Fun or pun VIEWPOINTS Archbishop Oscar V. Cruz 01/19/2012

Fun or pun

VIEWPOINTS

Archbishop Oscar V. Cruz

01/19/2012
\"It’s more fun in the Philippines!” It was supposed to become a big bang. It was meant to be a slam. But sad to say, it immediately caused bad jokes, laughter and ridicule even.

The word “fun” was instantly converted into pun. What was envisioned to stand for joy and delight underwent fast conversion into gloom and tedium. This is not to mention the fact that the supposedly new local tourism sales pitch is nothing more than a poor copy of something the like said of another country in another time. What a pity! And it is precisely intended to sell the Philippines to foreigners over the world. The more cogent questions thus rose so far:

Is it really fun to see a country where fatal criminality regularly happens not only in the streets but also in homes? How could fun be identified with frequent murders and regular robberies, with summary executions accompanied with gross mutilations?.... MORE
Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20120119com7.html

SC orders gov’t, farmers to comment on HLI appeal in Luisita case By Benjamin B. Pulta 01/19/2012

SC orders gov’t, farmers to comment on HLI appeal in Luisita case

By Benjamin B. Pulta 01/19/2012

The Supreme Court has tasked the government and Hacienda Luisita farmers to comment on the appeal of its decision last year ordering the breakup of the nearly 5,000-hectare sugar land estate owned by the Cojuangco clan, of which President Aquino is a member

In an order, the high tribunal directed the Presidential Agrarian Reform Council (PARC), the De-partment of Agrarian Reform (DAR) and farmers belonging to Alyansa ng mga Manggagawang Bukid sa Hacienda Luisita (Ambala) and Farm-workers Agrarian Reform Movement (FARM) to submit their comment on the motion filed by petitioner Hacienda Luisita Inc. (HLI) last month.

HLI has filed a motion for reconsideration and clarification of the high tribunal’s decision by a 14-0 vote last November 22, junking a stock distribution option (SDO) and ordering the distribution of the 4,915.75-hectare estate to its 6,296 workers..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20120119hed4.html

CJ gives witness green light for SALn disclosure By Benjamin B. Pulta and Angie M. Rosales 01/19/2012

NOY’S SENATE JURORS POUNCE ON DEFENSE

CJ gives witness green light for SALn disclosure

By Benjamin B. Pulta and Angie M. Rosales 01/19/2012

After arguments between the lead defense counsel for impeached Supreme Court Justice Renato Corona and the private prosecutor over the submission of the statement of assets, liabilities and networth (SALn) of the head masgistrate, as ordered by the Senate presiding judge, Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, who, along with his Majority Floor Leader, Sen. Tito Sotto, continued to man a tight ship over the impeachment court proceedings, for Clerk of Court Enriqueta Vidal yesterday, the Chief Justice gave the go-signal for Vidal to provide the court with his SALn, telling his counsels he had nothing to hide.

Vidal was reluctant to submit the documents as she said there was a rule on such disclosure, over the possibility of her being penalized by the Senate Court and the Supreme Court, under which institution she works for, the CJ was said to have given permission for the submission of his SALn, with the SC itself saying that she will not be penalized for submitting the documents ordered earlier by the impeachment court..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20120119hed1.html

AFP confident troops to stay neutral amid CJ trial By Mario J. Mallari 01/19/2012

AFP confident troops to stay neutral amid CJ trial

By Mario J. Mallari 01/19/2012

The Department of National Defense (DND) is confident that the 125,000-strong military organization will remain apolitical amid the ongoing impeachment trial against Supreme Court Chief Justice Renato Corona.

At a press briefing yesterday, DND spokesman Peter Paul Galvez said the DND views the ongoing impeachment trial as “an exercise of our democracy.”

“The military and defense (department) will always reiterate non-partisanship… (we have) apolitical stand… especially now that the Armed Forces is continuously professionalizing,” Galvez said. “We believe in our people.”.... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/nation/20120119nat2.html

Thai Prime Minister visits RP today

01/19/2012
Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra is visiting the Philippines today to discuss key bilateral and international issues, including the continuing disputes in the resource-rich South China Sea, a potential flashpoint in the region.

