Lawmakers assail dropping of Puno probe

Why let President Benigno Aquino’s friend Rico E. Puno so easily off the hook?

Lawmakers on Sunday criticized the decision to halt a planned probe in the House of Representatives into a P1-billion firearms deal for the Philippine National Police and the role in it of Puno, who resigned on Monday as undersecretary at the Department of the Interior and Local Government.

Zambales Representative Ma. Milagros Magsaysay, a minority member, said the cancellation of the inquiry was a blow against transparency and was meant to make the issue against Puno, a presidential shooting-range buddy, die down.
“They want to nip the issue in the bud by ordering allies to bury it and hopefully it won’t stick in the people’s mind,” Magsaysay said.

“Daang matuwid (The straight path) is a myth,” she said, referring to the President’s oft-repeated catchphrase of his reform program.

“The stoppage of the Congress hearings is a clear sign that this administration doesn’t want the truth to come out and [wants to] to protect the alleged shenanigans happening. The people have been misled into believing that this administration is for transparency and accountability,” she said.

But even members of the House majority think the hearings must go on.

Ifugao Representative Teddy Baguilat Jr. of the Liberal Party said the investigation should delve deeper into the issues involving the PNP transactions to show that people close to the President were not being treated with kid gloves.

“To ensure that there’s no iota of doubt about the impartiality of the administration on a perceived P-Noy (President Aquino) friend, the probe must go on until the issues are thoroughly discussed,” Baguilat said. Corruption allegations must not be taken lightly, he said.

Bayan Muna Representative Teodoro Casiño said one Senate hearing was not enough to put closure to the issues.

Other experts who played no part in the firearms transaction, such as the Commission on Audit and the Government Procurement Policy Board, must be consulted as well about the explanations offered by the officials involved in the bidding process, Casiño said.

The House probe, earlier requested by Agham Representative Angelo Palmones and Antipolo Representative Romeo Acop, was supposed to center on the alleged irregularities in the PNP’s arms purchases.

Sereno approves release of fringe benefits to court officials, employees

MANILA, Philippines—Good news for the Judiciary officials and employees, Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno has approved the release if fringe benefits for all court officials and employees.

Under the law, a Chief Justice is allowed to grant fringe benefits to court officials and employees of the judiciary “to help them overcome the present economic difficulties, to boost their morale and to further their commitment and dedication to their jobs.”

Also following tradition, a new Chief Justice is also allowed to grant a one-time financial assistance to employees on occasion of his or her appointment.
Based on Memorandum Orders 29-2012 and and 29-A-2012, justices, officials and personnel of the Supreme Court, Presidential Electoral Tribunal shall receive P15,000 benefits while justices, officials and personnel of the Court of Appeals, Sandiganbayan and Court of Tax Appeals shall receive P10,000.

The funds shall be taken from the Fiscal Management and Budget Office of the Supreme Court and the PETs Fiscal Autonomy Account.

Meanwhile, judges, officials and employees of lower courts shall receive P7,000 each. The funds for these will be sourced from the lower court’s fiscal autonomy account.

The resolution stated that the FBMO has already certified the availability of funds for the financial assistance.

Under the high court’s implementing guidelines, those who worked for the judiciary for at least 4 months as of Aug. 31, 2012 shall receive the amount in full while those who worked less than 4 months shall receive an amount on a pro-rated basis.

DOT sees 4.5M tourist arrivals by year’s end

MANILA, Philippines–The Department of Tourism expects tourist arrivals to the Philippines to hit the 4.5 million target for the full year of 2012, DOT Secretary Ramon Jimenez said during the Philippine economic team’s briefing held Monday at the Philippine International Convention Center.

He said that estimated tourist arrivals in the first half stood at 2.2 million, up year-on-year by 11.68 percent.

MANILA, Philippines–Cash remittances from Filipnos overseas amounted to $1.8 billion in July, up year-on-year by 5.4 percent.


This was announced by Governor Amando Tetangco Jr. of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas during the economic briefing of the Philippine economic officials at the Philippine International Convention Center on Monday.

‘When you play football, there’s no religion, war’

To drum up support for the peace process in Mindanao, the Philippine national men’s football team will teach children in conflict-affected communities about peace and sportsmanship through football, the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) said over the weekend.

