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After pact signing, Palace stresses urgency to pass Bangsamoro Law

 News
Jan 252014
 
After pact signing, Palace stresses urgency to pass Bangsamoro Law

Following the signing of a final annex paving the way for a comprehensive peace agreement between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, Malacañang on Sunday voiced hopes Congress will pass soonest a basic law for the proposed Bangsamoro political entity. Presidential Communications Operations Office head Herminio Coloma Jr. said the next step now is to craft the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law and submit it to Congress, with the measure then being subjected to a plebiscite. “Umaasa tayo sa kasalukuyang session ng Kongreso matalakay na at maging ganap ang pagtalakay para maipasa ito at ang plebiscite ay maidaos,” Coloma said on government-run dzRB raduio. “(M)ay sense of urgency ang bagay na yan (This is one issue with a sense of urgency),” he added. He added the aim is that by 2016, the measure will not only lead to a plebiscite but will also allow the election of the new officials of the Bangsamoro political entity. The government envisions the Bangsamoro entity to replace the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao. Coloma also said, “Umaasa tayo yan (ay) bibigyan ng attention ng ating mambabatas (We are hoping our lawmakers will give priority to this).” PNoy welcomes signing Coloma said President Benigno Aquino III welcomeed the signing of the annex, and congratulated the panels of both sides. “Malugod na ipinaaabot ng Pangulong Aquino ang kanyang pagbati at pasasalamat sa mga kasapi ng Philippine at MILF peace panels sa paglagda sa ikaapat at panghuling annex on normalization kahapon sa Kuala Lumpur na siyang Read More …

Swedish king in PHL for Boy Scouts jamboree

 News
Jan 242014
 
Swedish king in PHL for Boy Scouts jamboree

PNoy welcomes Sweden’s King Carl XVI Gustaf. President Benigno Aquino III welcomes King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden during a courtesy call in Malacañang on Friday, January 24. This is the first visit of a Swedish monarch and head of state to the Philippines. Gustaf will visit Yolanda-hit Tacloban City on January 25. Gil Nartea Swedish King Carl XVI Gustaf arrived in the Philippines on Friday and will be here until Jan. 26 for boy scouting events and activities. He was welcomed by President Benigno Aquino III at Malacañan on Friday and by Vice President Jejomar Binay at the Coconut Palace afterwards. Gustaf will be the guest of honor at the Invitational Peace Jamboree of the Boy Scouts of the Philippines (BSP), which more than 7,000 young scouts are expected to attend Saturday. The event, which will be held in Makiling, Laguna, is meant to mark the Boy Scouts’ centenary year. He will be accompanied by Binay, national president of the BSP.  Binay will also accompany Gustaf to Tacloban on Sunday to check the BSP’s as well as Sweden’s various projects in the typhoon-affected areas. Gustaf, who became a scout at 10, has been a lifelong supporter of the Scouting movement. He accepted the role of honorary chairman of the World Scout Foundation (WSF) in 1977 and has since been leading the WSF in raising funds to support scouting projects worldwide. WSF supports the Boy Scouts of the Philippines’ “Ticket to Life” project for children living in difficult circumstances The Read More …

Agriculture chief faces new plunder complaint

 News
Jan 242014
 
Agriculture chief faces new plunder complaint

Department of Agriculture (DA) Secretary Proceso Alcala and National Agribusiness Corp. (Nabcor) president Honesto Baniqued are facing plunder complaints for allegedly amassing billions of pesos in public money. In a complaint filed before the Office of the Ombudsman Friday, Sanlakas party-list legal counsel Argee Guevarra accused Alcala and Baniqued of plunder, violating the Anti-Graft Law, malversation of public funds and violating the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees. The complaint stemmed from allegedly anomalous transactions, unliquidated projects and procurements totalling P11.4 billion that the Commission on Audit noted in its 2012 audit of the department. The complaint enumerated the alleged anomalies: P5.8 billion in financial transactions for 2012 were without supporting vouchers until Mar. 31, 2013; of these a remaining substantial amount of P8.5 million was disbursed without, to this date disbursement vouchers (DVs) and journal entry vouchers. Disbursements worth P31.4 million that lacked the signatures of the approving authority. The amount of P53 million supposedly invested in a joint venture that has gone missing and is not reflected in the joint venture partner’s books. A total of P156 million that was supposedly disbursed but cannot be found in the documentation for Nabcor’s project funds. A consultant was “hired” for P10.3 million to “negotiate” with another government entity, PDIC, when this was not needed and the amount of P5.3 million was allegedly expended without the consultant rendering work. In a telephone interview with GMA News Online, Guevarra questioned the timing of most of Nabcor’s transactions Read More …

