A simple balut from P(e)Noy DIE HARD III Herman Tiu Laurel 07/02/2010

A simple balut from P(e)Noy DIE HARD III Herman Tiu Laurel 07/02/2010 Before Day One of this new government, my early skepticism of the incoming regime was invariably met with a not-too-unexpected “Give him a chance” advice. Everyone wants to be hopeful. My hard-nosed rejection of this great false hope which I believe should prompt continued focus on the task of real change was understandably perceived as either a “killjoy” or “sour-graping” act instead of an exercise in foresight. Day One was a very important day for the entire nation as it was a first taste of the hopes of a number of people and an acid test of other’s skeptical views, including mine. The focal point, of course, was 21 minutes and 53 seconds of the incoming chief executive’s inaugural speech to which the more perceptive segment of 90 million Filipinos glued their ears. What was the judgment? Stand-outs were the “wang-wang” moment and the melodrama about the long waits in traffic; references to the legacy of his parents who he claims shed blood for the nation; the reiteration of his “there will be no poverty if there’s no corruption” spiel and his pledge to set himself personally as the paradigm of virtue; cutting red tape; some references to “people power,” forgiveness and reconciliation with justice (impliedly referring to Gloria Arroyo); peace in Mindanao; respecting all minorities; one sentence on the “serious commitment which harmonizes national interest with international responsibilities (a genuflection to the foreign powers and multilateral agencies no doubt); his repeated paeans to change (or pagbabago) and good governance; then some more motherhood statements and emotional-rhetorical appeals, which made up 90 percent of the speech. The few financial and economic specifics, which are really the crux, were as rhetorical — a continuation of Corazon Aquino’s infrastructure and Emergency Employment program (remembered only for the dozen or so Cory flyovers); the promise to set up “trading centers” for the procurement of farmers’ produce to eliminate middlemen and kotong cops; a “predictable and consistent place for investment where it all works;” strengthening tax collection; as well as, expanding the military and police force. Yet he misses the most fundamental point: Where’s the money for all these promises coming from? Already in his first speech, the new Chief Executive failed to mention what he would do to the greatest single drain on the nation’s finances, which is far bigger than domestic corruption — the national debt that takes up 70 percent of the nation’s annual resources (from the budget and loans combined) running up to P700 billion a year. Also announced on Day One was the final list of new Cabinet appointees, and this is where more tangible evidence of the direction of the new administration can be seen. All said, it’s a continuation of the “never had it so good” days for the Big Business sector of the country — with SGV money man Purisima in Finance, Ayala-Aboitiz man Almendras in Energy, Lopez man Ping de Jesus at the DoTC, DMCI-Maynilad man Singson at the DPWH, anti-nationalist neo-liberal “free trade” economist Paderanga at Neda, World Bank girl Kim Jacinto-Henares in the BIR, Swiss SGS agent Parayno in the BoC, and Makati Business Club honcho Bertie Lim in Tourism. Even the new DoH secretary signals the triumph of organ transplant trade with the appointment of kidney trade monopolist Dr. Enrique Ona over the service to the poor with cheaper natural and alternative herbal health advocate, and prior hands-down favorite, Dr. Jaime Galvez-Tan. Public sector people are meticulously scrutinized for conflict-of-interest issues yet these corporatists believe they are exempt from this basic ethical principle. Conflicts-of-interest issues are evident with Ping de Jesus whose principals have BayanTel; Bertie Lim’s bosses, the Ayalas of the Makati Business Club have long pushed for Ayala Center to become the tourism hub; Almendras’ principals are in electricity generation and distribution (Cory appointed Ernie Aboitiz himself and Gloria appointed Aboitiz’ Ibazeta); and Purisima is a financial broker to big corporations. Venerable journalist Frank Griego, who likened today’s corporatocracy to the “sugar block” barons of old, stated at GNN Destiny Cable’s “Inauguration 2010” special coverage that “the Cabinet (today) is 70 percent ‘sugar block.’” Thus, after 24 years of economic and power crises, the new government is still reinvigorating the discredited economic paradigm. Hard as we tried to look for the pro-poor in the Cabinet appointments, we couldn’t find any single one. Dinky Soliman of DSWD, in fact, made the country poorer after her group’s Code-NGO brokered the 10-year P10-billion zero coupon Peace Bonds that earned for them a cool P1 billion, which the people will have to shell out P35 billion this year. While there is a mix of old and new faces, the current Cabinet’s overall character is no different from those of Cory Aquino, Fidel Ramos or Gloria Arroyo. Much as some would like to be hopeful, the re-appointment of Bert Romulo and the mere consideration of Ronnie Puno for the DILG again (likely due to US lobbying) makes our case: The reality is that this government is a transition from the 2001 Arroyoquino regime (Gloria with Cory) to one that is Aquinorroyo today. Some may still want to wait for his first State of the Nation Address; but without doubt, P(e)Noy delivered only balut. (Tune in to 1098AM, Sulo ng Pilipino, Monday, Wednesday and Friday, 6 to 7 p.m.; Destiny Cable Channel 21, Talk News TV – Infowars Edition, Tuesday, 8 p.m. to 9 p.m., with the topic, “Stop Privatization of Hydro-Electric Dams;” also visit http://hermantiulaurel.blogspot.com) (Reprinted with permission from Mr. Herman Tiu-Laurel)

