Swearing in SHE SAYS Dinah S. Ventura 06/23/2010

Swearing in

SHE SAYS Dinah S. Ventura 06/23/2010 Sen. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino’s sisters Ballsy Aquino-Cruz, Pinky Aquino-Abellada and Kris Aquino-Yap have already inspected the Quirino Grandstand at Rizal Park in Manila where his inauguration as the Philippines’ 15th president will take place on June 30. The family wants the inauguration rites to be simple. When President-elect Aquino calls on Malacañang on June 30 and rides in a limousine with outgoing President Arroyo to the Quirino Grandstand, the Filipino people will be watching. No doubt many will be looking avidly at what people are wearing or where Noynoy’s famous sister Kris will be seated. The wags will talk about who were there and who weren’t, and what the new President said. Indeed, the upcoming presidential inauguration is on everybody’s minds — well, most everybody’s, that is. For some people, it’s a formality that has ceased to have meaning, certainly not after one too many presidents had fudged the job they swore to do. Is President-elect Aquino up to the job ahead? Before his proclamation by Congress, he had told reporters that for his inauguration (although he did not want to sound too presumptuous), he wanted the event to be “a people’s celebration” before the “hard work” begins — that is, before “all the problems of the Arroyo administration were ‘passed on to us,’” he is quoted in the report. For now, at least, one thing has been settled. After all the furor about the Gloria Arroyo-appointed Chief Justice that Aquino had requested she leave off for the next president, he has invited Associate Justice Conchita Carpio-Morales of the Supreme Court to administer his oath of office on June 30. After all, he had already made it clear that if elected, he would not want to be sworn in by Arroyo’s former legal adviser and appointed Chief Justice Renato Corona.... MORE Source:  The Daily Tribune URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20100623com7.html

COMMENTARY EDITORIAL Different strokes for different presidents FRONTLINE Senate politics FEATURE Sex education debate heats up in Philippines MR. EXPOSE Carry on, V-nay C.R.O.S.S.R.O.A.D.S JPE’s notes; Abalos’ point HE SAYS The spare tire SHE SAYS Swearing in

Binay challenges Noynoy: Deliver on campaign vows By Gerry Baldo 06/23/2010

Binay challenges Noynoy: Deliver on campaign vows

By Gerry Baldo 06/23/2010 Vice President-elect Jejomar Binay yesterday dared President-elect Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino to make good on his campaign promises, particularly on what he would do to stem the growing poverty and helplessness among the millions of poor Filipinos. Binay, in an interview yesterday, said the incoming government should act drastically to stop the oil companies from increasing the prices of gasoline and other petroleum products.  Binay also stresed that the government should stop the operators of the South Luzon Expressway (Slex) from increasing its toll rates. He pointed out that the government — specifically the President — can simply stop the implementation of the gasoline price and toll rate increases it if does not want to be part of the system that would further burden the people. “It really is very simple. Just don’t implement the increases,” Binay said. Binay, who ran under the banner of the Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino, reminded the incoming Aquino administration about the promises it made to the people. “I repeat it this early. The President-elect has just finished coming up with his pledges to the people (one of which is to ease the living conditions of the poor). Why can’t this (high prices in oil and toll rates) be stopped by the new administration? Just stop it. Stop its implementation,” he stressed. toll rates) be stopped by the new administration? Just stop it. Stop its implementation,” he stressed. The Vice President-elect pressed the incoming Aquino administration to scrap the value added tax (VAT) on tollways. “This is the first test for the new administration in its determination to fulfill the campaign promise to improve the lives of our people,” he said. Binay said the new administration must analyze the reason behind imposing such tax since it is of dubious legality as nowhere in the Republic Act 9337, the Reformed VAT Law of 2005, does it allow its imposition on tollway users. “A line-by-line reading of RA 9337 will not yield a single provision authorizing the collection of VAT on expressway fees,” Binay said. He said the law expands the coverage and raises the rate of VAT from 10 to12 percent, but toll road use is not among the goods and services enumerated. In the absence of a law authorizing its collection, Binay urged the BIR to stop adding to the difficulties of the people and recall Revenue Memorandum Circulars 30-2010 , 72-2009 , 52-2005, which all stated that toll fees were subject to the VAT.... MORE Source:  The Daily Tribune URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20100623hed1.html

