Maniolas

Senator Pia Cayetano (MNS Photo) MANILA (Mabuhay) – The automatic appropriation for debt in the national budget is another issue that may be raised before the Supreme Court, according to administration Senator Pia Cayetano. Cayetano said the Supreme Court‘s decision declaring controversial Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP) unconstitutional would be a good opportunity to raise the same question on the automatic appropriations in the annual budget being submitted to Congress by Malacañang. “Lagi ko kini-question during the time of debate on the general principles is yung powers ng President to perform legislative function. That‘s on record,” she told reporters in an interview Tuesday. (I always questioned during the time of debate on the general principles the powers of the President to perform legislative function. That‘s on record.) “I‘ve always questioned how come meron tayong (we have) automatic appropriations for our debts and I have also questioned the power of the President to impound.” “Time and again, the response to me by whoever the chairman of the committee on finance was is that it is our practice and we need a law to change it.”She added that it was not only the practice but there were existing laws that allow the automatic appropriations in the budget. And this practice of budget impoundment and automatic appropriation, Cayetano said, are considered constitutional until declared otherwise. “There is a principle that laws are considered constitutional until it is declared otherwise and public officials perform their duties also with the cloak of legality until it is Read More …

Senator Bong Revilla, shown in photo on his way to be detained on plunder and graft charges, said his lawyer, Sal Panelo, only talked about the rats and roaches in his cell in jest. Revilla’s lawyer has said the senator’s family saw rats “as big as cats” inside the senator’s cell. (MNS photo) MANILA (Mabuhay) – The pretrial conference for Sen. Ramon Bong Revilla Jr.’s plunder and graft cases was canceled after his lawyers contested the fact that the public prosecutor failed to finish marking the documentary evidence against him. “Pina-postpone namin ‘yung pretrial para magkaroon ng time para mag-continue ng marking ng exhibits ‘yung both parties. Kaya na reset ‘yung pretrial to August 27,” Atty. Joel Bodegon, Revilla’s lawyer, told reporters after the hearing. The pretrial hearing was canceled after the prosecution questioned exhibits E, F, G and H proposed by the prosecution. According to Bodegon, the prosecution was remiss in providing descriptions for alleged documents that will prove Revilla’s ill-gotten wealth despite not being in possession of the said documents. “It’s surprising that the prosecution is claiming na wala pa silang copies of the documents but they have descriptions,” Bodegon said during the hearing. But the public prosecutor argued that the evidence is merely part of the report of the Ombudsman and is therefore being processed. According to the Rules of Court, the pretrial is a mandatory part of the trial that opens up the possibility of an amicable settlement or of a submission to alternative modes of Read More …

President Benigno S. Aquino III confers the 2012 Gawad sa Manlilikha ng Bayan Award to Magdalena Gamayo during the awarding ceremonies at the Heroes Hall, Malacañan Palace on Thursday (November 08). Gamayo, an inabel weaver from Pinili, Ilocos Norte, was honored for her work in safeguarding and promoting the traditional art of textile weaving. The National Living Treasures Award is the highest award given to traditional artists by the Philippine Government. (MNS photo) MANILA (Mabuhay) – The National Commission for Culture and the Arts should revisit its rules and processes in selecting and conferring awards to avoid incidents such as the rejection by President Benigno Aquino III of Nora Aunor’s nomination as National Artist, a senator said late Tuesday. “What I would suggest to the NCCA, kung lagi naman ganun, and then revise na lang naming yung rules kasi kung nagiging issue yun for the President and for that matter sa future President, we might as well adopt, amend our rules or change our rules,” Senator Pia Cayetano, who sits as a member of the NCCA in choosing the National Artist, told reporters. Aquino earlier said Aunor’s name was omitted from the final list of personalities to be conferred the National Artist award because of her history with illegal substance. The President said he does not want to give the message that using illegal drugs is acceptable. He said Aunor was convicted of illegal drug charges but the actress’ lawyer denied this. Aunor was arrested in 2005 in Los Angeles Read More …

Cardinal Tagle with President Benigno Aquino III (MNS Photo) MANILA (AFP) – Pope Francis is to visit the Philippines, Asia’s bastion of the Catholic faith, in January 2015 to comfort victims of disasters including Super Typhoon Haiyan, local church leaders said Monday. Specific details of the trip were not released, but Manila’s Archbishop Luis Tagle said the pope viewed Asia as crucial in spreading the faith. Tagle said the pontiff had told him during a recent meeting at the Vatican that “Asia is important for evangelization”. “The Christian population of Asia may be numerically small but it is significant,” he quoted the pope as saying. The planned visit comes as the Philippines struggles to recover from a series of disasters in 2013 that claimed thousands of lives. In November, Super Typhoon Haiyan – the most powerful storm to make landfall in history – left about 8,000 dead and millions homeless, devastating communities across the central Philippines. A month earlier, a 7.1-magnitude earthquake destroyed many historic churches and killed more than 200 people, also in the central region. “Our compassionate shepherd comes to show his deep concern for our people who have gone through devastating calamities,” said Socrates Villegas, head of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines. “Pope Francis comes to revive our drooping spirit and to lead us to greener pastures,” he told reporters. The visit would be the fourth by a pope to the Philippines, where more than 80 percent of the 100 million-strong population are Catholics. Tagle Read More …

President Benigno S. Aquino III raises the hands of Team PNoy during the Miting de Avance of the Liberal Party (LP) – Quezon City Chapter at the Amoranto Sports Complex in Barangay Paligsahan, Quezon City on Friday (May 10, 2013). Team PNoy includes Aurora Lone District Representative Juan Edgardo “Sonny” Angara, former National Youth Commission (NYC) chairperson Paolo Benigno “Bam” Aquino IV, former Akbayan Partylist Representative Ana Theresia “Risa” Hontiveros-Baraquel, Senators Alan Peter “Compañero” Cayetano and Francis Joseph “Chiz” Escudero, former Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) chairperson Mary Grace Poe-Llamanzares, Senator Loren Legarda, former Senators Maria Ana Consuelo “Jamby” Madrigal and Ramon Magsaysay, Jr., Senators Aquilino Martin “Koko” Pimentel III and Antonio “Sonny” Trillanes IV, and former Las Piñas Representative Cynthia Villar. (Photo by: Jay Morales/ Malacañang Photo Bureau). MANILA (Mabuhay) – Two more candidates could be throwing their hats in the ring for the 2016 elections. Senator Grace Poe on Wednesday said she is open to running alongside her good friend, Senator Francis Escudero, in the next election. Poe, daughter of the late actor and presidential bet Fernando Poe Jnr, remained mum on who will run for the presidency. She added that even Escudero has yet to finalize his plans. She also said though she welcomes opinions that she should run for higher office, she feels she still has a lot to prove as a senator. “Di ba mas bagay kami magkakampi kesa magkalaban? Siempre whatever his decision, di ba? He helped me a lot also Read More …