On a roll Written by Tribune Editorial

On a roll

• Written by  Tribune Editorial

Nonoy truly appears to be on a roll in getting favorable decisions that dovetail with his views from a Corona-less Supreme Court (SC), making the present court perhaps an Aquino court.

The latest SC decision ruled that the acting Chief Justice, who is Antonio Carpio, should head the Judicial and Bar Council, despite the  clear wording of the 1987 Constitution saying that it is the Chief Justice who is mandated to head the JBC.

But to justify that decision, the SC pulled out a 1948 Republic Act 296, Section 12, saying that considering that the complete membership in the JBC is preferable and pursuant to its supervisory power over the JBC, it should not be deprived of representation. It ruled that the most senior justice of the high court, who is not an applicant for the position of Chief Justice, should participate in the deliberations for the selection of nominees for the said vacant post and preside over the proceedings in the absence of the constitutionally named ex-officio chairman, pursuant the Judiciary Act of 1948.

That Act states that “In case of vacancy in the Office of the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, or of his inability to perform the duties and powers of his office, they shall devolve upon the Associate Justice who is first in precedence, until such disability is removed, or another Chief Justice is appointed and duly qualified. This provision shall apply to every Associate Justice who succeeds to the Office of the Chief Justice.”.... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribune.net.ph/index.php/commentary/editorial/item/1180-on-a-roll

Libyan democracy: Regional division, bloodshed mar first post-Gaddafi poll

Libyan democracy: Regional division, bloodshed mar first post-Gaddafi poll

Libyans are heading to polls for the country’s first elections since ousting Muammar Gaddafi. However, reports of pro-autonomy activists attacking ballots and continued unrest by militia groups could see Libya’s democratic dreams go up in smoke.

Anti-election demonstrators have attacked a polling station in the eastern city of Benghazi, setting fire to ballot slips, reports Reuters. Activists burned hundreds of ballot papers before driving off, firing rounds into the air, say witnesses.

The incident is the first sign of unrest during the country’s milestone elections.

Libyan voters will choose from over 3,700 candidates to makeup a 200 strong National Assembly who will then be charged with electing a Prime Minister and a cabinet..... MORE

Source:  RT.com

URL: http://www.rt.com/news/elections-libya-violence-militia-622/

'Bye-bye miss American pie': US pilot mock-sings as missile hits target (VIDEO)

'Bye-bye miss American pie': US pilot mock-sings as missile hits target (VIDEO)

In the latest uproar surrounding American troops in Afghanistan, video has been released of an American pilot singing an impromptu rendition of Don McLean’s ‘American Pie’ at the exact moment a rocket strikes Afghans on the ground.

The video appeared on Liveleak.com and is already generating controversy for a US government that has had to deal with multiple scandals involving deplorable conduct of American troops in Afghanistan.

The video, taken from the cockpit of an AH64 Apache helicopter in the 101st airborne division, shows an air raid on an Afghan roadway. As the pilots close in on the target, they release a hellfire missile. The targets can be seen as little white spots in the middle of the road. They turn to run, and the moment before they are engulfed in flame, one of the pilots comes over the com with his rendition of the most famous line of the American classic..... MORE
Source:  RT.com

URL: http://www.rt.com/news/american-pilot-target-video-582/

UFOs sweep the skies: Orbs spotted worldwide (VIDEO)

UFOs sweep the skies: Orbs spotted worldwide (VIDEO)

Fast flying orbs of light have been spotted in the US and Europe almost simultaneously. While many suggest they were the same UFOs, the question remains: how they could travel so fast?

First the phenomenon was spotted over Salt Lake City, Utah, about a week ago. Then it was also seen in Poland, Greece and Slovakia, some 9,000 kilometers away..... MORE

Source:  RT.com

URL: http://www.rt.com/news/ufo-orbs-usa-europe-612/

Peace talks hampered as detained NDFP consultant forcibly transfered

Peace talks hampered as detained NDFP consultant forcibly transfered

Political detainee and NDFP consultant Alan Jazmines was transferred in the wee hours of the morning and was not allowed to call his lawyer.
By INA ALLECO R. SILVERIO
Bulatlat.com

MANILA — Luis Jalandoni, chief negotiator of the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) in the peace negotiations with the Government of the Philippines (GPH), said the prospects of the peace talks resuming next year are dampened by what he said was “the treacherous and forcible transfer of NDFP Consultant Alan Jazmines from the Philippine National Police (PNP) Custodial Center in Camp Crame to Camp Bagong Diwa in Bicutan.”

According to reports, Jazmines was transferred in the wee hours of the morning last June 29 and was not allowed to call his legal counsel..

“This is a further gross violation of the basic rights of Alan Jazmines, who is not only an NDFP Consultant in the peace talks with the Aquino government. He is also a Member of the NDFP Reciprocal Working Committee for Social and Economic Reforms. This shows utter disregard of his rights guaranteed by the Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees (JASIG) signed by the GPH and the NDFP.Together with the brutal and inhumane treatment of NDFP Consultant Tirso Alcantara, who is kept in isolation in a Philippine Army camp for more than 18 months, and other NDFP Consultants still illegally detained, these have a serious dampening effect on prospects for the resumption of formal peace talks,” Jalandoni said.
Jalandoni said police and legal authorities should immediately explain Jazmines’ sudden, stealthy transfer.

The chairperson of Karapatan human rights group Marie Hilao-Enriquez also slammed the move, decrying “that it reeks of treachery.” She also said the head of the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) Etta Rosales should also take responsibility for the PNP’s action.

“We learned that she was with Supt. Cesar Magsino, chief of the PNP Custodial Center, when Jazmines was transported to Bicutan. The CHR chairperson could have at the very least facilitated Jazmines’s request to talk to his lawyers,” she said..... MORE

Source:  Bulatlat.com

URL: http://bulatlat.com/main/2012/07/06/peace-talks-hampered-as-detained-ndfp-consultant-forcibly-transfered/

Arman Albarillo in the eyes of his Katherine

Arman Albarillo in the eyes of his Katherine

“He lived the way he wanted to live – doing good for the poor, defending them”.
By INA ALLECO R. SILVERIO
Bulatlat.com
MANILA — Katherine Realco and Arman Albarillo were barely in their 20s when they met and fell in love. She was a salesperson in one shop, and he in another – one that made and sold footwear and bags for mountaineering enthusiasts.

“It was my old friend Jenny who really liked him, not I,” she said. Her eyes are behind large sunglasses to hide the truth of how swollen they are from the tears that will not stop flowing. There was, however, a smile in her voice as she recounted her early days with the man who would become her partner and the man who would one day be a much- emulated member of the New People’s Army (NPA) in Southern Tagalog.

