BROADSHEETS

PHIL. DAILY INQUIRER -- P2-B Fund For GMA Spurs New  Pork Deal

PHILSTAR (PS) -- Palace: No Lopsided VFA

MANILA STANDARD -- The Great Divide

MANILA TIMES -- Aquino Assures RP Security

MALAYA -- AFP: No Squeeze Play In Marine Shift

DAILY TRIBUNE -- Full Disclosure In GOCCs Urged

TABLOIDS

PEOPLE’S JOURNAL -- Terror Alert

ABANTE -- Kidnap King Tiklo Sa NAIA!

PILIPINO STAR NGAYON -- Hostage Drama Sa Iraq: 52 Patay

 

BALITA -- Imports Bubuhos

PEOPLES TONIGHT -- 2 Kids Shot Dead Like Stray Dogs

 

ISSUES MONITORING

On Congress

Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago is pushing for the passage of a law that would ban the reappointment of people bypassed by the Commission on Appointments to stop the practice of reappointing officials already rejected by the CA. The proposal is contained in Senate Bill 2499, which calls for the nominees of the President who have been bypassed three consecutive times by the CA to be declared ineligible for reappointment nor can they be appointed to any position provided under the Constitution. (Philstar-p2)  CA

The discrepancy is too huge to miss: Former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, now a Pampanga representative, has P2.2 billion in infrastructure funds while five of her colleagues have zero allocation. To partly close the gap, Malacañang and a House committee have agreed to realign a minimum P1.2 billion from lump sums in the Department of Public Works and Highways’ proposed P90-billion budget for 2011 to ensure that the five lawmakers get an allocation. (PDI-Banner) Pork Barrel

On Presidency

President Aquino has urged the public to be vigilant against any terrorist attack. Speaking upon arriving from Vietnam Sunday, Mr. Aquino said the Philippines has been on heightened alert even before the terror threat on the United States was uncovered. “There are no reports of threats from foreign sources at this point,” he said. (Philstar-p1) 

President Aquino said he could not commit to any of the invitations for a state visit in various countries because of the many problems he would have to fix first on the local front. He said on Sunday night upon his arrival from Vietnam that aside from Thailand, Singapore, Myanmar and New Zealand, Laos and Cambodia also invited him for a state visit during their talks on the side 17th Association of Southeast Asian Nations Summit and related summits in Hanoi last week. Mr. Aquino said all he could reply to all the invitations was “at the appropriate time.” (Philstar-p4) 

President Aquino has said the proposed projects under the public-private sector partnership scheme have generated a lot of interest in the international community. Aquino, in an ambush interview shortly after his arrival Sunday night from Vietnam, said potential investors are going through the list of projects. (Malaya-p4) 

President Aquino conveyed to reporters last Sunday that he is keeping his doors open for more state visits as he received several invitations from various heads of states after gracing the recently concluded 17th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) Leaders’ Summit that was held in Hanoi, Vietnam. (Tribune-p3) 

On The President’s Men

The woman at the heart of a controversy over a message sent by Twitter has been reprimanded, and tweeting has been suspended among certain Palace officials. Presidential Communications Development and Strategic Planning Office Secretary Ricky Carandang said he has reprimanded Assistant Secretary Maria Carmen Mislang and that all accounts of officials on social networking sites would Malacañang said yesterday have to be suspended until guidelines are drawn up on their use. (Philstar-p1) 

On US Bomb Threat

In the  middle of last week, a woman who claimed her name was Hanan al-Samawi, a 22-year-old engineering student, walked into the UPS office in the upscale Hadda neighborhood of San’a, Yemen’s sprawling capital city. She displayed a photocopied identification card and dropped off a bomb hidden inside a printer cartridge, with a Chicago address listed as the package’s destination. (PDI-p1) 

The Philippines stepped up security as millions across the mainly Catholic country headed to cemeteries to honor the dead on All Saints’ Day yesterday. President Benigno Aquino III said security forces had been placed on full alert following the interception in Britain and Dubai of alleged parcel bombs on planes bound for the United States in the last few days. A full alert means all police personnel should stay at their posts at all times. (PDI-p2) 

On Terror Threat

President Benigno Aquino 3rd said that he was bothered by a foiled terror attack targeting the United States but assured that security in the Philippines has been tightened. He admitted to the country’s “vulnerabilities” especially after a recent deadly bomb attack in southern Philippines that left at least 10 persons dead. “Medyo nakakagambala. Pinadala sa mail [It is a bit worrisome. The plot was to be carried out through the mail],” President Aquino said during a chance interview upon his arrival from Vietnam on Sunday evening. Qatar Airways also on Sunday said that a package containing explosives was flown from Sanaa (the capital of Yemen) to Doha (the capital of Qatar) and then on to Dubai on one of its aircraft. (Mla Times-Banner) 

THE Philippine National Police yesterday its intelligence agents are monitoring the activities of known local terrorist groups with links to the Al-Qaeda,  No threat to the country has been uncovered after the foiled attempt to transport bombs to the United States by suspected terrorists linked with the Al-Qaeda network, but authorities are not discounting the possibility, said PNP spokesman Senior Supt. Agrimero Cruz Jr.  (Malaya-p2) 