No more Napoles, whistleblowers in Senate ‘pork’ probe next week

 News
Jan 232014
 
No more Napoles, whistleblowers in Senate ‘pork’ probe next week

Expect no further testimonies from controversial businesswoman Janet Lim-Napoles or from the whistleblowers linking her to the alleged P10-billion “pork barrel” scam when the Senate probe on the suspected anomaly resumes next week. In an advisory to the media, the office of Senate blue ribbon committee chairman Teofisto Guingona III said the investigation next Thursday “will focus on policy issues.” Among the issues expected to be tackled are the registration, accreditation and monitoring of non-government organizations (NGOs) that deal with government contracts, Guingona’s office said. Napoles, lawmakers and other government officials allegedly pocketed millions in pork barrel funds by funneling them to bogus NGOs. Senators Ramon Bong Revilla Jr. and Jinggoy Estrada and Senate Minority Leader Juan Ponce Enrile are currently facing plunder raps before the Office of the Ombudsman for their alleged involvement in the scam. Audit chief Grace Pulido Tan, Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) chair Teresita Herbosa and Philippine Council for NGO Accreditation chair Augusto Carpio have been invited to the probe, Guingona’s office said. In last November’s hearing on the alleged scam, Napoles, who is currently detained in Laguna for a separate illegal detention case, came face to face with her accusers. She, however, clammed up by repeatedly invoking her right against self-incrimination. — Andreo Calonzo/RSJ, GMA News

Mar, Alfred: We've always been friends, no bad blood

 News
Jan 232014
 
Mar, Alfred: We've always been friends, no bad blood

Roxas, Romualdez meet in Congress probe on Yolanda response. Tacloban City Mayor Alfred Romualdez greets DILG Secretary Mar Roxas II (right) before the start of the Congressional Oversight Committee hearing on the government’s Yolanda response at the Senate on Thursday, January 23. Roxas came face to face with Romualdez, a month after the local official accused the Cabinet official of bringing up clan politics in the aftermath of Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan). Benjie Castro After a month-long word war on the government’s response to Typhoon Yolanda, Interior Secretary Mar Roxas and Tacloban City Mayor Alfred Romualdez said there is no bad blood between them. After a congressional post-Yolanda assessment on Thursday, Roxas and Romualdez shook hands and faced reporters together. “We’ve always been friends. Si Secretary Mar, kahit wala pa sa pagka-Secretary, we were together in Congress,” Romualdez told reporters. Roxas meanwhile said that the issue between him and Romualdez was just “intrigue” blown out of proportion. “Natutuwa ako na nabigyan kami ng chance na magkita uli sa isang convivial na situation,” the Cabinet official said. He also invited Romualdez to a meeting on Tacloban’s rehabilitation after Yolanda. During a hearing last month, Romualdez claimed Roxas told him after Yolanda hit Tacloban City: “We have to be very careful because you are a Romualdez and the president is an Aquino.”  The Tacloban mayor also said Roxas asked him to cede control of the city to the national government instead of immediately responding to the needs of the typhoon victims. But Roxas Read More …

As ex-transport chief, Mar OK with ‘Boy Pick-Up’ tag

 News
Jan 232014
 
As ex-transport chief, Mar OK with ‘Boy Pick-Up’ tag

Interior Secretary Mar Roxas on Thursday said he was not offended when Senator Ramon Bong Revilla Jr. called him “Boy Pick-Up” in a privilege speech earlier this week. Roxas said he considered the moniker as a joke that must not be given any malice. “Parang joke nga eh. Sinabi niya sa akin, Secretary of Transportation ka, dapat ipagmaneho mo ako. Sabi ko, okay lang,” Roxas told reporters after attending a congressional assessment of the government’s response to Typhoon Yolanda. Roxas was the chief of the Department of Transportation and Communications from 2011 to 2012. Revilla even briefly attended the hearing where Roxas was one of the resource persons, but the two were not able to interact. In a privilege speech last Monday, Revilla called Roxas “Boy Pick-Up” for supposedly driving him to Malacañang to discuss the impeachment trial of former Chief Justice Renato Corona with President Benigno Aquino III. Roxas maintained that there was nothing irregular with what he did, saying it was a way of reaching out to a former colleague. “Wala namang masama. Sa personal ko, tiningnan ko ito bilang pagpapakumbaba, bilang personal outreach to my former colleague,” he said. He also belied Revilla’s claim that he concealed his plate number, saying he never uses his official plate number in the first place. — Andreo Calonzo/KBK, GMA News

Congress must pass FOI bill before election fever sets in – advocates

 News
Jan 202014
 
Congress must pass FOI bill before election fever sets in – advocates

Members of the Right to Know Right Now Coalition on Monday gave the the controversial Freedom of Information bill a deadline—before the end of the second regular session of Congress—otherwise, it will likely not pass, they said. The second regular session of the 16th Congress will end in March 2015, giving authors and advocates roughly 14 months to pass the measure that seeks to provide the public easier access to public documents. “It has to be passed before what we call the red zone after the second regular session,” lawyer Nepumoceno Malaluan said in a press forum. Malaluan explained that after March 2015, the legislative branch will be concerned with the upcoming 2016 presidential elections and the annual spending bill. “From experience, they will be saying, ‘[sorry, but] we did our best,’” he said. But it’s not just the relatively short amount of time that could derail passage of the FOI bill anew. Malaluan said the lukewarm response from both the House of Representatives and the Executive could further slow down passage of the bill. “There’s a lack of desire and commitment from the House leadership and the Committee Chair, and the executive keeps leaving it up to Congress,” he explained. Malacanang has stood firm on leaving the fate of the Freedom of Information bill to Congress, saying it cannot force political allies to push for the FOI bill’s passage. Open Data Philippines and FOI Meanwhile, Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism executive director Malou Mangahas scored the government over its Read More …

