BROADSHEETS

PHIL. DAILY INQUIRER -- SC : Webb Et Al. Not Vindicated

MANILA BULLETIN -- PNP Declares Xmas Truce

PHILIPPINE STAR -- DoJ Mulls Reopening Of Vizconde Case

MANILA TIMES -- New Vizconde Probe Looms

MALAYA -- NPA Kills Troops On Eve Of Cease-Fire

DAILY TRIBUNE -- Webb, Et Al. Lawyers To Sue Alfaro, RTC Judge

TABLOIDS

PEOPLE’S JOURNAL -- Who Killed Vizcondes?

ABANTE -- We’re Not Saying They’re Innocent

PILIPINO STAR NGAYON -- Jessica Papanagutin

REMATE -- Dagdag Pasahe Inihirit

 

ISSUES MONITORING

On Congress

On the last session day of Congress for the year, the Commission on Appointments (CA) confirmed the appointments of four members of President Aquino’s Cabinet. The CA yesterday gave its nod to Education Secretary Armin Luistro, Tourism Secretary Alberto Lim, Public Works Secretary Rogelio Singson and Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala, the first batch of the President’s appointees to go through the confirmation process. The confirmation of the appointment of Energy Secretary Jose Rene Almendras was deferred until January.  (Philstar-p1) 

The Senate Committee on Banks, Financial Institutions and Currencies chaired by Sen. Sergio Osmeña III is looking into possible collusion between officials of the Pag-IBIG fund and private developer Globe Asiatique in the anomalous Xevera Pampanga housing project. Osmeña said the committee is still determining the laws violated when the Pag-IBIG board gave Globe Asiatique, owned by trader Delfin Lee, preferential treatment for its housing project. (Philstar-p8) 

The House minority bared yesterday the removal of a provision in next year’s budget that would prevent the unused portion of the massive P21 billion budget for the conditional cash transfer (CCT) program of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) from turning into savings the use of which would be under the discretion of the Office of the President the following year.  Without the provision, savings from the CCT could easily become part of the President’s own “pork barrel,” Zambales Rep. Milagros Magsaysay told reporters. (Tribune-p1) 

On Presidency

President Benigno Aquino III, who used to have girlfriends who were reporters, makes a tempting offer to reporters: Come visit Malacañang for some cheese and pan de sal.  Mr. Aquino dropped by Tuesday night at the House of Representatives to celebrate the approval of the P1.645-trillion 2011 budget with reporters and later with lawmakers in their pre-holiday parties. (PDI-p1) 

Unlike most Filipinos, President Aquino will be working on Christmas Day. Aquino, during the inauguration of the New Calapan City public market in Oriental Mindoro, said he got six invitations on Dec. 25. He said his new lifestyle as president is different from his previous routine when he was a congressman and a senator, because he had long legislative breaks, which included a Christmas break. Now, as president, he said he is "on call 24/7." (Malaya-p1) 

Majority of Filipinos are satisfied with the performance of President Benigno Aquino 3rd, the latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey showed on Wednesday. The survey showed that 74 percent were satisfied and 10 percent dissatisfied with the performance of President Benigno Aquino 3rd, for a “very good” net satisfaction rating of +64. The survey agency said that the President’s latest satisfaction rating is four points up from his very first net satisfaction rating of +60 in September 2010. It revealed that the President’s net satisfaction ratings remained “very good” in all areas except in Metro Manila. (Mla Times-p1) 

On 2011 National Budget

The P1.645-trillion budget for next year may be signed by President Aquino before Christmas, according to a Palace spokesman. “Of course, initially we were targeting the signing to be in late December but given the developments yesterday (Dec. 14), we are very happy that it will come earlier than expected,” deputy spokesperson Abigail Valte told reporters. Congress ratified the budget program before the lawmakers went on a holiday break yesterday. (Philstar-p5) 

On Vizconde Massacre

The decision of the Supreme Court clearing Hubert Webb and six others of criminal liability in the 1991 Vizconde massacre is not a vindication of them, the tribunal’s spokesperson said yesterday. Speaking at a news briefing, Midas Marquez said the acquittal of Webb et al. did not mean they were innocent of the charges. He said the high court voted 7-4 to acquit them because of the prosecution’s failure to prove their guilt beyond reasonable doubt and because of infirmities in the testimony of star witness Jessica Alfaro. (PDI-Banner) 

The Department of Justice (DOJ) is mulling a reinvestigation of the Vizconde massacre after the Supreme Court (SC) acquitted Hubert Webb and five others who were found by a trial court to be guilty of the crime committed almost two decades ago. But the SC clarified yesterday that its ruling, which stated that the guilt of Webb and his co-accused was not established beyond reasonable doubt during trial, does not necessarily mean they are innocent. (Philstar-Banner) 

