Congress must pass FOI bill before election fever sets in – advocates

 News
Jan 202014
 
Congress must pass FOI bill before election fever sets in – advocates

Members of the Right to Know Right Now Coalition on Monday gave the the controversial Freedom of Information bill a deadline—before the end of the second regular session of Congress—otherwise, it will likely not pass, they said. The second regular session of the 16th Congress will end in March 2015, giving authors and advocates roughly 14 months to pass the measure that seeks to provide the public easier access to public documents. “It has to be passed before what we call the red zone after the second regular session,” lawyer Nepumoceno Malaluan said in a press forum. Malaluan explained that after March 2015, the legislative branch will be concerned with the upcoming 2016 presidential elections and the annual spending bill. “From experience, they will be saying, ‘[sorry, but] we did our best,’” he said. But it’s not just the relatively short amount of time that could derail passage of the FOI bill anew. Malaluan said the lukewarm response from both the House of Representatives and the Executive could further slow down passage of the bill. “There’s a lack of desire and commitment from the House leadership and the Committee Chair, and the executive keeps leaving it up to Congress,” he explained. Malacanang has stood firm on leaving the fate of the Freedom of Information bill to Congress, saying it cannot force political allies to push for the FOI bill’s passage. Open Data Philippines and FOI Meanwhile, Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism executive director Malou Mangahas scored the government over its Read More …

Lone lotto bettor is now P155.4M richer 

 News
Jan 202014
 
Lone lotto bettor is now P155.4M richer 

A lone lotto bettor is now P155.4 million richer after bagging the Grand Lotto jackpot of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office Monday night. The PCSO said on its website the bettor got the combination of 02-38-32-19-08-03 to win the night’s jackpot worth P155,401,636. But as in the past, the PCSO is not expected to name the winner for security reasons. Last Jan. 12, a lone bettor won the jackpot in the PCSO’s Superlotto 6/49 draw by getting the combination of 09-21-14-27-06-19 to win P24,816,752. On Jan. 9, a lone bettor got the combination of 21-13-19-27-20-23 to win P22,425,340 in the PCSO’s Lotto 6/42 draw. On Dec. 29, a lone bettor won the PCSO’s Superlotto 6/49 draw by getting the combination of 45-39-34-21-05-19 to bag the jackpot worth P30,577,516. Last Dec. 12, a lone bettor became P126,350,776 richer after bagging the jackpot with the combination of 12-08-37-17-20-09. But the biggest lotto prize in recent history was in November 2010, when a lone bettor won some P741.176 million for getting the winning combination 11-16-42-47-31-37. — JDS, GMA News

Revilla's ‘toy truck’ gimmick an insult to NBI, DOJ – Justice chief

 News
Jan 202014
 
Revilla's ‘toy truck’ gimmick an insult to NBI, DOJ – Justice chief

Senator Revilla lashes back at Aquino govt . In what could be taken as a mockery of the complaint against him in connection with the alleged pork barrel scam, Senator Ramon Bong Revilla Jr. presented the ‘truckload’ of evidence supposedly being used against him during a privilege speech on Monday, January 20. Revilla accused the Aquino administration of using the pork barrel issue to cover up its alleged failures. Benjie Castro Justice Secretary Leila de Lima was not amused by Senator Bong Revilla Jr’s privilege speech, where he denied involvement in the pork barrel scam and even trotted out a toy truck to make light of the government’s evidence against him. “Nangi-insulto na lang iyon. I don’t know for what reason ginagawa niya iyan na minamaliit niya ang trabaho ng NBI (National Bureau of Investigation) at DOJ (Department of Justice),” said De Lima, stressing the plunder complaint that the NBI filed against the lawmaker was already being evaluated by the Office of the Ombudsman. “So, siguro iyon ang alam niyang strategy…na maliitin at insultuhin ang naging outlook ng NBI,” she added. In his speech, Revilla claimed President Benigno Aquino III personally asked him to vote to convict former chief justice Renato Corona in 2012. Revilla was one of 20 senators who voted for conviction on May 29, 2012. Revilla’s toy truck was an apparent reference to the sets of documentary evidence prepared by the DOJ and NBI, which were so voluminous they had to be transported from the NBI headquarters Read More …