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20100702com6.html

Big blunder marks Noy’s first kick-out order By Aytch S. dela Cruz 07/02/2010

Palace downplays memo blooper, claims it was draft Big blunder marks Noy’s first kick-out order By Aytch S. dela Cruz 07/02/2010 Inexperience and cluelessness say it all. Without realizing that a presidential Memorandum Circular (MC), the first memorandum issued by President Aquino upon stepping into Malacañang, would result in the bureaucracy facing a huge collapse, the Aquino administration, on its very first day, committed a big blunder when the President, through his Executive Secretary, declared “all non-career executive positions vacant as of 30 June 2010, and extending the services of contractual employees whose contracts expire on 20 June 2010.” The circular was handed to Malacañang reporters, only to have this replaced with a “revised circular” dated on the same day as the original. The revised circular read: “Declaring all co-terminous third level positions vacant as of June 30, 2010; directing all non-career executive service officials (non-CESO) occupying career executive service (CES) positions to continue to perform their duties and responsibilities; and extending the services of certain contractual and/or casual employees whose contracts expire on June 30, 2010.” The presidential spokesman, Edwin Lacierda, who appeared to have embraced this early, the art of prevarication, claimed that the first circular was merely a draft, and the second one was claimed to have been the official one, with the “language” fine-tuned. The MC created too much confusion, with heads of bureaus leaving their posts, then returning to their posts, given the second circular that corrected the first. Aquino’s spokesman, Edwin Lacierda, yesterday admitted to Palace reporters that there was a “lapse in the language” used in the first MC thus requiring the Office of the Executive Secretary to withdraw the order and provide a new one, evidently antedated, to plug the loopholes out so as to avoid miscommunication among the government employees.... MORE Source:  The Daily Tribune URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20100702hed1.html

HEADLINES Big blunder marks Noy’s first kick-out order Speech long on promises, empty in content — solons DoJ urged to indict GMA for NBN-ZTE deal Rep. Gloria files Cha-cha via con-con bill Mar Roxas set on poll protest, wants null votes review US envoy reminds RP gov’t of value of VFA

