BROADSHEETS 

PHIL. DAILY INQUIRER -- SC junks Vizconde appeal

PHILIPPINE STAR -- Another car trader murdered, burned   

MANILA BULLETIN -- Alarming wave of violence

DAILY TRIBUNE -- Noy’s ZTE-broadband deal in the works

TABLOIDS

PEOPLE’S JOURNAL -- Killers on the prowl

ABANTE -- Carnap-sunog gang tugis na!

PILIPINO STAR NGAYON --  Car dealer pa sinunog 

PEOPLES TONIGHT -- ‘Ito na nga ang anak ko’

ISSUES MONITORING

On Congress

Sen. Loren Legarda called on her colleagues yesterday to pass the expanded Anti-Trafficking Act of 2010, which is aimed at harmonizing policies and definitions on trafficking in persons, child labor, and forced labor.  Legarda has now filed report number 13 of the committee, which has worked out a distinct definition for the act of trafficking in view of “involuntary servitude” and “labor exploitation.”  (Philstar)

On murders of car dealers

The charred body found last Jan. 14 in Nueva Ecija was confirmed yesterday to be that of Venson Evangelista, another car dealer who went missing after meeting a prospective buyer in Cubao, Quezon City. His father Arsenio identified Evangelista’s remains through dental records provided by his family. Arsenio said he went to Nueva Ecija after receiving reports that a burned body was found in Barangay Bularin beside an irrigation canal. (Philstar)

On SWS survey

More Filipinos expect their personal quality of life to improve in the next 12 months, according to the latest survey conducted by the Social Weather Stations (SWS). The survey results, published in the newspaper BusinessWorld yesterday, said 42 percent of Filipinos expect their personal quality of life to improve in the next 12 months, compared to the seven percent who claimed otherwise. SWS said the new net personal optimism score (the difference between optimists and pessimists) rose to 35 from 32 in September and just a point below the record +36 posted a month before President Aquino assumed office. All three scores are classified as “very high” by SWS.(Philstar)

On Gen. Garcia

The Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) yesterday accused the Sandiganbayan of illegally allowing former military comptroller Carlos Garcia to plead guilty to lesser offenses under a plea bargaining agreement in violation of the Rules of Court. Solicitor General Jose Anselmo Cadiz filed a supplemental motion before the anti-graft court calling for the re-arrest of Garcia, another arraignment and cancellation of the bail granted to the former general. “With all due respect, the arraignment of accused (former) Maj. Gen. Carlos F. Garcia for the lesser crime of direct bribery under Article 210 of the Revised Penal Code is null and void because the lesser crime of bribery is not necessarily included in the allegations in the Information charging him with plunder,” the OSG said. (Philstar)

On Vizconde case

The Supreme Court (SC) junked yesterday the appeal of Lauro Vizconde for the reversal of its acquittal of Hubert Webb and six others previously convicted for the killing of his wife and two daughters in 1991. The High Court denied for lack of merit Vizconde’s motion that it reconsider its Dec.14, 2010 decision overturning the guilty verdict of a Parañaque City court in January 2000 against Webb, Hospicio Fernandez, Antonio Lejano, Michael Gatchalian, Peter Estrada, Miguel Rodriguez and Gerardo Biong for rape with homicide. (Philstar)

On Charter change

Malacañang is maintaining its position that Charter change is not a priority despite the plan of Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago to start public hearings next week on proposals to amend the Constitution. “I think the position remains at this point in time,” deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said, referring to President Aquino’s declaration that Charter change would not be a priority because of more important concerns that he must attend to. (Philstar)

On annulment of marriage

Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines-National Appellate Matrimonial Tribunal (CBCP-NAMT) judicial vicar Archbishop Oscar Cruz yesterday said he believes that if House Bill 3952 titled “An Act Recognizing Spousal Violence, Infidelity and Abandonment as Presumptive Psychological Incapacity Constituting a Ground for the Annulment of Marriage” would be passed, the sanctity of marriage will be diluted.  Cruz, formerly a CBCP president and the emeritus archbishop of the Lingayen-Dagupan archdiocese, also said that the proposed legislation would benefit more those belonging to the middle and the upper class of society and not really those classified as poor since many of the marginalized do not enter into marriage but engage in live-in relationships. (Philstar)

On job offers

The Philippine embassy in London yesterday warned about a new illegal recruitment scam involving online job offers. According to a report by the Philippine Nurses Association-United Kingdom (PNA-UK) to the embassy, the new recruitment scam involves online job offers sent by email to prospective victims, mostly nurses, who have previously submitted their resumes to public job search websites. The supposed employer then sends the victim follow up emails containing a job offer, a contract of agreement with an attractive salary and benefits package, a certificate of employment, and a blank certificate of good moral character. (Philstar)

On priority bills

President Aquino and his Cabinet were not able to come up with a list of priority bills for Congress. The Cabinet meeting in Malacañang was still going on as of press time late yesterday. Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said the Cabinet has not yet discussed Charter change, new taxes or the human rights compensation bill. (Philstar)

On Mar Roxas

An ally of former senator Manuel Roxas II yesterday said there is no basis to question the prerogative of President Aquino to appoint him as his “chief troubleshooter.” Sen. Franklin Drilon, chair of the Liberal Party of which Roxas is president, said Aquino has the prerogative to appoint as many advisers as he wants. “What’s the big fuss about designating a troubleshooter?” he said. (Philstar)

On Comelec chairman

Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman Sixto Brillantes admitted yesterday that he is not very confident that the Commission on Appointments (CA) would immediately confirm him since he has many “adversaries” among the commission members. Brillantes told reporters that he expects to get a beating from the CA whose members include Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano, one of his staunch critics. (Philstar)