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Doleouts just won’t work

Saturday, July 21, 2012

Doleouts just won’t work



The conditional cash transfer (CCT) program of Noynoy is one of the most expensive items in the yearly government budget and the most frequently criticized due to doubts that it is being properly monitored, thus turning it into what many fear it is turning out to be just as what was intended by Noynoy and his Liberal Party — which is mere political doleouts that would be used to bribe the poor to give them the vote come election day.

The allocation for the program which the administration calls the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4P) totals P23 billion this year and by next year the allotment for it will almost double to P40 billion to target 3.5 million families which were supposedly identified by the administration of Noynoy as extremely poor.

Not so poor, after all, as the Commission on Audit (CoA) review of the program showed many of the so-called beneficiaries of the program are not exactly among the marginalized.

The CoA interviewed sample beneficiaries throughout the country and the results were no surprise at all, especially to critics.

A handful of the beneficiaries was obviously delegated by some allied political figures in the areas, some have legitimate jobs and even one is a proprietor owning an apartment space.... MORE

SourceThe Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/index.php/commentary/editorial/item/1802-doleouts-just-won%E2%80%99t-work

‘Don’t be duped by Western humanitarian rhetoric on Syria’ – Russia's UN ambassador



‘Don’t be duped by Western humanitarian rhetoric on Syria’ – Russia's UN ambassador

Russia and China have for the third time vetoed a UN Security Council resolution on Syria which would entail tragic consequences for Damascus. Russia’s ambassador to the UN told RT why a diplomatic solution to the crisis remains the only option.

­In an exclusive interview with RT, Vitaly Churkin gave his explanation of what is going on in Syria and why he thinks the conflict has spread beyond that country's borders.

RT: Russia's decision to veto this latest resolution has caused consternation and widespread criticism of Moscow's stance – is Russia supporting the Assad regime?.... MORE
SourceRT.com

URL: http://www.rt.com/news/syria-russia-diplomacy-resolution-630/

'Dark Knight Rises' massacre: 12 shot dead in Colorado 'Batman' screening



'Dark Knight Rises' massacre: 12 shot dead in Colorado 'Batman' screening

At least 12 people have been killed and 59 wounded after a masked gunman shot moviegoers at the latest 'Batman' premiere in Colorado. The attack is the worst in the state's history since the infamous Columbine High School massacre in 1999.

­Thirty people remain in hospitals, 11 of whom are believed to be in critical condition, Gov. John Hickenlooper said.

How it happened

The theater in the Colorado city of Aurora in the Denver Metro area was packed with a lot of people, many of them young fans, at the time the shooting started, 9news reports. The violence erupted some 15 minutes after the movie began, witnesses said..... MORE

SourceRT.com

URL: http://www.rt.com/news/shooting-dark-knight-rises-batman-denver-aurora-654/

Delicate matter: Medieval brassieres discovered in Austria

Delicate matter: Medieval brassieres discovered in Austria


A new archaeological find in the Austrian Tyrol has shown that brassiere is not such a recent invention. Historians have discovered prototypes of a modern brassiere in an Austrian castle. The find dates back to the 15th century.

­Fashion historians and researchers used to believe that a bra has been around for just around 100 years. They were pretty convinced women wore chemises in the middle ages, while knickers are believed to have appeared in the 18th century.

Yet these beliefs were proved wrong with the discovery of four bras and two pairs of pants among some 3,000 clothing items and fragments in Lengberg Castle in East Tyrol, BBC history magazine reported..... MORE

SourceRT.com

URL: http://rt.com/art-and-culture/news/delicate-matter-discovered-austria-679/

‘Migrante’ portrays dreams, harrowing tales of OFWs

‘Migrante’ portrays dreams, harrowing tales of OFWs

By JANESS ANN J. ELLAO
Bulatlat.com
MANILA – A few years ago, renowned director Joel Lamangan and Palanca-awardee scriptwriter Bonifacio Ilagan teamed up with Ricky Lee to film the Flor Contemplacion Story, a movie based on the life of an overseas Filipino worker who was sentenced to die in Singapore. Her death amplified the costs of labor migration.

Yet recently, Lamangan and Ilagan teamed up again to film another gripping portrayal of the continuing poor working conditions of overseas Filipino workers.

“Flor’s story was a film on one individual’s life. But now, (in this film) you will see the bigger problem. It also focuses on how groups like Migrante are helping OFWs in other countries,” Lamangan told Bulatlat.com. The film, he added, is “telling the truth of how our local embassies in other countries are not helping that much.”

‘Migrante (The Filipino Diaspora)’ is a film that portrays the many faces of being an overseas Filipino worker. The fates of the OFWs in the film were intertwined by the tragic incident that has befallen Frida (Jody Sta. Maria) and her family. It also highlighted the role of people’s organizations such as Migrante International, which, in real life, have been at the forefront of helping fellow Filipino migrants workers in need.
“One of our inspirations in making this film is the accumulating number of cases of OFWs being maltreated. The number of reported incidents have increased tremendously that people think that it is just an ordinary case,” Ilagan said.

