Loren says NY property listed in her SALN By Christina Mendez (The Philippine Star) | Updated

MANILA, Philippines - Sen. Loren Legarda disputed yesterday allegations that she failed to declare a property in New York in her latest Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Networth (SALN).

“It’s political season and I have survived to answer clearly all the black propaganda hurled against me,” she said.

“I challenge the source of all this to come clean. I ask other candidates to stick to what we as candidates can do to address the problems facing the country.”

Legarda presented a certification from her accountant, Joel Wanagen, and reviewed by accounting firm SGV through lawyers Cirilo Noel and Avelino Cruz, of   ACCRA law office, to show that she truthfully filed her SALN.

The one-page memorandum reiterated that Legarda has included the New York property since June 30, 2007 described as “other investment” in annex A of her SALN.

The amount of P7.175 million is one-fourth of the total investment in the acquisition of the apartment of P28.7 million.

Headlines ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1

As of Dec. 31, 2011 and Dec. 31, 2012, the New York property was also included in the senator’s SALN, described as real property-USA, P28.7 million in annex A.

Legarda said the continued misinformation campaign against her is part of black propaganda meant to pull down her consistent top ranking in election surveys.

The revelations of her supposed non-disclosure in her SALN of a piece of real property in the US is an online smear campaign, she added.

Legarda said it is deplorable that people, possibly even some fellow candidates, could engage in such gutter politics.

“You can get my SALN, it’s public record, it’s with the Senate President’s Office,” she said.

Property records in the US show Legarda bought the property on Park Avenue, New York on May 9, 2006 for $700,000.

For his part, Sen. Francis Escudero said he would not waste time or money getting back at people behind the black propaganda against him.

“I can only speak for myself, we are not engaged in that (black propaganda),” he said.

“I’m very tired campaigning and we have huge expenses, so why would we spend money just to destroy others?”

Speaking to STAR editors and reporters Wednesday night, Escudero said he strongly suspects people wishing to land the No.1 spot in the senatorial elections this May 13 who have ambitions to be president or vice president in 2016, hatched up the smear campaign against him.

“Where is this black propaganda coming from? Why are these coming out only now? Whether it’s the elections in 2013 or the elections in 2016, it’s the same,” he said.

Escudero said some of his colleagues in the pro-administration slate had stabbed him in the back, but that he had chosen to ignore them.

Nothing surprises him anymore in politics, he added.  – With Paolo Romero

Cops seize firearms, ammunition from Negros mayor's house

Police seized a cache of high-powered firearms and ammunition from the residential compound of a Negros Occidental town mayor during a predawn search Thursday.

The Philippine National Police used a search warrant to inspect the compound of Pulupandan Mayor Magdaleno Peña, radio dzBB reported.

Peña was not at home at the time the raid was conducted, but may face charges of illegal possession of firearms, Western Visayas police head Chief Superintendent Agrimero Cruz Jr. was quoted in the dzBB report as saying.

Among the high-powered firearms seized from the house were an AK-47 assault rifle, an M-16 rifle and a shotgun, along with a cal-.45 pistol.

The PNP Criminal Investigation and Detection Group was still conducting an inventory of the firearms and ammunition found in the raid as of Thursday afternoon, the dzBB report said.

Police have been intensifying their efforts against illegal firearms as the campaign period for the May 13 elections is in the homestretch. — BM, GMA News

Rockets avoid playoff sweep by silencing Thunder Agence France-Presse

HOUSTON, Texas - Chandler Parsons scored 27 points to spark Houston over the Oklahoma City Thunder 105-103 on Monday as the Rockets avoided being swept out of their first-round NBA playoff series.

Houston Rockets center Omer Asik steps over Oklahoma City Thunder forward Serge Ibaka, who sprawled on the floor, as the Thunder lost to the Rockets in the final seconds of Game 4 of their NBA Western Conference quarter-finals basketball playoff series in Houston April 29, 2013.Photo by Richard Carson, Reuters.

Thunder star Kevin Durant scored a game-high 38 points but Houston's defense stopped Oklahoma City in the final seconds to pull within 3-1 in the Western Conference best-of-seven series, which continues on Wednesday at Oklahoma City.

No NBA team has ever rallied to win a playoff series after losing the first three games, but that does not mean the Rockets have given up on their title quest just yet.

