PH transparency project cited

 News
Oct 202013
 
PH transparency project cited

COA Chief Maria Gracia Pulido-Tan INQUIRER FILE PHOTO A Philippine program that extols whistle-blowers and gives citizens a role in promoting a transparent government has caught the attention of a global transparency group. The Citizen Participatory Audit (CPA) Project has made it to the short list of the British-led Bright Spots prize, an award that recognizes “the most inspiring examples of how open and accountable government is changing people’s lives,” said the Embassy of the United Kingdom in Manila. Led by the Commission on Audit (COA), the CPA Project is vying for the top prize with transparency advocacy programs in six other countries— Chile, Estonia, Georgia, Indonesia, Montenegro and Romania. The Bright Spots prize is an annual award given by the Open Government Partnership (OGP), a multilateral initiative launched in 2011 “to secure concrete commitments from governments to promote transparency, fight corruption, and harness new technologies to strengthen governance.” The United Kingdom, currently lead cochair of the OGP, and the Philippines are among eight founding states of the initiative, along with Brazil, Indonesia, Mexico, Norway, South Africa and the United States. Some 60 countries are participating in the partnership. Pleasant surprise COA chair Grace Pulido-Tan on Sunday said the inclusion of her agency’s CPA Project among the seven short-list nominees was a “pleasant surprise.” “I don’t know how we got into the short list and who nominated us but whatever it is, it’s good news for all of us,” Tan told the Inquirer. In a statement, British Ambassador-designate to the Read More …

FDA warns against counterfeit meds sold online

 News
Oct 192013
 
FDA warns against counterfeit meds sold online

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has warned the public against buying medicine online, after the agency learned that some of these were counterfeit products. “The FDA ha not yet issued any guideline on on-line sale or advertisement of pharmaceutical products,” the agency, under the Health department, posted on its website. “The FDA warns the public from buying medicines on-line (sic) until such time that the FDA can assure safety, efficacy and quality of medicine sold through this medium,” FDA Advisory No. 2013-043 read.   In a recent investigation of the FDA with Pfizer Consumer Healthcare, they found out that an online hub was responsible for selling these fake multivitamins. “[FDA] has monitored counterfeit multivitamins + mineral tablets, [like] Centrum and Centrum Silver of Pfizer Consumer Healthcare (PCH), that are being advertised, sold or offered for sale on-line thru Beeconomic Philippines, Inc., owned and operated by GROUPON Philippines,” it said. Groupon Philippines was not immediately available for comment. The investigation showed that labels of the counterfeit Centrum and Centrum Silver products differed from the FDA-registered products in the following ways: a) The counterfeit products do not bear the FDA Certificate of Product Registration Number and do not contain the same formulation approved by the FDA. b) The counterfeit products do not carry the complete name and address of the manufacturer and/or distributor as required by the FDA. c) The font size of the generic name multivitamin + mineral does not conform to the labeling requirements of RA No. 6675, otherwise Read More …

One of the three 'Ma'am Arlenes' has left the country – Bureau of Immigration

 News
Oct 192013
 
One of the three 'Ma'am Arlenes' has left the country – Bureau of Immigration

Arlene Angeles Lerma, said to be one of the three “Ma’am Arlenes” alleged as big-time fixers in the judiciary, has left the country, according to the Bureau of Immigration. dzBB reporter Cecil Villarosa reported that based on BI records, Lerma left the country on Wednesday via a Philippine Airlines flight destined for an Asian country. A Supreme Court committee headed by Associate Justice Marvic Leonen is currently conducting a probe on the three “Ma’am Arlenes” who are said to be the judiciary’s own version of alleged pork barrel scam mastermind Janet Lim Napoles. A “24 Oras” report aired Friday said one “Ma’am Arlene” is a clerk of court at the Court of Appeals while another previously worked in Malacañang. The third, meanwhile, is an influential figure at the Manila City Hall. The “Ma’am Arlene” familiar to Manila City Hall employees is said to have close ties with Manila Vice Mayor isko Moreno. — VC, GMA News