Senior citizens partylist want Comelec officials cited for not proclaiming group

 General
Jan 202014
 
Senior citizens partylist want Comelec officials cited for not proclaiming group

A faction of a party-list group that won in the May 2013 elections has asked the Supreme Court to cite in contempt three Commission on Elections (Comelec) commissioners for their failure to proclaim the group. Godofredo Arquiza, the leader of one of the factions within the Coalition of Association of Senior Citizens Inc. (Senior Citizens), said in a press conference Monday that his group has filed an urgent motion before the Supreme Court to cite Comelec chairman Chairman Sixto Brillantes Jr. and commissioners Lucenito Tagle and Elias Yusoph due to their refusal to proclaim the group as a winner in the party-list elections despite a Supreme Court ruling ordering the Comelec to do so. Arquiza said his group had no choice but to run to the Supreme Court to settle the issue since the Comelec has not heeded the Court’s order to proclaim Senior Citizens as a partylist. “Sa Supreme Court na kami nag-file ngayon ng case dahil itong [ginagawa ng Comelec] ay ‘di na tama… July 24 pa nagsabi ang SC na dapat kaming i-proclaim pero hanggang ngayon hindi pa rin [ginagawa ng Comelec]. Yung Comelec, dinefer pa nila ang pagpo-proclaim sa amin at ni-refer pa kami sa RTC [Regional Trial Court] para raw ma-settle na yung issue,” he said. The Comelec said in a resolution issued last week that it cannot proclaim Senior Citizens since its two nominees, Arquiza and Francisco Datol Jr., “abused their authority to usurp leadership over Senior Citizens from one another.” Arquiza and Datol Read More …

Mendez named new NBI director

 Entertainment
Jan 202014
 
Mendez named new NBI director

Atty. Virgilio Mendez (photo courtesy of www.nbi.gov.ph) MANILA (Mabuhay) – Atty. Virgilio Mendez is the new Director of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI). Mendez, NBI Deputy Director for Regional Operations Services before assuming the bureau’s top post, took his oath before Justice Secretary Leila De Lima Thursday morning, exactly 36 years since he joined the bureau as an agent on Jan. 16, 1978. Mendez assumed the post four months after Atty. Nonnatus Rojas tendered his irrevocable resignation. Mendez, 61, is an NBI insider who rose from the ranks of the country’s top investigation arm. He is the first NBI insider to be appointed Director since the passing of NBI Director Federico Opinion in 2000 due to kidney failure and diabetes. A native of Bohol, Mendez also served as NBI Regional Director for Region X in 2004, Deputy Director for Comptroller Services from 2007 to 2009, and Deputy Director for Administrative Services from 2009 to 2011. He became NBI Deputy Director for ROS from 2011. De Lima, who personally endorsed Mendez to President Aquino as Rojas’ replacement, said the former’s appointment will be a boost to the morale of the men and women of the NBI. “It is, perhaps, time to, once again, hail somebody from the NBI ranks. Besides the obvious experience that an insider will bring to the NBI leadership, it will also serve as a considerable morale booster for those serving in the NBI,” De Lima said. When Rojas, a member of the Department of Justice (DOJ) Read More …

DPWH to tap DOST’s Project NOAH, DREAM data for infra planning

 Entertainment
Jan 202014
 
DPWH to tap DOST’s Project NOAH, DREAM data for infra planning

Aerial shot of the province of which was heavily damaged by super typhoon Yolanda (MNS photo) MANILA (Mabuhay) – To make roads, bridges and flood control projects will be weather-resilient, the Department of Public Works and Highways will partner with the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) and the University of the Philippines (UP) Training Center for Applied Geodesy and Photogrammetry. DPWH Secretary Rogelio Singson said they are learning from the destruction caused by the southwest monsoon, last year’s Bohol quake, and cyclones such as Sendong, Pablo and Yolanda. “Intensive trainings for DPWH concerned personnel shall be conducted nationwide to teach them on how to use these available technologies as basis for planning and monitoring,” the DPWH said. Singson directed the DPWH Planning Service, Project Management Office for Major Flood Control projects, regional directors and planning officers and district engineering offices to maximize the high-resolution flood hazard maps, landslide hazard maps, Digital Surface Model, Digital Surface Model and other planning tools. The DPWH recently held a briefing attended by key officials, along with Dr. Alfredo Mahar Lagmay, who explained DOST’s Nationwide Operational Assessment of Hazards (Project NOAH). Lagmay explained NOAH’s component projects such as Hydromet Sensors Development, DREAM-LIDAR 3-D Mapping Project, Flood NET-Flood Management Modeling Project, Hazards Information Media, Strategic Communication Intervention, Disaster Management using WebGIS, Enhancing Geo-hazards Mapping through LIDAR, Doppler System Development, Landslide Sensors Development Project, Storm Surge Inundation Mapping Project, and Weather Information – Integration for System Enhance (WISE). Also, Lagmay said these tools or data sets Read More …

