BROADSHEETS

PHIL. DAILY INQUIRER -- Aquino Faces Threat Of Excommunication

MANILA BULLETIN -- ‘Ampatuan Kin Ordered Attack’

PHILIPPINE STAR -- AMLC Powerless Vs ‘Jueteng’ Operators

MANILA STANDARD -- CBCP Threatens To  Excommunicate  President Aquino

MANILA TIMES -- Aquino Faces Church Ouster

MALAYA -- Aquino Defies CBCP On Contraceptives

DAILY TRIBUNE -- Noy Excommunication Possible - CBCP

TABLOIDS

PEOPLE’S JOURNAL -- Church Threatens Aquino

ABANTE -- Magsabunutan Na Lang Kami! - Miriam

PILIPINO STAR NGAYON -- P-Noy Ititiwalag Sa Katoliko 

BALITA -- Pangulo, ‘Di Uurong

PEOPLES TONIGHT --Tiger’s Sex Tape For Sale!

BULGAR -- Contractual Employees, Bawal Na

 

ISSUES MONITORING

On Congress

Seventeen senators have signed a resolution urging President Benigno Aquino III to grant amnesty to soldiers jailed for involvement in failed uprisings against the previous administration, including their colleague, Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV. In Senate Resolution No. 217, Majority Leader Vicente Sotto III said “rightist elements, including the soldiery, should also be extended the same … hand of peace and reconciliation” being offered by the new administration to leftist insurgents. (PDI-p1) 

The House of Representatives asked the Supreme Court (SC) yesterday to dismiss the petition of Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez seeking to stop the impeachment proceedings against her. Representing the House, Solicitor General Joel Cadiz invoked the principle of separation of powers in arguing that the SC should not intervene in the impeachment proceedings against Gutierrez. (Philstar-p1) 

Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. is ready to face the wrath of the Roman Catholic Church in pushing for the passage of the Reproductive Health (RH) Bill. “Everyone has to assess that. Yet we ourselves have assessed it in the past, and we’re willing to take the risk,” Belmonte said, referring to the Church’s heightened campaign against the RH bill whose main feature is the state’s promotion of artificial birth control methods. (Philstar-p1) 

The House of Representatives will focus on President Aquino’s proposed P1.645-trillion 2011 national budget next week. Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. told a news conference yesterday that the next two weeks would be for budget deliberations. “The budget poses a challenge for us to do more with less by removing the fat and requiring administrative reforms in state agencies,” he said. (Philstar-p3) 

On Presidency

Raising the ante in their conflict over birth control, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) president yesterday said President Benigno Aquino III could be “excommunicated” if he actively promoted the distribution of artificial contraceptives to Filipino couples. Mr. Aquino, a practising Catholic, recently signified support for couples who would want to limit the number of their children by using contraceptives. His statement has been taken to mean he would favor government distribution of contraceptives to them. (PDI-Banner) Contraceptives

The Office of the President has proposed a budget of P4.075 billion for next year, P183.9 million less than its current budget of P4.249 billion. Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr. told a Senate hearing on its proposed budget that the office has also realigned P250 million of its P650-million intelligence fund for programs needed by agencies attached to it. (Philstar-p2)                                             

In the strongest threat yet against President Aquino, the head of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines yesterday said the Chief Executive can be excommunicated if he remains firm on promoting the use of artificial contraceptives. The President stood by his position of promoting responsible parenthood. (Malaya-Banner) 

President Aquino’s penchant for eating hotdogs at street stands and fast food outlets and shaking the hands of passersby drove the US Secret Service crazy, Trade Secretary Gregory Domingo said yesterday. Domingo, who accompanied Aquino in his trip to the US, said the Secret Service agents who were detailed to Aquino also had issues with his policy not to use sirens in his convoy and his walking on sidewalks and shaking hands with people. He said when Aquino’s car could not get close to the Waldorf Astoria Hotel because of the presence of US President Barack Obama’s entourage, Aquino decided to walk to the Hotel Sofitel, where he was billeted. "The Secret Service went crazy again," he said. (Malaya-p1) US trip

