NEWS UPDATE
October 2, 2012 (Tuesday)
Battle For 2013 Begins
PNoy: LP Coalition Bets To Help Hasten Reforms By MADEL R. SABATER
Manila Bulletin ,page 2
MANILA, Philippines --- President Benigno S. Aquino III on Monday presented to his “bosses” the 12 individuals that would compose the LP-Akbayan -NPC-LDP-NP Coalition’s senatorial slate at Club Filipino in San Juan City.
Sen. Franklin M. Drilon, coalition campaign manager, said the senatorial slate is aiming for a 12-0 knockout victory over the opposition in the May, 2013, mid-term elections.
Aquino, who is also the chairman of the Liberal Party (LP), said the vote of the Filipino people, whom he calls the “boss,” will be substantial in continuing the reforms started by his administration in 2010.
“To our bosses: You will decide on the path this country is going to take. You will be the one to decide if we will continue to tread the straight path. The message is clear: right reforms, right changes, and the right decisions in the past two years,” Aquino said in Filipino.
“We want to move faster so we are giving you these individuals in continuing the reforms started by this administration,” he added.
The LP-Akbayan-NPC-LDP-NP coalition’s senatorial lineup include Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) Chairman Grace Poe Llamanzares; former Sen. Ramon Magsaysay Jr., who will be pushing for his advocacies in agriculture; Riza Hontiveros Baraquel for women’s rights;
Paolo Benigno “Bam” Aquino IV, who will push for youth representation in the Senate; former Las Piñas Rep. Cynthia Villar, who is an advocate of the welfare of overseas Filipino workers (OFW) and who advocates for job generation; Juan Edgardo “Sonny” Angara, who will push for education and job opportunities; Maria Ana Consuelo “Jamby” Madrigal Valade, who will be pushing for lower water costs; Sen. Loren Legarda, who will push for disaster management and mitigation,
environment, and health advocacies; Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV, Sen. Francis Escudero, Sen. Aquilino
“Koko” Pimentel III, and Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano.
A code of conduct – decency, honor, and integrity – will be the guiding principle of electoral campaign of the administration, said Interior and Local Government Secretary Manuel Roxas.
President Aquino assured his “bosses” that these 12 candidates will continue to push for reforms started by his administration and never be involved in corruption.
Former Sen. Magsaysay, Bam Aquino, and Madrigal are from Liberal Party (LP) while Villar, Trillanes, and Cayetano are from the Nacionalista Party (NP). Legarda is from the Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC) while Hontiveros is from Akbayan. Angara is from the Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino (LDP).
Pimentel, the first to file his certificate of candidacy, is from the PDP-Laban but opted to run with the LP coalition despite his party’s involvement in the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) due to political differences with former Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri, while Escudero, and Llamanzares are independent candidates.
Aquino said the 12 individuals who compose the coalition’s senatorial slate have been thoroughly deliberated.
Drilon conceded that the election campaign would be difficult but it would be made easy because the coalition’s senatorial bets are one in pushing for the reform programs of President Aquino.
Admitting that the coalition has not yet decided on a campaign strategy, Drilon said they would not adopt the traditional rallies of going from one province to another in tight schedules because this would be expensive.
The coalition would, instead, ‘’hold rallies in major cities and we will maximize our media exposure, especially in social media,’’ he said.
During the event, President Aquino also witnessed the coalition signing, represented by acting LP president Joseph Emilio Abaya; NP president Manuel Villar; Akbayan vice chairperson Marie Cris Cabreros; LDP secretary general Miguel Romero; and LDP vice president for external affairs Elpidio Barzaga.
Sen. Cayetano, a reelectionist, said the fielding of a 12-man senatorial slate by the ruling LP coalition should be a marriage of ideas, vision and commitment for continued change.
“This is a coalition organized based on a common reform vision, solidly grounded in good
governance, and certainly not a coalition for political convenience,” Cayetano said in a statement.
(With reports from Genalyn B. Kabiling, Mario B. Casayuran, and Francis T. Wakefield)
8 UNA Bets File COCs
By LESLIE ANN G. AQUINO Manila Bulletin, page 1
MANILA, Philippines --- Only eight senatorial candidates of the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) filed their certificates of candidacy (COCs) on Monday.
The eight senatorial candidates – Sen. Gringo Honasan, former Sen. Ernesto Maceda, former Sen.
Juan Miguel Zubiri, former Sen. Richard Gordon, San Juan Rep. Joseph Victor Ejercito, former Tarlac governor Margarita Cojuangco, Cagayan Rep. Jack Enrile and Zambales Rep. Milagros “Mitos”
Magsaysay filed their COCs at past 1 p.m. at the Commission on Elections (Comelec) Main Office in Intramuros, Manila.
The eight candidates were accompanied by the prime movers of UNA namely Vice President Jejomar Binay, former President Joseph “Erap” Estrada, and Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile.
When asked regarding the whereabouts of one of their candidates Joey De Venecia, Binay said the former already decided to drop his Senate bid to focus on his business.
“Meron sila napakagandang negosyo e hindi naman pwede pagsabayin ang pagkakampanya at negosyo,” he said in an interview.
As to who would replace De Venecia, Binay said this is something that they will discuss among themselves in the coming days.
“We will discuss it first since we still have until October 5 to file,” he said.
Sought to comment on the report that re-electionist Senators Loren Legarda and Francis Escudero, their adopted guest candidates, have agreed not to join UNA on stage during sorties now that they are officially part of the Liberal Party (LP) slate, Binay appealed for fairness.
“Basta’t patas lang ang trato. Kung sila ay sasama sa proclamation dapat sa amin din pag hindi maghiwa-hiwalay na kami. Kung ano ang ibibigay sa isa, ibibigay sa UNA, bigay mo rin sa LP,” he said.
UNA is the coalition between Binay’s Partido Demokratikong Pilipino-Laban (PDP-Laban) and Estrada’s Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino (PMP).
Another adopted UNA candidate is Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) chair Grace Poe Llamanzares.
Their adopted candidates are set to file their COC’s separately.
Meanwhile, President Benigno S. Aquino III allegedly tried to dissuade his aunt, former Tarlac governor Margarita “Tingting” Cojuangco from running for senator under the opposition by offering her a post in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).
A source who is close to the Cojuangco family said the President allegedly offered the ARMM Regional Tourism Secretary portfolio to his aunt when they met before she accepted an offer from the UNA to be included in its senatorial slate.
The source said the offer did not sit well with Cojuangco as she made up her mind to accept UNA’s offer.
However, Cojuangco – whose husband, former Tarlac Rep. Jose “Peping” Cojuangco Jr. is a younger brother of the President’s late mother, former President Corazon Aquino – reportedly denied any rancor between her family and her nephew.
Cojuangco, who said she will push for farmers’ welfare if elected senator, reportedly said she consulted the President about her plan to seek a Senate seat.
Her husband Peping, current president of the Philippine Olympic Committee, serves as PDP-Laban Secretary General and UNA vice president.
Binay’s PDP-Laban had planned to field former Rep. Pax Pakung Mangudadatu and “Tingting” as the party’s candidates for governor and vice governor in the ARMM elections last year which was deferred by Aquino.
Though he had denied having a disagreement with his nephew, Peping, had vowed to help the UNA bets topple the candidates of his nephew’s Liberal Party (LP).
