heavy pollutants of various kinds from a densely populated Metro Manila and its influenced areas you will appreciate why such a comprehensive clean up within the places mentioned has become a matter of extreme urgency..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20111130com4.html

Senate produces more witnesses in 2004, 2007 poll fraud 11/30/2011

Senate produces more witnesses in 2004, 2007 poll fraud

11/30/2011
More witnesses — albeit not too credible — are surfacing before the Senate, with the latest witness yesterday claiming to have witnessed the alleged poll fraud operations in Mindanao during the 2007 mid-term elections, saying he was present when then President Arroyo told Maguindanao Gov. Datu Andal Ampatuan Sr. to ensure the delivery of 12-0 victory in favor of the administration ticket, Team Unity (TU).

The witness, however, admitted that he did not hear her say to rig the polls; only to give TU a 12-0 victory.

But in the process of trying to implicate the direct involvement of Arroyo and Ampatuan, the witness also linked resigned Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri to the poll fraud..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20111130hed4.html

Estrada seeks reopening of PEACe bonds scam probe 11/30/2011

Estrada seeks reopening of PEACe bonds scam probe

11/30/2011
The Senate blue ribbon and ways and means committees were directed yesterday to reopen their probe into the alleged grossly disadvantageous transaction behind the P35-billion Poverty Eradication and Alleviation Certificates (PEACe) bonds and finally put closure to the case.

Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Estrada filed Resolution 638 directing the two committees to conduct an inquiry in aid of legislation into the government’s borrowing process in relation to the issuance of PEACe bonds and determine who are the accountable personalities behind this deal.

The issuance of the PEACe bonds was considered done through a sweetheart deal with the previous ad-ministration of President Arroyo that resulted in its architect, the Caucus of Development NGO Net-works, which had as its officials now Social Welfare Secretary Dinky Soliman and Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Ging Deles, to earn P1.3 billion in quick windfalls..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20111130hed3.html

Imus mayor expects ‘fair treatment’ from Comelec By Mina Diaz 11/30/2011

Imus mayor expects ‘fair treatment’ from Comelec

By Mina Diaz 11/30/2011

Beleaguered Imus mayor Homer Saquilayan of Cavite expressed confidence that he would get a “fair treatment” from the Commission on Elections (Comelec) after the Imus Regional Trial Court again affirmed its decision ousting him from his post.

Last Monday, judge Cesar Mangrobang of the Imus RTC Branch 22 granted the motion for execution pending an appeal of the Nov. 15 decision he issued declaring Emmanuel Maliksi as the “real” winner in the 2010 Imus mayoralty race, following a manual recount of 25,036 votes from 53 local precincts.

“The clerk of Court… is hereby directed to issue the corresponding Writ of Execution to enforce the directives in the decision dated Nov. 15, 2011 and to immediately install Emmanuel Maliksi as mayor of (this) municipality,” Mangrobang’s order read.

Saquilayan, who ran under the Nacionalista Party (NP), was proclaimed winner by the Comelec with 8,499 votes over Maliksi of the Liberal Party.

But in the poll recount supervised by Mangrobang, the court nullified 8,387 ballots for being “stray votes,” thereby erasing the lead of Saquilayan over Maliksi..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/nation/20111130nat2.html

Paguia dared to challenge poll sabotage law before SC By Virgilio J. Bugaoisan 11/30/2011

Paguia dared to challenge poll sabotage law before SC

By Virgilio J. Bugaoisan 11/30/2011

Malacaang twitted suspended lawyer Alan Paguias claim that the electoral sabotage case filed against former President and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Arroyo is unconstitutional and challenged him to take his position to the Supreme Court (SC).

Presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said in a press briefing that the former lawyer of deposed President Estrada should file a petition before the SC seeking to nullify the electoral sabotage case against Mrs. Arroyo if he is really sure with his position that the charges filed are indeed unconstitutional.