On Jueteng

The Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) yesterday admitted it is helpless in going after big-time illegal gambling operators since no criminal cases have been filed.  AMLC secretariat officer Richard David Funk II said efforts to go after the bank accounts of suspected jueteng and masiao operators are difficult as law enforcement agencies have failed to file criminal cases against them. Funk made the revelation during the second hearing of the Senate yesterday on the proliferation of jueteng. (Philstar-Banner) 

Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile yesterday suggested that local government units (LGUs) be allowed to decide whether to legalize jueteng in their localities and to handle small-town lottery (STL) games.  Enrile made the suggestion at the resumption of the Senate hearing on the resurgence of the illegal numbers game in the Aquino administration. (Malaya-p1)

The government can fight jueteng through good law enforcement and the strengthening of the Small Town Lottery (STL) and the illegal numbers game need not be legalized, Interior and Local Government Secretary Jesse Robredo told a Senate inquiry on Thursday. Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile and Senate President Pro Tempore Jose “Jinggoy” Estrada have been pushing for the legalization of jueteng, saying that the government has been unable to stamp it out.  Robredo said that jueteng could be eradicated, citing his successful campaign against the illegal numbers game when he was mayor of Naga City in Camarines Sur. (Mla Times-p1) 

On IIRC Report

The high-level Philippine delegation to China led by Vice President Jejomar Binay will bring along a copy of the report of Malacañang’s review panel on the recommendations of the incident investigation and review committee (IIRC) regarding the Aug. 23 hostage-taking incident at the Quirino Grandstand, a Cabinet official confirmed yesterday.  “I asked the President, and he said that once the study is finished, he will provide all the documents to the Chinese embassy,” presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda told reporters at a briefing. (Philstar-p1) 

Justice Secretary Leila de Lima yesterday said the Incident Investigation and Review Committee (IIRC) which she chairs will begin next week the second phase of its mandate to investigate the August 23 hostage crisis.  The second phase of the IIRC aims to institutionalize reforms to enhance the capabilities of agencies in dealing with similar situations. (Malaya-p6) 

On Electoral Protest

The Presidential Electoral Tribunal (PET) yesterday started hearing the election protest filed by former senator Manuel Roxas II against Vice President Jejomar Binay. Retired Supreme Court justice Bernardo Pardo presided over the hearing. Binay was present during the hearing “to observe the proceedings,” he said. Roxas sent his lawyers. (Philstar-p4)

On Rebels Amnesty

President Aquino, as commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces, will have the final say over proposals to grant amnesty to rebel soldiers, the military said yesterday. Armed Forces spokesman Col. Jose Mabanta said the commander-in-chief can grant amnesty to renegade military officers and enlisted men with the concurrence of a majority of members of Congress. “I’m sure the President will be weighing all these things but ultimately he has one thing in mind and that is the attainment of peace,” he said. (Philstar-p11) 

On Govt Feeding Program

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) yesterday launched its Supplemental Feeding Program targeting 1.5 million children in day-care centers. Under the program aimed at addressing malnutrition, the children are to be fed a hot meal daily with rice purchased from the National Food Authority (NFA). (PDI-p1) 

On Higher Education

The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) is zeroing in on the excessive number of higher education institutions (HEIs) in the country as one of the major causes of the deteriorating quality of higher education. Dr. Patricia Licuanan, CHED chair, said the proliferation of colleges and universities offering degree programs is making it hard for CHED to check on the quality of programs offered to students. (Philstar-p1) 

On Barangay Elections

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) announced yesterday that the filing of certificates of candidacy starts today until Oct. 13 for those running for the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections on Oct. 25. Comelec spokesman James Jimenez said 42,000 seats for barangay and SK chairmen would be contested while 294,000 slots for barangay and SK council members are up for grabs. (Philstar-p8) 

On Fraternities

Department of Justice Secretary Leila de Lima called on Congress yesterday to pass a law that would regulate fraternities in the country’s colleges and universities following a post-Bar exam grenade attack that wounded close to 50 persons, mostly from her alma mater, the San Beda College of Law. “It’s okay to regulate these (organizations) for as long there is reasonableness – as long as you don’t curtail rights like freedom of expression of these fraternities. So that’s okay,” she told reporters in a press conference. (Philstar-p18) 

