Grumbling judges no different from protesting students — Palace

Grumbling judges no different from protesting students — Palace


By Aytch de la Cruz

12/08/2010

The Palace mocked the wearing of black arm bands by justices throughout the country to protest the huge cuts in the budget for the judiciary and com-pared it with the mass actions of militant college students who are complaining about the slashed allocations for state universities and colleges.

Presidential spokes-man Edwin Lacierda also gave the same reply to protesting judges as the one it issued on pro-testing state-sponsored students.

“There were no cuts in the judiciary budget. This is similar to (argument raised on the issue of the) SUC (budget) that they (students) are claiming that we cut their budget. No, we did not cut the budget of the Supreme Court and other lower courts. Our budget is higher than in 2010,” he claimed.

But later on at the news conference, Lacierda confirmed that the government indeed sought to cut P8-billion out of the P24-billion budget proposed by the judiciary which is intended for personal services because, he said, the nation’s purse cannot afford to allocate that amount for the item..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune


URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20101208hed2.html

Malacañang rapped on Noy’s amnesty grant, but Senate approves it anyway

Malacañang rapped on Noy’s amnesty grant, but Senate approves it anyway



12/08/2010

Malacañang got the nod of the Senate on President Aquino’s grant of amnesty to more than 300 rebels, yesterday, but not without a tongue-lashing from some senators who took note of some legal and other technical issues that put to question the validity of Proclamation No. 75.

Concurrence with the amnesty proclamation, seen to pave the way for the release from the three-year detention of Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV, saw one of the original sponsors registering an “abstention” after having been named Monday by the Aquino administration as an alleged co-conspirator of the mutineers of the previous government.

Only 14 of the 17 sponsors, in the previous resolution in the Senate asking Malacañang to grant amnesty to rebel soldiers, concurred with Proclamation 75, while Sen. Joker Arroyo was the lone dissenter.

In a surprise move, Sen. Gregorio Honasan cast an abstention vote citing as reason the possible “conflict of interest” saying that he could eventually end up being a “beneficiary” of the amnesty..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20101208hed3.html

RP to buy military equipment from China

RP to buy military equipment from China


12/08/2010

The Philippines said Tuesday it was set to sign a “substantial” deal to buy military equipment from China, but insisted it should not impact on its close ties with the United States.

The logistics deal is to be signed by Armed Forces of the Philippines Chief of Staff Gen. Ricardo David who left Tuesday for Beijing to meet with senior members of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA).

The visit is aimed at “building bridges of goodwill” and to boost defense relations between the Asian nations, Philippine military spokesman Brig. Gen. Jose Mabanta said.

“It would formalize the very good relationship between our countries in terms of exchange of logistics, which the Philippines will be greatly benefiting from,” Mabanta told Agence France Presse..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune


URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20101208hed4.html

House electoral panel to ask Comelec for vital poll documents

House electoral panel to ask Comelec for vital poll documents


By Gerry Baldo

12/08/2010

The House committee on suffrage and electoral reforms yesterday asked the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to submit at least 21 controversial poll documents that have been withheld from election watchdog groups.

Cavite Rep. Elpidio Barzaga, committee chairman, however, said they cannot force the Comelec, as a constitutional body, to submit the documents to the committee despite the approval of a motion for the need to get those documents from the Comelec, despite a Supreme Court order for the Comelec to submit not just the source codes but also the pertinent documents.

“We cannot force them to submit those documents,” Barzaga said yesterday, despite the fact that the documents, from any agency of government, can be subpoened by Congress.

Among the documents being requested are: source code walkthrough plan; source code of the PCOS program; source code of the CCS programs; file formats of all data files used or produced by the PCOS program; file formats of all data files used or produced by the CCS program; public keys used by all the PCOS computers; -public keys used by all the CCS computers; user manual of the PCOS program, and user manual of the CCS program..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20101208hed5.html

Palace says Lacson mole should be DoJ’s lookout

Palace says Lacson mole should be DoJ’s lookout




By Aytch S. de la Cruz

12/08/2010

It behooves the Department of Justice (DoJ) to do something about possible leaks that one of its officials said were likely on the operations the government is supposedly conducting for the capture of fugitive Sen. Panfilo Lacson, the Palace indicated yesterday.

Presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said the possibility of a Lacson mole in the government “should be a cause of concern” as he added that Justice Undersecretary Francisco Baraan III who raised of possibility of somebody leaking the government moves that allowed the senator to evade arrest must do something about it.

“If there is a concern, they should plug the leak. We have no knowledge where that leak is coming from. If the Undersecretary feels that there is some leakage of information then it behooves them to fix that leak and make sure that the efforts to secure Senator Ping Lacson should not be accompanied with leakages,” Lacierda said..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20101208hed6.html

Philippines skips Nobel rites for China dissident

Philippines skips Nobel rites for China dissident


By Michaela P. del Callar

12/08/2010

The Philippines is among the 19 countries skipping the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony for Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo in Oslo, Norway on Friday.

According to the Nobel Committee, 44 embassies have indicated that they will be represented at the ceremony and 19 have declined their invitations “for various reasons.”

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) in Manila confirmed this but declined to state the reason for not sending a representative to the gala.

“We will not attend the event,” said Foreign Affairs spokesman Eduardo Malaya.

However, a senior Philippine diplomat said Manila decided not to attend the event to “avoid” diplomatic fracas with China.

The diplomat said the Philippines “do not want to further annoy China,” which has expressed great disappointment when President Aquino absolved his close aides and several personalities of any accountability and responsibility in the Aug. 23 Manila hostage tragedy that killed eight Hong Kong tourists in a bungled police rescue attempt..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/nation/20101208nat3.html

AFP declares bid for P3.2-B helicopters a failure

ONLY ONE BIDDER SHOWS UP

AFP declares bid for P3.2-B helicopters a failure
By Mario J. Mallari

12/08/2010

The long-stalled modernization program of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) hit another snag after the Department of National Defense (DND) declared as failure the bidding for the P3.2 billion worth of helicopters intended for the Air Force.

At a press conference in Camp Aguinaldo, DND spokesman Eduardo Batac said that Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin has approved the recommendation of the Board of Inquiry (BoI) to declare a failure of bidding for the Air Force’s attack helicopter acquisition project.

“This is pursuant to Section 41 (Reservation Clause) of RA 9184 and other related grounds. Under this, the head of the procuring entity reserves the right to declare a failure of bidding for any reasonable and justifiable ground where the award of the contract will not redound to the benefit of the government,” said Batac.

Batac also said that Gazmin also approved the recommendation of the board to temporarily defer further action on the acquisition of big-ticket items under the AFP Modernization Program, until these issues are presented and acted upon by the Government Policy and Procurement Board..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune


URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/nation/20101208nat1.html

Something smells fishy at the ComelecEDITORIAL 12/07/2010

Something smells fishy at the Comelec

EDITORIAL

12/07/2010

Todate, despite the order from the highest court in the land to the Commission on Elections to make public the source code and other election-related documents to private parties that want to do an analytical study of the automated elections of 2010 that was fueled by Smartmatic’s precinct count optical scan (PCOS) machines, Comelec has refused to obey the order of the high court.

This refusal on the part of the Comelec commissioners—retiring and otherwise — gives rise to suspicions that indeed, there was a lot of “Hocus PCOS” during the last presidential polls.

As things stand, just going by the number of votes and voters, one already sees the electoral fraud.

