NTC not Noy decides on 3G award — Enrile By Angie M. Rosales 06/01/2011

SENATE CHIEF RAISES ISSUES ON JAZA LETTER

NTC not Noy decides on 3G award — Enrile

By Angie M. Rosales 06/01/2011

The head of the Senate indicated that something was amiss in businessman Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala (JAZA), head of the Ayala conglomerate that includes telecommunications giant Globe Telecoms, writing President Aquino a letter seeking the assignment of third generation (3G) frequencies that was exposed the other day by The Tribune saying that the President does not decide on the granting of radio frequencies
and these resources should be bid out and not “assigned” for free.

“I know for a fact that it is not the President who decides on that, who can grant that but the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) which is a delegate of Congress,” Senate president Juan Ponce Enrile said on Zobel de Ayala’s written request to Aquino..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20110601hed1.html

Marcos junks, revives ARMM poll bill By Angie M. Rosales 06/01/2011

Marcos junks, revives ARMM poll bill

By Angie M. Rosales 06/01/2011

The Senate committee on local government yesterday thumbed down the bill seeking to postpone the Aug. 8 scheduled Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) elections.

But committee chairman, Sen. Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, in presenting his panel report, was quick to revive it, citing the need to debate on the matter rather than putting it in the upper chamber’s archives.

“In our rules, an adverse report is relegated to the archives. But I believe we must not be stifled and let the report to be recalled from archives and debated on floor,” he said in delivering his sponsorship speech..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20110601hed2.html

PCSO funds misused; solon calls for probe By Gerry Baldo 06/01/2011

PCSO funds misused; solon calls for probe

By Gerry Baldo 06/01/2011

A lawmaker last Monday accused the previous Arroyo administration of misusing billions of pesos in what is supposed to be spent for charity by the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO).

Bayan Muna Rep. Neri Colmenares, in a privilege speech, said that the Arroyo ad-ministration misused billions of pesos from the PCSO to over-priced contracts and huge public relations expenses. He said that the funds should have been spent for charity.

“I call on my colleagues to investigate this unforgivable corruption so that it will be eradicated in an institution that constitutes as the last resort for financial assistance of our poor and powerless people,” Colmenares said in a speech late Monday..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20110601hed4.html

CA confirms Del Rosario, De los Reyes as Cabinet heads By Angie M. Rosales and Michaela P. del Callar 06/01/2011

CA confirms Del Rosario, De los Reyes as Cabinet heads

By Angie M. Rosales and Michaela P. del Callar 06/01/2011

Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Secretary Albert del Rosario and Secretary Virgilio de los Reyes of the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) yesterday breezed through the powerful Commission on Appointments (CA) along with 21 ambassadors and 39 other officials.

In a rare occasion, the bicameral appointments body held plenary also yesterday to confirm Del Rosario’ and De los Reyes’ nomination, rather than wait for today’s proceedings.

No explanation were given. CA plenary session proceedings are usually held on a Wednesday..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/nation/20110601nat1.html

Navy arrests 122 Vietnamese poachers By Mario J. Mallari 06/01/2011

Navy arrests 122 Vietnamese poachers

By Mario J. Mallari 06/01/2011

Arrested Vietnamese poachers, aboard seven fishing vessels, off the waters of Palawan province last Monday reportedly hoisted Philippine Flags to their boats, apparently to avoid being monitored as intruders by government security forces patrolling the area.

A total of 122 Vietnamese fishermen are now under custody of the Balabac Municipal Police Station (MPS) in Palawan after Navy sea borne patrol, led by Maj. Ferdinand Atos of the Naval Station Balabac, caught them within the country’s territorial waters off Balabac.

Aboard F/V Z-M 001, 0002, 003, 004, 005, 006 and 007, the Vietnamese were reportedly caught hoisting Philippine Flags while fishing..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/nation/20110601nat2.html

Local manufacturers of fire trucks lambast Robredo for being anti-Pinoy By Pat C. Santos 06/01/2011

Local manufacturers of fire trucks lambast Robredo for being anti-Pinoy

By Pat C. Santos 06/01/2011

Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo has practically rejected the acquisition of 160 Philippine-made fire trucks worth P12 million each in favor of imported ones which are not only difficult to maintain but also expensive to repair.

