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Balay cleansing at Customs EDITORIAL 10/06/2011

Thursday, October 6, 2011

Balay cleansing at Customs

EDITORIAL
Click to enlarge
10/06/2011
It appears that a turf battle going on at the Customs bureau, involving the closest aides of Noynoy, with no less than the famed Balay and Samar factions in the Palace jockeying for control of the juicy agency, has been heating up lately.

The struggle apparently was one of the factors for the ousting of Customs Commissioner Angelito Alvarez and now the likely purging of Alvarez’s men at the Bureau of Customs (BoC).

An eight-man team of the Run After the Smugglers (RATS) program of the BoC, which is considered the key effort of the government against smugglers, was strangely placed under suspension by Malacañang when it should have been the call of Customs Commissioner Ruffy Biazon..... MORE

SourceThe Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20111006com1.html

Noynoy’s lackeys FRONTLINE Ninez Cacho-Olivares 10/06/2011

Noynoy’s lackeys

FRONTLINE
Ninez Cacho-Olivares
10/06/2011
What a lackey the Speaker is.

He was all-out for a Charter change move, supposedly focusing on amendments to the economic provisions to lure more foreign investments, even stating that with or without the blessings of the Malacañang tenant, the Cha-cha move will go on.

Noynoy made his stand clear to his Liberal Party (LP) mates, who are also all his lackeys, saying that he is against Cha-cha, and that these current economic provisions’ amendments are not the solution to bringing in more investments, insisting that it is the eradication of corruption, coupled with good government that he has been mouthing that is the answer. And the Speaker is now singing the same tune.

But apparently, there is another reason Noynoy stands opposed to Cha-cha. A report said that Noynoy told the LPs that he wants to leave his mother’s Constitution untouched, no matter how flawed it is..... MORE

SourceThe Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20111006com2.html

USA cracks down on sex tourism in Philippines. What???

USA cracks down on sex tourism in Philippines. What???

04.10.2011
 
USA cracks down on sex tourism in Philippines. What???. 45535.jpegThe US Ambassador to Manila, Harry K. Thomas, cracked down on the Philippines. The US official expressed his concerns about the development of sex tourism in the country. Mr. Thomas claimed that the US Embassy in Manila, which is located on one of the main streets of the Philippine capital, Roxas Boulevard, faces many notorious facilities. Many of those facilities are poorly disguised as karaoke bars or nightclubs. The country has sunk into vice and sex slavery, the official also said.

Nearly 40 percent of male foreign tourists, including US citizens, visit the Philippines only for sex adventures.

"That is not something I'm proud of. That's not something you should be proud of. I told [Philippine Department of Justice] Secretary Leila de Lima that any American caught engaged in any of these crimes or cybersex should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law and we will assist," the official said.

Spokespeople for the Philippine authorities only said that they did not know what made the US ambassador think so about the country..... MORE

SourcePravda.ru

URL: http://english.pravda.ru/society/sex/04-10-2011/119226-sex_tourism_philippines-0/

Leila’s dilemma INSIDE CONGRESS charlie manalo 10/06/2011

Leila’s dilemma

INSIDE CONGRESS
charlie manalo
10/06/2011
Justice Secretary Leila de Lima has once again hit the headlines. This time for releasing the recommendation of the DoJ investigating panel finding probable cause for the tax evasion case against Ang Galing Pinoy Rep. Juan Miguel Arroyo and his wife Angela as if the couple had already been indicted.

And as if that was not enough, Leila the morning after, issued a watch list order against the Arroyo couple even as if they have yet to be formally charged in court.

This media-hungry Leila, who is dead-set on seeking a senatorial seat in 2013, just wouldn’t learn her lesson.

A few months back, she issued a WLO against former First Gentleman Mike Arroyo even if not charges had not yet been filed against him, prompting Big Mike to question before the SC, Leila’s order..... MORE

SourceThe Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20111006com5.html

All change, all the same: Afghan Taliban 10 years on focus 10/06/2011

All change, all the same: Afghan Taliban 10 years on

focus

10/06/2011
KABUL — In the 10 years since being toppled from power by invading US troops, the Taliban have transformed from media-shy mullahs into a technology-savvy guerilla force who could still end up back in government.

