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Manual polls an option only for worst-case scenario — Brillantes

 News
Feb 072013
 
Manual polls an option only for worst-case scenario — Brillantes

Manual election is still an option in May, but only for the worst-case scenario, Commission on Elections (Comelec) chairman Sixto Brillantes Jr. said Thursday. “Manual is the final contingency kung talagang may mangyaring grabe na talagang hindi na matutuloy [ang automation],” Brillantes told reporters. Although Brillantes said they are ready for such eventuality, he expressed confidence that the present situation does not call for the manual conduct of elections. “Hindi naman tayo pupunta sa manual. The law already requires automation,” he said. He also said they are not giving weight to proposals to revert to manual polls. “Meron din kaming contingency in the event na kailangang mag-manual, pero hindi namin masyadong pinapansin ‘yan dahil hindi naman kami naniniwalang kailangan naming mag-manual,” the Comelec chief said. Members of the minority bloc at the House of Representatives on Wednesday said they would be “more comfortable” with a manual election after some glitches were observed during the mock elections held over the weekend in preparation for the May automated polls. During the mock polls held in various areas last Saturday, some glitches were encountered in transmitting the results and feeding the ballots to the Precinct Count Optical Scan (PCOS). Brillantes, who said the mock polls generally went “smoothly” despite the glitches, said those who want manual elections should repeal Republic Act 9369, which mandates the automated casting and counting of votes. Section 1 of the Poll Automation Law states that: “It is policy of the State to ensure free, orderly, honest, peaceful, credible and informed elections… Read More …

Transition to summer may come mid-February –PAGASA

 News
Feb 072013
 
Transition to summer may come mid-February –PAGASA

Satellite image at 7 a.m., 7 Feb 2013. Satellite image at 7 a.m., 7 Feb 2013 Weather Central The transition to the hot summer season may come as early as mid-February —or sometime next week, state weather forecasters said Thursday. PAGASA forecaster Aldczar Aurelio also said that while the northeast monsoon may make its last hurrah this weekend, it will not bring very cold weather anymore. “Sa kalagitnaan ng Pebrero, wala na halos ang amihan. Susunod niyan transition period, toward na sa mainit na panahon,” Aurelio said in an interview on dzBB radio. Once the northeast monsoon is gone, he said a high-pressure area or warm winds from the east may cause warm weather, he said. But for now, he said the northeast monsoon may now be affecting parts of Northern Luzon and almost the entire Luzon this weekend. “Huwag asahan ang lamig tulad nung sa January. Ang temperatura bahagyang tataas, papunta tayo transition period (Just don’t expect the northeast monsoon to cause temperatures to fall like they did last January. After this, expect temperatures to go up as we head toward the transition period),” he said. “Asahan natin ang amihan pero hindi ganito kalakasan (We can expect the northeast monsoon to come but it won’t be as strong as before),” he added. Easterlies, isolated rain in next 24 hrs Meanwhile, PAGASA’s 5 p.m. bulletin said easterlies, or warm winds from the east, are still affecting the eastern section of the country. “The whole country will be partly cloudy with Read More …

1.1M ballots printed so far; Comelec chief not impressed

 News
Feb 072013
 
1.1M ballots printed so far; Comelec chief not impressed

Some 1.1 million ballots for the May 13 automated elections have been printed by the National Printing Office (NPO) three days after it started its work, Commission Elections chairman Sixto Brillantes Jr. said Thursday. But Brillantes was quick to admit that the printing was not as fast as expected. “Ngayon mga one million one na siguro (1.1 million ang napi-print), which is mahina yun, mahina yun,” he told reporters. The NPO earlier said that it can print 650,000 ballots per day during the first week and 1 million per day on the second and following weeks. A total of 52,014,648 ballots, which is equivalent to one ballot per voter, should be printed for the May elections. The printing started before midnight of February 4 and is expected to be finished 81 days after or on April 25. The NPO and Comelec earlier expressed confidence the printing of the ballots can be done in 65 days.  Printing stopped Brillantes said he received report that the printing was stopped earlier Thursday. NPO assistant director Raul Nagrampa said they paused the printing to allow the loading of the images of ballots for other provinces and to conduct maintenance work. The NPO has completed the printing of ballots for South and North Cotabato. “Nag-pause lang. They loaded files to shift from Cotabato province to Region 4B, Sulu, and Region 2. Also did maintenance na rin. Resuming na (ang printing),” Nagrampa said in a text message to GMA News Online. He added that of the Read More …

