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Noy’s wheel and deal game EDITORIAL 08/02/2011

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Noy’s wheel and deal game

EDITORIAL
Click to enlarge
08/02/2011
The squabble over pork between House members and the Palace brought out in public with supposed allies of Noynoy in the lower chamber throwing tantrums--on which Malacañang continues to play coy, trying to place the blame on Speaker Feliciano Belmonte, who happens to be also an ally — is truly a sight to behold.

The way the public sees the percolating feud is that it is all about bales of cash, with one either withholding or dangling it while the other is seen to be in a wild frenzy to get these. The picture evoked is really barbaric.

Had Noynoy been communicating with his supposed backers at the House and the Speaker, the spectacle perhaps would have been avoided. That or the honorable gentlemen of the House are already too starved to worry about manners.

Belmonte himself does not seem to be in the loop about why the pork barrel or the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) is not flowing but merely trickling into the House, and given only to those congressmen-lackeys who heeded his marching orders on their voting on two measures Noynoy wanted approved..... MORE

SourceThe Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20110802com1.html

Noynoy’s utak wang-wang FRONTLINE Ninez Cacho-Olivares 08/02/2011

Noynoy’s utak wang-wang

FRONTLINE
Ninez Cacho-Olivares
08/02/2011
Noynoy called those who abuse power and position as having the “utak wang-wang” and denounced them, saying that he is determined to change that mind-set and put a stop to the culture of government abuse.

But guess just who is stuck with the utak wang-wang, if not Noynoy himself, who not only violates the Constitution, but abuses his power and office to get what he wants — to the point of ensuring that the democratic institutions are subjugated enough to follow his whims and remain subservient to him.

A recent report said that Noynoy plans to return to the Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) the shortlist of nominees to two vacancies in the Supreme Court (SC) due to the listed nominees having links to his predecessor, Gloria Arroyo.

Aquino is said to be looking for a high court nominee who does not have any attachment to the former President, which only proves his ultra-vindictiveness..... MORE

SourceThe Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20110802com2.html

Norway gunman not crazy enough to stay out of jail — experts focus 08/02/2011

Norway gunman not crazy enough to stay out of jail — experts

focus

08/02/2011
OSLO — The man who has confessed to the deadly attacks in Norway on July 22 is expected to claim insanity, but several experts say his long and detailed planning of the massacre shows he is not crazy and can go to prison.

Anders Behring Breivik, a 32-year-old rightwing extremist, is set this week to begin undergoing a psychological examination to determine his mental state.

Two psychiatrists, Synne Serheim and Torgeir Husby, have been tasked by an Oslo court to present their opinions by Nov. 1, but the final decision on whether he can be tried for the slaughter of 77 people will be up to the court.

To be found unaccountable for the attacks — a bombing of government offices in Oslo and a shooting rampage at a youth summer camp — Behring Breivik would according to Norwegian law need to be diagnosed as suffering from a psychosis, like schizophrenia or severe paranoia..... MORE

SourceThe Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20110802com3.html

A Chinese menu AN OUTSIDERS VIEW Ken Fuller 08/02/2011

A Chinese menu

AN OUTSIDERS VIEW
Ken Fuller
08/02/2011
Among the many books this outsider shipped to the Philippines when he moved here permanently in 2003 was a two-volume English translation of A History of Chinese Civilization, by the French historian and sinologist Jacques Gernet. This was one of several large books purchased but, due to the pressures of the day job, not actually read at the time.

A few months ago, I read the first volume and then decided to take a breather. It hadn’t been particularly heavy going, simply that the period from antiquity until the demise of the Mongol empire was so unfamiliar to me, as were the names of the major historical figures populating these millennia, that I found I was retaining very little. It was, then, with a sense of duty rather than pleasurable anticipation that a few days ago I approached the second volume. Surprisingly, I zipped through it in no time at all, so although remembering the names was still a problem, the last 500 or so years of Chinese history must have struck me as more relevant.

Often when reading such a work, I will be struck by a certain phrase or fact and find myself asking whether the readers of this column would find it interesting. Hopefully you will, because this is all that’s on the menu this week..... MORE

SourceThe Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20110802com4.html

‘I am sorry’ VIEWPOINTS Archbishop Oscar V. Cruz 08/02/2011

‘I am sorry’

VIEWPOINTS
Archbishop Oscar V. Cruz
08/02/2011
Someone already said it before. Somebody should say it now. Before, the expression was a confession of wrong things done. Now, the phrase must be the admission of the right things left undone.