President Aquino is receiving the Prime Minister in the morning to exchange views on concerns of mutual interest to both countries, including bolstering economic engagement between the two countries and share perspectives on the Spratlys conflict and the significant developments in the Association of South East Asian Nations (Asean), of which the Philippines and Thailand are members..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/nation/20120119nat1.html

Gov’t helpless on oil price hikes — Energy chief 01/19/2012

Gov’t helpless on oil price hikes — Energy chief

01/19/2012
The government cannot control oil prices as these are dictated by market forces, according to Energy Secretary Rene Almedras.

Speaking during a forum at the Philippine Information Agency yesterday, Almendras said the government has no right to tell oil companies at what prices to sell fuel because that will be tantamount to regulation, which is against the law.

While the agency is monitoring whether or not the price increases implemented by the oil companies are justified, Almendras also admitted it cannot impose sanctions on the companies in case overpricing is proven.... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

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

Winning bidder to sue DILG chief for botched P242-million contract By Arlie O. Calalo 01/19/2012

Winning bidder to sue DILG chief for botched P242-million contract

By Arlie O. Calalo 01/19/2012

Interior and Local Government Secretary Jesse Robredo and the chief of the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) will be charged with a civil case by a winning bidder of the P242.8-million contract to supply firefighting equipment which was disqualified due to technicalities, a lawyer for the private contractor said yesterday.

Lawyer Harry Roque, who represents the Kolonwel Trading, made good with the firm’s threat to file charges against Robredo and BFP head Chief Supt. Samuel Perez for not awarding the contract.

At a press conference held at a restaurant at the Quezon Memorial Circle, Roque said they will file tomorrow civil charges against Robredo. On the other hand, Perez will be slapped with a separate criminal case before the Office of the Ombudsman, he said..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/metro/20120119met1.html

In the name of God, go! FRONTLINE Ninez Cacho-Olivares 01/18/2012

In the name of God, go!

FRONTLINE

Ninez Cacho-Olivares

01/18/2012
What a difference a good and independent impeachment presiding judge and an equally good majority leader makes.

Presiding judge Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile is fast proving to the nation that indeed, an impeachment court can be as solemn, orderly and dignified as a Supreme Court hearing, with him as a judge in control of the trial.

The difference is clearly seen when compared to the then presiding justice of the impeachment trial of then sitting President Erap Estrada, then Chief Justice Hilario Davide, who allowed the House prosecutors full control of the trial, to the point of not even continuing with the trial after the private prosecutors walked out of the impeachment court, when he, as then presiding justice, could have easily commanded the House prosecutors to continue with the trial under pain of contempt and even disbarment. But it was also just as clear he wouldn’t have done it, since he was not an impartial justice, and worse, was clearly involved in the elite coup d’etat against the Estrada government..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20120118com2.html

Occupy Congress: Money out of US politics!

Occupy Congress: Money out of US politics!

Hundreds of Occupy Wall Street activists have rallied on Capitol Hill to “Occupy Congress”, decrying corporate influence on the American government in a direct message to lawmakers.

­The protesters had permission to hold a rally on the Capitol's West Lawn.  However one step outside the sanctioned area brought the risk of arrest.

Demonstrators were unable to resist the temptation to test the limits of police tolerance, and RT’s crew at the scene witnessed several people being arrested..... MORE
Source:  RT.com

URL: http://rt.com/news/us-congress-corruption-protest-045/

Mideast tensions could spill beyond region - Russia

Mideast tensions could spill beyond region - Russia
 
Russia’s Foreign Minister has reiterated that the international community must allow the Middle East nations to decide their own fate for themselves or the crisis could lead to a war far beyond the region's borders.

Speaking at a news conference on Wednesday summing up foreign policy over the course of 2011, Sergey Lavrov dwelled extensively on the current situation in North Africa and the Middle East. The Russian official said that his country strongly opposed both the violence in the region and foreign intervention in the internal affairs of Mideast countries. He stressed that Russia’s approach to the crisis in Syria was to move to bring an immediate end to the violence and this approach was shared by the League of Arab States..... MORE

Source:  RT.com

URL: http://rt.com/politics/russian-foreign-annual-report-047/

The drums of war!

05.01.2012

by Jagdish Keshav

The drums of war have not ceased with the destruction of Libya. A new war-paint is being donned by the western imperial powers. The tune of martial music now has a Middle Eastern touch to it and the North African one has stopped for the moment.