At the precinct level, the vote count for the presidential candidates already exceeded the count, going by its PCOS-counted votes. Hitting the municipal level, it also shows the increase in votes by at least 2 million, and in the provincial level, there was another increase of about 2 million, or roughly 5 million total votes that fall under the category of fraudulent votes..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

 URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20101207com1.html

Puppet presidencyFRONTLINE Ninez Cacho-Olivares 12/07/2010

Puppet presidency

FRONTLINE

Ninez Cacho-Olivares


12/07/2010

It has already been written about that Noynoy Aquino and his Cabinet members hardly hold meetings. But this has now been confirmed by one of Noynoy’s communicators, Ricky Carandang, who was quoted in a news report as saying that the reason for this absence of weekly or even monthly Cabinet meetings is that Noynoy finds them “unproductive.”

“Full Cabinet meetings are not productive. Normally you would talk about different things... and many of the Cabinet secretaries who are not involved in the discussion are just sitting there doing nothing,” Carandang was quoted as saying, in confirming that the Cabinet does not meet regularly.

He added, however, that Noynoy prefers to preside over Cabinet cluster meetings, as these are “more efficient.”

Why then, Carandang continues, should everybody’s time be wasted when they can meet in these cluster committees? And he adds: “Any corporation will tell you it is not efficient to meet everyone at the same time. We are not going to do a full Cabinet meeting unless it is necessary. Otherwise, it is just for show.”... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

 URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20101207com2.html

Climate: Ghost of Copenhagen stalks CancunFEATURE 12/07/2010

Climate: Ghost of Copenhagen stalks Cancun

FEATURE

12/07/2010

CANCUN — World climate talks in Cancun were on Sunday entering their final stretch beset by fears of a repeat of the failures that nearly wrecked the December 2009 Copenhagen summit.

Environment ministers began arriving in the Mexican rsort city at the weekend to find themselves plunged into a mood soured by a row over the Kyoto Protocol and a logjam of inter-connected, unresolved issues.

After more talks among senior officials, the ministers on Tuesday get down to a four-day haggle, due to climax on Friday.

The outcome of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) gathering is unclear, despite 12 days of meetings and a low-ambition goal, say delegates.

“We’re starting to have positions that are a bit stronger and a bit more radical,” said France’s climate negotiator Brice Lalonde, calling for a “spirit of compromise.”

Wendel Trio, the international climate policy director for environmental group Greenpeace, said that so far countries had only spelled out their “most extreme positions.”... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

 URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20101207com3.html

When the military takes the cakeNO HOLDS BARRED Armida Siguion-Reyna 12/07/2010

When the military takes the cakeNO HOLDS BARREDArmida Siguion-Reyna


12/07/2010

So National Democratic Front (NDF) chief negotiator Luis Jalandoni calls for the release of the “Morong 43.” What does the Philippine Army say, through spokesman Col. Antonio Parlade Jr.? “It’s an affirmation that they are NPA members.”

I don’t know what the NDF stands for, although since I’m not stupid, I understand they’re left of center. Whether extreme left or far more than left, this is best left to the more political to explain, as the farthest left I’ve gone is to be friends with Satur Ocampo, Teddy Casiño and Pete Lacaba. Rebels attract me, I appreciate them whether left or right, such as Trillanes, Lim, Querubin and company, believing that those who disturb the status quo do far better for the country, kaysa naman sa mga di kunwari kumikibo tapos iyun pala, nagnanakaw na.

But on Nov. 19, 2010, the campaign to free the illegally arrested health workers published a full-page petition in the Philippine Daily Inquirer, a copy of which I keep in the house as three family members signed it: My brother, Senate President Juan Ponce-Enrile, and my children, Carlitos Siguion-Reyna and Bibeth Orteza.

“Free the 43!” it reads. “Another day in prison for the health workers is another day that justice is denied.
... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

 URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20101207com4.html

Something’s moving out thereAN OUTSIDERS VIEW Ken Fuller 12/07/2010

Something’s moving out thereAN OUTSIDERS VIEW

Ken Fuller

12/07/2010

After a while, some of the items that have landed in this outsider’s inbox, along with various saved newspaper pieces, begin to resemble a jigsaw puzzle, and I start to wonder if I can put the pieces together. This is one of those times.

One piece informs me that in 2001 the homeless numbered 99,900 homeless in Australia and 14,145 in Canada, while in the USA the Urban Institute published a study in 2000 (using 1996 data) which estimated that 3.5 million Americans, 39 percent of them children, experienced homelessness every year.

This was, of course, prior to the current economic crisis. Nowadays things must be much worse, an assumption born out by an article from Global Research E-Newsletter (Patrick Martin, “Hunger in America”) which cites a Department of Agriculture report that last year 15 percent of households (that’s 50 million Americans) were unable to purchase sufficient food — a threefold increase since 2006.

The misery caused by the economic crisis in the USA will now probably be deepened by the measures contemplated by the Republican majority in the House of Representatives. But traditional Republicans are, of course, being pushed into extreme positions by Tea Party enthusiasts. In this respect, former Reagan trade official Robert E. Lighthizer (Throwing Free Trade Overboard, New York Times, Nov. 13) notes that, while the leaders of both major parties favor “free trade,” 61 percent of Tea Party supporters believe it has damaged the USA.

Lighthizer thinks they might have a point, given that over the last decade 5.6 million US manufacturing jobs have been lost and the country’s trade deficit in manufactured goods has amounted to $4.3 trillion. Moreover, he says, the value of foreign investments in the USA exceeds that of its own overseas investments by $2.74 trillion.... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

 URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20101207com5.html

Assange hunt appears to have ‘political motivations’focus 12/07/2010

Assange hunt appears to have ‘political motivations’focus


12/07/2010

LONDON — The hunt for WikiLeaks’ founder Julian Assange has “political motivations,” his lawyer said Sunday, as secret US cables released by the whistle-blowing Web site linked China’s top propagandist to Google cyber attacks.

“I’m really rather worried by the political motivations that appear to be behind this,” Assange’s lawyer Mark Stephens told BBC television.

Swedish prosecutors have issued an international arrest warrant for Assange over allegations of rape, charges he has denied and has hinted could be part of a “smear campaign.”

The 39-year-old Australian is believed to be in Britain, and a report said he could be arrested this week.

Assange broke cover on Friday to say in an online chat that he had boosted security after receiving death threats amid the storm that was unleashed by his site’s decision to publish about 250,000 US diplomatic cables.

Since Nov. 28, WikiLeaks has published the first of the embassy cables, creating an international firestorm as American diplomats’ private assessments of foreign leaders and politics has been publicly aired.

The United States and other governments said the release of the documents broke their laws.

Stephens told the BBC on Sunday there was a risk that Swedish authorities could hand Assange over to their counterparts in the United States.

“Certainly in my mind it’s very open about that” possibility, Stephens said, adding that he may “certainly” fight the Swedish arrest warrant on that basis.

One of the latest leaked cables meanwhile spoke of Google’s decision to take down its search engine in China.

“A well-placed contact claims that the Chinese government coordinated the recent intrusions of Google systems,” a cable dated earlier this year said.

“According to our contact, the closely held operations were directed at the Politburo Standing Committee level,” it added, referring to the ruling body of the Chinese Communist Party.

A separate cable published Sunday said Saudi Arabia is the key source of funding for radical Islamist groups including al-Qaeda, the Taliban, Hamas and Lashkar-e-Taiba.

Another said Tehran is a “dominant player” in Iraq using “all means of diplomacy, intelligence and economy” to get a pro-Iranian regime there.