HEADLINES Binay challenges Noynoy: Deliver on campaign vows DFA careerists to go on mass leave if Romulo is retained Bangit: Some AFP officials engaged in partisan politics DoJ chief: Susano may face raps on CF card issue Loyal to the end, Neri warns ‘honest men’ on joining gov’t New book critiques Arroyo administration

DFA careerists to go on mass leave if Romulo is retained By Michaela P. del Callar 06/23/2010

DFA careerists to go on mass leave if Romulo is retained

By Michaela P. del Callar 06/23/2010 Department of Foreign Affairs career diplomats have threatened to take a mass leave should President-elect Benigno Aquino III retain DFA Secretary Alberto Romulo whom they have accused of engaging in political turncoatism, incompetence and mishandling of an allegedly graft-tainted passport project. Aquino was quoted as saying that Romulo is a long-time friend of the Aquinos and praised Romulo for being the first among the Arroyo Cabinet officials who publicly announced support for his (Noynoy) candidacy for president. Talk is rife that Romulo will be retained in his post for at least one year, apparently to warm the DFA seat for a losing Liberal Party official, as losers in the elections are slapped with a one-year ban from being appointed to a government position. The 300-strong Union of Foreign Service Officers or Unifors called Romulo a “major impediment” to the DFA’s forward movement. They said they would back Aquino but warned him against extending the term of Romulo, noting that throughout the six years of President Arroyo’s administration, he was its “main representative to the world and its principal defender.” “While he did come out to voice his support for the Aquino candidacy, he did not do the honorable move of resigning immediately from the Cabinet and instead came out with the confusing mixed message of ‘I am standing by the President (Arroyo) until the end of her term and beyond.’ This was fence-sitting of the highest order,” the union said in a June 20 letter sent to Aquino. A copy of the protest letter, which was signed by union president and DFA Assistant Secretary for Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) Affairs Victoria Bataclan, was obtained by the Tribune Tuesday. Bataclan and the diplomats’ union said there is “widespread opposition in the DFA to the reappointment of Romulo to his current position, while there is also the fear of reprisal silencing those who would like to take a more public stand.” “Six years is too much. We can not take it anymore. We are prepared to go on mass leave if he stays,” one senior diplomat told the Tribune.... MORE Source:  The Daily Tribune URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20100623hed2.html

HEADLINES Binay challenges Noynoy: Deliver on campaign vows DFA careerists to go on mass leave if Romulo is retained Bangit: Some AFP officials engaged in partisan politics DoJ chief: Susano may face raps on CF card issue Loyal to the end, Neri warns ‘honest men’ on joining gov’t New book critiques Arroyo administration

Bangit: Some AFP officials engaged in partisan politics By Mario J. Mallari 06/23/2010

Bangit: Some AFP officials engaged in partisan politics

By Mario J. Mallari 06/23/2010 Former Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Chief of Staff Gen.Delfin Bangit, as he retired from the service yesterday, threw a broadside broadly hinting that some military officials could have engaged in partisan politics during the last May 10 national elections which could have meant being part of the electoral fraud. In his retirement speech, Bangit repeatedly thanked military troops for maintaining their professionalism during the last presidential elections but hinted broadly that some active AFP personnel could have failed to perform as ordered and as expected. “When I pleaded that you stay out of politics during the last elections, most of you did. I cannot ask for more. I am proud of you, so proud. As for the rest, we leave them to the next leadership to deal with,” said Bangit. Prior to the presidential elections, there were reports that then presidential candidate and now incoming President Benigno Aquino III had met with some active officials of the AFP. Aquino himself had confirmed this, even mentioning some names. Among those mentioned in the reports was AFP-Eastern Mindanao Command chief Lt. Gen. Raymundo Ferrer, who vehemently denied meeting with Aquino. But even as Ferrer denied it, Aquino insisted that he had already said he met with Ferrer and a group of active military officers and that he wasn’t going to backtrack on his earlier statement. Ferrer, the administrator of martial law in Maguindanao province, became controversial after publicly expressing disenchantment over the promotion of members of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) Class of 1978, particularly that of Army chief Lt. Gen. Reynaldo Mapagu last March.... MORE Source:  The Daily Tribune URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20100623hed3.html

HEADLINES Binay challenges Noynoy: Deliver on campaign vows DFA careerists to go on mass leave if Romulo is retained Bangit: Some AFP officials engaged in partisan politics DoJ chief: Susano may face raps on CF card issue Loyal to the end, Neri warns ‘honest men’ on joining gov’t New book critiques Arroyo administration