Meanwhile, rumored to be the candidate to replace De Venecia is Valenzuela Mayor Sherwin Gatchalian or Binay’s daughter, Ma. Lourdes Nancy Binay-Angeles who has fared well in surveys.
Enrile said UNA “is not compelled to fill up the position because there are others who are sympathetic to us in other parties, too.”
“So our voters will probably bring their votes to these other people,” Enrile said.
The UNA leaders said they respect De Venecia’s decision.
Binay said he understands the decision of De Venecia, who is an information technology expert, to pursue opportunities in business process outsourcing (BPO) industry.
Enrile for his part said it was just practical for De Venecia to drop his bid noting that he had not fared well in surveys.
“I’ve not talked to him but I suppose if you’re an idealistic politician, you’re not going to extend your fortune to a battle that is uncertain,” he said.
In a statement, De Venecia said he decided not to run for the Senate in 2013 and instead pursue
“immediate business endeavors bringing investments and jobs to the Philippines.” (With reports from JC Bello Ruiz).
AFP: Only 80 Marines Deployed
By ELENA L. ABEN Manila Bulletin, page 6
MANILA, Philippines — The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) denied published reports on Monday about the deployment of 800 Philippine Marines to the West Philippine Sea.
Col. Arnulfo Marcelo Burgos Jr., AFP spokesman, said contrary to a report by the Agence France Press, only 80 Marine personnel who compose the 3rd Marine Brigade headquarter command group arrived in Palawan last Friday to supervise the two Marine battalions currently deployed in the area.
"There is no truth to the published reports (regarding the) recent deployment of 800 Philippine Marines in Palawan," Burgos said.
The AFP spokesman also pointed out that Western Command (Wescom) chief Lt. Gen. Juancho Sabban never mentioned any specific number during his media interviews.
Sabban has earlier said that the task of the newly arrived Marine personnel led by Col. Andrei Costales is "to provide command and control to the Marine battalions that are here right now."
"Of course our main concern right now is territorial defense and the commander of 3rd Marine Brigade will be tasked to act as the commander of the Kalayaan Island Group," said Sabban.
The AFP spokesman, meanwhile, pointed out that the arrival of Costales' team has nothing to do with China's development of Sansha City in the Spratly Island Group.
"This is part and parcel of security concern and other factors considered in running the two battalions the command group is very essential and exercising command and control in two battalions operating in the Western Command area of responsibility for effective management and command of troops in the area," said Burgos.
Cybercrime Act To Be Implemented — DoJ
By REY G. PANALIGAN Manila Bulletin, page 6
MANILA, Philippines — Justice Secretary Leila de Lima on Monday said the Department of Justice (DoJ) will start implementing the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012 starting tomorrow unless it is declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court (SC).
“Right now we have the law and it is our duty to implement it unless declared unconstitutional by the SC or amended by Congress,” she said.
“Any power or authority granted by the law to Department of Justice and secretary of Justice will be exercised judiciously and prudently, within the standards or parameters set forth in the law and with due regard to fundamental, human rights of individuals,” De Lima had earlier said.
Under the law, the DoJ has the authority to restrict or block access to computer data found to have prima facie violation of cybercrimes defined in RA 10175.
According to De Lima, the DoJ will create a new office to prosecute cybercrimes identified in the law to be manned by 100 state prosecutors who have been trained on cyber forensics.
In an interview, De Lima admitted she had opposed certain provisions before it was enacted last month and had issued an opinion raising reservations particularly on provisions that impose higher penalty for libel and give the DoJ authority to order searches and seizures similar to that of a judge.
“I know there are objectionable portions and may I state for the record that those provisions did not come from us -- the libel provision and the provision that gives us the take-down power. In fact, our position papers would show that we have actually raised questions on that,” she said.
This developed as another petition, the sixth since last week, was filed with the SC seeking to declare unconstitutional certain provisions of RA 10175.
Ombudsman Affirms Arroyo Plunder Charges
By BEN R. ROSARIO Manila Bulletin.net
MANILA, Philippines — The Office of the Ombudsman has junked arguments of innocence claimed by former president and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo as the anti-graft body affirmed its charge of plunder filed before the Sandiganbayan against her and several others respondents in connection with the questionable transfer of P366-million confidential funds of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes in 2008.
The plunder case is a non-bailable offense that could send Arroyo back to detention. She is currently free on bail for a charge of electoral fraud, another case where bail may not be granted. Unless the Arroyo camp moves to strike the new Ombudsman resolution before a higher court, the
Sandiganbayan may move to have the former president and her co-accused arraigned and start trial.
The Ombudsman “re-filed” the plunder case after determining that there is nothing in Arroyo’s motion for reconsideration that may warrant the reversal of its previous finding that there were sufficient grounds to indict Arroyo and other respondents of plunder.
Arroyo’s co-accused included PCSO Board of Directors chairman Sergio O. Valencia; former PCSO general manager Rosario C. Uriarte; PCSO directors Manuel L. Morato, Jose R. Taruc V, Raymundo T.
Roquero and Ma. Fatima A. S. Valdes; PCSO budget officer Benigno B. Aguas; former Commission on Audit chairman Reynaldo A. Villar and former COA-Intelligence Fund Unit head Nilda B. Plaras.
In its 21-page resolution submitted to the Sandiganbayan First Division yesterday, the Ombudsman’s review panel chaired by acting Prosecution Bureau chief Diosdado Calonge rejected the motions for reconsiderations filed by the defendants who questioned the validity of the information.
Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales approved the resolution last September 28, upholding the panel’s recommendation to proceed with the prosecution of all the defendants.
Aside from Calonge, the other members of the panel included assistant special prosecutors Julieta Zinnia A. Niduaza, Honorio C. Ebora Jr. and Gidget Rose V. Duque.
It said evidence gathered during the investigation established the roles of each defendant that points to a “concerted effort” and “common designs.”
“After carefully evaluating the documentary and testimonial evidence presented by the parties, this Office affirms its findings that respondents-movants, acting in concert with another, performed various acts which were geared toward the same purpose, which is to surreptitiously divert public funds sourced from PCSO’s operating budget for personal gain,” the panel said.
The panel of anti-graft prosecutors also rejected the defendants’ argument that the plunder charge has no leg to stand on because there was no evidence that the P366 million went into their own pockets.
The review panel pointed out that RA No. 7080 or the Plunder Law penalizes the act of “acquiring, amassing and/or accumulating ill-gotten wealth” but does not limit such offense to whether or not the defendant personally benefited from such unlawfully acquired wealth.
“The law only requires the prosecution to prove that the offender acquired or accumulated ill-gotten wealth, …it is not concerned with the disposition or storage after-the-fact of the illegally-acquired gains,” it noted.
It added that the respondents’ claim of good faith and regularity in handling the confidential intelligence funds of the PCSO are more properly raised during trial
Circus comes to Comelec
UNA first to file candidacies but only 8 showed up By Tarra Quismundo, Jocelyn R. Uy
Philippine Daily Inquirer, page 1
All the festive hoopla of a street party could very well be a plus for the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) on Monday as it officially fielded its candidates in the Senate race next year, except they were minus one in the effort.
