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Dunces and dupes by LUIS V. TEODORO

Monday, June 18, 2012

Dunces and dupes


by LUIS V. TEODORO

With the usual irony was June 12 marked this year in a country hardly aware of its history. Benigno Aquino III spoke at Barasoain Church in Malolos, Bulacan, where the First Philippine Republic was inaugurated on January 23, 1899, less than a year after Emilio Aguinaldo proclaimed Philippine independence in Kawit, Cavite, on June 12, 1898.
Justice Secretary Laila de Lima was at the Bonifacio Monument in Caloocan. Transportation Secretary Manuel Roxas II was in Kawit, while Vice-President Jejomar Binay was at the usual flag-raising at Manila’s Rizal Park.
Aquino spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said Mr. Aquino’s presence at Barasoain and that of other officials in the iconic sites of the Philippine struggle for independence was “one way of imbibing the historical significance of these places.”
Lacierda didn’t say who should be doing the “imbibing” of the historical significance of Barasoain, Kawit, etc. But together with the dunces and dupes among the population distinguished by their lack of sense, whether historical or otherwise, the Aquino government is a most likely candidate for history lessons..... MORE

SourceBulatlat.com

URL: http://bulatlat.com/main/2012/06/15/dunces-and-dupes/

A gameshow called CCT EDITORIAL 06/18/2012

A gameshow called CCT

EDITORIAL
Click to enlarge
06/18/2012
Trust Noynoy and win a college scholarship. That could be an effective come on for the new conditional cash transfer (CCT) scheme being packaged by Noynoy for the next budget year.

Noynoy’s CCT program has been growing like a malignant disease every year and is being targeted to take up all of P45 billion in the proposed national budget for 2013, or about 75 percent of the total P60-billion budget being asked by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) in the unprecedented P2 trillion planned allocation for the election year.

The DSWD targets nearly 4 million families to be covered by the CCT, which means at least 8 million Filipinos receiving doleouts from the government at a year when Noynoy would field 12 candidates to fill half of the intractable Senate. Unlike the House of Representatives where the use of the release of Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) or the pork barrel has been effectively utilized to secure loyal allies, controlling the Senate fully remains elusive to Noynoy..... MORE

SourceThe Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20120618com1.html

Tough talk goes bust FRONTLINE Ninez Cacho-Olivares 06/18/2012

Tough talk goes bust

FRONTLINE
Ninez Cacho-Olivares
06/18/2012
Looks like the tough talk of Noynoy on the Philippine sovereignty issue over the Scarborough Shoal that has resulted in the over two months stand-off with China, along with his boast about his great god America coming to his rescue ended up with his order to have the coast guard boat and a Philippine fisheries vessel pulled out of the shoal.

Of course he used as his excuse of blinking in the China stand-off, the storm “Butchoy,” so suddenly solicitous of his people during an oncoming storm.

When the Hamilton-cutter “warship” was ordered to pull out of the same area, the excuse used was that the Philippine warship which apparently was not equipped with the usual military firepower, had to refuel and restock food.

That warship never returned to the shoal.... MORE

SourceThe Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20120618com2.html

Cheaper medicines law hasn’t served the poor

Cheaper medicines law hasn’t served the poor


By Satur C. Ocampo
Four years ago last June 6, the Cheaper Medicines Law (Republic Act 9502, the Universally Accessible Cheaper and Quality Medicines Act of 2008) passed after contentious debates in the 14th Congress, was signed into law by President Gloria M. Arroyo.
R.A. 9502 was intended to achieve two correlated goals:
1. Reduce the cost of medicines — especially those that are commonly bought by the poor — to 50% of their 2001 prices and make these available nationwide; and
2. Require and ensure the production of adequate supply, distribution, use and acceptance of medicines identified by their generic names, which are priced much lower than patented drugs mainly produced by multinational corporations..... MORE

SourceBulatlat.com

URL: http://bulatlat.com/main/2012/06/15/cheaper-medicines-law-hasnt-served-the-poor/