Speech long on promises, empty in content — solons By Angie Rosales 07/02/2010

Speech long on promises, empty in content — solons

By Angie Rosales 07/02/2010 Legislators described President Aquino’s inaugural speech as spiced with motherhood statements and promises to elicit thundering applause but was empty overall in its content. Even Aquino’s former colleagues in the Senate expressed disappointment over the inaugural speech. Sen. Edgardo Angara yesterday joined those who criticized Aquino’s speech, describing it as a mere enumeration of “doable problems,” far from the inspirational speeches expected of a leader of the country. “There is no soaring oratorical rhetoric. There is no grand vision he described which usually a new president opens his administration with a challenge to the people because you need to motivate and inspire people. What he did, by way of inspiring people is to enumerate and list down practical, doable problems which every Filipino knows is close to, because it affects him,” Angara said. “He hits the heartstring of the ordinary people. That’s his way, I guess, of inspiring,” the senator said, appearing in the weekly Kapihan sa Senado news forum. Asked about his impression on Aquino’s speech, Angara admitted that he was expecting a “Kennedy-type or Obama-type” of oratory that expresses hope for a new Philippines. Yet, the senator himself was still soft on the new Chief Executive, as he himself provided possible explanation as to the lack of fireworks in the inaugural speech. “I’m just too traditional, old fashioned maybe,” he said, adding that avoiding the burning issue on the Hacienda Luisita dispute in the speech could have been deliberate as it may constitute subjudice as the case is currently pending before the Supreme Court. “But on second thought, maybe it’s really not in the character of the President. I don’t know who his speechwriter,” he said. Angara also cited some observations in some of the decisions made so far made by Aquino such as the the apparent inclination of the new administration to sectarian schools, based on his choice of Cabinet officials for the education sector and lack of reference to science and technology.... MORE Source:  The Daily Tribune URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20100702hed2.html

HEADLINES Big blunder marks Noy’s first kick-out order Speech long on promises, empty in content — solons DoJ urged to indict GMA for NBN-ZTE deal Rep. Gloria files Cha-cha via con-con bill Mar Roxas set on poll protest, wants null votes review US envoy reminds RP gov’t of value of VFA

DoJ urged to indict GMA for NBN-ZTE deal By Benjamin B. Pulta 07/02/2010

DoJ urged to indict GMA for NBN-ZTE deal

By Benjamin B. Pulta 07/02/2010 A criminal complaint has been filed before the Department of Justice (DoJ) by the Bayan Muna party through its representatives Teodoro Casiño and Neri Javier Colmenares against former President Gloria Arroyo in connection with the aborted $329-million NBN-ZTE contract. In a 12-page complaint, Casiño and Colmenares asked the DoJ to indict Arroyo who stepped down as President and has taken her seat as a representative for her home province of Pampanga, for her alleged part on the ano-malous broadband contract and subsequent filing of criminal charges against Arroyo before the Office of the Ombudsman. Casiño said his group filed the complaint before the DoJ in line with President Aquino’s order for newly appointed Justice Secretary Leila de Lima to investigate alleged criminal acts committed during the Arroyo administration. He explained that the DoJ has the mandate not only to prosecute but also to conduct investigation. “The DoJ like its counterparts in many countries abroad has the power and duty to conduct its own investigation and gather evidence to build up its case rather than placing the burden on ordinary citizens, especially in cases involving powerful public officials,” he stressed. “We are not asking the DoJ to prosecute it already... We want the DoJ to do the case build-up and the additional investigation if needed...What we don’t want to happen is to give all the evidence to the Ombudsman and what happened few months ago will happen again. Remember, this was already dismissed by the Ombudsman,” he added.... MORE Source:  The Daily Tribune URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20100702hed3.html

HEADLINES Big blunder marks Noy’s first kick-out order Speech long on promises, empty in content — solons DoJ urged to indict GMA for NBN-ZTE deal Rep. Gloria files Cha-cha via con-con bill Mar Roxas set on poll protest, wants null votes review US envoy reminds RP gov’t of value of VFA

Rep. Gloria files Cha-cha via con-con bill By Gerry Baldo and Charlie V. Manalo 07/02/2010