It was the year 2000 in Mindoro Oriental. Katherine’s friend Jenny wanted to see Arman in the shop in Calapan where he worked. Katherine had no plans that afternoon, so she accompanied Jenny. Her first meeting with Arman was, to her, nothing to gossip about.

“I wasn’t interested in meeting him. I was there for my friend,” she said.

But it was Katherine who Arman noticed, and unfortunately for the friend, Arman’s attention stayed on Katherine.

“We had a snack, the three of us. He was nice even then, but I wasn’t interested in him,” she said. The three of them talked, and Jenny let on that she and Katherine were going out in the following days and maybe Arman would be interested in joining them. Katherine didn’t remember what he said.

After two days, she ran into Arman at the tricycle waiting station. The small, cramped cab in front of them was already full, so she was forced to sit behind the driver, and next to her was Arman.

“It turned out that he had waited for us the previous day at 6 p.m., the time Jenny said we would be leaving work. It was already 9 p.m., so he asked why I was late. He admitted that he had been there for the last three hours waiting for me,” she said.

That Arman was interested in Katherine was not lost on Jenny, so the two girls had a falling out. Katherine said she never intended for Arman to like her and at first, even made efforts to discourage him, but he was patient and persevering.

“I even thought he was ugly,” she said, again the smile in her voice.

He paid for her tricycle fare that first night, and on the following nights. He also paid for her jeepney fare. One time he asked her where she lived and if it was alright for him to escort her safely home.

“It was impossible not to see how sincere he was, and even impossible to not like him. He had an openness about him, an honesty and sincerity that made one trust him. I told him that if he would go to our house my father would probably go after him with a jungle knife, but he wasn’t deterred. He met my father, shook hands with him and told him that all he wanted was to make sure I was safe at home after work,” she said.

Soon after they became good friends, and soon became girlfriend and boyfriend. It was a simple yet happy life, Katherine said. Arman was goodhearted, and a hard worker. He took classes some days, and worked on others. He took her home with him to San Teodoro town still in Mindoro to meet his parents and siblings. She was warmly accepted, she felt welcome and she was.

“We had our first child Arckian on March 6, 2002. We lived in Calapan, the three of us, but when I was pregnant Arman’s mother kindly offered to help take care of me and the baby until we all got settled. I took a leave from work, and by the end of March,we made plans to visit San Teodoro. Arman called his father and asked if he could butcher a goat so we could all celebrate Arckian’s first baby month. We all looked forward to that visit,” she said.

But tragedy struck in the form of government-sanctioned violence..... MORE

Source:  Bulatlat.com

URL: http://bulatlat.com/main/2012/07/06/arman-albarillo-in-the-eyes-of-his-katherine/

Noy moves vs China reached Written by Tribune Saturday, 07 July 2012

Noy moves vs China reached

• Written by  Tribune
• Saturday, 07 July 2012

Claiming that President Aquino has reached a decision on how to deal with China, which has claimed full sovereignty over the virtually entire South China sea, but will not disclose what he had decided on.

Malacañang refused to tell reporters of the decision Aquino had made on the China-Philippine dispute, saying that changes were quickly made as the full  Cabinet meeting was called off and an executive session was held instead.

Aquino’s spokesman, Edwin Lacierda, said he could not reveal anything that went on during the meeting, since this was held in executive session regarding security matters.

At a press briefing at the Palace, Lacierda took an evasive position, warding off questions from Palace reporters wanting to be updated on the  Cabinet meeting called Thursday afternoon by the President himself.
Lacierda, however, admitted there were personalities whose names were not included in the list of those expected to attend Aquino’s full Cabinet meeting where top government officials were asked to provide an input over the brewing tension with China.

Two legislators from the Senate — Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile and former renegade Navy officer Sen. Antonio Trillanes attended the Cabinet meeting. Both Enrile and Trillanes, Lacierda added, are perceived by the President as credible resource persons on matters of national security, saying the Senate President served as Minister of National Defense for many years under the late strongman Ferdinand Marcos while Trillanes was invited in his  capacity as a Navy officer..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribune.net.ph/index.php/headlines/item/1196-noy-moves-vs-china-reached

Congress leaders still keen on Cha-cha Written by Gerry Baldo Saturday, 07 July 2012 00:00

Congress leaders still keen on Cha-cha

• Written by  Gerry Baldo
• Saturday, 07 July 2012

Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile and Speaker Feliciano Belmonte are set to meet this weekend to thresh out how they can push through with amending the economic provisions of the Constitution even if President  Aquino shows no interest in the issue.

Belmonte said his meeting with Enrile is aimed at expediting Charter change (Cha-cha) given the short period left in the Third Regular Session of Congress which starts on July 23.

“I am going to meet the Senate President this weekend to once and for all settle the issue of amending some economic provisions of the Constitution to further push the country’s bullish economy,” Belmonte told House reporters yesterday.

“Charter change is not yet dead,” he stressed, referring to several proposals that have been pending at the House committee on constitutional amendments for months.

The House leader, however, said the proposal will not take off unless the President supports the move.
“If the President will get on board on this initiative, we have better chances,” Belmonte admitted.
“Theoretically, efforts to amend the Constitution belong to Congress, but we need all his (President Aquino) blessings to make the initiative successful because at the end of the day, he will make the final judgment after Congress passes the amendments and agreed upon by the people through the plebiscite,” he said..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribune.net.ph/index.php/headlines/item/1197-congress-leaders-still-keen-on-cha-cha

The Netherlands presses Noy gov’t to get Dutch aid worker’s killers

The Netherlands presses Noy gov’t to get Dutch aid worker’s killers

• Written by  AFP
• Saturday, 07 July 2012

The Netherlands has asked the Aquino government to hold accountable the gunmen who murdered a Dutch aid worker in an attack that stirred outrage among local activist and church groups.

Dutch Ambassador to Manila Robert Brinks expressed his shock over the killing of Willem Geertman, 67, who was shot by two men in front of his non-government organization’s office in San Fernando, Pampanga last Tuesday.

“Ambassador Brinks noted Geertman’s years of involvement with local development and humanitarian organizations and expressed his sincere  hope that authorities will hold those behind the killing accountable,” a statement released by the Dutch embassy said.

Police had originally identified the victim as “William Geertman” and insisted that robbery remains the primary motive in the incident.

