BROADSHEETS

PHIL. DAILY INQUIRER -- RH Bill Solons Urge P-Noy: Be Steadfast

PHILIPPINE STAR -- SC: No Reason To Cite House In Contempt

MANILA STANDARD -- Govt To Distribute Condoms, Pills Despite Church Protest

MANILA TIMES -- RP-US Ties Getting Stronger

MALAYA -- CBCP Draws Battle Lines On RH Bill

DAILY TRIBUNE -- Jinggoy Files Bill Legalizing Jueteng

TABLOIDS

PEOPLE’S JOURNAL -- Strike!

ABANTE -- Condom Wars

PILIPINO STAR NGAYON -- La Salle Blast Tutukan Ko P-Noy

 

BALITA -- Kontra Sa K+12

BULGAR -- Simbahan Nagdeklara Ng Giyera Kay P-Noy!

ISSUES MONITORING

On Congress

The Senate may soon allow live Internet streaming of sessions and committee hearings to give the public greater access to information on issues and legislative procedures. The chamber adopted Resolution 53 yesterday allowing pilot testing of live streaming of selected plenary proceedings and committee hearings. (Philstar-p14) 

Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago laughed off the charges filed against her by Ilocos Sur Gov. Luis Singson and pointed out the Office of the Ombudsman has no jurisdiction over her. Santiago said Singson has been able to intimidate people because of his alleged tendency to violence but not someone like her who eats bullets for breakfast. “I wish I could challenge him to a duel, but that is a crime under the Penal Code. So instead, I challenge him to a debate on any of the major TV channels,” she said. (Philstar-p10) Jueteng

Sen. Franklin Drilon revealed yesterday that around P4.8 billion was released by the Department of Agriculture (DA) to the agency’s regional field units (RFUs) for farm-to-market roads and other infrastructure projects last February to March, which he suspects  could have been used for the campaign in the May 10 elections. Drilon said that there was a request for the issuance of advice of sub-allotment to the DA-RFUs last Feb. 22 by then DA officer-in-charge Bernie Fondevilla in the amount of P3.65 billion for the implementation of other infrastructure projects. (Philstar-p1) 

The House of Representatives is set to conduct an inquiry into the excessive rates of interest, penalties, and charges being slapped by credit card companies on their clients. The investigation was prompted by the resolution filed by Quezon City Rep. Ewinston Castelo asking the House committee on banks and financial intermediaries to probe the high charges imposed by credit card companies following numerous complaints from the public. (Philstar-p10) 

Hefty penalties for drunk driving have been approved in principle by the House Committee on Transportation on Wednesday. The Transportation Committee headed by Rep. Roger Mercado of the Lone District of Southern Leyte agreed to consolidate the six bills to peg drunk driving as a criminal act, which includes House Bill 382 or Drunk Driving Bill written by former President and now Rep. Gloria Arroyo of the Second District of Pampanga. This will be endorsed to the plenary for discussions next week. (Mla Times-p3) 

The fear of a constitutional crisis that could ensue if the House of Representatives committee on justice defies the status quo ante order of the Supreme Court (SC) is not going result in anything nor create a stir among the Filipino people, nor affect them. This was the pronouncement of House Majority Leader Neptali Gonzales II who insists that a constitutional crisis between the House and the SC is not going to affect the Filipino people even as he stressed that it is only the SC that is to blame should such a crisis occur. (Tribune-p1) 

Constitutional crisis 

Seventeen senators are practically “lobbying” President Aquino to grant amnesty to all active and former military officers still embroiled in the Oakwood mutiny case, Fort Bonifacio standoff and Manila Pen siege. The move is seen to also benefit their detained colleague, Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV, who is cur-rently facing criminal charges over failed mutiny – the Manila Peninsula Hotel incident in 2007 and in 2003 where he, along with a number of junior soldiers, took control of the Oakwood building in Makati City. (Tribune-p1) 

On Presidency

President Aquino has created the Presidential Situation Room (PSR), a command center that will give the chief executive intelligence support during emergencies or crisis situations. Through Administrative Order 2, Mr. Aquino allocated an initial amount of P5.5 million to form and equip the office. The PSR will be run by an executive director who will report directly to National Security Adviser Cesar Garcia, Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr. and Presidential Management Staff Secretary Julia Abad.  (Philstar-p1) 