DoJ chief: Susano may face raps on CF card issue By Benjamin B. Pulta 06/23/2010

DoJ chief: Susano may face raps on CF card issue

By Benjamin B. Pulta 06/23/2010 Losing Quezon City mayoralty candidate, Rep. Annie Susano, may face a criminal indictment for her unexplained possession of the compact flash cards (CF) supposedly used by the Commission on Elections (Comelec) for last May’s elections. Acting Justice Secretary Alberto Agra said that under election laws, mere possession of election paraphernalia, which are all “accountable documents,” is punishable with either a fine or prison term, or both. Agra said Susano was supposed to meet with him, Comelec Commissioner Jose Melo and the other commissioners, but that the meeting did not push through because some of the commissioners were unavailable. He said that based on the Comelec’s inventory of all CF cards and Precinct Count Optical Scan (PCOS) machines, there were missing main and backup cards. The card found in Susano’s possession, Agra said, turned out to be the main CF card assigned to Barangay Bahay Toroin QC.  Quoting the Comelec officials that he had interviewed, the results of the CF card in Susano’s custody had already been transmitted to the Comelec and to the QC board of canvassers before she was able to obtain it. “We have yet to establish how she got the card. We’re checking now on the automated election law (wherein) possession of a CF card would render a person liable. So the question now is, how did she obtain the CF cards? I wouldn’t want to make that conclusion (that Susano is liable) yet until we find out how she obtained the card,” he said. Aside from Susano, he said that the election officer assigned to take custody of the card may also be held accountable for misplacing the card.... MORE Source:  The Daily Tribune URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20100623hed4.html

HEADLINES Binay challenges Noynoy: Deliver on campaign vows DFA careerists to go on mass leave if Romulo is retained Bangit: Some AFP officials engaged in partisan politics DoJ chief: Susano may face raps on CF card issue Loyal to the end, Neri warns ‘honest men’ on joining gov’t New book critiques Arroyo administration

Loyal to the end, Neri warns ‘honest men’ on joining gov’t 06/23/2010

Loyal to the end, Neri warns ‘honest men’ on joining gov’t

06/23/2010 Embattled Social Security System (SSS) president Romulo Neri, who along with former Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman Benjamin Abalos, is facing prison terms for graft related to the botched $329-mil-lion National Broadband Network (NBN) project, gave an advice to those seeking a govern-ment post: Don’t do it if you’re honest and you want to stay out of trouble. Neri, in an implied defense of his innocence from misdeals in the kickback-rich contract, told reporters “it’s hard to keep out of trouble if you’re in the government.” Neri told Palace reporters yesterday that the ordeal that he is going through over the NBN scam was the most significant lesson he has learned from public service under the nine-year Arroyo administration.  “No matter how careful you are, how honest you try to be, it’s hard to... keep out of trouble if you’re in govern-ment. It’s a warning to anybody who wants to join govern-ment,” he said in a chance interview during the launching of President Arro-yo’s legacy books in Malacañang. Neri, however, said he does not bear a personal grudge against Arroyo notwithstanding other people’s perception that she should be held liable for what has happened to him as Arroyo’s fallguy. “The President has to do what she has to do. I respect whatever decision she has done. I’m professionally loyal to any boss. Since the president is my boss, I have to be professionally loyal to her,” Neri explained. Neri, who was then the Socioeconomic Planning Secretary, told a Senate inquiry into the NBN mess that he had informed Arroyo of a kickback offer from former Comelec chairman Benjamin Abalos who was facilitating the deal in exchange for the approval of the project in the National Economic and Development Authority (Neda), which Neri concurrently headed.... MORE Source:  The Daily Tribune URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20100623hed5.html

HEADLINES Binay challenges Noynoy: Deliver on campaign vows DFA careerists to go on mass leave if Romulo is retained Bangit: Some AFP officials engaged in partisan politics DoJ chief: Susano may face raps on CF card issue Loyal to the end, Neri warns ‘honest men’ on joining gov’t New book critiques Arroyo administration

