Maniolas

Malacañang on Thursday defended itself against criticisms that the government’s slow pace in its post-Yolanda rebuilding efforts was to blame for the Tacloban City tent fire that killed at least seven people earlier this week. Presidential Communications Operations Office head Herminio Coloma Jr. countered Senator JV Ejercito’s allegation that red tape and supposed slow rehabilitation and reconstruction efforts caused the death of a mother and her six children in a fire that hit a tent community for Yolanda survivors. “We must acknowledge the breadth, depth and complexity of the task at hand, and it would not be responsible to simply blame government because this is something that can be empirically determined,” Coloma said in a news briefing on Thursday. He cited foreign experts who supposedly said that the country’s relief and rehabilitation programs are moving at a reasonable pace given the extent of the damage caused by Yolanda. “Kung tutunghayan natin yung mga evident indicators, katulad nga ng sinabi ni Secretary Lacson, wala namang civil disorder na naganap. Wala naman ding malawakang epidemya o pagkakasakit at wala rin namang kagutuman na umiiral. Yang ang pinaka-fundamental na indicators ng kalidad ng pagtugon natin,” Coloma said. “Baka naman hindi rin karapat-dapat na tayo ay maglalatigo sa sarili na walang katwiran—self-flagellation. Dapat lang siguro yung balanseng pananaw na kinikilala kung ano na yung nagawa; kinikilala rin kung ano po yung mahalagang hindi pa nagagawa; at higit sa lahat, mayroong determinasyon at commitment na pagdugtungin ‘yung dalawang bagay na ‘yon para sa kapakanan ng Read More …

Justice Secretary Leila de Lima on Thursday shrugged off reports that she wants to replace Sixto Brillantes Jr. as head of the Commission on Elections (Comelec). In a text message, De Lima, a former election lawyer, said she doesn’t know where 1-Bap party-list Rep. Silvestre Bello got the idea that she is eyeing the top Comelec post. “While I appreciate Rep. Bello’s candid statements, I don’t know where he got such idea,” she said. Bello, who once headed the Department of Justice (DOJ), was quoted in a report as saying in a minority bloc briefing that he has heard rumors that De Lima wants to chair the Comelec. The report further quoted him as saying that he is not discounting the possibility that De Lima might still pursue her bid to become a senator in the 2016 elections. De Lima dismissed Bello’s statements, saying she is more focused on her current job. “Regarding my supposed eye for those positions. I honestly don’t know yet what’s gonna be my next calling… Que sera sera… I’m just focused right now on my myriad tasks and challenges,” she said. Before serving as Justice chief in 2010, De Lima, in 2008, served as chair of the Commission on Human Rights under the term of former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. Before that, she worked as an election lawyer. De Lima is the daughter of former Comelec Commissioner Vicente de Lima. A November 2011 survey by Pulse Asia revealed that De Lima was among the Top 12 Read More …

Police will be on the lookout for bullies and juvenile trouble makers outside campuses when school starts next week, the spokesperson of the Philippine National Police said on Thursday. PNP spokesman Chief Superintendent Reuben Theodore Sindac said police teams on foot patrol will go around school zones for such activities, radio dzBB reported Thursday afternoon. He said the teams have been briefed to detect and deal with bullying and “rumbles.” Sindac, however, said the PNP can only intervene if an incident happened outside school premises. He Those inside the school have be dealt with by the school administration, he added. The new school year is due to start June 2. Meanwhile, the Department of Trade and Industry on Thursday morning inspected the prices and quality of school supplies in Manila’s busy Divisoria district. Parents flocked to Divisoria to look for school supplies, including uniforms, that they can buy at a lower price. —Joel Locsin/NB, GMA News

The Ospital ng Makati has already ordered the discharge of alleged pork barrel scam mastermind Janet Lim-Napoles with the blessing of her attending physicians. In a progress report submitted to Makati Regional Trial Court Branch 150 before noon Thursday,  Dr. Florentina Villanueva said Napoles’ physicians and the hospital’s Internal Medicine Department has already cleared the embattled businesswoman for discharge. —Amita O. Legaspi/KBK, GMA News

Malacañang does not seem keen on ordering a lifestyle check on officials implicated in the pork barrel scam despite calls from several lawmakers, a spokesperson hinted Thursday. “We note the call for a lifestyle check of public officials. There are, however, requirements under existing laws, such as the Anti-Graft Law (RA No. 3019) & the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards of Government Officials & Employees (RA No. 6713) before such check can be lawfully conducted.  This is in line with the Constitution’s guarantee to due process of law,” Presidential Communications Operations Office head Herminio Coloma Jr. told GMA News Online. He issued the statement after militant lawmakers called on President Benigno Aquino III to order a lifestyle check on all government officials, including allies, tagged in the scam to determine whether they benefited from the multibillion-peso fraud. Bayan Muna party-list Rep. Neri Colmenares, the House member with the 12th lowest net worth in 2013, said the Cabinet secretaries tagged in the controversy should also allow government agencies to look into their bank accounts to prove they did not amass ill-gotten wealth. Coloma, however, said the administration has “consistently advocated openness, transparency and accountability of public officials.” “In line with this advocacy, the SALNs (Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth) of the President and Cabinet members have been released and made available to the public,” he said. Budget Secretary Butch Abad and Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala, who are close political allies of the President, have been listed as pork Read More …