BROADSHEETS

PHIL. DAILY INQUIRER -- GMA Hits P21-B Cash Transfer

PHILIPPINE STAR -- Noy Tells US Envoy: VFA To Be Refined

MANILA STANDARD -- High Court Orders To Reinstate ‘Midnight Appointee’

MANILA TIMES -- Trillanes Release Hits Snag

MALAYA -- Hong Kong Slams Report View

DAILY TRIBUNE -- HK Dismayed By Noy’s No Accountability Move

TABLOIDS

PEOPLE’S JOURNAL -- Free

ABANTE -- P1B Sa Telegram! Meron Pa Ba N’yan?

PILIPINO STAR NGAYON -- Kabul Plane Crash: 6 Pinoy Utas

 

BALITA -- Tagumpay

PEOPLES TONIGHT -- Gregorio Slammed

BULGAR -- Maid Sex  Slave Ni Sir

 

ISSUES MONITORING

On Congress

The Senate Blue Ribbon committee will resume today the hearing on jueteng controversy, with all personalities mentioned by Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago in her earlier privilege speech invited to attend. Blue Ribbon chairman Teofisto Guingona III has also invited those identified by retired Archbishop Oscar Cruz. Included in the list were Rodolfo “Bong” Pineda, Danny Soriano, Tony Santos, Aging Lisan and Atong Ang, tagged as an operator in Cagayan. (Philstar-p7) 

Sen. Antonio Trillanes 4th may have to languish in jail for at least one more month after Congress went on recess Wednesday afternoon without approving a concurrent resolution concurring with a government proclamation granting amnesty to the senator and more than 300 other soldiers. Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile said that the Senate would adopt the resolution on November 8 when it resumed its session.  Sen. Teofisto Guingona 3rd expressed the hope that Trillanes could be free and attend Senate sessions before the year ends. (Mla Times-Banner) 

On Presidency

President Aquino has decided to reduce his confidential and intelligence funds next year by P250 million. Cavite Rep. Joseph Emilio Abaya, chairman of the House appropriations committee, revealed the President’s decision yesterday in the course of answering questions from Minority Leader Edcel Lagman on the proposed P4-billion budget of the Office of the President for next year. (Philstar-p8) 

A Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey conducted in the last week of September found high expectations that President Aquino would keep his promises and serve the poor. The survey that came out yesterday in BusinessWorld found that 44 percent expect the President to keep most/all of his promises in his July 26, 2010 State of the Nation Address, compared to only 19 percent who expected then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to keep most/all of her promises in her July 23, 2001 SONA, based on the September 2001 survey. (Philstar-p9) 

On The Supreme Court

The Supreme Court (SC) has expanded the power of the Office of The Ombudsman to immediately implement the agency’s rulings on administrative cases despite pending appeals in the courts. In a resolution penned by Chief Justice Renato Corona, the SC ruled that all penalties imposed by the Ombudsman on administrative cases against erring public officials should be immediately executory despite pending petitions and appeals in the courts. (Philstar-p12) 

On ‘Conditional Cash Transfer’

Breaking her silence for the first time on the Aquino administration, former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, now a Pampanga representative, took the floor on Tuesday night and blasted the proposed budget of P21-billion for its conditional cash transfer (CCT) program. Arroyo called the massive expansion of the program that she had begun as President irresponsible, ambitious and untimely as her former close ally, Social Welfare Secretary Corazon Soliman, looked on. (PDI-Banner) 

Former president and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo played out her role as opposition leader in grilling administration officials over their budget proposal. Arroyo’s constant badgering over the proposed P34.3-billion budget of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) apparently delayed the approval of the budget during plenary session that lasted until midnight. (Philstar-p2) 

On The Visiting Forces Agreement

President Aquino has informed US Ambassador Harry Thomas Jr. of a plan to “refine” the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA), citing some flaws in the controversial deal. “I think it’s inarguable that there are benefits, but perhaps a refinement is necessary. It can be made better,” Aquino said in a panel interview with The STAR editors yesterday at Malacañang. He did not specify which provisions in the VFA needed fine-tuning. (Philstar-Banner) 

On IIRC Report

Hong Kong has expressed disappointment over the Philippine government’s decision on actions to be taken on officials involved in the handling of the August hostage-taking incident which left eight Hong Kong tourists dead. (Malaya-Banner) 

The Hong Kong government has expressed disappointment over the Philippine government’s “lessened actions” against the officials who should be held accountable for the Aug. 23 hostage tragedy. Hong Kong Special Autonomous Region (SAR) Chief Executive Donald Tsang issued a statement saying the people of Hong Kong expected a more serious move against the officials involved in the Aug. 23 hostage fiasco. (Philstar-p1) 

