1ST-APLUMA NEWS SUMMARY FOR SEPT. 23, 2010
Posted by unang apluma on Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Under: news
BROADSHEET
PHIL. DAILY INQUIRER -- Atong No.1 Gambling Lord
PHILIPPINE STAR -- Singsons, Atong Named In Jueteng
MANILA STANDARD -- Palace Is Bent On Raising Taxes Cigarets, Alcohol
MANILA TIMES -- Miriam Bares More Payoffs
MALAYA -- Miriam Comes Up With Her List
DAILY TRIBUNE -- Chavit, Atong, Bong Top Jueteng Lords
TABLOIDS
PEOPLE’S JOURNAL -- Puno To Quit
ABANTE -- Layas Na Nga Ako! -Puno
PILIPINO STAR NGAYON -- ‘Kill P-Noy’ Nabunyag
BALITA -- Ayoko Na
BULGAR -- DILG, PNP Pasok Sa Jueteng
ISSUES MONITORING
On Congress
The House of Representatives is preparing for a showdown with the Supreme Court (SC) over the impeachment of Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez. House Majority Leader Neptali Gonzales II said the SC acted prematurely in stopping the committee on justice from hearing the impeachment proceedings. “We stand on heavy and solid legal ground,” he said. (Philstar-p5)
On Presidency
President Aquino has confirmed his choice of former senator Manuel Roxas II as his unofficial senior adviser amid a brief hubbub stirred by his former running mate’s presence among members of the official retinue. Looking fresh and upbeat upon arrival here on a chartered flight from San Francisco, Mr. Aquino made a promise at once to Filipinos who welcomed him that he would make the most of out of his trip and bring home jobs for the people. (Philstar-p4)
Philippines - Malacañang has admitted hiring a public relations firm based in the United States to handle the publicity of President Aquino’s visit to the country. Communications Secretary Ricky Carandang said hiring a private publicity firm is common practice among visiting heads of state to help them get exposure in the US media. (Philstar-p7)
President Aquino has created a new anti-crime agency, the Anti-Transnational Organized Crime Commission (ATOCC). The body’s exact composition and functions are still not known as Malacañang has not yet made public the executive order creating it. However, the Office of the President (OP) has allocated P523.9 million for the new agency in the P1.645-trillion proposed national budget for next year. (Philstar-p16)
President Benigno Aquino 3rd on Tuesday (Wednesday in Manila) met with Vietnamese President Nguyen Minh Triet at the 65th United Nations General Assembly here and accepted the personal invitation of the Vietnamese leader to fly to Hanoi next month for a state visit.
During the meeting, President Nguyen personally reiterated the invitation of the Vietnamese government to President Aquino.
“We value Vietnam as a good friend and strategic partner. We are confident that these ties will only become stronger,” the
President told his Vietnamese counterpart during the meeting. (Mla Times-p1)
On Jueteng
Atong Ang, a former gambling buddy of deposed President Joseph Estrada, was not on the list of “jueteng” operators submitted by retired Archbishop Oscar Cruz to the Senate on Tuesday. But it is a curiosity that Ang topped the list of operators of illegal gambling revealed yesterday by Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago. In a privilege speech, Santiago identified Ang as No. 1 in four out of five regions. (PDI-Banner)
Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago yesterday named the top jueteng operators and protectors in the country and said that the illegal numbers game still flourishes due to the blessings of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) and the chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP). (Philstar-Banner)
Senators yesterday cheered Interior Secretary Rico Puno for heeding their call to hand in his resignation after getting the flak for the hostage crisis and the raging controversy over “jueteng,” an illegal numbers racket. Puno’s act shows that he has “delicadeza” and is willing to give his friend, President Benigno Aquino III, a free hand in resolving these issues, said Sen. Francis Escudero. (PDI-p1)
Malacañang hinted yesterday that more names may be added to the list of officials and private individuals whom the incident investigation and review committee (IIRC) has recommended charged in connection with the Luneta hostage fiasco last August. Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said the list made by Justice Secretary Leila de Lima, head of the panel that conducted the investigation, may still be amended. (Philstar-p1)
Businessman and presidential cousin Antonio “Tonyboy” Cojuangco yesterday admitted visiting retired Archbishop Oscar Cruz but denied asking the prelate to go easy on Interior and Local Government Undersecretary Rico Puno or anyone else in his jueteng exposé. Cojuangco told STAR columnist Babe Romualdez that he visited Cruz “on my own initiative, for no other reason than to try and help the President in finding out what this list was all about.” (Philstar-p1)
