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Devil and the deep blue sea Written by Tribune Editorial Tuesday, 07 August 2012 00:00

Monday, August 6, 2012

Devil and the deep blue sea



It would be an unenviable situation that congressmen allies of Noynoy will find themselves in today as the House votes on the Reproductive Health (RH) bill since it seems that they are caught between the devil and the deep blue sea.

Their position becomes more precarious as the House majority leader pushed nominal voting for the bill instead of the mere raising of hands.

The majority leader claimed that nominal voting bespeaks of transparency, rather than a viva voce vote.

That could well be true. However, given that Noynoy is pushing the congressional enactment of the RH bill, nominal voting could very well have something to do with knowing just who voted for, or against it, as it is generally known that when the Malacañang resident wants a congressional vote on a measure he wants passed, great are the Palace rewards for the congressmen who go along with what Noynoy wants.
Noynoy tried to marshall his forces in a caucus yesterday, worried that the vote today would be marred by absences after the Church gave those who will vote in favor of the bill something to think about related to next year’s elections after the prayer rally at Edsa Shrine against the bill which is evidently a show of force by the bishops on the Church’s diminished but still potent clout..... MORE





 URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/index.php/commentary/editorial/item/2582-devil-and-the-deep-blue-sea


Waiting for Noynoy’s order? Written by Ninez Cacho-Olivares

Waiting for Noynoy’s order?


Presidential pressure must certainly be piling up on the Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) to amend its rule on disqualifying nominees and candidates for positions in the Supreme Court (SC) and include Noynoy’s favorite bet for the chief justice position, Leila de Lima in the shortlist, despite the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) having categorically stated that the disbarment cases against her will be pursued.

Noynoy’s pressure on the JBC has become much too evident, considering the fact that the JBC has again postponed its voting for the selection of the candidates scheduled yesterday. His loyal ally, Rep. Niel Tupas Jr., has already prepared an amendment to change  the JBC rule on disqualification, for De Lima’s benefit.
The body claimed that, with the re-entry of the two members of Congress in the JBC, more time is needed for them to review and assess the qualifications of the nominees to be included in the shortlist which would be submitted to the President..... MORE

SourceThe Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/index.php/commentary/item/2581-waiting-for-noynoy%E2%80%99s-order?

Swarm of bees tells Hillary Clinton to 'buzz off'

Swarm of bees tells Hillary Clinton to 'buzz off'


Hillary Clinton’s six-and-a-half hour trip to Malawi literally went by in a buzz. The US Secretary of State has received not-so-warm welcomes from several countries she’s visited, but in Malawi she was reportedly chased onto her plane.

Chased onto herhttp://www.rt.com/news/hillary-clinton-bees-mawali-962/ plane by a swarm of bees, that is.

Clinton ran for cover and boarded her jet to escape the bees, which attacked her at Malawi’s international airport, the local Nyasa Times quotes witnesses as saying. The Secretary was preparing to board a Johannesburg-bound flight when the stinging swarm forced her to make a quicker entry than planned..... MORE

SourceRT.com

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/

Twitter impostor: Hacked Reuters account says Washington, al-Qaeda allied

Twitter impostor: Hacked Reuters account says Washington, al-Qaeda allied


Just two days after phony posts appeared on Reuters’ blog, the agency’s Twitter account was also hacked. Once again, the hoax tweets informed readers of rebel losses in Syria, and reported fake White House admissions of supporting al-Qaeda.

Many of the tweets were sensational, but fraudulent statements coming out of the White House.

Obama takes Al Qaeda off list of terrorist organisation, says Al Qaeda no longer a threat to US interests,” the Reuters Tech account tweeted Sunday..... MORE

SourceRT.com

URL: http://www.rt.com/news/reuters-twitter-account-hack-931/

Tobacco tax rise = smuggling increase

Tobacco tax rise = smuggling increase


With news of increased smuggling activities all over the place, the latest being the now celebrated(?) rice smuggling in Subic and the multibillion-peso smuggling of meat products, it behooves Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima and his associates, in and out of the agency, to review their oft repeated promises that they will be able to ward off smuggling of other products, especially cigarettes and tobacco as they try to railroad passage of the questionable “Sin Tax” law increasing excise tax on these items which most experts believe will result in smuggling. The experience of many countries including the United States is instructive.