OPAPP spokesperson Polly Michelle Cunanan said the Philippine Football Federation (PFF), represented by the Philippine Azkals, had sealed a partnership with the government to support the peace process through the “I Choose–Peace” youth program.

This program aims to teach youths aged 8-12 in conflict-affected communities about peace and sportsmanship through football.

The PFF and the Azkals, who were named Ambassadors for Peace, will hold a peace caravan consisting of a series of football clinics and will dedicate all their games to the cause of peace.

“When children play, there are no religions or wars, just peace and football,” said PFF head Mariano “Nonong” Araneta, noting that even the Fédération Internationale de Football Association or Fifa had initiatives for peace.

Araneta said the PFF aims to establish a football center in Bukidnon to harness football players from Mindanao.

“Our sport promotes the same values that we hope we share with all the parties at the negotiating table that are working on a peace agreement,” Araneta said.

“All of our games, we dedicate them to peace in the country. We are partners in achieving greater consciousness of the peace process,” he added.

According to Araneta, the PFF will inaugurate later this month the Philippine Football Peace Cup, a tournament funded by Fifa. The Philippine national men’s football team is slated to play against teams from China, Taiwan, Macau and Guam.

Early this month, the Azkals took part in the kick-off of the observance of the 9th National Peace Consciousness Month with the theme “Ako. Ikaw. Tayo. Magkakaiba, Nagkakaisa sa Kapayapaan.”
The Azkals showed their full support for peace with a football clinic where about 100 kids from diverse backgrounds met the players and learned from them the basics of the sport.
Azkals team captain Aly Borromeo earlier said that teaching football to children was a “great avenue” to promote peace.

“Just like [playing football as a team], if you want to promote peace you need to work together, you put aside the differences,” Borromeo said.

Azkals member Jason Sabio stated the theme of unity and teamwork with the peace process.
“In the peace process, no one’s the same. It’s really about finding a way to explore everyone’s uniqueness to increase the welfare of everybody,” Sabio said.

Active LPA now tropical depression ‘Karen’

MANILA, Philippines — The active low pressure area monitored by the state weather bureau east of Mindanao has intensified into a tropical depression and has been named “Karen.”

As of 10 a.m., Karen was spotted 700 kilometers east of Tandag, Surigao del Sur, packing maximum sustained winds of 55 kilometers per hour (kph) near the center and was moving northwest at 7 kilometers per hour, the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration said.

Moderate to heavy rains were seen within the 300 kilometers of the tropical depression.

Although it is still too far to affect any part of the country, Karen is likely to intensify within the next six to 12 hours, Pagasa said.

It is forecast to be 600 km east of Siargao Island by Wednesday morning, 460 km East of Borongan Eastern Samar by Thursday morning and 390 km East of Virac, Catanduanes Friday morning.

Find more Pagasa weather forecast here.

Aquino back from Russia, cites gains

MANILA, Philippines — President Benigno Aquino III and his entourage arrived in Manila on Sunday afternoon from the 20th Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Vladivostok, Russia.

The President’s plane landed at around 5:35 p.m. at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 2, 40 minutes early because of a tail wind.

In a five-minute speech delivered in Filipino, the President said that the APEC’s goals — make regional investments and trade strategies productive, the supply chains continuous and financial systems able to withstand crisis — have remained on track.

He highlighted his meetings with the leaders of Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam and Chile. He said Chilean President Sebastian Piñera invited him to visit the South American country and discuss investments on aquaculture and mining, exchange of geothermal energy technology as well as the deployment of Filipino teachers.

He said the Singaporean, Malaysian and Vietnamese leaders also extended their “warm support” on matters pertaining to the West Philippine Sea.

“We have successfully imparted the new face of the Philippines: more open to business opportunities, fairer to those who are ready to invest and a lucrative center of commerce and trade not just in the Asia-Pacific but in the whole world,” he said.

He said the international community was abuzz over the fact that the “Philippines is now very different, more developed than others.” He said Filipinos should be ready to contribute to increasing globalization by reconsidering the country’s economic barriers that might hamper further development.

Aquino was met at the airport by Vice President Jejomar Binay, Philippine National Police Director General Nicanor Bartolome, Armed Forces of the Philippines Chief of Staff Jessie Dellosa and Social Welfare Secretary Corazon “Dinky” Soliman, among others.