Retired Archbishop Oscar Cruz fears for his life from death threats after divulging before a Senate hearing on Tuesday the names of government officials who were receiving jueteng payola, and those who were running the illegal numbers game. But Cruz, also a former president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (cbcp), insisted that the list of jueteng beneficiaries and lords that he revealed before Senate was 100-percent accurate. During an interview over ABS-CBN, he said that he now fears for his life after baring during Tuesday’s Senate hearing a list of alleged jueteng operators and protectors. (Mla Times-p1)
On IIRC
Malacañang hinted yesterday that more names may be added to the list of officials and private individuals whom the incident investigation and review committee (IIRC) has recommended charged in connection with the Luneta hostage fiasco last August. Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said the list made by Justice Secretary Leila de Lima, head of the panel that conducted the investigation, may still be amended. (Philstar-p2)
Canada and the United Kingdom have received copies of the report of the incident investigation and review committee (IIRC) on the Aug. 23 hostage-taking incident at the Luneta Grandstand. Three of the tourists killed in the bus hijack were Canadian citizens. They were identified as Ken Leung, 58, and his daughters Jessie, 14 and Doris, 21. The mother, Amy Leung, and her son, 18-year-old Jason, both of whom survived the shooting, also hold Canadian passports. (Philstar-p2)
On Luneta Carnage
A fact-finding committee has recommended criminal charges against Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim for the bungled hostage rescue, according to the Associated Press (AP), which said it had seen a copy of a part of the panel’s report to President Benigno Aquino III that had not been officially released. The AP said that Lim was singled out for immediate administrative and criminal complaints among eight government and police officials blamed for the Aug. 23 fiasco. (PDI-p1)
On Power Rates
The Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) will increase electricity rates by 3.14 centavos per kilowatt-hour (kwh) next month. The increase was an offshoot of the decision of the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) that allowed Meralco to recover from its customers P3.371 billion for additional generation costs covering the period August 2006 to May 2007. (Philstar-p7)
On The President’s Man
Members of the press covering the Department of Education (DepEd) on Wednesday criticized a new security protocol of Education Secretary Armin Luistro.Hannibal Talete, the president of the Education department’s press corps, said that this is the first time in his many years of covering the education beat that such security protocol was implemented. “It’s ironic how the current government speaks of transparency, yet what’s happening is he [Luistro] distances himself not only from the media but even from his own employees,” he pointed out. (Mla Times-p2)
On Pinay Artist
No, Charice didn’t disappoint her fans around the world, particularly her kababayan, in her debut on the second season of the hit comedy-musical series Glee, which premiered yesterday, viewed by probably everybody in the Philippines, some of them in Metro malls which aired the ETC and Jack TV telecast on the big screen. As the nerd Filipino exchange student named Sunshine Corazon, Charice only had a few speaking lines, but she acquitted herself impressively well, delivering her dialogue in smooth English with hardly any accent and acting very naturally. She expressed her feelings with the right facial expression. (Philstar-p1)
On Dredging Projects
The Arroyo administration had released more than P1.3 billion to six provinces and two cities in just a week a few months before the May 10 elections, Sen. Franklin Drilon said yesterday. They are: Romblon, P370 million; Albay, P302 million; Tacloban City, P160 million; Antique, P145 million; Biliran, P120 million; Butuan, P80 million; Catanduanes, P80 million; and Pampanga, P62.5 million. Drilon said based on the summary of releases from the Department of Public Works and Highways for 2010, the projects related to flood control, specifically the dredging, desilting and re-channeling of rivers. (Philstar-p5)
On Folder Scam
The business firm that figured in the Ballot Secrecy Folder (BSF) controversy in the recent May 10 elections is again trying its luck to bag a contract with the Commission on Elections (Comelec).
