Maniolas

President Benigno Aquino III, speaking at the plenary session of the 24th ASEAN Summit in Myanmar on Sunday, called on regional neighbors to work together to stop human trafficking and to protect the rights of migrant workers. Aquino said the Philippines looks forward to greater economic development when regional integration comes in 2015. He said, though, that economic development should not come at the expense of the welfare of people in the ASEAN, whether they are tourists, entrepreneurs, investors, or workers. “This is an especially compelling issue for the Philippine government, as we have always sought to protect the welfare of the millions of Filipinos who are today working in other countries,” he said. He urged other leaders at the summit “to commit to completing an ASEAN instrument on the protection and promotion of the rights of migrant workers” before 2015 to ensure decent working conditions for migrant workers in time for ASEAN integration. According to data from the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration, Singapore and Malaysia were among the top 10 destinations for overseas Filipino workers as of 2012. The POEA listed 172,690 OFWs deployed to Singapore that year while 38,407 Filipino migrant workers were sent to Malaysia. Aquino also warned that although regional integration will mean more mobility within ASEAN, “this must not redound to greater opportunities for human trafficking to take place.” “I firmly believe that human trafficking can cease to exist with a determined effort from all involved—whether those known as sending, receiving, or transiting countries,” the Read More …

Even before any list has been made public, Senator Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel has denied inclusion in the supposed pork scam list kept by embattled businesswoman Janet Lim-Napoles. “Any list which includes my name as a ‘Napoles collaborator’ is a bogus list meant to muddle the present controversy,” the senator said in a statement on Sunday. The same statement was published on the senator’s Facebook page. Napoles, before undergoing surgery at the Ospital ng Makati in late April, met with Justice Secretary De Lima and agreed to “tell all” on the P10-billion pork barrel scam. De Lima has so far kept the list and the details of Napoles’ testimony from the public. However, a report on the Daily Tribune over the weekend claimed former senator Panfilo Lacson has given in to pressure from Malacañang to clean up his copy of the supposed Napoles list to remove the names of the administration’s political allies. Lacson’s “sanitized” list, which the report said has been leaked to another newspaper, supposedly contains the names of Pimentel and his father, former senator Aquilino Pimentel Jr. Lacson has denied the allegation in the Tribune report, which cited an unnamed source. “Official records will show that not a single centavo of my identified PDAF (Priority Development Assistance Fund)  projects has been endorsed for implementation to any Napoles-controlled NGO,” Pimentel said. Napoles, in connivance with lawmakers, supposedly funneled pork barrel funds – a more common term for PDAF – to ghost projects supposedly implemented by bogus non-government organizations. “In Read More …

Without  Malacañang’s consent, not even senators can compel Justice Secretary Leila de Lima to divulge the contents of Janet Lim Napoles’ supposed tell-all testimony because she is covered by executive privilege, a veteran lawyer said Sunday. Lawyer Romulo Macalintal said in a statement that, as a Cabinet official, De Lima has to seek Aquino’s permission before revealing the names of supposed conspirators in the pork barrel scam contained in the so-called “Napoles list.” “Since De Lima is the alter ego or ‘the other self’ of the President, compelling her to attend the hearing without the consent of the President is  equivalent to requiring the President himself to appear before Congress in violation of the constitutionally-mandated principle of separation of powers,” he said. Senate President Franklin Drilon said last week that the Senate blue ribbon committee, which conducted an inquiry on the P10-billion fund scam involving several lawmakers’ shares of the Priority Development Assistance Fund, can force the Justice secretary to reveal Napoles’ list of all the individuals involved in the anomaly. De Lima said last week that, “by law and the Constitution,” the Senate can compel her to divulge the list but added she will ask the committee to hold off on doing so. “I will appeal to them to wait for the proper time and [to] give me enough space to discharge my mandated tasks with utmost responsibility,” she said then. She has also appealed to the public not to force her to reveal the contents of Napoles’ testimony, Read More …

Check your faucets and pipes, recycle water for flushing, and organize your laundry schedule. These were among the 24 tips given out by an ecological group as it said people should no longer wait for water levels in major dams to reach critical levels. “We should not wait for the water levels in Angat, La Mesa and other vital dams to reach super critical levels during the long dry spell before we act to conserve water,” said EcoWaste Coalition coordinator Aileen Lucero. Earlier, Angat Dam plant manager Rodolfo German said the dam’s water level has reached 182.2 meters as of Monday morning. German said the dam management may cut off water for irrigation once the water level reaches 180 meters. He added the critical level for drinking water is 160 meters. The EcoWaste Coalition’s tips focused on conserving running water, recycling water, and maximizing water use in cooking: Running water:1. Check pipes, faucets, showerheads, hoses, toilet and water tanks for leaks and have them fixed at once. Replace worn-out washers,2. Don‘t let the water run while you brush your teeth. Wet your toothbrush and fill a glass for mouth rinsing.3.  When washing your face or hands, turn the water off while you lather.4.  Take shorter showers. Turn off the water while you shampoo your hair or soap your body.5.  Reuse towels a few times before putting them in the laundry basket. Flushing:6. Place a bottle filled with stones or water inside the toilet tank to reduce the amount of water Read More …

Vice President Jejomar Binay said in a press conference at the 6th National Scout Venture Camp in Pangasinan on Friday that the Sangguniang Kabataan system should not be abolished and should be reformed instead. “Palagay ko dapat ipagpatuloy pero wala ng eleksiyon. Puwede namang mangyari ‘yun. Dapat ipagpatuloy ‘yung youth representation sa city or municipality for that matter,” Binay said. He said SK representatives should instead be appointed by government officials to keep the councils clean. “Kasi ‘yung mga magulang [ng kandidato ang] gagastos sa election, pagkatapos mahalal, hinahanap niyan kung paano napapasukan. I think hindi naman abolition [ang solusyon]. But, there should always be jurisdiction,” he explained. Valenzuela City Rep. Sherwin Gatchalian echoed Binay’s sentiments at the press conference. “Personally, I think dapat reform lang [ang mangyari dahil] marami naman tayong leaders na nanggaling sa SK. Pero talagang siguro alam natin marami ring anomalyang nangyari,” Gatchalian said. He added that anomalies in the SK system start as early as the registration period of elections where a lot of money is involved. “So, pagdating ng pagpanalo nila, obviously susubukan nilang bawiin ‘yung kanilang ginastos sa kampanya kaya ako ay sumasang-ayon na dapat i-appoint nalang,” Gatchalian explained. Pangasinan Governor Amado Espino Jr. said he also thinks SK representatives should just be appointed instead of totally abolishing the system. “’Yung sa akin kailangan meron tayong training ng leadership para sa mga kabataan. Pero ‘yung maglilingkod sila mahirap ‘yun. Kami nga may problema, lalo na itong mga bata,” Espino said. Among the criticisms Read More …