Lapid's wife gets 3 years probation in US for cash smuggling

 News
Feb 062013
 
Lapid's wife gets 3 years probation in US for cash smuggling

A United States court has sentenced Sen. Lito Lapid’s wife, Marissa, to three years probation for cash smuggling, a report on GMA News’ “24 Oras” said Wednesday. Marissa’s lawyer, Elliot Krieger, said she was “very relieved” that her case was finally over. “We’re pleased with the results in terms of the way it came out and she’s very relieved to have this over with and behind her,” Krieger said in the report. Krieger explained that Marissa will be under the US Department of Probation for three years and will only be allowed to go to the Philippines only with the department’s permission. Marissa was arrested by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)  on January 15, 2012 for her failure to declare the $50,000 she was carrying at the time. US federal law requires arriving passengers to declare any currency or monetary instrument totaling $10,000 or more. Sen. Lapid’s camp has yet to comment on Marissa’s sentence, the report said. The senator had earlier said that the money was supposed to be used for his wife’s treatment for a heart ailment. — KBK, GMA News

Senate panels recommend proceedings vs Glenn Defense over waste dumping

 News
Feb 062013
 
Senate panels recommend proceedings vs Glenn Defense over waste dumping

The Senate committees on foreign relations and environment and natural resources are recommending administrative and criminal proceedings be started against Malaysian shipping firm Glenn Defense Marine Asia for dumping waste into Philippine waters last year. In a speech delivered Wednesday, Senate foreign relations committee chair Senator Loren Legarda said that the two panels are recommending that the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA), Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), and Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) file administrative charges and impose the necessary penalty against Glenn Defense for failure to comply with the country’s environmental and marine protection laws. She said they are also recommending that the three agencies suspend all permits issued to Glenn Defense until the completion of the sanctions and proceedings. She also said that they are recommending that the Department of Justice further investigate the matter and determine if Glenn Defense shouldd be blacklisted and if criminal cases should be filed. Legarda said that they are likewise recommending the review of the Visiting Forces Agreement to ensure that it is compliant with Philippine laws. “This incident and the unfortunate grounding of a US minesweeper in Tubbataha Reef are two different incidents, grounded on the same issue – the need for better coordinative and implementing arrangements to ensure, as stated in the Executive Order creating the VFACOM, ‘respect for Philippine laws, state policies… and strict compliance with rules and regulations’ by our treaty partner and all entities performing services outside of the VFA,” she said. “Our government agencies need Read More …

285 pass Physical Therapist Licensure Exam — PRC

 News
Feb 062013
 
285 pass Physical Therapist Licensure Exam — PRC

A total of 285 out of 579 examinees passed the  Physical Therapist Licensure Examination while  32 out of 64 passed the Occupational Therapist Licensure Examination given in the cities of Manila and Cebu earlier this month, the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) announced Wednesday.   [Click here for list of passers in Physical Therapist Licensure Exam.] [Click here for list of passers in Occupational Therapist Licensure Exam.] The results were released in two working days from the last day of examinations. Registration for the issuance of Professional Identification Card (ID) and Certificate of Registration will be on February 21 and 22, 2013, the PRC said. It said the date and venue for the oathtaking ceremony of the successful examinees will be announced later. — KBK, GMA News

House 'kills' FOI bill

 News
Feb 062013
 
House 'kills' FOI bill

The House of Representatives on Wednesday failed to pass the Freedom of Information (FOI) bill, which seeks to promote transparency in government transactions and data. The chamber adjourned Wednesday’s session without a single mention of the FOI bill at the plenary. The measure has been pending at the floor since December. The FOI bill only went as far as the period of sponsorship—the first step in plenary discussions of the measure—at the House during this Congress. The Senate was able to pass its version of the proposed legislation two months ago. Eastern Samar Rep. Ben Evardone, chair of the House committee on public information that passed the FOI bill last December, blamed his fellow lawmakers’ “reluctance” to pass the measure for their failure to approve the proposed legislation. “If the congressmen were enthusiastic about it (FOI bill) and showed up during sessions, then we could have acted on it,” Evardone said in a phone interview. He also said that he observed a “lack of support” from his colleagues in pushing for the bill’s passage. Both houses of Congress are to take a three-month break to give way to the campaign period for the May elections. Congress will resume session in June but only from June 3 to 6 before its final adjournment. Palace blamed Bayan Muna party-list Rep. Teodoro Casiño, however, said that Evardone himself had a hand in “killing” the FOI bill. The measure languished before Evardone’s committee for more than a year before it was recommended for plenary Read More …

