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PHNO-HT&OPINION: OPINION: GOD HELPS THOSE WHO HELP THEMSELVES!

OPINION: GOD HELPS THOSE WHO HELP THEMSELVES!

MANILA, OCTOBER 4, 2010 (STAR) AS A MATTER OF FACT By Sara Soliven De Guzman - P-Noy's recent statement that he might support reproductive health and the use of contraceptives for family planning has created quite a stir between the Catholic Church, advocates of Reproductive Health and the government.

The Philippines has an extremely high birth rate of 26.1 percent yearly. There are three babies born every second. We have a population of around 94 million – making the Philippines the 12th most populous nation in the world. With all these in mind, how can we possibly cope?

The result is a runaway population explosion destroying the economy. We have lost control of our population. The population increase in Manila is more than in the provinces. The flood of immigrants from the provinces has caused Metro Manila to swell, and encouraged the proliferation of squatter colonies. This is why garbage collection, water delivery, electricity supply, transportation facilities and other services in our major cities and municipalities are on the verge of collapse. We are drowning in a sea of humanity. It is unbearable, disastrous, distressing, miserable – terrible. It's time the government addressed the problem head-on. We cannot go on this way forever.

The marginalized members of society are mostly illiterate. They continue to expand their families in the slums with five to seven children. These parents are not able to clothe, feed, protect, educate and raise their children well. In other words, they have disregarded the rights of the child (which in a civilized society is considered a crime and parents are punished). In the Philippines, these children who do not get proper care and nourishment add up to the unproductive population of the country. Do we really want to encourage this vicious 'life' cycle?

The Catholic Church in this country has the power to launch a campaign against "birth control" creating a strong impression that any form of birth regulation is evil.

With all due respect to the Catholic Church – this is a matter of the State in crisis. It's time for the President and the government to stop hesitating, don't even procrastinate, put in place a firm, uncompromising, practical "family planning" program as soon as possible.

Church officials have always argued that contraception is a type of abortion, which is banned by the Constitution. Clinical abortion is the murder of a fetus. Birth control is not. A plea to make citizens aware of family planning is not a sin – or is it? The Church better clarify their stand on this matter again – lest we continue to be disillusioned with their logic of divinity on humanity.

The Filipinos are waiting for P-Noy to build a strong Republic. If he thinks that House Bill No. 5043 (or any bill for that matter) will help strengthen the fabric of this nation, then, he must be adamant in supporting it and not go wishy-washy. He should demonstrate political will and must not kowtow to any pressure group.

A "House Bill" when enacted into law becomes an important and vital instrument to guide the nation. We simply cannot do away with it especially in this country where everything needs to be written and made clear to the citizens. This is contrary to the belief of Nograles that the RH Bill is not important. The fact is, it is!

It's a good thing Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile supports P-Noy's stand as he explicitly says, "it is important for the President to have an open, broad mind to consider all facets of every issue that will be presented to him. No sector, as far as the leadership of the nation is concerned, has any vested right to push its own agenda. It is the function of the leader to look at the problem in light of all interests involved in society."

The Chief Executive should remember that in political matters his prime loyalty is to the people themselves. He should bear in mind that he belongs to the people and he should use the powers he received with stern duty (or obligation) of an impartial and just administration of the laws. The Catholic, either as an official or a common citizen, must stand for civic virtue and social discipline above all.

The Church is a powerful voice in the country. Countless religious figures have held great roles in driving the political direction of our elected leaders. This has proven detrimental to the progress of our nation. Surely, the church is needed for the spiritual guidance of the people but it should leave matters of the state to the government.

There has been no 'real' separation of Church and State in the Philippines. The Church has always acted as the "Supreme Council" (that is second to God). This feeling of entitlement and authority was clearly expressed by Fr. Francis Lucas, the CBCP executive secretary for social communications and mass media, when he said, "it was morally incorrect to let people decide what was right and wrong according to their needs." And so the story goes – the CBCP feels obligated toward supporting the protest against the passing of RH Bill – all because they feel it is morally incorrect to let the people decide what is right or wrong!

Majority of us are Catholics. We know that all authority emanates from God, and that duly constituted governments must be respected as long as they do not conflict with divine mandates, and the fundamental rights of man. This is especially true in a democracy, where the powers of government are largely derived from the consent of the governed, in conformity with natural law and the law of reason. Democracy itself is a product of the teachings of the Catholic Church. The underlying principles of democracy that all men are created equal, is a Catholic Doctrine, and the Catholic Filipinos may well be proud that a democratic form of government has been set up in our country. But in order that democracy can achieve its purpose as a government based on the will of the majority of the people, with only such limitations and restrictions as reason and reasons God impose, there must be maintained civic order and social discipline.

Remember, God will only help those who help themselves!

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Chief News Editor: Sol Jose Vanzi

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PHNO-NC: PALACE EXPLAINS AQUINO`S STAND ON THE RH BILL

PALACE EXPLAINS AQUINO`S STAND ON THE RH BILL
MANILA, OCTOBER 4, 2010 (STAR) President Aquino does not favor a specific family planning method but would support any legal method that Filipino couples decide to take, the Malacañang presidential palace clarified today.

Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte made the clarification in an interview with state-run Radyo ng Bayan, when asked whether he would remain steadfast in his pro-choice stand on family planning.

Valte was also responding to calls made by San Fernando Archbishop Paciano Aniceto that Mr. Aquino should be like his mother, the late President Corazon Aquino, who listened to the Catholic Church especially on the issue of family planning.

"The President had said that his stand on this issue is for responsible parenthood. We in the administration are not advocating one method over the other. That is what we want to clarify. As soon as the parents make an informed choice on the matter, we would support them," Valte said, adding that for this reason, "it's not right to say that the president's position is pro-life or anti-life or whatever. Predient Aquino is for responsible parenthood."

The government is ready to provide security to celebrity tour guide Carlos Celdran if it is confirmed that there may be threats to his life after the recent stunt he pulled in the middle of a Mass, where he protested the interference of the Church in the government's population management policy, said Valte when asked.

"For any citizen with concerns over security, we are ready to provide protection if it is proven that there are real threats to his life. It is the job of the police to secure the lives of our people," she said.

Meanwhile, the Philippine Commission on Women (PCW) said it is elated with Mr. Aquino's firm position on reproductive health education.

"We're very happy with the president's stand on providing education and information for everybody especially women on all the methods for them to plan their families," said Emmeline Verzosa, Executive Director of the PCW.

Asked how different Mr. Aquino is from his predecessor on the reproductive health issue, Verzosa said that former president Arroyo "was very careful about her position."

"So we're very actually very happy that President Aquino, who's even a man, took this very strong position," said Verzosa.

Verzosa observed that the country's female presidents were "more conservative" in terms of the population policy that they pursued during their respective terms.

Arroyo actively promoted natural family planning during her term, and gave local governments the discretion to promote artificial family planning methods.

"Cory (Cozazon Aquino) and GMA (Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo) were more conservative. (Former President Fidel) Ramos was more progressive in terms of reproductive health issues," said Verzosa.

At the close of his recent United States visit, Mr. Aquino said while he would not dictate on couples any specific birth control method, his administration might provide assistance to those who are without means if they want to employ a particular method.