In both instances however, the victims are exactly the same: The people of the Philippines — both the past and present generations of Filipinos. Then, they were cheated of many things, especially in terms of wanton corruption in the handling and disbursement of public funds. Now, they are also being particularly cheated through non-development of their personal potentials and the continuous exploitation of their natural resources basically in favor of foreign capitalists representing multinational companies.

Such is the misfortune of Filipinos that try their patience and tempt their hope. Leaving aside for the moment the previous administration without however forgetting its many and big contributions to the poverty of the country and the misery of its people, it is good for the moment to take note of the following stagnant if not regressive realities in the Philippine scene under the incumbent national leadership..... MORE

SourceThe Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20110802com5.html

The price of a senatorial slot and a Cabinet post INSIDE CONGRESS Charlie Manalo 08/02/2011

The price of a senatorial slot and a Cabinet post

INSIDE CONGRESS
Charlie Manalo
08/02/2011
The vilification of the Arroyos is not about to stop. In fact, it is just warming up.

Late last week, a police officer came out in the open, exploding a “bombshell” accusing former President and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Arroyo of ordering him and his men to switch the election returns (ERs) stored in Congress, on the premise that should a recount be ordered, GMA would be ensured of victory.

Simultaneous with the revelation of police Col. Rafael Mariano, Sen. Ping Lacson came out with video footage showing the alleged break-in at the Batasan Complex wherein Mariano’s men were supposed to have switched the ERs.

While everyone is hell-bent to know once and for all whether there was cheating in the 2004 elections and how it was done, this is not the proper way to do it!.... MORE

SourceThe Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20110802com6.html

Post script: Sona TABLETS OF STONE Larry Faraon, OP 08/02/2011

Post script: Sona

TABLETS OF STONE
Larry Faraon, OP
08/02/2011
First Kings 3:5-12: “At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon during the night in a dream, and God said, “Ask for whatever you want me to give you.” Solomon answered, “You have shown great kindness to your servant, my father David, because he was faithful to you and righteous and upright in heart. You have continued this great kindness to him and have given him a son to sit on his throne this very day.

Now, Lord my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David. But I am only a little child and do not know how to carry out my duties. Your servant is here among the people you have chosen, a great people, too numerous to count or number. So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?.... MORE

SourceThe Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20110802com7.html

Tito, Kiko trade barbs; Drilon defensive By Angie M. Rosales 08/02/2011

Tito, Kiko trade barbs; Drilon defensive

By Angie M. Rosales 08/02/2011

The ghost of the poll fraud past appears to continue haunting Senators Francis Pangilinan and Franklin Drilon and there is a rising demand for the two to subject themselves to the probe into the 2004 elections to disprove speculations of their cover-up of the alleged poll fraud scheme that ensured the victory of then President Gloria Arroyo.

Pangilinan and Drilon, yesterday’s Arroyo allies and today’s loyal political allies of President Aquino, found themselves at the receiving end of charges from their peers, including a former congressman with whom they worked during the canvassing procedures in 2004.

Former Justice Secretary Raul Gonzales, who, along with Pangilinan, presided over the National Board of Canvassers (NBC) proceedings for the presidential and vice presidential race alongside said Drilon had asked him to “shave” Arroyo’s vote and reduce her lead to 800,000.

“Maybe he was just confident that her lead of one million plus (against then strong rival Fernando Poe Jr.) would not be disturbed,” Gonzales said in a phone-patched TV interview..... MORE

SourceThe Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20110802hed4.html

Noy accomplished nothing — minority By Charlie V.Manalo 08/02/2011

AQUINO GRADED ZERO IN CONTRA-SONA

Noy accomplished nothing — minority

By Charlie V.Manalo 08/02/2011
Following the tradition of the opposition in Congress delivering a contra-Sona (State of the Nation Address) the minority bloc in the House of Representatives yesterday gave President Aquino a grade of zero in terms of accomplishments in his one year in office as head of state and government.

In his contra-Sona, House Minority Leader, Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman blasted Aquino, saying he virtually accomplished nothing based on what he had promised during his maiden Sona.

“In last year’s Sona, the President had a triple agenda on legislative priorities requiring the enactment of seven urgent measures; what appeared to be an economic program exemplified by the three-Ps on Public-Private Partnership (PPP) and governance centerpiece on anti-corruption campaign,” Lagman said.