New book critiques Arroyo administration 06/23/2010

New book critiques Arroyo administration

06/23/2010 Everybody seems to be writing books these days, with veteran journalist Joel Paredes unleashing a stirring indictment of the Arroyo administration in his 300-page book Critical Times launched yesterday morning at the Executive House in UP Diliman. Paredes said the nine-year Arroyo dispensation was hounded by scandals from Day 1, and this set the tenor for the rest of the administration. The launch was attended by incoming Vice President Jejomar Binay, who also called for a better deal for 93 million Filipinos in the next six years. The book, a compilation of columns, essays and commentaries on a broad range of subjects, actually beat the release of favorable books on the legacy of Arroyo, who was swept to power in 2001 even without the completion of the impeachment trial of President Estrada by the Senate. Arroyo’s ascension to power was questioned by Washington, Singapore and other foreign governments along with the New York Times and Washington Post.... MORE Source:  The Daily Tribune URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20100623hed6.html

HEADLINES Binay challenges Noynoy: Deliver on campaign vows DFA careerists to go on mass leave if Romulo is retained Bangit: Some AFP officials engaged in partisan politics DoJ chief: Susano may face raps on CF card issue Loyal to the end, Neri warns ‘honest men’ on joining gov’t New book critiques Arroyo administration

Poor excuse EDITORIAL 06/22/2010

Poor excuse

EDITORIAL Click to enlarge 06/22/2010 The incoming president, Noynoy Aquino, rejects the idea of announcing his line-up of Cabinet appointees at this time — save for the earlier ones who had already announced their entry in the Aquino ll Cabinet. Noynoy claimed his reason for not identifying his picks for the Cabinet at this time is that it will be unfair to some four others being considered for the same Cabinet positions to be known since they may be pilloried by the media and others who would want to land the job, too. That is certainly just an excuse — and a bad one at that. What is more likely is that Noynoy has either remained undecided about his choices — which is a sign of indecisiveness — or those he had approached for a job offer may have turned it down, for whatever reason. What, after all, is wrong with the incoming Malacañang tenant making public his choices and alternatives, and having criticisms or praises for those choices he makes? That’s part of politics, and a path toward transparency. And doesn’t Noynoy want the public to know if his Cabinet picks have skeletons in their closets? But it does not appear to matter to Noynoy that some of his appointees to his Cabinet are stained with corruption — the evil he claims he would be slaying. Take the case of his appointed Social Services secretary, Corazon “Dinky” Soliman. The fact that she and her NGOs scammed the Filipino people of P35 billion in their PeaceBonds in 2001 and netted for themselves a cool P1 billion, tax free, with no auditing from the Commission on Audit, certainly does not speak well of his pledge for a corrupt-free government under his stewardship, but protection of his allies.... MORE Source:  The Daily Tribune URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20100622com1.html

COMMENTARY EDITORIAL Poor excuse FRONTLINE Useless peace talks FEATURE Israelis flock ‘back’ to Germany MR. EXPOSE P-Noy losing allies NO HOLDS BARRED Delicadeza AN OUTSIDERS VIEW Electoral statistics and the beautiful game focus US signals better relations with Israel

Useless peace talks FRONTLINE Ninez Cacho-Olivares 06/22/2010

Useless peace talks

FRONTLINE Ninez Cacho-Olivares 06/22/2010 Talking peace with insurgents hardly brings about any peace or peace agreements. What talking peace does, between insurgents and the government, is merely to provide government and its military — as well as the insurgents — some breathing space. This peace talks move is always being brought up by every new government, but ends up with no peace agreement in the horizon, especially when the government is already on the way out. The reason for peace talks not getting anywhere is that the demands of the insurgents cannot be met constitutionally by a government operating under constitutional rules. Take the case of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the Arroyo government’s peace talks, where much was promised by Gloria upon attaining power. The MILF demanded a sub-state, in reality, an independent Islamic state within the Republic of the Philippines, and getting a large slice of the Republic’s territories, a demand which goes against the constitutional grain. Gloria was ready to give the MILF all it demanded, even after having already given the rebels a piece of the territory to control. No agreement was possible, as the high court ruled that this was unconstitutional. But, except for sporadic firefights between rebels and government troops, there was some kind of ceasefire during Gloria’s nine-year stay in Malacañang. Similarly, there were peace talks between the communists and the Arroyo government, but these talks too, collapsed, mainly because the demands were pretty steep. Still, it was during these so-called peace talks with the Reds that some of the communists in self-exile, returned to the country on safe passes, after which, they scurried back to their abodes in Europe, with the peace talks scuttled and government forces fighting it out with the rebels.... MORE Source:  The Daily Tribune URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20100622com2.html