Businessman Joey de Venecia pulled out at the last minute from the coalition slate, although this hardly reflected on the excitement outside the Commission on Elections (Comelec) on the first day of the filing of certificates of candidacy (COC).
UNA’s “B 3”—Vice President Jejomar Binay, former President Joseph Estrada and Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile—led eight senatorial contenders in filing their COCs, unfazed by a last-minute glitch in its lineup.
Sen. Gregorio Honasan, Representatives Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito, Juan “Jack” Ponce Enrile Jr. and Milagros “Mitos” Magsaysay, former Senators Ernesto Maceda, Miguel Zubiri and Richard Gordon, and former Tarlac Gov. Tingting Cojuangco filed their COCs past 1 p.m. in a carnival atmosphere in the heart of Intramuros.
Three candidates whom UNA shared with the ruling coalition—Senators Francis “Chiz” Escudero and Loren Legarda, and Movie and Television Review and Classification Board Chairperson Grace Poe Llamanzares—did not appear for the filing.
That the three candidates, who are also guest candidates of the ruling Liberal Party (LP) and the Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC) coalition, were absent and the slate lost its 12th member, De Venecia, just hours earlier did not seem to matter as UNA gave a preview of how its rallies would be come campaign season next year: loud and upbeat in the colors of orange and blue.
Life will be good
The eight-candidate slate, along with Binay, Estrada and Enrile, first assembled at the Manila Hotel before noon and rode together to the Comelec aboard a violet Binay coaster shortly.
Within minutes, the fast-moving convoy arrived at the main Comelec office to the cheers of
hundreds of supporters. Competing beats filled the air: a drum and bugle band played Binay’s 2010 campaign theme “Kay Binay, Gaganda ang Buhay (With Binay, life will be good),” while an Ati-Atihan ensemble and even a dragon dance group thumped their traditional beats.
“It’s a very light, jovial mood. We are very confident of having a formidable team and a very good chance of taking most of the seats in the 2013 elections,” Ejercito, Estrada’s son, said in an interview.
“I am confident now that our big three are here. With these people behind us, the support is already there, it gives us courage and a morale boost,” Ejercito told reporters.
Supporters from Valenzuela, San Juan, Olongapo City and Makati City, among others, occupied the street across the Comelec office, holding up placards and chanting the names of their candidates.
Curiously, while different groups shouted names of their respective candidates, none chanted the coalition’s name.
Apart from posters and banners traditionally seen in campaigns, some candidates found unique ways of getting their names out there.
Just alternatives
Magsaysay went beyond the printed matter and deployed walking ads —an advertising medium one would usually see promoting consumer products.
Legarda did not join the UNA group but made her presence felt with Ati-Atihan dancers who carried placards that spelled her name. She filed her COC separately, when the UNA group had already left.
She later visited Binay at his office at the Coconut Palace.
Ahead of the campaign period, Ejercito said he hoped campaigns of both UNA and the ruling coalition would not stray from issues that mattered to the public.
“I’m just hoping that the campaign will be high level, based on the platform and track record,”
Ejercito said.
“Besides, we’re not really what you would call a real opposition, unlike during the time of GMA (former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo). We’re just presenting ourselves as alternatives for the people,” he said.
No-shows irk Binay
The absence of Legarda, Escudero and Llamanzares did not sit well with Binay, leader of the UNA coalition of his PDP-Laban and Estrada’s Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino.
“What shall be done and shall not be done must also apply with UNA *and vice versa+,” Binay told reporters.
“If they will join the *rallies+ of the Liberal Party, they should also join us or else we might as well part ways,” Binay said, stressing “fair is fair.”
For her part, Legarda said she had not heard Binay say anything about UNA’s withdrawal of support should she appear in the LP rallies.
“The Vice President knows that the President invited me personally to be in the LP slate because the NPC and the LP have a partnership. It was all done with transparency with the Vice President and former President Estrada as well,” Legarda said in an interview with reporters after filing her COC at the Comelec.
She added that Mr. Aquino also knew that she was first invited by UNA as guest candidate when he asked her to join the LP slate. Next week, other parties would also adopt her as guest candidate, she disclosed.
“*Being a common candidate+ is a happy but delicate situation,” she said. “But it reflects on the winnability of the candidate.”
When asked which political party would she join come the election campaign period, she safely answered, “I will go where the Filipino people are.”
Enrile Jr.: Chance to clean up bad image
By Gil C. Cabacungan Philippine Daily Inquirer.net
For Juan “Jack” Ponce Enrile Jr., next year’s campaign is a chance to finally purge an “atrocious reputation” as the prototypical bad boy of the ’80s when his father was lording it over as the late President Ferdinand Marcos’ martial law enforcer.
“I was a young, red-blooded male. You get into fights, but you never made the papers. But I did because it was blown out of proportion. It’s an unfortunate thing. I’m very sorry for those whose lives were lost but I never pulled or fired a shot in anger in my entire life. I can look at you with a straight face and say that,” Enrile said in an interview with the Philippine Daily Inquirer at his Urdaneta Village home in January.
Enrile said he then had asked permission from his father, now Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, to leave for the United States.
“I did not think I was going to be given a fair shake here. He felt affected by that and that he knew in his heart that it was true and he could not do anything about it. I sought his blessing but he did not give it and I could see why. It hurt him to see his son was affected by something that he should have not been affected with,” said the younger Enrile.
The 54-year-old Enrile said the first time he realized people were out to get back at his father through him was in grade school at Ateneo de Manila University.
“I was kicked in my lower lip. I was beaten up in Grade 4 by Grade 7 students who were calling me
‘tuta ni Marcos.’ I got 17 stitches and I lied to my parents and told them I got kicked when I was playing football. But I had to fight back. I promised myself that would be the last time anybody laid a
hand on me,” Enrile said.
“I left for personal reasons because during that time, Dad was not the flavor of the month. People were trying to hit him and the easiest way to hit him was through me. I developed an atrocious reputation in this country and people started to ride on that. The Alfie Anido suicide was attributed to me, the Liezl (daughter of Amalia Fuentes) and Pops Fernandez (supposed abduction and rape cases) were attributed to me,” he said.
“I never met them (Liezl and Pops) and I don’t think they knew what I looked like then,” said Enrile, who also disclosed that he got into more brawls in the United States than in his Ateneo years.
President Aquino was a year behind him in Ateneo while Interior Secretary Manuel Roxas was a year ahead.
Just adventurous
Enrile admitted that his biggest failure was being an ill-equipped and incapable father to his two oldest daughters, who were left behind when he left the country.
He believed that he has more than made up for this shortcoming by being a full-fledged father to his two youngest daughters with his wife.
So, is he a changed man?
“People ask me that all the time. I was always like this, friendly with people, but I have a bad temper.
I don’t call it a rebellious streak; I’m just an adventurous guy… I think I had this wanderlust,” he said.
He used to be called “Jackie” after the legendary race car driver but he said he dropped it when he sought a new life in another country.
“Only the Inquirer calls me Jackie now,” said Enrile, an English major, who has turned to the Bible for inspiration.
In explaining his latest quest to seek a higher post, Enrile quoted widely from the Books of Daniel and Micah in the Old Testament.