Legarda denies filing bill reducing pay, benefits of govt employees

 News
Feb 062013
 
Legarda denies filing bill reducing pay, benefits of govt employees

Senator Loren Legarda on Wednesday belied rumors that she had filed a bill decreasing the salaries and benefits of government employees. In a speech delivered before the Senate on Wednesday, Legarda said rumors about her allegedly filing a bill reducing the leave credits and retirement benefits of public servants have been circulating through text messages and social media. “This information is totally false and fabricated, with no other purpose than to destroy my reputation as a champion for the rights of our dedicated government workers,” she said. “No legislator will introduce such a bill which would diminish the salaries and benefits of our personnel in government institutions that provide services critical to public safety and order,” she added. She countered that, rather than reduce benefits, she filed Senate Bill 2355 which seeks to increase the combat duty pay of Armed Forces of the Philippines personnel by 25 percent. Legarda, meanwhile, urged the “source of the malicious and baseless messages” to stop spreading falsehoods against her. “We should be cooperating and creating positive change not spreading lies that will distract us from our goals and that will result in unnecessary conflicts,” she said. She also noted it was suspicious that it happened just as the election was drawing nearer. Legarda does very well in the polls for Senate candidates. She came in second to fellow senator Francis Escudero in the last Pulse Asia survey. “Sinuman nag nagkakalat niyan harapin ninyo ako,” she challenged. The senator said she has an idea on Read More …

Fisherfolk groups urge DOJ to slap raps vs. USS Guardian execs, crewmen

 News
Feb 042013
 
Fisherfolk groups urge DOJ to slap raps vs. USS Guardian execs, crewmen

A federation of fisherfolk groups on Tuesday formally asked Justice Secretary Leila de Lima to file charges against Navy officials and crew members of the USS Guardian for what they called a “grand massacre” of the Tubbataha Reef Park after an accident earlier this month. In a letter to De Lima, the Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya) said Rear Admiral Jeffrey Harley and Lt. Commander Mark Rice of the US Asia Pacific military command and the 79 crew members of USS Guardian should all be held liable for the destruction of the reef. “The evidence is so damning enough to enforce the arrest of US Navy officials and 79 crew members of USS Guardian for extremely violating the country’s sovereignty and laws. But nothing has been done to pursue their arrest and demand accountability from them,” said the Pamalakaya, a national federation of small fisherfolk organizations in the Philippines. The USS Guardian ran aground on Tubbataha Reef last January 17 and could not immediately be extracted. Much of its potentially harmful content – including 15,000 gallons of fuel – have already been removed from the ship. An initial assessment of the incident had shown that about 1,000 square meters of corals in Tubbataha Reef park have been severely damaged. It is believed that it takes a year for a millimeter of mostly hard corals in Tubbataha’s South Section to go back to its sound condition and it will take 250 years for a meter of coral to Read More …

Senate approves bill regulating use of firearms, ammunition

 News
Feb 042013
 
Senate approves bill regulating use of firearms, ammunition

The Senate has approved on third and final reading a bill seeking to regulate the use of firearms and ammunition in the country. Senate Bill 3397 or the Comprehensive Firearms and Ammuition Regulation Act seeks to appeal sections of Presidential Decree 1866, a section of Republic Act 8294, and other laws, executive orders, letters of instruction, issuances, circulars, administrative orders, rules or regulations concerning firearms and ammunition. Under the measure, a person must be a Filipino citizen, at least 21 years old, has “gainful” work or business, and has filed an income tax return to qualify and acquire a license to own and possess firearms and ammunition. The applicant likewise must not be convicted of any crime involving moral turpitude and must have passed a drug test, psychiatric test, and a gun safety seminar. The bill says that permits to carry firearms outside of the residence shall be issued by the chief of the Philippine National Police or any duly authorized representative to “any qualified person whose life is under actual threat or their lives are in imminent danger due to the nature of their profession, occupation or business.” “It shall be the burden of the applicant to prove that his life is under actual threat by submitting a threat assessment certificate from the PNP,” it said. It said that the following professionals are considered to be in imminent danger due to the nature of their profession, occupation or business. members of the Philippine bar certified public accountants accredited media Read More …

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