The remarks stirred up a storm as they might mean that Mr. Aquino is open to giving couples contraceptives.

Church officials have argued that contraception is a type of abortion, which is banned by the country's Constitution. However, proponents of contraception have argued that rapid population growth and high fertility rates have exacerbated poverty, and birth control could be an effective way to raise living standards.

The Philippines, whose population is estimated to hit 94 million this year, is the 12th most populous country in the world.

FROM GMANEWS TV

Church is biggest hindrance to RH bill — women's group CANDICE MONTENEGRO, GMANews.TV 09/17/2010 | 11:47 AM

In the Philippines, a predominantly Catholic nation, the Church is the biggest hindrance to the passage of the Reproductive Health (RH) bill, a women's advocate group said.

The RH bill, which proposes to "guarantee to universal access to medically-safe, legal, affordable and quality reproductive health care services," is one of the most contentious issues in the country.

The bill has been filed in previous congresses but was never passed into law. The main proponent of the present bill, RH bill 96, is Rep. Edcel Lagman.

At the Women Deliver Philippines conference on Thursday, University of the Philippines (UP) College of Law professor Atty. Beth Pangalangan said proponents of the RH bill should ignore the church's stand on the issue.

Women Deliver, a three-day conference that began on September 15, seeks to promote the prevention of maternal and newborn deaths and disabilities.

Pangalangan said, "I think the problem is that legislators allow themselves to be swayed by the church. They forget that they were elected into office by Filipino people for them to pass laws that will be good for everyone."

"We have very weak legislators who think they cannot survive politically if it were not for the church's support," she said. "What happens is our legislators yield whenever they are threatened by the church. I've said once that it's not really a problem of a powerful church but a problem of a weak state."

Pangalangan added that the problem is not the Catholic church per se but the Roman Catholic hierarchy.

"I don't really see much hope in dealing with the hierarchy because that goes all the way to the Pope. For as long as he says something, that's not subject to debate," she said.

Catholic church's stand on family planning

Ben De Leon, president of the Philippine Center for Population and Development, which organized the Women Deliver conference, said the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) was invited to join the conference but refused to attend.

He said the CBCP was also a member of the Commission on Population when it was established in 1971 but eventually withdrew its membership because it did not want to promote all methods of contraception.

The Catholic Church only promotes natural family planning methods and is against the use of artificial forms of contraception like condoms and contraceptive pills.

The CBCP has been vocal against the RH Bill because it promotes artificial means of family planning, which they believe are abortifacient or can induce abortion.

According to the Natural Family Planning International, Inc. (NFPI) website, "NFP is a way of following God's plan for achieving and/or avoiding pregnancy."

"It consists of ways to achieve or to avoid pregnancy using the physical means that God has built into human nature," the NFPI added.

NFP has two distinct forms: * Ecological breastfeeding (a form of child care that normally spaces babies about two years apart on the average), and

* Systematic NFP (a system that uses a woman's signs of fertility to determine the fertile and infertile times of her cycle).

A married couple who wants to avoid pregnancy is encouraged to practice chaste abstinence during the fertile time of the woman's cycle.

State of denial?

De Leon said, "I don't understand why the Catholic church has not really been so cooperative with us. [They] are in a state of denial of all the realities."

He alleged that some members of the CBCP have expressed their support in the RH Bill but not publicly.

"There are young bishops and priests who would support our advocacy but they cannot state it publicly," he said. "They encourage us to push the RH Bill because they know that the bill is very useful especially to the poorest of the poor."

He also alleged that a priest who supported their advocacy told him, "150 bishops vs 92 million Filipinos - Who do you listen to?"

Lagman wants RH Bill to be passed in 15th Congress

House Minority Leader Edcel Lagman, who filed the RH Bill on the first day of the 15th Congress, hopes that the bill will be passed into law once and for all.

The RH Bill filed from the 11th to the 13th Congress died in the First Committee. In the 14th Congress, the bill reached the Second Committee and the Second Reading but eventually died after that.

Achieving development goals

The Women Deliver Conference also tackled Millennium Development Goal (MDG) No. 5, which aims to reduce the maternal mortality ratio and to provide universal access to reproductive health by 2015.

The MDGs are eight international development goals that all 192 United Nations member states, and at least 23 international organizations, have agreed to achieve by the year 2015.

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PHNO-HL: DZRJ JOINS FORCES W/ PHILSTAR: ALL-ENGLISH AM RADIO STATION LAUNCHED

DZRJ JOINS FORCES W/ PHILSTAR: ALL-ENGLISH AM RADIO STATION LAUNCHED

[PHOTO AT LEFT - DZRJ JOINS FORCES WITH STAR: In a strategic partnership that promises a refreshing and unique AM radio experience, DZRJ has joined hands with The Philippine STAR to launch today an all-English AM radio station called 'The Voice of the Philippines' on 810 khz. Shown formalizing the partnership are (seated, from left) Philippine STAR president and CEO Miguel G. Belmonte and Rajah Broadcasting Network president Ramon 'RJ' Jacinto. In back row are (from left) Philippine STAR associate editor Marichu Villanueva, DZRJ-AM general manager Ramon Tuason and Rajah Broadcasting EVP Bea Jacinto-Tuason. JUN MENDOZA]

MANILA, OCTOBER 4, 2010 (STAR) Tune in to 810 khz today and experience a refreshing, informative and unique AM station, now called The Voice of the Philippines, as legendary radio station dzRJ launches its new format with a new high-powered transmitter for its AM station.

The Voice of the Philippines, the first and only all-English AM radio station in the country, is a brainchild of Ramon "RJ" Jacinto, president of Rajah Broadcasting Network Inc., and is headed by Ramon Arrastia Tuason, general manager.

DZRJ-AM embarks on this groundbreaking journey in alliance with The Philippine STAR, which will provide up-to-date local news content.

"It's an honor to have The Philippine STAR with us. We will certainly have fun. We will also make everybody's lives better by giving them advice and news, information and entertainment," Jacinto said.

For his part, Philippine STAR president and CEO Miguel Belmonte said: "AM radio has a huge market of listeners who are hungry for news and commentary, thus The STAR's partnership with dzRJ would surely widen our audience to include not just the reading public but followers of AM radio as well."

DZRJ 810 AM will also feature live feeds from foreign partners, BBC and Voice of America.

"Our foreign partners help to ensure that our news and public affairs content is very fair, objective and compliant with international standards," Jacinto said. "BBC told me that they were looking for a news organization that has these qualities, so that's how our programming will be: Fair, objective, constructive, and The Philippine STAR is that way, too."

DZRJ 810 AM will feature local headlines from senior anchors David Nye, Michael Williams and Neric Acosta.

A slew of other seasoned radio journalists also join the fray in anchoring public affairs programs and radio shows that focus on imparting helpful information, interesting facts and trivia, and providing entertainment that will uplift the Filipino spirit while broadcasting in English.

The station's new format will further enable both DZRJ and The Philippine STAR to contribute to the betterment and empowerment of the people by providing the public with "real-time news, all the time."