Rep. Gloria files Cha-cha via con-con bill

By Gerry Baldo and Charlie V. Manalo 07/02/2010 Former President Gloria Arroyo yesterday launched a bid to change the 1987 Constitution, raising speculation from incumbent President Aquino’s yellows that she is plotting to grab back power while trying to shield herself from prosecution. The Aquino Palace appears set to have this move stopped. Arroyo, 63, filed a bill in Congress, calling for a constitutional convention (con-con) that calls for the election of delegates. If successful, the con-con could change the system of government to one ruled by a prime minister rather than a president. But Arroyo’s successor, Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino, played down the initiative, saying she does not have the support in Congress to succeed. “The filing of the Charter change (resolution) is not a threat as far as we are concerned,” Aquino’s spokesman Edwin Lacierda told reporters. “If we are able to convince the members of the house that this is not a valid or a good time to amend the Constitution, then that will be dead in the water.” During the term of Arroyo, her critics said that the time to change the Charter would be after her term.  There have, as records show, bills filed, both in the House of Representatives and the Senate, seeking a constitutional change through the con-con. It is also of record that even the congressmen allied with the Liberal Party today, as well as the Catholic bishops, called for Cha-cha through a con-con after Arroyo’s term. Today, however, the allies of Aquino, including the new President, appear to be against Charter change, as they are today in power and position.... MORE Source:  The Daily Tribune URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20100702hed4.html

HEADLINES Big blunder marks Noy’s first kick-out order Speech long on promises, empty in content — solons DoJ urged to indict GMA for NBN-ZTE deal Rep. Gloria files Cha-cha via con-con bill Mar Roxas set on poll protest, wants null votes review US envoy reminds RP gov’t of value of VFA

Mar Roxas set on poll protest, wants null votes review 07/02/2010

Mar Roxas set on poll protest, wants null votes review

07/02/2010 Liberal Party (LP) president and defeated vice presidential candidate, former Sen. Manuel “Mar” Roxas, waited for President Aquino to take his oath of office to announce that he will be filing an electoral protest before the Supreme Court, acting as the Presidential Electoral Tribunal (PET) for a recount of the vice presidential vote, which electronically, failed to read what has been termed as the “null votes”, consisting of lightly shaded ovals not read by the precinct count optical scan (PCOS) machines, and correctly shaded votes that were not read by the same machine. Television reports quoted Roxas as saying that this matter had already been discussed with Noynoy Aquino and that there was no objection from Aquino. This announcement was made during a gathering organized by the Filipinos for Good Governance in Manila. The Roxas legal team, even during the canvassing by the Congress, acting as the National Board of Canvassers, sough to have the null votes set aside or examined and read manually, saying that there were over 3 to 4 million null votes recorded nationwide, with GMA’s Q TV report saying that Roxas and his team claimed half a million votes cast in Central and Western Visayas – known Roxas bailiwicks – were considered null votes by the Comelec. The report said that Roxas told his audience that Aquino agreed with his move to file an electoral protest not only for Roxas’ sake but also because Aquino still has reservations about the credibility of the first-ever automated elections. Roxas said Aquino had even encouraged him to file the protest because he (Aquino) felt that he obtained fewer votes than expected by him.... MORE Source:  The Daily Tribune URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20100702hed5.html

HEADLINES Big blunder marks Noy’s first kick-out order Speech long on promises, empty in content — solons DoJ urged to indict GMA for NBN-ZTE deal Rep. Gloria files Cha-cha via con-con bill Mar Roxas set on poll protest, wants null votes review US envoy reminds RP gov’t of value of VFA

US envoy reminds RP gov’t of value of VFA By Michaela P. del Callar 07/02/2010

US envoy reminds RP gov’t of value of VFA

By Michaela P. del Callar 07/02/2010 The United States envoy to the Philippines yesterday called on the government to “live up to its treaty obligations” with Washington amid calls for the abrogation of a bilateral military agreement that allows the entry of American forces to the country. US Ambassador Harry Thomas said the Philippines as a sovereign nation has the right to conduct a review of the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA), but stressed that it is “extremely important” that both countries have a military exchange program. Despite strong resistance by militant groups and several lawmakers to US presence in the country, Thomas said Washington remains committed to assisting the cash-strapped Philippine military to eradicate terrorism and radical extremism, and provide aid when needed in times of natural calamities. “The most important thing about the VFA is, it allowed us last year to quickly bring in the US military to assist in the typhoons, to feed, house, clothe people who were desperate. Without the VFA, it would have been much more difficult to bring in that aid so quickly,” Thomas told ANC News.... MORE Source:  The Daily Tribune URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20100702hed6.html

