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Poll critics file complaint against 11 Comelec officials

 News
Jun 102013
 
Poll critics file complaint against 11 Comelec officials

Various poll watchdogs on Monday filed with the Office of the Ombudsman a complaint against 11 former and current Commission on Elections (Comelec) officials for allegedly “placing in grave peril the sanctity of the ballot” during the May 2010 and 2013 elections. The accused officials are former Comelec chairperson Jose Melo, former commissioners Rene Sarmiento, Nicodemo Ferrer, Armando Velasco and Leonardo Leonida. The other respondents in the complaint are Director Jose Tolentino and Bartolome Sinocruz Jr.; Melo consultant Renato Garcia; Technical Evaluation Committee chairperson Denis Villorente and the committee members Ferdinand De Leon and Reynaldo Sy. Officials of Smartmatic-Total Information Management Corp., the provider of the ballot-reading precinct count optical scan machines, were implicated, as well, including Smartmatic Asia president Cesar Flores. “This citizen’s action… being filed to hold into account public officers at the COMELEC who, in collusion with local and foreign business interests, placed in grave peril the sanctity of the ballot in the Philippines by approving the use of a highly-suspect… PCOS [machine] in,the [2010 and 2013] elections,” according to the complainants’ statement. The complainants are: former vice president Teofisto Guingona Jr., Automated Elections System Watch co-convenor Fr. Jose Dizon, NBN-ZTE deal whistleblower Rodolfo Noel “Jun” Lozada Jr., Workers’ Electoral Watch convenor Anna Leah Escresa-Colina, Gregorio Fabros of Kontra Daya, Center for People Empowerment in Governance executive director Evita Jimenez, and a certain Hector Barrios. Among the alleged violations committed by the Comelec and Smartmatic were: – Contract with Smartmatic pushed through despite the fact that Smartmatic’s Read More …

PAGASA: TS Dante exits PAR, will continue enhancing southwest monsoon

 News
Jun 102013
 
PAGASA: TS Dante exits PAR, will continue enhancing southwest monsoon

After enhancing the southwest monsoon, Tropical Storm Dante (international codename Yagi) exited the Philippine area of responsibility Monday night, state weather forecasters said. In its 10:30 p.m. advisory, PAGASA said Tropical Storm Dante maintained its strength as it moved north-northeast at 17 kph. “Tropical Storm Dante will continue to enhance the southwest monsoon that will bring rains and thunderstorms particularly over the western section of southern Luzon and Visayas,” it said. As of 10 p.m., PAGASA estimated Tropical Storm Dante to be 1,280 km northeast of Basco, Batanes or 680 km east-southeast of Okinawa, Japan. By Tuesday morning, it is expected to be 1,350 km northeast of Basco, Batanes or at 690 km east of Okinawa, Japan. It said Dante packed maximum sustained winds of 85 kph near the center and gustiness of up to 100 kph. No public storm warning signals were raised, PAGASA said. — DVM, GMA News

Comelec wants allowable poll expenses pegged on 'economic factors'

 News
Jun 102013
 
Comelec wants allowable poll expenses pegged on 'economic factors'

The allowable poll expenses limit may soon be pegged on “economic factors” such as the inflation rate and consumer price index (CPI), a Commission on Elections (Comelec) official said on Monday. This could be possible if the 16th Congress approves a bill amending the Omnibus Election Code that the Comelec would endorse, according to poll commissioner Christian Robert Lim. The poll official said the commission has proposed to form a regional tripartite body with officials from the National Economic and Development Authority and the Department of Trade and Industry that would determine the allowable election expense per voter. “Every elections, there would be a regional tripartite board na magde-determine using the CPI magkano [ang expense limit]. Mataas ba ang inflation kaya kailangang itaas din namin para realistic?” explained Lim. The reform aims to motivate candidates to be truthful in their statements of contributions and expenditures, he added. “More often than not, candidates are going to spend more. So more likely they would not declare. So we want them to be truthful in their declaration,” Lim said. As of now, the Comelec under its Resolution No. 9476 limits presidential and vice presidential candidates to P10 for every registered voter, candidates with political parties to P3 per voter, and independent candidates to P5 per voter. According to the National Statistics Office, the CPI measures the “changes in the price level of goods and services that most people buy for their day-to-day consumption.” Meanwhile, inflation is the change in price level over a Read More …