It was learned that One Time Carbon (OTC) has sought to bid again for poll paraphernalia for the October 25 barangay (village) and Sangguniang Kabataan (Youth Council) elections. OTC, the winning bidder for the BSF during this year’s national elections, was later found to have overpriced by more than 100 percent the secrecy folders. (Mla Times-p1)
On Mindanao
The newly-reconstituted peace panel of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) will be pushing for the establishment of a sub-state in Mindanao as part of a final peace agreement or comprehensive compact. "It is not stated in our proposal specifically, but the formulation that we have put up is really for the creation of a state, sub-state arrangement," MILF chief negotiator Mohagher Iqbal said in a phone interview. (Malaya-p1)
On The Spratlys
Regional security and the sensitive Spratly Islands dispute will be top on the agenda during a summit meeting on Friday among leaders of the 10-nation Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) and the United States. US President Barack Obama and the Asean heads of government, including President Benigno Aquino 3rd, will meet also on Friday at the sidelines of the ongoing 65th United Nations General Assembly meeting here. Diplomatic sources said that the leaders’ meeting would tackle the Spratlys territorial dispute within the ambit of maritime security and under the broad agenda on “Maintenance of Regional Stability.” (Mla Times-p1)
PHIL. DAILY INQUIRER -- Atong No.1 Gambling Lord
PHILIPPINE STAR -- Singsons, Atong Named In Jueteng
MANILA STANDARD -- Palace Is Bent On Raising Taxes Cigarets, Alcohol
MANILA TIMES -- Miriam Bares More Payoffs
MALAYA -- Miriam Comes Up With Her List
DAILY TRIBUNE -- Chavit, Atong, Bong Top Jueteng Lords
TABLOIDS
PEOPLE’S JOURNAL -- Puno To Quit
ABANTE -- Layas Na Nga Ako! -Puno
PILIPINO STAR NGAYON -- ‘Kill P-Noy’ Nabunyag
BALITA -- Ayoko Na
BULGAR -- DILG, PNP Pasok Sa Jueteng
ISSUES MONITORING
On Congress
The House of Representatives is preparing for a showdown with the Supreme Court (SC) over the impeachment of Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez. House Majority Leader Neptali Gonzales II said the SC acted prematurely in stopping the committee on justice from hearing the impeachment proceedings. “We stand on heavy and solid legal ground,” he said. (Philstar-p5)
On Presidency
President Aquino has confirmed his choice of former senator Manuel Roxas II as his unofficial senior adviser amid a brief hubbub stirred by his former running mate’s presence among members of the official retinue. Looking fresh and upbeat upon arrival here on a chartered flight from San Francisco, Mr. Aquino made a promise at once to Filipinos who welcomed him that he would make the most of out of his trip and bring home jobs for the people. (Philstar-p4)
Philippines - Malacañang has admitted hiring a public relations firm based in the United States to handle the publicity of President Aquino’s visit to the country. Communications Secretary Ricky Carandang said hiring a private publicity firm is common practice among visiting heads of state to help them get exposure in the US media. (Philstar-p7)
President Aquino has created a new anti-crime agency, the Anti-Transnational Organized Crime Commission (ATOCC). The body’s exact composition and functions are still not known as Malacañang has not yet made public the executive order creating it. However, the Office of the President (OP) has allocated P523.9 million for the new agency in the P1.645-trillion proposed national budget for next year. (Philstar-p16)
President Benigno Aquino 3rd on Tuesday (Wednesday in Manila) met with Vietnamese President Nguyen Minh Triet at the 65th United Nations General Assembly here and accepted the personal invitation of the Vietnamese leader to fly to Hanoi next month for a state visit.
During the meeting, President Nguyen personally reiterated the invitation of the Vietnamese government to President Aquino.
“We value Vietnam as a good friend and strategic partner. We are confident that these ties will only become stronger,” the
President told his Vietnamese counterpart during the meeting. (Mla Times-p1)
On Jueteng
Atong Ang, a former gambling buddy of deposed President Joseph Estrada, was not on the list of “jueteng” operators submitted by retired Archbishop Oscar Cruz to the Senate on Tuesday. But it is a curiosity that Ang topped the list of operators of illegal gambling revealed yesterday by Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago. In a privilege speech, Santiago identified Ang as No. 1 in four out of five regions. (PDI-Banner)
Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago yesterday named the top jueteng operators and protectors in the country and said that the illegal numbers game still flourishes due to the blessings of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) and the chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP). (Philstar-Banner)
Senators yesterday cheered Interior Secretary Rico Puno for heeding their call to hand in his resignation after getting the flak for the hostage crisis and the raging controversy over “jueteng,” an illegal numbers racket. Puno’s act shows that he has “delicadeza” and is willing to give his friend, President Benigno Aquino III, a free hand in resolving these issues, said Sen. Francis Escudero. (PDI-p1)
Malacañang hinted yesterday that more names may be added to the list of officials and private individuals whom the incident investigation and review committee (IIRC) has recommended charged in connection with the Luneta hostage fiasco last August. Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said the list made by Justice Secretary Leila de Lima, head of the panel that conducted the investigation, may still be amended. (Philstar-p1)
Businessman and presidential cousin Antonio “Tonyboy” Cojuangco yesterday admitted visiting retired Archbishop Oscar Cruz but denied asking the prelate to go easy on Interior and Local Government Undersecretary Rico Puno or anyone else in his jueteng exposé. Cojuangco told STAR columnist Babe Romualdez that he visited Cruz “on my own initiative, for no other reason than to try and help the President in finding out what this list was all about.” (Philstar-p1)