But some activist groups linked the killing to the government’s fight against communist rebels, while others said it was related to a land dispute centering on the redistribution of Hacienda Luisita estate owned by the family of President Aquino..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribune.net.ph/index.php/headlines/item/1194-the-netherlands-presses-noy-gov%E2%80%99t-to-get-dutch-aid-worker%E2%80%99s-killers

SC: Jalosjos keeps House post

SC: Jalosjos keeps House post

• Written by  Benjamin B. Pulta
• Saturday, 07 July 2012

Zamboanga Sibugay second district Rep. Romeo Jalosjos Jr.’s claim to his post has been upheld by the Supreme Court (SC).

In a nine-page decision yesterday, the high court nullified a ruling of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) in June 2010 disqualifying him from the congressional race over a residency issue through a protest by his rival Dan Erasmo.

The high court held that the poll body erred in disqualifying Jalosjos when the polls were already concluded and he had been declared winner.

“The court holds that the Comelec exceeded its jurisdiction in declaring Jalosjos ineligible for the position of representative for the second district of Zamboanga Sibugay, which he won in the elctions, since it had ceased to have jurisidiction over his case,” read the ruling penned by Associate Justice Roberto Abad..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribune.net.ph/index.php/nation/item/1211-sc-jalosjos-keeps-house-post

Casiño may run for senator under NP Written by Charlie V. Manalo Saturday, 07 July 2012

Casiño may run for senator under NP

• Written by  Charlie V. Manalo
• Saturday, 07 July 2012

Former Las Piñas Rep. Cynthia Villar has bared that the Nacionalista Party (NP) headed by her husband, Sen. Manuel Villar, had enlisted four guaranteed candidates for the senator with “graduating Congressman” Teodoro Casiño as possibly the fifth, once a coalition is forged between the NP and Bayan Muna.

The congresswoman revealed that the NP’s senatorial candidates, aside from herself, would include Alan Peter Cayetano, Robert Ace Barbers and Casiño. She however refused to reveal the fifth candidate.
At this point, no coalition with other political parties have yet been forged by the NP, said Mrs. Villar, a three termer congresswoman in the House.

Meanwhile, Zambales Rep. Ma. Milagros “Mitos” Magsaysay yesterday said that if Sen. Franklin Drilon would not apologize for implying that she was less of a Magsaysay, then she would not force the issue.
According to the lady solon, what was important was that the people know the truth.

“I will not force him to say sorry if he stands by the fact that he is in the right. I was not asking for the apology for myself anyway but for the millions of married women affected by his badmouthing,” Magsaysay said..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribune.net.ph/index.php/nation/item/1208-casi%C3%B1o-may-run-for-senator-under-np

Declare as criminal act titling of public waterways — lawmaker Written by Charlie V. Manalo Saturday, 07 July 2012

Declare as criminal act titling of public waterways — lawmaker

• Written by  Charlie V. Manalo
• Saturday, 07 July 2012 

 A bill declaring as a criminal act the illegal titling of public waterways has been filed at the House of Representatives.

House Bill 3436, authored principally by Rizal Rep. Joel Roy Duavit, imposes six months to 12 years imprisonment for the titling, appropriation, encroachment and registration of creeks, esteros, streams, canals, river banks and other public waterways.

“Urban centers have become so crowded that every available space is being encroached upon and titled to the extent that even canals, streams and esteros are being filled up and built over, regardless of the fact that these are properties of the State, alienable, and acquisition thereof is fraudulent,” Duavit said.

Duavit added the bill to prevent or curtail the prevalent anomalous acts of titling, appropriation, encroachment and/or registration of esteros, creeks, canals, streams, and other public waterways is consistent with public order and in furtherance of national interest..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribune.net.ph/index.php/metro-section/item/1189-declare-as-criminal-act-titling-of-public-waterways-%E2%80%94-lawmaker

Suspension of Pantranco franchise awarding hit Written by Tribune Saturday, 07 July 2012

Suspension of Pantranco franchise awarding hit

• Written by  Tribune
• Saturday, 07 July 2012

Labor center Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) yesterday slammed the Aquino government for suspending the awarding of a bus corporation’s franchises to a buyer, siding with the company’s former workers who claim that payment for the franchises constitutes payment for their labor claims.

Former workers of the Pantranco North Express Inc. (PNEI), which was owned and controlled by the government when it went under in the late ’80s, are claiming that their ownership and subsequent sale of the company’s franchises are warranted by a National Labor Relations   Commission decision in their favor.

Last week, Transportation and Communications Secretary Mar Roxas suspended the awarding by the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board of Pantranco’s franchises to a private buyer, questioning the legality of the move..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribune.net.ph/index.php/metro-section/item/1190-suspension-of-pantranco-franchise-awarding-hit

Fact-finding mission finds Geertman killing politically-motivated

Fact-finding mission finds Geertman killing politically-motivated

Witnesses said the killers forced Willem Geertman to his knees and shouted invectives at him before pulling the trigger.

Related story: Dutch environmentalist killed in Pampanga
By INA ALLECO R. SILVERIO
Bulatlat.com

MANILA — It was not a robbery but a cold-blooded political killing. Dutch development worker Willem Geertman’s killing was politically-motivated.

This was the initial finding of a fact-finding mission led by the Promotion of Church People’s Response (PCPR) one day after Geertman was shot to death in L&S subdivision, Sto. Domingo, Angeles City, Pampanga.

According to the PCPR, early noon on July 3, 2012, Geertman had just finished financial transactions at Metrobank and returned to his office when two men shot and killed him. Based on initial findings, one of the men collared Geertman and then forced him down on his knees. As he knelt on the pavement, witnesses said, the two men proceeded to shout invectives at him. Geertman was heard pleading for his life, but one of the men pulled out a gun and shot him on the right shoulder. The bullet entered his chest, almost killing him instantly.

Geertman began his work in the Philippines as a Dutch lay missionary and eventually became the executive director of Alay Bayan Inc. (ABI). He was a staunch advocate of peasant rights and also actively campaigned for the rights of indigenous peoples, particularly members of the Agta people in Sierra Madre. He led education and advocacy activities in disaster preparedness and relief.

He was also a passionate supporter of the struggle of the farmworkers of Hacienda Luisita and their just claim to the land. Through ABI, he gave his continuing support to the Alyansa ng Magbubukid sa Gitnang Luzon (AMGL), the alliance directly working with the Alyansa ng Manggagawang Bukid ng Asyenda Luisita (Ambala).

