BROADSHEETS 

PHIL. DAILY INQUIRER -- Aquino lets go of Diokno

PHILIPPINE STAR -- Diokno resigns 

MANILA BULLETIN -- Diokno resigns

DAILY TRIBUNE -- JAZA writes Noy to ask for prized 3G allocation

TABLOIDS

PEOPLE’S JOURNAL -- Diokno quits

ABANTE -- Divorce bill, bagong giyera

PILIPINO STAR NGAYON -- Divorce bill ipinapaapura 

 

ISSUES MONITORING

On Congress

The House committee on communications and information technology has approved an anti-cybercrime bill, which aims to protect individuals and institutions from cyber attacks. The panel, chaired by Taguig City Rep. Sigfrido Tinga, also rejected last-minute proposals from law enforcement agencies, particularly the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), to remove the legal requirement of a court warrant before telecommunication firms disclose data on the mobile phone usage of subscribers. (Phistar)

On Gov. Leviste

Saying public interest should always prevail over friendship, President Aquino announced yesterday his acceptance of the resignation of Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) Director Ernesto Diokno after the latter failed to give him a satisfactory explanation for irregularities in the New Bilibid Prisons (NBP). Aquino said Diokno tendered his irrevocable resignation during their meeting at Malacañang before 2 p.m., and he thanked Diokno for his “service and delicadeza.” (Philstar)

On VIP treatment

No special treatment was being extended to members of the Ampatuan clan implicated in the massacre of 57 people in Maguindanao in 2009, an official of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) said yesterday. DILG Undersecretary for Public Order Rico Puno, however, said that the jail warden and his staff are not yet off the hook even after Maguindanao Gov. Esmael Mangudadatu admitted that photos of the Ampatuans enjoying special treatment were taken before the current administration took over. (Philstar)

On Cabinet revamp

President Aquino clarified yesterday that members of his Cabinet and sub-Cabinet were all under evaluation but he had not made any decision yet on changes. He said there were “processes” being undertaken to assess the performance of his officials. The President made the clarification as the name of Customs Commissioner Angelito Alvarez came out as one of those who might lose his job for failing to curb smuggling. (Philstar)

On fish kill

About one-and-a-half truckloads of dead milkfish or bangus were buried in this coastal town at noon yesterday. Mayor Alfonso Celeste told The STAR he received a report yesterday morning that fish kill originating from nearby Anda town had hit Bolinao, 280 kilometers north of Manila, on Sunday. “We got a report that some dead bangus were brought by the current downstream to our town so some people thought we were severely hit again by fish kill,” he said. (Philstar)

On PH-Taiwan issue

The Court of Appeals (CA) has upheld the legality of the deportation of Taiwanese fugitives to China last February.    In a 15-page resolution, the former special 16th division of the appellate court also junked as moot the habeas corpus petition of six of the deported Taiwanese.                     Through Associate Justice Francisco Acosta, the CA said the deportation of the fugitives to mainland China that angered Taiwan was aboveboard. (Philstar)

On lotto

The Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) expects to award the first “lotto billionaire” if nobody wins the 6/55 Grand Lotto online lottery draw in the coming months, with the prize yesterday hitting more than P330 million. “If the current trend continues and nobody hits the jackpot for the next few months we are looking at the first lotto billionaire,” PCSO general manager Jose Ferdinand Rojas II said. He was referring to the rapid increase in ticket sales for the Grand Lotto that has soared from an average of P30 million per draw to P102 million last Saturday. (Philstar)

On ARMM

The Senate asked the Supreme Court (SC) yesterday to allow the postponement of elections in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) to 2013. In a 16-page comment, Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile asked the Court to dismiss the petitions of groups led by Datu Michael Kida of the Maguindanao Federation of Autonomous Irrigators Association and lawyer Alex Macalawi of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines Marawi City opposing Senate Bill 2756 and House Bill 4146, which intend to synchronize the ARMM polls with the midterm national elections in 2013. (Philstar)