The release of such cables marks the third major publication of secret US files by WikiLeaks this year, after the site had published tens of thousands of American military files on the Afghanistan and Iraq conflicts.

WikiLeaks meanwhile faces a new threat to its survival after the online payment service PayPal cut off the account used for donations to the Web site.

It has already been forced to switch its domain to Switzerland because its original web address was shut down by a US provider.

WikiLeaks on Sunday urged the public to set up mirror sites to safeguard its future.

In a message posted on the Internet, WikiLeaks noted that it “is currently under heavy attack” and called on the public to set up sites “to make it impossible to ever fully remove” it.

Elsewhere, the Swiss Post Office said it was carrying out checks on Assange’s account with its banking arm, after doubts emerged over the Swiss address he gave. AFP.... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

 URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20101207com6.html

More

.COMMENTARY.
EDITORIAL

Something smells fishy at the Comelec

FRONTLINE

Puppet presidency

FEATURE

Climate: Ghost of Copenhagen stalks Cancun

NO HOLDS BARRED

When the military takes the cake

AN OUTSIDERS VIEW

Something’s moving out there

focus

Assange hunt appears to have ‘political motivations’

FEATURE

Changing climate alters age-old habits of Mexico community 

Changing climate alters age-old habits of Mexico communityFEATURE 12/07/2010

Changing climate alters age-old habits of Mexico community


12/07/2010

TABI — Members of the Mayan community of Tabi, around 200 (120 miles) kilometers southwest of Cancun on Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula, say changes in the weather are forcing them to change their lives.

The dusty streets and modest homes of the community of some 400 persons do not suggest wealth, but the land’s bounty of corn, squash, beans and fruit made it a perfect place to raise a family.

That has changed since Eunice Be Chuc moved here, 28 years ago.

These days rain is increasingly unpredictable in a region where the wet season has come like clockwork since the times of the ancient Maya.

Now drought, floods and hurricanes alternate — extreme conditions that devastate crops.

“Even if you plant crops, the soil only gets drier with all the sun and if there is no water, how do we water it? So even if we are doing our part, if the soil doesn’t produce, what else can we do?” Be Chuc told AFP, looking across a parched field..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

 URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20101207com7.html

Reds, Gringo in Noynoy’s amnesty list By Angie M. Rosales and Aytch S. de la Cruz 12/07/2010

SENATE SUSPENDS HEARING DUE TO PALACE BLUNDER

Reds, Gringo in Noynoy’s amnesty list

By Angie M. Rosales and Aytch S. de la Cruz 12/07/2010

President Aquino and his Palace boys did it again — committing yet another big blunder and cementing further the perception that Aquino’s government is being run no differently from a student council government.

They listed as beneficiaries of the Amnesty proclamation Sen. Gregorio Honasan as well as communist rebels, all of whom are supposed to have been involved in the Oakwood Mutiny as well as the February Edsa coup bid, along with the Marines’ stand-off in Fort Bonifacio.

Due to this blunder, the approval at the committee level of the Palace’s amended proclamation granting amnesty to mutineers during the Arroyo administration, hit another snag after senators noted a highly flawed list of recipients.

Senators were astounded to come across the name of their colleague, Senator Honasan, listed as a possible beneficiary, along with civil society leader, Pastor Boy Saycon of the Council for Philippine Affairs (Copa), former Ambassador Roy Señeres and some members of the communist groups..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20101207hed1.html

DoJ: Info being leaked for Ping to evade arrest By Benjamin B. Pulta 12/07/2010

DoJ: Info being leaked for Ping to evade arrest

By Benjamin B. Pulta 12/07/2010

The Department of Justice (DoJ) yesterday admitted the big probability of information on the fugitive lawmaker regarding his whereabouts and the dates the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) special task force hunt him down, are being leaked to fugitive Sen. Panfilo “Ping” Lacson.

A DoJ official said this may be the reason Lacson has been succeeding in avoiding arrest.

Justice Undersecretary Francisco Baraan III pointed out that the possibility of the information on the arrest of Lacson being leaked cannot be discounted.

Baraan said it is highly probable that Lacson always manages to elude arrest, also because he is a former chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP), and such, the capability of the fugitive senator cannot be underestimated because of his knowledge on intelligence and counter police operations.

It could also be, Baraan said, that one of those hunting down Lacson is the person who leaks the information to the senator..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20101207hed2.html

SC plays coy as judges hold nationwide protest By Benjamin B. Pulta 12/07/2010

SC plays coy as judges hold nationwide protest

By Benjamin B. Pulta 12/07/2010

Black armbands were the fad among judges throughout the country yesterday as a show of protest over the slashed budget of the judiciary for next year with the Supreme Court (SC) disowning the mass action spearheaded by the Philippine Judges Association (PJA).

Speaking to newsmen, Gleoresty Guerra, acting chief of the SC’s Public Information Office, said the PJA members acted on their own. “This (protest) hasn’t passed the Supreme Court and this is not sanctioned by the Court. This is a purely voluntary and spontaneous action on their part,” Chief Justice Renato Corona was quoted as saying by Guerra.

“He (Corona) just said that he was aware of this when he got a text message that such an action was being planned by the lower court judges, but they did not ask for leave from the Court,” Guerra stressed.

PJA members are protesting the P14.3-billion budget received by the judicial department for next year. Manila regional trial court Judge Antonio Eugenio, president of PJA, said all 700 members of the organization participated in the protest..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20101207hed3.html

Palace apes GMA, demands proof on Ping coddling By Aytch S. de la Cruz 12/07/2010

Palace apes GMA, demands proof on Ping coddling

By Aytch S. de la Cruz 12/07/2010
They condemned it during then President Gloria Arroyo’s time in Malacañang, but now that they occupy the same Palace, they now sing the same song she sang, whenever allegations were leveled against the President and his Cabinet members: Show the proof.

Reacting to accusations made by a lawyer of a state witness in the Dacer-Corbito twin murders that Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Jesse Robredo is coddling fugitive Sen. Panfilo “Ping” Lacson, Malacañang yesterday dared Ferdinand Topacio, counsel of former Police officer Cesar Mancao, to come up with evidence that Robredo is protecting Lacson.

Presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said Topacio should back up his charge that Robredo has been shielding Lacson from arrest.

A day earlier, in a TV interview, Topacio alleged that Robredo has been “protecting” Lacson after the Local Government chief refused to put up a P2-million reward for the arrest of the senator.

Under the law, Lacierda said that the burden of proof would be on Topacio to prove his allegations..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20101207hed4.html

Senate subpoenas Globe Asiatique exec in housing probe 12/07/2010

Senate subpoenas Globe Asiatique exec in housing probe

12/07/2010
The “right to remain silent” of one of the key players in the multibillion-peso housing mess involving the Pag-IBIG Fund will not work as far as the Senate is concerned.

The Senate committee on banks, financial institutions and currencies yesterday issued a subpoena ad testificandum against Globe Asiatique Realty Holdings Corp. president Delfin Lee, ordering him to appear and testify before the panel on the resumption of its inquiry on Dec. 9.

Failure to comply will cite Lee in contempt, it was gathered yesterday.

“You are hereby commanded to appear and testify under oath in the public hearing of the Senate committee on banks joint with the committee on urban planning, housing and resettlement,” Sen. Sergio Osmeña III, banks committee chairman said in the signed order duly-approved by Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile.