Robredo announced recently he instructed the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) to shop for firetrucks which will be distributed to municipalities in the country that do not have a single fire truck..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/metro/20110601met2.html

Army leadership mulling promotion of Pacquiao to lieutenant colonel By Mario J. Mallari 06/01/2011

Army leadership mulling promotion of Pacquiao to lieutenant colonel

By Mario J. Mallari 06/01/2011
The Army leadership is mulling over the promotion of boxing icon Sarangani Rep. Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao, who is an Army reservist with the rank of senior master sergeant, to lieutenant colonel as part of the military’s recognition of his unparalleled achievements.

In a chance interview after the testimonial parade offered to Pacquiao by the Army at Fort Bonifacio, Army chief Lt. Gen. Arturo Ortiz said there is ongoing study for the promotion of Pacquiao to middle-rank Army reservist.

“That is now being studied, so if he could qualify and meet all the requirements, definitely we will be recommending him,” Ortiz said.

Some prominent military reservists include Vice President Jejomar Binay, who is a colonel in the Marine reserve force; defeated presidential bet and former Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro who is an Air Force colonel (reserve) and Sen. Loren Legarda who is a lieutenant colonel..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/metro/20110601met3.html

It pays to be in power EDITORIAL 05/31/2011

It pays to be in power

EDITORIAL

Click to enlarge

05/31/2011
It pays to have a relative as president in Malacañang.

Not only is there a bill being crafted in the House that would circumvent the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law, which would benefit the Cojuangco-Aquino owned Hacienda Luisita, but also even a government built for free Luisita “private interchange” is still making oodles of money collecting toll fees from motorists — and with no receipts given, to boot.

The Aquino-Cojuangcos always benefit, that is for sure, and despite Noynoy Aquino’s constant attacks against Gloria Arroyo and her administration, they certainly benefited a lot from her administration, as not only was the hacienda raw land sold to government for right of way road grossly overpriced — which sum was not even divvied up between management and the hacienda farmers, since the whole sum went to the Cojuangco-Aquino hacienda management — but also from that private interchange, paid for by the government, which means the people’s money..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20110531com1.html

Time for divorce law FRONTLINE Ninez Cacho-Olivares 05/31/2011

Time for divorce law

FRONTLINE

Ninez Cacho-Olivares

05/31/2011
With Catholic Malta voting in favor of legalizing divorce, only one single country is left that bans divorce: The Philippines.

But it looks like the House of Representatives will soon tackle the divorce bill filed by two legislators: Gabriela party-list Rep. Luzviminda Ilagan and Rep. Rufus Rodriquez.

This comes amid the still heated debates in the House on the Reproductive Health (RH) bill. Both bills — the RH bill and the divorce bill — will definitely be fought against by the Catholic bishops.

The divorce bill presented by Ilagan, however, appears to be too strict and open only to some five grounds for couples or spouses in filing of a petition for divorce..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20110531com2.html

Midwives on motorbikes spread sex sense in Cambodia focus 05/31/2011

Midwives on motorbikes spread sex sense in Cambodia

focus

05/31/2011
CHANLOUNG — Sitting in the shade of a large tree and surrounded by a group of women, Cambodian midwife Ly Siyan holds up a colorful poster displaying a range of contraception options.

She patiently waits for the giggles to subside when she points to a condom, aware that the two dozen women in the village of Chanloung in northwest Siem Reap province have rarely experienced such an open discussion about sex.

Once the 37-year-old has their full attention again, she talks about long-term contraceptive methods and debunks some of the more persistent myths about their side-effects.

For mother-of-two Beun Chem, 27, who wants to hold off having more children so she can focus on running her small shop, the midwife’s explanations are eye-opening..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20110531com3.html

God’s laws and the Keynesian agenda AN OUTSIDERS VIEW Ken Fuller 05/31/2011

God’s laws and the Keynesian agenda

AN OUTSIDERS VIEW

Ken Fuller

05/31/2011
For the outsider, the Philippines is sometimes confusing.
For example, a few weeks ago Manny Pacquiao was paid a reported $20 million for chasing another man around a boxing ring for 36 minutes. No, no, that’s not what I have trouble comprehending (although, now I think about it…). The thing that really has me beat is what happened later.

On May 14, Pacquiao attended a “thanksgiving Mass” at Quiapo church. Here, Monsignor Clemente Ignacio told him to prepare for the forthcoming scrap in the House of Representatives over the Reproductive Health bill, which he would be expected to oppose. Congressman Pacquiao duly vowed compliance, saying the bill was “against God’s laws.”