Segments from life coach experts

In addition, DZRJ 810 AM's eclectic and exciting fast-paced programming is sure to keep listeners tuned in and interested with their sprinkling of segments provided by experts and personalities from various fields who serve as life coaches to listeners. Airing throughout the day are helpful segments by lawyer Katrina Legarda of the Child Protection Network, former Marikina mayor Marides Fernando, restaurateur chef Ed Quimson, Nick Tuason of Bellaluce Productions, Lulu Tan Gan, legal eagle Lorna Kapunan, Anton San Diego of Tatler Magazine, and Billy Esposo, Mayenne Carmona, Apo Hiking Society's Jim Paredes, Mons Romulo Tantoco, Babe Romualdez, Johnny Litton and lawyer Jose Sison from The Philippine STAR stable, among others.

Live PBA, UAP broadcasts

For sports enthusiasts, the station will also feature programs that include premier leagues such as the UAAP and the PBA, and "Sports Insider Radio" hosted by Jinno Rufino and Noel Zarate.

Listeners of all ages and demographics can tune in and be delighted by the appeal of diverse content ranging from the classics to hip and trendy programs that will be the mainstays of the new DZRJ 810 AM. Old-time radio theater classics such as Superman, Green Hornet and Western Classics on radio are also sure to entertain.

Date with history

DZRJ 810 AM has a history with revolutionary episodes.

It has received many awards in recognition of the pivotal role it played in the 1986 People Power Revolution, which brought Filipinos to EDSA as June Keithley called out to the public; and broadcasting from the DZRJ AM Tower that was then located in Sta. Mesa after Radio Veritas was shut down upon orders of former President Ferdinand Marcos.

DZRJ AM came to be known as Radyo Bandido. The radio station also played an influential role during the EDSA 2 Revolution of 2001.

Reflecting on DZRJ's role in these historical episodes in the country's democratic journey, Belmonte said: "This is the perfect time to launch this partnership. President Noynoy Aquino's administration has brought about a certain air of optimism and renewed hope all over the country, especially in the business sector. We know that P-Noy is a defender of press freedom, and for our part, The Philippine STAR will always be on the side of truth and justice."

He is optimistic about the partnership. "When two highly respected leaders in their respective fields band together, only good things can happen. The partnership will greatly benefit both The STAR and DZRJ, in the service of the Filipino people," he added.

Bureau of Immigration orders review of contracts signed under Arroyo administration By Helen Flores (The Philippine Star) Updated October 04, 2010 12:00 AM Comments (0)

MANILA, Philippines – Bureau of Immigration (BI) officer-in-charge Ronaldo Ledesma has ordered the review of all contracts entered into during the previous administration, including the printing of arrival and departure (A/D) cards being distributed to international passengers, to ensure that no taxpayers' money had been used for the printing.

He said the government does not spend a single centavo for their printing of A/D cards and the supplier merely relies on the advertisements that are printed on allotted portions of the cards to generate income.

"At any rate, we are reviewing the contract to check if there are indeed irregularities as alleged by some sectors," Ledesma said in a press statement.

He said the BI, under his predecessor, entered into the contract last year with the supplier, e.Xtend Inc., for the printing of the cards.

The BI distributes the cards to airlines and immigration arrival and departure areas in the country's ports of entry for international travelers to fill up.

Ledesma said the production of the cards used to be handled by the Airline Operators Council (AOC).

President Aquino had ordered the removal of his picture from the card after he noticed his photo printed on it while he and his entourage were on their way to the United States to attend the recent United Nations General Assembly meeting. – With Rudy Santos

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PHNO-HL: NOYNOY REVIEWING PLAN VS JUETENG

NOYNOY REVIEWING PLAN VS JUETENG

MANILA, OCTOBER 4, 2010 (STAR) - President Aquino remains mum on what he intends to do with Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Undersecretary Rico Puno but said yesterday that he has already received the comprehensive plan on how to eradicate jueteng.

Puno drew flak for the bungled negotiations during the Aug. 23 hostage crisis and was accused of receiving bribe money from jueteng operations.

The President said he would give Puno due process amid calls to sack him. The undersecretary, on the other hand, had expressed his readiness to submit his courtesy resignation if he has become a burden to the administration.

The President said Puno had just arrived from Vietnam on an official business trip and they had not talked.

Mr. Aquino said he talked with DILG Secretary Jesse Robredo Friday night about the government's move to stamp out the illegal numbers game.

"We don't want to deal with the problem by parts, we want to address the whole of it," the President said in an ambush interview.

Mr. Aquino said he would review the plan and study how it could be implemented.

Earlier, the President said he would not arrest bet collectors just to show that his government was doing something to stop jueteng. He said he wanted the big-time jueteng lords to fall through comprehensive measures.

Mr. Aquino also said that he had not yet spoken with his cousin, businessman Antonio Cojuangco, who had reportedly asked retired Archbishop Oscar Cruz to go easy with his jueteng exposés because it was hurting the administration.

Cojuangco denied Cruz's claim and said the list of those allegedly receiving jueteng bribes was unsubstantiated and should not be given credence.

Mr. Aquino said his cousin was with him on his recent trip to the United States but they were not able to talk.

STL 'legalizes' jueteng

Meanwhile, Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez said yesterday that the move to legalize jueteng will not prosper because its operations has already been legalized with the introduction of the Small Town Lottery (STL) in some parts of the country.

Rodriguez told reporters during the weekly Kapihan sa Sulo news forum that the operators of STL also operate jueteng.

In fact, he said, STL has replicated the "payola system" adopted by jueteng lords by paying certain amount to mayors, congressmen, governors and top police officials to operate in local government units.

"STL has actually legalized bribery," Rodriguez said.

He emphasized that local government officials who allow the operation of STL are given certain percentage of the sale of the number games.

He said jueteng lords who were given STL franchises continue their operations and their collectors are using official STL employee ID cards issued by the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO).

Rodriguez said the STL has practically shielded the jueteng operators from being arrested by the police because they are operating legally. - Aurea Calica, Perseus Echeminada

RP hosts Asean+3 leaders' meet By Michael Punongbayan (The Philippine Star) Updated October 04, 2010 12:00 AM Comments (0)

MANILA, Philippines – Business leaders from member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) plus three partner countries – China, Japan and the Republic of Korea – are set to meet in the Philippines this week to discuss strategies on sustainable production and consumption as an emerging new trend of doing business globally.

Scheduled on Oct. 6 to 7, 2010 at the Bayview Park Hotel in Manila, the two-day conference organized by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the United Nations University Institute of Advanced Studies, the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity and the ASEAN Secretariat is designed to equip business and industry leaders with the necessary knowledge, skills and tools in addressing the issue of sustainable production and consumption.

Environment Secretary Ramon Paje explained that the trend now is to "do more with less" which is why several companies in the Philippines have started to review and implement changes on how they can use water, energy and raw materials more efficiently.

"Sustainable production and consumption is a challenge for government, industries and the business sector to promote and come up with better products and services that are cleaner and more efficient. The Philippines has always been committed to pursue sustainable development, and this conference will help the country take steady steps towards sustainability," he said.

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PHNO-HL: NOYNOY SEEKS DIALOGUE WITH CATHOLIC BISHOPS

NOYNOY SEEKS DIALOGUE WITH CATHOLIC BISHOPS

[PHOTO AT LEFT - Pro-life advocates make known their stand against the Reproductive Health bill during a rally in front of the Quiapo Church in Manila yesterday.]