Not ‘if’ but ‘when’: US intervention in Syria on countdown

Not ‘if’ but ‘when’: US intervention in Syria on countdown



A delegation from Syrian opposition is reportedly in talks with US officials over the targets they want to attack to weaken the Syrian government and the arms they want America to provide to do it. A “Libya lite” operation in Syria may be imminent.
The unnamed US official reportedly said that “the intervention will happen. It is not a question of ‘if’ but ‘when’.”
The delegation from the Syrian Free Army is meeting with US Ambassador to Syria Robert Ford and the State Department’s expert on Syria, Fred Hof, according to a report by debkafile, an Israeli news website, which is considered to have strong ties with the intelligence community..... MORE

SourceRT.com

URL: http://www.rt.com/news/syria-rebels-us-arms-028/

US senators take aggressive stance ahead of Iran nuclear talks

US senators take aggressive stance ahead of Iran nuclear talks


As Moscow braces to host the third round of talks on Iranian nuclear program the US Senators are urging President Obama to ramp up pressure against Tehran and show that “credible military option” exists should Iran fail to curb its nuclear program.
Forty-four senators, both Republicans and Democrats, have addressed Barack Obama in a letter stating that Iran must immediately take steps to shut down the Fordow facility, freeze the enrichment of uranium above 5 per cent and ship uranium already enriched above 5 per cent out of the country..... MORE

SourceRT.com

URL: http://www.rt.com/news/us-iran-nuclear-moscow-004/

Delicadeza TABLETS OF STONE Larry Faraon, OP 06/18/2012

Delicadeza

TABLETS OF STONE
Larry Faraon, OP
06/18/2012
With the recent decision of the Supreme Court (SC) to uphold the highly contested PCOS machines purchase and utility some chilling effects are crawling onto the spine of some observers. Notably one of our co-columnists Archbishop Oscar Cruz believes that the autonomy of the three co-equal branches of the government is being tinkered with or being compromised by the top executive of this country. President Aquino himself over cups of coffee with some journalists getting used to sub judice statements, a week ago expressed his concern over the inaction of the SC over the petitions against the PCOS machines for the May elections in 2013.

As if by calculated cue, the high court did not waste time in dismissing the petitions contesting the P1.8-billion deal with the Netherlands-based Smartmatic-Total Information Management’s (TIM) and approved en banc the purchase and use of the computer-generated counting machines..... MORE

SourceThe Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20120618com3.html

Redeployment of vessels to be reviewed — Palace By Fernan J. Angeles and Mario J. Mallari 06/18/2012 Malacañang see

Redeployment of vessels to be reviewed — Palace

By Fernan J. Angeles and Mario J. Mallari
06/18/2012

Malacañang seems to have found a convenient face-saving alibi in tropical storm Butchoy in pulling out government vessels from the Scarborough Shoal to end a lengthy naval confrontation with China over both countries’ territorial dispute, with President Aquino’s deputy spokesman Abigail Valte saying yesterday that the Aquino administration is now re-evaluating its options on redeployment of the vessels.

The Palace, which has consistently maintained its confrontational stance against China, cited bad weather as the only reason to pull out government vessels from the contested shoal off Zambales Province despite the Chinese vessels having remained even at the height of the weather disturbance.

Valte cited a “re-evaluation” of the government options whether or not to deploy the Philippine government ships back in the Scarborough Shoal, now that the weather at the disputed area has improved..... MORE

SourceThe Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20120618hea2.html

Gov’t, authorities still clueless on journalist’s disappearance By Fernan J. Angeles and Mario J. Mallari 06/18/2012

Gov’t, authorities still clueless on journalist’s disappearance

By Fernan J. Angeles and Mario J. Mallari
06/18/2012
Malacañang has refused to call the disappearance of a veteran foreign journalist as another case of abduction even as a top Palace official raised doubt over the kidnap-for-ransom story hounding the failure to locate Al-Arabiya TV bureau chief for Southeast Asia Baker Abdulla Atyani.

In an interview over dzRB radio, deputy presidential spokesman Abigail Valte yesterday said the disappearance of Atyani who has been missing since Tuesday, could not be considered as another case of abduction.