Ousted just weeks after a foreign assault started on Oct. 7, 2001, the Taliban retreated, at least partly to Pakistan, and were written off by Western militaries as a spent force.

But they rebuilt and re-emerged to lead an increasingly brutal insurgency with a new generation of fighters motivated by the presence of 140,000 foreign troops — and some shifts in emphasis, if not belief.

Until earlier this year, Mullah Noor-Ul Aziz was the Taliban’s shadow governor in Kunduz, north Afghanistan and before that was a commander in charge of 300 fighters in the southern province of Helmand..... MORE

SourceThe Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20111006com6.html

Social dissent. Social unrest. Social uprising. VIEWPOINTS Archbishop Oscar V. Cruz 10/06/2011

Social dissent. Social unrest. Social uprising.

VIEWPOINTS
Archbishop Oscar V. Cruz
10/06/2011
Social dissent comes to fore when more and more people not only feel but actually experience dissatisfaction with the way socio-economic agenda is likewise more and more mishandled by the public officials concerned.

Unless they come to know and appreciate a notable reversal thereof in their empirical day to day life, the said popular dissent develops into social unrest with the whole government considered as its main culprit. And when this in turn is not effectively attended to and accordingly neutralized, what happens next is social uprising that is usually focused against the national leadership in particular — a social phenomenon blatantly called “Revolution” by others..... MORE

SourceThe Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20111006com7.html

Noy gets brickbats for late calamity tour By Charlie V. Manalo and Virgilio Bugaoisan 10/06/2011

INVISIBLE MAN AS PRESIDENT

Noy gets brickbats for late calamity tour

By Charlie V. Manalo and Virgilio Bugaoisan 10/06/2011
Members of the House minority scored President Aquino’s belated response to the widespread calamity that descended on Central Luzon as a result of the recent back-to-back typhoons “Pedring” and “Quiel” while Aquino justified his conspicuous absence at the height of the calamity as being key to the efficient provision by government agencies of relief and rescue operations.

Aquino is widely known as a slacker and is usually late for appointments and also was known to have cancelled several appointments to give in to inertia.

At their weekly press briefing, House Minority Leader Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman, Deputy Minority Leaders Zambales Rep. Ma. Milagros “Mitos” Magsaysay and Quezon Rep. Danilo Suarez took turns in lambasting Aquino who had earlier expressed his dread for photo opportunities which he indicated as the likely outcome if he visited the calamity-stricken areas, even citing his “fear for cameras” as expressed by his spokesmen.

“When the first typhoon struck, presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda boasted the ‘Ondoy’ experience will not happen again, meaning there will be no slow response,” Magsaysay said. “But what we saw with Pedring and Quiel were floods everywhere and no sight of the President.”.... MORE

SourceThe Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20111006hed1.html

Foreign envoys concerned over NPA’s assault; Noy disappointed with Armed Forces 10/06/2011

.Foreign envoys concerned over NPA’s assault; Noy disappointed with Armed Forces
10/06/2011
Japan’s envoy to Manila yesterday called the communist rebels’ attack on one of the mining companies partly owned by a Japanese company in Surigao del Norte “awful” while Australia’s diplomat expressed concern on Monday’s assault that brought massive damage to property and threatened the security of workers and foreign company employees there.

“It’s awful. I mean it’s not only the damage to the equipment but the damage to the reputation of the Philippines that I’m worried (about),” said Japanese Ambassador Toshinao Urabe in a chance interview.

One of the three companies that came under attack, Taganito Mining Corp., was forced to temporarily halt operations due to gravity of attack. The company is owned by Nickel Asia Corp., the Philippines’ biggest nickel producer, and partly owned by Japan’s Sumitomo Corp.

“All of a sudden it happened so we are rather surprised,” Urabe said. “But I think the government is taking rapid reaction and we appreciate that very much.”... MORE

SourceThe Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20111006hed4.html

Creation of super body to oversee dams, lakes and flood control systems pushed By Gerry Baldo 10/06/2011

Creation of super body to oversee dams, lakes and flood control systems pushed

By Gerry Baldo 10/06/2011

In the face of the recent calamities that struck the country, a lawmaker yesterday urged the Aquino government to create an agency that would oversee dams, lakes and flood control systems.