Let him (Paguia) argue. Let him intervene in the case if he wants to and let him file a petition (before the SC) to question the constitutionality (of the electoral sabotage law). That law was passed by Congress so let him argue the merits of the case, he said..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/nation/20111130nat3.html

‘JV’ Ejercito calls for grand commemoration of ‘Bonifacio Day’ 11/30/2011

‘JV’ Ejercito calls for grand commemoration of ‘Bonifacio Day’

11/30/2011
With the 148th celebration of Andres Bonifacio Day today, San Juan City Rep. Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito yesterday urged the government through a privilege speech to organize a grand 150th commemoration for the hero to honor his great sacrifice and leadership on patriotism.

“As a lover of our rich heritage, it is unfortunate that our government gives minimum regard for our history. People can now only remember Bonifacio and the Katipuneros by reading history books and yearly tributes.

But we are not careful to remember their worth despite the great sacrifice they have given for the freedom of our country,” Ejercito addressed his colleagues last Monday afternoon.

“In fact, it has now come to a point where we are already diminishing Bonifacio’s value, as evident in our currency. Before, we had Bonifacio placed solo on P2 and P5 coins. But now we have him compressed with Apolinario Mabini on the P10 coin,” he added..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/metro/20111130met3.html

Ang Babae sa Septic Tank and its observations on indie filmmaking

Ang Babae sa Septic Tank and its observations on indie filmmaking

By CYRIL ANNE DAYAO
Bulatlat.com
In recent years, a lot of Filipino films have been representing our country in various international festivals, and these indie films seem to fall into a certain type. Together with the recognitions abroad, indie filmmakers are being criticized for indulging in, as local critics put it, “poverty porn.”

Directed by Marlon Rivera and written by Chris Martinez, Ang Babae sa Septic Tank tells a story of aspiring filmmakers set to create a film worthy of an Oscar. Armed with a screenplay which depicts poverty in the country, they believe that their film will make it big internationally.

A pre-production meeting ensues as director Rainier (played by Kean Cipriano), producer Bingbong (played by JM de Guzman), and production assistant Jocelyn (played by Cai Cortez) brainstorm on how to go about their indie film entitled “Walang-Wala.” Set in an urban poor community, their film is about a mother named Mila who sells one of her many children to a pedophile to survive. They later get to meet the star, Ms. Eugene Domingo (as herself), who expressed her excitement in playing a lead role in an indie project.

Different approaches regarding the execution of the script come up throughout the movie, as these were vividly presented from Jocelyn’s imagination. Turning it into a documentary drama was suggested, where the people who have actually experienced the story are intended to be characters. The story was also visualized as a musical, complete with the production numbers, and the slum community had a participation in singing about their lives’ desperation. A version of it in commercialized melodrama also appeared; aside from the over acting projected by the lead actress, the manifestations of product endorsements in every scene was also unmistakable.

But what Direk Rainier had in mind was a neo-realist film, and concepts such as images of squalor and shaky camera shots were mentioned. He believed his vision was clear as he strongly emphasized how he wanted the film to be realistic..... MORE

Source:  Bulatlat.com

URL: http://bulatlat.com/main/2011/08/21/ang-babae-sa-septic-tank-and-its-observations-on-indie-filmmaking/

Tucay and his brand of journalism

 Tucay and his brand of journalism

By RONALYN V. OLEA
Bulatlat.com

MANILA — Marjohara Tucay reminded me of Muntadhar al-Zaidi, the Iraqi journalist who hurled his shoes at then US President George W. Bush.

Although Tucay did not throw his shoes at US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton during a forum in Manila, he, like al-Zaidi, expressed his disgust over US armed intervention in the Philippines. Tucay, editor in chief of the Philippine Collegian, the student publication of the University of the Philippines-Diliman, chanted slogans and unfurled a banner demanding that the Philippine government junks the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) and the Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT).