On The Visiting Forces Agreement

The Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) between the Philippines and the United States should not be lopsided and must be fair to both parties, Malacañang said yesterday. Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Abigail Valte said the administration of President Aquino is aware of the risks involved in the planned review of the VFA. But she said that “what we want is to have a mutually beneficial (agreement) and maximize the effects and benefits of the VFA. The agreement cannot be lopsided so the review is really in order.” Valte said the government would always fight for what would be most beneficial for the Philippines and its people. (Philstar-Banner) 

On All Saints Day

The Philippine National Police (PNP) described as generally peaceful the observance of the All Saints’ Day yesterday, with no major problems reported to have taken place in any part of the country. PNP chief Director General Raul Bacalzo said there have been no major problems except for traffic, particularly in thoroughfares leading to cemeteries. (Philstar-p8) 

On Voters ID

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) will resume printing some 34.2 million voter’s identification cards after they have been “cleansed” through its Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS) program. In a minute resolution, the Comelec said 35 million voter’s records with biometrics have undergone AFIS processes. Of the 35 million, a total of 738,640 “were found to be true hits and these records were already forwarded to the field offices for deletion” from the database. (Philstar-p4) 

On Budget Department

The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) warned yesterday of a syndicate that was out to victimize officials of local government units by claiming that its members would be able help facilitate the release of funds from the agency. DBM Secretary Florencio Abad said the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) and the Philippine National Police’s (PNP) Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) arrested and filed cases against two suspected racketeers who had victimized a local government official. (Philstar-p5) 

On GOCCs

To whip state firms into efficiency, a legislator has proposed that government-owned and -controlled corporations (GOCCs) and financial institutions to periodically give to the public what is equivalent to the requirement of the bourse on listed firms, which is adequate disclosure of their financial conditions. GOCCs should routinely report their operating and financial performance directly to the public, to Filipino taxpayers, not just to the Department of Finance (DoF), Cavite Rep. Elpidio Barzaga Jr. said. (Tribune-Banner) 

On The Peace Process

President Aquino has yet to decide whether or not to meet with the representatives of the National Democratic Front due to visit the country this month. The President had assigned the panel to talk peace with the Left but he said a meeting with their representatives would have to be a subject of consultations first. (Philstar-p9) 

On The Armed Forces

The Armed Forces yesterday said there is no malice or ill motive in the pullout of 1st Marine Brigade from Basilan and its replacement with a task force under the Army. The 1st Marine Brigade is being redeployed from the Abu Sayyaf-infested Basilan province to Central Mindanao, a bailiwick area of the secessionist Moro Islamic Liberation Front. A military official has aired concerns the move will eventually lead to an Army-dominated Armed Forces, and will deny officials of the Navy-Marines and the Air Force the chance to become AFP chief. (Malaya-Banner) 

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) yesterday maintained there was nothing “sinister” about the pull out of Marine forces from Basilan, stressing the move was meant to focus the Navy’s specialized unit to areas influenced by the secessionist Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) particularly in Central Mindanao. AFP spokesman Brig. Gen. Jose Mabanta Jr., at the same time, denied that the move to pull out the entire 1st Marine Brigade under Brig. Gen. Eugenio Clemen from Basilan province, was designed to have the Army, the biggest service command of the AFP, corner all area commands. (Tribune-p3) 

On The Supreme Court

Without "malicious intent," is it all right to "plagiarize?" The Faculty of the College of Law of the Lyceum of the Philippines University has expressed support for colleagues at the UP College of Law, who have been ordered by the Supreme Court to explain why they should not be sanctioned administratively for calling for the resignation of a justice who was accused of plagiarism.  (Malaya-p1) 

On Mecca Trip

Malacañang yesterday defended the appointment of professor Hamid Barra as the Amerol Hajj who will head Muslim Filipinos in the pilgrimage (Hajj) to Mecca, saying it does not violate the status quo ante order issued by the Supreme Court on the appointment of Bai Lucman as secretary of the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos (NCMF).  Deputy executive secretary Amor Amorado said Barra’s position is separate from Lucman’s position. (Malaya-p1) 

On The Flag Carrier

Buoyed by a favorable decision of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) on the flag-carrier’s planned spin-off of three non-core business units, Philippine Airlines (PAL) on Monday said that it wants to be profitable again. As a result of such decision, according to Cielo Villaluna, PAL spokesman, the airline now would be able to implement its restructuring program. Earlier, the Labor department affirmed a previous order of then acting Labor Secretary Romeo Lagman, denying a motion for reconsideration of the PAL Employees Association (Palea) because the airline’s spin-off plan was a “just, reasonable, humane and lawful exercise . . .” (Mla Times-p1) 

On Abducted Pinoy Seafarers

The total number of Filipino sailors taken hostage by ransom-seeking pirates off Somalia has climbed to 110. Just last week, pirates seized 30 Filipino seamen in two separate hijacking incidents on Oct. 23 and 30. Those ships seized were the Singaporean oil tanker MV York with 14 Filipinos on board and the Liberian vessel, MV Polar, with 16 Filipino crewmen. (Tribune-p1)