MANILA, OCTOBER 4, 2010 (STAR) By Aurea Calica -- President Aquino is seeking a dialogue with Catholic bishops and other religious leaders on the Reproductive Health (RH) bill even as he stands firm on his position that Filipino couples must be free to choose the way to manage their families but must exercise responsible parenthood.

"The state has an obligation to educate all of its citizens as to their choices. The state was not empowered by any law to dictate upon any couple how they should plan their family," Mr. Aquino told reporters in an ambush interview at the President Corazon C. Aquino High School in Baseco, Tondo where he distributed Philippine Health Insurance cards to residents.

Many Catholic bishops have criticized the decision of the government to distribute contraceptives and educate couples both on artificial and natural birth control methods.

Some Muslim religious leaders have also voiced opposition to a state-sanctioned family planning program stipulated in the RH bill. The issue came to a head when some influential bishops even threatened to call for civil disobedience to compel the President to soften his stand.

Mr. Aquino said that while he has not yet closely examined the new RH bill, "my stand has not changed" since the campaign.

But he said his and the bishops' opposing views on family planning might only have been blown out of proportion. He disclosed he had met with a few bishops for a dialogue and would set another one with as many of them as possible.

"This issue is really inflammatory. But I suppose that if we are really looking for order and a so-called consensus by having the respective positions clarified, why shouldn't we achieve that?" he said.

Mr. Aquino said that when he was still a lawmaker and also during the campaign, he had batted for changes in some of the provisions of the RH bill. He also stressed he was against abortion.

The Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) said that while Mr. Aquino's stand on the issue had angered some prelates, it had not given up on dialogue as a means to resolve the issue.

Mr. Aquino said the details of the proposed dialogue with the bishops were still being worked out.

Bill's prospect bright

Despite the Catholic Church's stand, House Minority Leader Edcel Lagman said he expects the RH bill to finally breeze through both chambers of Congress, considering the strong support it enjoys from Mr. Aquino and the House leadership.

"The support of President Aquino and Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. ensures the early passage of the RH bill," Lagman told reporters during the weekly Kapihan sa Sulo Hotel forum in Quezon City.

Lagman is the principal author of the re-filed version of House Bill 96 also known as the "Reproductive Health and Population Development Act of 2010."

The House minority leader said Mr. Aquino's firm stand on the RH bill would be one of the issues that they would consider in assessing his first 100 days in office.

"It (RH bill support) will mitigate the initial setback of the Aquino administration," he said.

Lagman also appealed to the Catholic Church to focus on saving souls and leave the task of saving the lives of women and children in the country to the government.

He said that when the first version of the RH bill was filed in the 11th Congress in 1999, the population of the Philippines was only 75 million. The Philippines is now the 12th most populous country in the world with a population of 94.3 million. He said that in a decade, the country's annual population growth has averaged two million.

"It must be underscored, however, that reproductive health goes beyond a demographic target because it is principally about the right to health and sustainable human development," Lagman said.

He said the bill's beneficiaries are the poorest of the poor, particularly women.

"The heart of the bill is freedom of informed choice. Neither the state nor the Church has the authority to compel the people or the faithful what family planning method to adopt. The choice belongs to parents, couples, particularly to women who have the inherent right over the their bodies," Lagman said.

Condoms or incentives

Instead of giving condoms and contraceptives to married couples, why not give them incentives to plan small families?

Eastern Samar Rep. Ben Evardone made the suggestion yesterday to "reframe" the acrimonious debate on reproductive health and population control.

He said instead of enacting a law on population management and angering the Catholic Church, Congress could give incentives to parents with no more than four children.

"These could be in the form of an income tax discount or free education in a state college or university for some or all of the children," he said.

"We could come up with a menu of other offers that could encourage couples to have small families. Anchoring an acceptable or middle-ground policy on population control based on incentives may not entirely please the bishops, but it is a good starting point, a fresh approach," he said.

Earlier, Davao City Rep. Karlo Nograles said there is no need for a law on reproductive health to control the country's population.

"Why do we have to legislate population management when in fact, even without it, our people have always been free to do what they think is best for their family? I think it's best that we just leave it that way and let our people choose what they want," he said.

"It's not illegal to use condom so why waste time and people's money just to make a law that encourages the use of condom? It doesn't make sense," he said.

He said such a law, if enacted, would only enrich manufacturers of condom and other contraceptives.

Nograles lamented that the reproductive health issue has unnecessarily involved not only Congress but the entire nation as well.

He called discussions in the House of Representatives on the RH bill a waste of time.

He said Belmonte himself, even if he is for reproductive health, is not sure about the result of any vote on the RH bill.

"He promised to have it discussed extensively and voted on, but that he would leave the matter to everyone's conscience," he added.

He warned RH bill proponents not to underestimate the power and influence of the Catholic Church in lobbying against the measure.

He noted that even though the majority of House members supported the bill in the last Congress, many of them wilted under pressure from Church leaders and Church-based organizations.

Nograles' father, former Speaker Prospero Nograles, had tried but inexplicably failed to have the RH bill debated in the plenary.

In September last year, he even wrote a confidential memo to House leaders setting a timetable for plenary discussions and voting.

In the final debate, only three speakers on each side would be allowed, and then the voting. Nograles' plan did not materialize.

Miriam's appeal

Meanwhile, Sen. Miriam Santiago has appealed to CBCP president Bishop Nereo Odchimar to "discard excommunication as a response to reproductive health bills pending in Congress."

"If I were to be excommunicated, I would be expelled from the Church, more particularly from the Eucharist. I would thus be placed in the same category as those guilty of so-called serious sins, such as apostasy, murder, heresy, and adultery," Santiago said in a letter to Odchimar dated Oct.1.

Earlier, Odchimar was quoted in news reports as having threatened Mr. Aquino with excommunication for his "pro-choice" stand. The CBCP later clarified that it has never issued such a threat.

"I plead that I am not guilty of mortal sin, defined in our Church as a fundamental rejection of God, and the reorientation of one's whole life away from all that is good and just. On the contrary, I am a strong advocate of social justice, particularly the anticorruption crusade," Santiago said.

"May I respectfully submit that the penalty of excommunication for pro-RH (reproductive health) legislators, who are merely exercising the preferential option for the poor under liberation theology, would be too extreme and disproportionate. It will raise constitutional issues about church-state relationship," she added.

She also said that she is "humbly but morally convinced that the arguments for contraception are superior." - With Perseus Echeminada and Jess Diaz

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PHNO-HL: SENATORS PUSH FOR DEBATES ON REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH BILL

SENATORS PUSH FOR DEBATES ON REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH BILL

[PHOTO AT LEFT - ADVOCACY (DSWP): "The Reproductive Health Bill is not about sex, religion, condoms and pills." said Larah Lagman at the recently held Reproductive Health (RH) Bill Orientation organized the Democratic Socialist Women of the Philippines (DSWP). "It is primarily about rights, health and sustainable human development."]

MANILA, OCTOBER 4, 2010 (STAR) By Christina Mendez – Three senators called yesterday for debates in Congress on the Reproductive Health (RH) Bill.

Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile said it's time to open the debates, although the RH Bill requires further study and soul-searching.

