BROADSHEETS

PHIL. DAILY INQUIRER -- ‘Condom Lesser Of 2 Evils’

MANILA BULLETIN -- Secure OFWs In Korea

PHILIPPINE STAR --  P-Noy Takes Over PCSO

MANILA STANDARD -- Malacañang Takes Control Of P7.8B In ‘Charity’ Funds

MANILA TIMES -- Keep Calm, Koreas Urged

MALAYA -- RH Bill To Go  To The Last Inch

DAILY TRIBUNE -- Noys Office Gets PCSO, Sparks Pidal Flashback

TABLOIDS

PEOPLE’S JOURNAL -- PH Ready To Evacuate Pinoys

ABANTE -- 60,000 OFWs Secure - PNoy

PILIPINO STAR NGAYON -- Pinoy Evacuation Ikinasa

 

BALITA -- OFWS Sa Korea Binabantayan

BULGAR -- Jason Ivler Abswelto 

REMATE -- 60,000 OFWs Sa Korea Iuuwi

 

ISSUES MONITORING

On Congress

Congressmen opposing the reproductive health bill yesterday tried to derail the first committee hearing on the controversial measure by questioning the jurisdiction of the House committee on population and family relations chaired by Biliran Rep. Rogelio Espina. (Malaya-Banner) 

The word war between Senator Ramon Revilla Jr. and disgraced physician Hayden Kho, who videotaped his sexual escapades with women, including two actresses and a Brazilian model, is heating up. After Kho called the actor-turned-lawmaker “narrow-minded,” Revilla countered by noting that “no amount of perfume could ever take away the stench of (Kho’s) dirty deeds.” (PDI-p1) 

The eldest son of former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo presented his first proposed legislation yesterday as a lawmaker representing security guards and tricycle drivers. Ang Galing Pinoy Rep. Juan Miguel “Mikey” Arroyo filed House Bill 3713 seeking to amend Republic Act 5487, which regulates the organization and operation of security agencies, by extending the validity of the licenses of security guards from two years to three years. (Philstar-p5) 

On Presidency

President Aquino yesterday took back control and supervision of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) from the Department of Health, which was the arrangement during the time of his predecessor, former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. Under Executive Order 14, Aquino said there is a “need of placing back to OP (Office of the President) the control and supervision over PCSO” to “ensure the effective implementation of his social agenda, and to effectively facilitate as well the health services and charity programs” of his office. (Philstar-Banner) 

Bank notes bearing the signature of President Aquino would be presented on Friday. Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Governor Amando Tetangco Jr. will present the bank notes in a ceremony in Malacañang. The BSP has yet to give details of the issuance. The release of the notes took several months since Aquino’s assumption of office in June because the BSP wanted to make sure there would be no misprinting of the new bank notes. (Philstar-p1) 

On Condom Use

In a seismic shift on one of the most profound—and profoundly contentious—Roman Catholic teachings, Pope Benedict XVI on Tuesday clearly acknowledged that the need to prevent diseases like AIDS could outweigh the Church’s long opposition to the use of condoms. It was a significant and stunning personal pronouncement from the conservative Pope after more than two decades of heated debate inside the Roman Catholic Church and condemnation by health workers, who said the Church’s ban on prophylactics was morally indefensible during the AIDS crisis. (PDI-Banner) 

An official of the Department of Health yesterday welcomed Pope Benedict XVI’s acknowledgement of the importance of using condoms to prevent getting infected with HIV and AIDS. Dr. Gerard Belimac, director of the DOH National AIDS/STI Prevention and Control Program, said the Pope’s statement that condom use is acceptable "in certain cases" will definitely boost the department’s campaign to promote condom use, especially for those with risky sexual behavior. (Malaya-p1) 

On Reproductive Health

It could be in the way the questions are phrased. A retired bishop Wednesday floated the idea of the Church initiating an extensive survey at the diocesan level to validate whether majority of Filipinos favored the reproductive health (RH) bill. Novaliches Bishop Emeritus Teodoro Bacani said previous surveys showing 70 to 80 percent of Filipinos were supporting the population control measure did not ask questions detailed enough to have yielded informed answers. (PDI-p1) 