"Anything is possible," Parsons said. "Now the pressure is on them and we look forward to an exciting game at OKC."

Omer Asik scored 17 points and grabbed 14 rebounds for Houston, which also had 16 points from Patrick Beverley and 15 from James Harden, playing against his former team after being traded from the Thunder to Houston last October.

Durant, coming off a 41-point performance in game three, shook off double coverage defensively to inspire the Thunder, who are without playmaker Russell Westbrook for the remainder of the playoffs after right knee surgery.

"We were trying to keep the ball from him and he scored 38 points," Rockets coach Kevin McHale said of Durant. "Hell of a game by him but a great one by us too. We're not going to lay down."

The Rockets scored eight of the last 10 points to close the second quarter, pulling within 60-53 at half-time, then scored the first 10 points of the third quarter to reclaim the lead.

Parsons, who grabbed 10 rebounds, made a free throw to give the Rockets a 105-98 lead with 2:20 to play.

But Durant answered with a 3-pointer, rebounded a Harden miss and drove to the hoop for a slam dunk to pull the Thunder within 105-103.

Harden missed a 3-point attempt and Oklahoma City took possession, but Durant was whistled for an offensive foul and Houston took the ball again.

Harden missed a 20-foot jumper and the Thunder's Derek Fisher grabbed the rebound with 12 seconds to play, giving Oklahoma City one last chance.

Oklahoma City's Reggie Jackson forced a jumper that missed and Serge Ibaka grabbed the rebound but could not lift a shot above the rim at the final horn.

"It was unbelievable," Parsons said of the final drama. "We were never going to give up no matter where the series was at. There was no way we were going to let another one slip away."

The Thunder-Rockets winner will face either Memphis or the Los Angeles Clippers in the second round. Those teams are level at 2-2 in their series, which continues on Tuesday.

© 1994-2013 Agence France-Presse

PNP monitors 15 'election hotspots' by Ira Pedrasa, ABS-CBNnews.com

MANILA - The Philippine National Police (PNP) has identified 15 priority provinces in need of a bigger security detail by the elections, noting such areas have shown incidents of intense political rivalries, and the presence of private armed groups and criminal groups.

Local Government Secretary Manuel “Mar” Roxas II described the areas as “hotspots” but assured the public that the government will be detailing around 30,000 police personnel in the last two weeks before Election Day.

PNP spokesperson Chief Supt. Generoso Cerbo Jr. said the 15 are: Abra in CAR; Pangasinan, Ilocos Sur and La Union in Region 1; Cagayan in Region 2; Pampanga and Nueca Ecija in Region 3; Batangas and Cavite in Region 4A; Masbate in Region 5; Samar in Region 8; Misamis Occidental in Region 10; and Maguindanao, Lanao del Sur and Basilan in the ARMM.

Cerbo said private armed groups continue to be monitored specifically in these 15 areas, but noted the decline in numbers since the 2010 presidential elections.

He said the police are monitoring 48 private armed groups, compared to the 112 back in May 2010.

He said the 57% reduction is anchored on the creation of regional operations task groups tasked to rein in these groups.

He cited that in Abra, there are five groups being monitored compared to 11 in 2010. In the ARMM where the infamous Maguindanao massacre happened, private armed groups are down to 10 from 20.

He said around 206 members of these groups have been “neutralized,” meaning arrested or have surrendered. Around 359 firearms were also recovered from them.

Political rivalries

In citing the 15 areas, Cerbo also noted the “intense” political rivalries there.

Mayoralty positions garnered the most cases of political rivalries, numbering 137. Gubernatorial posts recorded 17; vice mayoralty posts recorded seven. Interestingly, 18 cases were recorded for congressional posts.

Cerbo also noted the presence of criminal groups in the areas being monitored, numbering 65 and with a membership of 725. He said the police are continuously seeking search warrants against the criminal elements.

He said the police are still pursuing “Oplan Katok”, a campaign that confiscates unrenewed and illegal firearms house-to-house.

Election-related violence

Cerbo said criminal elements can be used by some politicians to create havoc during the elections.

A total of 17 election-related violence cases have been validated so far in these 15 areas. He said this is a drop from the 33 back in 2010.

Nationwide, 49 election-related violence cases were recorded compared to 73 in 2010.