In a privilege speech yesterday, Rep. Agapito Gunalao, of the party-list Butil Farmers, said that there is an urgent need for the creation of this “super body” that would govern the operations of these water-related facilties.

Guanlao noted that there is disarray in the management of these facilities leading to floods in the areas surrounding these facilities.

“The long — standing disarray in dam management and operations especially in cases of pre-emptive water releases is reflective of the absence of a unified dam and water management policy,” Guanlao said..... MORE

SourceThe Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/nation/20111006nat4.html

VP Binay: Follow China example, invest in education 10/06/2011

VP Binay: Follow China example, invest in education

10/06/2011
For the Philippine economy to finally to take off, Vice President Jejomar Binay proposed that the country should invest in education the way China did.

Speaking before some 10,000 teachers during the World Teachers’ Day celebration at the PhilSports Arena in Pasig, Binay said that “China’s consuming obsession with education could be the first thing we may want to imitate.”

“By expanding its native student population to at least 20 million by 2005, and sending tens of thousands of scholars for post-graduate studies to leading universities abroad, China enlarged and upgraded its stock of human capital faster than any of its global competitors,” Binay said.

The Vice President said that China “took a huge gamble” in 1978 when Deng Xiaoping opened up China to foreign investments and allowed Chinese scholars by the thousands to leave China for advanced studies abroad..... MORE

SourceThe Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/nation/20111006nat6.html

P15-M civil suit filed vs multinational drug firms 10/06/2011

P15-M civil suit filed vs multinational drug firms

10/06/2011
A local-based licensed pharmaceutical drug distributor and importer has filed a P15- million civil suit against three multinational pharmaceutical companies for “malicious prosecution.”

Named in the complaint of Sahar Pharma were Pfizer Philippines, GlaxoSmithKline Philippines and Roche Philippines.

The complaint was described as “a landmark case” as it would further the government’s agenda in encouraging competition and cheaper medicines.

The law office of former Supreme Court Associate Justice Santiago Kapunan and lawyer-educator Adel Tamano serves as Sahar Pharma’s legal counsel in the suit.

The multinationals had previously filed a case against Sahar on the legality of parallel importation of drugs, but was dismissed by the Department of Justice, the Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court (SC)..... MORE

SourceThe Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/metro/20111006met5.html

Return full P4.6-B hiring budget to other agencies, urges solon By Charlie V. Manalo 10/06/2011

Return full P4.6-B hiring budget to other agencies, urges solon

By Charlie V. Manalo 10/06/2011

While commending the move of the House leadership to return control of the Supreme Court’s (SC) budget under the miscellaneous personnel benefits funds (MPBF) of the General Appropriations Act for 2012, a member of the majority bloc in the House of Representatives yesterday called on his colleagues to also include the hiring budget of other agencies set to be “impounded” by the Executive.

In a statement, Navotas Rep. Rep. Toby Tiangco said while it is laudable for the House leadership to recognize the fiscal autonomy of the high court by moving to restore its P2-billion hiring budget, he said the hiring budgets of four other Constitutional Commissions, which also enjoy fiscal autonomies, should also be considered.

“I applaud the decision recognizing the Supreme Court’s fiscal independence, but inasmuch as four other agencies, namely, the Office of the Ombudsman, Civil Service Commission, Commission on Elections and the Commission on Audit also equally enjoy fiscal autonomy, their funds must likewise be returned to their respective controls,” Tiangco said..... MORE

SourceThe Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/metro/20111006met1.html

GOING GREEN 10/06/2011

AN AGRICULTURAL TECH THAT GETS RID OF GARBAGE

GOING GREEN

10/06/2011
Two years have gone by yet the devastation brought by typhoon Ondoy still stirs up fear among the people, especially those living near bodies of water.

For the citizens residing near the Hagonoy Creek in Taguig, the threat of another killer flood is resurfacing as tons of garbage pile up like islands on the stinking creek connected to Laguna de Bay.

Recently, a new process called vermicomposting, which turns biodegradable wastes into an eco-friendly fertilizer, was developed by the Philippine Business for Social Progress Center for Rural Technology Development (PBSP-CRTD).


‘Cast’ the trash

Getting rid of garbage can be done in a resourceful way like vermicomposting..... MORE

SourceThe Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/life/20111006lif7.html

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