BROADSHEETS 

PHIL. DAILY INQUIRER -- Aquino to protect big infra investors

PHILIPPINE STAR -- Noy to investors: No more backroom deals  

MANILA BULLETIN -- More oil price hikes loom

DAILY TRIBUNE -- SC spurns Noy on live TV trial of Ampatuans

TABLOIDS

PEOPLE’S JOURNAL -- Open skies

ABANTE -- 'Di ako pakakasal sa church -- PNoy

PILIPINO STAR NGAYON -- 'Strike 2' sa Gabinete ni P-Noy 

PEOPLES TONIGHT -- Manny, magbayad ka!

ISSUES MONITORING

On Congress

Colleagues of world boxing champion Manny Pacquiao in the House of Representatives led by Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. are preparing a hero’s welcome for him when he reports for work in the chamber on Monday. An Waray Rep. Florencio Noel, chairman of the House committee on accounts, said Belmonte instructed him and You Against Corruption and Poverty (YACAP) party-list Rep. Carol Jayne Lopez to organize the event and involve all House members and employees of the chamber. Pacquiao, representative of the lone district of Sarangani, would be conferred on Monday his second Congressional Medal of Distinction after the House approved Belmonte’s resolution giving the honor to the boxing icon.(Philstar)

On investors

To attract investors who were turned off by inconsistent government policies, President Aquino yesterday assured businessmen that under his administration there will be no backroom deals and the rules will be fair. He assured both foreign and local investors that there would be no extortion or midnight contracts in the current government, unlike in previous administrations. “It was a time of backroom deals made with no clear criteria or direction. The darkness is dissipating and what has brought all of us together is a palpable sense of optimism in the country’s future and the affirmation that the Philippines is open for business,” Aquino said. (Philstar)

On population

A US-based population and health expert yesterday warned that the Philippines could be as impoverished as Somalia because of its ballooning population. Dr. Malcolm Potts, professor at the Bixby Center for Population, Health and Sustainability at the University of California, Berkeley, said the growing population is the most important issue in the country. (Philstar)

On Cabinet

Justice Secretary Leila de Lima received the highest approval rating among 12 Cabinet officials rated in the latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey. The SWS survey, conducted from Sept. 24-27, found 54 percent satisfied and 16 percent dissatisfied with De Lima’s performance, for a “good” net satisfaction score of 39. Social Welfare Secretary Corazon Soliman got a “moderate” net satisfaction rating of 26 (47 percent satisfied, 21 percent dissatisfied); followed by Tourism Secretary Alberto Lim with +16 (38 percent satisfied, 22 percent dissatisfied); and Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo, +14 (38 percent satisfied, 23 percent dissatisfied). (Philstar)

 Administration lawmakers rushed yesterday to the defense of President Aquino’s “lightweight” Cabinet officials, whose confirmation in the Commission on Appointments (CA) remains uncertain. The House members were reacting to threats from Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago, a member of the CA, to “massacre” at least six Cabinet officials of the Aquino administration for their supposed arrogance and incompetence. She had called the unnamed officials “smug, self-satisfied, non-elected appointees” and “lightweights.” (Philstar)

On business

Business confidence in the country reached an all-time high in the fourth quarter on expectations of sustained economic improvement and strong domestic demand, fueled in part by the steady stream of remittances from overseas Filipino workers and higher capital inflows. The Business Expectations Survey by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) showed that the confidence index in the fourth quarter of 2010 reached an all-time high of 50.6 percent from 45 percent the previous quarter. BSP director of the Department of Economic Statistics Rosabel Guerrero said the confidence index in the fourth quarter of the year is at its highest since the start of the survey in 2001. (Philstar)

On Simbang Gabi

Catholics cannot attend Simbang Gabi or the holiday season dawn Mass inside shopping malls, the Archbishop of Manila said yesterday. Archbishop Gaudencio Cardinal Rosales said the early morning Mass should only be celebrated in the parochial church. “They may only be held in a chapel if it has been given permission by the parish priest and in coordination with the parish,” he said. (Philstar)

On travel advisories

The Philippines has urged the United Nations Security Council to take a “balanced” approach to addressing international terrorism and called on governments to “exercise due care and diligence” in issuing travel alerts. Philippine Deputy Permanent Representative (DPR) Carlos Sorreta issued the call during a Security Council meeting on Nov. 15. He said counterterrorism strategies “must be comprehensive” and that terror threats “must be addressed by a combination of hard and soft approaches.”  He urged foreign governments to exercise care in the issuance of travel advisories, particularly in response to “possible terrorist attacks.” (Philstar)

On holidays

Malacañang yesterday assured the public that all efforts are being made to make holidays in the country more predictable. “Maybe we just need to clarify when the holidays will be and we’re working on that,” Presidential Communications Development and Strategic Planning Office Secretary Ricky Carandang told reporters. He said Malacañang had been reviewing holidays on a case-to-case basis since President Aquino assumed office. (Philstar)

On piracy

The Philippines has been officially admitted as member of the Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia (CGPCS) in the global effort against piracy, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) announced yesterday. Republic of Korea Permanent Representative and chair of the 7th CGPC Plenary Meeting Ambassador Hayoong Moon announced the membership of the Philippines during the CGPCS 7th Plenary Meeting on Nov. 10 at the UN headquarters in New York attended by 50 member-nations with eight international organizations and five shipping industry groups. (Philstar)

On Maguindanao massacre

A lawyer representing families of 15 victims of the Maguindanao massacre believes Filipino judges would not be influenced by live media coverage of trials. Lawyer Harry Roque told The STAR over the phone that unlike in the United States, juries do not take part in trials in the Philippines, where live media coverage could influence their decision. “I don’t think the judge hearing the case will be affected by the live media coverage of the court trial,” he said. (Philstar)