"I guess it's better that this matter will be brought out into the open and discussed publicly and openly without inordinate passion about it, it must be an open minded discussion by all sectors of society," he said.

Enrile allayed fears that the RH bill would encourage women to resort to abortion.

"Whether the State or the Church is concerned the issue of abortion will not be allowed," he said.

"I don't think this will be allowed openly or publicly. It's a fact prohibited by law so the state has a policy against destruction of life in whatever stages, that is a common ground between the church and the state. The problem arises when you cross over a deliberate policy to reduce population, what if it becomes a sensitive issue on both sides for those who are in favor and for those who are against."

Sen. Edgardo Angara said the threat of excommunication against President Aquino was an attempt to stop the debates on the RH Bill.

The Church's action was against Catholic teaching which encourages debate over its doctrines, Angara said.

He described as a "sign of intolerance" and anti-God the calls to excommunicate people who would like to express their views on the RH Bill.

Sen. Joker Arroyo warned Catholic bishops against pushing hard their campaign against the RH Bill.

"Their strategy might boomerang on them, supposing they will fight it tooth and nail, and this bill is passed," he said.

"This means that it will be known that their flock is no longer solid and not following them. Whether it's worth the fight, because the very Catholic countries from Ireland, Spain, Italy to France, already have these kind of laws."

Arroyo urged all sectors, especially the Catholic Church, to participate in public hearings in Congress on the RH Bill.

"The bill is pending in the House and the Senate, once the hearings start, they can lobby against it," he said.

"Should it be that they will go over the head of the Senate, they will go over the head of the House, and go directly to the President and hope that the President will tell the Senate and the House not to allow RH bills to pass. That's off limits."

Arroyo said the Catholic Church wants the easy way.

"Of course, the legislators do not want to be bypassed," he said.

Arroyo said President Manuel L. Quezon also clashed with the Catholic Church in 1938 when he vetoed a bill seeking compulsory religious education in schools.

In the 1950s, the State and the Catholic Church were also on a collision course during the deliberations on the compulsory inclusion of the "Noli Me Tangere" and "El Filibusterismo" into the school curriculum, he added.

War chest for contraceptives

President Aquino has a P1-billion war chest tucked in next year's proposed P1.64-trillion national budget for the purchase of contraceptives and to implement the administration's population management program without waiting for Congress to pass the Reproductive Health (RH) Bill, a lawmaker said yesterday.

Zambales Rep. Milagros Magsaysay urged Congress to attach strict controls on the 2011 General Appropriations Bill since Mr. Aquino can "ignore the RH Bill debates" and order public health facilities to dispense pills and condoms as early as January next year.

"Malacañang has a P1 billion war chest of transforming government clinics into groceries of pills and condoms," she said.

Magsaysay said the Department of Health's billion-peso budget for "family health and family planning" might be used solely for contraceptives through a presidential order.

"The belief that you need an RH law for government clinics to start giving out condoms and pills is a myth," she said.

"It can be quietly done through appropriation. If Congress cannot give birth to an RH law, then Noynoy can father an illegitimate offspring through administrative conception.

"With money authorized by Congress in the national budget, Noynoy can just order the DOH to stock clinics with contraceptives and you have the de facto implementation of the RH law."

Magsaysay said Aquino can order the mass purchase of pills and condoms because these are not banned, regulated or restricted in the proposed national budget.

"(The Aquino administration will) short-circuit the process and take the administrative route (because the RH bill) faces stiff resistance across party lines, and in both houses of Congress," she said.

"Remember this is the most expensively lobbied bill in Congress and despite almost a billion pesos spent by its foreign backers in pushing for it, it never had a breakthrough in the past 23 years."

Magsaysay said Catholic bishops might be lulled into thinking that the RH bill is the battleground.

"It (battleground) is actually the presidency," she said.

"(Mr. Arroyo) can bypass Congress and the cottage industry around the RH bill and create an RH regime through a series of executive orders.

"The big question now is will he restrain himself from exercising his executive prerogatives and let Congress frame the policy?"

Aquino urged to visit poor communities in Tondo

A women's rights group urged Mr. Aquino yesterday to visit poor communities in Tondo, Manila to see for himself mothers die due to closely spaced and multiple pregnancies.

Clara Rita Padilla, EnGenderRights executive director, said pregnancy-related deaths are due to lack of a government reproductive health program.

"Good governance dictates that P-Noy should not dialogue with the Catholic bishops on the government's policy on reproductive health," she said.

"The bishops are unjustifiably against modern contraceptives when it is the poor, the majority of the Philippine population, who would most benefit from the government's support for increased access to modern contraceptive information, supplies, and services."

Many children from big families in poor areas stopped schooling to earn money so they can help feed their siblings, Padilla said.

Mr. Aquino is seeking a dialogue with Catholic bishops and other religious leaders on the RH Bill.

Meanwhile, Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines secretary-general Monsignor Juanito Figura said the CBCP has not received an invitation from the Office of the President as of yesterday. – With Paolo Romero, Helen Flores

Head of CBCP Clears Statement of P-Noy Being ExcommunicatedManila : Philippines | Oct 01, 2010 By ken_nic2009 FROM 'ALL-VOICES.COM'

Amid the controversy of the RH bill, the head of the Catholic Bishop's Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) has insisted that his statement about President Benigno Aquino III being excommunicated went overboard since it was taken out of context.

According to Bishop Nereo Odchimar of Tandag, Surigao del Sur, his interview on church-owned Radio Veritas tackled on some forms of birth control that could be considered as abortion. He said that Abortion is a ground for excommunication from the Catholic church, but the move will have to depend on other factors. He claimed that he did not specifically pointed Aquino to be excommunicated.

"He [Aquino] must consider the position of the Catholic Church because we are approaching these issues from the moral aspect like the unborn. Abortion is a grave crime. Excommunication is attached to it. That is an issue of gravity, that is a violation of God's commandment," the bishop said during the radio interview. "As a matter of fact, excommunication is attached to those who commit abortion," he added.

Meanwhile, the President is supporting contraceptive use.

The president said he has not changed his position to provide couples an informed choice in planning their families despite the excommunication threat. "We are all guided by our consciences," Aquino said in a statement.

"The state's duty is to educate our families as to their responsibilities and to respect their decisions if they are in conformity to our laws." Odchimar invited the President to hold a dialogue with the Catholic Church.

For Bishop Arturo Bastes of Sorsogon, Odchimar's statement was a personal opinion and it does not not mean it reflects the CBCP's official stand on the issue. Excommunication declaration will be decided only by Manila Archbishop Gaudencio Cardinal Rosales, said Bastes.

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PHNO-HL: NEW MIGRANT WORKER'S LAW MAY FORCE RP TO STOP DEPLOYMENT OF OFWs

NEW MIGRANT WORKER'S LAW MAY FORCE RP TO STOP DEPLOYMENT OF OFWs

MANILA, OCTOBER 4, 2010 (STAR) By Mayen Jaymalin – The Philippines may be forced to stop the deployment of household workers (HSWs) abroad early next year as a result of the new migrant workers law, a ranking official of the Department of Foreign Affairs said recently.