Kakai Tolention of Katribu Party-list said Geertman was a man who gave his all to the cause of Filipino farmers and indigenous peoples..... MORE

Source:  Bulatlat.com

URL: http://bulatlat.com/main/2012/07/06/fact-finding-mission-finds-geertman-killing-politically-motivated/

Noy’s KKK protection syndicate Written by Ninez Cacho-Olivares

Noy’s KKK protection syndicate

• Written by  Ninez Cacho-Olivares
• Friday, 06 July 2012

Not surprisingly, despite committing a breach in the law on some P12 million purchase of bottled water in just one year, without any bidding done by Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor), as the law states, there went Noynoy and his Palace boys, quickly clearing Pagcor chief Bong Naguiat of any violation of the law, and without even bothering to come up with an investigation before clearing him.

But that was expected of the claimed “honest” government of Noynoy, since Naguiat is a former classmate of Noynoy, and as everyone knows by now, as a presidential classmate, Naguiat belongs to the Noynoy-protected and now infamous KKK that stands for kaklase, kaibigan and kabarilan (classmates, cronies and target shooting buddies).

Pagcor came out with a statement claiming that buying in bulk without bidding has been the practice for so long.

Since that was so, why then did Naguiat and his Pagcor, along with Noynoy, make such a big deal out of the claimed P1 billion spent by Pagcor under Efraim Genuino for coffee? Genuino was chairman of Pagcor for close to a decade, and P1 billion may not seem that huge, if months are added up during his stint.

But Noynoy, in his State of the Nation Address (Sona), expressed not only shock but also anger at how the funds were spent for coffee by the previous administration, and quickly declared the Genuino-Pagcor guilty of corruption.

So why was he so shocked and immediately deemed the previous Pagcor management guilty of corruption, yet in the case of Naguiat, his classmate, there was the quick absolution and defense of his classmate, even if fundamentally, both committed the same violation of the law?.... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribune.net.ph/index.php/commentary/item/1149-noy%E2%80%99s-kkk-protection-syndicate

WikiLeaks releases Syria Files, almost 2.5 mln emails to be published

WikiLeaks releases Syria Files, almost 2.5 mln emails to be published

 The whistleblower website WikiLeaks has announced the release of almost 2.5 million emails derived from 680 Syria-related entities and domain names. They are said to be “embarrassing to Syria, but it is also embarrassing to Syria’s opponents.”

 “It helps us not merely to criticize one group or another, but to understand their interests, actions and thoughts. It is only through understanding this conflict that we can hope to resolve it," the announcement quotes Julian Assange, who is currently in the Ecuador embassy in London, where he is awaiting a decision on his appeal for political asylum.

The website says the files“shine a light on the inner workings of the Syrian government and economy, but they also reveal how the West and Western companies say one thing and do another.“

Italy 'secretly supplied' Syria despite official censure

­The first revelation exposes ties between Italian industrial giant Finmeccanica, which is 30-per cent owned by the government, and Damascus.

Despite the fact that Italy has repeatedly condemned Assad, one of Finmeccanica’s subsidiaries supplied Syria with TETRA, an $50 million interception-proof communications network used by the military and police..... MORE

Source:  RT.com

URL: http://www.rt.com/news/wikileaks-syria-files-revealed-478/

Removal of Lugo, U.S. political maneuvering

Removal of Lugo, U.S. political maneuvering
 
Removal of Lugo, U.S. political maneuvering

On the day of his ouster, lawmakers negotiated a military base
by Stella Calloni

While performing a rapid impeachment against the democratically elected president of Paraguay, Fernando Lugo, on June 22, considered "illegal" by neighboring countries, Paraguayan deputies met with U.S. military to negotiate the installation of a military base in the Chaco, and depopulating a vast territory of the South American country.

The lawmaker, Jose Lopez Chavez, who responded to the Colorado Party splinter group (the Unace) - a coup led by General Lino Oviedo, which has some differences, and is chairman of the Defense Committee of the House, expressed hope "that U.S. military bases will be installed in Chaco, according to ABC Color (www.abccolor.com.py).

According to this environment, the most powerful media complex of the right in Paraguay and key in the removal of Lugo, Deputy Lopez Chavez, accused of mafia behavior, confirmed that he talked with U.S. military leaders about the possibility of installing bases, although the issue is being analyzed by the Pentagon

Speaking to a Paraguayan radio station (789 AM), the legislator argued that "it is necessary" to install these bases, since, in his opinion, Bolivia "is a threat to Paraguay because of the arms race that it develops." He also claims that his country needs to improve its safety in unpopulated areas.

The "humanitarian aid"

The bilateral agreement would be "humanitarian aid to the local population for U.S. troops."  As is known, the "civic action" and "humanitarian aid," has enabled U.S. troops to be in Paraguay, and to be given diplomatic immunity in May 2005.  It is nothing more than a counter-insurgency scheme, spying and population and territorial control. .... MORE

Source:  Pravda.ru

URL: http://english.pravda.ru/hotspots/conflicts/04-07-2012/121555-lugo_operation_condor-0/

Minimum wage for everyone! Scranton, PA mayor takes heat for slashing police, fire dept. paychecks

Minimum wage for everyone! Scranton, PA mayor takes heat for slashing police, fire dept. paychecks

The mayor of Scranton, Pennsylvania says he will defy a judge’s injunction and pay a few hundred city workers only minimum-wage because anything more will bankrupt the sixth-largest town in the state.

Nearly 400 city employees — including police officers, firefighters and staffers with the Department of Public Works — will be compensated with only $7.25 per hour starting with this week’s paycheck and continuing until Scranton can scrape together enough money to avoid bankruptcy.

Mayor Chris Doherty announced last Wednesday that 398 city workers will have their pay adjusted to the federal minimum wage starting with this Friday’s paycheck. On Thursday, July 5, unions representing local firefighters, police officers and other public workers filed a lawsuit to keep the city from breaking the salary agreements that are included in the contracts it has with its employees..... MORE

Source:  RT.com

URL: http://rt.com/usa/news/scranton-pay-minimum-police-526/

Cybercrime Written by Armida Siguion- Reyna

Cybercrime

• Written by  Armida Siguion- Reyna
• Friday, 06 July 2012

They’re still at it, criminals on the internet, on the lookout for the easy-to-gyp, or the lonely.

The easy-to-gyp fall for hoaxes that come via e-mail, letters such as these. The first is purportedly from Nanding Josef, head of the Cultural Center of the Philippines’ Tanghalang Pilipino, and it goes: “Apologies for having to reach out to you like this. I made a quick trip to Segovia in Spain for something urgent and unfortunately, I got attacked by robbers at the hotel where I stayed, all cash and credit card were stolen off me but luckily for me I still have my passport with me.