Retired Archbishop Oscar Cruz fears for his life from death threats after divulging before a Senate hearing on Tuesday the names of government officials who were receiving jueteng payola, and those who were running the illegal numbers game. But Cruz, also a former president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (cbcp), insisted that the list of jueteng beneficiaries and lords that he revealed before Senate was 100-percent accurate. During an interview over ABS-CBN, he said that he now fears for his life after baring during Tuesday’s Senate hearing a list of alleged jueteng operators and protectors. (Mla Times-p1)
On IIRC
Malacañang hinted yesterday that more names may be added to the list of officials and private individuals whom the incident investigation and review committee (IIRC) has recommended charged in connection with the Luneta hostage fiasco last August. Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said the list made by Justice Secretary Leila de Lima, head of the panel that conducted the investigation, may still be amended. (Philstar-p2)
Canada and the United Kingdom have received copies of the report of the incident investigation and review committee (IIRC) on the Aug. 23 hostage-taking incident at the Luneta Grandstand. Three of the tourists killed in the bus hijack were Canadian citizens. They were identified as Ken Leung, 58, and his daughters Jessie, 14 and Doris, 21. The mother, Amy Leung, and her son, 18-year-old Jason, both of whom survived the shooting, also hold Canadian passports. (Philstar-p2)
On Luneta Carnage
A fact-finding committee has recommended criminal charges against Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim for the bungled hostage rescue, according to the Associated Press (AP), which said it had seen a copy of a part of the panel’s report to President Benigno Aquino III that had not been officially released. The AP said that Lim was singled out for immediate administrative and criminal complaints among eight government and police officials blamed for the Aug. 23 fiasco. (PDI-p1)
On Power Rates
The Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) will increase electricity rates by 3.14 centavos per kilowatt-hour (kwh) next month. The increase was an offshoot of the decision of the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) that allowed Meralco to recover from its customers P3.371 billion for additional generation costs covering the period August 2006 to May 2007. (Philstar-p7)
On The President’s Man
Members of the press covering the Department of Education (DepEd) on Wednesday criticized a new security protocol of Education Secretary Armin Luistro.Hannibal Talete, the president of the Education department’s press corps, said that this is the first time in his many years of covering the education beat that such security protocol was implemented. “It’s ironic how the current government speaks of transparency, yet what’s happening is he [Luistro] distances himself not only from the media but even from his own employees,” he pointed out. (Mla Times-p2)
On Pinay Artist
No, Charice didn’t disappoint her fans around the world, particularly her kababayan, in her debut on the second season of the hit comedy-musical series Glee, which premiered yesterday, viewed by probably everybody in the Philippines, some of them in Metro malls which aired the ETC and Jack TV telecast on the big screen. As the nerd Filipino exchange student named Sunshine Corazon, Charice only had a few speaking lines, but she acquitted herself impressively well, delivering her dialogue in smooth English with hardly any accent and acting very naturally. She expressed her feelings with the right facial expression. (Philstar-p1)
On Dredging Projects
The Arroyo administration had released more than P1.3 billion to six provinces and two cities in just a week a few months before the May 10 elections, Sen. Franklin Drilon said yesterday. They are: Romblon, P370 million; Albay, P302 million; Tacloban City, P160 million; Antique, P145 million; Biliran, P120 million; Butuan, P80 million; Catanduanes, P80 million; and Pampanga, P62.5 million. Drilon said based on the summary of releases from the Department of Public Works and Highways for 2010, the projects related to flood control, specifically the dredging, desilting and re-channeling of rivers. (Philstar-p5)
On Folder Scam
The business firm that figured in the Ballot Secrecy Folder (BSF) controversy in the recent May 10 elections is again trying its luck to bag a contract with the Commission on Elections (Comelec).
It was learned that One Time Carbon (OTC) has sought to bid again for poll paraphernalia for the October 25 barangay (village) and Sangguniang Kabataan (Youth Council) elections. OTC, the winning bidder for the BSF during this year’s national elections, was later found to have overpriced by more than 100 percent the secrecy folders. (Mla Times-p1)
On Mindanao
The newly-reconstituted peace panel of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) will be pushing for the establishment of a sub-state in Mindanao as part of a final peace agreement or comprehensive compact. "It is not stated in our proposal specifically, but the formulation that we have put up is really for the creation of a state, sub-state arrangement," MILF chief negotiator Mohagher Iqbal said in a phone interview. (Malaya-p1)
On The Spratlys
Regional security and the sensitive Spratly Islands dispute will be top on the agenda during a summit meeting on Friday among leaders of the 10-nation Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) and the United States. US President Barack Obama and the Asean heads of government, including President Benigno Aquino 3rd, will meet also on Friday at the sidelines of the ongoing 65th United Nations General Assembly meeting here. Diplomatic sources said that the leaders’ meeting would tackle the Spratlys territorial dispute within the ambit of maritime security and under the broad agenda on “Maintenance of Regional Stability.” (Mla Times-p1)
In : news