Malacañang said measures are in place to ensure the safety of Filipinos in the Korean peninsula but there is no plan yet to evacuate them at the moment. “There are no plans yet of evacuation but certainly, precautionary measures have been undertaken by the Philippine embassy in Seoul,” presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said. He also voiced President Aquino’s appeal to North and South Korea to end their hostilities. (Philstar-p1) 

On Korean Peninsula

Filipinos in the Republic of Korea (ROK) have been put on alert for possible evacuation in case tension in the restive Korean Peninsula escalates, the Philippine Embassy in Seoul said yesterday. Consul General Sylvia Marasigan told the Inquirer that Filipinos in the country had been notified that they were on alert following North Korea’s artillery attacks on Yeonpyeong Island that killed two South Korean soldiers and two civilians, and wounded 18 others. (PDI-p1) 

A US aircraft carrier group set off for Korean waters on Wednesday, a day after North Korea launched artillery shells on a South Korean island, a move likely to enrage Pyongyang and unsettle its ally, China. The nuclear-powered USS George Washington, which carries 75 warplanes and has a crew of over 6,000, left a naval base south of Tokyo and would join exercises with South Korea from Sunday to the following Wednesday, US officials in Seoul said. (PDI-p1) 

The match started with a handshake and ended with a little hug, the muscular Koreans refusing to acknowledge the military and political tensions back home. Wrestlers from North and South Korea faced off on the mat at the Asian Games on Wednesday, the morning after the countries exchanged artillery fire near their disputed sea border. Two South Korean marines were killed and the international community appealed for calm following the dramatic confrontation. (Philstar-p1) 

On The Armed Forces

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) is ready to send troops to South Korea should the political leadership decide to do so amid the tension between South and North Koreas, this despite the fact that the country is hardly known for its military prowess as well as its lack of modern military arms and hardware. AFP Chief of Staff Gen. Ricardo David Jr. said that despite this lack, Filipino soldiers are courageous fighters and fight battles well. It was not known why the AFP should even join in a shooting dispute between the two Koreas, as the country generally stays neutral in such situations. (Tribune-p1) 

Toeing the line of the commander-in-chief President Aquino, Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Chief of Staff Gen. Ricardo David Jr. yesterday said the military will continue to use the Citizens Armed Forces Geographical Units (Cafgus) as force multiplier despite calls for the disbandment of militias throughout the country. In fact, David said the AFP is asking for additional funds to maintain the more or less 50,000 Cafgu members operating nationwide. (Tribune-p1) 

On Maguindanao Massacre

Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Director General Raul Bacalzo vowed yesterday to track down the 112 suspects in the Maguindanao Massacre who remain at large. He said he has asked presidential adviser on the peace process Teresita Deles to coordinate with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) for the surrender of suspects who have sought refuge with the secessionists. He has ordered police to account for suspects who are members of civilian volunteer organizations, he added. (Philstar-p6) 

On HIV Cases

Amid continuing debate over the use of condoms to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS, the Department Of Health (DOH) recorded 104 new cases last month. The figure brings to 1,305 the number of HIV/AIDS cases this year alone, the DOH said.  It is also 30 percent higher than the 80 HIV/AIDS cases registered in October 2009. The DOH’s HIV/AIDS Registry showed that since January 1984, a total of 5,729 HIV cases – 852 of them have progressed into AIDS – had been reported.  (Philstar-p1) 

On The Comelec

Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman Jose Melo will avail of early retirement effective on Jan. 31, 2011, four years ahead of his scheduled retirement in 2015. Comelec sources said that Melo had already submitted his retirement papers to President Aquino, who asked him to stay. When Melo declined the President’s request, Aquino offered to give him another post, but the Comelec chief also declined the offer. (Philstar-p1) 

On Zeñarosa Report

President Aquino is reviewing the Zeñarosa Commission report to determine whether it would be released to the public and its recommendations adopted. The Independent Commission Against Private Armies (ICAPA), created by former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and headed by retired Court of Appeals Justice Monina Arevalo Zenarosa, was tasked to dismantle private armies in the Philippines. The commission earlier disclosed that 35 out of the reported 107 existing private armed groups in the country had already been dismantled by the police and military (Philstar-p1) 

On Detained Pinoy In China

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said yesterday the People’s Supreme Court of China has not handed down a decision on the five death penalty cases for drug trafficking involving Filipinos. The statement was issued in reaction to a report that China’s Supreme Court has affirmed with finality the death sentence on three Filipinos who were convicted of drug trafficking. (Philstar-p5) 