“I have contacted the police, they only asked me to write a statement about the incident and referred me to the embassy, but the embassy are not responding to the matter effectively and my flight leaves tomorrow morning but I am having problems settling the hotel bills and the hotel manager won’t let me leave until I settle the bills. Well I really need your financial assistance. Please, let me know if you can help me out with 1,150euro so I can settle up my bills as early as possible and return home. As soon as I get home I would refund it immediately.”.... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribune.net.ph/index.php/commentary/item/1147-cybercrime

Daang matuwid, aka ‘palusot’ Written by Jonathan de la Cruz

Daang matuwid, aka ‘palusot’

• Written by  Jonathan de la Cruz
• Friday, 06 July 2012

Now, P-Noy’s daang matuwid’ (straight and narrow path) has taken  a new meaning given the latest statements of Presidential Communications Development and Strategy (PCDS) Secretary Ricky Carandang and Sen. Frank Drilon, two of P-Noy’s closest allies. It is now equivalent to palusot, roughly translated as sly/pathetic excuse, pretence/alibi/false example) which, if we go by the administration’s bloggers, caused the ouster of then Supreme Court (SC) Chief Justice (CJ) Renato Corona. It seems the administration has so imbibed a Goebbels like culture of double speak and sloganeering that it has been passing off white lies and half truths as the real ones. Stretching the truth and name calling are fast becoming second skin to these people, they simply cannot shed these off. Apparently, they are used to such contortions.

Is it any wonder these guys gloried in the perorations of Ilocos Norte Rep. Rudy Fariñas as he skewered then CJ Renato Corona for his alleged SALn palusot? Well, it really takes one to... you know. Let’s take the latest Carandang and Drilon palusots.

Carandang has been quoted as saying that the administration was in dialog with the Chinese to lower tensions in the disputed areas in the South China Sea even as he was taking about plans to ask the United States to send P3C Orion spy planes to “monitor the disputed territories.” Then he proceeds to advise that the move “should not be construed by Beijing as a provocation since the spy planes would not be armed.” How naive if not utterly stupid can one get?.... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribune.net.ph/index.php/commentary/item/1146-daang-matuwid-aka-%E2%80%98palusot%E2%80%99

http://www.tribune.net.ph/index.php/headlines/item/1159-aquino-backtracks-claims-no-request-for-spy-planes

Aquino backtracks, claims no request for spy planes

• Written by  Fernan J. Angeles
• Friday, 06 July 2012

President Aquino again blew cold yesterday after issuing a warning the other day on China over a territorial dispute on South China Sea as he denied reports he had asked the United States for spy planes to monitor a territorial dispute with China in the South China Sea.

Aquino told reporters his country had its own ships and aircraft to keep an eye on the disputed Scarborough Shoal and that he had merely mentioned in an interview that US aircraft could be called upon for help if needed.

It was clear, however, in reporters’ notes of the interview that  it was Aquino who raised the possibility of seeking the use of US spy planes to monitor the disputed areas.

“If you will go through the transcript of the interview, I said ‘We might’ (ask for US help),” Aquino claimed.
“That is where (the interviewers) suddenly introduced the supposed request for overflights, which wasn’t what I stated,” he averred.

Aides said Aquino had made the remarks during an interview with a foreign news agency last Monday.
Subsequent reports of the president’s alleged requests for US spy planes raised concerns within China, with the country warning the Philippines against provocation over the three-month stand-off between the two countries.

“Let us correct that. America is a treaty ally. Where we are lacking in capacity, I think we can go to them and ask that they increase (our) situational awareness,” Aquino said..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribune.net.ph/index.php/headlines/item/1159-aquino-backtracks-claims-no-request-for-spy-planes

US think-tank wish list: 48 F-16 jets, 6 mini subs for AFP modernization

US think-tank wish list: 48 F-16 jets, 6 mini subs for AFP modernization

• Written by  Mario J. Mallari
• Friday, 06 July 2012

A US-based national security think-tank’s assessment of the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ (AFP) modernization is probably a case of wishful thinking.

According to the Center for a New American Security (CNAS), for the Philippines to have a credible military defense capability, it needs 48 F-16 jetfighters, four to six mini submarines, more well-armed frigates and corvette-size combat vessels and minesweepers.

“This level of capability would far exceed current Philippine planning and finances and it would be in Washington’s interest to make it easier for Manila to acquire excess US fighters, frigates and other weapons system and encourage other countries such as Japan and South Korea to help modernize the Armed Forces of the Philippines, it said in an article ‘Defending the Philippines: Military modernization and the challenges ahead.’”

But the AFP has been struggling in its modernization program for over two decades, leaving its Air Force without a single jetfighter interceptor since 2005 and the Navy with old warships, some of them World War II vintage.

Most, if not all, of its aircraft and ships were provided by the United States when the latter was still maintaining its air and naval bases in the Philippines under the RP-US Military Bases Agreement (MBA) until its expiration in 1991 when the Philippine Senate did not extend the MBA..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribune.net.ph/index.php/headlines/item/1160-us-think-tank-wish-list-48-f-16-jets-6-mini-subs-for-afp-modernization

NPA demands firearms as ransom for 3 hostages

NPA demands firearms as ransom for 3 hostages

• Written by  Mario J. Mallari
• Friday, 06 July 2012

Fully-armed New People’s Army (NPA) rebels yesterday raided a mining company in Agusan del Sur province, taking three civilians as hostages, one of them a son of the owner of the mining firm, and have demanded firearms in exchange to the safe release of the captives.

Army 4th Infantry Division (ID) spokesman Maj. Eugenio Julio Osias IV said more or less 30 heavily armed NPA rebels swooped down on the compound of VTO Mining owned by engineer Vivencio Ocite in Ridge Mountain, Purok-11, Barangay Bayugan Tres, Rosario town at around 5 a.m.

“The NPA rebels ransacked the compound and held a certain Dodo Ocite and two others as hostages after disarming security personnel,” Osias said.

The Army official said the NPA band withdrew from the compound at around 3 p.m., taking along the three hostages..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribune.net.ph/index.php/nation/item/1155-npa-demands-firearms-as-ransom-for-3-hostages

MILF: Misuari invited to moro leaders summit

MILF: Misuari invited to moro leaders summit

• Written by  Tribune
• Friday, 06 July 2012

A member of the steering committee of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF)-sponsored Moro Leaders Assembly in Darapanan, Sultan Kudarat, Maguindanao set for today was very hopeful that Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) chairman Nur Misuari would respond positively to its invitation, the MILF Web site luwaran.com announced yesterday.

