BROADSHEETS

PHIL. DAILY INQUIRER -- Hero’s Burial For Reyes

MANILA BULLETIN -- CA Stops Power Hike

PHILIPPINE STAR -- Raps Pressed Vs Plea Deal Prosecutors

MANILA STANDARD -- NFA Instead Of Being Abolished, Will Borrow P6.5 B To Import Rice

MANILA TIMES -- Court Ignored On Deportees

MALAYA -- Angelo Reyes Goes To Final Rest

DAILY TRIBUNE -- Ill-Equipped Soldiers Sent To UN Missions - CoA

TABLOIDS

PEOPLE’S JOURNAL -- AFP Graft Quiz Pressed

ABANTE -- ‘Liar Sa Senado Kulong Agad!

PILIPINO STAR NGAYON -- Babae Pinag-Awayan 1 Patay

 

BALITA -- Pangako Ng Militar

PEOPLES TONIGHT -- ‘Kid Butchers Caught!

REMATE -- Reyes Tumakas Sa Labang ‘Di Patas

ISSUES MONITORING

On Congress

Sen. Franklin Drilon called yesterday for the filing of charges against government special prosecutors involved in the plea bargaining agreement with former military comptroller Carlos Garcia. Drilon said the special prosecutors should be charged for “prosecutorial negligence.” “They should be removed. They should be facing administrative charges for these offenses,” Drilon said during an interview over dzBB. (Philstar-Banner) Gen Garcia

The Senate cannot be stopped from pursuing its investigation into the alleged corruption in the military uncovered in the course of inquiry into the plea bargain agreement involving retired Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) comptroller Maj. Gen. Carlos Garcia, Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile said yesterday. “It will not be put off. I will not allow it. We will not put it to a halt because it’s the interest of the nation that we are dealing with here,” Enrile said. (Tribune-p1) 

Malacañang would leave it to the Senate to decide on whether to invite former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to appear before a congressional inquiry regarding the corruption in the military during her administration. “It’s up to the Senate leadership to invite the former president,” deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said. “We are just waiting for any developments regarding the investigation over the issue,” she said. (Philstar-p2) 

On Presidency

President Aquino is also a crooner. This he proved when he sang two of his favorite love songs – “Fallin” and “Somewhere Down the Road” – as his gift to his youngest sister Kris Aquino during her advance birthday celebration Saturday night at her condominium unit in Makati City. She celebrates her 40th birthday today. (Philstar-p14) 

Valentine’s Day is just a regular working day for President Aquino. "It’s a regular working day in the same way that the President’s birthday last Feb. 8 was a regular working day for him," deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said in a radio interview. Aquino will inaugurate the upgraded facilities of East Avenue Medical Center in Quezon City, including the Radiology Department, Birthing Center, Central Sterilization Unit and the Tahan-Tahanan, which is part of efforts to give high quality standard of patient care. (Malaya-p1) 

For the 51-year-old bachelor President Benigno Aquino 3rd, Valentine’s Day is just a normal working day, a Palace official said Sunday.  “Valentine’s Day is also a regular working day for the President,” deputy spokesman Abigail Valte said during an interview over state-run radio station, dzRB. Valte said that today will just be another day for the President, just like how he celebrated his 51st birthday on February 8. (Mla Times-p1) 

On Angelo Reyes

Showers of rose petals fell from the sky and 21 guns boomed in salute as former Defense Secretary Angelo “Angie” Reyes was buried with full military honors yesterday. Vilified in his last days by some lawmakers for allegedly enriching himself while serving as Armed Forces chief of staff and for supposedly tolerating military corruption, Reyes was given what amounted to a hero’s burial at noon at Libingan ng mga Bayani in Fort Bonifacio in Taguig City. And in necrological ceremonies the other night, mourners wept as Reyes’ former buddies in the Cabinet sang some of his favorites tunes, like “You’ll Never Walk Alone” and “What a Wonderful World.” (PDI-Banner) 

On Egypt People Power

The jubilation that exploded in Cairo’s Tahrir Square on Friday after the announcement that President Hosni Mubarak had resigned evoked scenes on EDSA on Feb. 25, 1986, when the Philippine People Power Revolution overthrew the 14-year dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos. But the euphoric celebration in Egypt masked the undisputable reality that the Egyptian Army had seized power in a coup after 18 days of street uprising by the Egyptian people from all walks of life, demanding an end to 30 years of Mubarak’s authoritarian rule. (PDI-p1) 