Lee, through his counsel, the Fortun Narvasa and Salazar law firm, earlier sent a letter to Osmeña saying he would not attend the previous hearing, claiming that “because of the pendency of the criminal case for syndicated estafa recently filed by Pag-IBIG and the National Bureau of Investigation against him, he (Lee) has no option but to refrain from speaking further on the issue and simply answer the accusations against him before the Department of Justice.”.... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20101207hed5.html

Tourism department bares forming of tourist police By Paolo Sangil 12/07/2010

Tourism department bares forming of tourist police

By Paolo Sangil 12/07/2010

A task force that was formed by the Department of Tourism (DoT) in tie-up with the Philippine National Police (PNP) will start doing its rounds in Rizal Park tomorrow.

The National Parks Development Committee (NPDC) along with the Manila Police District (MPD) spearheaded the forming of the Rizal Park Tourist Security Force (RPTSF). The law enforcers that will be assigned to the task force will come from the Luneta Police Community of Station 5.

“The primary concern of this task force is to strengthen the security measures in Rizal Park especially this Christmas Season,” said NPDC executive director Juliet Villegas.

The task force is comprised of MPD law enforcers, guards from an NPDC-hired security agency, NPDC maintenance and a barangay-effort community auxiliary brigade. There will be around 50 task force members who will be doing rounds in three shifts a day.

Four CCTV cameras are already existing but there will be more unit installations as NPDC is now coordinating with the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO)..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/nation/20101207nat5.html

Robredo blamed for illegal election of barangay chieftains By Gerry Baldo 12/07/2010

Robredo blamed for illegal election of barangay chieftains

By Gerry Baldo 12/07/2010

Interior and Local Government Secretary Jesse Robredo should be blamed for the election of barangay captains who have exceeded the three-terms allowed by law.

According to Cavite Rep. Elpidio Barzaga, the DILG chief should have prevented the over-staying barangay captains from running for another term if it knows who among the reelectionist barangay captains are running beyond the limits stipulated by law.

Barzaga, chairman of the House committee on suffrage and electoral reforms, said that Robredo should file appropriate charges against the barangay officials who have violated their term limits by running for a fourth term. They knew that it is against the law to run for a fourth term, Barzaga said.

“It is the responsibility of the DILG to take the appropriate legal actions including the filing of criminal and administrative charges. The DILG under existing laws can even preventively suspend these erring multi-termers pending adjudication of the criminal and administrative charges against them,” said Barzaga..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/nation/20101207nat1.html

Noy, Binay, JPE get high approval ratings—Pulse Asia 12/07/2010

Noy, Binay, JPE get high approval ratings—Pulse Asia

12/07/2010
President Aquino, Vice President Jejomar Binay and Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile garnered majority approval ratings in the latest survey of Pulse Asia.

The Chief Executive registered 79 percent performance rating followed closely by Binay with 78 percent and Enrile who got 61 percent, the October 20-29 2010 survey showed.

The country’s top three officials also recorded single-digit disapproval scores. Both Aquino and Binay with 3 percent while Enrile, 8 percent.

Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. garnered almost the same percentages of Filipinos who expressed their approval (45 percent) and indecision (43 percent) while Supreme Court Chief Justice Renato Corona received a 35 percent approval rating. He also registered 18 percent public disapproval.

Between July and October 2010, public indecision toward the performance of Enrile becomes more manifest (+9 percentage points) while marginal changes in his approval and disapproval ratings may be observed (-3 and -5 percentage points, respectively).

“Enrile is the only one among the country’s top national government officials with comparative performance ratings for the period July to October 2010. While President Aquino was also performance-rated in July 2010, he was assessed as a senator and not yet as President,” Pulse Asia said..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20101207hed6.html

Pathetic spin EDITORIAL 12/06/2010

Pathetic spin

EDITORIAL

Click to enlarge

12/06/2010
What difference does the deletion of the word imminent in an advisory make when it still warned that a terrorist attack can happen in the country anytime, anywhere.

Can’t the Palace get the message?

The Palace was clutching at straws when it indicated that the removal of the word “imminent” from the Australian travel advisory against the Philippines, was a major development in the travel alerts issue.

Just how can such be called a major development when everything else remains the same.

Some six countries, the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and France, warned of the likelihood of a terrorist operation in the country while Japan also issued an advisory but warned its citizens against the rising incidence of crime in the country — which is just as bad.

One way to look at these travel advisories is that Noynoy and his government can’t be relied on to bring about peace and order, nor get rid of the terrorists in the country..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20101206com1.html

Losing support FRONTLINE Ninez Cacho-Olivares 12/06/2010

Losing support

FRONTLINE

Ninez Cacho-Olivares

12/06/2010
Less than six months in the presidential office, and Noynoy Aquino has largely lost an important sector of his constituents — the students and the youth, many of whom were his supporters and even devotees — until Noynoy and his Budget secretary slashed the budget for the state universities and colleges, with the two even going to the extent of challenging the SUCs to lay bare the funding they get from several sales of property and raise funds themselves.

And to add insult to injury, while over a billion and a half was cut from the SUC budget, the senator allies of Noynoy provided some P170 million to the SUC budget as an addition to placate the students. That’s peanuts, if one realizes just how many SUCs there are in the country.

Then there went Sen. Franklin Drilon, claiming that the P1.7 billion that was cut from the SUC budget was a congressional insertion during the time of Gloria Arroyo, who had vetoed this insertion, and that the Senate can’t put this amount back.

This is truly illogical, considering the fact that this is a new budget under a new administration. This is a budget for 2011, not 2010, and there is no reason to claim that as this 2010 congressional insertion for the SUCs was vetoed by Gloria, this can no longer be undone by the Noynoy administration..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20101206com2.html

How the Barbra Streisand Effect keeps WikiLeaks online focus 12/06/2010

How the Barbra Streisand Effect keeps WikiLeaks online

focus

12/06/2010
PARIS — Mirror sites are keeping WikiLeaks up and running despite the loss of its original wikileaks.org address, shut down by an American provider: welcome to the Barbra Streisand Effect.

The elusive, intangible nature of the Internet has allowed the whistle-blowing Web site to keep a step ahead of its enemies.

For after its original web address was shut down, it was able to move to a second home at a Swiss address (http://www.wikileaks.ch).

And in less than 24 hours, dozens of mirror image sites were up and running across the Internet.

Some were set up by WikiLeaks, others by computer-savvy sympathizers determined to keep the information the Web site is leaking online.

For the mirror sites are just that: a replica of the contents of the original site, ensuring that the thousands of US diplomatic cables WikiLeaks has been leaking since last Sunday remain available for inspection.

By 1630 GMT several hundred WikiLeaks mirror sites were listed at one online directory (http://bluetouff.com/2010/12/03/acceder-a-wikileaks/)..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20101206com3.html

P6.5-B ghost surplus DIE HARD III Herman Tiu Laurel 12/06/2010

P6.5-B ghost surplus

DIE HARD III

Herman Tiu Laurel

12/06/2010
The elections of 2010 brought out one of the most unique transitions in the annals of Philippine local government history. The old regime in Quezon City (QC) turned over its reins to its anointed mayor, vice-mayor, and team of officials. Whereas in the past, the new, incoming local government, especially if from the opposition, usually discovered “ghost projects” stemming from the looting of local government coffers left behind by the past administration, such was not the case in QC — or so it seemed.

That should have been very good news to everyone concerned. Many, in fact, expected him to have a splendid time fulfilling his campaign promises, especially since his predecessor was said to have left a budget surplus of P6.6 billion!