See you at the ball game.United States Ambassador Harry Thomas Jr. took note of President Aquino’s impromptu lunch consisting of a Coke and the famous New York hotdog sold on the sidewalks during his recent trip to the US, and hoped that the President’s next hotdog experience might be at a game of the New York Mets baseball team. “As a New Yorker myself, I was pleased to see President Aquino dining on our famous hotdogs, something few heads of state might dare to do. I hope next time he will make it to a Mets game,” Thomas said yesterday. (Philstar-p8) 

Malacañang is seeking a P200-million budget for the Presidential Communications Development and Strategic Planning Office headed by former broadcaster Ricky Carandang.  Carandang’s department is one of two divisions under the Communications Group President Aquino created through Executive Order 4. The other is the Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) headed by Herminio Coloma. The PCOO replaced the Office of Press Secretary, which served the past administrations. (Philstar-p9) 

Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo yesterday welcomed President Aquino’s decision to continue the conditional cash transfer program implemented by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) during her term as president.    “Just like what I said in my (farewell) speech, every administration should continue... to build on what is good and the conditional cash transfer was good then. I’m glad they (Aquino administration) are building on it,” Arroyo said. (Philstar-p14) 

On Contraceptives

President Benigno Aquino III should be “steadfast” in his position on giving couples the choice to use contraceptives in the face of strong Church opposition, members of the House of Representatives said yesterday. “It’s hard to give the President unsolicited advice. He knows what to do in dealing with the Church. I’d like to think that the President would be steadfast in his position on voluntary family planning, birth spacing and contraceptive use,” House Minority Leader Edcel Lagman told reporters at a briefing. (PDI-Banner)

An official of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines yesterday told the Aquino administration that if the reproductive health bill becomes a law, Church leaders will ask the faithful not to observe provisions that are against Church teachings. (Malaya-Banner) 

Health Secretary Enrique Ona yesterday said the Department of Health (DOH) would equally promote both the natural and artificial methods of family planning. “It’s hard to discuss it in the context of pregnancy alone. It should be in the whole gamut of being a parent in the context of responsible parenthood,” Ona said in press briefing, even as he reserved comment on the brewing war between President Aquino and the Catholic Church over contraceptives. (Philstar-p4) 

On Universal Health Care

It’s all systems go for the national registration day for Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth), Health Secretary Enrique Ona said yesterday. Ona said the event primarily targets some 4.7 million families confirmed as “indigent” through the National House Targeting System-Proxy Means Test of the Department of Social Welfare and Development. (Philstar-p2) 

On Jueteng

Congressmen, governors and mayors who were identified as “jueteng” protectors in separate lists prepared by retired Archbishop Oscar Cruz and Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago are asking the Senate to give them a chance to clear their names at the hearings of the blue ribbon committee. The blue ribbon committee is scheduled to resume its jueteng probe on Thursday with Local Government Secretary Jesse M. Robredo and Philippine National Police Director General Raul M. Bacalzo among those invited. (PDI-p1) 

A police chief of a Nueva Ecija town became the first casualty of the Philippine National Police’s one-strike policy against “jueteng.” His relief also offered a glimpse into the close ties between the illegal numbers racket and the government-run Small Town Lottery (STL). (PDI-p1) 

On The Supreme Court

The Supreme Court (SC) sees no reason to cite the House of Representatives in contempt despite the move by one of the House committees to hear the impeachment case against Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez in defiance of an order by the high tribunal. “That is the discretion of the committee of justice. It’s very difficult to say at this point if it is considered an act of proceeding with the impeachment process,” SC spokesman and court administrator Midas Marquez said, referring to the House committee on justice chaired by Iloilo Rep. Neil Tupas. (Philstar-Banner) 

On Bloody Bar Exams

Touched by a meeting with four hospitalized victims of Sunday’s grenade explosion, President Benigno Aquino III Wednesday called on their attackers to surrender or face the full force of the law. A day after he returned from the United States, the President, without media fanfare, paid a visit to the severely wounded female law students at Philippine General Hospital (PGH) and Manila Doctor’s Hospital. (PDI-p1) 

On Tollway Hike

The Manila North Tollways Corp. (MNTC) will file a petition with the Toll Regulatory Board (TRB) for a 12 percent rate increase for use of the 96-kilometer North Luzon Expressway (NLEX).  MNTC spokesman Marlyn Ochoa said this is the first time in five years that they are seeking a toll increase. “We will submit our proposal to the TRB for approval,” she said in a phone interview. (Philstar-p1) 

On The Armed Forces

The government has allotted close to P60 billion for the pension of retired military personnel in the past four years after Malacañang deactivated the Retirement and Separation Benefits System (RSBS) in 2006. Data obtained by The STAR showed that the pension outlay allotted for retirees stood at P10.886 billion in 2007, P13.292 billion in 2008 and P15.776 billion in 2009. For this year, the funding for the pension of retired soldiers reached P19.384 billion. (Philstar-p8) 

