BROADSHEETS

PHIL. DAILY INQUIRER -- GMA Son Faces Tax Raps

MANILA BULLETIN -- Khaddafy Appeals To Obama

PHILIPPINE STAR -- US Returns $132,000 Ligot Assets To Phl

MANILA STANDARD -- Malacañang Offensive Nets Arroyo Son, Political Ally

MANILA TIMES -- Govt ‘Subverts’ ARMM Law

MALAYA -- Mikey Arroyo, Wife In Tax Evasion Raps

DAILY TRIBUNE -- BIR Files P79-M Tax Fraud Vs Mikey A, Spouse

TABLOIDS

PEOPLE’S JOURNAL -- Gov’t Scores Vs. Ligots

ABANTE -- Mikey Arroyo, Misis Kinasuhan

PILIPINO STAR NGAYON -- Tax Evasion!

BALITA -- Magtipid

PEOPLES TONIGHT -- Daddy Turns Kid, 9, Into Sex Addict!

 

ISSUES MONITORING

On Congress

While some senators are enjoying their Lenten break here and abroad, Sen. Francis Pangilinan is busy making rounds in convincing his colleagues to sign his resolution amending the approved Rules of Impeachment against beleaguered Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez. Under Senate Resolution 441, if the prosecution was able to prove that Gutierrez is guilty of culpable violation of the Constitution in just one of the complaints, she would be immediately removed from office and the Senate will no longer hear the remaining Articles of Impeachment against her. (Mla Times-p1) Impeachment

The Senate committee on environment found the First Philippine Industrial Corp. (FPIC) liable for the gas leak at the West Tower condominium in Barangay Bangkal, Makati City. Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri, chairman of the Senate environment committee, said yesterday the gas leak incident is a “test case of environmental degradation which should be taken seriously.” “The fuel leak brought about by the mongo-sized holes on the surface of the FPIC pipeline undoubtedly caused undue damage and prejudice not only to the residents of the West Tower condominium and the adjoining areas in Barangay Bangkal but to the environment as a whole,” Zubiri said. (Philstar-p8) 

Dinagat Islands Rep. Ruben Ecleo Jr. is likely to be dropped from the rolls of the House of Representatives as soon as the court issues a warrant for his arrest for the killing of his wife, according to Deputy Speaker Lorenzo Tañada III. Ecleo, leader of the religious group Philippine Benevolent Missionaries Association, is facing charges of parricide for killing his wife Alona Bacolod in 2002. (Philstar-p6) 

On Presidency

The once bustling Paco Market leaped back to life yesterday as President Aquino, clad in a barong, inaugurated the Rustan wing of the public market that dates back to the American colonial period in 1911. Aquino recalled the days when he and his classmates would hold their group studies in one of the houses in Paco, where all the windows were closed. Nobody dared open the windows as darts might come flying in. Back then, Paco was notorious for gang wars. (Philstar-p1) 

On BIR

As the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) itself put it, it is using the Al Capone method to nail a son of former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo for tax fraud. In a move unthinkable for the agency during the nine-year Arroyo administration, the BIR Thursday charged Ang Galing Pinoy party-list Rep. Juan Miguel “Mikey” Arroyo and his wife, Angela, with evading taxes. Under the net worth method, tax investigators add up all assets of a subject and subtract all his or her liabilities to calculate the net worth. (PDI-Banner) 

A businessman who allegedly defrauded the government of P5.5 billion by underdeclaring his income is facing in court what officials described as the biggest tax evasion case in the history of the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR). The Department of Justice (DoJ) announced Thursday that following a six-month preliminary investigation it had found probable cause in charging Macario Lim Gaw Jr., owner of Mega Packaging Corp., with failure to file correct taxes under the National Internal Revenue Code. (PDI-p1) 

On The Armed Forces

The Department of National Defense (DND) has ordered a thorough verification into another anomaly of conversion of funds for the supply of petroleum, oil and lubricants involving a huge amount of P400 million. At the same time, the department also ordered an inquiry to determine if there was connivance between some ranking military officials and the supplier of the petroleum, oil and lubricants to the Armed Forces of the Philippines. (Tribune-p1) 

On Gen Ligot

The United States yesterday turned over to the Philippine government a check for $132,000 representing proceeds from the sale of real estate owned by former military comptroller Jacinto Ligot and his wife Erlinda in Buena Park, California. US Ambassador Harry Thomas Jr. handed the check to Justice Secretary Leila de Lima in fulfillment of the request made by the Philippine government in 2009 under the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT) between the two countries. (Philstar-Banner) 

US Ambassador Harry Thomas yesterday turned over to the Philippine government a check worth $132,000 from a forfeiture sale of a house in Buena Park, California, owned by former military comptroller Jacinto Ligot, who is facing plunder charges. The check was received by Justice Secretary Leila de Lima at the Department of Justice. (PDI-p1) 

On Rising Prices

Malacañang assured the people yesterday that the administration is studying measures to soften the impact of rising prices on consumers for at least two months in the light of the unrest in the Middle East and North Africa. “No one knows for sure how long this will last. If you look at reports from political analysts outside the country, the ones who watch the Middle East, even they are not certain how long this will last. We’re hoping it will be resolved soon, but it’s difficult to say how sustainable all these measures are because how long will the situation in Libya last?” said Presidential Communications Development and Strategic Planning Office Secretary Ricky Carandang. (Philstar-p4 )

On State Auditors

Employees of the Commission on Audit (COA) expressed support yesterday for new chair Maria Gracia Pulido-Tan, a former undersecretary of the Department of Finance (DOF). However, members of the Philippine Government Audit Service Employees Association (PHILGASEA) said President Aquino should pick someone from the inside next time instead of appointing an outsider. Echoing the sentiments of some 8,000 COA personnel, the employees’ union said they nevertheless expect Tan to do a good job. (Philstar-p11) 

On Marcos Burial

A leader of a group of war veterans and their dependents yesterday opposed moves to have Ferdinand Marcos buried at the Libingan ng mga Bayani in Fort Bonifacio. "What did Marcos do to ensure lasting freedom in the country? What heroic acts did he perform in the furtherance of freedom? What is his legacy in the name of freedom?" asked lawyer Rafael Evangelista, national commander of the Defenders of Bataan and Corregidor. He made the remarks during a wreath-laying ceremony at the Filipino Heroes Memorial in Corregidor, part of the tribute for war veterans for the April 9 Araw ng Kagitingan. (Malaya-p2) 

On ARMM Elections

A high-profile member of the once-dominant political party in the country on Thursday accused President Benigno Aquino 3rd of “subverting” the law that created the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), citing the government’s insistence on postponing scheduled elections in that part of southern Philippines. Sen. Jose Miguel Zubiri of Lakas-Kampi Christian Muslim Democrats then challenged Secretary Jesse Robredo of the Department of Interior and Local Government to tell President Aquino to allow the ARMM polls set for August this year to push through, and for the administration to field its own candidates in truly democratic electoral exercises. (Mla Times-Banner) 

On The South China Sea

The Philippines and Vietnam have agreed on a Code of Conduct in the South China Sea that would implement cooperation projects and boost mutual confidence among claimant states, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said yesterday. Vietnam Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Gia Khiem and acting Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario reaffirmed their commitments to resolve overlapping claims in the South China Sea (called “East Sea” by Vietnam) in a peaceful manner without resorting to the use of force. Del Rosario met with Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung and Khiem during his official visit to Vietnam on April 5. (Philstar-p13)