But poor little new mayor of QC: He suddenly realized that he won’t have a chance to be such a spectacular mayor after all. With his city’s coffers actually running empty, how on earth can he deliver on all his campaign promises? How could this have happened when QC is RP’s richest city, with a budget well over P9.5 billion that surpasses even that of Makati? And if there had been that surplus kept intact, where did it go?

Much to his consternation, the new mayor found that he was not going to have that claimed P6.5-billion inherited from his predecessor after all. Worse, he could not even talk about it nor explain to the public why he can’t do anything at all because the previous mayor is his mentor and his vice-mayor is the previous mayor’s daughter. He knows that he’d commit political suicide when he comes out with this in the open.

The significance of this revelation about the ghost QC budget surplus is far greater than the importance of the city itself, which neither has the business significance of Makati nor the political significance of Manila. It lies in the fact that the previous mayor of Quezon City represents a far greater political culture and clout than just local city politics because that previous mayor is now the Speaker of the House; and among the wards he trained and employed in his city administration is now Executive secretary in Malacañang.

Lurking in the shadows of this chief factotum of the Chief Executive is a coterie of Rasputins of the former QC mayor, such as the one whom more than a decade ago served the most unpopular Chief Executive then (beaten only by Gloria Arroyo), Fidel Ramos.

This coterie of Rasputins include the draftsman turned public housing developer nurtured by the former mayor when he was head of the premier public pension organization of the country. This housing estate developer dummy figured in the recent urban settlers demolition and relocation project in QC, which was reportedly due to the failure of this housing developer’s relocation site preparations that was 80 percent short of his promised delivery.

But since he’s a relative of the ward of the former mayor who is now Secretary No.1 of you-know-who, there has been no sanction for this failure. The National Housing Authority has been left to hold the bag. But this latest failure of this team of the former QC mayor is no longer new as it has been the greatest sandal of the city in the past 10 years — so much so that despite its almost P10-billion annual budget, Quezon City remains the largest squatter city in the country.

How is it that a grandly ballyhooed P6.6-billion surplus, supposedly accumulated by the previous mayor over nearly a decade of “superb” management, turned out to be a complete hoax and nobody was the wiser all that time?

This speaks of the link between media ownership and politicians in the country, as the mayor in question owns (or used to own) one of the mainstream newspapers and commands serious leverage in the community of journalists and journalism. That newspaper, founded by the former mayor’s late wife, was used to propel the Yellow movement, as well as the former mayor, into power. That newspaper gave this former QC mayor starring role in the Yellow movement that has dominated Philippine politics for two decades and a half and running. The Yellows’ gratitude is such that they named a street and an LRT station after his deceased wife.

This coterie of shadowy figures is now the real powerhouse in the present government. They have their tentacles not only in the House but all the way inside Malacañang as well as in Quezon City Hall itself. Moreover, they continue to control the quiet real estate scams that transfer QC properties to private titles.

The former QC mayor, meanwhile, assumes a greater political role today as the “Bridge Over Troubled Waters,” i.e. the channel between Gloria Arroyo and Aquino III, as he ensures the smooth continuity of policies between the two, such as the Conditional Cash Transfer and Public-Private Partnership projects (previously known as BOTs), the unbroken protection of the oligarchs in the privatized public utilities, namely, the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines, Meralco, Manila Water, Maynilad, Energy Development Corp., AboitizPower, ad nausea.

Will the ghosts of Christmas ever really come to save the Philippines?

(Tune in to Sulo ng Pilipino, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, 6 to 7 p.m. on 1098AM; watch Politics Today with HTL, Tuesday, 8 to 9 p.m., with replay at 11 p.m., on Global News Network, Destiny Cable Channel 8; visit our blogs, http://newkatipunero.blogspot.com and http://hermantiulaurel.blogspot.com; P.S. – “10 Minutes Lights Out vs Power Plunderers,” 7 to 7:10 p.m., Monday nights)


(Reprinted with permission from Mr. Herman Tiu-Laurel)

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20101206com4.html

Beautiful and obsolete: The wristwatch boom mystery FEATURE 12/06/2010

Beautiful and obsolete: The wristwatch boom mystery

FEATURE

12/06/2010
PARIS — Charles Dupont bends with satisfaction over a watchmaker’s table where 78 minuscule cogs, wheels and springs lie in a neat display. It took an hour to unpick the mystery at the watch’s core. Now it’s time to put it back together.

Mobile phones may have elbowed out the humble wristwatch as the modern time-keeper of choice but the luxury end of the trade is booming, supported by an army of passionate watch-lovers and collectors from Paris to Shanghai.

Dupont, a 40-year-old computer technician, was one of dozens of aficionados who signed up for a watchmakers’ workshop at a luxury watch fair in the French capital last week — to get under the case of the coveted object.

“It’s all about the precision, how on earth they managed to make such ultra-precise mechanisms, even centuries ago,” said the Parisian, who used to take alarm clocks to bits as a child to peer at their intricate innards.

Organized by the Swiss-based Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie, for the duration of the Belles Montres fair in Paris and once a month in Geneva, the workshops are fully booked until February..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20101206com5.html

Ping. Hubert. Andal HE SAYS Aldrin Cardon 12/06/2010

Ping. Hubert. Andal

HE SAYS

Aldrin Cardon

12/06/2010
Three names with different stories. They are stories whose truth only they themselves know and are trying to convince us and the courts that they were not part of three separate celebrated crimes that have caught the people’s fancy as they were much publicized and involved big personalities.

Or maybe not in the case of Sen. Ping Lacson, who has gone into hiding even before his nemesis Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo lost power and sought a new, safer haven in Congress.
But the wheels of justice will continue rolling even without Gloria in Malacañang and her supposed pressure on her Justice officials to nail Ping down.

Ping has not surfaced since he went AWOL from his Senate duties, leaving his legal team to fight for his defense as the families of the murdered Bubby Dacer and his driver Emmanuel Corbito are in overdrive to nail him down as they suspect him as the brains behind the twin murders.

His former aides have pointed their fingers at Ping, although they could have been under pressure from Gloria and husband Mike, who did not stop persecuting Erap’s former Police Chief when they were still in power.
With a change in administration, though, and with a presumably Ping-friendly President Aquino, going into hiding does not help Ping’s cause..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20101206com6.html

CRIMEmas SHE SAYS Dinah S. Ventura 12/06/2010

CRIMEmas

SHE SAYS

Dinah S. Ventura

12/06/2010
There’s a chill in the air, and we’re feeling it not because the merry season of parties and gift-giving is here. It’s because we seem to be getting a steady diet of criminal cases — that is, those that involve Sen. Ping Lacson, the Ampatuans and Hubert Webb.

Rather than reflect on the goodness of man this Christmas, some of us are wondering what will become of these unfinished businesses, and probably thinking how sad it is that one senator, some members of a political clan, as well as the son of a former senator are involved in grisly crimes that remain unsolved to this day.

Oh, sure, we have heard the cases tried in court and to a certain extent, in media, but not one of them can truly be closed as yet. The Vizconde massacre case was tried in the 1990s, and a number of young men and a police officer were convicted of the crime. When the millennium turned, the Dacer-Corbito murders came to fore, and as the first decade of the 2000s drew to a close, an even bloodier massacre took place, this time in Mindanao, where over 50 civilians died and a powerful clan was involved.