COA: DSWD has P854M unliquidated ‘pork’ funds

 News
Oct 192013
 
COA: DSWD has P854M unliquidated ‘pork’ funds

The Department of Social Welfare and Development has not yet liquidated pork barrel funds amounting to P854.4 million that was released through it for programs of various non-government organizations,  according to the Commission on Audit report. In a COA report released Friday, state auditors disclosed total fund releases to NGOs from 2006 and prior years and until December 31, 2012, amounted to P1.042 billion, of which 83 percent or P872.611 million has remained unliquidated. A detailed breakdown attached to the audit report showed at least half of the unliquidated amount was disbursed between 2010 and 2012. Of the total P1.042 billion, P854.4 million was from lawmakers’ Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) allocations, commonly called “pork barrel.” NGO beneficiaries were supposed to liquidate cash allotments through submission of “Fund Utilization Reports (FURs),” a requirement most of them simply ignored, and that the DSWD had been lax about monitoring compliance, the COA report said. “Insufficient efforts to monitor project implementation and failure to enforce the immediate liquidation of fund transfers… resulted in minimal settlement on funds transferred to various NGOs and/or POs [people’s organizations],” it added. Moreover, it said, “We recommend that management send demand letters to NGOs/POs with outstanding obligation and monitor continuously its settlement.” State auditors have recommended that DSWD stop granting additional funds to NGOs with unliquidated balances. Likewise, it suggested to “impose sanctions against NGOs/POs found remiss in the discharge of their duties and responsibilities.” The PDAF has become controversial since the alleged P10-billion pork barrel scam surfaced Read More …

PNP: Venue ready if Senate decides to grill Napoles in Laguna

 News
Oct 192013
 
PNP: Venue ready if Senate decides to grill Napoles in Laguna

A structure is available to serve as a venue for the Senate to grill suspected pork barrel scam brains Janet Lim-Napoles – if the Senate decides to hold the hearing at the fort where she is detained. Philippine National Police spokesman Senior Superintendent Reuben Theodore Sindac said the structure is near Napoles’ detention facility inside Fort Sto. Domingo in Laguna, radio dzBB reported Saturday. Sindac said the structure can be spruced up to serve as an inquiry room for senators investigating the multibillion-peso pork barrel scam. The Senate blue ribbon committee is looking into Napoles’ role in the scam, where she is accused of setting up fake non-government organizations to siphon the Priority Development Assistance Fund of some lawmakers. Napoles and some lawmakers have since been charged with plunder for the pork barrel scam mess. Earlier this month, Senate President Franklin Drilon said he will sign a subpoena for Napoles to appear before the Senate blue ribbon committee’s inquiry. However, security remains a concern for Napoles. Authorities had invoked security in transferring her to Fort Sto. Domingo last September 1. The pork barrel mess has elicited outrage from the public, and triggered several gatherings calling for the abolition of the pork barrel system. — LBG, GMA News

Singapore, Japan condole with PHL over quake deaths

 News
Oct 192013
 
Singapore, Japan condole with PHL over quake deaths

Singapore and Japan over the weekend relayed their condolences to President Benigno Aquino over the devastation caused by Tuesday’s magnitude-7.2 quake in Central Visayas. On Friday, Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong sent a letter to Aquino where he also voiced hopes that the affected Filipinos will overcome the tragedy. “On behalf of the Government and people of Singapore, I extend our deepest condolences to you and the people of the Philippines on the tragic loss of lives and destruction caused by the recent earthquake in Visayas,” he said in the letter, the text of which was posted on the website of Singapore’s Foreign Ministry. He added natural disasters such as these “remind us of our common humanity,” and that “our thoughts are with you and your people during this difficult time.” “I am confident that, under your leadership, your people will overcome this tragedy with fortitude and rebuild the affected areas,” he said. Meanwhile, Japanese Ambassador Toshinao Urabe also sent a letter of condolence to Aquino, where he said he is praying for a swift and steady recovery by those affected. “We, as strategic partner of the Philippines, continue to stand in solidarity with your Government and people at this very difficult time and pray for a swift and steady recovery,” Urabe said in his letter. As of Saturday morning, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council had said at least 175 had been left dead in the wake of Tuesday’s quake. Meanwhile, a report on “Balitanghali” said Read More …

PNOY’S ANGELS

 News
Oct 182013
 
PNOY’S ANGELS

By Niki Yarte – President Benigno Aquino III certainly has an eye for the ladies. And it has nothing to do with being the country’s most eligible bachelor. In 2012 he named Maria Lourdes Sereno, 52, as the first female and youngest chief justice. In October this year he appointed Amparo Cabotaje-Tang presiding justice of Sandiganbayan, the anti-graft court. Earlier the President had tasked four women in four key agencies to enforce the administration’s daang matuwid initiative (a straight path to governance). Except for the Bureau of Internal Revenue, these agencies form part of the Interagency Anti-Graft Coordinating Council, the special body created to look into the misuse of the pork barrel funds of lawmakers. Defiant As associate justice, Conchita Carpio-Morales was handpicked by Mr. Aquino to administer his oath of office as president on June 30, 2010 – a function normally performed by the chief justice. The incoming president’s move was a testament to Morales’s courage, integrity and sterling record in the Supreme Court where she and Associate Justice Antonio Carpio were often the lone dissenting voices in highly controversial cases, as when the high court upheld then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s appointment of Renato Corona as chief justice two days after the May 10, 2010 presidential elections. One year later, after Morales retired from the Supreme Court, President Aquino named her Ombudsman, replacing Mrs. Arroyo’s appointee, Merceditas Gutierrez who was forced to resigned amid threat of an impeachment. While some considered this a demotion from her previous office, she Read More …

