BROADSHEETS

PHIL. DAILY INQUIRER -- Civil Disobedience Still A CBCP Option

PHILIPPINE STAR  -- Review Of Hostage Report Out This Week

MANILA STANDARD -- Church Ratchets Up Rhetoric Warns Of Civil Disobedience

MANILA TIMES -- Church Should Change Now

MALAYA -- Hopefully, Aquino’s Last Word On Family Planning

DAILY TRIBUNE -- Civil Disobedience An Option - CBCP

TABLOIDS

PEOPLE’S JOURNAL -- Jobs Not Condoms

ABANTE -- Snap Polls Vs PNoy?

PILIPINO STAR NGAYON -- Lim OK Makulong

BALITA -- Radio Veritas Nag-Sorry

PEOPLES TONIGHT -- Stepdad Stabs Teener 20X!

 

ISSUES MONITORING

On Congress

The Senate is not too keen on extending its “jueteng” probe because the issue has come down to two choices for the Aquino administration—undertake an all-out war against the illegal numbers game or legalize it. Sen. Gregorio Honasan reckoned that the Senate blue ribbon committee had combed through all the issues raised by retired Archbishop Oscar Cruz and Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago on corruption and jueteng, and it was up to the authorities to follow through with these leads. (PDI-p2) 

The House of Representatives will begin today marathon plenary deliberations on next year’s proposed P1.64-trillion national budget Some House leaders vowed to realign tens of billions of pesos in allocations prone to abuse. Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. said the floor debates, which would cover practically all government agencies, will start at 10 a.m. and would be held five days a week in the next two weeks. (Philstar-p9) 

Struggling contractual workers may have found another ally in their plight of becoming regular employees after a party-list group solon yesterday vowed to push a bill seeking the abolition of project-based jobs in the country. The Democratic Independent Workers Association (DIWA) party-list Rep. Amy Aglipay told reporters that she had filed a bill called Security of Tenure Act of 2010 to eliminate the contractualization of workers in the country, which she described as unfair and abusive. (Tribune-p3) 

On Presidency

If President Benigno Aquino III were to receive a report card for his first 100 days in office, it would show a passing mark of “C” or 75, retired Archbishop Oscar Cruz said yesterday. Oct. 7 marks Mr. Aquino’s 100th day as President. “I was expecting more. I was hoping for more but after some time, his performance proved to be rather weak,” Cruz told the Inquirer in a phone interview yesterday. (PDI-p1) 

FOUR days before President Benigno Aquino 3rd would have completed his first 100 days in office, economists and businessmen said that they were impressed with what his administration had accomplished in so short a time. Felipe Medalla, an economics professor at the University of the Philippines (UP) in Diliman, Quezon City, however, said that Filipinos should not expect great achievements from President Aquino, who he added has shown “promise” in addressing the country’s problems. The President would have reached his 100th day in office on October 8. (Mla Times-p1) 

This was the message of the Catholic Church to President Benigno Aquino 3rd who was asked to follow the footsteps of his late mother, former President Corazon “Cory” Aquino, in resolving the current debate over accessibility of artificial birth-control methods to Filipino families. San Fernando Archbishop Paciano Aniceto made the statement in Manila’s Quiapo Church after a “pro-life” rally was held there on Saturday.  Aniceto called on President Aquino to emulate the leadership of his mother, who was known for her devotion to her Catholic faith. (Mla Times-p1) 

On Contraceptive War

A Church and State moved to avert a collision, Catholic bishops yesterday said civil disobedience remained “a moral option” for Catholics if the Aquino administration pushed for the distribution of artificial contraceptives to couples who want to use them. The bishops said they had the moral authority to call for such an action if the government promoted an action contrary to the teachings of the Church. (PDI-Banner) 

President Aquino is neither "pro-life nor anti-life."  He is not endorsing any family planning method, whether natural or artificial.  He is for responsible parenthood. Malacañang stressed these points yesterday as it reiterated that all the President wants is to leave to couples to decide what is best for them. (Malaya-Banner) 

The Roman Catholic Church in the Philippines should start rethinking its role in modern society or else, its members will abandon it, Sen. Edgardo Angara warned on Sunday. Angara’s warning came after the Catholic Church criticized President Benigno Aquino 3rd for supporting government funding for artificial contraception.  Bills on reproductive health pending in the House of Representatives and the Senate require the government to shoulder information campaigns on contraception and to make needed materials available to the people. (Mla Times-Banner) 

The conflict between the Aquino administration and the Catholic Church over birth control legislation has entered the stage of a “phoney war” following a meeting between President Benigno Aquino III and the bishops on Friday in which they decided to scale down the fiery rhetoric over the reproductive health (RH) bills in Congress. By phoney war, I am referring to a phase in early World War II, the period between the German invasion of Poland in September 1939 and the invasion of France, Belgium, the Netherlands in May 1940. (PDI-p1) 