More than five years ago, 27 states in the US  decided to raise taxes on tobacco in a move to pump revenue into their cash strapped treasuries. The state officials had the shock of their lives. Not only did the cash increases hardly materialize, a fresh scourge cropped up before their very eyes. Michigan’s Mackinac Center for Public Policy which closely tracks tobacco tax rates across the United States noted that the increases “inspired an increasingly dangerous cigarette industry where big profits lured criminal gangs and drug traffickers into the booming markets.” The Center noted that smuggling is an “unintended consequence of high cigarette taxes.”  .... MORE

SourceThe Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/index.php/commentary/item/2494-tobacco-tax-rise-=-smuggling-increase

Lawbreakers Written by Dinah S. Ventura

Lawbreakers


Another young man has lost his life undergoing a “rite of passage” that has been deemed unlawful.

Marc Andrei Marcos, law student, in joining a law school fraternity, went through an initiation process that, in the end, took rather than gave him a future.

His family grieves, concerned citizens are righteously indignant, and the authorities are in the thick of investigations. The news reveals that some 20 individuals may be involved in the death of young Marcos.

Government officials have reiterated that hazing is against the law. “It is a heinous crime under the law. In fact, it is non-bailable,” said Undersecretary Francisco Baraan III, officer in charge of the Department of Justice (DoJ), in a Daily Tribune report last Aug. 2.

For this non-bailable offense, students of the law are, ironically, risking their future in order to help assure themselves of a future..... MORE

SourceThe Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/index.php/commentary/item/2493-lawbreakers

Frat culture Written by Aldrin Cardona Monday, 06 August 2012 00:00

Frat culture


Our country was born through the blood and sacrifices of fraternity members.
The Katipunan was envisioned as a frat, called brotherhood at the time, with Bonifacio — the Supreme Leader — entailing sacrifices and millenarian practices for acceptance and leadership even at the time of his death at the hands of his own “brothers,” or fratmates if we are to call them now.

Frats have served the country well during dire straits.

The RAM stood up against Marcos when this brotherhood of soldiers realized he had gone too far. The Magdalo banded together to demand Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s ouster. Many university frat members have joined the underground under a testy political situation with many of them sacrificing their lives for their causes.

Each Filipino family has a relative in a fraternity. Each province or region has its own amalgamation of brotherhoods and sisterhoods, called sororities. Majority of communities have them. The Catholic church has several confraternities and is open about it..... MORE

SourceThe Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/index.php/commentary/item/2492-frat-culture

Noynoy calls House caucus to assure RH bill passage

Noynoy calls House caucus to assure RH bill passage


WORRIED OVER ABSENCES OF ALLIES AFTER CHURCH RALLY 
 
Apparently wanting to assure the passage of the Reproductive Health (RH) bill two days after the Catholic Church made a grand reminder to legislators about its still potent political clout, President Aquino called a caucus among Liberal Party (LP) members in the House of Representatives at Malacañang on the eve of the voting for the bill.

Some House members expressed fears that several legislators may resort to disappearing acts during the day of the vote to prevent being targeted by the Church during next year’s elections.

In a text message sent by the Office of Communications Assistant Secretary Renato Marfil, the caucus is scheduled at 1 p.m. today. However, there wasn’t any agenda indicated in the text advisory regularly sent to Palace reporters for reference. Even Aquino’s deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte confirmed the caucus but did not give further details about the event..... MORE

SourceThe Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/index.php/headlines/item/2553-noynoy-calls-house-caucus-to-assure-rh-bill-passage

UN applies pressure on Noy for RH enactment

UN applies pressure on Noy for RH enactment


The pressure is mounting on President Aquino from opposite sides over the Reproductive Health (RH) bill as the United Nations warned yesterday that failure to pass the birth control law could reverse gains in development goals a day after the powerful Catholic Church flexed its muscles through a massive rally against the measure that goes to a vote tomorrow.

The bill seeks to make it mandatory for the government to provide free contraceptives in a country where more than 80 percent of the population is Catholic and which has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in Southeast Asia.

Ugochi Daniels, country representative from the UN Population Fund, said she remained “cautiously optimistic” that President Aquino’s allies who dominate the House of Representatives could muster the numbers to pass the bill on Tuesday after 14 years of often divisive debate.

“What is important now is to highlight the urgency of the bill,” Daniels said..... MORE

SourceThe Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/index.php/headlines/item/2551-un-applies-pressure-on-noy-for-rh-enactment

DENR OKs gas, mineral search in Benham Rise Written by PNA Monday, 06 August 2012 00:00

DENR OKs gas, mineral search in Benham Rise

  • Written by 
  • Monday, 06 August 2012

Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Secretary Ramon Paje said on Thursday the Department of Energy (DoE) can now explore the seabed of Benham Rise for possible natural gas and other mineral resources.