This December, we suddenly heard “a voice from the unknown” announce: “I will only come out when justice is rightly served or when I’m already dead.” The disappearing former chief of police and current Sen. Ping Lacson, in making known his position (or his continued invisibility), was clearly stressing his innocence in the case of the Dacer-Corbito killings in 2000. And before you could say “boo,” his call for a reinvestigation of the case was supported by fellow senator, Gringo Honasan..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20101206com7.html

Robredo coddling Ping, Mancao’s lawyer claims By Pat C. Santos 12/06/2010

DILG CHIEF RAPPED FOR REJECTING BOUNTY BID

Robredo coddling Ping, Mancao’s lawyer claims

By Pat C. Santos 12/06/2010

The lawyer of a key witness in the Dacer-Corbito double murder case strongly claimed yesterday that Interior and Local Government Secretary Jesse Robredo gives protection to fugitive Sen. Panfilo Lacson, resulting in his being able to elude arrest from the authorities.

A crack team of National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) agents left empty handed the other day after conducting a raid on a paper mill suspected of being used as Lacson’s temporary lair. The paper manufacturing firm in Quezon City is owned by Sebastian Chua, a close friend of the senator.

At the weekly Balitaan sa Tinapayan, Ferdinand Topacio, counsel for former police Supt. Cesar Mancao, who has implicated Lacson in the slaying of publicist Salvador Dacer and his driver Emmanuel Corbito, accused Robredo of protecting Lacson after the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) chief rejected a P2 million bounty for the capture of the fugitive senator.

Topacio said he cannot understand Robredo reason for rejecting placing a bounty on Lacson’s head which was his supposed worry for the life of the would be informant on the whereabouts of Lacson. He said the reward would only be for the supply of information and that an informant will not be the one who will arrest a wanted person..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20101206hed1.html

Retiring Comelec execs asked to bare source codes 12/06/2010

Retiring Comelec execs asked to bare source codes

12/06/2010
A poll watchdog demanded yesterday that Commission on Elections (Comelec) officials release vital election documents unconditionally, including the source codes used in the automated elections of May 2010 as directed by the Supreme Court last Sept. 21 before they are allowed to retire or resign and before automated polls provider Smartmatic leaves by end of the year.

AES Watch, a coalition of non-government, private and civil society organizations seeking transparency in elections that the country holds and has as members industry and academic information technology (IT) experts and professional groups, said it will present its assessment of the automated elections before the House committee on suffrage and electoral reforms chaired by Rep. Elpidio Barzaga Jr, today.

Comelec Chairman Jose Melo filed his resignation letter last Nov. 24 to take effect on Jan. 31 next year.
Melo was appointed by former President Arroyo on Jan. 26, 2008 and took his oath of office on March 25.
He replaced former Comelec Chairman Benjamin Abalos Sr. who resigned from office after he was implicated in the botched ZTE broadband deal..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20101206hed2.html

Reds urged to refrain from imposing talks terms By Angie M. Rosales 12/06/2010

Reds urged to refrain from imposing talks terms

By Angie M. Rosales 12/06/2010

In order for the peace negotiations between the government and communist groups to take off and go on smoothly, National Democratic Front (NDF) leaders should not impose any conditions on the government.
“If they’re really sincere in their approach to resume peace talks, if they are really after a peaceful solution, they should not set any pre-condition at the moment,” Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile yesterday said.

NDF leader Luis Jalandoni is reportedly already in the country to lay the groundwork for peace negotiations between the government and the umbrella organization of the local communist movement.

Talks are slated to resume sometime in February in Norway after being stalled for over five years.
It is worthy to note that President Aquino, shortly after taking office in June, said he wanted to resume peace talks with the rebels after negotiations under his predecessor were suspended in 2005..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20101206hed3.html

CPP’s free ‘Morong 43’ plea proves health workers NPAs, says Army By Mario J. Mallari 12/06/2010

CPP’s free ‘Morong 43’ plea proves health workers NPAs, says Army

By Mario J. Mallari 12/06/2010

The Army leadership yesterday branded the request made by the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) for the release of the so-called “Morong 43” as affirmation that the health workers are indeed members of the New People’s Army (NPA).

Reports said the CPP is calling for the release of the Morong 43 as part of the confidence-building measures for the resumption of the peace negotiations between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) and the National Democratic Front (NDF).

Army spokesman Col. Antonio Paralde said such request coming from the CPP only indicated that the Morong 43, who were tagged by the military as members and leaders of the.... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20101206hed4.html

Gov’t affirms backing for Palestinian state By Michaela P. del Callar 12/06/2010

Gov’t affirms backing for Palestinian state

By Michaela P. del Callar 12/06/2010

Short of recognizing a Palestinian state that risks a diplomatic lashback from the United States and Israel, the government said yesterday it is supporting the establishment of a free and independent Palestinian state and called on Israel and Palestine to work together to achieve lasting peace in the Middle East.

In a statement delivered at the plenary of the United Nations General Assembly, Philippine Permanent Representative Libran Cabactulan said the Philippines has for many years joined in the global clamor for the establishment of a Palestinian homeland to help alleviate the dire situation of the Palestinian people.

“The Philippines sees merit in the Two-State Solution proposed by our partners for peace and hopes that both Israel and Palestine will put their hands together to meaningfully achieve a long-lasting and durable solution to the problem,” he said..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20101206hed5.html

Justice chief wants guns for lawyers, judges 12/06/2010

Justice chief wants guns for lawyers, judges

12/06/2010
Justice Secretary Leila de Lima yesterday backed calls to allow judges and lawyers to carry firearms amid a rising incidence of attacks targeting them.

According to her, judges and lawyers were also being encouraged to improve practical shooting and driving skills as a precaution against possible ambush attacks.

“Their line of work makes them natural targets of harassment and violence, especially because of weak
enforcement of laws and a prevailing culture of impunity,” De Lima told Agence France Presse.

She, however, said she favored only a “selective, on a case-by-case” basis to allow judges and lawyers to carry firearms.

“And only on a reasonable showing of security threats, and purely for self-defense purposes only,” De Lima stressed..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20101206hed6.html

Taiwanese express interest in local agri investments 12/06/2010

Taiwanese express interest in local agri investments

12/06/2010
A group of Taiwanese investors recently visited the country for possible agricultural and fishery cooperation.
Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala, who hosted the Taiwanese delegation members during their inspection of various projects and facilities in Quezon province, said the visit aims to explore opportunities of possible partnerships or joint ventures in setting up agribusiness enterprises and mariculture parks, including sustained promotion and facilitation of trade between the two countries, and exchange of agricultural and fishery technical experts and trainees to share breakthroughs in their respective fields.

During their informal meeting in Quezon, Donald C.T. Lee, representative of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Manila, sought the DA chief’s advice on their plan to relocate an existing Taiwan-initiated hybrid corn demonstration farm in General Santos City.

Alcala told him it would be wise to maintain the demo farm in General Santos City, and suggested potential replication sites like the Southern Luzon State University (SLSU) in Quezon, and two other agricultural schools in major corn-producing provinces..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20101206hed7.html

DoLE chief suspends labor inspection activities By Mina Diaz 12/06/2010

DoLE chief suspends labor inspection activities

By Mina Diaz 12/06/2010
Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz issued Administrative Order (AO) 443, Series of 2010 suspending all labor standards enforcement activities all over the country effective Dec. 1 until Jan. 14, 2011.

“I have ordered the suspension of all labor inspection activities, including the conduct of Training and Advisory Visits (TAVs) and Self-Assessment (SA) activities, in all of the country’s 16 regions effective Dec. 1, 2010 until Jan. 14, 2011,” Baldoz said.

