BROADSHEETS

PHIL. DAILY INQUIRER -- BIR Blinks On Tax Rule

MANILA BULLETIN -- Cityhood Back To SC

PHILIPPINE STAR -- Senate Committee Wants Special Prosecutors Fired

MANILA STANDARD -- Tokyo Joins Manila Protest Against China’s Aggressions

MANILA TIMES -- Gov’t Betrays Gutierrez Bias

MALAYA -- GMA Allies Leaves Merci’s Fate To  Senate

DAILY TRIBUNE -- Noy Greedy For Power – House Minority

TABLOIDS

PEOPLE’S JOURNAL -- Brace For More Oil Price Hikes

ABANTE -- Kawatan Ipinahamak Ng Brief

PILIPINO STAR NGAYON -- Bebot Hulog Mula Sa 18th Floor, Buhay

 

BALITA -- Sakripisyo

PEOPLES TONIGHT -- Arab Sodomizes Waitress!

BULGAR -- Nanay Patay Sa 2 Anak Na Babae

ISSUES MONITORING

On Congress

The Senate Blue Ribbon committee is recommending the filing of charges against Special State Prosecutor Wendell Barreras-Sulit for betrayal of public trust in connection with the plea bargaining agreement forged with former military comptroller Carlos Garcia. The Blue Ribbon’s recommendation is aimed at Sulit’s ouster as special prosecutor, since betrayal of public trust is a serious offense. (Philstar-Banner) 

The chair of the House of Representatives’ justice committee yesterday said he and his colleagues now had more than the numbers required to impeach Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez. Iloilo Rep. Niel Tupas Jr., who will lead the 11-member prosecuting team if and when the impeachment case is sent to the Senate for trial, said that as of last count, they had at least 150 of the 283-member House on their side, including those from the opposition Lakas party. (PDI-p1) 

The House committee on justice has set a hearing on the impeachment complaint filed against Supreme Court (SC) Associate Justice Mariano del Castillo, a senior congressman disclosed yesterday. Del Castillo was accused of plagiarism by 10 lawmakers and a group of “comfort women” or sex slaves of Japanese soldiers during World War II. (Philstar-p1) 

The ouster of Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez is expected to set the stage for the filing of criminal charges against former President and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and some of her officials, Malacañang said yesterday. But presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda stressed that impeaching Gutierrez was not just about running after Arroyo. (Philstar-p1) 

Senators yesterday backed a proposal to strictly scrutinize the financial assets and background of members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines who will undergo the Commission on Appointments (CA) after multi-million pesos worth of ill-gotten wealth belonging to military generals and their subordinates were uncovered. (Tribune-p1) 

On Presidency

From being a darling of the press during the presidential campaign, President Aquino now has to deal with a less friendly media that he thinks tend to gloss over his administration’s achievements. “We have 28 newspapers in Metro Manila alone. And each one of them compete on a daily basis to find the most negative headline,” Aquino told the Filipino community here at the Grand Hyatt Hotel. (Philstar-p2) 

President Aquino arrived here Wednesday afternoon for a two-day state visit which will be highlighted by a meeting Thursday with Singaporean President Sellapan Ramanathan and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong at the Istana (Presidential Palace). Aquino flew in with his entourage at about 4:20 p.m. at the Changi International Airport from a two-day visit to Indonesia, another ally in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. (Malaya-p1) 

The Aquino administration is more preoccupied with arrogating power unto itself than addressing more important matters, members of Lakas-Kampi-Christian Muslim Democrats in the minority bloc of the House of Representatives claimed on Wednesday. During a press conference, the House Assistant Minority Floor Leader said that the administration chose to “undermine democratic institutions with an orchestrated attempt to abuse power of impeachment” as supposedly shown by proceedings against Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez at the House Committee on Justice. (Mla Times-p1) 

Instead of augmenting his knowledge and will to resolve the country’s most pressing problems, members of the minority bloc in the House of Representatives yesterday accused President Aquino of being a power-hungry president preoccupying himself with arrogating himself with more powers which has the effect of his undermining the democratic system. (Tribune-Banner) 

On Immigration

President Aquino has appointed newly retired Armed Forces chief Ricardo David as the new immigration commissioner and tasked him to undertake reforms in the bureau just like he did in the military. “Mr. David’s integrity and professionalism will be instrumental in the efforts of the immigration authorities to cleanse its ranks and purge its services of past abuses and misuse of authority. The President is pleased that Mr. David is taking on these new challenges in the civilian sphere,” presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said in a press briefing in Malacañang yesterday. (Philstar-p1) Immigration

On The Ombudsman

Rep. Danilo Suarez (Quezon) yesterday said Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez should start preparing her defense at her impeachment trial in the Senate. Suarez said the articles of impeachment are sure to gather enough votes at the House plenary on March 22 or 23. (Malaya-Banner) 

Malacañang on Wednesday betrayed its apparent bias against Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez by owning up to wanting her impeached, contrary to its earlier claims that it had given no “marching order” for its political allies to remove her as the country’s chief graftbuster. Palace spokesman Edwin Lacierda described Gutierrez, who is facing two impeachment complaints before the House Committee on Justice, as an “obstacle to judicial reforms.” (Mla Times-Banner) 

