BROADSHEETS 

PHIL. DAILY INQUIRER -- Coral reefs twice size of Manila destroyed

PHILIPPINE STAR -- Government asks Sandigan to reject Garcia deal    

MANILA BULLETIN -- Flood alert

DAILY TRIBUNE -- Court orders State to pay Piatco

TABLOIDS

PEOPLE’S JOURNAL -- 'Ondoy 2'

ABANTE -- Chedeng mala-Ondoy -- PAGASA

PILIPINO STAR NGAYON -- Chedeng kasing lakas nina Ondoy, Frank! 

ISSUES MONITORING

On Congress

The cost of electricity in the country, already the second highest in Asia next to Singapore, will go up further, energy officials told the House committee on energy yesterday. The committee chaired by Batanes Rep. Henedina Abad, in the course of its hearing on the energy situation, endorsed a consolidated bill extending the power rate subsidy program for the poor by another 10 years. The program is expiring next month, 10 years after the enactment of the Electric Power Industry Restructuring Act (EPIRA) of 2001. It covers those with electricity consumption of up to 100 kilowatt-hours (kwh) a month. (Philstar)

On Gen. Garcia

The government is urging the Sandiganbayan to reverse its decision approving the plea bargaining agreement between government prosecutors and former military comptroller Carlos Garcia. Solicitor General Jose Anselmo Cadiz filed a 124-page consolidated motion for reconsideration yesterday, insisting the plea bargaining deal was void and had no legal basis. The Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) also insisted on its right to intervene in the case, representing the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) as the aggrieved party. (Philstar)

On education

Funds are available in the coming school year for the hiring of 10,000 more public school teachers and the construction and repair of close to 9,000 classrooms, according to the Department of Budget and Management (DBM). But Budget Secretary Florencio Abad, in an interview here yesterday during the launching of the P26.2-billion expansion project of Yokohama Tires Philippines Inc., said the budget is not enough to fill the backlog for teachers and classrooms. (Philstar)

On NAIA Terminal 3

A Pasay City court awarded Monday the Philippine International Air Terminals Co. Inc. (PIATCO) $175.79 million in just compensation for the expropriation of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 (NAIA-3) in 2005. Judge Eugenio de la Cruz of Pasay City Regional Trial Court Branch 117 ordered the government to pay PIATCO $175,787,245.10 (P7,634,440,054 based on yesterday’s exchange rate of P43.43-$1) less the proffered value of P3,002,125,000 as payment for improvements in NAIA-3. (Philstar)

On Spratlys

Authorities are verifying reports that China has set up garrisons within Philippine-claimed areas in the disputed Spratly Islands, but President Aquino said the reports might be referring to old structures. “When you say garrisons have been built, that can be taken as something new. If the structures were really new, then it’s like they’re blowing up the problem. (Philstar)

On Typhoon Chedeng

The Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) raised yesterday storm warning signals in at least six areas in Luzon and the Visayas as tropical storm “Chedeng” continued to move closer to the country. Storm warning signal no. 1 was hoisted over Catanduanes, Camarines Sur, Camarines Norte, Albay, Sorsogon and Samar provinces as of 5 p.m. yesterday. (Philstar)

On fuel subsidy

President Aquino yesterday deferred the implementation of fuel subsidy for farmers and fisherfolk, citing the lack of inventory on their real numbers. Aquino cited the difficulty of getting the real number of farmers and fisherfolk as beneficiaries of the proposed P2-billion farm inputs and fuel subsidy program. (Philstar)

On Bureau of Corrections

Former corrections director Oscar Calderon will be included in the investigation into the liability of officials in the unauthorized trip of convicted murderer Jose Antonio Leviste outside the national penitentiary last week. Justice Secretary Leila de Lima has ordered the investigating panel to summon Calderon after it was found that the 71-year-old Leviste was granted the privilege to sleep in a private nipa hut within the New Bilibid Prisons (NBP) reservation during his watch. (Philstar)

On Grand Lotto

The Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) reported yesterday that nobody won the 6/55 Grand Lotto online lottery draw last Monday and the jackpot for tonight’s draw is expected to breach P300 million. PCSO general manager Jose Ferdinand Rojas II said no one picked the winning number combination 25-37-40-26-07-28 with a jackpot worth P281,053,987.20. (Philstar)