Foreign Affairs undersecretary Esteban Conejos admitted that many countries hiring Filipino household workers and other skilled workers are having difficulty complying with the provisions of the new law.

Conejos said under the new migrant workers law, the deployment of household workers is only allowed in countries with existing bilateral agreement with the Philippines or mandated certification from the DFA.

However, Conejos said a number of countries hiring these workers are unlikely to comply with the certification requirement of the government.

To address the problem, Conejos said the government is even considering "quality certification" or certification by skill, thus eliminating the vulnerable sectors.

"We are trying to be optimistic about this, but considering the historical evidence, we might not be so confident with respect to certain sectors. Ironically, the sector (vulnerable sector) that Congress wanted to protect with this amendment might just be the sector that would be stripped of formal protection," Conejos explained.

He added that restriction in deployment may also trigger a rise in illegal deployment of HSWs.

Meanwhile, the recruitment industry warned against the imposition of a ban in the deployment of HSWs abroad.

Recruitment leader Lito Soriano said stopping the deployment of HSWs might result in a backlash from foreign countries which may exert economic and political pressure on the Philippines.

Labor Undersecretary Hans Cacdac, however, maintained that the Philippine government has no plans yet to ban the deployment of HSWs abroad.

Migrant labour law finalised Wednesday, 15 September 2010 21:24 Chhay Channyda and Brooke Lewis .
FROM <The Phnom Penh Post>

[Photo at left by: Sovan Philong Heng Bunnarin, 27, describes conditions of her employment in Malaysia during a press conference on issues confronting migrant workers on Tuesday. A DRAFT sub-decree designed to protect migrant workers and better regulate the labour recruitment industry has been finalised, a Labour Ministry official announced yesterday.]

Speaking at a workshop in the capital that focused on strengthening migrant workers' rights in the ASEAN region, Nhem Kimhuoy said Labour Minister Vong Soth had recently signed the sub-decree, which he said improved and expanded on regulations first introduced in 1995.

"We have to protect migrant workers like other workers," he said. "This afternoon, I will send a sub-decree that helps to promote workers' rights to the Council of Ministers."

Though he did not spell out all of the sub-decree's stipulations, he said it would require recruitment companies to deposit US$100,000 with the ministry that could be used to assist workers sent abroad "when problems occurred".

The workshop, which was attended by government officials and representatives of about 20 NGOs, came one day after the rights group Adhoc said it had received 28 complaints from women who claimed to have been abused while working as domestic servants in Malaysia, a figure that activists said marked a sharp increase over previous years.

The workers said they had experienced violence, poor working and living conditions, and illegal detention.

Raja Saifful Ridzuwan, minister counsellor at the Malaysian embassy in Phnom Penh, said yesterday that he had been "very surprised" to hear of the complaints.

"Reports of abuse of Cambodian workers in Malaysia is quite new to us," and Malaysian officials would investigate the issue, he said. "We are not taking this matter lightly.". He said the embassy intended to find ways to work with Cambodian recruitment agencies to ensure that migrant workers were informed of their rights before leaving their home country, and that they were informed about ways they could seek help while abroad.

"They need to be aware that when they are in Malaysia they are not alien to the country, they can always find assistance in many ways if they have a problem. If not to their embassy in Kuala Lumpur, they can always go to the local authorities in Malaysia, either the police or the immigration, or the ministry itself in charge of the workers," he said. He added that there were also many outside organisations doing a "good job of assisting" migrant workers.

He said the number of Cambodian workers in Malaysia had increased this year compared to previous years, though he did not have exact figures at hand. "Every month we receive quite a big number of applications from Cambodian workers to Malaysia," he said. "Most of them are domestic aids."

He said there was a high demand for migrant workers in the domestic aid sector, and that the Malaysian government was committed to protecting those employed in it. "They are contributing something to the country, so of course we have to take care of them," he said.

Nhem Kimhuoy said yesterday that migrant workers were important contributors to the Kingdom's economic growth, and that the new sub-decree was a sign that the Cambodian government, too, was committed to protecting them.

Cambodian workers can earn up to $300 per month in Thailand and Malaysia, or $200 per month in Korea, and remit a total of about US$300 million annually, he said.

Portions of the new sub-decree published in a local newspaper last month stated that recruitment firms would be prohibited from detaining trainees or loaning them money. Nhem Kimhuoy said yesterday that he expected the sub-decree to be approved by government "at the end of this year or early next year".

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PHNO-HL: MIGRANTE MILITANT GROUP: NEW MIGRANT WORKER`S LAW IS ANTI-OFWs

MIGRANTE MILITANT GROUP: NEW MIGRANT WORKER`S LAW IS ANTI-OFWs

MANILA, OCTOBER 4, 2010 (STAR) By Dennis Carcamo - Migrante, a group of Filipino migrant workers, today said the newly amended law will only intensify the exportation of human labor in the country.

Migrante Middle East regional coordinator John Leonard Monterona said the Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipino Act or Republic Act 10022 further institutionalizes the goverment's labor export program but does not protect the welfare of the OFWs.

RA 10022 lapsed into law last Mar. 8 without President Arroyo signing it.

Monterona said RA 10022 is an anti-OFW, claiming that it allows the government to impose additional state exactions and fees that will bleed OFWs dry of their earnings.

"The amended law will also absolve employers and recruiters from their accountability to OFWs' well-being, rights and welfare which the government passed to them," Monterona said.

Monterona noted that with the passage of RA 10022, the government totally abandons its primary duty and responsibility in taking care of the well-being, rights and welfare of deployed OFWs into the hands of profiteering recruitment agencies, local and overseas.

He cited that the government exports labor force reaches a total of nearly one million a year.

The group has long been pushing for the scrapping of the labor export program, suggesting that the government should instead focus on domestic job generation.

EARLIER NEWS FROM ALL-VOICES.COM

Filipino migrant rights group scores Philippine Pres.Aquino on speculative jobs announcement he would bring home from US trip

Riyadh : Saudi Arabia | Sep 26, 2010 By JohnLeonardMonterona - Filipino migrant rights group scores Philippine Pres.Aquino on speculative jobs announcement he would bring home from US trip.

An alliance of Filipino migrant rights group in the Middle East today scores President Benigno Simeon Aquino III when it announced that he would be coming home with more than 10,000 jobs for Filipinos, the group said 'what the unemployed Filipinos want are real decent jobs'.

Yesterday, the President was in San Jose, California, USA for scheduled meetings with businessmen and investors to lure them to invest in the Philippines.

According to news reports, HP signed a letter of intent to expand its operations in the Philippines. "P-Noy is like counting eggs but not yet hatched, these speculative jobs he said he would be bringing when he returns home is based on a letter of intent to expand the operation of multinational or transnational corporation is nothing but speculations or a mere intent until these TNCs and MNCs have opened its own infrastructures in the Philippines," said John Leonard Monterona, Migrante-Middle East regional coordinator.

With this 10,000+ speculative jobs announcement, Monterona said the President should not be giving false hope to the millions of unemployed Filipinos. Monterona said if for instance the 10,000+ jobs would materialized, what would the unemployed Filipinos expect from these jobs - "Contractual, below the minimum wage, no enough benefits and compensation," he averred.