On The PNP

Even in the face of international embarrassment over the botched rescue attempt in the Manila bus hostage incident last month, policemen remain steadfast to their mission of protecting the people. They burn rubber cruising the streets, pack lethal firearms and frequent some of the most criminal areas. Far from being hoodlums, these are the good men and women tasked with the dangerous mission of protecting the city streets. The STAR took a day out and went along for a ride with the boys in blue from the Quezon City Police District (QCPD) mobile unit to experience what it was all about. (Philstar-p1) 

On Maguindanao Massacre 

The lawyer for Maguindanao massacre primary suspect Andal Ampatuan Jr. said that prosecution witness Lakmodin Saliao should be treated as a participant to the mass murder since he was present during the alleged meetings of the clan when they planned the crime, and that he acted as the communicator of the Ampatuans. “[Saliao] is not a witness because looking at what he did, he should be considered as a participant,” said lawyer Gregorio Narvasa 2nd when he cross examined Saliao during the continuation of the Maguindanao massacre trial on Wednesday at Camp Bagong Diwa in Taguig City. It was Saliao, a helper of the Ampatuan family, who testified that the Ampatuans gathered over dinner on November 17, 2009, six days before the massacre, and then planned the killing of their political rivals, along with the accompanying family members, supporters, and members of the media (Mla Times-p1) 

On Barangay Elections

The Department of Education (DepEd) reported yesterday that it has started coordinating with the Commission on Elections (Comelec), the Philippine National Police (PNP), and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) to draw up plans to conduct orderly and peaceful barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections on Oct. 25. Education Undersecretary for Legal and Legislative Affairs and spokesman lawyer Alberto Muyot said the DepEd and Comelec would sign a memorandum of agreement that would outline the roles and responsibilities of the agencies involved in the polls. (Philstar-p2) 

On Unliquidated Cash Advances

Stern letters from the Office of the Ombudsman had prompted some government agencies to reduce the unliquidated cash advances of its officials. Eight out of nine government agencies that were reminded by Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez were forced to reduce their total unliquidated cash advances from P2.4 billion as of December 2009 to only P850 million. (Philstar-p5) 

On The Flag Carrier

The Philippine Airlines (PAL) urged the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) to take immediate steps to avert a strike by its flight attendants. “PAL would like to assure our passengers that a strike will not happen overnight. Management is asking DOLE to immediately step in to avert the strike and protect the interests of the riding public,” PAL spokesperson Cielo Villaluna said. (Philstar-p6) 

On Tax Cheats

A Palace official yesterday hailed the decision of the Paris-based Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) to remove the Philippines from its list of countries worldwide that flunked international tax standards. “We’re very happy with that latest development. It’s a significant step in the right direction in our fight against money laundering,” deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte told Palace reporters in a briefing. (Philstar-p7) 

On The Judiciary

The judiciary will only be given a bigger budget if it can prove that the Judicial Development Fund (JDF) and the Special Allowances for the Judiciary (SAJ) are already inadequate, according to Budget Secretary Florencio Abad. “If their SAJ and JDF funding facilities show inadequate funds, we are open to providing augmentation. Judicial reform is a commitment of the Aquino administration,” he said in a text message, when asked how much they were willing to yield to the judges and justices. (Philstar-7) 

On Land Reform

Militant farmer groups yesterday started a 10-day series of protest rallies against President Aquino for not addressing issues on land reform The farmer groups started the string of protest programs by burning pictures of President Aquino in front of the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) yesterday morning. The succession of protest actions will culminate in a program near Mr. Aquino’s family home on Times Street in Quezon City and on Mendiola bridge in Manila on Oct. 8, the President’s 100th day in office.  (Philstar-p14)         

On RP-US Ties

American Ambassador to the Philippines Harry Thomas Jr. on Wednesday said that relations between Washington and Manila became “stronger than ever” after the successful visit of President Benigno Aquino 3rd to the United States. Thomas, in a statement, reiterated that the importance of diplomatic ties between the Philippines and the United States is evident in the partnership of the two countries in meeting United Nations’ Millennium Development Goal (MDG) targets, among other joint efforts. Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Liu Jianchao also cited the firmer bond between Manila and Beijing that ironically sprang, he said, from a recent hostage-taking in the Philippine capital city that cost the lives of Chinese citizens. (Mla Times-Banner)