On Fund Conversion

Health Secretary Enrique Ona yesterday denied reports that the Department of Health (DOH) is also engaged in fund conversion. “The Department of Health does not have ghost employees, ghost projects, intelligence or discretionary funds to convert,” Ona said in a statement. “Every single peso allotted to and every foreign currency donated to the health department properly goes to where it was originally intended, and then properly liquidated and accounted (for),” he added. (Philstar-p1) 

On One China Policy

 Malacañang maintained yesterday that President Aquino’s intention to send an emissary to Taiwan is not an affront to China in violation of the one-China policy. Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte clarified the government did not send any official from the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) to Taiwan to represent the government. Valte said any representation to Taiwan will not be done in an official capacity. “It’s a trade and tourism issue as well. It is better that we explain the situation (to Taiwan) since many Filipinos are working there,” she said. (Philstar-p4) 

On Taiwanese Deportees

Taiwan on Sunday criticized the Department of Justice for its failure to respect and implement Philippine laws in the deportation of 14 Taiwanese to China earlier this month, despite an order from the Court of Appeals to surrender them to Taiwan representatives in the country. In a statement, Taiwan special representative to Manila Donald Lee, who was recently recalled by Taiwan’s foreign ministry following the diplomatic row, pointed out that the Justice department had kept the case a secret and acted on its own in arresting the 14 Taiwanese in December 2010. The Taiwanese were arrested along with 10 Chinese and all of them were deported to China in the early morning of February 2. (Mla Times-Banner) 

On Aviation

President Aquino has sworn in Ramon Gutierrez as the new director general of the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP). Gutierrez obtained his bachelor’s degree from the Philippine Military Academy in 1978 and his master’s degree in management from the Asian Institute of Management in1996. Gutierrez had served in the government as a military intelligence attaché in Hong Kong. (Philstar-p15) 

On The Armed Forces

The Armed Forces yesterday said Congress should come up with laws to correct flaws and deficiencies in the military’s logistics and financial systems. The AFP, for its part, should reflect on its "weaknesses" especially in the logistics and financial systems, said Lt. Gen. Reynaldo Mapagu, AFP vice chief of staff. The Armed Forces is under the supervision of the defense department, which was also named in news reports quoting sources from the House of Representatives. (Malaya-p1) 

On RP Peace Keeping Missions

Over recent allegations of conversion and diversion of funds that should have been earmarked for the upkeep of Filipino contingents in the different peacekeeping operations of the United Nations (UN) worldwide, a Commission on Audit (CoA) report on the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) in 2009 detailed how soldiers on international tours of duty unnecessarily suffer from military anomalies. (Tribune-Banner) 

On RH Bill

Pro-life Philippines yesterday said President Aquino should stop dilly-dallying, and say whether he is for or against the reproductive health bill. "I think it’s time for us to draw the line and stop all of this because we are just being taken for a ride," said the group’s president, Eric Manalang, in an interview at the sidelines of the interfaith rally dubbed "Filipinos Unite for Life," at the Philippine International Convention Center grounds in Pasay City. (Malaya-p1) 

Contrary to the claims of reproductive health (RH) advocates that it is only the Catholic Church that is against the bill, thousands of pro-life advocates joined the interfaith rally Sunday at the Philippine International Convention Center in Pasay City to show their support for life. Eric Manalang, chairman of Prolife Philippines, in an interview said that the event only proves that the call against the RH bill is not only coming from the Catholic Church as what other want the public to believe. (Mla Times-p1) 

On ARMM Elections

Elections Commissioner Rene Sarmiento yesterday strongly urged Congress to decide, preferably within this week, if it will or will not pass the law postponing to 2013 the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao election set this Aug. 8. In a phone interview, Sarmiento said the lawmakers should learn from the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections held last October.  (Malaya-p2) 

On Luneta Hostage Taking

A Hong Kong inquest into a Manila bus hijacking that left eight tourists dead is set to start today, after the incident sparked a diplomatic meltdown over claims of shoddy police work. The 25-day inquest before Hong Kong’s Coroner’s Court is due to hear from a host of witnesses, including survivors and families of the Hong Kong hostages killed last August in a botched police rescue attempt aired on live television around the world. (Tribune-p1) 

On The Ombudsman

The House panel on justice need not worry about time constraints in the pending impeach raps against Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez as the 60-session-day timetable may have been stopped from counting since the Supreme Court (SC) handed down the status quo ante order. According to former House Speaker Prospero Nograles Jr. and former Quezon City Rep. Matias Defensor, Iloilo Rep. Niel Tupas, chairman of the House committee on justice, the panel should not worry about the 60-session-day’s limit. (Tribune-p3)