COMMENTARY EDITORIAL Poor excuse FRONTLINE Useless peace talks FEATURE Israelis flock ‘back’ to Germany MR. EXPOSE P-Noy losing allies NO HOLDS BARRED Delicadeza AN OUTSIDERS VIEW Electoral statistics and the beautiful game focus US signals better relations with Israel

Israelis flock ‘back’ to Germany FEATURE 06/22/2010

Israelis flock ‘back’ to Germany

FEATURE 06/22/2010 BERLIN — “My grandmother was three when she had to escape Nazi Germany with her family,” says Shiri Rosen, one of thousands of Israelis to have moved “back” to Germany in recent years. “My great-grandfather was a lawyer, his office was right near here,” the 24-year-old told AFP in a cafe in central Berlin, pointing over her shoulder to a parallel street. “When I was a kid, in Israel, she (her grandmother) bounced me on her knee, singing a song in German ... They were the only words in German I ever heard from her.” Before Adolf Hitler took power in 1933, Berlin had a thriving Jewish population numbering around 170,000, many of them professionals such as doctors and lawyers, or intellectuals and artists. But this vibrant community was decimated in the 12 years of terror that followed as the Nazis murdered six million men, women and children across Europe in their attempt to destroy the Jewish race. Unsurprisingly, once World War II was over and the new state of Israel came into being in 1948, the few Jews who had miraculously survived were loath to stay in Germany, in the “Land der Taeter” (“country of the perpetrators”). But today, decades later, with an ever-dwindling number of Holocaust survivors still around, the scars are slowly healing and Germany is becoming an attractive place to live for many Israelis. A steady trickle has been returning to make use of a law allowing descendants to claim German citizenship. “Germany today is a haven of peace for the descendants of those who, one day, fled the country because they were in danger,” says Ilan Weiss, who moved from Israel 20 years ago. “The fact that Jews are coming here again constitutes for Germany a certificate that it is acceptable again.” In 2008, the last year for which figures are available, almost 2,000 Israelis became naturalized German citizens. Two years earlier, more than 4,300 did so..... MORE Source:  The Daily Tribune URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20100622com3.html

COMMENTARY EDITORIAL Poor excuse FRONTLINE Useless peace talks FEATURE Israelis flock ‘back’ to Germany MR. EXPOSE P-Noy losing allies NO HOLDS BARRED Delicadeza AN OUTSIDERS VIEW Electoral statistics and the beautiful game focus US signals better relations with Israel

P-Noy losing allies MR. EXPOSE Amb. Ernesto Maceda 06/22/2010

P-Noy losing allies

MR. EXPOSE Amb. Ernesto Maceda 06/22/2010 Early P-Noy campaign boosters Billy Esposo of the Philippine Star and Conrad de Quiros of the Philippine Daily Inquirer have turned out to be early critics of P-Noy. Their main complaint: P-Noy has announced defeated vice presidential teammate Mar Roxas is his alter ego and head of his transition team and has allowed him to take active control of the transition and the choice of Cabinet appointments. De Quiros labeled Roxas a doppelganger which means “a ghostly double of a living person, especially one that haunts its fleshy counterpart.” There’s a one-year ban on appointments to a government position for a losing candidate. A losing candidate will be a bitter person who is likely to be vengeful, would not be emotionally stable and objective and would be most likely minded to recoup his expenses using his government position. Giving Mar Roxas so much power and active participation this early in P-Noy’s administration certainly violates the spirit of the law. Roxas lost the election, but he is certainly winning the infighting and getting most of the spoils. We bumped into Peping Cojuangco, Congressmen Amado Bagatsing and Tarzan Lazatin, Undersecretary Wencelito Andanar and 30 leaders of Pinoy Partriots, a citizens movement for P-Noy at Hotel Stotsenberg in Clark CDC Zone. They were highly critical of Mar Roxas. They even claimed that Mar Roxas went solo in his campaign when his survey ratings zoomed up to 53 percent and Noynoy dropped to 37 percent. Joining the unhappy group of Noynoy originals are Pastor Boy Saycon, Maria and Boy Montelibano and other leaders of the yellow army. President Ramos has advised P-Noy to start reconciling with his political enemies. It looks like he has a bigger problem with his political allies. By his policy of not “hurting” Mar Roxas, he is hurting so many other people. Nine days before inauguration day, P-Noy has not announced his Cabinet. It is clear that the P-Noy administration will not hit the ground running. And it takes three to six months for a Cabinet member to learn the job and take control of his department including choosing his key people.... MORE Source:  The Daily Tribune URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20100622com4.html