On The Judiciary

A list of final nominees for appointment to the Court of Appeals (CA) and Sandiganbayan have been submitted to Malacañang. During voting presided over by Chief Justice Renato Corona last Monday, the Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) came up with 13 names for three vacancies in the CA and three names for a vacant seat in the Sandiganbayan. (Philstar-p1) 

On Public Funds

President Aquino encourages the public to report incidents of public fund misuse to the website of the Department of Finance. The website http://perangbayan. com/index.php will entertain information relevant to graft, improper action, negligence, lavish lifestyle and other supposedly anomalous practices of civil servants. It will likewise receive reports of exemplary performance. (Philstar-p10) 

On The Peace Bonds

Social Welfare Secretary Corazon “Dinky” Soliman on Wednesday turned a cold shoulder on a hearing conducted by the House Committee on Good Government over the P10-billion Poverty Eradication and Alleviation Certificate (PEACe) bonds controversy. But the panel uncovered that her husband, lawyer Hector Soliman, was among the members of the board of directors of the Peace and Equity Foundation (PEF) that received much of the P1.3-billion commission from the controversial transaction, which the government is set to pay at a matured amount of P35 billion next year. During the hearing, Representatives Jerry Trenas of Iloilo and Salvador Escudero of Sorsogon expressed disappointment over Soliman’s no-show. (Mla Times-p1) 

On Aviation 

The Philippines on Wednesday said that its bid for a swift exit from blacklists of countries deemed to have unsafe aviation had suffered a setback after international regulators shelved a visit next month. The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) suggested reforms undertaken since 2008 could be at risk over purported political interference, Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) chief Alfonso Cusi said. “Without the ICAO audit, the FAA [US Federal Aviation Administration] and EU [European Union] will not act upon any request of the Philippines for reinstatement to Category 1 and removal from the blacklists,” he added. (Mla Times-p2) 

On Anti-Graft Commission

Malacañang on Wednesday said that President Benigno Aquino 3rd has formally abolished the Presidential Anti-Graft Commission (PAGC). Edwin Lacierda, Palace presidential spokesman said in a news briefing that President Aquino issued an executive order abolishing PAGC and transferring its functions to an existing office—the Office of the Deputy Secretary for Legal Affairs. The Office of the Deputy Secretary for Legal Affairs was headed by Ronaldo Geron and under the Office of the President. In Executive Order (eo) 13 released on Wednesday said, “To enable the Office of the President to directly investigate graft and corrupt cases of presidential appointees in the executive department, including heads of government-owned and -controlled corporations.” (Mla Times-p3) 

On The Mindanao Peace

The Muslim leaders from Mindanao have urged the Aquino administration for the full implementation of the government and the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) 1996 Final Peace Agreement that they now call as the “Mother of All Bangsamoro Peace Agreements,” while at the same time Muslim civil societies have signed a resolution supporting the same move.

This was expressed in unison by Muslim leaders composed of former regional governor of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), congressmen, ambassador, lawyers, and members of the academe, as well as former commissioner of the Commission on Elections in a meeting held over the weekend at the Sulo Hotel in Quezon City. (Mla Times-p7) 

On Lotto Jackpot

As astonishing as the more than P600 million jackpot that had accumulated for the 55-numbered lotto draws, President Aquino issued a string of executive orders reorganizing government agencies, including one that returned to the Office of the President (OP) the direct supervision over lotto operator Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO). (Tribune-Banner) 

On Tourism Logo Fiasco

First they called it a launch. Now they call it just a preview that nevertheless cost close to P5 million which is a pretty expensive “preview” any which way it is cut. The highly criticized Pilipinas Kay Ganda tourism logo and slogan on which the Department of Tourism (DoT) reportedly spent P4.8 million is only just a preview and not exactly a launch, in its broadest sense, Malacañang claimed yesterday, in yet another bid to downplay the botched launching. (Tribune-p1) 

On Diplomatic Posting

President Aquino has nominated former Central Bank Governor Jose Cuisia Jr. as the country’s new ambassador to the United States, Foreign Affairs sources said yesterday. Cuisa is one of the original yellows, having served under Aquino’s mother, the late President Corazon Aquino.  It was also during his term as Central Bank governor that the CB went bankrupt. Cuisia was also a high ranking official of the Namfrel during the last presidential  elections. (Tribune-p1)