Syria and Iran are the current focus points. As per the western media, thousands have perished in Syria, killed by Bashir Assad. All of the dead being civilians and rebels. But some reliable sources state that the rebels are not true rebels, but are planted and supported by subversive establishments of the West that have vested interests in this area. And once again, their Goebellian media is blowing up the matter, trying to divert people's minds from the realities that are haunting their societies, mainly economic woes..... MORE

Source:  Pravda.ru

URL: http://english.pravda.ru/hotspots/terror/05-01-2012/120155-The_drums_of_war-0/

Human organ trafficking in Kosovo finds support in the West

17.01.2012

 

Russia will investigate the facts of abuse of its citizens in Kosovo. Russian citizens fell victims to illegal human organ trafficking in Kosovo, and there is big politics involved in the story. The case is directly connected with accusations of illegal organ trafficking that have been set forth against Prime Minister of Albanian Kosovo, Hashim Thaci.

It goes about the events which took place in August 2008. The story took place at Medicus clinic, in Kosovo's administrative center - Pristina. Two Russian citizens, who decided to become donors, had their left kidneys removed for further transplantation. The patients did not receive any money. The Kosovo Albanians used the same scheme to deceive the citizens of several other countries as well..... MORE

Source:  Pravda.ru

URL: http://english.pravda.ru/world/europe/17-01-2012/120254-human_organ_trafficking_kosovo-0/

NATO used its forces to the maximum to take Tripoli

13.01.2012 

 

 

Italy's L'Espresso daily publication wrote that NATO's special forces played the key role when taking Tripoli, the capital of Libya. A participant of the operation shared his impressions with the publication. According to the author of the article, the man, whose story the newspaper published, was struggling with the butchers of Muammar Gaddafi, foreign snipers and killers, who had come to Libya from all over the world. According to him, all of them came to Tripoli to make money by aiming their guns at rebellious people.

The man, who introduced himself as a member of the Italian special forces, said that the secret weapon had been aimed against inexperienced rebels for months. "Those snipers stopped the first groups of the rebels, who entered the Libyan capital," the man said.

.... MORE

Source:  Pravda.ru

URL: http://english.pravda.ru/world/asia/13-01-2012/120229-nato_tripoli-0/

Fisherfolk group calls for ratification of int’l labor pact

Fisherfolk group calls for ratification of int’l labor pact

By INA ALLECO R. SILVERIO
Bulatlat.com
MANILA — The Philippine government should do its best to protect the rights of the country’s 300,000 fishing industry workers.

This was the statement made by the Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya) last week to President Benigno Aquino III as Pamalakaya chairman Fernando attended an international conference titled Empowerment Through Information: Training Program on International and Regional Developments of Relevance to Small-Scale Fisheries and Fishing Communities in Asia” Bangkok, Thailand from January 9-14, 2012.

Hicap said the Philippine government has yet to sign the Work in Fishing convention of the International Labor Organization, which aims to protect the rights of fishing industry workers all the world.

The training program was sponsored by the International Collective in Support of Fishworkers (ICSF) based in Chennai, India. Hicap was invited to speak on issues dealing with protection of small-scale fisherfolk and on the conditions of Filipino fish workers aboard commercial fishing vessels in the country. The conference aimed to be avenue for knowledge-exchange between fisherfolk organizations, the fishery NGOs and social movements and how they can utilize existing international instruments to effectively fight threats to fishing rights and livelihood and assert fishery rights as human rights.

According to Hicap, the ILO’s Work in Fishing Convention can be used by organizations espousing rights of fisherfolk and fishing industry workers to oppose oppressive measures carried out by operators and owners of commercial fishing vessels.

The convention was adopted by government, worker and employer delegatesduring the ILO International Labour Conference in 2007. It came into effect after it was ratified by 10 (including eight coastal nations) of the ILO’s 180 member States..... MORE

Source:  BULATLAT.com

URL: http://bulatlat.com/main/2012/01/17/fisherfolk-group-calls-for-ratification-of-intl-labor-convention/

Prosecutors unprepared, stumble on Day 2 By Angie M. Rosales and Benjamin B. Pulta 01/18/2012

Prosecutors unprepared, stumble on Day 2

By Angie M. Rosales and Benjamin B. Pulta 01/18/2012

Fresh questions about the competence of the House prosecution panel arose yesterday during the second day of the impeachment trial before the Senate with no less than one prosecutor-congressman admitting his panel was not ready to proceed with the first Article of Impeachment and sought a postponement of the proceedings.