Paje revealed this as he included in the DENR’s performance review in the Senate the approval of the Philippines’ claim on the jurisdiction over the seabed resources in Benham Rise area by the United Nation on April 12.

”It’s now ours. The UN has agreed. It’s already ours. The DoE can take the ball if they want to,” Paje said.
Paje told the Senate committee on finance that the Benham Rise is rich in manganese and possibly, other minerals and natural gas..... MORE

SourceThe Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/index.php/nation/item/2538-denr-oks-gas-mineral-search-in-benham-rise

DENR OKs gas, mineral search in Benham Rise

DENR OKs gas, mineral search in Benham Rise

  • Written by 
  • Monday, 06 August 2012 

Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Secretary Ramon Paje said on Thursday the Department of Energy (DoE) can now explore the seabed of Benham Rise for possible natural gas and other mineral resources.

Paje revealed this as he included in the DENR’s performance review in the Senate the approval of the Philippines’ claim on the jurisdiction over the seabed resources in Benham Rise area by the United Nation on April 12.

”It’s now ours. The UN has agreed. It’s already ours. The DoE can take the ball if they want to,” Paje said.
Paje told the Senate committee on finance that the Benham Rise is rich in manganese and possibly, other minerals and natural gas.

DENR Undersecretary Peter Tiangco, who spearheaded the campaign to get the jurisdiction of the Benham Rise seabed for 12 years, said if the DoE or any department cannot explore the area at this time “the important thing is it is now ours.”.... MORE

SourceThe Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/index.php/nation/item/2538-denr-oks-gas-mineral-search-in-benham-rise

Palace ups dengue, leptospirosis alert

Palace ups dengue, leptospirosis alert


Malacañang has raised the alert level for the deadly diseases leptospirosis and dengue as the number of recorded cases doubled from that of 2011.

At a press briefing in Malacañang, deputy presidential spokesman Abigail Valte said President Aquino has instructed the Department of Health (DoH) to make sure that government hospitals and medical professionals were ready to work round-the-clock mode to attend to the growing number of leptospirosis victims which stood at 2,002 from January to July this year, up from the 887 cases in the first seven months of 2011.

“The Department of Health (DoH) has already assured us that all government hospitals in the country have been put on stand-by, while government hospital administrators have already been told to be ready and equipped with whatever medicines are needed (as) medical professionals have already made a commitment to be and available to serve at anytime they’re needed,” Valte said..... MORE

SourceThe Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/index.php/nation/item/2540-palace-ups-dengue-leptospirosis-alert

Garbage volume in Las Piñas City drops by 37%

Garbage volume in Las Piñas City drops by 37%


The Las Piñas City government, after passing an ordinance banning the use of plastics and styrofoams, has decreased its garbage volume by 37 percent.

This after Las Piñas Mayor Vergel Aguilar recently noted significant drop in volume of solid wastes collected from households and commercial areas in the last three months.

Aguilar renewed his call for a continued practice of proper garbage disposal and minimal use of plastics and styrofoams as food packaging and carry-out bags.

Aguilar said there is about 37 percent decrease in garbage volume collected by the city’s Environmental Sanitation Office from households in 20 barangays, public markets and talipapa as well as in all commercial center areas in Las Piñas.

The city’s 60 compactor trucks make an average of 105 trips per day to collect solid wastes from households, 50 talipapa and wet markets and 15 public markets. To date, the Environmental Sanitation Office said only about four percent in plastic and styrofoam materials are found from the trash collected..... MORE

SourceThe Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/index.php/metro-section/item/2509-garbage-volume-in-las-pi%C3%B1as-city-drops-by-37

Six-month suspension order served on Councilor Paulate — QC official

Six-month suspension order served on Councilor Paulate — QC official

An official of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) has insisted it already served and enforced the preventive six-month suspension order on Quezon City Councilor Roderick Paulate despite refusal of his staff to receive the copy.

Nevertheless, DILG-QC director Juan Juvian Ingeniero said the case was different from Paulate’s colleague, Councilor Francisco Calalay Jr., whose staff accepted the copy of the order without any resistance when he handed it to his (Calalay) office on July 25.

That was the same time when he served the order on Paulate, who is also a movie and television personality, through his staff but the latter refused to receive it, Ingeniero told members of the Quezon City Press Club.
He recalled that Paulate’s employees even blocked them when he and his staff posted the order on the door of the local lawmaker’s office at the legislative building.

Just the same, the DILG-QC official insisted that he already served and enforced the preventive suspension order which he also posted on the bulletin board of the city council..... MORE

SourceThe Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/index.php/metro-section/item/2512-six-month-suspension-order-served-on-councilor-paulate-%E2%80%94-qc-official

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