“The Book of Daniel speaks of sovereignty of God whatever happens in our life. God does not put us in a position of authority or power because we deserve it. The Book of Micah explains that when a person is placed in a position of authority, he is expected to act justly, have mercy and walk humbly with God. That is what is defining me,” he said.
“I have reaped the benefits of being an Enrile and I have borne the scars of being an Enrile. One day, if God and the people decide, I will present my case to them.”
Aquino leads launch of administration coalition
By Michael Lim Ubac, Leila B. Salaverria Philippine Daily Inquirer
Setting the tone for next year’s elections, President Benigno Aquino declared Monday that the administration coalition would echo his reform agenda during the campaign season.
As he presided over the official proclamation of the administration coalition’s senatorial ticket at Club Filipino in San Juan City, Mr. Aquino underscored the importance of having key allies in the Senate to ensure the passage of his legislative agenda for the remaining three years.
“Every three years, our nation faces a crossroad. The question is: Where are we headed? Do we continue to tread the path we have taken, or do we revert to the old way of doing things? Are we optimistic about the future, or would you prefer the previous condition?” he asked in a speech delivered in Filipino.
The coalition consists of the Liberal Party (LP), Nationalist People’s Coalition, Nacionalista Party, Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino and Akbayan party-list group.
The President took time to mention the credentials of each candidate, starting with Aurora Rep. Juan Edgardo Angara, son of outgoing Sen. Edgardo Angara, followed by Mr. Aquino’s cousin, Paolo Benigno “Bam” Aquino IV, the youngest candidate on the administration slate.
Included in the slate were Senators Loren Legarda, Francis Escudero, Alan Peter Cayetano, Aquilino
“Koko” Pimentel III and Antonio Trillanes IV; former Senators Ramon Magsasay Jr. and Jamby Madrigal; former Akbayan Rep. Risa Hontiveros and former Las Piñas Rep. Cynthia Villar, wife of outgoing Sen. Manuel Villar; and Grace Poe-Llamanzares, daughter of the late actor Fernando Poe Jr.
Three of the administration candidates—Legarda, Escudero and Llamanzares—have also been adopted as candidates of the rival United Nationalist Alliance (UNA).
“This I assure you: The 12 candidates being offered by this coalition will help harvest the fruits of
reforms we have laid down the last two years, three months and one day. They promise us that they will not steal. They will expedite the pace of change that we’re enjoying, and they will not betray your trust. You—the people—are the Boss,” Mr. Aquino said.
‘Orchestra’
He explained the vote of his “bosses” come May 2013 would eventually decide whether the nation would “continue with the right” path he had set at the beginning of his term.
“The resounding message should be—the reform and change undertaken the past two years were right. We want to speed up change, and we’re now offering to you those who would help you achieve this,” the President said, referring to the slate.
Assuming the role of a conductor, he likened the nation to an “orchestra” that was expected by the audience to come up with a “harmonious sound instead of an out of tune soloist who thinks only of himself.”
Campaign line
Budget Secretary Florencio “Butch” Abad, an LP stalwart, told reporters that the administration’s nationwide and grassroots’ campaign would carry the message, “Kapag walang corrupt, walang mahirap (There is no poverty if there is no corruption).”
“You may add economic growth and expansion because, I think, that’s where we’re at right now, and we want to go deeper into. We need to go faster in the legislation—tax reforms and social policies, freedom of information,” Abad said.
“You have to define yourself in relation to the administration. You have to have a clear message to the people. If you are the alternative, why are you the alternative? In the same manner that the President made it very emphatic why this administration wants to win this election,” Abad said.
‘Us vs them’
In his speech, Mr. Aquino reiterated the gains so far achieved by his two-year administration vis-à-vis the failures and inefficiencies of the Arroyo administration.
He said that just two years and three months into his six-year presidency, “we have not just carried the burdensome problems they had left, we even surpassed the challenges.”
Thus, he said, the sides taken by the two rival election coalitions were clearly delineated.
Apparently taking the first jab at UNA, he stated the obvious.
“The critics are with them; those willing to cooperate are with us. Isn’t it that the characters who are always critical of what we do every time they open their mouths are on their side?” he asked.
The President acknowledged the citizens who were willing to rally behind the achievement of his goals.
“Our belief is that we should keep an open mind because free speech brings forth clear solutions unlike others who are always critical of what we say. We can’t be in one boat where the crew would row backwards… while we are striving in earnest to move forward,” the President said.
He gave a noticeably longer introduction to both Llamanzares and Pimentel, but gamely teased Bam Aquino and Trillanes.
“Koko was given a six-year mandate, but was only given with more or less two years,” Mr. Aquino said, emphasizing that Pimentel was a duly-elected senator in 2007, and thus wisely rejected calls for him to run again in 2010 pending the outcome of his electoral protest.
Pimentel assumed office in 2011, after Juan Miguel Zubiri resigned.
The President thanked Llamanzares for choosing to run on the LP-led slate, after turning down many politicians who “courted her.”
Turning to Trillanes, Mr. Aquino described his back-channel negotiator in talks with China as an
“example of a persistent and brave soldier.”
“In his (second) term, perhaps he would show to us what it means to be a senior senator,” the President said, triggering chuckles from the audience as the cameras panned to show Trillanes flashing a pained smile.
The President did recognize Bam Aquino as his cousin, but issued a warning: “If you lose your way, forget my mother and father; you will have to answer first to our grandmother. And when she’s done (with you), I will be next.”
LP officials earlier said the administration candidates may be adopted by other parties, but they do not want members to join the campaign sorties of the other groups because that would be akin to
campaigning for their fellow candidates’ rivals.
Llamanzares said it was important that she respect the rules of the administration coalition because she works for the administration as an official of the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board.
Escudero said he would campaign on his own but would work with the rules of both coalitions that adopted him. Asked if he would appear on stage with any of the two slates, he said had not talked about it with coalition officials.
Legarda said she wanted to bring her campaign directly to the people. As to whether she would join the sorties of the coalitions, she said those operational details could be worked out later.
Legarda also said it was the President himself who asked her to join the administration coalition after he invited her to Malacañang last week.
According to her, she told him she did not have to join the slate and did not want to ease anybody out of it, but he replied that he wanted her to join his line up and that a slot was reserved for her.
She said she would have continued supporting the President even if she was not made part of the administration coalition.
Ombudsman upholds plunder raps vs Arroyo, others
By Cynthia D. Balana Philippine Daily Inquirer
MANILA, Philippines–The Office of the Ombudsman on Monday upheld the plunder information it had filed against former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and eight former officials of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office and the Commission on Audit for the alleged misuse of P366 million from the PCSO coffers.
The Ombudsman affirmed the Review Joint Resolution dated July 20, which found probable cause to indict the group, and dismissed the motions for reconsideration filed by the counsels of Arroyo and her seven coaccused in the nonbailable crime.
Charged with Arroyo were former PCSO officials Chair Sergio Valencia, General Manager and Vice Chair Rosario Uriarte, and Board Directors Manuel Morato, Jose Taruc, Raymundo Roquero and Ma.
Fatima Valdez. Also charged were former COA Chair Reynaldo Villar and Nilda Paras, head of the intelligence/confidential fund of the COA Anti-Fraud Unit.