Baldoz added the suspension is guided by our mandates on labor and employment in the light of the goal of President Aquino in his 22-point agenda on labor and employment which is to strengthen the welfare and protection of the country’s workers. It is also to uphold the integrity of labor standards enforcement by precluding opportunities and temptations for abuse of the inspection power during Christmas and New Year holidays..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/nation/20101206nat1.html

A deja vu in Lacson EDITORIAL 12/05/2010

A deja vu in Lacson

EDITORIAL

Click to enlarge

12/05/2010
The government’s inability to reel in fugitive Sen. Panfilo Lacson, as the days go by, is turning out to be more of a reprise of the hostage taking incident of Hong Kong tourists by disgruntled ex-policeman Rolando Mendoza, with the country’s justice system as the hostage this time.

And with the bungling way it is being handled by Noynoy, which could be the repeat of the crisis committee of Aug. 23, there is that promise of an ugly end to the Lacson situation.

Noynoy’s uncertain moves in dealing with double-murder case suspect Lacson, who has an international police arrest order, show that either he is coddling the fugitive who is a political ally, or it exposes his total lack of conviction as a leader. Either way, the nation is being shortchanged by Noynoy.

In the case of Mendoza, the crisis committee monitoring the hostage crisis gave the gingerly treatment on Mendoza for too long, resulting in the negotiators losing their leverage and incredulously, the officials on the ground were already expecting a long-drawn affair hoping to tire out the hostage taker..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20101205com1.html

That’s proof? FRONTLINE Ninez Cacho-Olivares 12/05/2010

That’s proof?

FRONTLINE

Ninez Cacho-Olivares

12/05/2010
Australia issued a new advisory, dropping the word “imminent” in the threat of terror attacks but warned its citizens nevertheless that terrorism can occur anytime — including in Metro Manila.

Truth is, the new travel advisory against the Philippines is just as negative as the first one, yet Malacañang communicators — along with the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) — put a spin to this, with the Palace saying it considers Australia’s reissuance of its travel advisory as a “significant development” since Australia had omitted the word “imminent” in the terror attacks statement.

Noynoy’s deputy spokesman, Abigail Valte, said this revision is proof that the foreign governments concerned have heeded the demands of Noynoy for them to withdraw their travel advisories as they have no basis.

Yet how can that be seen as proof when there is hardly any change in the new advisory as against the old one by way of warning citizens against terrorist attacks in the country, including Metro Manila, “anytime” and asked its citizens to exercise a “high degree of caution.”.... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20101205com2.html

Thai tech pioneer converts waste into wealth FEATURE 12/05/2010

Thai tech pioneer converts waste into wealth

FEATURE

12/05/2010
BANGKOK — Paijit Sangchai drops a small piece of laminated paper into a jar of cloudy liquid which he hopes will transform his start-up into a multimillion-dollar company and help revolutionize recycling.

“Now this is the fun part,” he says a few minutes later, holding it under the tap to wash away soggy paper pulp and reveal a clear plastic film.

His Thai firm, Flexoresearch, has developed a series of blended enzymes that can recover pulp or fiber from laminated paper such as cigarette packets, stickers or milk cartons that were previously hard or impossible to recycle.

First one enzyme attacks the water resistant chemical coating the surface, then others take over and tackle the paper and adhesive layers.

The resulting pulp, he says, can be used to produce new paper products — thus saving trees — or turned into building materials that can be used as an alternative to asbestos, which is potentially hazardous to human health..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20101205com3.html

LTO sets crackdown on PETCs BLURBAL THRUSTS Louie Logarta 12/05/2010

LTO sets crackdown on PETCs

BLURBAL THRUSTS

Louie Logarta

12/05/2010
Amid howls of protests from scores of mid-level businessmen who had invested money in the business, the Land Transportation Office (LTO) is launching an honest-to-goodness crackdown on these so-called private emission testing centers (PETCs) who are viewed as the real culprits behind worsening air pollution levels in Metro Manila.

During a recent dialog, LTO chief Virginia Torres said her office was obliged to resort to drastic remedial measures vis-a-vis these PETCs after recent studies by the World Bank and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources showed that air pollution in the metropolis was nearing critical or saturation point, after which it would really be hazardous to the health of the public.

What complicates matters is that even President Aquino is reportedly personally monitoring air quality in the metropolis, which is composed of some 11 millions souls, due to persistent public clamor regarding the continued non-enforcement of the 10-year old Clean Air Act.

Over coffee and sandwiches, Torres disclosed that one of the major sources of air pollution hereabouts are the thousands of smoke-belchers, mainly the passenger buses and omnipresent cargo trucks that roam the highways and byways because they had been given spurious environment compliance certificates by these PETCs through the “non-appearance” tests that they are notorious for..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20101205com4.html

Tyranny of numbers vs force of truth VIEWPOINTS Archbishop Oscar V. Cruz 12/05/2010

Tyranny of numbers vs force of truth

VIEWPOINTS

Archbishop Oscar V. Cruz

12/05/2010
Popularity vs reality, opinion vs fact, perception vs authenticity — these are some expressions that can encapsulate the now reigning debate on the so called “Reproductive Health Bill.”

Those leading the drive for the public official distribution of man-made contraceptives — together with their avid followers — are joyfully and publicly rejoicing for their foreseen victory in the eventual passage of the bill.

By and large, the primary arguments so far invoked by the patrons of the bill to proclaim and promote their anti-population stand, may be synthesized into three arguments: First is the poverty of the Filipinos for being far too many in number and consequent needs. Second is the expressed mention of the use of condoms by no less than the Vatican, deliberately cited out of context. Third is the acclaim that majority of the Filipinos favor the passage if the said bill.

Let it said that Church doctrine premised on faith and reason is not in any way rendered true or false merely by the opinion of the majority or minority of the people concerned. The empirical reality and ground certainly of Church doctrine is that it is firmly anchored on objective truth — never, never on its acceptability or popularity among those concerned..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20101205com5.html

Accountability is a habit TABLETS OF STONE Larry Faraon, OP 12/05/2010

Accountability is a habit

TABLETS OF STONE

Larry Faraon, OP

12/05/2010
There are four seasons in the Catholic liturgy, namely Advent, Christmas, Lent and Easter. But among these four, Advent comes as the most important and relevant for Christians.

Two thousand years ago in Palestine (Israel today), the birth of Jesus Christ in Bethlehem, his passion, death and resurrection in Jerusalem are now historical landmarks for a Christian’s journey, where history becomes an active commemoration; where commemoration becomes a reenactment; where reenactment becomes a dynamic reliving of the meaning and effect of such divine actions for the salvation of mankind.

However, the core event of Advent is still in the anticipatory and expectant stage, because the Second Coming of Jesus Christ is yet to happen.

Christians are exhorted to “gird your loins and light your lamps and be like servants who await their master’s return from a wedding, ready to open immediately when he comes and knocks. Blessed are those servants whom the master finds vigilant on his arrival” (Luke 12:35-37).

The Second Coming of Jesus Christ is as definitive and purposive as expressed in the Apostle’s Creed, “He will come again to judge the living and the dead.” Judgment at that time is final and executory — it’s either heaven or hell..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20101205com6.html

WikiLeaks arrest looms as site fights to stay online focus 12/05/2010

WikiLeaks arrest looms as site fights to stay online

focus

12/05/2010
LONDON — WikiLeaks faced growing pressure Friday as its founder Julian Assange dealt with a new arrest warrant and death threats, while the Web site hopped around the globe trying to evade efforts to shut it down.