Monterona claimed dependency of the local economy on foreign investments under the neo-liberal policies of globalization (liberalization, privatization, and deregulation) would only bring more mayhem worst than typhoons Peping and Ondoy devastating not only the socio-economic well beings of the Filipinos but as well as their children's future.

"The selfish interests of foreign investors are contrary to the interests of the working people, thus they would not give just wages and better compensation package and benefits for its hired workers; they would always tend to alienate our Filipino workers own labor in order to amass profits," Monterona averred.

Monterona further said real economic development would only happen under a just and well-planned economic system, only after a nation-wide genuine distribution of land to the farmers and nationalization of the basic industries, which will serve as a well-built backbone of the Philippine economy. "It is sad to note that like previous administrations, the Aquino government is also following the path and dictates of an exploitative capitalist economic system of Imperialist states headed by the US. Under the Aquino regime, no real development will happen," Monterona ended.

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PHNO-PESO CURRENCY EXCHANGE Monday October 4, 2010

PHNO-PESO CURRENCY EXCHANGE
Monday October 4, 2010 7:01 a.m. EST
www.yahoo.com/finance

P1=US43.62, Can42.78, UK69.18, SA11.65, YEN 0.52, HK5.63, EUR59.93

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PHNO-HL: Breaking News from the ProfessionalHeckler at Wordpress: AQUINO'S FIRST 100 DAYS

[Disclaimer: PHNO has the right to cull and deliver headline breaking
news in its task of providing free headline news from the Philippines
to PHNO subscribers; however, PHNO does not endorse any news
report and responsibility of all news reports are carried by the news sources.
PHNO merely SHAREs infonews where the news is called for to be Shared and
Emailed forward]

PRESIDENT NOY AQUINO'S FIRST 100 DAYS
FROM http://professionalheckler.wordpress.com/2010/10/03/100/
[This blog presents metaphorical and satirical targets on any headline issue
in Philippine politics and administration-PHNO]

June 30:
- Experienced the longest limousine ride of his life with his former economics teacher
- Took his oath of office
- Declared war against the "wangwang"
- Committed his first ever mistake: the issuance of the confusing Memorandum Circular No. 1
- Sang a pitchy version of "Estudyante Blues" at a street party

July 1:
- Re-issued the "fine-tuned" Memorandum Circular No. 1
- Palace spokesman argued with reporters and refused to call it a "boo-boo"
Whatevs!

July 4:
- Did some target shooting in Antipolo City with his future brother-in-law Junjun Binay

July 9:
- Appointed Jesse Robredo as secretary of "DILG" but failed to inform the public that Robredo would be in charge only of the LG leaving the DI to another shooting buddy

July 13:
- Partied with the Malacañang Press Corps
- Sang a song and scored 85. Outside, a heavy downpour.
- Sang another song, scored 78. Outside, strong winds blew from the northeast.
- Typhoon Basyang hit Metro Manila

July 14:
- Stormed the NDCC office and reprimanded PAGASA for its "failure" to accurately predict the path of Typhoon Basyang
- Went back to the palace, logged on to Facebook and deleted from his list of friends PAGASA chief Prisco Nilo

July 22:
- While angry mobs busted pipes; schools suspended classes, and people fought over a pail of water, government announced that there was 'no water crisis'

July 26:
- Played safe in his first State of the Nation Address: no major promises
- Admitted that the government was almost bankrupt and blamed the Arroyo administration
- Exposed the excesses of MWSS executives

July 27:
- Played fair. Announced the appointment of Balay Group's Ricky Carandang and Samar Group's Herminio Coloma to the Presidential Communications Group

July 31:
- In agony, watched his sister Kris as she announced on TV her admiration for Junjun Binay
- Phoned Junjun Binay and apologized for her sister's usual behavior

August 6:
- To everyone's surprise, fired Dr. Prisco Nilo of PAGASA

August 23:
- Hostage crisis happened
- Performed a disappearing act
- Isko Moreno took over.

August 24:
- Re-appeared on TV shortly after midnight and answered questions on the hostage crisis
- Smiled during the press con

August 26:
- Censored his Facebook Like Page following a barrage of angry, racist, and obscene comments from Hong Kong Chinese nationals, and Filipinos as well
- Dr. Prisco Nilo clicked "Unlike"

August 27:
- An intoxicated Little President reportedly spotted at the Manila Peninsula lobby with a has-been singer-actress

August 31:
- Welcomed Miss Universe 4th Runner Up Maria Venus Raj to Malacañang

September 1:
- Palace spokesman denied existence of factions in Cabinet
Peks man? Cross your heart and hope to die?

September 3:
- Without a single official taking responsibility for the botched hostage rescue, he apologized (11 days after the incident); saving everyone's asses in the process

September 7:
- Revealed differences with Jesse Robredo (We knew it!)
- Enrico Puno's popularity (or infamy) surged

September 9:
- No holds barred interview with three generations of TV news anchors: Mel Tiangco, Ted Failon and Paolo Bediones
- Foolishly admitted on live TV that he received an insulting letter from Hong Kong
What were you thinking?!

September 13:
- Sworn in members of the so-called "Truth Commission"
Isang malaking good luck!

September 13:
- Ordered the PNP and the DILG to eradicate jueteng, and then declared: "Tapos na ang maliligayang araw nila!"
Isa pang malaking good luck!

September 14:
- Challenged Archbishop Emeritus Oscar Cruz to name his two trusted aides who were allegedly receiving jueteng payola
- Vowed to penalize the two aides. His exact words: "Pasensiyahan tayo, walang awang mangyayari!"

September 17
- Received a copy of the IIRC Report on the hostage crisis
- Released the full report to the Chinese
- Released a portion of the report to the Filipinos

September 20
- Left for the United States with BFF Mar Roxas

September 21:
- Archbishop Oscar Cruz identified the president's shooting buddy Enrico Puno and former PNP chief Jesus Versoza as "ultimate recipients" of jueteng payola
- Archbishop Cruz revealed "'Yong asawa ni Barretto" visited and ordered him to "go easy" on the president's shooting buddy

September 23:
- Spent $54 on hotdogs on a New York sidewalk with BFF Mar Roxas and another Balay Group member Cesar Purisima,

September 24:
- Told the press he would not sack Enrico Puno (See September 14 entry; second line)… because the man is entitled to "due process" (See August 6 entry)

September 24:
- "Yong asawa ni Barretto" denied telling Archbishop Cruz to "go easy" on the President's shooting buddy; lectured the media on news gathering and reporting

September 25:
- Spent seven minutes with Barack Obama
First world leaders get 15 minutes

September 25:
- Lito Lapid filed a bill limiting the weight of children's bag

September 28:
- Returned to the Philippines with US$2.4 billion new investments
- Distributed a bar of chocolate each to his sisters, and a "secret gift" (read: wala) to his girlfriend

September 29:
- Shalani Soledad denied rumored breakup with the President
(May alam kami.)

September 30:
- (Almost) excommunicated!
('Di pa man nakakasal, excommunicated na. Patay tayo d'yan!)

October 1:
- Palace spokesman gave the Aquino administration a passing mark for its first three months in office
(Love your own!)

The honeymoon period is done.
100 days are gone.
2,090 days to go.
2016: Are we there yet?

