Maniolas

University of Santo Tomas’ Faculty of Civil Law suspended all members of two fraternities from “all bar operations and other student activities” after the Supreme Court’s Office of the Bar Confidant complained of a confrontation between fraternity members while the bar exams were held last October 12. A second and similar incident was also reported the next day, October 13. According to The Varsitarian, the official student publication of the UST, Dean Nilo Divina suspended the members of the Gamma Delta Epsilon Fraternity and Aegis Juris Fraternity as a “precautionary measure to ensure the security of all reviewees and students of the faculty.” “Hindi ko na-witness, pero from accounts of students who were there, may sakitang naganap, not just yesterday but also [last] Sunday,” The Varsitarian’s Dayanara T. Cudal and Arianne F. Merez quoted Civil Law Student Council President Victor Villanueva as saying. But the university’s security officer had a different account. “We just guided the students para safe na makauwi. Wala namang sakitan na nangyari, parang discussion lang,” UST Security Chief Joseph Badinas said in an interview, according to The Varsitarian. This year’s bar exams are being held at the UST campus in Sampaloc, Manila on the Sundays of October. Some 5,994 aspirants took the tests in both the morning and afternoon sessions last October 19. The next exam dates are October 19 and October 26. A liquor ban has been in effect around the UST campus on bar exam Sundays since October 5. The Supreme Court has ordered and Read More …

Senator Francis Escudero on Tuesday called on the police and prosecutors involved in the case of the slain transgender woman in Olongapo City to “act fast lest the prescriptive period be breached.” The suspect in the case is a member of the US Marines, Private First Class Joseph Pemberton. Like other US troops involved in joint military exercises in the Philippines, he is covered by the Visiting Forces Agreement between the two countries. The VFA  provides for a one-year prescription for criminal cases involving US troops filed in Philippine courts. Escudero renewed his call for a review of Visiting Forces Agreement following the killing of a transgender woman allegedly by a member of the US Marines. “As before, I call on and urge the DFA (Department of Foreign Affairs) to revisit and seek the amendment of the VFA [as regards the] lopsided criminal jurisdiction provision,” Escudero said in a text message to reporters. The 26-year-old victim Jeffrey Laude, also known as Jennifer, was found dead inside a motel in Olongapo City Saturday night. The suspect is now being held on board the USS Peleliu, one of the vessels that joined the 2014 Amphibious Landing Exercises (PHIBLEX) in Subic in Zambales earlier this month. Pemberton is the second US soldier accused of a crime in the country since 2005, when Lance Corporal Daniel Smith was charged and later on convicted for the rape of a Filipino woman.  Smith was eventually acquitted by the Court of Appeals after the victim took back her Read More …

A transport group said it wants to slash minimum jeepney fare from P8.50 to P8, noting the recent rollbacks in the prices of petroleum products, a report  on “24 Oras” said Tuesday. “Kung ito’y kinakailangan, alang-alang sa ating mga commuters, gagawin natin sa Pasang Masda at umaasa ako na gagawin din ito ng ating mga kasamahan sa transportasyon para sa isang maligayang Pasko ng ating mga kababayan,” Pasang Masda national president Obet Martin said. The group noted that when the jeepney fare was increased to P8.50 in June, diesel was priced P45 per liter. Now, diesel is only P37 per liter, or P8 less than the previous price. Pasang Masda has already informed the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) about its plan. However, LTFRB chairman Winston Ginez said the group needs to file a formal petition and go through the proper process. “Bigyan natin ng pagkakataon naman ‘yung iba na magkaroon ng kanilang oppositions if they’re willing to do so,” Ginez said. To date, transport groups Alliance of Concerned Transport Operators (ACTO),  Federation of Jeepney Operators and Drivers Association of the Philippines (FEJODAP), and Liga ng Transportasyon at mga Operator sa Pilipinas (LTOP) are against Pasang Masda’s proposal. According to those opposed to the fare rollback, jeepney drivers have yet to gain profit from the P8.50 fare because of the heavy traffic and the high prices of vehicle spare parts. Fare methodology The report said deciding on the jeepney fare depends on many price factors: the diesel, spare Read More …

Vice President Jejomar Binay’s satisfaction rating fell to its lowest in four years, according to a new survey by pollster Social Weather Stations. The Vice President had a net rating of +52 (70 percent satisfied, 17 percent dissatisfied), down 15 points from +67 (78 percent satisfied, 11 percent dissatisfied) in the second quarter. While Binay’s rating was within the “very good” range, this was lower than the previous record low ofa “very good” +57 in November 2010. Binay has recently been linked to several controversies, including the alleged overpricing of the Makati City Hall Building II. SWS classifies net satisfaction ratings of +70 and above as “excellent”; +50 to +69 as “very good”; +30 to +49, “good”; +10 to +29, “moderate”; +9 to -9, “neutral”; -10 to -29, “poor”; -30 to -49, “bad”; -50 to -69, “very bad”; and -70 and below as “execrable.” The poll was taken from September 26 to 29, from 1,200 respondents. Sampling error margins of ±3% for national and ±6% for area percentages applied to the survey. Other top officials Despite the drop in the satisfaction poll, Binay still rated highest among the top five government officials. President Benigno Aquino III had a “good” +34 in September (59 percent satisfied, 25 percent dissatisfied). Senate President Franklin Drilon’s score rose 16 points to a “good” +36 (58 percent satisfied, 23 percent dissatisfied) from a “moderate” +20 (50 percent satisfied, 30 percent dissatisfied) in June. House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr.’s ratings rose 11 points to a “moderate” Read More …

The House Energy committee is ready to provide President Benigno Aquino III the emergency powers to explore all potential options to address the looming power crisis in 2015, from entering into power supply contracts to leasing generator sets (gensets) for around P6 billion. Committee chair Oriental Mindoro Rep. Reynaldo Umali said Sunday that the additional authority the House is studying to grant Aquino will allow him do the following: make the Interruptible Load Program (ILP) mandatory, contract additional capacity through bilateral means, lease or buy gensets, and implement energy conservation measures. “We don’t want to limit the President to having just one option in addressing this crisis. We want to provide him the flexibility he needs to address the power shortage next summer,” he told GMA News Online in a phone interview. Aquino has asked Congress to pass a joint resolution authorizing him, in accordance with Section 71 of the Electric Power Industry Reform Act (EPIRA), to contract additional capacity for the Luzon grid for the summer months of 2015, when a power supply deficit of at least 300 megawatts (MW) is expected. Section 71 of the EPIRA states that: “Upon determination by the President of the Philippines of an imminent shortage of the supply of electricity, Congress may authorize, through a joint resolution, the establishment of additional generating capacity.” The law prohibits the government from building power plants and entering into contracts to generate additional power supply. On Saturday, Aquino asked leaders of Congress to hasten the passage of Read More …