“Unfortunately, the President scored zero as in zero in his triple agenda.”.... MORE

SourceThe Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20110802hed1.html

Group to probe of Marines’ lapses on assault vs Abu Sayyaf By Mario J. Mallari 08/02/2011

Group to probe of Marines’ lapses on assault vs Abu Sayyaf

By Mario J. Mallari 08/02/2011

An independent, no-nonsense investigation, not by the leadership of the Philippine Marine Corps, was urged in connection with last Thursday’s “debacle” during an assault against an Abu Sayyaf lair in Sulu province that ended in the killing of seven Marine troops, five of them beheaded.

A ranking military official, who requested anonymity, told The Tribune that an independent probe of the incident is necessary to finally put an end to similar setbacks in the future as he stressed there were obvious lapses during the operation.

“These debacles have been happening again and again to the Marines and they seemed to have not learned their lesson,” said the official, who is a veteran in major combat operations against enemies of the state, especially the communist insurgents.

“There should be an independent (probe) body and not the marines who should conduct the inquiry to ensure an honest and objective investigation on what really happened,” the official added..... MORE

SourceThe Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/nation/20110802nat1.html

Arnaiz debunks ‘railroading’ claim of LRay, Fortuno 08/02/2011

Arnaiz debunks ‘railroading’ claim of LRay, Fortuno

08/02/2011
Rep. George P. Arnaiz, chairman of the House local government committee, chided yesterday Camarines Sur Gov. Luis Raymund “LRay” Villafuerte and Rep. Salvio Fortuno for making “irresponsible, self-serving and misleading claims” that the bill creating the province of Nueva Camarines was railroaded and that it was not subjected to hearings and debates by his committee.

Arnaiz stressed that in the May 31 and June 7 hearings conducted by his committee on House Bill 4728, LRay and Rep. Fortuno participated lengthily in the proceedings, including the nearly three-hour debate on June 7 during which LRay’s father, Rep. Luis Villafuerte Jr., persuasively argued for the creation of Nueva Camarines while debunking the arguments of LRay who opposed the bill.

Representing the 2nd District of Negros Oriental, Arnaiz insisted that the legislative process was followed thoroughly when his committee voted 22 to 6 in favor of HB 4728, titled “An Act Creating the Province of Nueva Camarines,” principally authored by Deputy Speaker Arnulfo Fuentebella and co-authored by Reps. Villafuerte and Diosdado Arroyo.

Rep. Rolando Andaya, through Rep. Villafuerte, also expressed a desire to serve as a co-author, thus four out of the five Camarines Sur congressmen, with Fortuno being the lone exemption, support the creation of the province of Nueva Camarines from the 4th and 5thdistricts of Camarines Sur..... MORE

SourceThe Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/nation/20110802nat2.html

Lawmakers discover P3.6 billion lost in BoC revenues By Gerry Baldo 08/02/2011

Lawmakers discover P3.6 billion lost in BoC revenues

By Gerry Baldo 08/02/2011

The failure of the Bureau of Customs (BoC) to locate 1,910 container vans containing highly dutiable goods may have resulted in revenue lost amounting to P3.6 billion.

The House committee on ways and means at a hearing yesterday discovered that the graft-ridden agency also failed to collect P180,000 worth of Customs duties on each of 2,219 vans that were transhipped to the Port of Batangas from Port of Manila and the Manila International Container Port (MICP) from January to May.

Valenzuela Rep. Magtanggol Gunigundo, vice chairman of the panel’s subcommittee on tariffs and Customs, yesterday lamented that BoC officials had allowed the entry of the container vans without passing through X-ray or manual inspections.

During the hearing, Gunigundo said that the 2,219 containers vans were supposed to be delivered to the Port of Batangas but only 309 reached their destination..... MORE

SourceThe Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/metro/20110802met1.html

Ray Aquino enters not guilty plea on Dacer, Corbito murder By Pat C. Santos 08/02/2011

Ray Aquino enters not guilty plea on Dacer, Corbito murder

By Pat C. Santos 08/02/2011

Former police Senior Supt. Michael Ray Aquino entered a not guilty plea yesterday at the Manila Regional Trial Court Branch 18 in connection with the double-crime murders for killing publicist Salvador “Bubby” Dacer and his driver Emmanuel Corbito in 2000.

The arraignment proceedings took only 10 minutes which started at 8:30 a.m. at the sala of Judge Thelma Bunyi-Medina.

Aquino was accompanied by his defense lawyer Edmond Quizon who said that they did not ask the court for the re-scheduling of the date of arraignment but stated that they had made a manifestation in filing a “not guilty” plea for his client which should not affect the pending motion for re-investigation which they earlier filed.

The court had scheduled the preliminary conference on Sept. 7 to be followed by pre-trial on Sept. 14..... MORE

SourceThe Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/metro/20110802met4.html

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