Arroyo lead counsel Anacleto Diaz had sought to stop the plunder case that was already in its pre- trial stage by arguing that it was premature for public prosecutors to ask for a warrant of arrest for the accused, who were entitled to file their respective motions for reconsideration within five days before the Ombudsman.
But the Ombudsman said a full-blown trial must proceed and that “… respondents-movants’ claims of good faith and regularity in the performance of their duties are defenses best raised during the trial proper.”
The joint order was signed by Special Prosecutor Diosdado Calonge and Assistant Special Prosecutors Zinnia Niduaza, Honorio Ebora Jr. and Gidget Rose Duque. It said the Ombudsman was convinced that the respondents had conspired to perform various acts geared toward the same aim—to surreptitiously divert public funds sourced from the PCSO’s operating budget for personal gain.
The order dismissed the respondents’ claim that “there (was) no plunder because the complainants were unable to show that (respondents) personally benefitted from the disbursements drawn from the PCSO’s original and additional CIF (confidential and intelligence funds).”
AFP says only 80 not 800 deployed to disputed islands
By Marlon Ramos
Philippine Daily Inquirer, page 1
MANILA, Philippines–The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) clarified Monday that only 80 – not 800 as earlier reported- Marines were sent to Palawan to augment government troops stationed near the disputed islands in the West Philippine Sea.
Colonel Arnulfo Burgos Jr., AFP spokesperson, said that Lt. Gen. Juancho Sabban, commander of the Western Command (Wescom), did not mention that 800 Marines were deployed in Palawan in connection with the conflicting claims over the Spratly Islands.
Besides the Philippines and China, the territory is also being claimed in whole or in part by Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan and Vietnam.
“There is no truth to the published reports *about+ the recent deployment of 800 Philippine Marine personnel in the area of Western Command,” Burgos told reporters.
“It’s actually less than 80. You can check with General Sabban. He did not say anything about the 800 Marine personnel… deployed there,” he added.
The Philippine Daily Inquirer tried but failed to contact Sabban on his mobile phone Monday.
The Agence France Presse reported over the weekend that the Philippine government sent 800 Marines in Palawan and opened a new headquarters “to guard its interest.”
Burgos said the “only recent deployment” in Wescom was the arrival of the 3rd Marine Brigade at the command headquarters in Puerto Princesa City last Friday.
The contingent was “composed of less than 80 personnel,” according to Burgos.
“This group will provide command and control of the battalion landing teams stationed there for years now,” he said.
Burgos said the deployment of more troops in Palawan was “part and parcel” of addressing the security concerns in the area, saying the new Marine command “is very essential in exercising command and control over the two battalions operating” under the Wescom.
Asked if the movement of the Marine forces was connected with the tension in the West Philippine Sea, he said: “This is just *to address+ operational concerns to improve the conduct of operations in the area.”
“We work for continuous improvement of the command’s control. There is no relation at all to the dispute (over the Spratlys),” he stressed.
Get ready to rumble: LP, UNA face off for Senate derby
By Sheila Crisostomo The Philippine Star, page 1
President Aquino links hands with the Liberal Party’s 2013 senatorial lineup at the Club Filipino in Greenhills, San Juan yesterday. From left: Antonio Trillanes IV, Allan Peter Cayetano, Francis Escudero, Sonny Angara, Bam Aquino, Risa Hontiveros, Jun Magsaysay, Jamby Madrigal, Grace Poe- Llamanzarez, Loren Legarda, Cynthia Villar and Koko Pimentel. WILLY PEREZ
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MANILA, Philippines - It was a rambunctious first day of filing of certificates of candidacy (COCs) yesterday as old political faces joined dozens of aspiring politicians who turned up at the Commission on Elections (Comelec) main office in Intramuros with 2013 in mind.
Comelec Chairman Sixto Brillantes likened the scenario to a circus.
Sen. Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III was the first among the “serious” candidates to file his COC as PDP- Laban senatorial candidate.
Accompanied by his mother and a sister, Pimentel filed his COC at 8 a.m.
Senatorial bets of the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) of former President Joseph Estrada and Vice President Jejomar Binay showed up in full force to file their COCs.
Candidates of other major political parties, including the administration Liberal Party, are expected to file their COCs today.
Filing of COCs ends on Oct. 5.
A fiesta atmosphere prevailed as supporters of candidates came in droves wearing shirts of various colors like red, yellow, blue and orange, depending on their political affiliation. Marching bands drowned out the chants of supporters who waited under the scorching heat for their candidates.
Traffic was heavy around the Comelec office as supporters of candidates came in buses, vans and
jeepneys.
But the scene-stealers were senatorial candidates whose declared advocacies ranged from the bizarre to the hilarious. One claimed to be the “owner of the archipelago” and another said his wife is presidential sister and celebrity Kris Aquino.
They delivered impromptu speeches after filing their COCs, to the delight of the crowd at the Comelec’s Project Management Office where the Comelec was receiving the COCs.
Brillantes lamented the circus atmosphere during yesterday’s filing of COCs, saying that while the candidates and their supporters may not have violated a law, what they did could be considered
“unethical.”
“There are things not allowed by conscience and morals,” he said in Filipino.
A 2009 Supreme Court decision stipulates that partisan political acts are lawful before the start of the campaign period. The campaign period begins on Feb. 12 next year.
Candidates seeking national posts file their COCs at the Comelec’s main office, while those aspiring for local positions may do so at local Comelec offices.
Organized labor, meanwhile, expressed their disappointment over the senatorial lineup of both the LP and rival coalitions.
Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) said the ruling LP and UNA have opted to field traditional politicians over reform-minded ones who could help solve unemployment and other problems besetting the country.
“Most of those running for the 2013 elections are still traditional politicians coming from the country’s elite families. Politicians coming from the poor and those truly representing their interests form a tiny minority,” KMU chairman Elmer Labog said.
Labog said they expect the campaign to become a circus and not a genuine discussion of problems confronting Filipinos such as poverty, hunger and unemployment.
“The domination of the US, landlords and big capitalists over our economy and politics will not be questioned by most of these politicians,” he added.
Labog said President Aquino has chosen to preserve traditional politics by choosing popular candidates for the LP senatorial slate.
“Despite his promises of ‘change’ and ‘daang matuwid (straight path),’ President Aquino chose popular candidates over reform-minded ones. It is disgusting that he even ignored potentially good candidates from his own party to field popular ones from other parties,” Labog said.
Aquino’s choices for the Senate, Labog said, showed that he is implementing the same policies that have caused poverty, hunger and unemployment in the country.
But Labog said they are still optimistic that the public would be discerning enough to make the right choices.
“We are glad that people are being critical towards the elections and are voicing out their disgust over the persistence of traditional politics in the country. Let’s keep it up even as the noise from the electoral campaign becomes louder in the coming months,” Labog said. With Mayen Jaymalin
'Number One' UNA bets file COCs at 1 p.m. on Oct. 1
By Jose Rodel Clapano The Philippine Star, page 1
Former President Joseph Estrada, Vice President Jejomar Binay, Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile and Rep. Manny Pacquiao join the senatorial bets of the United Nationalist Alliance at the Manila Hotel prior to the filing of their candidacies at the Comelec yesterday. The UNA bets are (from left) Mitos Magsaysay, Ernesto Maceda, JV Ejercito, Juan Miguel Zubiri, Gregorio Honasan, Richard Gordon, Jack Enrile and Margarita Cojuangco. EDD GUMBAN
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MANILA, Philippines - Senatorial candidates of the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA), whose acronym means first in Filipino, made sure all their bases were covered in aiming for No. 1, filing their
certificates of candidacy (COCs) at 1 p.m. on Oct. 1 and assembling at the Manila Hotel at 10 a.m.