COMMENTARY EDITORIAL Poor excuse FRONTLINE Useless peace talks FEATURE Israelis flock ‘back’ to Germany MR. EXPOSE P-Noy losing allies NO HOLDS BARRED Delicadeza AN OUTSIDERS VIEW Electoral statistics and the beautiful game focus US signals better relations with Israel

Delicadeza NO HOLDS BARRED Armida Siguion-Reyna 06/22/2010

Delicadeza

NO HOLDS BARRED Armida Siguion-Reyna 06/22/2010 As others grapple with whether to yellow or not to yellow come the June 30 inauguration of the incoming administration, in Congress factions are intensely preparing —scheming is perhaps the better word — to elect their leaders. In the upper house, an emissary is supposed to have been sent to woo Senate President Juan Ponce-Enrile’s vote for Sen. Manuel Villar’s “return of the comeback” to the Senate presidency, but the re-elected senator is not biting. “Nothing personal,” media reports my brother to have clarified. “This has to do with delicadeza.” Recall that sometime in November of 2008, 13 senators — Mar Roxas, Chiz Escudero, Jinggoy Estrada, Ping Lacson, Jamby Madrigal, Lito Lapid, Greg Honasan, Bong Revilla, Rodolfo Biazon, Dick Gordon, Miguel Zubiri, Edgardo Angara and Loren Legarda — ousted Villar and installed JPE Senate president. Nine were pinpointed to have instigated the ouster: Roxas, Lacson, Madrigal, Honasan, Biazon, Gordon, Zubiri, Angara and Legarda. Escudero, Lapid, Revilla and Estrada were the late additions that comprised the 13 necessary votes. Then, as now, 13 can make or break a Senate chief, so who says it’s unlucky? Senator-siblings Alan Peter and Pia Cayetano stayed on Villar’s side, as did Joker Arroyo, Nene Pimentel and Francis Pangilinan. Noy Aquino abstained and Miriam Santiago was absent. That was how loyalties ran then. A year later, Legarda made a complete turn-around to be on the Villar side of things, without so much as “ni ha, ni ho.” As did Angara, and, according to some quarters, history will judge them, I won’t. This now is a different ball game, there will be a loyalty shift.  For starters, Roxas, Madrigal, Gordon, Biazon, Pimentel and Aquino are no longer in the Senate; Bongbong Marcos and TG Guingona III are in; Frank Drilon, Tito Sotto and Ralph Recto are back; Lacson is yet to resurface; Antonio Trillanes IV still can’t vote; Honasan is again in JPE’s group, which includes Sotto and Estrada. “We will decide who to align with,” JPE explains. “We will vote as a bloc, that’s our agreement.”... MORE Source:  The Daily Tribune URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20100622com5.html

COMMENTARY EDITORIAL Poor excuse FRONTLINE Useless peace talks FEATURE Israelis flock ‘back’ to Germany MR. EXPOSE P-Noy losing allies NO HOLDS BARRED Delicadeza AN OUTSIDERS VIEW Electoral statistics and the beautiful game focus US signals better relations with Israel

Electoral statistics and the beautiful game AN OUTSIDERS VIEW Ken Fuller 06/22/2010

Electoral statistics and the beautiful game

AN OUTSIDERS VIEW Ken Fuller 06/22/2010 For someone professionally or academically interested (or, like this outsider, with little better to do), electoral statistics are endlessly fascinating. Setting out with the intention of analyzing the performance of the left-wing party-list groups in the May 10 election, I soon found myself side-tracked by statistical curiosities. Look, for example, at how the number of registered voters has increased over the past three elections. 2004: 43,536,028 2007: 45,029,443 2010: 50,723,733 While between 2004 and 2007 the number increased by less than two million, in the succeeding period it rose by more than double that rate. This may not be as anomalous as it seems at first sight, of course, as the number on the register is not determined solely by the birth-rate 18 years earlier but also by the active encouragement to register. Just as interesting are the fluctuations in the numbers of people who actually voted in the party-list elections, and the number of groups accredited or, in the case of 2010, appearing on the ballot paper (the figures for 2010 are provisional, as according to Comelec there is, once the results of the special elections are canvassed, a possible maximum of 30,626,579 party-list votes). YEAR VOTERS GROUPS 2001 15,118,815 162 2004 12,721,943 66 2007 30,056,695 93 2010 29,441,706 179.... MORE Source:  The Daily Tribune URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20100622com6.html

