BROADSHEETS

PHIL. DAILY INQUIRER -- VFA Allows US Presence

MANILA BULLETIN -- Wage Or COLA Hike?

PHILIPPINE STAR -- Ombudsman To DoJ: GMA Case Is Ours

MANILA STANDARD -- Govt Ready To Double Transport Fuel Subsidy

MANILA TIMES -- Govt At Oil Nations’ Mercy

MALAYA -- Duque Defends OWWA Funds Use

DAILY TRIBUNE -- DoJ Not Ordered To Take Charge Of Gloria’s Plunder Raps - Noy

TABLOIDS

PEOPLE’S JOURNAL -- Fuel Subsidy Expanded

ABANTE -- Kanya- Kanyang Iwas Sa Kulong

PILIPINO STAR NGAYON -- Parachute ‘Di Bumuka

BALITA -- 2 Bilyon

PEOPLES TONIGHT -- Aiko ‘Persona Non Grata!’

BULGAR -- Out-Of-Town Seminars Bawal Na

 

ISSUES MONITORING

On Congress

The House of Representatives is set to conduct an investigation into the plan of the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) to acquire full-body scanners or virtual strip search machines amid fears that the equipment would be abused and violate privacy and human rights. The inquiry was prompted by House Resolution 1115 filed by Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez and Abante Mindanao party-list Rep. Maximo Rodriguez on the plan of MIAA to install the full-body scanners at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA). (Philstar-p5) 

Incumbent and former congressmen expressed surprise yesterday over reports that they are under investigation by the Office of the Ombudsman for possible complicity in the P728-million fertilizer fund scam in 2004. Former Speaker Prospero Nograles, Representatives Erico Aumentado of Bohol and Danilo Suarez of Quezon, and former congressman and now Gov. Abraham Mitra of Palawan said they were not aware of any investigation being conducted by the Ombudsman. (Philstar-p12) 

On Presidency

President Aquino wishes United Kingdom’s Prince William and Kate Middleton well on the occasion of their wedding and hopes that the international media will give them privacy to build a good marriage foundation. Presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said in a press briefing in Malacañang yesterday that Aquino could sympathize with the couple, being a public figure himself living in a fish bowl. (Philstar-p1) 

On Plunder Cases

The Office of the Ombudsman will take over the plunder case of former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo after the investigation of the Department of Justice (DOJ). Assistant Ombudsman Evelyn Baliton said the anti-graft agency has exclusive jurisdiction over all criminal cases against government officials and employees. (Philstar-Banner) 

Malacañang yesterday feigned ignorance over Justice Secretary Leila de Lima’s move to claim jurisdiction over the plunder charges filed recently by former Solicitor General Francisco “Frank” Chavez against former President and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Arroyo. (Tribune-Banner) 

On US Forces

Temporary US presence in the country may be permitted, but the return of American military bases in the Philippines is “not possible” under the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) with the United States, the Department of Foreign Affairs said. “The RP-US VFA allows temporary US presence in the Philippines, as long as pre-approved by the Philippine government,” DFA spokesperson Eduardo Malaya said yesterday. (PDI-Banner) 

The US embassy yesterday denied reports that the recent visit of US senators Daniel Inouye and Thad Cochran was part of plans to reestablish the former US military bases in the country. US embassy spokesperson Rebecca Thompson said the senators merely wanted to know the progress made in the two former military bases in Clark and Subic since the Americans left. Thompson said the US government “has no plans to re-establish military bases there nor anywhere in the Philippines.” (Philstar-p2) 

The United States views the Philippines as filling the vacuum in helping to maintain Asia’s security and stability as Japan copes with the March 11 earthquake, tsunami and nuclear crisis, a source said recently. "The US views the Philippines as a long-time trusted and treaty ally, and in Japan’s weakened state, so to speak, following the March 11 disaster and its preoccupation with relief and rebuilding – sure to be long-term – the resulting vacuum will be filled by the Philippines," the source said as noted his concern over China’s increasing power in the region. (Malaya-p1) 

On The Ombudsman 

Deputy Ombudsman Emilio Gonzalez III will be booted out of office early next week if he fails to obtain a temporary restraining order (TRO) from the Supreme Court (SC) regarding the decision of President Aquino to dismiss him from government service. “My understanding is that there is no TRO. In the absence of any TRO, we will implement the order,” presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said, referring to the three-day notice Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr. issued to Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez. (Philstar-p1) 

On The Armed Forces

The military will spend about P11 billion for 12 naval and air assets. These are three naval patrol vessels, three patrol helicopters, two search and rescue helicopters, and four fixed-wing aircraft, according to Brig. Gen. Roy Deveraturda, Armed Forces Modernization Program Management Office chief. All the aircraft would be brand new, while the Navy vessels would be refurbished, he added. (Philstar-p25) 

On Tax Evaders

Four gold traders were charged with tax evasion before the Department of Justice (DOJ) yesterday. In separate complaints, the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) sought the indictment of Felonila Caluag, Diomedita Canonigo, Sylvia Cantoria and Ronald Castro, who are doing business with the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP). Internal Revenue Commissioner Kim Jacinto-Henares submitted as evidence BSP transaction sheets showing income of all four respondents during the years they did not file income tax returns (ITRs). “They did not report any income at all during the specified periods,” she said. (Philstar-p1) 

