MIRIAM VOWS TO SHOW COMPASSION AT CA / BINAY VS ILLEGAL RECRUITS
MANILA, NOVEMBER 21, 2010 (STAR) Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago has vowed to be compassionate with President Aquino's Cabinet at the Commission on Appointments (CA) on the Dalai Lama's advice.
In a statement, Santiago said she has learned the virtue of compassion in Tibetan Buddhism after meeting the Dalai Lama in Rome last year and in New Delhi earlier this month.
However, Santiago did not take back her threat to invoke Section 20 of the CA's rules against at least six Cabinet officials whom she considered as "smug, self-satisfied and non-elected appointees."
Santiago said based on CA tradition, Section 20 is interpreted to mean that just one CA member has the power to cause the bypass of a Cabinet member.
"Section 20 allows one member to move for the suspension of the consideration of a Cabinet member submitted for confirmation by the President," she said.
"The motion is non-debatable. There is no voting. The CA chair has to automatically grant the motion."
Section 20 provides that "any member may move for the suspension of action by the Commission on any nomination or appointment favorably recommended by a standing committee, and the Chairman shall suspend the consideration of said nomination or appointment."
It adds: "Such suspension may be taken up on the next succeeding session of the Commission; Provided, further, that this section shall not apply to nominations or appointments taken up by the Commission during the last session prior to a sine die adjournment of Congress."
Last Wednesday, Santiago decided to make a rare appearance to preside over a CA hearing on seven ambassadors appointed by Aquino.
After the hearing, Santiago explained her decision to hold the confirmation of Education Secretary Armin Luistro, the first Cabinet official to go through the CA under the current administration. – Marvin Sy, Eva Visperas
Binay creates task force vs illegal recruitment By Jose Rodel Clapano (The Philippine Star) Updated November 20, 2010 12:00 AM Comments (12)
MANILA, Philippines - Vice President Jejomar Binay created yesterday an inter-agency task force to curb illegal recruitment and combat human trafficking.
The task force anti-illegal recruitment was created after Binay met with representatives of the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA), Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA), Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and the Philippine National Police (PNP).
Binay said these agencies will comprise the task force headed by the Office of the Vice President.
"We must help each other and exchange information to fight illegal recruitment and human trafficking in the country," he said.
Binay said the Philippines has been put on the Tier 2 Watch List in the Trafficking in Persons Report 2010 of the US Department of State.
"The Philippine government did not show much progress in prosecuting and convicting perpetrators of labor trafficking," he quoted the State Department report.
MIAA general manager Jose Angel Aquino Honrado said they only get hold of the victims of illegal recruitment but not the illegal recruiters themselves.
----------------------------------------------------------
© Copyright, 2010 by PHILIPPINE HEADLINE NEWS ONLINE
All rights reserved
----------------------------------------------------------
PHILIPPINE HEADLINE NEWS ONLINE [PHNO] WEBSITE
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/phnotweet
This is the PHILIPPINE HEADLINE NEWS ONLINE (PHNO) Mailing List.
To stop receiving our news items, please send a blank e-mail addressed to: phno-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
Please visit our homepage at: http://www.newsflash.org/
(c) Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
-------------------------------------------------------------
