Maniolas

Senator Francis Escudero urged the government to run after those responsible for the botched NorthRail project, which has already cost the government a total of $180 million, on top of the $50 million or P9 billion in outstanding loans. During a hearing of the Senate Committee on Finance on the proposed 2015 national budget, panel chair Escudero questioned Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima as regards the botched project. “We are paying so much for something we did not continue, that the Filipino people did not benefit from. Someone should pay for it, someone should go to jail and land in jail for this particular fiasco. The taxpayers are the ones paying this now,” the senator told Purisima. For his part, Purisima admitted he has no information on the investigation on the NorthRail project. “I fully agree, Mr. Chair. I will have to get back to you on that; I am not familiar on the latest on the investigation of the NorthRail. All I’m familiar with is the financial aspect of NorthRail,” he added. Escudero asked Purisima to submit at the next budget hearing updates on the legal efforts to hold accountable those responsible for the Northrail project. The 80-kilometer railroad system links Caloocan City in Metro Manila and Clark in Pampanga. The project was contracted under the administration of former President Gloria Arroyo in 2003 to the China National Machinery and Equipment Corporation (CNMEC) for $421 million. However, in 2009, the CNMEC increased the contract price to $593 million, with the Read More …

A group of gun advocates on Thursday voiced opposition to the government requirement for all gun owners, new and old, to secure a license first before they could register their firearms. “Our concern is the retroactive application of this. This requirement should only cover for new applicants and not the existing firearms owners,” said Ernesto Tabujara III, head of the Peaceful Responsible Owners of Guns (PROGUN). A provision of the implementing rules and regulation (IRR) for Republic Act 10591 states that in place of a gun license, which will no longer be allowed, gun owners and buyers should secure first from the PNP Firearms and Explosive Office (PNP-FEO) a License to Own and Possess Firearms (LTOPF). Under the IRR, which was issued in May by the Philippine National Police (PNP), the LTOPF will be a requirement in registering firearms. Tabujara said the provision is “unconstitutional,” adding “[I]t is not right to retroactively implement this to cover existing gun owners.” “Some of us are registered gun owners for 10 to 20 years. I think existing gun owners should not be subjected to this,” he said. The group is set to question the IRR in court as, according to Tabujara, they were not consulted by the PNP during its drafting. “We’ve been trying our best to tell the PNP to give us the chance with our suggestion but we were never given a chance to be heard, we were not allowed to be heard,” Tabujara said. “As such, PROGUN shall be questioning Read More …

Militants rally near Aquino residence. Policemen block activists from staging a protest rally near the house of President Benigno Aquino III along Times Street in Quezon City on Thursday, August 21. The protesters were condemning the the proposed Charter change and term extension of the president. GMA News On the 31st anniversary of Ninoy Aquino’s murder on Thursday, several militant groups called for President Benigno Aquino III to remember his father’s firm stand against dictatorship. In a statement, Anakbayan national chair Vencer Crisostomo said if Ninoy was still alive today, he would have been “infuriated” at Aquino for saying he is open to calls to extend his stay in power through Charter change. “Noynoy’s undemocratic plans of using Cha-cha for term extension, curbing the powers of the Supreme Court, and filling his legislature of yellow zombies will surely infuriate Ninoy,” he said. He said a protest rally is set at the Luneta Park in Manila on August 22 and 25 against the possible term extension of Aquino. Earlier this month, Aquino, in a television interview, said he is keeping his options open on calls to extend his stay in power beyond 2016, even if the 1987 Constitution ratified under his late mother Corazon’s presidency allows only one six-year term for a President. No to term extension Meanwhile, members of the Promotion of Church People’s Response  gathered on Thursday at the Ninoy Aquino Monument in Quezon City to protest Aquino’s “openness” to extending his term. “We pause in genuine respect for Read More …

Malacañang on Tuesday said the administration’s priority is still improving the government’s performance and not enhancing President Benigno Aquino III’s image. During a press briefing, Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. said any effort to build a positive image of the administration will not work if the government will not do its job. “Kinakailangan mauna ‘yung performance. Wala naman pong mahihita sa pagpapalabok o sa pagpapaganda kung ang produkto ay may diperensiya,” Coloma explained. The Palace’s explanation came after broadsheet The Manila Standard Today reported that Malacañang had hired a foreign strategist to rebuild Aquino’s image, which, according to recent polls, was on a downswing. Last week, a Social Weather Stations survey found that more Filipinos became dissatisfied with the Aquino administration in the second quarter of 2014. The same poll showed that the President’s satisfaction ratings dropped to a moderate +25, the lowest since he took office in 2010., Similarly, results of a Pulse Asia poll released last month showed a significant drop in Aquino’s approval and trust ratings. Coloma said he had no information on a massive public relations campaign for Aquino, but maintained his office was doing its best to communite the administration’s gains to the public. “Sa araw-araw sinisikap ng aming tanggapan na maihatid ang makatotohanan at tamang impormasyon na makatutulong sa mga mamamayan hinggil sa pagpapabuti ng kanilang kabuhayan,” the communications secretary said. — DVM, GMA News

The head of one of the country’s disaster warning systems said one of the fastest ways through which warnings could be disseminated was the social media. Project NOAH director Dr. Mahar Lagmay, however, said that if information shared through social media went unnoticed by the public, efforts of the government will be put to waste. “It’s not all about science and technology, kahit gaanong ganda nito, kapag hindi ito inembrace ng taong bayan, magiging balewala ito,” Lagmay said in a speech at the Polytechnic University of the Philippines in Manila. Lagmay recalled sharing information on Twitter about an impending storm in Mindanao. He, however, only received 15 retweets. “Mario Maurer tweeted at the same time I did, and he immediately gets 600 + retweets, and all he said was ‘good afternoon po’,” he added. Lagmay said they are now coordinating with many specialists, including some psychologists, “para mahuli ang kiliti ng mga tao.” He also urged the public to be more vigilant in sharing information that may save many lives. Lagmay explained that Project NOAH or the Nationwide Operational Assessment of Hazard was an inter-agency collaboration “to promote and integrate advanced science and technology to enhance disaster management and prevention capacity of the Philippine government.” —Amanda Fernandez/NB, GMA News