Cavite (2nd District) Rep. Elpidio Barzaga Jr. failed to convince Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile to allow them to proceed to item “2” of the impeachment complaint instead of starting numerically with item number “1.”

But it was also found that the prosecution’s “evidence” for Item 2 consisted of computer-generated “documents” from the Land Registration Authority and was questioned by the presiding judge, Enrile, as these were not certified copies and there was no witness to certify to the authenticity of the documents..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20120118hed1.html

GMA faces new plunder rap over PCSO funds misuse By Angie M. Rosales 01/18/2012

GMA faces new plunder rap over PCSO funds misuse

By Angie M. Rosales 01/18/2012

The Senate blue ribbon committee sought yesterday the filing of plunder charges against former President Gloria Arroyo and former Phi-lippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) general manager Rosario Uriarte over the misuse of PCSO funds.

The detained former president and Uriarte were found by the Senate body to have committed plunder, technical malversation of funds among many other charges in handling the agency’s confidential and intelligence funds (CIFs) in hundreds of millions of pesos during her incumbency.

Contained in a 124-page blue ribbon committee report submitted by its chairman, Sen. Teofisto Guingona III, two other officials were also recommended to be charged with graft..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20120118hed3.html

CJ inhibits from SC impeach suits; en banc seeks CA, RTC, MTC groups’ view on SALn release By Benjamin B. Pulta 01/18/2012

CJ inhibits from SC impeach suits; en banc seeks CA, RTC, MTC groups’ view on SALn release

By Benjamin B. Pulta 01/18/2012

Chief Justice Renato Corona will not take part in ruling on the suits now pending before the Supreme Court (SC) questioning the validity of the impeachment court even as the SC put off acting on the petitions seeking the issuance of a temporary restraining order (TRO) to stop Corona’s impeachment trial by the Senate.

Court Administrator and spokesman Jose Midas Marquez said the Court instead decided to consolidate all the five petitions with Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio as member-in-charge.

He added that the high court did not see the urgency in the petitions, and decided not to issue a TRO..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20120118hed5.html

VP Binay orders mandatory interviews for OFW repatriates By Michaela P. del Callar 01/18/2012

VP Binay orders mandatory interviews for OFW repatriates

By Michaela P. del Callar 01/18/2012

All Filipino workers who will be evacuated from conflict-stricken countries will now be interviewed upon arrival in the country, Vice President Jejomar Binay said after the discovery of many underaged workers being sent abroad.

Binay, also a presidential adviser on overseas Filipino workers concerns and chairman of the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT), proposed this measure, saying this would help the IACAT build a database of repatriated Filipinos and offloaded international-bound passengers and determine the manner of deployment.

“It would also help establish a possible pattern of deployment being done by illegal recruiters and trafficking syndicates, minimize re-victimization of Filipino irregular OFWs, minimize repatriation costs,” Binay said..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/nation/20120118nat1.html

Palace admits it can’t stop prices of petro products from soaring By Fernan J. Angeles 01/18/2012

Palace admits it can’t stop prices of petro products from soaring

By Fernan J. Angeles 01/18/2012

At the regular press briefing in Malacañang yesterday, presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said the Aquino government’s hands are tied as it has no control over the brewing tension in the Middle East.

He, however, clarified the government has been doing its part by putting in place remedial measures — one of which is the reactivation of the “Pantawid Pasada Program.”

“The… Secretary Rene Almendras will be meeting with the IECC to discuss the Pantawid Pasada and they will be meeting I think this week or next week and, after that, they will activate the Pantawid Pasada program,” he said..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/metro/20120118met2.html

‘JV’ Ejercito inks MoA with JCI giving recognition to outstanding students 01/18/2012

‘JV’ Ejercito inks MoA with JCI giving recognition to outstanding students

01/18/2012
San Juan Rep. Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito signed Monday a memorandum of agreement with officers of the Junior Chamber International (JCI) Philippines for the 2012 Youth Leadership Excellence Awards or YLEA, an award-giving body that gives recognition to outstanding elementary and high school students all over the country.

In a simple ceremony at the House of Representatives, Ejercito expressed support to the group represented by its national president Randolf Ruste, citing YLEA’s role in boosting the morale of the country’s youth through its annual awards, recognizing their leadership qualities and academic achievements..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/metro/20120118met3.html