On The Supreme Court

A Supreme court associate justice on Wednesday said that High Tribunal spokesman Jose Midas Marquez had misinformed the public when Marquez stated that justices had copies of a petition of Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez when it voted on the petition. “When a Supreme Court official who has nothing to do with the distribution of case documents contradicts [the] narrations of facts based on personal knowledge made by two sitting justices in their judicial opinions, there is a serious problem,” Associate Justice Ma. Lourdes Sereno said in a press statement, referring to Marquez. (Mla Times-p1) 

On Taxation

Facing headwinds, the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) is giving private individuals earning more than P500,000 a year a reprieve after the agency made the filing of an annual information return (AIR) optional this tax year. The AIR, similar to the statement of assets, liabilities and net worth (SALN) required of government employees, is aimed at helping improve tax collections by clamping down on tax evasion. (PDI-Banner) 

Cagayan de Oro City Rep. Rufus Rodriguez claimed yesterday that the new requirement of the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) for high-income private taxpayers to file the equivalent of a statement of assets, liabilities and net worth (SALN) is unconstitutional. “This new BIR requirement is against the people’s constitutional right to privacy. It’s state intrusion into the lives of private persons, which is a violation of the Constitution,” he said. (Philstar-p10) 

On Pinoys In Libya

Three Filipino workers told a congressional hearing yesterday they were treated like camels by insensitive Philippine officials who abandoned them in their mad dash across insurrection-torn Libya.  “We spent four days in the desert, without food and water and yet government officials told us to just pray because we could not do anything, but we were safe,” Arsenio Carbal Jr. said in Filipino. (PDI-p1) 

On Oil Prices

American investment bank Merrill Lynch sees global oil prices surging to $144 per barrel based on the Brent Crude benchmark in the next three months given the political unrest in the Middle East and North Africa. “Global oil demand has been expanding at a breakneck pace in recent quarters, and now the political situation in Libya has reduced oil production by one million barrels per day, ” Merrill Lynch said in a commentary dated March 7. (PDI-p1) 

On The South China Seas

Senators yesterday called for a peaceful resolution to the country’s naval spat with China after the economic superpower reportedly harassed a Philippine marine research team in the disputed Spratly Islands. Sen. Edgardo Angara said the country should not abandon the diplomatic protest filed against China’s display of power.  (Philstar-p10) 

On Gov’t Perks

The Commission on Audit has found out that eight trustees of the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) each received P11.018 million in 2009. According to its Dec. 13, 2010 report, COA said the compensation "can be considered as excessive spending of the Pension Fund" because under the GSIS Act of 1997 (R.A. 8291), board members were only entitled to P2,500 per diem when they attend meetings and maximum monthly representation and transportation allowances of P10,000. (Malaya-p1) 

On Military Exercises

The Philippine Navy will hold military exercises with its counterpart from Malaysia, a fellow claimant of the disputed Spratly Islands or the Kalayaan Island Group west of Palawan. Navy spokesman Capt. Giovanni Carlo Bacordo said the 10-day exercises, dubbed MALPHI-LAUT 14-11, will begin on March 16 and will be capped with live fire exercises east of Palawan. (Malaya-p2) 

On ARMM Elections

Rep. Jack Enrile (Cagayan, 1st district) yesterday joined his colleagues pushing for the elections in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao on Aug. 8, noting that it has been postponed eight times "with the principle of holdover capacity being used by imperial Manila to impose its will among Muslims." "In the case of Cagayan, a colleague of ours passed away and yet we lobbied strongly with the Comelec to have an election in the 2nd district," the young Enrile, who was appointed to be the caretaker of the said district. (Malaya-p6) 

On Pinoy Nurses

There are no jobs available for more than 160,000 registered nurses in the country, a Department of Health official said on Wednesday. Ruth Padilla, nursing consultant to the Health department, said that the government is incapacitated to employ the country’s over 160,000 nurses because the government’s rationalization plan is yet to be approved by the Department of Budget and Management. The rationalization plan was proposed five years ago. (Mla Times-p1) 

On Whistleblower

Malacañang on Wednesday confirmed that former state auditor and whistleblower Heidi Mendoza is being considered for the Commission on Audit (COA) top post. “We are considering her for COA because of her abilities and because she has expressed a desire to work for the government, specifically in COA,” spokesman Edwin Lacierda said. (Mla Times-p1) 

On The Peace Process

The Philippine government and secessionist Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) will resume peace talks in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on March 29 to 30, Philippine’ s chief negotiator Marvic Leonen said on Wednesday. During the talks, Leonen said, the Philippine government will ask MILF to provide details and updates on the status of one of its rogue commanders, Ameril Umbra Kato, who reportedly broke away from the group. A few months ago, Kato has formed his own group and took 1,000 fighters under his wing, but remains affiliated with the larger Muslim group.  (Mla Times-p7) 

The Moro Islamic Liberation Front-Coordinating Committee on the Cessation of Hostilities (MILF-CCCH) yesterday protested the supposed spate of uncoordinated movements by government forces in the provinces of Cotabato and Maguindanao which are violations of the ceasefire agreement. In a statement posted over its Web site, the MILF cited the uncoordinated movements conducted by the Army’s 7th and 40th Infantry Battalions (IB), supported by two tanks, in Barangay Bualan and Habitat-Pagangan in Pikit, Cotabato around 10 a.m. yesterday. (Tribune-p3)