Three senators called yesterday for debates in Congress on the Reproductive Health (RH) Bill. Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile said it’s time to open the debates, although the RH Bill requires further study and soul-searching. “I guess it’s better that this matter will be brought out into the open and discussed publicly and openly without inordinate passion about it, it must be an open minded discussion by all sectors of society,” he said. (Philstar-p8) 

On IIRC Report

The report of the Malacañang panel that reviewed the recommendations made by the incident investigation and review committee (IIRC) on the hostage crisis will be released to the public on Wednesday, President Aquino disclosed yesterday. “I will just be meeting with the Communications Group. I will present it to them because we need to simplify all these legalese,” the President said after the legal team headed by Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr. finished the review of the IIRC report. (Philstar-Banner) 

President Benigno Aquino 3rd will release to the public this week the government’s action plan made in response to the recommendations of the Incident Investigation and Report Committee (IIRC) regarding the hostage-taking incident that left eight Chinese tourists dead. The assurance was made by deputy spokesman Abigail Valte over government-run radio station dzRB. “Tuloy ang announcement this week [the announcement will push through this week],” Valte said Sunday over the government-run radio station dzRB.  “This week ilalabas po ang implementation plan doon sa IIRC report [This week the implementation plan in lieu of the IIRC report will be released],” she added. (Mla Times-p3) 

On Anti Money Laundering Law

President Aquino sees the need to amend the law that created the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC), which recently admitted being helpless in going after big-time operators of the illegal numbers game jueteng. “The AMLC is our vital weapon and component against corruption,” the President said in a phone interview, noting that this office should be given more teeth in fulfilling its mandate by way of checking the assets of suspected criminals, or the fruits of their illegal activities. (Philstar-p1) 

On Peace And Order

Philippine National Police chief Director General Raul Bacalzo maintained there is no breakdown of peace and order, particularly in Metro Manila where he said crime incidents have dropped. Bacalzo reiterated his directive to all police regional, provincial, district and station commanders to prioritize the effort against street crimes as the police prepare for the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan on Oct. 25. (Philstar-p19) 

On Illegal Gambling

At least 125 persons were arrested and an undetermined amount of cash bets and gambling paraphernalia were confiscated in a week-long drive waged by the National Capital Regional Police Office against illegal gambling in Metro Manila. NCRPO chief Director Leocadio Santiago said his illegal gambling drive is a continuing process as he vowed, “no sacred cows would be spared.” (Philstar-p18) 

On Bar Exams Blast

A fraternity based at Ateneo Law School has put up a P200,000 reward for information that will lead to the identification of those behind the grenade attack on the last day of bar examinations on Sept. 26, which left 47 wounded. The Fraternal Order of Utopia Sunday condemned “in the strongest terms the irresponsible act of the perpetrators” outside De La Salle University, venue of the bar exams. (PDI-p1) 

On Poverty

Poor farmers of Gingoog City were trapped in a cycle. Money from rice or corn trickled in only at the end of every harvest. For the rest of the planting calendar, the families waited, penniless or in debt until the next cycle. Then came a livelihood project with a big heart and ambition, and a business plan. (PDI-p1) 

With the support of both the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) and the World Bank, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) plans to expand the coverage of its conditional cash transfer, or CCT program from one million poor families this year to four million in 2012. Vanessa Tobin, Unicef representative here, said the UN-attached agency was committed to supporting the program by ensuring the services are there so families can comply with its terms. (PDI-p3) 

On Rights Abuses

Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Director General Raul Bacalzo over the weekend vowed to imple-ment measures that would curb human rights violations committed during police operations following reports of rampant abuses in the conduct of the said activities. Bacalzo said he is seeking a continuous review of the Police Operations Procedures (POP) and the establishment of a human rights desk in police stations nationwide. The protection of human rights, Bacalzo stressed, would be among the priorities of the PNP under his watch since it reflects the proper implementation of police operational procedures. (Mla Times-p3) 

On Mindanao Brownout

Energy agencies are blaming each other for the rotating brownouts in Mindanao. The state-run National Power Corp. (Napocor) Sunday maintained that the brownouts were not due to power supply shortage, as alleged by the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP). (PDI-p5) 

On Immigration

Bureau of Immigration (BI) officer-in-charge Ronaldo Ledesma has ordered the review of all contracts entered into during the previous administration, including the printing of arrival and departure (A/D) cards being distributed to international passengers, to ensure that no taxpayers’ money had been used for the printing. He said the government does not spend a single centavo for their printing of A/D cards and the supplier merely relies on the advertisements that are printed on allotted portions of the cards to generate income. (Philstar-p4) 