Palace belies extradition claim from Kiram camp

 News
Jun 102013
 
Palace belies extradition claim from Kiram camp

Kirams ready to face the music. Princess Jacel Kiram, daughter of Sulu Sultan Jamalul Kiram III, talks to media at a press conference in Taguig City on Monday. Together with Sultan Jamalul Kiram III and Dr. Abdurahman Amin of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), Princess Jacel said the family is ready to face any charge that the government may file against them for the intrusion in Sabah. Danny Pata Malacañang has downplayed claims from the camp of Sulu Sultan Jamalul Kiram III, whose followers were embroiled in deadly clashes with security men in Sabah three months ago while pressing their claim on the territory, that the Philippine government plans to extradite members of the clan to Malaysia. In a press conference Monday at the Kiram’s residence in Maharlika Village in Taguig City, the sultan’s daughter Princess Jacel Kiram claimed that the family had received information from sources “within the government” about plans to turn in the Kirams to the Malaysian government. In a report on GMA News TV’s Balitanghali, Jacel said the extradition plan was “very close na sa implementation.”   But presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda belittled the statement and said: “Claim lang ‘yon. Wala, we have not [discussed anything like that].” Some of the sultan’s followers are currently facing criminal cases in Sabah for the incursion last February. Meanwhile, the National Bureau of Investigation has yet to submit its report on the Sabah incursion to the Department of Justice, which will make its recommendation to President Benigno Aquino Read More …

Comelec exec: Non-filers of expenditures report may be face perjury raps

 News
Jun 102013
 
Comelec exec: Non-filers of expenditures report may be face perjury raps

A Commission on Elections official has warned candidates who ran in the May 13 elections that they face perjury charges if they will fail to submit their statements of contributions and expenditures (SOCEs).   At a press conference on Monday, Comelec Commissioner Christian Robert Lim said such candidates may have committed perjury since they declared in their certificates of candidacy an oath to submit their SOCEs. “Yung balak namin, ie-endorse namin ‘yung mga hindi nagfile sa DOJ [Department of Justice],” said Lim, head of the poll body’s campaign finance unit.  Perjury is a criminal act under the Revised Penal Code. However, “(A)ng target namin is really not to put people in jail but to encourage them to file,” said Lim. Republic Act 7166, which was enacted on Nov. 26, 1991, states that every candidate and treasurer of a political party shall be required to file an itemized statement of all contributions and expenditures within 30 days after the day of the election. Failure to submit SOCEs is penalized with an administrative fine from P2,000 to P30,000 for the first offense, and from P2,000 to P60,000 for second offense, depending on the position, according to Comelec Resolution No. 9476.  While it is not a criminal act, failure to file SOCEs can be penalized with disqualification from holding public office, the law said. The Comelec had earlier wanted failure to submit SOCEs a criminal offense. — Marc Jayson Cayabyab/RSJ, GMA News

PAGASA: Rainy season officially here

 News
Jun 102013
 
PAGASA: Rainy season officially here

Now it’s official: the rainy season for this year has finally started, state weather forecasters said Monday afternoon. PAGASA declared the start of the rainy season at 2 p.m. after noting the criteria have been met, radio dzBB’s Divine Caraecle reported. According to PAGASA forecaster Ricky Fabregas, Tropical Storm Dante (international name: Yagi) played a major role in ushering in the rainy season by enhancing the southwest monsoon. Fabregas also cited the almost daily thunderstorms that brought rain to Metro Manila and other parts of the country in past weeks. On the other hand, Fabregas said that while the rainy season may be here, there may still be “breaks” where there may be no rain for two days to a week. Earlier, PAGASA said the rainy season usually starts in the last week of May or the first part of June. — TJD, GMA News

No politics in banning of Taiwan food products, says Palace exec

 News
Jun 102013
 
No politics in banning of Taiwan food products, says Palace exec

No politics involved. This was how a Malacañang official described a decision by a government agency banning 15 food products from Taiwan that were found to contain maleic acid, an unapproved food additive that could potentially harm the kidney. “Alam mo ang kagandahan dito sa FDA (Food and Drug Administration) there is empirical evidence e.  [They were banned] because of the presence of a certain ingredient. It’s not subject to politics,” presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said at a press briefing Monday. Lacierda added that the banning of the food products, which include tapioca pearls and rice noodles, have been subjected to tests. “It’s subject to a scientific evaluation whether that banned substance exists in those products, and if it is, under our laws, it is banned. It is as simple as that,” Lacierda said. “It has nothing to do with politics. It has nothing to do with the present situation that we’re in with Taiwan. FDA ‘yung nagdesisyon ‘nun e,” he added. Lacierda said the government continues to look out for the health of all Filipinos. “Siyempre ang concern po ng gobyerno, ‘yung safety po at ‘yung kaligtasan, ang kalusugan po ng ating mga mamamayan. It has everything to do with the health of the Filipino citizens,” he said. However, Lacierda also expressed hope that the tensions in Taiwan, which has resulted in cases of discrimination agaisnt OFW’s there, will end soon. “Siyempre gusto nating ma-lift ‘yung sanctions pero alam ninyo, meron tayong investigation na nangyayari ngayon, NBI and their Taiwanese Read More …