JICA urges PH to review building code, ensure stronger structures

 News
Oct 172013
 
JICA urges PH to review building code, ensure stronger structures

By Allan A. NawalInquirer Mindanao 9:10 am | Friday, October 18th, 2013 INQUIRER FILE PHOTO DAVAO CITY, Philippines—The Philippine government must take “urgent steps to protect public infrastructure from natural disasters,” the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) said. In a statement sent out on Wednesday following the devastating Bohol earthquake, JICA had quoted a recent speech by Tatsuo Narafu, its senior advisor on architectural mitigation for disaster, in urging the Philippine government to take steps toward a more resilient infrastructure. Narafu, speaking before a recent forum on infrastructure safety and resiliency—which was sponsored by the World Bank—said among the steps needed to be taken to improve the resiliency of public infrastructure and facilities to protect it from natural disasters would be a review of the national building code. He said resilient infrastructure could actually contribute to saving lives. Narafu said similar actions were taken by the Japanese government following the massive devastation caused by 1995 “Great” Hanshin Awaji earthquake, during which, more than 5,000 people were killed and nearly 35,000 others  were injured. Of the more than 100,000 structures destroyed by the tremor, 38,321 completely collapsed, including a large portion of the Hansin Expressway, which links Kobe and Osaka. Narafu said more stringent measures were taken by the Japanese government following the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami that killed 15,883 people. During that earthquake, more than 400,000 structures across 20 prefectures were damaged. “We recommend a review of the building codes in the Philippines as well as enhancing the capacity Read More …

Mural paying homage to Filipino leader of 1965 US grape strike unveiled in Milpitas

 News
Oct 172013
 
Mural paying homage to Filipino leader of 1965 US grape strike unveiled in Milpitas

Part of the mural detail depicting Larry Itliong (with glasses, sixth from left), Cesar Chavez (seventh from left) and Dolores Huerta (seventh from left) MILPITAS, California—Johnny Itliong, 48, choked up twice while addressing the crowd at the unveiling ceremony of the mural honoring his father and other farm workers at this city’s library auditorium last Saturday, Oct. 12. The mural, the brainchild of San Jose State University alumni, depicts his late father, Larry Itliong, together with Cesar Chavez, Philip Vera Cruz, Pete Velasco, Dolores Huerta and other labor union members prominent in the Delano farm workers’ grape strike in 1965. What began as a long, hard and often violent struggle for a wage increase from 75 cents to $1.25 an hour and better working conditions, captured the world’s attention. It also inspired the organized labor union movement in the US. But until now, most of the world knows only part of the story. “My family has been hurting for so many years,” said Johnny Itliong, who works as a cook in Hollywood.  “We were put aside by history, the government and people. Every working person in the US has been affected by my father’s work. Every person here is indebted to my father and it needs to be paid.” Johnny read from his list of labor unions Larry started since 1929. It was part of the “thousands of documentation” Johnny was using as reference for the book he was writing on his father. Already organized San Jose State University Associate Read More …

‘Family Day’ to honor Fil-Am Olympic hero

 News
Oct 172013
 
‘Family Day’ to honor Fil-Am Olympic hero

INQUIRER.net US Bureau 7:57 am | Friday, October 18th, 2013 SAN FRANCISCO—A free “Family Day” event organized by West Bay Pilipino Multi-Service www.westbaycenter.org will celebrate Filipino American History Month and the unveiling of a plaque in honor of the first Fil-Am woman to win Olympic gold medals. The event—featuring Filipino cultural presentations, food , sports and other family friendly activities—will be held from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 27, at the Victoria Manalo Draves Park, South of Market, Folsom & 6th St., San Francisco. It is open to the public. San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee and District Supervisor Jane Kim will join the celebration as keynote speakers during the unveiling of a plaque to commemorate Filipino-American and San Francisco native Victoria Manalo-Draves’ achievements in the 1948 Olympics. Manalo-Draves was a competitive diver and made history as the first Filipino-American woman to win Olympic gold medals for the United States. West Bay Pilipino Multi-Service is honoring Manalo-Draves to encourage young Filipino-Americans to reach for higher goals, and raise the profile of the Filipino-American community. AARP supports and joins the celebration of Filipino American History Month. West Bay Pilipino Multi-Service expressed gratitude for the support of its presenting sponsor AARP www.aarp.org/aapi. For more information, contact Rudy Asercion at West Bay Pilipino Multi Service at (415) 431.6266 or westbaycenter@gmail.com. Follow Us Recent Stories: Complete stories on our Digital Edition newsstand for tablets, netbooks and mobile phones; 14-issue free trial. About to step out? Get breaking alerts on your mobile.phone. Text ON INQ BREAKING to 4467, for Read More …

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