The three-day gathering, from July 6 to 9, expects to draw at least 500,000 people from Mindanao.
The chairman of the invitation committee, who requested anonymity, disclosed that the invitation letter was personally received by Misuari in Zamboanga City last June 30.

According to him, the invitation was extended to the MNLF leader as a show of respect that it was only proper that he should be at the forefront when the issue of unity of the entire Moro nation was concerned.
The MILF was also reciprocating the invitation sent to MILF chairman Murad Ebrahim for the MNLF Summit Conference in Davao City about three years ago. Murad begged off but sent Ghazali Jaafar, the MILF vice chairman for political affairs, and Sheikh Mohammad Muntassir, head of the MILF da’wah committee..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribune.net.ph/index.php/nation/item/1154-to-moro-leaders-summit

Zaldy Ampatuan to be tried for his involvement in Maguindanao massacre

Zaldy Ampatuan to be tried for his involvement in Maguindanao massacre

• Written by  Benjamin B. Pulta
• Friday, 06 July 2012

The Supreme Court (SC) has upheld  the government’s findings to indict  former Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) Gov. Zaldy Ampatuan for his involvement in the Maguindanao massacre  four years ago.

In a one-page resolution, the SC en banc denied Ampatuan’s petition which sought the reversal of the Nov. 8, 2009 resolution issued by the Court of Appeals (CA) which in turn affirmed with finality its decision to put the former ARMM governor on trial.

“After review of the records, the Court resolves to deny the petition for failure to show that the Court of Appeals committed any reversible error in affirming the May 5, 2010 resolution of the Department of Justice (DoJ) that ordered the reinstatement of the criminal information for murder... against petitioner Datu Zaldy Puti Ampatuan,” the SC said.

The government’s handling of the case’s prosecution has  been marked with outrage of late following the recent murders of key witnesses in the incident which had resulted in the single highest number of deaths of journalists at work.... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribune.net.ph/index.php/metro-section/item/1168-zaldy-ampatuan-to-be-tried-for-his-involvement-in-maguindanao-massacre

Solon faces charges foradvising fugitive Palparan to keep on hiding

Solon faces charges foradvising fugitive Palparan to keep on hiding

• Written by  Gerry Baldo
• Friday, 06 July 2012

Alliance for Nationalism and Democracy (Anad) party-list Rep. Pastor Alcover could face possible charges before the House ethics committee in connection with his statements supporting the continued hiding of fugitive former Rep. Jovito Palparan.

According to Gabriela party-list Rep. Luzviminda Ilagan, the advice of Alcover to Palparan to elude arrest is unacceptable amid a pending warrant of arrest for the former member of Congress who is facing charges of serious illegal detention and physical injuries for the disappearance of University of the Philippines students Sherlyn Cadapan and Karen Empeño in 2006.

Cadapan and Empeño were alleged to have been abducted by elements of the military under Palparan..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribune.net.ph/index.php/metro-section/item/1169-solon-faces-charges-foradvising-fugitive-palparan-to-keep-on-hiding

Nothing to celebrate, no real friendship in master-puppet relations, critics say

Nothing to celebrate, no real friendship in master-puppet relations, critics say

The partnership between US warship builder and developer AMSEC Huntington Ingalls Industries and Hanjin Heavy Industries practically transforms the Hanjin shipyard in Subic Bay into a US military base. – Gabriela Rep Luzviminda Ilagan
Sidebar: Groups disprove Aquino’s selling points in allowing greater US military presence
By MARYA SALAMAT
Bulatlat.com

MANILA – The Philippines observed today the US-Philippine Friendship Day with patriotic groups saying there is no reason to celebrate. The “celebration” only marks the ceremony conducted sixty-six years before in this country when the American colonial government turned over the reins of government to its decades-long trained Filipino administrators.The Americans had first launched a bloody war of conquest followed by years of brutal and deceptive “pacification” that historians said included training local elites for semi-colonial governance.

Today, not much has changed with regard to the US-trained Filipino government. From statements of various patriotic and progressive organizations, the current government led by President Benigno “Noynoy” AquinoIII is as Amboy (American boy) to the hilt as you can get, an out and out “US stooge” based on its numerous new agreements with the US government and military.

It does not help Aquino’s image that since last Sunday more US troops have arrived for “exercises” in Philippine territory. Since Monday this week, the Aquino government is playing host to a nine-day American naval exercise in the Mindanao Sea, off the coasts of General Santos City and nearby Sarangani province. Dubbed as Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training 2012, codenamed “CARAT 2012,” it is being conducted in areas of responsibility of Naval Forces Eastern Mindanao.

Commanding Officer CDR Brandon Bryan followed by Commodore Dave Welch and US Navy other officers disembark from USS Vandegrift during their arrival at Makar wharf Sunday, July 1, Gen. Santos City. (Photo by Cocoy Sexcion / SARANGANI INFORMATION OFFICE)

After forging an agreement early last month with the chairman of US Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Martin Dempsey, the Aquino government came up with a list of seaports, airports, military camps and other facilities, which it is opening up to US troops. It eventually also granted the US military “unprecedented access” and “unrestricted prerogative” to make use of naval and airport facilities in former military bases in Clark and Subic, even without an appropriate treaty.

This week, Aquino infuriated patriotic groups with his request to US for deployment of spy drones over the South China Sea.

Such “open invitation for US intervention is an act of outright treachery,” the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) said in a statement. It added that in doing so, Aquino “is providing the US military the justification and legal cover to carry out military intervention in the Philippines and in the South China Sea.”.... MORE

Source:  Bulatlat.com

URL: http://bulatlat.com/main/2012/07/04/nothing-to-celebrate-no-real-friendship-in-master-puppet-relations-critics-say/

Who’s in charge? Written by Ninez Cacho-Olivares

Who’s in charge?

• Written by  Ninez Cacho-Olivares
• Thursday, 05 July 2012

Something is not right somewhere between the Department of Interior and Local Government and local government units, so much so that it has been noted that neither the LGUs nor the local police force heed the chief of the DILG, Jesse Robredo, and appear to ignore him completely.

But aren’t  local governments under the control and supervision of the Interior Secretary?

If one goes by the what Sulu Gov. Sakur Tan has been saying on the issue of the Jordanian journalist Baker Atyani, it does appear that he refuses to heed Robredo to the point of refusing to launch a search and rescue operations to free the kidnapped journalist and his two Filipino crew from the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG).

Robredo has already confirmed — after weeks of  taking the Tan line that Atyani and his crew have not been kidnapped and that they have been freely traveling from camp to rebel camp while claiming Atyani is an al-Queda conduit set to face criminal raps and jail — that Atyani and the two Filipinos are captives of the ASG..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribune.net.ph/index.php/commentary/item/1101-who%E2%80%99s-in-charge?