When the incident investigation and review committee (IIRC) on the Aug. 23 Quirino Grandstand hostage incident finally uses the word “extort,” it almost seems like an afterthought. The word is buried in the second to the last paragraph of the last page of the report it submitted a month ago to President Aquino. “This is our society,” the report concludes. “It drives otherwise ordinary and simple men to turn into murdering monsters at a snap. Because they feel oppressed and need justice but are asked for money. They ask for redemption but are faced with extortion. Officials without shame, policemen without competence, politicians without care, reporters without conscience, a nation without luck. Mendoza was only the instrument in the murder of eight innocent human beings.” (Philstar-p1) 

On The Justice Secretary

President Aquino expressed yesterday his full trust and confidence in Justice Secretary Leila de Lima, who considered resigning when her recommendations on the Aug. 23 hostage crisis were modified by Malacañang. “She will stay. She still has my trust,” he told STAR editors in an interview at the Presidential Guest House. “That is not a problem. You have to read her resignation statement. Everything is there, all the questions have been answered.” (Philstar-p1) 

On Barangay Elections

The campaign period for candidates running in the Oct. 25 barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections officially starts today. Commission on Elections (Comelec) spokesman James Jimenez yesterday urged candidates not to be over enthusiastic in wooing voters, saying that they have to observe campaign restrictions. (Philstar-p3) 

On The Armed Forces

Armed Forces chief Lt. Gen. Ricardo David yesterday said the military would have preferred the continued trial of officers linked to the attempts to overthrow the Arroyo government, but said the AFP will accept President Aquino’s decision to grant amnesty to the military rebels. David told reporters at the 7th year anniversary of the AFP National Capital Region Command, the military’s anti-coup force based in Camp Aguinaldo that had the AFP been asked, he would have said that he preferred pursuing the cases in court. (Malaya-p1) 

Sen. Joker Arroyo yesterday practically accused his colleagues and Malacañang of intervening in the case of detained Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV by rushing the grant of amnesty to him and other fellow soldiers and officers facing mutiny charges before the courts.  The senator questioned the effort being exerted by the Executive which stemmed from the initiatives of the senators, noting the scheduled pro-mulgation of Trillanes’ criminal case pending before the Makati City Regional Trial Court sometime this month. (Tribune-p1) 

On The PNP

All members of the 135,000-strong Philippine National Police (PNP) have been banned from golf courses by their chief, Raul Bacalzo.

Bacalzo issued the ban on Wednesday after receiving reports that police officials and personnel are seen in golf courses even when they are on duty or during office hours. “I have observed that some PNP personnel take the liberty of leaving their respective offices at any time of the day to play golf, to the detriment of their duties and responsibilities,” Bacalzo said in a memorandum that was circulated in all PNP units and offices nationwide. “This does not bode well with our effort toward genuine transformation and does not contribute to building a positive image of the PNP,” he added. (Mla Times-p1) 

On Mass Transportation

A State-run think tank on Wednesday recommended a fare hike of up to P20 for Metro Rail Transit (MRT) Line 3 to minimize the government’s multibillion-peso subsidy.  Ruzette Morales Mariano, research consultant of Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS), said that the fare level in MRT 3 should be raised between P15 and P20 for the current P10 to P15 as this price ranges yields the highest annual revenue. In turn, Mariano added, such range results in the lowest subsidy requirement without compromising the level of social benefits. At P10 to P15 fare, the government’s subsidy was P47.50 a rider. (Mla Times-p1) 

On Tax Collectors

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the US government’s Millennium Challenge Corp. (MCC) on Wednesday signed a partnership agreement to provide capacity-building support for the reform and modernization of tax administration in the Philippines. This was the IMF’s first agreement of this kind with the United States, the Fund said in a statement. “This agreement sets the stage for a strong partnership between the IMF and the US government,” Murilo Portugal, the IMF deputy managing director, said. (Mla Times-p1) 

On Reproductive Health

The Catholic Church is now planning to use Facebook, Twitter and other social networking site to promote its moral issues, including the controversial Reproductive Health (RH) Bill. According to Father Kunegundo Garganta, executive secretary of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the  Philippines-Episcopal Commission on Youth, it is easy to update the parishioners and churchgoers with the social networking sites. He said that it would also be used to give information and educate the public, particularly the youth. (Mla Times-p3) 

On Foreign Affairs

Filipino workers in Greece have demanded the ouster of the Philippines’ ambassador there whom they accused of overstaying and incompetence. In a statement, Filipino migrant workers group, Kasapi Hellas, in Athens urged President Aquino not to reappoint Ambassador Rigoberto Tiglao, a political appointee of former President Gloria, who they said “has nothing to show in terms of performance after more than four years” in post. (Tribune-p1) 

On Laguna Lake Rehab

President Aquino has disapproved a project to dredge Laguna de Bay, saying he found it pointless to spend P18.5 billion just to move dredged matter from one area of the lake to another nearby site. The dredging of the lake is supposed to prevent the water level from rising and flooding nearby areas. “I rejected it in its present form,” he said yesterday at a roundtable with STAR editors. He said a project presentation a few weeks ago revealed that the dredged material would simply be dumped into another part of the lake. “How would that work? It would be the same thing and we would be spending P18.5 billion for it.” (Philstar-p1)