As the fallout grew from its release of secret US diplomatic cables, the whistle-blower site found new domain names in a string of European countries after its original wikileaks.org address was shut down by an American provider.

The elusive Assange, who is believed to be in hiding in Britain, faced fresh trouble as Swedish prosecutors sent out a new international arrest warrant for the 39-year-old Australian over sex assault allegations.

He briefly broke cover Friday in an online forum with readers on The Guardian newspaper to say that if anything happened to him or WikiLeaks then 100,000 encrypted copies of the cables would automatically be released.

“The threats against our lives are a matter of public record. However, we are taking the appropriate precautions to the degree that we are able when dealing with a superpower,” Assange wrote..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20101205com7.html

NBI leaves empty handed after raid on Ping’s lair By Benjamin B. Pulta 12/05/2010

PAPER MILL OWNED BY LACSON FRIEND SEARCHED

NBI leaves empty handed after raid on Ping’s lair

By Benjamin B. Pulta 12/05/2010

Fugitive Sen. Panfilo Lacson proved too slippery even for a crack team of operatives from the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) yesterday after he eluded arrest in a raid NBI agents made on a paper mill suspected of being used as Lacson’s temporary lair.

The paper manufacturing firm is said to be owned by a close friend of the senator in Quezon City.

NBI operatives raided the Star Paper Corp. located at 46 Joy St., Grace Village in Quezon City at 5 p.m. yesterday.

Deputy Director for Intelligence Services lawyer Ruel Lasala said the establishment is reportedly owned by the senator’s close friend Sebastian Chua.

He added Chua consented to allow the NBI operatives to search the premises. Deputy Director for Technical Services lawyer Reynaldo Esmeralda led bureau officials in conducting the search..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20101205hed1.html

NDF chief arrives to pave way for talks 12/05/2010

NDF chief arrives to pave way for talks

12/05/2010
The head of the National Democratic Front (NDF), Luis Jalandoni, is now in the country to lay the groundwork for peace negotiations between the government and the umbrella organization of the local communist movement after both camps agreed to resume talks sometime in February after it being stalled for over five years.
The breakthrough, achieved following preliminary negotiations in Hong Kong this week, will see the two sides sitting down for formal talks in Norway in February next year.

“The government...shall aggressively pursue the path to peace toward a just and honorable settlement of conflicts,” the head of the government negotiating panel Alexander Padilla said as he announced the planned restart.

Luis Jalandoni, chief negotiator of the Communist Party of the Philippines, separately said the talks had been tentatively set for Oslo, Norway from Feb. 19 to 25. Jalandoni described the preliminary talks in Hong Kong as “fruitful, meaningful and cordial.”.... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20101205hed2.html

Aussie’s revised travel advisory ‘a significant development’ — Malacañang 12/05/2010

Aussie’s revised travel advisory ‘a significant development’ — Malacañang

12/05/2010
Malacañang has taken the revised travel advisory issued by the Australian government against the Philippines that is still grounded on the issues of terrorism on a positive note, even calling it a “significant development,” just because of the mere fact that the “imminent threat” assertion has finally been omitted.

Deputy presidential spokesman Abigail Valte yesterday said these revisions serve as reason enough to claim that President Aquino’s previous demands extended to foreign governments during the height of the travel alerts issue have not been taken for granted.

According to Valte, Australia is already the second country, next to France, that has revised its travel warning by removing that “imminent” terror attacks principle and this certainly is a pleasing development insofar as the Philippine government is concerned.

“We’ve already said that we are very happy with what has happened because it shows us that our efforts to have the advisories revised are bearing fruit. The revision of the Australian travel advisory is a significant development because they have taken out that part which really served as the bone of contention,” Valte told reporters in a press briefing aired over radio dzRB..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20101205hed3.html

US leads allies in waging cyber wars vs WikiLeaks 12/05/2010

US leads allies in waging cyber wars vs WikiLeaks

12/05/2010
GENEVA — The Swiss address of whistleblowing Web site WikiLeaks was up and running again after migrating to new servers to buck closure by its US host, the group which owns the name yesterday said.
“About two hours after the deactivation of wikileaks.ch by EveryDNS.net we acquired a heap of redundant DNS Servers,” the Swiss Pirates Party said.

It earlier listed another 21 alternative Web sites where WikiLeaks could also be found, many of them European domain names and including its German counterpart.

The Swiss Pirates Party, which campaigns for Internet freedoms and transparency, was founded in 2009.
Denis Simonet, who heads the group, told Agence France Presse it had registered the domain name wikileaks.ch six months ago..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20101205hed4.html

Noynoy gives Cabinet men tenure assurance 12/05/2010

Noynoy gives Cabinet men tenure assurance

12/05/2010
President Aquino issued a blanket assurance to Cabinet members against a shake-up yesterday, saying he does not plan to remove any of his officials from their respective positions.

Deputy presidential spokesn Abigail Valte said she has spoken with Aquino to know from him the truth about rumors of a Cabinet revamp.

“No less President Aquino said that his Cabinet officials got a very high approval rating so there is no reason for him to replace them because even the public itself sees that they are performing. The President stressed that there will be no Cabinet revamp this year,” Valte told reporters.

Valte issued the statement in response to rumors circulating at the House of Representatives that Social Welfare and Development Secretary Corazon Soliman will be replaced soon by defeated Liberal Party
senatorial candidate Risa Hontiveros..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20101205hed5.html

Ship with 24 Chinese crew sinks off Batanes; 10 missing 12/05/2010

Ship with 24 Chinese crew sinks off Batanes; 10 missing

12/05/2010
Ten Chinese crew members were missing after their vessel sank in the waters off the Philippines, the Philippine Coast Guard and police yesterday said.

The Panamanian cargo vessel m/v Hong Wei, with 24 Chinese crewmen, sank off the Batanes islands around 3:20 p.m. Friday.

Fourteen crewmen were rescued by a passing ship and a Taiwan Coast Guard vessel, they added..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20101205hed6.html

DoLE to accredit Hong Kong insurance companies 12/05/2010

DoLE to accredit Hong Kong insurance companies

12/05/2010
Vice President Jejomar Binay, presidential adviser on OFW concerns, yesterday directed the Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) to sit down with the Insurance Commission and the other members of an Inter-Agency Committee to discuss the possibility of accrediting Hong Kong based insurance companies that can provide insurance coverage mandated under RA 10022 as well as other operational concerns over the insurance requirements.

The vice president issued the directive in the light of complaints from Hong Kong employers over the compulsory insurance requirement of RA 10022 despite the fact that they already provide insurance coverage for their foreign domestic helpers.

Binay’s move was also prompted by a report from the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) in Hong Kong that the General Chamber of Hong Kong Manpower Agencies are open to extending the insurance coverage already being provided to foreign domestic helpers to comply with the insurance benefits set out in RA10022..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/nation/20101205nat3.html

Bishop laments snail’s paced litigations vs Marcopper 12/05/2010

Bishop laments snail’s paced litigations vs Marcopper

12/05/2010
“Justice delayed is justice denied.”

Thus said Boac Bishop Reynaldo Evangelista referring to a decade of the mining incident in Marinduque and nothing has happened yet.

“The most important thing here is environmental justice that the Diocese of Boac and the Marinduque province are hoping for,” he said..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/nation/20101205nat5.html