On Human Trafficking

The Department Labor and Employment (DOLE) on Thursday announced that the government would support filing of criminal charges against traffickers of Filipinos to the United States whose latest attempt to ship local workers had been foiled by Manila and Washington authorities. The Filipinos, Labor department said, had complained to the US Department of Homeland Security, which accorded them assistance as victims of “forced labor trafficking.” Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz made the announcement after the arrival in the Philippines of US lawyer Ellaine Carr, who is affiliated with Catholic charities and who assisted the 18 

Filipino victims in the US pro bono. (Mla Times-p1) 

The Bureau of Immigration (BI) on Wednesday night began dry run of its new “snake line or S-Line” queuing system at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) in order to stop collusion among Immigration personnel and human-smuggling syndicates. According to Immigration Officer in Charge Ronaldo Ledesma, the S-Line queuing system meant that arriving and departing passengers would not be able to select which immigration counter they would line up before because they would be distributed to different counters from a single, snaking line. (Mla Times-p1) 

On Tax Cheats

Manila said on Thursday that it would now be able to investigate the offshore bank accounts of Filipinos as the government tries to clamp down on tax cheats. The announcement comes a day after the Department of Finance passed regulations that will allow it to swap bank information on individuals as part of an international convention on tax standards. “Tax evaders now have nowhere to hide,” Finance Undersecretary Carlo Carag said in a statement. Just five million people file their income tax returns, according to the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR), leading to chronic budget deficits and poor delivery of basic services. (Mla Times-p1) 

On Maguindanao Massacre

Some of the detained police officers accused in the Maguindanao massacre case and who are being considered by the government as witnesses for the prosecution are planning to change sides, the warden of the Quezon City Jail annex said on Thursday. Police Insp. Ermilito Moral cited a confrontation on September 27 between accused Chief Insp. Sukarno Dicay and 17 other accused, all 18 of whom are being counted on as possible witnesses for the  prosecution. To prevent another possible face-off that could lead to violence inside the jail annex in Camp Bagong Diwa in Taguig City (Metro Manila), Moral in a letter asked Judge Jocelyn Solis Reyes of Branch 221 of the Regional Trial Court of Quezon City to transfer Dicay to another cell. (Mla Times-p1) 

On The Ombudsman

The House of Representatives does not have a timetable on the impeachment proceedings against Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez, House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. said on Thursday. Belmonte made the comment despite the decision of the House Committee on Justice to proceed with the impeachment proceedings against Gutierrez even if the Supreme Court issued an order to temporarily stop them. The House filed its comment on the High Court’s status quo order also on Thursday. (Mla Times-p2) 

On Nuclear Energy

An American-based engineering company has proposed to build a nuclear power plant in the country, Secretary Jose Rene Almendras of the Energy department said Thursday. During a briefing in Malacañang, Almendras said that the company was among those US business firms that wanted to pour in new investments in the country during the recent visit of President Benigno Aquino 3rd in the United States. Almendras was part of the official delegation that joined President Aquino in his weeklong working visit in the United States. “There was interest to try to bring nuclear energy to the Philippines but I have to let them know that we have not yet resolved the question whether we are going to be open to it or not,” he said. (Mla Times-p3) 

On Campaign Against Terrorism

Vigilance is key to thwarting terrorists. Harry Thomas Jr., the US Ambassador to the Philippines, on Thursday told an exclusive roundtable with reporters and editors of The Manila Times that people should always be vigilant wherever they may be because the world is consistently under threat from people “who do not want to resolve things in a rational manner.” In helping keep Filipinos, in particular, on their toes, Thomas pointed to the role being played by American soldiers under the Joint Special Operations Task Force-Philippines (JSOTF-P) in Mindanao. (Mla Times-p1) 

On ASEAN

China and Southeast Asian countries have begun discussions to hammer out a stronger code of conduct aimed at preventing South China Sea territorial disputes from erupting into armed conflict. Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Liu Jianchao said a draft code of conduct is being discussed by the parties at the working level, but did not give further details on its content. “They have worked on some of the outlines of the document and I think that consultations are still going on,” Liu said as he assured that China “is ready to work with the other parties concerned on this document.” (Tribune-p3)