HEADLINES Big blunder marks Noy’s first kick-out order Speech long on promises, empty in content — solons DoJ urged to indict GMA for NBN-ZTE deal Rep. Gloria files Cha-cha via con-con bill Mar Roxas set on poll protest, wants null votes review US envoy reminds RP gov’t of value of VFA

His day EDITORIAL 07/01/2010

His day

EDITORIAL Click to enlarge 07/01/2010 Missing in the inaugural rites of President Aquino was the solemnity of the occasion, as whoever planned the ceremony mixed it up with too many songs, with the theme of a new Philippines, plus the corny pledge of support from the crowd gathered at the Luneta. Not to throw the damper on the occasion, but song and dance routines should have been reserved for the street party the yellows have planned in Quezon Memorial Circle to celebrate the formal entry of Noynoy into the presidency. The atmosphere for that street party is certainly right for all those songs and dances. As to that pledge of support and for all Filipinos to do their thing in helping shape a new nation, and a new Philippines, just how long will that yellow “fervor” to change the ways of the Filipinos last? Let’s cite an experience Filipinos had when then President Ferdinand Marcos declared martial law, and brought up that slogan of Filipino discipline, as well as new beginnings toward a great nation. If we are honest, majority of the Filipinos then welcomed martial rule, or at least strongman rule and actually believed that discipline was the answer and that with Marcos at the helm, we would become a great nation. It didn’t take too long for abuses to rear their ugly head, and Filipinos were again thrown into deep depression, as they now felt betrayed, and later oppressed by the strongman regime.... MORE Source:  The Daily Tribune URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20100701com1.html

COMMENTARY EDITORIAL His day FRONTLINE A powerless commission FEATURE Saudi clerics battle over music fatwas, adult-breastfeeding BLURBAL THRUSTS Stateless in Manila COMMENT We cannot fail, Mr. President! focus Imported brides popular as money mixes Asian marriages VIEWPOINTS ‘Honeymoon'

A powerless commission FRONTLINE Ninez Cacho-Olivares 07/01/2010

A powerless commission

FRONTLINE Ninez Cacho-Olivares 07/01/2010 Noynoy Aquino will be creating what he calls “The Truth Commission,” where he claims all allegations against the Gloria government will be probed. This commission is to be headed by former Supreme Court Chief Justice Hilario Davide Jr., and the body, as claimed by Aquino, if evidence warrants, will be filing cases against whoever was involved in scams, if there were scams at all. Truth is, that commission can’t do much by way of investigating mainly because it can’t possibly have the power to summon witnesses or the accused to appear before the body under pain of contempt — unless of course, Congress grants that body the powers to probe, summon and prosecute whoever is indicted. It is doubted that the 15th Congress will be giving that body such powers, as like it or not, even if Liberal Party Rep. Sonny Belmonte becomes the Speaker of the House of Representatives and even when the Lakas-turned LPs are with him, this won’t come to pass. Neither is the Senate likely to grant that body the powers it seeks, since Congress has that mandate to probe whatever it wants to probe. And giving this task to the commission merely duplicates Congress’ function, apart from the duplication of the Justice department and the Ombudsman’s office.... MORE Source:  The Daily Tribune URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20100701com2.html

COMMENTARY EDITORIAL His day FRONTLINE A powerless commission FEATURE Saudi clerics battle over music fatwas, adult-breastfeeding BLURBAL THRUSTS Stateless in Manila COMMENT We cannot fail, Mr. President! focus Imported brides popular as money mixes Asian marriages VIEWPOINTS ‘Honeymoon'