Davidson Bangayan will be placed under Look-out Bulletin – De Lima

 Entertainment
Jan 202014
 
Davidson Bangayan will be placed under Look-out Bulletin – De Lima

(DOJ building) MANILA  (Mabuhay) – Justice Secretary Leila M. De Lima said on Wednesday that controversial businessman Davidson Bangayan will be placed under the Look-out Bulletin. De Lima said that such action will be taken amid the gathering of more information about the possible involvement of Bangayan in rice smuggling because of suspicion that he is also the big-time rice smuggler David Tan. Likewise, De Lima said that she has ordered the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to continue with the gathering of additional information and evidence that David Tan and Davidson Bangayan are one and the same person. De Lima added that based on the testimonies of the witnesses of the NBI who are from one of the rice cooperatives, Bangayan and Tan are only one person. At the same time, De Lima said that the NBI has already coordinated with the Caloocan City Regional Trial Court (RTC) to clarify the warrant of arrest it earlier issued against a certain David Tan who was accused of electricity pilferage. De Lima noted that the phrase “who is not” is not usual in a warrant of arrest because the aliases are oftentimes included in the name of the persons ordered to be arrested. The DOJ chief said that this should be clarified, especially so that if the record of the case at the Caloocan City RTC will be made as basis, the addresses of David Tan and Davidson Bangayan are only one and the same. (MNS)

PHL to defy China fishing rule: defense chief

 Entertainment
Jan 202014
 
PHL to defy China fishing rule: defense chief

PHILIPPINE SEA (Sept. 18, 2013) Sailors assigned to the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Preble (DDG 88) prepare for an underway replenishment as the guided-missile destroyer USS Curtis Wilbur (DDG 54) conducts an underway replenishment with the Military Sealift Command fleet replenishment oiler USNS Yukon (T-AO 2). Preble and Curtis Wilbur are on patrol with the George Washington Carrier Strike Group in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of responsibility supporting security and stability in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Paul Kelly PALAYAN (AFP) – Philippine fishermen should ignore a Chinese rule requiring foreign fishing vessels to secure permission to enter much of the South China Sea, Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin said Thursday. The rule was passed in November by China’s southern island province of Hainan and took effect this year as tensions have escalated over overlapping claims to the waters between China, the Philippines, Vietnam and other nations. Gazmin, visiting a military camp in the northern Philippines, said the Hainan law did not apply to Philippine territorial waters, some of which overlap with those of China which claims most of the South China Sea. “We will not follow their rules in our own territory. Why do we need permission from another country that does not own our fishing grounds? These are ours,” he told reporters. “We still have the capability to secure them (Filipino fishermen),” Gazmin said. The Philippines has been locked in an increasingly tense standoff with China involving disputed reefs and Read More …

RETIREMENT IS MORE FUN IN THE PHILIPPINES

 News
Jan 202014
 
RETIREMENT IS MORE FUN IN THE PHILIPPINES

By Niki Yarte BABALIK ka rin, Gary Valenciano’s anthem for Filipinos abroad, speaks volumes to a special segment of the diaspora: Retirees who have spent significant number of years away from the motherland. With more time and resources on their hands, they may now choose to heed the call of family and the familiar and retrace their steps back to the Philippines. Re-establishing their life in the country also comes with the practical benefit of stretching the buying power of their monthly pension. Aside from cheaper cost of living, the Expanded Senior Citizens Act also gives eligible retirees discounts to a variety of services – from healthcare, transportation, and lodging to tourism and entertainment. With these in mind, we’ve compiled a list of ten things retirees can do to maximize their time in the Philippines and even make up for lost time.  Go Rural A quiet retreat in the countryside Retirees longing for the quiet retreat may not find it in cities as busy as Metro Manila. Hence, many choose to retire in places like Tagaytay, which was developed enough to provide access to quality healthcare and leisurely activities while maintaining its serene atmosphere. Retirement communities are also being developed in Laguna and Cavite that would give retirees access to healthcare and leisure within the villages themselves. Beachfront properties in Batangas, Zambales, Ilocos, and Cebu are also popular with retirees. Open a Small Business  Bibingkinitan’s main product is the Filipino snack “Bibingka”. Retirees can open small business like bake shops, Read More …

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