After the incident, GMA 7 decided to invite Tucay to be a guest in one of its programs. The decision to interview the young man would have been considered a good move — if only Howie Severino asked the right questions. Instead, Severino gave the campus journalist a lecture on “ethical journalism.” At the beginning of the “interview,” Severino said Tucay was expected to cover the event and not to protest. He did not even ask why Tucay is against the VFA and the MDT..... MORE

Source:  Bulatlat.com

URL: http://bulatlat.com/main/2011/11/22/tucay-and-his-brand-of-journalism/

Fed secretly handed out $8 trillion

 Fed secretly handed out $8 trillion

We knew the last bailout from the Federal Reserve was pretty big, but not until now did we have statistics on the actually tally. If you thought that the $700 billion bailout for TARP was big, get a load of this.

Just exactly how big was the Federal Reserve’s bailout of the banks between the years of 2008 and 2010? Thanks to a Federal Request of Information Act gone fulfilled, America now knows the truth behind a colossal cover-up: almost $8 trillion.

Ever since the Fed stepped in to bail out the biggest banks in the country, Ben Bernanke and company have gone to great lengths to keep the exact details of the transactions a secret, citing that the truth would cause concern for the world financial crisis far greater than what was already at hand, saying in particular that investors would step away from the “too big to fail” banks that were benefiting from the bailout. And while Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke went on the record to call the bailouts to even the most “sound institutions” only “marginal,” details of the FOIA request obtained by Bloomberg News now reveals that the Federal Reserve spent nearly half of the entire production output of the US during that span of less than two years — the biggest bailout in the country’s history — while going to great lengths to keep Congress and the American people in the dark.... MORE
Source:  RT.com

URL: http://rt.com/usa/news/fed-trillion-reserve-bailout-401/

Russia launches new missile defense to cover Atlantic (w/ Video)

  
Russia launches new missile defense to cover Atlantic

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has ordered operational the newest Russian radar system that protects from missile attacks and covers all Europe and Atlantic.

Medvedev personally arrived in Russia’s westernmost exclave of Kaliningrad and received a report from the Space Defense Troops commander that the radar station was fully ready for the launch. After this, the president gave the order to put the radar on combat duty.

At the ceremony Medvedev said that the radar launch was a sign to the Western partners that Russia was ready to promptly respond to threats that arise with the start of the European missile defense. "I expect that this step will be regarded by Western partners as the first signal of our country's readiness to appropriately respond to the threats posed by the missile defense system to our strategic nuclear forces," the Russian President said..... MORE

Source:  RT.com

URL: http://rt.com/politics/opens-kaliningrad-radar-station-459/

Other things NO HOLDS BARRED Armida Siguion-Reyna 11/29/2011

Other things

NO HOLDS BARRED

Armida Siguion-Reyna

11/29/2011
And so I’m told about that even this true-blue activist on Facebook wanted to talk about the KC-Piolo break up, for a change, “nauuyam na ako kay GMA at Ram.” He might as well have added “…at kung sino ba talaga ang nanalo, si Pacquiao, o si Marquez?

Uyam says it so well, it’s not merely nagsasawa, which means “to get tired of.” Uyam directly translates “ad nauseam,” to refer to “something that has been done or repeated so often that it has become annoying or tiresome,” its Latin meaning, “literally, to sickness.”

Remember the hot pan de sal craze in the late ’70s that had bakeries sprouting like mushrooms in almost all street corners of the city? And then, after that, the lechong manok? That’s so Filipino, the penchant to go whole hog about, well, whatever. Kung ano ang usong kainin, isuot, isulat, pag-usapan, panoorin — that’s it.
Until uyam sets in, and there’s an inherent danger there, I think. I mean, to talk, and read about nothing else but the cause celebre?.... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20111129com4.html

Liberian women stalked by rape FEATURE 11/29/2011

Liberian women stalked by rape

FEATURE

11/29/2011
MONROVIA — As a young girl Garmar Murphy was forced into a child soldier’s life, serving as a sexual plaything for Liberian rebels between battles — a tragic norm in the country’s savage conflict.