Leaving the country


Frida’s children tries to convince her not to leave (Photo courtesy of Migrante (The Filipino Diaspora) Facebook account)
The scenes leading to Frida’s departure to Israel is all too familiar since many Filipinos, including this writer, have relatives working abroad. But it is an entirely new experience when viewing it from a different perspective.

One could almost sense the pain that characters were feeling as Frida’s departure neared, most especially when the children were begging desperately for their mother not to leave. Even Jody Sta. Maria, who played Frida, told Bulatlat.com that it is one of the scenes that struck her.
“If they had a choice, who would want to go out of this country to work? Knowing our Filipino culture for strong family ties, no one would,” Sta. Maria said..... MORE

SourceBulatlat.com

URL: http://bulatlat.com/main/2012/07/20/%E2%80%98migrante%E2%80%99-portrays-dreams-harrowing-tales-of-ofws/

Health not priority under Aquino’s 2013 budget

Health not priority under Aquino’s 2013 budget



"Once charity patients from indigent families without PhilHealth coverage are turned away from public hospitals, many will be forced to simply wait for death even if they are suffering from what originally were treatable diseases.”

By INA ALLECO R. SILVERIO
Bulatlat.com

MANILA — Gabriela Women’s Party Rep. Emmi de Jesus is fuming mad. According to the staunch women’s rights activist lawmaker, the Benigno Aquino III administration is deliberately and perhaps even spitefully ignoring the welfare of the Filipino poor when it crafted it’s budget proposal for 2013. De Jesus cited in particular the Aquino government’s 2013 budget proposal for the Department of Health.

“The P56.8 billion ($1.35 billion) proposed 2013 DOH budget dismally falls short of the World Health Organization’s recommended budgetary allocation of five percent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for public health. It represents a mere 1.89 percent of the GDP registered by the National Economic
Development Agency for the third quarter of 2011. The Aquino administration’s intention to spend no more than P0.62 ($0.014) per Filipino in 2013 without doubt constitutes a violent attack against the Filipino people’s right to health,” de Jesus said.

De Jesus said that what exacerbates an already sorry situation is how the increase in the DOH-proposed budget will only go to PhilHealth.

“The Philhealth system can never replace a genuine universal health care system, especially in a society where poor families can ill afford to feed their families more than twice a day, let alone pay for the PhilHealth premiums. The PhilHealth card is also useless in poorly provisioned public hospitals,” De Jesus asserted.

According to De Jesus, the health budget will actually be taken from the pockets of Philhealth’s beneficiaries – some 5.2 million impoverished Filipinos..... MORE

SourceBulatlat.com

URL: http://bulatlat.com/main/2012/07/19/health-no-priority-under-aquinos-2013-budget/

Third Sona’s highlights: More GMA, Mike bashing

Third Sona’s highlights: More GMA, Mike bashing


NOYNOY WENT MISSING ANEW ON A LAZY RAINY DAY

The same worn-out bashing of his perceived political enemies with the usual suspects like former First Gentleman Mike Arroyo and his anomalous chopper deal, former President Gloria Arroyo and her involvement in the misuse of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) intel funds, former Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor) Chairman Efraim Genuino’s P1-billion coffee deal and the ouster of Chief Justice Renato Corona will be the highlight of the state of the nation address (Sona) President Aquino will deliver on Monday, Malacañang insiders privy to the drafting of Aquino’s speech said.

“No theatrics” was how top Malacañang officials described Aquino’s 3rd Sona but it will revolve on issues which he had delved into in his first two bicameral session speeches focusing on the administration’s economic programs and anti-corruption efforts.

Aquino’s appointments office, meanwhile, had to cancel or re-schedule the Chief Executive’s meetings and engagements for yesterday with the Malacañang media bureau office claiming that the President wanted to devote the entire day in preparation for his third State of the Nation Address (Sona) on Monday..... MORE

SourceThe Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/index.php/headlines/item/1828-third-sona%E2%80%99s-highlights-more-gma-mike-bashing

Acquitted fratman in hazing death named by Noy as JBC rep

Acquitted fratman in hazing death named by Noy as JBC rep

  • Written by 
  • Saturday, 21 July 2012 

A Palace official has been named by President Aquino to represent the Executive Department before the Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) despite the Constitution’s clear provision naming the secretary of justice as one of the regular members of the collegial body which is currently screening applicants for the position of chief justice.

Undersecretary Michael Frederick Musngi, a member of the Aquila Legis fraternity, was among those acquitted in the death of hazing victim Lenny Villa by the Court of Appeals.

Musngi, who heads the Office of Special Concerns under the Office of the Executive Secretary, replaces Justice Secretary Leila de Lima in the Council, lawyer Jose Mejia, representative of the academe in the JBC, has confirmed.