“Well, we’re monitoring that situation carefully. We’re getting updates from the local government in Sulu. And as far as we have been updated…You can’t even put the incident in that category (abduction),” Valte said when sought for an initial Palace reaction to the most recent development hounding Atyani’s disappearance..... MORE

SourceThe Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20120618hea3.html

Noy backing on Ping sparks LP infighting By Gerry Baldo 06/18/2012

ROXAS WANTS TO RETAIN ROBREDO TO AID SPEAKERSHIP BID

Noy backing on Ping sparks LP infighting

By Gerry Baldo
06/18/2012
Infighting in the stables of President Aquino erupted anew with the endorsement of Aquino himself of Sen. Panfilo “Ping” Lacson for a Cabinet slot when his term expires next year possibly to the post of Secretary of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), a prospect that the camp of Aquino “trouble shooter” Transportation and Communications Secretary Manuel Roxas wants blocked.

Highly-placed sources from the House of Representatives said that Roxas, president of the Liberal Party, is extremely opposed to the plan of President Aquino to give Lacson a Cabinet post.

“The camp of Sec. Roxas is against Lacson because he is not their ally. They want to keep (Interior and Local Government Secretary Jesse) Robredo in his post as the latter’s departure may jeopardize whatever plans that Roxas may have in mind for the coming elections. The post of Robredo is very strategic in terms of harmonizing relations with local governments and national police force,” the source said..... MORE

SourceThe Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20120618hea1.html

6.1 quake hits Luzon 06/18/2012

6.1 quake hits Luzon

06/18/2012
A 6.1-magnitude earthquake struck off the west coast of Luzon yesterday, US seismologists said, but there were no reports of casualties and no tsunami alert was issued.

The US Geological Survey said the quake hit at a depth of 35 kilometers (22 miles) at 6:18 a.m, 182 km. northwest of Manila.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) measured the quake at 6.0 magnitude..... MORE

SourceThe Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/nation/20120618nat1.html

EU ban on RP seamen not likely, says HK ship manager 06/18/2012

EU ban on RP seamen not likely, says HK ship manager

06/18/2012
Hongkong-based Wallem Ship Management waxed confident that Filipino seafarers will continue their employment on European Union (EU) vessels and downplayed threats of EU’s withdrawal of seafarers’ certificates.

Frank Simon, Fleet Personnel director at Wallem Ship Management, said the European Maritime Safety Agency’s (Emsa) recent audit in the Philippines, which found deficiencies in the government certifying agencies, was a valid concern that needed to be addressed..... MORE

SourceThe Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/nation/20120618nat4.html

Disini vows to pursue libel charges vs former chief justice By Benjamin B. Pulta 06/18/2012

Disini vows to pursue libel charges vs former chief justice

By Benjamin B. Pulta
06/18/2012

Businessman Herminio Disini is bent on pursuing his libel complaint before the Regional Trial Court of Makati City against former Supreme Court (SC) Chief Justice and now newspaper columnist Artemio Panganiban for allegedly maligning him in an article that the latter wrote about the mothballed Bataan Nuclear Power Plant (BNPP).

In a statement, Disini’s lawyer Jose Bernas said his client has submitted his reply to the counter-affidavit submitted by Panganiban in the case.

Bernas said Disini claimed in his reply that Panganiban’s article “maliciously” portrayed him as someone’s dummy and tagged him as Westinghouse’s “go-between with Marcos” for the BNPP project..... MORE

SourceThe Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/metro/20120618met2.html

Malabon mayor embarks on project vs criminals By Arlie O. Calalo 06/18/2012 The Malabon City government has embarked on a project that would help policemen and barangay law enforcers manage crime prevention easier and more stress-free, acting Mayor Antolin “Lenlen” Oreta III said over the weekend. He added the massive lighting project intends to illuminate dimly-lit thoroughfares and streets all over the city. More importantly, the project aims to scare away criminals such as holdup men, snatchers and muggers from victimizing the unwary public, according to Oreta.

Malabon mayor embarks on project vs criminals

By Arlie O. Calalo
06/18/2012

The Malabon City government has embarked on a project that would help policemen and barangay law enforcers manage crime prevention easier and more stress-free, acting Mayor Antolin “Lenlen” Oreta III said over the weekend.

He added the massive lighting project intends to illuminate dimly-lit thoroughfares and streets all over the city.

More importantly, the project aims to scare away criminals such as holdup men, snatchers and muggers from victimizing the unwary public, according to Oreta..... MORE

SourceThe Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/metro/20120618met5.html

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