Saudi clerics battle over music fatwas, adult-breastfeeding FEATURE 07/01/2010

Saudi clerics battle over music fatwas, adult-breastfeeding

FEATURE 07/01/2010 RIYADH — One cleric’s endorsement of breastfeeding for grown men and another’s saying music is not un-Islamic have opened up a pitched battle in Saudi Arabia over who can issue fatwas, or Islamic religious edicts. Hardline and progressive religious scholars, judges and clerics have taken the fight public in what some describe as outright “chaos” in the once ivory-tower world of setting the rules that govern much of life in the ultra-conservative Muslim kingdom. Much of the fight in the past week has focused on a fatwa endorsing music issued by Adel al-Kalbani, a Riyadh cleric famed as the first black imam at the Grand Mosque in Mecca, Islam’s holiest city. Kalbani, popular for his soulful baritone delivery of Koranic readings, said he found nothing in Islamic scripture that makes music haram, or forbidden. But, aside from some folk music, public music performance is banned in Saudi Arabia, and conservatives say it is haram even in the home. “There is no clear text or ruling in Islam that singing and music are haram,” Kalbani said. Also in recent weeks, a much more senior cleric, Sheikh Abdul Mohsen al-Obeikan, raised hackles with two of his opinions, both of which could be considered fatwas..... MORE Source:  The Daily Tribune URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20100701com3.html

COMMENTARY EDITORIAL His day FRONTLINE A powerless commission FEATURE Saudi clerics battle over music fatwas, adult-breastfeeding BLURBAL THRUSTS Stateless in Manila COMMENT We cannot fail, Mr. President! focus Imported brides popular as money mixes Asian marriages VIEWPOINTS ‘Honeymoon'

Stateless in Manila BLURBAL THRUSTS Louie Logarta 07/01/2010

Stateless in Manila

BLURBAL THRUSTS Louie Logarta 07/01/2010 It looks like a duck. It walks like a duck. It quacks like a duck. Then it must be a duck. To paraphrase, it looks like a midnight deal. It appears to be a midnight deal. It seems to be a midnight deal. It has the hallmarks of a midnight deal. Then it must be a midnight deal. The signs were unmistakably clear, which is probably why P-Noy’s inauguration committee wisely opted to distance themselves from the Quirino Grandstand renovation project where the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) upon the say-so of the puppet masters in Malacañang reportedly spent a small fortune, around P230 million, for the renovation of the storied Quirino Grandstand at the Luneta for yesterday’s inauguration and oathtaking of the President-elect as mandated by the Constitution. The official reason put out in a press release by the DPWH was that the extraordinarily large sum was needed in order to ensure the allegedly dilapidated structure (formerly called the Independence Grandstand) would be ready in time for Noynoy Aquino’s grand coming-out party as the nation’s 15th President since being granted independence in 1946. Several members of Aquino’s inauguration committee, that had been tasked with making sure there were no hitches in the affair, described as obscene the last-minute splurging by the Arroyo government of such an amount which is why they didn’t want to touch it with a ten-foot pole.... MORE Source:  The Daily Tribune URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20100701com4.html

COMMENTARY EDITORIAL His day FRONTLINE A powerless commission FEATURE Saudi clerics battle over music fatwas, adult-breastfeeding BLURBAL THRUSTS Stateless in Manila COMMENT We cannot fail, Mr. President! focus Imported brides popular as money mixes Asian marriages VIEWPOINTS ‘Honeymoon'

We cannot fail, Mr. President! By Ronald Roy COMMENT 07/01/2010

We cannot fail, Mr. President!