On Barangay Elections

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has altered the procedures for the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections on Oct. 25 following the protest case filed by former senator Manuel Roxas II against Vice President Jejomar Binay. The Comelec issued a resolution ordering the separate listing of new voters and transferees from other polling precincts to keep intact all the records from the last May 10 elections. (Philstar-p4) 

On Maguindanao Massacre

Defense lawyer Gregorio Narvasa III has questioned the credibility of a witness presented by the prosecution as a “trusted aide” of former Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) governor Andal Ampatuan Sr. Narvasa said witness Lakmudin Saliao cannot be considered as “a trusted aide” of the Ampatuan patriarch because Saliao admitted during cross-examination that he started working for Ampatuan Sr. only on Nov. 2 last year, less than a month before the massacre took place on Nov. 23. (Philstar-p6) 

On The Air Force

The delivery of four brand new trainers from Italy this month would address the problems caused by the lack of aircraft in the inventory. Philippine Air Force (PAF) spokesman Lt. Col. Miguel Okol said the arrival of four SF-260 training aircraft would ease the backlog of students required to undergo flying exercises. He said some 150 to 170 students have been lined up for training. “This (delivery of four trainers) would start the phasing in of students and speed up the process,” Okol said. (Philstar-p12) 

On Overseas Pinoys

The Philippines may be forced to stop the deployment of household workers (HSWs) abroad early next year as a result of the new migrant workers law, a ranking official of the Department of Foreign Affairs said recently. Foreign Affairs undersecretary Esteban Conejos admitted that many countries hiring Filipino household workers and other skilled workers are having difficulty complying with the provisions of the new law. (Philstar-p12) 

The Chinese government has reiterated that there is no current demand for Filipino household service workers in China, saying opening this market to foreigners would endanger employment opportunities for locals. Chinese Ambassador Liu Jianchao cited the skills and competence of Filipino domestic helpers, but said there is no immediate plan for Beijing to allow their entry into mainland China. “I haven’t heard of any confirmation that such an option  is feasible at this stage,” Liu said in a weekend press briefing. “(Filipino domestic helpers) are very diligent workers. They are professionals but… China is under tremendous pressure to provide jobs for the Chinese.” (Tribune-p1) 

On The Flag Carrier

Flag carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL) divulged yesterday the average payscale of its cabin crew to show that they are not underpaid amid a looming strike threat by the Flight Attendants and Stewards Association of the Philippines (Fasap) claiming unfair labor practice. PAL said in a statement that it was exasperated by its cabin crew union’s propaganda, adding its flight attendants are well paid and receive some of the best benefits that are the envy of other Filipino workers. (Tribune-p1) 

On Shoe Importation

A museum displaying the famed shoe collection of ex-first lady Imelda Marcos has reopened in Marikina, heralding a return fight by its beleaguered shoe industry against a flood of cheap imports. The museum is not just a showcase of the best of Imelda Marcos’ 3,000-pair collection, but also of the craftsmanship in shoemaking in the eastern Metro Manila city where the industry was born over a century ago. (PDI-p1) 

On ASEAN

Business leaders from member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) plus three partner countries – China, Japan and the Republic of Korea – are set to meet in the Philippines this week to discuss strategies on sustainable production and consumption as an emerging new trend of doing business globally. Scheduled on Oct. 6 to 7, 2010 at the Bayview Park Hotel in Manila, the two-day conference organized by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the United Nations University Institute of Advanced Studies, the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity and the ASEAN Secretariat is designed to equip business and industry leaders with the necessary knowledge, skills and tools in addressing the issue of sustainable production and consumption. (Philstar-p16) 

On Climate Change Fund

The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) has given the Philippines access to a $30-billion fund for the next three years to support countries putting up adaptation and mitigation programs against climate change. In a statement, the vice chairman of the Climate Change Commission (CCC) over the weekend said that with the early submission by Manila of its national framework strategy on climate change, has been chosen by the UNFCCC to be one of the first gainers from the $30-billion fund. “The $30-billion Fast Start Finance of the UNFCCC for [2010 to 2012] will be used to support adaptation and mitigation programs of developing countries vulnerable to effects of global warming,” Secretary Heherson Alvarez added. It was not clear how much of the fund could be availed of by the Philippines. (Mla Times-p1) 

On Human Trafficking

The American Embassy in Manila has deployed two prosecutors from the US Justice department to beef up the Philippines’ campaign against human trafficking. This was disclosed by US Ambassador to the Philippines Harry Thomas Jr. during an exclusive roundtable with reporters and editors of The Manila Times last week. Thomas said that the two prosecutors had been fielded at the Philippines’ Department of Justice and that they would link up with concerned agencies to effectively prosecute perpetrators of human trafficking. (Mla Times-p2)