BROADSHEETS 

PHIL. DAILY INQUIRER -- Maguindanaoans still living in fear

PHILIPPINE STAR -- A year after massacre, delays in trial persist 

MANILA BULLETIN -- Pope's condom stand backed

DAILY TRIBUNE -- Noy blinks, to amend Amnesty proclamation

TABLOIDS

PEOPLE’S JOURNAL -- Makati blast ruled out

ABANTE -- Tiis tayo, mga 'tol! Pwera kalabit, mga misis

PILIPINO STAR NGAYON --  Nagbigay ng armas sa Ampatuan: Top PNP official sabit  

PEOPLES TONIGHT -- Loyal Ampatuan men cow critics of clan

ISSUES MONITORING

On Congress

Sen. Teofisto Guingona III, chairman of the Senate committee on peace, unification and reconciliation, expressed frustration yesterday after Malacañang decided to amend Proclamation 50 that granted amnesty to participants of the so-called Oakwood mutiny in Makati in 2003.  Guingona was supposed to present before the plenary yesterday the committee report on the amnesty that was to pave the way for a vote on the measure that is expected to pardon the rebel soldiers involved in the Oakwood mutiny, including Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV. (Philstar)

On Maguindanao massacre

A year after the Maguindanao massacre, nobody has yet been convicted for the gruesome crime. The trial against the 196 accused has barely begun. And while some of the suspects belonging to the Ampatuan clan have already been arrested, only one of them – the principal accused Andal Ampatuan Jr. – has been arraigned. 

Relatives of the 57 victims continue their quest for justice, flying from Mindanao to Manila to attend the weekly hearings. (Philstar)

The Philippine National Police (PNP) has formed 20 tracker teams to go after the 112 accused in the massacre of 57 people in Maguindanao province exactly a year ago today. Chief Superintendent Benito Estipona, Task Force Maguindanao director, said the teams were grouped according to four categories of the accused – relatives of the Ampatuans, police officers, military personnel and members of the civilian volunteer organization (CVOs), which reportedly acted as the clan’s private armed group. “Each tracker team has its own specific target. Some are based in Maguindanao, GenSan (General Santos City), North Cotabato, and Sultan Kudarat,” said Estipona. (Philstar)

On Grand Lotto

The Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) reported yesterday that some 111 online lottery players got five digits of the winning lotto combination last Saturday and won the consolation price of P150,000 each, but nobody won the jackpot of more than P543 million. The winning combination for the 6/55 Grand Lotto draw was 18-17-36-04-40-13 with a jackpot of P543,663,672.20 The PCSO said the Grand Lotto top prize is expected to increase further as sales for the past 6/55 draws have hit more than P200 million per draw. (Philstar)

On appointments

President Aquino approved the promotion of 16 top police officials, including the No. 3 man in the Philippine National Police (PNP). The President signed the promotion of Deputy Director General Benjamin Belarmino, PNP deputy chief for operations, who got his third star. Belarmino headed the National Task Force HOPE B, which supervised the peace and order situation during the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections last Oct. 25. (Philstar)

On tourism

Having junked the “Pilipinas kay Ganda” tourism campaign, the Department of Tourism (DOT) has formed a committee to select a new catchphrase.   In a statement, DOT said the committee would include experts from the tourism sector. “The committee will shortlist brands suggested by the public and the final list would be subjected to market tests and group discussions prior to selection of the final brand,” the DOT said.

On bird flu

The country remains free from bird flu following negative results in tests on some 7,000 randomly picked fowl, the government said yesterday. However, Dr. Eduardo Lapuz, Department of Agriculture Regional Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory chief, said thousands of wild birds that have migrated to the Candaba swamp in Pampanga and other parts of the country comprise the weakest link in the anti-avian flu defense system. Blood and swab samples from some 7,000 fowl examined by the laboratory in San Fernando, Pampanga have tested negative for the H5N1 avian flu virus, he added. (Philstar)

On VFA

The United States has welcomed the review of its Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) with the Philippines but has not given an indication that it would submit the new treaty to its Senate for concurrence. US Ambassador Harry Thomas Jr. noted that the US and the Philippines already have a defense treaty.   “We already have a defense treaty. We have a treaty and that’s our defense treaty. Sometimes people confuse the treaty with the VFA which is an instrument,” he said in a chance interview Sunday at the Smokey Mountain Little League baseball tournament in Tondo, Manila. (Philstar)

On RH bill

MANILA, Philippines - Pro-life advocates might have found a new poster boy in world boxing champion and Sarangani Rep. Manny Pacquiao, who expressed opposition to the controversial Reproductive Health (RH) bill and suggested abstinence as a means of family planning. “I’m against the RH Bill because I have many siblings,” Pacquiao said yesterday in a press conference at the House of Representatives in Quezon City when asked about his stance on the controversial population control measure. “And also on condoms, I’m not in favor of it.” (Philstar)

On oil price

After jacking up prices by P2 per liter last week, oil companies announced yesterday a rollback in the prices of their products by 50 centavos per liter effective today. Petron Corp., Seaoil Philippines Inc., and Phoenix Petroleum Philippines said they would reduce the prices of diesel and kerosene by 50 centavos per liter and regular gasoline by 25 centavos per liter. Other oil companies are expected to follow suit. (Philstar)