By Ronald Roy COMMENT 07/01/2010 After administering the oath of office to President Benigno Aquino III, Supreme Court Associate Justice Conchita Morales-Carpio might have said while shaking hands with the new Chief Executive: “Save us, Mr. President, save us!”And he might have answered: “I’ll try my best, Madam Justice, I’ll try my best!” That wee bit of dialog would have been a most refreshing way to punctuate the inaugural rite in a departure from the hackneyed and the prosaic — not that it would have presaged a difference in Noynoy’s discharge of presidential duties for the next six years — because it will not. But it would have opened the door for an imperative reformist socio-political agenda for the next quarter of a century. Anyway, let me join the nation in glorious jubilation, savoring every moment of it until the daunting work begins. Wow! I still don’t believe it! Noynoy Aquino, President of the Republic of the Philippines! “Mabuhay kayo, kagalang-galang na Pangulo. Nawa’y matupad ang inyong mga pangako! Pero baka hindi po makakaya, gaya ng sinabi ninyo.” After a nine-year misrule by a gnome and her horde of dragons, we can only look at Noynoy’s story like a fairytale — a knight in shining armor mounted on a white horse, descending from a cloud to slay and drive away these monsters. As in all cases of a new president, the expectations are high. But there’s the rub. President Aquino has declared his six-year term will most likely “not be enough to make a difference.” I would agree with you, Mr. President, if you meant it would be like sweeping away Smokey Mountain overnight. And I would agree that only the fictional Superman (not even Albert Einstein) could do that. And I certainly would agree you are not the Clark Kent who is impervious to all weapons of mass destruction, with the exception of kryptonite. But I disagree history would rate you a failure if that heap of garbage stayed around for the next six years.... MORE Source:  The Daily Tribune URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20100701com5.html

COMMENTARY EDITORIAL His day FRONTLINE A powerless commission FEATURE Saudi clerics battle over music fatwas, adult-breastfeeding BLURBAL THRUSTS Stateless in Manila COMMENT We cannot fail, Mr. President! focus Imported brides popular as money mixes Asian marriages VIEWPOINTS ‘Honeymoon'

Imported brides popular as money mixes Asian marriages focus 07/01/2010

Imported brides popular as money mixes Asian marriages

focus 07/01/2010 HONG KONG — Asian men from rich countries such as Japan and South Korea are increasingly seeking brides from poorer ones like Vietnam and the Philippines — as economically liberated local women get picky. Marriages between Japanese men and foreign women shot up 73 percent between 1995 and 2006, to 35,993, according to the latest government survey. Most of the women were Filipinas, followed by Chinese. “Asian brides — notably Chinese and Filipina — remain popular in the countryside, where it’s quite hard to find young women,” said Toshio Esaka, president of dating agency Royal in Osaka, western Japan. “But nowadays, it’s getting harder even downtown as a lot of young Japanese women are economically independent and prefer to remain single,” Esaka said. In South Korea, more than 35 percent of fishermen and farmers who married in the 12 months to May 2009 took foreign brides, mainly from China and Vietnam, government statistics show. Both examples point to the role of cash and lifestyle in Cupid’s quiver — it is mainly the less marketable men in the richer countries who look abroad for a wife when they can’t find one at home. The story is repeated in Singapore — Southeast Asia’s wealthiest society — Hong Kong and Taiwan, and often involves marriage brokers. An online matchmaking site in Singapore, where lower-income men often fear rejection by better-educated local women, offers low-cost tours to Vietnam on which men can meet “medically examined and certified virgins.” On the other side of the transaction, the women are usually so impoverished that even poorer men from rich countries offer hope of a better life. “Due to poverty in their families and because they want to help improve the situation, Cambodian women decide to marry foreigners,” said Ya Navuth, director of a Cambodian group which fights human trafficking.... MORE Source:  The Daily Tribune URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20100701com6.html

COMMENTARY EDITORIAL His day FRONTLINE A powerless commission FEATURE Saudi clerics battle over music fatwas, adult-breastfeeding BLURBAL THRUSTS Stateless in Manila COMMENT We cannot fail, Mr. President! focus Imported brides popular as money mixes Asian marriages VIEWPOINTS ‘Honeymoon'

‘Honeymoon’ VIEWPOINTS Archbishop Oscar V. Cruz 07/01/2010

‘Honeymoon’