For me, confusion reigns on several counts here. Firstly, I was under the impression that the Catholic Church’s opposition to contraception was, rather than “God’s law,” the result of a papal encyclical called Humanae Vitae issued as recently as 1968. It turns out, in fact, that many of the claims made for God have really been the responsibility of the Vatican. The doctrine of papal infallibility, for example, saw the light of day as recently as 1870, in Vatican I. It was the Council of Trent (1545-1563) that decided that the Bible and church tradition (e.g. dogmas concerning the virginity of Mary) were equally authoritative. But I digress….... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20110531com4.html

Danger. Disease. Disaster VIEWPOINTS Archbishop Oscar V. Cruz 05/31/2011

Danger. Disease. Disaster

VIEWPOINTS

Archbishop Oscar V. Cruz

05/31/2011
Time and again, long since to these days, loving parents and upright teachers are one in inculcating a noble and ennobling value system in children about sex.

Human sexuality is sacred, noble and sublime. In this regard, the three fundamental truths they know and hold on are the following: One, God created the human person to His own Image. Two: God created the human person as a man or a woman. Three: God created man and woman with the option to become husband and wife for the generation and upbringing of children as their blessings and treasure.

In fact, a great number of parents and teachers who are neither Christians nor Catholics relate with their children with care and concern in the matter of sex. They too tell the famous fable of “The flower and the Bee” to impart the purity and beauty of human sexuality. Only the malicious, the depraved and the amoral fool around with sex among themselves, with others, their own children included. This is repugnant and unconscionable as it is not even civilized..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20110531com5.html

Older AIDS survivors face new challenges focus 05/31/2011

Older AIDS survivors face new challenges

focus

05/31/2011
SAN FRANCISCO — AIDS nearly killed Lou Grosso three decades ago, but that didn’t prepare him for the latest news from his doctor: he has heart disease.

Like many older HIV carriers facing problems — including financial — they never expected to live long enough to confront, Grosso, 57, also suffers from aching joints, memory loss and nerve pain.

Of the 14 pills he takes each day, only three are designed to treat HIV.

Dr. Brad Hare, his specialist at San Francisco General Hospital, keeps track of it all, but Grosso is still worried..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20110531com6.html

JAZA writes Noy to ask for prized 3G allocation EXCLUSIVE 05/31/2011

SAYS PLDT-DIGITEL MERGER RESULTS IN LOPSIDED TELECOMS FIELD

JAZA writes Noy to ask for prized 3G allocation

EXCLUSIVE

05/31/2011
“What are we in power for?”

The famous line that identifies with abuse of power oozed out from a letter sent to President Aquino by Globe Telecom-munications (Globe Telecoms) of the Ayala group requesting that it be granted highly prized third generation or 3G/Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) frequencies that are used extensively among business process outsourcing (BPO) offices and for highly popular smart phones.

To stress the weight of Globe Telecoms’ request, the letter was signed by no less than Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala, top man of the Ayala conglomerate and a major business ally of the Aquino clan with Globe Telecoms president Ernest Cu signing below him.

The letter was peculiar since it was written to Aquino and not to the regulator National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) which awards the frequencies and that these frequencies are supposedly bidded and not assigned..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20110531hed1.html

Luisita toll illegal, solon pushes probe on HLI private road By Charlie V. Manalo 05/31/2011

Luisita toll illegal, solon pushes probe on HLI private road

By Charlie V. Manalo 05/31/2011

A ranking member of the House of Representatives yesterday refuted claims of President Aquino’s uncle, Jose “Peping” Cojuangco, Jr. who said that the P20 toll fee being collected by the Hacienda Luisita Inc. (HLI) on motorists passing through the Luisita Parkway Road linking the sugar estate to the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEx) is legal and being beyond the authority of the Toll Regulatory Board (TRB) as the road stands on private land.

Quoting TRB Executive Director Manuel Imperial, Deputy Speaker, Cavite Rep. Jesus Crispin “Boying” Remulla said the toll fee being collected by HLI is highly illegal if the firm owned and operated by the President’s family does not have a permit coming from the TRB.

“I had a meeting with TRB Executive Director Imperial and he categorically said that all toll fees collected on road use, be it private or public, should have a permit coming from them,” Remulla said. “All toll fee collection is regulated by the TRB.”.... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20110531hed2.html

Divorce bill to spark another heated debate — Speaker 05/31/2011

Divorce bill to spark another heated debate — Speaker

05/31/2011
The House of Representatives is in for another con-tentious debate on the issue of the divorce bill before it takes on another long recess.