Lone lotto bettor is now P155.4M richer 

 News
Jan 202014
 
Lone lotto bettor is now P155.4M richer 

A lone lotto bettor is now P155.4 million richer after bagging the Grand Lotto jackpot of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office Monday night. The PCSO said on its website the bettor got the combination of 02-38-32-19-08-03 to win the night’s jackpot worth P155,401,636. But as in the past, the PCSO is not expected to name the winner for security reasons. Last Jan. 12, a lone bettor won the jackpot in the PCSO’s Superlotto 6/49 draw by getting the combination of 09-21-14-27-06-19 to win P24,816,752. On Jan. 9, a lone bettor got the combination of 21-13-19-27-20-23 to win P22,425,340 in the PCSO’s Lotto 6/42 draw. On Dec. 29, a lone bettor won the PCSO’s Superlotto 6/49 draw by getting the combination of 45-39-34-21-05-19 to bag the jackpot worth P30,577,516. Last Dec. 12, a lone bettor became P126,350,776 richer after bagging the jackpot with the combination of 12-08-37-17-20-09. But the biggest lotto prize in recent history was in November 2010, when a lone bettor won some P741.176 million for getting the winning combination 11-16-42-47-31-37. — JDS, GMA News

Revilla's ‘toy truck’ gimmick an insult to NBI, DOJ – Justice chief

 News
Jan 202014
 
Revilla's ‘toy truck’ gimmick an insult to NBI, DOJ – Justice chief

Senator Revilla lashes back at Aquino govt . In what could be taken as a mockery of the complaint against him in connection with the alleged pork barrel scam, Senator Ramon Bong Revilla Jr. presented the ‘truckload’ of evidence supposedly being used against him during a privilege speech on Monday, January 20. Revilla accused the Aquino administration of using the pork barrel issue to cover up its alleged failures. Benjie Castro Justice Secretary Leila de Lima was not amused by Senator Bong Revilla Jr’s privilege speech, where he denied involvement in the pork barrel scam and even trotted out a toy truck to make light of the government’s evidence against him. “Nangi-insulto na lang iyon. I don’t know for what reason ginagawa niya iyan na minamaliit niya ang trabaho ng NBI (National Bureau of Investigation) at DOJ (Department of Justice),” said De Lima, stressing the plunder complaint that the NBI filed against the lawmaker was already being evaluated by the Office of the Ombudsman. “So, siguro iyon ang alam niyang strategy…na maliitin at insultuhin ang naging outlook ng NBI,” she added. In his speech, Revilla claimed President Benigno Aquino III personally asked him to vote to convict former chief justice Renato Corona in 2012. Revilla was one of 20 senators who voted for conviction on May 29, 2012. Revilla’s toy truck was an apparent reference to the sets of documentary evidence prepared by the DOJ and NBI, which were so voluminous they had to be transported from the NBI headquarters Read More …

Senior citizens partylist want Comelec officials cited for not proclaiming group

 General
Jan 202014
 
Senior citizens partylist want Comelec officials cited for not proclaiming group

A faction of a party-list group that won in the May 2013 elections has asked the Supreme Court to cite in contempt three Commission on Elections (Comelec) commissioners for their failure to proclaim the group. Godofredo Arquiza, the leader of one of the factions within the Coalition of Association of Senior Citizens Inc. (Senior Citizens), said in a press conference Monday that his group has filed an urgent motion before the Supreme Court to cite Comelec chairman Chairman Sixto Brillantes Jr. and commissioners Lucenito Tagle and Elias Yusoph due to their refusal to proclaim the group as a winner in the party-list elections despite a Supreme Court ruling ordering the Comelec to do so. Arquiza said his group had no choice but to run to the Supreme Court to settle the issue since the Comelec has not heeded the Court’s order to proclaim Senior Citizens as a partylist. “Sa Supreme Court na kami nag-file ngayon ng case dahil itong [ginagawa ng Comelec] ay ‘di na tama… July 24 pa nagsabi ang SC na dapat kaming i-proclaim pero hanggang ngayon hindi pa rin [ginagawa ng Comelec]. Yung Comelec, dinefer pa nila ang pagpo-proclaim sa amin at ni-refer pa kami sa RTC [Regional Trial Court] para raw ma-settle na yung issue,” he said. The Comelec said in a resolution issued last week that it cannot proclaim Senior Citizens since its two nominees, Arquiza and Francisco Datol Jr., “abused their authority to usurp leadership over Senior Citizens from one another.” Arquiza and Datol Read More …

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