COMMENTARY EDITORIAL Poor excuse FRONTLINE Useless peace talks FEATURE Israelis flock ‘back’ to Germany MR. EXPOSE P-Noy losing allies NO HOLDS BARRED Delicadeza AN OUTSIDERS VIEW Electoral statistics and the beautiful game focus US signals better relations with Israel

US signals better relations with Israel

US signals better relations with Israel

focus 06/22/2010 WASHINGTON — The United States signaled Sunday strained relations with Israel were on the mend, announcing White House talks with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu early next month and backing him to the hilt over his plans to ease a four-year blockade of the Gaza Strip. The July 6 meeting between Netanyahu and US President Barack Obama, announced by the White House, will also provide the leaders with an opportunity to inject some fresh momentum into the moribund Middle East peace process. Damaged by a row over Jewish settlements in east Jerusalem and the West Bank, the state of the all-important US-Israel relationship was placed under the microscope by the deadly raid on May 31 on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla. Israel on Thursday bowed to international pressure and agreed to loosen restrictions on what goods are allowed in and out of the Palestinian enclave, fleshing out those proposals on Sunday. The United States was fulsome in its praise for the plans, saying they “should improve life for the people of Gaza” and pledging US assistance to make sure they are implemented as quickly as possible. “We urge all those wishing to deliver goods to do so through established channels so that their cargo can be inspected and transferred via land crossings into Gaza,” White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said.... MORE Source:  The Daily Tribune URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20100622com7.html

COMMENTARY EDITORIAL Poor excuse FRONTLINE Useless peace talks FEATURE Israelis flock ‘back’ to Germany MR. EXPOSE P-Noy losing allies NO HOLDS BARRED Delicadeza AN OUTSIDERS VIEW Electoral statistics and the beautiful game focus US signals better relations with Israel

Kris A peddles choice Senate posts for LP bet By Angie M. Rosales 06/22/2010

Sisters vet Cabinet bets, are behind Noynoy’s major decisions Kris A peddles choice Senate posts for LP bet By Angie M. Rosales 06/22/2010 It didn’t take long for the Aquino sisters, chief among them, television celebrity Kris Aquino, to wield power and influence and interfere in state affairs, not only in the Executive branch of government, but also in the Legislature, more specifically in the Senate at this time. While the youngest sister of President-elect Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino was busy calling up several senators again, this time peddling choice committee chairmanships in exchange for their vote to ensure the Senate presidency seat for Liberal Party’s Sen. Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan, the other sisters, Ballsy Aquino-Cruz and Pinky Aquino-Abellada, were at their brother’s residence in Times Street, meeting the vetted Cabinet choices and informing them what they ought to be doing as Cabinet secretaries of Noynoy, who was also present at the meeting, reportedly giving the selected officials their “marching orders,” as earlier approved with the sisters. It is an open secret that the sisters of the incoming president are consulted by him, and most, if not all decisions made, and being made, arrived at after consulting them.  A reliable Senate source disclosed to the Tribune yesterday that presidential sister Kris Aquino has not stopped calling up the senators for their vote, this time going a step further and offering several senators choice positions in the upper chamber, as committee chairmen in the incoming Senate. It is presumed that this has the approval of her brother Noynoy, as she alone cannot promise these choice committee seats — ranging from the Senate President pro-tempore, to the Majority leader, to the finance and ways and means committee, as well as offers from her for some senators to be able to retain their previous chairmanships in the incoming Congress—in exchange for giving their vote to Pangilinan, who is the spouse of movie and TV celebrity Sharon Cuneta. It was also reported earlier that the LP bet for the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Felicisimo “Sonny” Belmonte had stated that Noynoy Aquino had informed him that he wanted a say in the assignment of committee chairmanships, which is deemed as clear inteference in the affairs of a independent and co-equal branch of government by the incoming president.... MORE Source:  The Daily Tribune URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20100622hed1.html

HEADLINES Kris A peddles choice Senate posts for LP bet Nothing unusual in SC review of HLI — Palace Bangit bids final goodbye to AFP Comelec commissioner’s son kidnapped Senate likely to recall security detail to whistleblowers Sandiganbayan issues arrest warrant against Neri; ex-Neda chief posts bail

