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COA raises adjudication prices for government officials, private sector

News

Sep 082013

COA raises adjudication prices for government officials, private sector

The Commission on Audit (COA) has doubled the ceiling prices of its adjudication fees on cases regarding the disbursement of government funds, while the amount was raised five times for persons in the private sector with money claims. The amount for the former was raised to P20,000, doubling the maximum amount set in the 2008 COA resolution and 2009 Revised Rules of Procedure. This will affect filing of notices of disallowance or denial of claims for compensation, requests from relief from accountability, condonation and write-offs at one-tenth of one percent of the amount involved in the query, as long as it will not exceed the new ceiling price. These fees are paid by government officials and employees from their personal funds. Private firms or individuals filing money claims against government agencies or requests for approval of sale of a government asset will be charged the same percentage, if it does not exceed P50,000. These fees will be paid by the claimants themselves. Exceptions will be granted under special circumstances yet to be determined by the Commission Proper, made up of COA chairperson Ma Gracia M. Pulido Tan and Commissioners Heidi L. Mendoza and Rowena V. Guanzon. They also signed the resolution. The resolution will take effect immediately, and will be circulated in two newspapers. — RT/BM, GMA News

NCR cops to concentrate on traffic at Sept. 11 anti-pork vigil

News

Sep 082013

NCR cops to concentrate on traffic at Sept. 11 anti-pork vigil

Saying they expect the Sept. 11 anti-pork barrel prayer vigil at the EDSA Shrine to be well-attended though peaceful, Metro Manila police said Sunday they will focus their efforts on ensuring smooth traffic during the event. Metro Manila police spokesman Chief Inspector Robert Domingo also said they will further iron out their security plans Monday when they meet with the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority. “Ayon sa coordination namin medyo marami yata nag-signify. Magfo-focus kami sa traffic management and control, pero hindi pababayaan ang overt and covert security,” he said in an interview on dzBB radio Sunday afternoon. He also noted traffic may be congested at EDSA on Wednesday since many faithful are expected to travel to Baclaran Church for Mass. Many Filipinos are expected to attend the vigil organized by the “EDSA Tayo” movement. Earlier, EDSA Tayo convenor Junep Ocampo said a Mass and a lecture on the evils of pork by economics professor Solita Monsod will highlight Wednesday’s vigil. Domingo said the Metro Manila police and MMDA will meet on Monday to finalize their security plan. For now, he said they will conduct mobile checkpoints and heighten police visibility as part of their Police Integrated Patrol System. 9/11 anniversary, Marcos’ birthday Meanwhile, Domingo said they may also adjust their deployment since Sept. 11 is also the anniversary of the 2001 terrorist attack on the United States, and the birth anniversary of former President Ferdinand Marcos. “Kaya ang security plan binubusisi, medyo mag-a-adjust at magdadagdag at magbabawas,” he said. But Read More …

PAGASA tracking LPA near Northern Samar

News

Sep 082013

State weather forecasters are now tracking a low-pressure area—a potential cyclone—off Northern Samar in Eastern Visayas. PAGASA, in its 5 p.m. bulletin, said the LPA was estimated in the vicinity of Catarman, Northern Samar as of 4 p.m. It said the LPA was embedded along the inter-tropical convergence zone across Palawan, Visayas and Mindanao and may trigger flash floods and landslides in parts of Southern Luzon. Should the LPA intensify into a cyclone, it will be codenamed Odette. Flash floods, landslides “Calabarzon and the provinces of Mindoro and Marinduque will experience cloudy skies with moderate to occasionally heavy rains and thunderstorms which may trigger flash floods and landslides,” PAGASA said. It added Metro Manila and the rest of the country will have “cloudy skies with light to moderate rainshowers and thunderstorms.” Also, PAGASA’s extended weather outlook expected most major cities will be cloudy with rain showers or thunderstorms on Monday. Only Metro Davao and Zamboanga, Tuguegarao and Laoag Cities will be partly cloudy to cloudy with isolated rain showers or thunderstorms, it added. Monday outlook Meanwhile, PAGASA said moderate to occasionally strong winds from the northeast will prevail over extreme Northern Luzon and its coastal waters will be moderate to occasionally rough. Light to moderate winds coming from the northeast to north will prevail over the rest of Luzon and from the southwest to south over the rest of the country with slight to moderate seas. — BM, GMA News