Iran boasts it could wipe out US presence in Middle East in minutes

Iran boasts it could wipe out US presence in Middle East in minutes

Iran claims it has the capability to destroy US bases “within minutes” after concluding a massive military exercise in which it launched hundreds of missiles.

­"[US] bases are all in range of our missiles, and the occupied lands [Israel] are also good targets for us," Amir Ali Haji Zadeh, commander of the elite Revolutionary Guard told the FARS news agency.

The three-day Great Prophet 7 training exercise wrapped up on Wednesday. It simulated rapidly releasing batteries of guided missiles and Iran-made drones at mock-ups of US bases..... MORE

Source:  RT.com

URL: http://www.rt.com/news/iran-great-prophet-hormuz-us-bases-416/

Millions of poor Americans will be without health care

 

Pravda.ru photo

Millions of Americans will be poorer without the benefits of health reform after Republican states apply a paragraph of the judgment of the Supreme Court in order to escape administrative responsibilities. About 16 states ruled by Republicans threatened not to implement the clause providing for the expansion of the insurance bill proposed by President Barack Obama two years ago.

Another seven states have criticized the White House program and also indicated that they do not support the statutes of the new health system. If the boycott case materializes, some 11 million people will be out of federal help.

Last week, the Supreme Court ratified much of the regulatory reform of Obama, but clarified that the Oval Office cannot force or fine governments in the case of clause expansion.

This order, virtually suspended by the Supreme Court, required the states to include in the plan help those adult citizens with incomes below 133% of the federal poverty level, currently at $14,400 annually..... MORE
Source:  Pravda.ru

URL: http://english.pravda.ru/society/stories/04-07-2012/121565-health_care-0/

Confirmed: CERN discovers new particle likely to be the Higgs boson (VIDEO)

Confirmed: CERN discovers new particle likely to be the Higgs boson (VIDEO)

Two teams of scientists at CERN have confirmed the discovery of a new subatomic particle, which may well be the elusive Higgs boson, also known as “the God particle”.

­"I can confirm that a particle has been discovered that is consistent with the Higgs boson theory," said John Womersley, chief executive of the UK's Science & Technology Facilities Council.

The result is still preliminary, but “it's very strong and very solid,” according to Joe Incandela, spokesman for one of the two teams hunting for the Higgs particle..... MORE

Source:  RT.com

URL: http://www.rt.com/news/cern-conference-higgs-boson-378/

CEB’s malpractices

CEB’s malpractices

• Written by  Louie Logarta
• Thursday, 05 July 2012

Cebu Pacific Air, the airline firm controlled by the family of 86-year-old John Gokongwei who is reputedly among the richest men in the country with an estimated fortune of about $3.2 billion, is being subjected to a congressional investigation for alleged “business malpractices.”

This is in connection with its steadfast refusal to use the passenger tubes or air bridge facilities which were precisely installed by the architects when they were building the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 (NAIA 3) for the safety and convenience of the paying passengers allegedly because they trying to avoid shelling out the additional P7,000-service fee being charged by management for every flight.

Ever since Cebu Pacific shifted its base of operations from the Manila Domestic Airport to NAIA 3 sometime in 2010, sources claim there has never been one instance when the air bridge was used to accommodate travel-weary passengers in an incoming flight even if it was raining cats and dogs, which saved the company at least P300 million annually.

Well, it’s about time. We had already written about the issue sometime last year in this column, based on complaints we had received through e-mail, but nobody in government cared to listen. Until now..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribune.net.ph/index.php/commentary/item/1099-ceb%E2%80%99s-malpractices

Keeping Luisita at all cost

Keeping Luisita at all cost

• Written by  Charlie V. Manalo
• Thursday, 05 July 2012

History and experience would tell us that no feudal lord would hand over their land to its tillers on a silver platter. And one classic example of this is the Cojuangco-Aquinos.

Since acquiring Hacienda Luisita in 1957 through a government-guaranteed loan, there was no intention on their part to disperse the vast sugar estate to the farmers who have tilled the land for decades, which prompted the government of the late President Ferdinand Marcos to file a case against the family-owned corporation to force the Cojuangco-Aquinos to subdivide the land to its farmers.

However, upon assuming power in 1986, the first thing Cory Aquino had to do was to order then Solicitor General Frank Chavez to withdraw the government case against the Luisita management and then circumvent the comprehensive agrarian reform law through the stock distribution option.

Fortunately for the Luisita farmers, former President, now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, then sitting as chairman of the Presidential Agrarian Reform Council, nullified the SDO and ordered the distribution of the more than 6,000 hectares of land to its farmer-beneficiaries..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribune.net.ph/index.php/commentary/item/1098-keeping-luisita-at-all-cost

‘Be careful,’ Noy aide warns China

‘Be careful,’ Noy aide warns China

• Written by  Fernan J. Angeles
• Thursday, 05 July 2012

PALACE ALSO THREATENS TO ARREST ‘POACHERS’ ON DISPUTED AREAS

President Aquino and his Palace aides were into a vigorous chest beating yesterday, warning Chinese officials in their own language to be careful about what they say over the current territorial conflict in the South China Sea after earlier admitting that the Aquino administration is again running to the United States to seek help on the use of modern-day spy planes to monitor disputed areas.

Palace spokesman Edwin Lacierda uttered in Mandarin “Xiao xin yi dian (Be careful about what you say)” apparently to make the warning plain to the Chinese.

China responded in kind and urged the government yesterday “to act in a manner that contributes to regional stability.”


“We hope the relevant party will do more things that are conducive to regional peace and stability,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Weimin told a daily news conference.

Lacierda also issued a threat on the supposed intrusions in the country’s territory but directed the warning against  poachers, mostly from Taiwan, which China claims to be one of its provinces anyway, that they will be arrested and charged.... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribune.net.ph/index.php/headlines/item/1133-%E2%80%98be-careful%E2%80%99-noy-aide-warns-china

CPP blames Noy gov’t for slay of Dutch militant

CPP blames Noy gov’t for slay of Dutch militant

• Written by  Mario J. Mallari
• Thursday, 05 July 2012

The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) yesterday blamed the Aquino administration for the killing of Dutch environmentalist Willem Geertman in Pampanga on Tuesday, as it condemned the government for the unabated extrajudicial killings of activists in the country.

The CPP, in a statement, blamed that the killing of Geertman and that of Romualdo Palispis in Aurora province, with only a few days interval, to the Aquino administration and its military death squads.