On Philippine Eagles

Conservationists warned the government of the continued attacks by poachers on endangered Philippine eagles after four birds were rescued from captivity in the past five months. Philippine Eagle Foundation (PEF) executive director Dennis Salvador said that their group had retrieved four Philippine eagles since December 2010, one of the highest rates of retrievals since 2000. The foundation said that since December it had rescued four of the one-meter birds, which are among the world’s largest raptors, suggesting conservation laws had not deterred trapping. (Philstar-p1) 

On Education

At least one million preschool children are expected to troop to public kindergartens when the school year opens in June, Education Secretary Armin Luistro said yesterday. Luistro said 1.12 million preschool children signed up during the early registration campaign of the Department of Education (DepEd) that began in January to assess student enrollment for kindergarten for the implementation of the K (Kindergarten)+12 Basic Education Curriculum plan this year. (Philstar-p3) 

On The Comelec

Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV) chair Henrietta de Villa yesterday said that she was pleased that all the seven positions for commissioner in the Commission on Elections (Comelec) have been filled three months before the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) polls. Malacañang announced last Wednesday the appointment of information and technology (IT) expert Augusto Lagman as the newest Comelec commissioner, replacing Nicodemo Ferrer who retired last February. (Philstar-p4) 

On Middle East Deployment

A group of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) yesterday demanded the full lifting of the government’s deployment ban in Bahrain to enable more Filipinos to work there. John Leonard Monterona, Migrante-Middle East regional coordinator, said other countries have already lowered the alert level previously issued on Bahrain, so the Philippine government must do the same and allow new hires to leave. (Philstar-p6) 

On Witness Protection 

The government has increased the budget of the Witness Protection Program from around P84 million in 2010 to P151 million this year so the administration can take better care of witnesses and whistleblowers integral to the quest for truth, President Aquino said. “Make no mistake about it: we promised reform, and we are putting our money where our mouth is. (Philstar-p6) 

On Oil Pricing

There is no law that limits the margin of profits of oil companies in the country and allows the government to punish overpricing, Sen. Sergio Osmeña said yesterday. Osmeña, chairman of the Senate committee on energy, described as “useless” the call of President Aquino on the Department of Energy (DOE) to determine if the recent spate of oil price increase is warranted. (Philstar-p7) 

On Marcos Burial

Seven out of 10 Metro Manila residents favor the burial of the late former President Ferdinand Marcos at the Libingan ng mga Bayani, a survey by StratPOLLS Inc. showed. The poll, conducted from April 11 to 15, found 71.6 percent of Metro Manilans favoring the burial of Marcos at the Libingan ng mga Bayani, while 28.4 percent disagree. More than 200 members of the House of Representatives have signed a resolution endorsing the proposal that the remains of Marcos be laid to rest at the heroes’ cemetery. (Philstar-p7) 

On OWWA Funds

Civil Service Commission chair Francisco Duque yesterday called as ‘baseless" the plunder case filed against him and other government officials led by former president Gloria Arroyo in connection with the alleged illegal transfer of funds from the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration. He said the OWWA funds transferred to the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) in 2003 were "exclusively used" for overseas Filipino workers and never for Arroyo’s presidential campaign in the same year as alleged in the P551-million plunder complaint filed Tuesday against Arroyo, Duque, former Executive Secretary Alberto Romulo, and former OWWA administrator Virgilio Angelo. (Malaya-Banner) 

On The Peace Process

Government officials yesterday expressed optimism that the negotiations with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front would finally move forward after Malaysia tapped Tengku Dato AB Ghafar Tengku Mohamed to oversee the peace talks. Ghafar replaced Datuk Othman bin Abdul Razak who had been the facilitator for the last nine years. The Aquino government had requested Malaysia to replace Othman following allegations he was favoring the MILF. (Malaya-p3) 

The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) has ordered its rogue commander currently leading a separate armed group to immediately return to its fold and stop staging rebellions. In an official resolution adopted on March 23, 2011 that was released on Thursday, the MILF, the country’s largest separatist Muslim group, stopped short of expelling Ameril Umbra Kato even as the Philippine government and MILF have said that the new faction would derail the ongoing peace process and threaten the security and stability of Mindanao. (Tribune-p1)

On Oil Supply

The Philippines is among the nations in the world that is held hostage by oil-producing countries that dictate how much they will sell their oil products. In making the statement on Thursday, Sen. Sergio Osmeña 3rd, the chairman of the Senate Committee on Energy, clarified that he was not defending oil companies, only that the Philippines and the other similarly situated countries can do nothing to pressure the oil producers to sell their oil products at lower prices. (Mla Times-Banner) 

On Islamic Radicalism

Indonesia’s president on Thursday warned that the world’s most populous Muslim-majority country was confronting a rising tide of Islamic radicalism, after a spate of hate crimes and bombings. Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said that the sprawling archipelago’s cherished reputation for tolerance and pluralism was under attack by extremists bent on turning the nation of 240 million people into a strict Islamic state. (Mla Times-p1)