Comelec finally gets favorable SC ruling, allowed to participate in May 13 poll protests

 News
Jun 102013
 
Comelec finally gets favorable SC ruling, allowed to participate in May 13 poll protests

The Commission on Elections has finally gotten a favorable ruling from the Supreme Court. In an en banc resolution on Monday, the high court junked a petition seeking the inhibition of the Comelec from deciding on electoral protests. In its resolution, the high court junked the petition filed by an election watchdog seeking to enjoin the Comelec from participating in electoral protests stemming from the May 13 automated midterm elections. In its 26-page petition filed last May 10, Kontra Daya accused the Comelec of engaging in a “grand scale mass deception that can be used as basis for the impeachment (of Comelec officials).” The petitioner said the Comelec should inhibit from deciding on poll-related cases “until the lapse of a grace period of three months within which political parties, candidates and citizens’ arms shall finally be able for the first time to exercise their right to review the source code.” But in its ruling, the high court dismissed Kontra Daya’s petition because such failed to show “any judicial controversy,” according to Public Information Office chief Theodore Te. The SC said the petition was “clearly premature, highly speculative and does not warrant the relief prayed for.” A source code is the set of instructions to be followed by the computerized voting machine, and is written by computer programmers in a readable symbolic language. A few weeks before the polls, Elections chairman Sixto Brillantes Jr. said the poll body already had the source code to be used for the May 13 polls, Read More …

DOLE deploys Kasambahay desk officers in regions

 News
Jun 092013
 
DOLE deploys Kasambahay desk officers in regions

Now that the Kasambahay Bill is now a law, the Department of Labor and Employment has deployed Kasambahay desk officers in the provinces. The DOLE said Friday it has designated a “Single-Entry Approach Desk Officer” (SEADO) who shall act as the Kasambahay Desk Officer in their respective areas. “Questions on the implementation of the (implementing rules and regulations) of the Batas Kasambahay are unavoidable, especially during the first few weeks of its implementation. That is why having a DOLE personnel specifically assigned to handle queries and concerns in relation to the rules and regulations of the Batas Kasambahay is a good means to ensure that understanding can be fostered,” DOLE Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz said. “This could lead to acceptance of the law, and hence, compliance,” she added. Under Administrative Order No. 207, the DOLE is to designate Kasambahay Desk Officers in its regional offices. These officers are to “conciliate complaints filed by kasambahays in the respective regional office,” the DOLE said. It added these officers are also responsible for coordinating with other focal persons in the local government units on the implementation of the law. Training for Kasambahay desk officers will also be provided and facilitated by the National Conciliation and Mediation Board (NCMB), and the DOLE’s Bureau of Labor Relations (BLR) and Human Resource Development Service (HRDS), as specified in the administrative order. Batas Kasambahay forms DOLE regional offices will provide hard copies of Batas Kasambahay Forms and attachments to barangays. “With the Batas Kasambahay already taking effect, we Read More …

Fatalities in Serendra blast laid to rest

 News
Jun 092013
 
Fatalities in Serendra blast laid to rest

The three fatalities in the blast at the Two Serendra condominium in Taguig City last May 31 were laid to rest in their home provinces over the weekend. Relatives of the three are not keen on filing charges against the condo’s management as they cited potential high legal costs, radio dzBB reported early Monday. Sallymar Natividad was buried at a memorial park in San Jose del Monte in Bulacan province, the report said. Natividad, the driver of the delivery van crushed by debris from the explosion, left behind a pregnant widow and two children. Another fatality, Marlon Bandiola, was buried in Carmona in Cavite province. The third fatality, Jeffrey Umali, was buried in Nueva Ecija province, the report added. Last May 31, a blast hit the Two Serendra condominium, causing tension in the area, including shoppers at a nearby commercial area. An investigation showed the blast stemmed from a gas explosion and not a bomb. —KG, GMA News

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