Palace: Aquino wants pork-related cases to go beyond press releases

News

Sep 082013

Palace: Aquino wants pork-related cases to go beyond press releases

President Benigno Aquino wants all cases that will be filed in relation to the multibillion-peso pork barrel scam to go beyond press releases and stand up in court, Malacañang said Sunday. Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said Aquino gave strict orders that the cases to be filed must be backed by solid evidence. “(M)ariin ang utos ng Pangulong Aquino sa investigation na kailangan matibay ang ebidensya. Ayaw ng pangulo ang nagsasampa ng kaso para sa press release lang,” Valte said on government-run dzRB radio. She also reiterated the investigation will not spare even administration allies, so long as the evidence [is strong]. In the meantime, she asked the public not to have preconceived notions or assumptions of the outcome of the investigation. “Ang importante, pupunta tayo kung saan tayo dinadala ng ebidensya, hindi pwede ang preconceived notion o assumption,” she said. She said the Palace is still leaving the matter to the Department of Justice, which she said considers this case a priority. Meanwhile, Valte said the hunt is still on for Reynald Lim, the brother of suspected pork scam mastermind Janet Lim-Napoles. She also said the reward for information leading to his capture is still holds. — LBG, GMA News

Cardinal Tagle prescribes 'moral transformation' as cure for corruption

News

Sep 072013

Cardinal Tagle prescribes 'moral transformation' as cure for corruption

With the interfaith vigil against the pork-barrel system, know as “EDSA Tayo”, just a few days away, Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle on Friday said that he was saddened by the Philippines’ inability to break the cycle of corruption that has plagued it for decades. “Sa kasaysayan natin sa bansa ay napakarami na nating narinig, nabunyag na mga pagkakataon ng corruption, ng pang-aabuso sa kapangyarihan at yung napakamali sa paggamit ng pera na nakalaan sana sa paglilingkod sa bayan,” Tagle said in an interview on Radyo Veritas. “Sa aking lifetime so far, hindi ito ang first time na tayo ay humaharap sa ganyan, kaya ako ay nalulungkot.” Tagle recently, and very openly, expressed his views on the pork barrel scam, in which lawmakers allegedly misused billions in pesos of government funds for kickbacks. A few weeks ago, the cardinal shed tears as he spoke about the “heartbreaking” scam in a press conference at the University of Santo Tomas. Last month, the cardinal surprised protesters in the so-called Million People March by showing up at the Quirino Grandstand, where he characterized Filipinos as a “people of honor.” Tagle’s fellow bishops, too, are very open about their views. On Friday, the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) issued a pastoral statement expressing support for an upcoming prayer vigil against the pork barrel system. The vigil is scheduled on September 11, at the EDSA Shrine. Meanwhile, in the Radyo Veritas interview, Tagle said political solutions only provide a temporary answer to Read More …

Palace defends DILG relocation role, calls criticism 'simplistic'

News

Sep 072013

Palace defends DILG relocation role, calls criticism 'simplistic'

Malacañang on Saturday defended the Department of Interior and Local Government’s role in the relocation of informal settler families, especially from danger and high-risk zones. Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said President Benigno Aquino III’s Memorandum Order 57 gave the DILG the lead role because of the local government component in relocation. “The challenge with relocating informal settler families goes beyond building houses and throwing them somewhere, it’s not as simple as that. Ang paglipat hindi lang basta-basta,” Valte said on government-run dzRB radio. On Friday, Navotas Rep. Tobias Tiangco questioned the role of the DILG in the relocation effort, saying it was the National Housing Authority that should be handling the housing problem. Valte countered that the DILG coordinates local government units involved in the relocation and is in “constant contact with stakeholders,” while the NHA only builds houses in the relocation sites. The deputy spokesperson said that the other agencies involved included the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority and the Department of Public Works and Highways. Valte also took a dig at critics who questioned the DILG’s role in the resettlement. “Huwag natin gawing simplistic para meron tayong maging press release,” she said. — DVM, GMA News

Philippine police prepare charges against Taiwanese fisherman — report

News

Sep 072013

Philippine police prepare charges against Taiwanese fisherman -- report

Taiwanese fisherman arrested after poaching off Batanes . Taiwanese fisherman Tsai Po (left, in red), 54, is escorted by a policeman on board his fishing boat after he was arrested for illegal fishing in the waters off Batanes on Wednesday, September 4. The PHL and Taiwan are trying to mend fences after the shooting incident that led to the death of a Taiwanese fisherman in May. AFP/Victor de Sagon/PNP Philippine police said Saturday there was strong evidence to charge a Taiwanese fisherman detained after he strayed into the archipelago’s waters — an incident that is threatening reviving relations between the neighbours. Government prosecutors are preparing poaching charges against Tsai Po who was held on Tuesday near the Philippines’ Batan Islands, close to the maritime border with Taiwan, police officer Victor de Sagon said. Police allege that Tsai, 54, intentionally entered Philippine waters and then tried to flee when a maritime fishing patrol approached him. “Our evidence is quite strong. He was collecting lobster, ornamental fish and sharks,” de Sagon told AFP. “It is obvious he was fleeing with the great speed. He did not drift here.” Tsai has made frequent visits to the area to poach for fish, de Sagon said, adding that was how officials knew where to catch him. Tsai, who is being held at Batan provincial police station, has said he does not know why he was detained and that he had been in Taiwanese waters when the incident happened. He also claims he was treated roughly Read More …