On AFP Modernization

The Philippine Air Force (PAF) expressed confidence yesterday that the recent decision of the Department of National Defense (DND) to declare a failed bidding on the purchase of seven attack helicopters would not affect the performance of its duties. Air Force chief Lt. Gen. Oscar Rabena said they would just make do with their existing assets even as he admitted the procurement of aircraft was delayed. (Philstar-p6) 

On Communist Rebels

Suspected New People’s Army (NPA) guerrillas killed ten soldiers and a nine-year-old boy in an ambush yesterday afternoon in Northern Samar, in what Philippine National Police (PNP) officials said could be the second deadliest attack against government troops this year. Reports reaching the Armed Forces Central Command (CENTCOM) said the ambush happened last Tuesday at around 3 p.m. within the boundary of barangays Sta. Fe and Perez. (Philstar-p1) 

On Morong 43

A human rights watchdog welcomed yesterday President Aquino’s “positive step” ordering the justice department to drop the charges against the detained health workers dubbed as the “Morong 43” that sent a clear message to security forces to uphold the law. Human Rights Watch said the government should initiate a civilian investigation of alleged abuses by the military on detainees. (Philstar-p6) 

On Maguindanao Massacre

Maguindanao Gov. Esmael Mangudadatu bared yesterday that an emissary of the Ampatuan clan allegedly offered him bribe money ranging from P150 million to P300 million to drop the charges against former governor Zaldy Ampatuan of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao in connection with the Maguindanao massacre last year. Mangudadatu made the revelation and even allowed media men to hear his recorded telephone conversations with the alleged emissary of the Ampatuans. (Philstar-p1) 

On Prostitution

Go after the pimps, not the prostitutes. A female lawmaker yesterday filed a bill seeking the decriminalization of prostitution to curb abuse and exploitation of women lured into sex work. Tarlac Rep. Susan Yap said the Revised Penal Code punishes women who engage in sexual intercourse for money, failing to address the criminal liability of those who lure them into prostitution and the poverty that forced them into sex work. (Philstar-p2)              

On OFW Deployment

The government may halt the deployment of Filipino workers in at least 100 countries next year. The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) yesterday reported that only 85 foreign countries have been issued certification to hire Filipino workers. “Among the list with the certification from the Department of Foreign Affairs were countries in the Middle East and other major markets for Filipino workers,” POEA chief Jennifer Manalili said. (Philstar-p7) 

On Reproductive Health

The Catholic Church seemed to have softened its stand on family planning methods. The first of three dialogues between government and the Church was held yesterday at the Pope Pius Center in Manila. Presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said both parties agreed that full information on both natural and artificial family planning methods should be provided to the public, including their benefits and risks. (Malaya-p1) 

On Presidential Appointment

Malacañang yesterday confirmed that former Central Bank Gov. Jose Cuisia Jr. has been appointed by President Aquino as ambassador to the US. Cuisia will also have concurrent jurisdiction over the US Virgin Islands, Grenada, and Puerto Rico. Cuisia used to be vice president of Life Insurance at American International Group (AIG) in New York. (Malaya-p1) 

On The Jobless

More than one in four adults in the Philippines are jobless or are looking for more work despite strong economic growth this year, the government said Wednesday. The October unemployment rate stood at 7.1 percent, unchanged from a year earlier but up slightly from July’s 6.9 percent, according to the latest quarterly report from the National Statistics Office. The rate of underemployment—representing people working less than 40 hours a week and looking for fuller employment—jumped to 19.6 percent in October, compared with 19.4 percent a year earlier and 17.9 percent in July. (Mla Times-p1) 

On Truth Commission 

The Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG) welcomed the proposal to consolidate its mandate with that of the Truth Commission, which the Supreme Court recently declared as unconstitutional. “We are but soldiers of the President [Benigno Aquino 3rd],” PCGG Chairman Juan Andres Bautista said. But he said that if the PCGG performs the mandate of the Truth Commission, it would be needing more funds for the hiring of additional lawyers. The PCGG has been beset with problems of hiring capable lawyers in the past, because of fund constraints. (Mla Times-p3) 

President Aquino is set to announce his decision next week on the legal recourse Malacañang is going to take in saving the Philippine Truth Commission (PTC) following the Supreme Court’s (SC) nullification of his Executive Order 1 (EO 1) which created that body. Speaking to reporters in Occidental Mindoro yesterday, Aquino said meetings are being held daily by the members of his legal team to arrive at the best solution to resolve this matter. (Tribune-p1) 

On Campaign Against Terror

The military’s Eastern Mindanao Command (East-mincom) has intensified intelligence operations to thwart any possible attacks by terrorist groups following the spread of text messages regarding bomb-making training of Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) militants in Liguasan Marsh. Eastmincom chief Maj. Gen. Arthur Tabaquero said he is not taking any chances on this as he ordered his troops to validate the information that  the group of JI militant Abdulbasset Usman are now conducting training on bomb-making, apparently for a future plot. (Tribune-p1)