“UNA sa pag-gawa, UNA sa pang-unawa, ang uunahin ay iyong mga nakakaraming mahihirap (First in work, first in understanding, the priority is the poor majority),” said former President Joseph Estrada, a stalwart of UNA.
Estrada, Vice President Jejomar Binay and Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, all members of the executive committee of UNA, joined the eight official senatorial candidates of the alliance in the filing of their COCs at the Commission on Elections (Comelec) in Manila.
The candidates are Sen. Gregorio Honasan, Estrada’s son San Juan Rep. JV Ejercito, former senator Ernesto Maceda, Enrile’s son Cagayan Rep. Jack Enrile, Zambales Rep. Mitos Magsaysay, former
senator Juan Miguel Zubiri, former Tarlac governor Margarita “Tingting” Cojuangco, and former senator Richard Gordon.
“UNA senatorial candidates decided to file their certificates of candidacy today, Oct. 1, at 1 p.m.
because UNA is number one,” Estrada said.
At the Centennial Hall of the Manila Hotel, Binay, Enrile and Estrada joined UNA’s eight senatorial candidates in an early lunch that was also attended by Tingting’s husband, UNA vice president and PDP-Laban secretary-general Jose “Peping” Cojuangco, uncle of President Aquino.
San Juan Mayor Guia Gomez, mother of Rep. Ejercito, and other supporters also joined the UNA senatorial bets at the Manila Hotel before they proceeded to the Comelec in Intramuros for the filing of COCs.
Busloads of supporters that also included boxing sensation and Sarangani Rep. Manny Pacquiao escorted the eight UNA senatorial bets to the Comelec.
The huge number of vehicles parked on the streets near the Comelec’s office caused a traffic jam in the area.
The supporters of candidates apparently ignored the earlier appeal of Comelec officials not to turn the filing of COCs into a circus.
Estrada, who is also running for mayor of Manila, is set to file his candidacy today.
Other leaders of UNA assailed the Liberal Party’s decision not to allow its guest candidates for senator to join the campaign rallies of the opposition.
Speaking at the weekly Kapihan sa Diamond Hotel media forum, UNA spokesman JB Bautista said the LP decision is unfair for the senatorial candidates who were “adopted” first by UNA.
Another UNA spokesman Rodolfo Plaza said UNA was the first to announce that Senators Loren Legarda and Francis Escudero and Movie and Television Review and Classification chairman Grace Poe-Llamanzares are their candidates.
The three are also candidates of the LP-led administration coalition.
“It’s not our candidates’ fault not to join our rallies because they are being prohibited by LP, so the pressure really is on LP not to allow all these guest candidates to go up on our stage. We do not impose the same rule, we want to be liberal in UNA,” Plaza said.
“The LP is being too strict with their candidates,” Bautista said.
Political dynasties
Two of the senatorial bets running under the LP-led coalition are apparently establishing political dynasties in the Senate.
Former Las Piñas Rep. Cynthia Villar, wife of Nacionalista Party president and Sen. Manny Villar, and Aurora Rep. Sonny Angara, son of veteran Sen. Edgardo Angara, maintained yesterday that they have better things to offer to the public than their family names.
“My husband will be leaving the Senate if ever I assume a Senate seat. Yung aking anak naman (And our son), congressman of our district. That has been with us for generations,” said Mrs. Villar, who was interviewed at the sidelines of the LP coalition’s proclamation of its official senatorial slate at the Club Filipino in San Juan yesterday.
Rep. Angara said his own accomplishment as congressman could speak for itself.
He took exception to the idea that the Angaras are merely “passing the political torch” from father to son.
“As President Aquino said, politics of reform. The younger generation now is very impatient. They want things to happen quickly, quicker than before. That’s what I think,” Angara said.
Mrs. Villar said she would be focusing on advocacies that will help promote women’s rights once given the chance to work as senator.
NP secretary-general and re-electionist Sen. Alan Cayetano said the coalition should be viewed as a coalition of ideas, rather than personalities.
Sen. Loren Legarda shunned criticism that she has been taking advantage by accepting the support of the LP as well as UNA.
“My loyalty is to the people who entrust their future to me, which is the biggest responsibility I bear and I want to fulfill everyday. At the end of the day, I will be judged based on my track record, not so much on the political affiliation, especially in a multiparty system like ours,” Legarda said.
LP presents 'reform candidates'
By Aurea Calica
The Philippine Star, page 1
MANILA, Philippines - President Aquino presented his administration’s “reform candidates” for the Senate yesterday, as well as his Liberal Party (LP)’s coalition with four other political parties in an apparent bid to solidify ranks under his leadership.
The coalition is composed of the LP, Nacionalista Party (NP), Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC),
Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino (LDP) and Akbayan, which were distinct in the 2010 elections but now form a “rainbow.”
Only three members of the LP are part of the administration coalition – Aquino’s cousin Benigno Paolo “Bam” Aquino, and former senators Jamby Madrigal and Ramon “Jun” Magsaysay Jr.
Bam and Madrigal took their oaths as LP members last Friday.
The other candidates come from the LP’s former rival NP, including former Las Piñas Rep. Cynthia Villar and Senators Antonio Trillanes IV and Alan Peter Cayetano; NPC’s Sen. Loren Legarda, former party-list representative Risa Hontiveros of Akbayan, and LDP’s Aurora Rep. Juan Edgardo “Sonny”
Angara.
Three others – Sen. Francis Escudero, Movie and Television Review and Classification Board chairman Grace Poe-Llamanzares and Sen. Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III – are independents.
Aquino himself led the selection of the candidates and personally talked to them on separate occasions as Vice President Jejomar Binay, a concurrent Cabinet member, also formed his coalition called United Nationalist Alliance.
In his speech, the President said he asked Customs Commissioner Ruffy Biazon, Quezon Rep. Lorenzo Tañada III and Technical Education and Skills Development Authority chief Joel Villanueva to sacrifice their political careers and give way to candidates from other parties.
Aquino emphasized that rather than parties, the candidates were the ones who responded to the administration’s goal to create a coalition with the same beliefs and promised to advance the agenda of honest governance.
The presentation of the candidates was held at Club Filipino in San Juan, the same venue where Aquino announced his presidential bid in 2009 and where his mother, the late Corazon Aquino, took her oath as president in February 1986.
The event was highlighted by some singing – a regular fare in LP events – yellow shirts and the flashing of the “L” or “Laban” sign, meaning fight.
Magic 12
In introducing the administration bets, the President gave a brief description of each of them.
He said Angara backed his agenda of reform during the impeachment of then chief justice Renato Corona, while he lauded Magsaysay for his quiet but effective leadership and for exposing the fertilizer fund scam during the time of former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
Aquino also lauded his cousin Bam for his many achievements and for working with the youth;
Cayetano for being consistent in his campaign on accountability and transparency; Escudero for being an idol of the youth because of his intelligence and for fighting to correct whatever was wrong;
Madrigal for her efforts to protect children; Hontiveros for her health and women advocacies;
Legarda for her long career in public service and for protecting the environment; and Pimentel for fighting for the people’s voice and standing firm on his electoral protest, believing that he was cheated in the 2010 polls.