She was 13 years old, and rape was not criminalized.

A decade later, her country boasts Africa’s first female president, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, who in October won a Nobel Peace Prize with Liberian activist Leymah Gbowee for their struggle to boost women’s rights and safety.
But if women have taken some steps forward in the eight years since a peace accord ended Liberia’s civil war, they haven’t left behind the threat of rape.

Rape became endemic as a weapon of fear during the 14-year-long conflict and is still rampant, going unpunished more often than not..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20111129com3.html

Either to speed up or to go down I.N.S.I.D.E . C.O.N.G.R.E.S.S Charlie Manalo 11/29/2011

Either to speed up or to go down

I.N.S.I.D.E . C.O.N.G.R.E.S.S

Charlie Manalo

11/29/2011
With the World Bank (WB) downgrading the country’s projected growth from 4.5 percent in October to 4.2 percent due to the weakening demand for Philippine exports as the financial crises in the US and Europe continue to worsen, President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino has to start spending more especially in infrastructure, to help spur growth, and disregard his administration’s line of budgetary management that the more savings they incur, the better it isfor the country.

About two months ago, an opposition solon exposed that Noynoy still has to spend more than a trillion pesos of the government’s P1.645-trillion budget for 2011. With only a month left in the year, sources say Noynoy has still more than P300 billion left in the government’s coffers to spend.

Noynoy should be made aware that increased investments in infrastructure results into benefits in terms of generating jobs internally, attracting foreign investments and a strong and positive impression for the country despite global economic turmoil and that a lengthy review and delay of infrastructure projects would lead to the stagnation of development particularly in the rural areas..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20111129com6.html

Four-corner fight VIEWPOINTS Archbishop Oscar V. Cruz 11/29/2011

Four-corner fight

VIEWPOINTS

Archbishop Oscar V. Cruz

11/29/2011
Realistically said, the boxing ring has four corners that keep but two boxers within the reach of one another for only one overall purpose, viz. For them to pound each other, to draw blood from one another and more desirable, to knock down one or the other as a demonstration of fighting acumen, pugilistic tactic and stamina. Figuratively noted however, there is now an ongoing four corner fight-match in full public view with no less than four principal protagonists in the boxing arena. Presenting the gladiators: One, the Office of the President of the Philippines and his kiabigan, kaklase at kabarilan. Two, the Chief of Justice of the Philippines and the justices of the Supreme Court (SC). Three, the past President of the Philippines and her admirers plus protectors. Four, the people of the Philippines, their common good and public welfare.

There is definitely something wrong with, and disturbing, about the latter picture. The Philippines as a whole is no less than four times involved in one and the same four cornered fight. It then becomes a moral impossibility for the Philippines to be the winner in the combat which can become sordid, cruel and ultimately mortal — whichever way the fight goes..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20111129com7.html

Disbarment rap vs De Lima filed By Benjamin B. Pulta 11/29/2011

Disbarment rap vs De Lima filed

By Benjamin B. Pulta 11/29/2011

Not only is she under threat of a contempt and jail time charge for defying the high court’s temporary restraining order (TRO), but Justice Chief Leila de Lima now also faces a disbarment case.

A private lawyer filed a disbarment complaint against De Lima for her refusal to obey the temporary restraining order issued by the Supreme Court (SC).

De Lima has denied that she had defied the high court’s order, using President Auqino appointeed SC associate Justice Lourdes Sereno’s dissenting opion which in gist said that the TRO issued by the majority justices was conditional since one of three conditions imposed was not met by the lawyers of the Arroyo couple.

This argument is being brought by as a defense by De Lima, despite the fact that the dissenting opinion came a day or so after the Justice chief had already ordered the Immigration Bureau to stop former President incumbent Rep. Gloria Arroyo and her husband, Jose Miguel, from leaving the country..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20111129hed1.html