“The successive killings of Palispis and Geertman highlight the continuing campaign of terror and extrajudicial killings being carried out by the reactionary armed forces through its death squads under the Aquino regime’s Oplan Bayanihan campaign of suppression,” said the CPP.

“The murders of Geertman and Palispis call our attention to the fact that extra-judicial killings by death squads of the AFP continue unabated under the Aquino regime,” said the CPP.

Human rights monitors have documented at least 80 cases of extrajudicial killings of progressive activists, many of whom are peasant and anti-mining activists..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribune.net.ph/index.php/nation/item/1136-cpp-blames-noy-gov%E2%80%99t-for-slay-of-dutch-militant

SC asked to review P1.8-B PCOS deal ruling

SC asked to review P1.8-B PCOS deal ruling

• Written by  Benjamin B. Pulta
• Thursday, 05 July 2012

Former Vice President Teofisto Guingona’s suffrage rights group is appealing to the Supreme Court (SC) to take a second look at its June 13 decision which upheld the validity of the P1.8-billion deal between the Commission on Elections (Comelec) and Smartmatic-Total Information Management for the purchase of election computers.

In a motion for reconsideration, the Automated Elections System Watch (AESW), through its lawyer Felix Carao Jr., said the high tribunal erred when it held that the period of the option to purchase the Precinct Counting Optical System (PCOS) machines has yet to expire since the performance security bond amounting to P360 million had not yet been returned to Smartmatic by the poll body. The SC noted that Smartmatic-TIM submitted to Comelec a performance security or bond in the form of letter of credit worth around P360 million or 5 percent of the automation contract, which would fund penalties should it fail to deliver equipment based on contract schedules or for non-performance.

The group argued that the Comelec’s exercise of the expired option to purchase is tantamount to giving Smartmatic-TIM, after its contract ended, a benefit that was not known and available to all bidders during the bidding of the 2010 Automated Election System (AES)..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribune.net.ph/index.php/headlines/item/1130-sc-asked-to-review-p18-b-pcos-deal-ruling

Fugitive ex-military general finds support from rightist solon

Fugitive ex-military general finds support from rightist solon

• Written by  Gerry Baldo
• Thursday, 05 July 2012

A party-list lawmaker, who belongs to the rightist bloc, yesterday urged fugitive ex-general Jovito Palparan to keep on hiding until he could get a fair treatment from the government.

According to Rep. Pastor Alcover of the partylist Alliance for Nationalism and Democracy (ANAD) Palparan should ignore calls for him to surrender.

“Just continue hiding,” said Alcover when asked about the controversy involving Palparan. “With Leila de Lima there (at the Department of Justice), I don’t think we can expect a fair trial.”

Palparan, who was also a former member of Congress representing Bantay partylist during the 14th Congress, is facing two counts of kidnapping and serious illegal detention in connection with the disappearance of University of the Philippines students Sherilyn Cadapan and Karen Empeño in 2006.

Palparan was a commander of a military unit in Bulacan when the incident happened. Leftist groups have tagged him as the “butcher” for his alleged involvement in various killings and other human rights violations..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribune.net.ph/index.php/nation/item/1137-fugitive-ex-military-general-finds-support-from-rightist-solon

Drilon backs out of Senate transfer to UP plan

Drilon backs out of Senate transfer to UP plan

• Written by  Angie M. Rosales
• Thursday, 05 July 2012

The reported plan to transfer the Senate near the University of the Philippines (UP) campus in Diliman, Quezon City is just one of the options and is not yet final, Sen. Franklin Drilon clarified yesterday.
A UP regent slammed the move to have the Senate transferred there.

Relocating the Senate office to a new “address” was first disclosed by Drilon last Thursday, during a weekly Senate  news forum where he mentioned he and two other colleagues tasked by Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile to handle the planned transfer, are examining the possibility of housing the upper chamber to UP Diliman.

This came about after Senate leaders realized they have been spending so much yearly as rental payments, between P110 to P120 million since 1992 to the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) which owns the building where the current upper chamber is operating.

Besides the financial aspect, Senate leaders are also considering the convenience of having the Senate offices being near the House of Representatives in Quezon City for better coordination, especially in the transmittal of vital documents..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribune.net.ph/index.php/nation/item/1138-drilon-backs-out-of-senate-transfer-to-up-plan

Appeals court upholds PRC verdict stripping Hayden of doctor’s license

Appeals court upholds PRC verdict stripping Hayden of doctor’s license

• Written by  Benjamin B. Pulta
• Thursday, 05 July 2012

Budding videographer and gynecologist Hayden Kho may have lost his license as a physician but he will always remain the undisputed Dr. Love.
The Court of Appeals (CA) has upheld the decision of  the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) to revoke Kho’s  doctor’s license.

In a 17-page decision, the Eighth Division of the appellate court dismissed the petition of Kho seeking to reverse the findings of PRC’s Board of Medicine of immorality, dishonorable and unethical conduct against him.

The case arose from the controversial video recording made by Kho of his coital dalliances with a number of nubile women, including starlet Katrina Halili.

The CA upheld the power of PRC to suspend or revoke a certificate of registration and professional license of erring professionals.

“The practice of medicine is not a natural right but a privilege bestowed by the State on those who show that they possess, and continue to possess, the qualifications required by the conferment of such privilege,” stressed the ruling  by Associate Justice Edwin Sorongon..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribune.net.ph/index.php/metro-section/item/1111-appeals-court-upholds-prc-verdict-stripping-hayden-of-doctor%E2%80%99s-license

Lawmaker hits entry of Kris, Bam Aquino into politics

Lawmaker hits entry of Kris, Bam Aquino into politics

• Written by  Charlie V. Manalo
• Thursday, 05 July 2012

Bayan Muna Rep. Teddy Casiño yesterday criticized the reported entry of presidential sister Kris Aquino and cousin Bam Aquino into politics, saying the move of the relatives of President  Aquino betrays their intention to establish a political dynasty which the President himself had been opposing when he was still a legislator.

Casiño said Bam’s decision to run for senator “confirms our view that the senatorial elections will be a contest among old names in politics.”

“Nothing has changed. That’s why there is need to bring in voices of new constituencies in the Senate and encourage candidates who may not have the same political pedigree as Bam but who are equally qualified and competent to be senators,” Casiño said.

Casiño has been vocal on his intention to run for senator, either as a guest candidate on the slate of the Nacionalista Party, the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) or  run as an independent on his own vehicle, the Makabayan Coalition..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribune.net.ph/index.php/metro-section/item/1113-lawmaker-hits-entry-of-kris-bam-aquino-into-politics