Meanwhile, Aquino hailed Llamanzares for her effective work at the MTRCB and for continuing the advocacies of her father, the late actor Fernando Poe Jr.; Trillanes for being an example of a soldier not running away from any war; and Villar for improving the lives of Filipinos through her work as congresswoman.
But Aquino took a swipe at Trillanes, who recently had a spat with Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile over his backchannel talks with China on the Panatag Shoal standoff.
Trillanes was severely criticized for exposing the task he was assigned to do secretly and for openly criticizing Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario.
“On his second term, he will show us how it is to be a senior senator,” Aquino said.
The coalition said in a statement that the ticket would bring Aquino’s social agenda to the Senate.
It said the primary consideration in inviting candidates was their track record and commitment to push the legislative component of Aquino’s social contract with the Filipino people.
Aquino said it was clear that the LP-led coalition and its opponents were standing on different platforms. He said their opponents were always opposing and criticizing while those in the
administration coalition were committed to cooperation. – With Marvin Sy, Delon Porcalla, Perseus Echeminada
First day of COC filing peaceful
By Cecille Suerte Felipe The Philippine Star, page 1
MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine National Police (PNP) described yesterday as generally peaceful the first day of filing of certificates of candidacy (COCs) for local and national positions.
PNP spokesman Chief Superintendent Generoso Cerbo Jr. said the National Operation Center (NOC) reported no violent incident related to the filing of COCs.
Interior Secretary Manuel Roxas II said the PNP is coordinating with the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to ensure the peaceful and orderly filing of COCs from Oct. 1 to 5.
He said the PNP has fully deployed its personnel to Comelec offices where individuals are filing their COCs for the midterm elections in May 2013.
Roxas said that the PNP gave him a briefing to ensure that the filing of COCs will be orderly and peaceful.
“For this week, they will be on full deployment and on alert. We will be directing our resources where the possible threats may be,” he said.
PNP chief Director General Nicanor Bartolome said the PNP remains on normal alert in Metro Manila, Luzon, and the Visayas as the five-day filing of certificates of candidacy started.
Bartolome reminded PNP ground commanders to enhance their security preparations in
coordination with the Armed Forces of the Philippines and other law enforcement agencies. – Ric Sapnu, Ed Amoroso
'Only 80 Marines deployed to isles'
The Philippine Star, page 1
MANILA, Philippines - The government denied yesterday newspaper reports that 800 Marines were deployed in Palawan to defend disputed territories in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea).
Raul Hernandez, Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) spokesman, said, “The (Armed Forces) said there is no truth to the report that additional 800 marines were deployed in the Western Command
area of responsibility.”
Speaking to reporters, Col. Arnulfo Burgos Jr., Armed Forces spokesman, said fewer than 80 Marines were sent to administer two Marine battalions.
“There is no truth to the published reports about the recent deployment of 800 Philippine Marines personnel in the area of the Western Command,” he said.
“The only recent deployment in Western Command is the arrival of the 3rd Marine Brigade Headquarters Command Group last Friday composed of less than 80 personnel.”
Burgos said Marines deployed recently would provide “command and control” to the battalions stationed in Palawan.
“No fresh battalions have arrived,” he said. “The MBLT 4 and 12 have been in the area for years now.”
Two battalions, the Marine Battalion Landing Teams 4 and 12, are currently based in the province.
Lt. Gen. Juancho Sabban, Palawan-based Armed Forces Western Command chief, said yesterday no fresh troops have been deployed in the Kalayaan islands.
“The 3rd Marine Brigade that arrived in the province on 28 September 2012, Friday morning, is only composed of 77 officers and personnel, mostly female as part of the administrative and construction teams,” he said.
A Marine Brigade from Sulu has been redeployed to provide operational control over Marines stationed in Palawan years ago, he added.
At least two Marine battalions, the Marine Battalion Landing-4 and the Marine Battalion Landing- 12, have long been deployed in the province. Most of these troops are deployed in the southern section.
A wire report published in several newspapers last Monday said 800 Marines have been sent to the West Philippine Sea to secure Philippine interests.
The report quoted Sabban as saying that the deployment was meant as a defensive measure.
Singapore wants stronger UN
Singapore has called for the strengthening of the United Nations’ role in international crisis prevention and in mediation and settlement of disputes.
Speaking at the UN General Assembly on Saturday, Singapore Foreign Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam said his country, a member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), wanted to see an effective system of international law and resilient mechanisms for peaceful dispute settlement.
“(This would) provide a platform for states under threat to bring their problems before these mechanisms with confidence, rather than trying to resolve them by force,” he said.
Shanmugam said it was “particularly important” for the survival of small states like Singapore for a
“predicable and stable rule-based system” to exist.
The UN’s long-term goal should be effective systems of international law and resilient mechanisms for the peaceful settlement of disputes, he said.
Singapore has consistently called for an improvement in the UN Security Council’s working methods, he added.
Shanmugam said Singapore firmly believes in the importance of safeguarding the international rule of law.
It takes the view that disputes, including those over territorial sovereignty, should be resolved peacefully and in accordance with international law, he added.
Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono told the 67th UN General Assembly that old rivalries and long-standing conflicts such as the disputes in the West Philippine Sea still risked resurfacing.
Pointing to the growing need for preventive diplomacy, Yudhoyono said robust regional entities helped resolve simmering disputes before they escalated into full-blown conflict and said that ASEAN had done just that in the West Philippine Sea.
“The territorial and sovereignty disputes have been festering there for the better part of a century,”
he said.
“But we are managing them with restraint, confidence building and, at present, through earnest negotiations toward a legally binding Code of Conduct in the South China Sea.”
Indonesia consulted the Philippines in July on the future of the ASEAN after the failure to issue a Joint Communiqué on the 45th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa first flew to the Philippines and met Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario before consulting other members to try to ease the discord and prevent further damage to ASEAN.
ASEAN members, including current chair Cambodia, approved the ASEAN Foreign Ministers’
Statement on “ASEAN’s Six-Point Principles on the South China Sea” last July 20, which included the peaceful resolution of conflicts in accordance with universally recognized principles of international law such as the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
ASEAN Maritime Forum
The Third ASEAN Maritime Forum (AMF) will be held tomorrow in Manila at a time of maritime and territorial disputes in the West Philippine Sea.
Vice President Jejomar Binay will deliver the keynote address during the opening ceremonies. – Pia Lee-Brago, Alexis Romero, Jaime Laude
P500-M subsidy sought for political parties
By Jess Diaz
The Philippine Star, page 1
MANILA, Philippines - A bill seeking an initial P500-million state subsidy for national political parties has been approved at the House of Representatives.
Bill 6551, “An Act Strengthening the Political Party System,” aims to reduce the dependence of political groups on private persons and businesses for funding.
Among the authors of the bill are Representatives Rufus Rodriguez of Cagayan de Oro City and Juan Edgardo Angara of Aurora.
Angara’s father, Sen. Edgardo Angara, and former Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr. have long advocated state subsidies for political parties as part of political reforms.