De Lima decided to inhibit from the selection process because she was one of 22 candidates for the post left vacant after the ouster of former Chief Justice Renato Corona..... MORE

SourceThe Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/index.php/headlines/item/1824-acquitted-fratman-in-hazing-death-named-by-noy-as-jbc-rep

EO 79 strips LGUs of seat in MICC Written by Fernan J. Angeles Friday, 20 July 2012 22:02

EO 79 strips LGUs of seat in MICC


Forty provincial governors who had threatened to go to court over Executive Order (EO) 79’s taking primacy over local ordinances, are seen to go ballistic over a memorandum issued by Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa stripping the host local government units representation in the newly created Mining Industry Coordinating Council (MICC).

Ochoa drafted detailed guidelines on the MICC composition, which includes Cabinet officials from the environment, finance, budget and social welfare departments.

Conspicuously missing were the local governments, which Environment Secretary Ramon Paje had claimed would be playing an integral role in the new policy governing the mining industry.

In a statement, Ochoa directed department offices to start implementing the controversial executive order as part of the revenue-generating measures of the government.

Ochoa, who described the controversial EO as President Aquino’s social contract with the Filipinos, apparently wanted reforms immediately carried out by the newly created MICC as provided for in the EO 79..... MORE

SourceThe Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/index.php/nation/item/1817-eo-79-strips-lgus-of-seat-in-micc

‘Green’ advocates urge SC to ban Subic coal plant

‘Green’ advocates urge SC to ban Subic coal plant


After being turned down by the Aquino government, several environmental advocacy groups have dared the judiciary to come up with a ruling that would halt the construction of a 600-megawatt (MW) coal-fired power plant in the Subic Bay Freeport Zone.

In a petition filed two days before President Aquino delivers his third State of the Nation Address the party-list organizations Kalikasan and Kabataan were able to drag along legislators and local executives from Subic, Zambales, Olongapo and Bataan to be co-signatories.

At a press briefing in UP Manila, both groups and the No. 2 Coal-Central Luzon (No2Coal-CL) alliance, appealed to the members of the high tribunal to issue a temporary tnvironmental protection order (TEPO) or a Writ of Kalikasan ordering RPI to cease and desist from the construction and operation of the coal-fired power plant.

“We ask the high court to stop this threat to the environment and the people’s lives. The Central Luzon region will be at risk for more pollution and disasters if this coal-fired power plant is allowed to operate,” Kalikasan party-list president Clemente Bautista Jr said..... MORE

SourceThe Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/index.php/nation/item/1814-%E2%80%98green%E2%80%99-advocates-urge-sc-to-ban-subic-coal-plant

VP Binay tells Pag-IBIG: Certify ownership of Globe Asiatique properties

VP Binay tells Pag-IBIG: Certify ownership of Globe Asiatique properties

  • Written by 
  • Saturday, 21 July 2012

Vice President Jejomar Binay has ordered the Home Development Mutual Fund (HDMF or Pag-IBIG) to issue certificates validating that the properties being claimed by Globe Asiatique (GA) are now the properties of Pag-IBIG.

Binay issued the order upon learning that some 200 condominium unit owners of the GA 2 Tower in Mandaluyong City received notices of cancellation of their contract and were being evicted.

“I have asked Pag-IBIG to issue a certification to the victims upon validation that the properties being claimed by GA are, in fact, now owned by Pag-IBIG. I have also directed Pag-IBIG to assert its ownership over those properties,” Binay said.

The Vice President, chairman of the Housing and Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC) and chairman of the Pag-IBIG Board of Trustees, said the victims can use that certification in their defense against GA’s move of evictions.

“We are now working out an agreement with the individual victims and I assure them that they will not lose their homes if they deal with Pag-IBIG,” he added..... MORE

SourceThe Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/index.php/metro-section/item/1803-vp-binay-tells-pag-ibig-certify-ownership-of-globe-asiatique-properties

Heavy rains inundate several parts of metropolis, adjacent Rizal province

Heavy rains inundate several parts of metropolis, adjacent Rizal province


Several parts of Metro Manila and the adjacent province of Rizal went under water yesterday due to heavy rains brought about by an active low pressure which has enhanced southwest monsoon, forcing some local officials to suspend school classes.

Reports reaching the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said that several areas in Parañaque City were affected by flooding, prompting Mayor Florencio Bernabe Jr. to suspend classes as early as 5:30 a.m.

Several commuters, most of them students, were also stranded in Pasig City as some parts of Ortigas Avenue Extension were submerged with flood waters, rendering them impassable to all types of vehicle.
The NDRRMC also monitored flooding along Tomas Claudio Street in San Juan City.

In Rizal province, Cainta Mayor Mon Ilagan also reported floodings in some parts of the city which led to suspension of classes..... MORE

SourceThe Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/index.php/metro-section/item/1805-heavy-rains-inundate-several-parts-of-metropolis-adjacent-rizal-province

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