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PHNO-HL:Breaking news from Saudi Gazette:

100 OFWs to shave heads for Aquino's 1st 100 days
From the Saudi gazette

MANILA: On the eve of President Benigno Aquino III first 100 days in office this week, at least 100 overseas Filipino workers in Saudi Arabia will shave their heads in protest of his administration's decision to slash the legal assistance fund for migrant workers.

n Radio dzBB's Carlo Mateo reported Sunday that OFWs in Al-Khobar and Riyadh will shave their heads Oct. 7, the eve of Aquino's 100th day in office. The president assumed office on June 30 marked by an inaugural at the Quirino Grandstand in Manila's Rizal Park.

n The Department of Foreign Affairs is helping some 7,000 Filipinos jailed around the world, with 230 involving the death sentence.

n For the 2011, the Department of Budget and Management has cut the DFA's budget proposal by 42.6 percent.

n Last month, Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo said the Aquino administration approved only P27 million in legal assistance fund or LAF.

n The DFA originally requested P19 billion for its 2011 operations, but the DBM only approved P10.9 billion. —GMANews.TV __

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PHNO-Breaking news from the Inquirer: AQUINO SEES HIS FIRST 10 0DAYS THROUGH A GLASS HALF-FULL

AQUINO SEES HIS FIRST 10 0DAYS THROUGH A GLASS HALF-FULL

Aquino (UPDATE) Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 21:46:00 10/02/2010

THE COUNTRY'S first bachelor president will mark his first 100 days in office next Friday with a mix of early accomplishments and some serious setbacks attributed by detractors to inexperience and inefficiency.
But President Benigno Aquino III prefers to look at the proverbial glass as "half-full" rather than "half-empty."

"There are really some people whose purpose in life is to always see the glass as half-empty and who no longer see that it is also half-full," he said in Filipino in an ambush interview with reporters in Tondo, Manila.

"But perhaps, I will just be tolerant. To me, as long as the people see and appreciate what we are doing, which is for the majority, I'm content."

Catching 'big fishes'

Aquino, who was catapulted to power on the strength of high trust ratings and expectations, rattled off a number of what he called "changes" in government after he assumed office on June 30.

He cited the campaign against tax evaders where the Bureau of Internal Revenue and the Bureau of Customs took turns every week in filing cases against the so-called "big fishes."

Last month, the BOC filed a case against three oil company executives for allegedly defrauding the government P700 million in unpaid taxes six years ago.

Two months earlier, the Department of Finance and the BIR sued William Villarica, owner of Villarica pawnshops, for not filing income tax returns from 1998 to 2009.

Villarica declared an aggregate payment of only P25,600 even if he allegedly owned several sports cars.

The President also cited as an accomplishment the suspension of questionable bonuses and other perks received by board members of government-owned and -controlled corporations (GOCCs).

"There are actually a lot of things that we will point out in our 100-day report," he said.

Presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda on Friday said the President deserved a grade above the passing mark for his performance within his first 100 days in office.

Sidelined a bit

"I would like to say we are sidelined a bit by the [Incident Investigation and Review Committee], but we are on track," Lacierda said in a press briefing.

He was referring to the August 23 hostage crisis, which was apparently mishandled by local authorities and which left eight Hong Kong tourists and the hostage-taker dead.
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 21:46:00 10/02/2010

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PHNO-Breaking News from GMANEWS TV: Palace: 100 days ratings a 'non-issue' with Aquino

Palace: 100 days ratings a 'non-issue' with Aquino
10/04/2010 | 06:18 PM
JAM L. SISANTE, GMANews.TV

President Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III will continue performing his duties as he sees fit regardless of what critics may say of his performance during his first 100 days in office, Malacañang said Monday.

Presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda made the statement after some leftist groups and political analysts said Aquino did not perform very well as chief executive during his first 100 days, which will be marked later in the week.

"He will do his job regardless of what other people feel, regardless of what the pundits say," Lacierda said. "It's a non-issue for him."

"Tungkulin po niya magbigay ng serbisyo sa ating taong bayan. Gagawin po niya lahat ng kanyang makakaya [para] gampanan ang kanyang trabaho bilang pangulo (His job is to serve the public. He will do everything he can to fulfill his role as president)," he added.

Lacierda said he does not want to make presumptions on what has been the biggest challenge to the Aquino administration so far, but said the biggest difference has been the "change of attitude of people towards the government."

"We have a government that has been transparent," he said.

Lacierda said the administration is also "on track" towards achieving its goals of combating poverty and corruption through the constant filing of tax evasion cases, cutting the excessive benefits of government owned and controlled corporations, and allotting a bigger budget to social services, among others.

Lacierda said that while it may be difficult for the public to forget about the August 23 hostage crisis which the Aquino administration is accused of handling poorly, the public will see in the long run that the Aquino administration is committed to fulfilling its promises.

The Communist Party of the Philippines and Bagong Alyansang Makabayan earlier gave Aquino poor scores for his first 100 days, claiming that Aquino has done little to curb incidences of extrajudicial killings in the country.

Aquino himself said over the weekend that what is important to him is that ordinary Filipinos see and appreciate the "reforms" he has so far put in place.

"Sabi nga nung iba, half-full and half-empty. Eh meron talagang iba na ang pakay nila sa buhay ay parating tumingin doon sa half-empty, hindi na ho nila makikita yung part na half-full. Siguro pagpapasensyahan ko na sila. Sa akin ho, basta nakikita ng taumbayan yung talagang ginagawa natin para sa nakararami parati at palagay ko na-a-appreciate naman nila, ako ay kuntento na," Aquino said during the government health insurance registration launching in Manila last Saturday.

(Some people just insist on seeing the glass as half-empty and never half-full. I will just forgive them. To me, what matters is that people see what my administration has done so far. If they appreciate these reforms, I will be content.) — RSJ, GMANews.TV

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PH Headline News Online

PHNO-HT&OPINION: OPINION: GOD HELPS THOSE WHO HELP THEMSELVES!

PHNO-NC: PALACE EXPLAINS AQUINO`S STAND ON THE RH BILL

PHNO-HL: DZRJ JOINS FORCES W/ PHILSTAR: ALL-ENGLISH AM RADIO STATION LAUNCHED

PHNO-HL: NOYNOY REVIEWING PLAN VS JUETENG

PHNO-HL: NOYNOY SEEKS DIALOGUE WITH CATHOLIC BISHOPS

PHNO-HL: SENATORS PUSH FOR DEBATES ON REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH BILL

PHNO-HL: NEW MIGRANT WORKER'S LAW MAY FORCE RP TO STOP DEPLOYMENT OF OFWs

PHNO-HL: MIGRANTE MILITANT GROUP: NEW MIGRANT WORKER`S LAW IS ANTI-OFWs

PHNO-PESO CURRENCY EXCHANGE Monday October 4, 2010

PHNO-HL: Breaking News from the ProfessionalHeckler at Wordpress: AQUINO'S FIRST 100 DAYS

PHNO-HL:Breaking news from Saudi Gazette:

PHNO-Breaking news from the Inquirer: AQUINO SEES HIS FIRST 10 0DAYS THROUGH A GLASS HALF-FULL

PHNO-Breaking News from GMANEWS TV: Palace: 100 days ratings a 'non-issue' with Aquino

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