Under the bill, the proposed subsidies would be used exclusively for party development, education and training programs, institution-building, outreach projects, information dissemination,
advancement of advocacies, and campaign expenditures.
“We have to institutionalize and strengthen our political parties by introducing reforms in campaign financing through effective and transparent mechanisms to level the playing field and eliminate opportunities for corruption,” the bill’s authors said.
Potential recipients would be political parties with national constituencies that are registered with the Commission on Elections (Comelec) based on platform of government, organizational strength and track record in elections.
Entitled to the subsidy would be political parties represented in the Senate and the House of Representatives.
The amount would be distributed proportionately based on the number of seats these parties obtained in the most recent general elections.
DOJ puts up new cyber law office
By Edu Punay
The Philippine Star, page 1
MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Justice (DOJ) will create a new office, to be manned by 100 state prosecutors trained in cyber forensics, to prosecute cybercrimes identified in the newly signed Republic Act 10175 or Cybercrime Prevention Act.
Justice Secretary Leila de Lima said yesterday that her office would also hold constant dialogue with key stakeholders to address issues and concerns on the implementation of the law, starting with a multisectoral forum on Oct. 9 at the DOJ.
She gave the statement after two more groups filed yesterday before the Supreme Court the sixth and seventh petitions seeking to stop implementation of certain provisions of RA 10175.
The petitioners, composed of a group of lawmakers, bloggers, members of academe and students, questioned the constitutionality of sections 4, 5 and 6 of the law.
Kabataan party-list Rep. Raymond Palatino, ACT Teachers party-list Rep. Antonio Tinio, and UP College of Mass Communications Dean Rolando Tolentino led the group in filing the petition.
They were joined by blogger Katrina Stuart Santiago, Ma. Katherine Elona of the Philippine Collegian, Anakbayan national chairman Vencer Mari Crisostomo, National Union of Students of the
Philippines’ representative Isabelle Therese Baguisi, professor Carl Marc Ramota of the UP Manila Department of Social Sciences, and Ofelia Beltran Balleta of the Crispin Beltran Research Center, among others.
Named respondents were Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr. and De Lima.
Just like the earlier petitioners, the group argued that these provisions curtail “constitutional rights to due process, speech, expression, free press and academic freedom.”
They said the law would have a “chilling effect against constitutionally protected speech,” and claimed that the questioned provisions are vague.
Sections 4 and 5 of the law tackle the various offenses covered under the Cybercrime Act, including online libel, while section 6 imposes a higher-degree of punishment for those found guilty of libel. It also allows them to be charged separately under the Revised Penal Code for the same offense.
“It must also be noted that this form of libel made through the means under Article 355 of the Revised Penal Code and committed through a computer system is a new offense created under a special law,” the petition states.
“However, under this special law, no penalty is mentioned or prescribed for the new offense.
Neither does the law make any reference to the penalties prescribed under Article 355, as it merely adopts its elements and not its penalties,” it added.
Militant groups too
Militant groups Bagong Alyansang Makabayan, Anakpawis, Karapatan and Kilusang Mayo Uno filed their own petition before the SC. They cited the same grounds raised in previous petitions, but included President Aquino among the respondents.
The five other petitions against the Cybercrime Prevention Act were filed last week by businessman Louis Biraogo, media practitioners belonging to Alab ng Mamahayag (ALAM), a bloggers group and Internet law experts led by Jose Jesus Disini Jr. of the Internet and society program of the UP College of Law, Sen. Teofisto Guingona III, and lawyers led by UP law professor Harry Roque Jr.
The SC is set to tackle the petitions during their regular session today.
This developed as De Lima admitted yesterday that she opposed certain provisions in RA 10175 even before it was enacted last month.
De Lima bared this even as the DOJ is ready to implement the controversial new law starting tomorrow.
She said she had issued an opinion raising reservations particularly on provisions that impose higher penalty for libel and give the DOJ authority to order searches and seizures similar to that of a judge.
“I know there are objectionable portions and may I state for the record that those provisions did not come from us - the libel provision and the provision that gives us the take-down power. In fact, our position papers would show that we have actually raised questions on that,” she told reporters in an ambush interview.
She said she specifically recommended the deletion of cyber defamation, cyber threats and Internet libel. – with Paolo Romero
Phl to bring North Rail case to int'l arbitration court
By Christina Mendez The Philippine Star, page 4
MANILA, Philippines - Transportation Secretary Joseph Abaya disclosed yesterday that the
Philippines would submit the controversial North Rail project to an international arbitration court to determine the settlement with the People’s Republic of China.
He said that the arbitration court could establish the exact amount that the government should pay for the aborted railway project under the past Arroyo administration.
Abaya told reporters at the Liberal Party-led coalition’s proclamation of senatorial bets at Club Filipino in San Juan yesterday that the arbitration process is needed to be able to determine the
amount that needs settlement and compromise.
“We expect that we’ll be going on arbitration, it’s a legal procedure on how to settle and
compromise. We are allotting funds for the arbitration process. We expect it to wind down. We pay our obligations and start anew,” Abaya told The STAR.
Abaya said he was briefed on the issue as he assumes the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) portfolio.
“Based on the briefing that I have had, not in-depth, I think North Rail is winding down. So like Secretary (Manuel) Roxas said, the Chinese called on the loans so we have to pay,” Abaya said.
Abaya was referring to the meeting between Interior Secretary Roxas and Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping and Foreign Affairs Minister Fu Ying, where the Chinese government demanded payment of the North Rail loan.
“I am not sure of the venue, it should specifically state in the contract. At least, we are doing away with it, it’s a bit difficult because if you hear all the stories, the irregularities and the inconsistencies in policies, I think we are better off winding down and planning anew,” Abaya added.
Despite the Aquino government’s move to pay the North Rail loans, Abaya said it does not mean that the administration will not pursue the filing of charges against those who were engaged in graft and corruption related to the project.
In the LP event yesterday, President Aquino had pinpointed the North Rail project as one of the scams during the past Arroyo administration.
Abaya said under the present administration, the railway project would undergo a new bidding process since there is a need to pursue a modern railway system to connect Metro Manila to nearby provinces.
“There is a need for us to build that. If you are talking about Clark, then there is a need for a high- speed rail. I don’t know if it’s going to need the same alignment. I think it should because we’ve already spent on it,” Abaya said.
Sen. Franklin Drilon said the government is setting aside enough funds in the 2013 budget to pay for the part of the loan spent by the government.
Drilon said the government would have to “pay $180 million over the next two years for services and goods allegedly already delivered.”
Drilon explained that the North Rail contract has a provision that says “all the loans will be due and demandable if they invoke the cross default provision.”
The 80-kilometer North Rail project was supposed to link the northern part of Metro Manila with the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport in Clark, Pampanga. It was suspended in March 2010 pending review of the contract with China National Machinery Industry Corp. (Sinomach).
Reports said the Supreme Court eventually ruled that the project was contrary to law, as it did not undergo proper bidding process.
Meanwhile, the Freedom from Debt Coalition (FDC) urged the Senate to summon Roxas and officials of the Department of Finance and the North Luzon Railways Corp. (NLRC) to explain in full the details of the renegotiation with Chinese officials on the irregular North Rail project.