According to Speaker Feliciano Belmonte, the divorce bill, like the controversial reproductive health bill, is going to trigger another fiery debate between its proponents and those towing the line of the Catholic Church even as he noted that the RH bill could take the backburner given the priority that the House is going to give to those which are already on third and final reading.

“I did realize that we have a divorce bill and it is bound to be another one contentious bill,” he told a chance interview yesterday..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20110531hed6.html

Social enterprises better than CCT in alleviating poverty—solon N E W S B R I E F S 05/31/2011

Social enterprises better than CCT in alleviating poverty—solon

N E W S B R I E F S

05/31/2011
Bayan Muna Rep. Teddy Casiño yesterday reiterated his objection to the additional P2 billion to be realigned to the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s (DSWD) conditional cash transfer (CCT) program, calling it a “waste of money that could otherwise be used to create more jobs and livelihood for the poor.”

In yesterday’s soft opening of an exhibit on social enterprises at the House, Casiño, who is both chairmen of the committee on small business and entrepreneurship development, said government was putting way too much money on “short term, populist gimmicks” like CCT rather than implementing long-term anti-poverty strategies.

“Government needs to refocus its anti-poverty strategy from short-term CCT to long-term job creation and livelihood development. It is a wonder, for example, why government has done so little to support social enterprises like the ones exhibited here when their impact on poverty is much much more fundamental than dole-outs like the CCT program,” Casiño said in his opening remarks..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/nation/20110531nat7.html

Binay convenes execs of Anti-Illegal Recrutiment Task Force 05/31/2011

Binay convenes execs of Anti-Illegal Recrutiment Task Force

05/31/2011
Vice President Jejomar Binay yesterday convened the Presidential Task Force Against Illegal Recruitment (PFTAIR) at the Office of the Vice President (OVP) for its first official meeting.

During the meeting, the Vice President said he will be talking to Chief Justice Renato Corona to make sure that cases are filed against the recruiters of offloaded overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).

“The offloaded OFWs are sent back to their respective provinces, but we seldom see cases filed against their recruiters,” Binay said.

“We must always have ready evidence for the prosecution to present in court to ensure that these illegal recruiters are convicted,” he added, Binay also ordered the Philippine Overseas Employment Agency (POEA) to provide a list of expenditures based on the PTFAIR’s original two-year run as basis for the Task Force’s budget plan..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/nation/20110531nat4.html

Lawmaker pushes more measures to reform NFA By Charlie V. Manalo 05/31/2011

Lawmaker pushes more measures to reform NFA

By Charlie V. Manalo 05/31/2011

Cagayan Rep. Jack Enrile is pushing for measures to reform the National Food Authority (NFA), saying the agency cannot act both as a trader and a regulator at the same time and that these dual functions should be decoupled.

Enrile said allowing NFA to regulate its own purchases has obviously resulted in lapses in the past, which has resulted in billions of pesos in government funds being lost in alleged overpricing deals entered into by the agency.

He suggested that while NFA be allowed to continue to purchase food items, the regulatory function over these purchases should be immediately passed on to the Department of Agriculture (DA) to ensure that all deals undertaken by the NFA are done above board.

At the same time, the lawmaker called on the DA to require all its regional offices to conduct “honest to goodness, credible assessment” on the food requirement of the people in their respective areas..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/metro/20110531met2.html

Robbery gang leader killed in shootout By Arlie O. Calalo 05/31/2011

Robbery gang leader killed in shootout

By Arlie O. Calalo 05/31/2011

An alleged leader of a notorious robbery syndicate said to be operating in Metro Manila and nearby provinces was killed after he exchanged gunfire with members of the Caloocan City police last Sunday afternoon.

Northern Police District director Chief Supt. Antonio Decano in a statement lauded the leadership of the city police chief Senior Supt. Jude Wilson Santos for the neutralization of the so-called Bansalan Group following the death of its alleged leader, Bandino Bansalan, 35, alias “Bossing,” of Bagong Silang, also in the city.

“The police vigilance and the cooperation of residents to the local law enforcement authorities just paid off with the killing of the alleged robbery gang leader whose group has been under tight watch for its crimes,” Decano said..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/metro/20110531met1.html