Nothing unusual in SC review of HLI — Palace 06/22/2010

Nothing unusual in SC review of HLI — Palace

06/22/2010 Malacañang said yesterday it does not see anything peculiar about Chief Justice Renato Corona’s order to review a long-standing labor dispute in Hacienda Luisita Inc. (HLI) in Tarlac owned by the Cojuangco family of President-elect Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III adding that it is a regular course of the judicial process. Corona only reacted to a case properly filed by a group representing the employees of the hacienda so it’s given due course and it is expected that this will be properly processed by the Supreme Court, President Arroyo’s spokesman Gary Olivar said.  “This is a regular court action and we trust that it will be processed appropriately and expediently by our justice system,” he added. The order is being linked to Aquino’s rejection of Corona as head of the Supreme Court and his refusal to take his oath of office as president from the Chief Justice who was appointed to the post by outgoing President Arroyo. “We should certainly give the benefit of the doubt and have a high regard for the character of the Chief Justice and the President-elect, that they will behave appropriately as required by their respective positions. There is no reason for us to lower our regard for either these gentlemen as this case proceeds,” Olivar said.  “It has been properly filed, there are interested parties and I see no reason to read anything more into this incident,” Olivar added. Aggrieved farm workers of the 6,453 hectare sugar estate, meanwhile, welcomed the order of Corona to give priority on the review of the land reform row on Hacienda Luisita. “The order for review is welcome news. We hope this won’t be the beginning of another false start. We hope this is the beginning of an end to a sugar coated reign and long-running feudal exploitation inside Hacienda Luisita,” the Unyon ng Mga Manggagawa Sa Agrikultura (UMA), the Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP), the Amihan peasant women federation and the left leaning fisherfolk alliance Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya) said in a joint statement in reaction to Chief Justice recent order for a review on the Hacienda Luisita land row case..... MORE Source:  The Daily Tribune URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20100622hed2.html

HEADLINES Kris A peddles choice Senate posts for LP bet Nothing unusual in SC review of HLI — Palace Bangit bids final goodbye to AFP Comelec commissioner’s son kidnapped Senate likely to recall security detail to whistleblowers Sandiganbayan issues arrest warrant against Neri; ex-Neda chief posts bail

Bangit bids final goodbye to AFP By Mario J. Mallari 06/22/2010

Bangit bids final goodbye to AFP

By Mario J. Mallari 06/22/2010 It’s final. Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Chief of Staff Gen. Delfin Bangit is retiring today as chief of the 120,000-strong organi-zation, giving way to incoming President Benigno Aquino III’s choice as military chief when he assumes office on June 30. Outgoing President Arroyo has already accepted Bangit’s request for an early retirement which takes effect today, her spokesman Ricardo Saludo told reporters via short messaging service yesterday. Saludo added that following the recom-mendation of the AFP Board of Generals, Arroyo has designated AFP Vice Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Nestor Ochoa to suc-ceed Bangit in an acting capa-city until the next Commander-in-Chief, names his choice for the top post. Bangit’s decision to file for an early retirement stemmed from Aquino’s public refusal to retain him in office owing to his alleged questionable appointment since his predecessor, Ret. Gen.  Victor Ibrado, vacated the post right when the election ban on midnight appointments took effect. Apart from this, Aquino has perceived that Bangit might be beholden to Arroyo given the fact that he has been among her longest-serving generals whose loyalty has been aptly rewarded gradually through promotions. Bangit reportedly took Aquino’s snide remarks seriously and this eventually drove him to file for an early retirement instead of accepting the lower rank. AFP spokesman Lt. Col. Arnulfo Marcelo Burgos Jr. yesterday confirmed there is a scheduled change of command ceremonies in Camp Aguinaldo at 3 p.m. today, with acting AFP Vice Chief of Staff Ochoa taking over from Bangit in an acting capacity. Burgos said the AFP’s Board of Generals recommended that Ochoa should take command as the acting chief of staff of the AFP today in a retirement and change-of-command ceremony at the post parade grounds. President Arroyo is expected to preside over the turn over rites. .... MORE Source:  The Daily Tribune URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20100622hed3.html

HEADLINES Kris A peddles choice Senate posts for LP bet Nothing unusual in SC review of HLI — Palace Bangit bids final goodbye to AFP Comelec commissioner’s son kidnapped Senate likely to recall security detail to whistleblowers Sandiganbayan issues arrest warrant against Neri; ex-Neda chief posts bail