Sen. Miriam Santiago asks Senate to include gadget etiquette in Senate Rules

News

Sep 072013

Sen. Miriam Santiago asks Senate to include gadget etiquette in Senate Rules

Feisty Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago filed a resolution seeking to include gadget etiquette in the Senate Rules. “These gadgets can cause disruption and distraction during sessions and committee hearings. Impairing decorum due to their abuse and misuse can be considered unparliamentary acts,” Santiago said in a statement released Saturday. On Sept. 3, Defensor-Santiago filed Senate Resolution No. 228, recommending the Senate revise and update its Rules on the decorum of its members and guests on the use of electronic devices during Senate sessions and committee hearings. Santiago’s recommendation comes at the heels of media reports showing legislators caught playing mobile games during committee hearings. Early last month, Senator Juan Ponce-Enrile was caught playing ‘Bejeweled’ on his iPad during a lull in a Senate inquiry. The 89-year-old explained that the game helped to exercise his mind. Enrile’s action irked Defensor-Santiago enough for the latter to take a swipe at the former for playing the popular tile-matching game during Senate proceedings. “The Senate Rules should accommodate for the technologically determined changes in society, in this case the prevalent use of gadgets in everyday life. Despite troubling times for the Senate as an institution, the Senate should always maintain and observe a level of decorum this high office deserves,” Defensor-Santiago said. The resolution reads: “The move toward a ‘paperless’ Senate means an increasingly prevalent use of electronic and mobile devices by members of the Senate during sessions and committee hearings, making it necessary to draw up new Senate rules on the proper decorum of Read More …

PHL churches join forces vs human trafficking

General

Sep 072013

PHL churches join forces vs human trafficking

Leaders from various Philippine churches are joining forces to fight human trafficking, which they said victimize up to 300,000 Filipinos. Catholic, Protestant, evangelical, and other Christian churches offered an “integrated response” to help government address the causes of trafficking. The Philippine Interfaith Movement Against Human Trafficking seeks to coordinate programs and share resources at the grassroots level to fight trafficking. “The religious leaders can really help a lot in educating our people and raising their awareness about this problem. Our country now is being burned by this issue which is not that common to the public. It will bring down our morality if we will still remain uneducated on the issue and will not find a solution to it,” Manila Auxiliary Bishop Broderick Pabillo said. He noted trafficking victimizes some 300,000 Filipinos, mostly women and children, and even aboriginal girls and women. Pabillo chairs the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines’ National Secretariat for Social Action. For his part, Philippine Council of Evangelical Churches Bishop Efraim Tendero said this team-up seeks to boost the existing fight against such “crime.” Tendero lamented many of the victims are often from the marginalized sectors that even include tribal children and women. “We can be a strong force that can help the government and other organizations to finally put an end to this problem,” Tendero said. Rehabilitation Pabillo said the interfaith group also seeks to strengthen human trafficking rehabilitation programs, and bring hope to victims. “There are many groups who are doing this already Read More …

Ex-Usec approved release of P900-M Malampaya fund to Napoles-linked NGOs — DAR chief

News

Sep 062013

Ex-Usec approved release of P900-M Malampaya fund to Napoles-linked NGOs — DAR chief

Former undersecretary Narciso Nieto authorized the release of P900 million sourced from the Malampaya Fund to nine non-government organizations linked to alleged pork barrel scam operator Janet Lim-Napoles, the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) said on Friday. Nieto was undersecretary of then DAR Secretary Nasser Pangandaman when the funds were released. “The request was made by Undersecretary Nieto as the officer-in-charge. In the normal course of operation pwede siyang mag-request,” current DAR Secretary Virgilio delos Reyes was quoted as saying in a television report aired on GMA’s “24 Oras” newscast on Friday. “Kasi ginagawa naman palagi ‘yun ‘pag kinukulang ng pondo ang isang departamento, ginagawa ‘yun. But normally, an amount this big is normally cleared with the secretary,” the DAR chief also said. GMA News tried to contact Nieto for comment, but he was not immediately available. The DAR said the P900 million was supposed to have been distributed among areas affected by Typhoon Pepeng and Ondoy in 2009. DAR was the implementing agency. Its investigation also revealed that the Malampaya fund went to 12 non-government organizations including the nine of Napoles. The DAR has provided copies of checks to the National Bureau of Investigation. The checks were distributed to 97 towns that supposedly benefited from the fund. “Hindi nadatnan ng internal audit kung nasaan na ‘yung mga NGO na ‘yun. Malalaman sa tseke saan naka-deposit ‘yung tseke, at ‘yung ang binigay natin sa NBI,” Delos Reyes noted. Earlier, whistleblower Merlina Suñas, a former employee of Napoles, detailed how the Read More …

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