VIEWPOINTS Archbishop Oscar V. Cruz 07/01/2010 So it is. The socio-political honeymoon has finally began formally and officially today — after all the noise of the campaign period, plus all the uproar of the pre-proclamation weeks. This is neither the time to wring hands nor to show sour faces. Much less it is the occasion for the losers to mop, nor for the winners to lap it up. Instead, this is the time: To pray for the country. To wish its public officials well. To implore the citizens not only to claim their rights but also to do their obligations. Be it the customary 30-day honeymoon period, be it a little less or more, it provides a good occasion for all the parties concerned, the winners, the losers, and the general public, to stay united, to do their job, to stay cool and calm, and to watch — even but for the meantime. Worry they should not because the right time and occasion — after the honey is finished and the moon is gone — to once again take account of the good or evil done by the winners, the uselessness or usefulness of the losers, and the unity or division of the general public. In other words, with the advent of the post-honeymoon period, lo and behold, the country is eventually back to normal — in witnessing protest rallies and marches, in hearing loud accusations and counter accusations, in knowing who is good and who is bad plus the consequent high praises and loud blames that go therewith. For the moment, it is not hard to imagine and feel a Philippines that is politically at peace and/or ideologically in harmony. Sometime after, perhaps — but not yet, meantime.... MORE Source:  The Daily Tribune URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20100701com7.html

COMMENTARY EDITORIAL His day FRONTLINE A powerless commission FEATURE Saudi clerics battle over music fatwas, adult-breastfeeding BLURBAL THRUSTS Stateless in Manila COMMENT We cannot fail, Mr. President! focus Imported brides popular as money mixes Asian marriages VIEWPOINTS ‘Honeymooon'

Politician’s vows usher in Aquino By Aytch S. de la Cruz 07/01/2010

5M TURN UP FOR VAUDEVILLE-STYLE INAUGURAL Politician’s vows usher in Aquino By Aytch S. de la Cruz 07/01/2010 Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino took over as president yesterday with a traditional politician’s vows to lift the nation out of poverty and wipe out crippling corruption that he said thrived under his predecessor in a 20-minute speech which many political analysts said was short on specifics. Aquino urged thousands of Filipinos attending his inauguration and those who were watching and listening from their homes to help him carry the nation’s cross, saying that his “calvary” has unfolded given the weight of the problems he had inherited from his predecessor former President Gloria Arroyo. Police estimated 500,000 people turned up at Rizal Park for Aquino’s inauguration at the Quirino Grandstand, and the event took on a festival-style atmosphere with a popular folk singer belting out songs of hope before the oathtaking. Aquino said he draws his strength from Filipinos, “for they are the ones responsible for his presidency,” adding that he neither imagined nor desired to take over the nation’s helm. “Neither have I dreamed to raise hopes nor inherit the predicaments of our nation. My goal in life was just simple — to be faithful to my parents and our country as a principled son, good brother, and a decent citizen,” Aquino opened in his inaugural address. “Today marks the end of a regime indifferent to the appeals of the people,” Aquino said in one of many stinging criticisms of Arroyo whose nearly 10 years in power were marred by allegations of vote rigging and massive graft. “Through good governance in the coming years we will lessen our problems. The destiny of the Filipino will return to its rightful place and, as each year passes, the Filipinos’ problems will continue to lessen.” Aquino said ending poverty, experienced by nearly a third of the nation’s 90 million people who live in slums, by eradicating corruption would serve as the foundation of his administration’s six-year term. “Our foremost duty is to lift the nation from poverty through honest and effective governance,” said Aquino, who many has been criticized as an under-achiever during his past 12 years as member of Congress.... MORE Source:  The Daily Tribune URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20100701hed1.html

HEADLINES Politician’s vows usher in Aquino GMA’s former Cabinet men plucked by Noynoy face CA grilling GMA free to join vital panels but won’t be given chairmanship, says Belmonte Davide ‘ties’ with GMA raise probe questions Noy’s speech silent on land reform, social issues Days of wang-wang users numbered — Noynoy