Roxas noted that the next two weeks will be crucial in securing the country against crimes. To supplement the 30,000 additional personnel, he said those in the training and administrative work will be pulled out to do field work.

He also noted that members of the police have been ordered to cancel their leaves for the remainder of the election period.

He also said they are now discussing plans with telecommunication and power firms to ensure that the elections will run smoothly.

Nancy Binay still won’t do debates

By Christian V. Esguerra 

Philippine Daily Inquirer  

DUMAGUETE CITY, Philippines—Those eager to see Nancy Binay in a public debate would have to wait until after the May 13 senatorial elections.

If she wins, the daugher of Vice President Jejomar Binay said, she would be willing to go head-to-head with Team PNoy counterpart Risa Hontiveros on the Senate floor, assuming, of course, that the former Akbayan representative gets into the “Magic 12″ as well.

“I told her it’s okay. If both of us get elected to the Senate, the two of us would be able to debate every day in the Senate,” she told reporters during a campaign sortie here.

But in the meantime, Binay insisted that she would rather focus on the campaign trail with less than three weeks to go before elections.

“It seems there’s no more time for debates because there are still many provinces that I need to visit,” she said in Filipino.

More ground to cover

Binay said she still had more ground to cover because she joined the the senatorial race relatively late. She joined the United Nationalist Alliance ticket after businessman Joey De Venecia backed out.

“Most of [the candidates] had already prepared a year ago because they already had intentions of running,” she said.

Despite her purported reluctance to seek public office, Binay has performed well in surveys of voter preferences in the senatorial elections. She ranked third and fourth in the latest Social Weather Stations survey.

In contrast, Hontiveros, who has been challenging her to a debate, has consistently failed to get into the top 12 of all major surveys so far.

Still, Binay said she would not go easy on her campaign. She noted that in the 2010 vice presidential election, her father, then Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay, had been trailing frontrunner Mar Roxas. The elder Binay eventually won.

“What happened to my father’s opponent, I don’t want that to happen to me,” she said. “To me, surveys are not the true test of who would win or lose in the election.”

Binay added: “My mind-set is I’m not winning."

UNA candidate sees red over Aquino’s yellow rap

By Leila B. Salaverria

Philippine Daily Inquirer

LEGAZPI CITY—President Aquino should not begrudge other parties from sporting yellow as their campaign color and should not lose his head over such trivialities, an opposition senatorial candidate said here on Monday.

Zambales Rep. Milagros “Mitos” Magsaysay, a senatorial candidate of the opposition United Nationalist Alliance (UNA), said the colors chosen by local parties should not concern the President, as there are far more important matters that demand his attention.

Magsaysay was reacting to reports that the President chided the UNA for having local candidates in General Santos City who were using yellow as their campaign color.

Yellow is the official color of the President’s Liberal Party. It is the signature color of Aquino’s mother, the late President Corazon Aquino, who battled dictator Ferdinand Marcos in a snap presidential election in 1986 wearing yellow dresses to signify the Filipinos’ struggle for freedom.

“I think the President should stop looking at trivialities, as far as the election is concerned. What he should focus on is how to address the problems of the country, not the uniforms of local candidates,” Magsaysay told reporters here.

For instance, criticizing local candidates for wearing yellow despite not being affiliated with Team PNoy will not solve the power shortage in General Santos City, she said.

Magsaysay also said that in the first place, no group owns any color.

“Does Team PNoy have a patent for the color yellow? Have they bought the ‘rights’ to that color?” she said.

In a separate statement, UNA campaign manager Toby Tiangco said the alliance was not trying to mislead the voters.

The UNA’s national campaign color is orange, he said, but its local allies are free to choose any color for their campaign.

Tiangco pointed out that some of the local allies of Team PNoy use colors other than yellow.

Gov’t readies nonwage benefits 70 job fairs to highlight Labor Day celebration

Tina G. Santos

The government would unveil “nonwage” benefits on Labor Day, Malacañang said Sunday, as it exhorted Filipinos to seize some 400,000 jobs in job fairs to be held Tuesday across the country.

President Aquino would meet with labor leaders in a breakfast dialogue on Tuesday in Malacañang, but the country’s workforce shouldn’t expect any announcement of wage benefits, deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said.

“Well, the President is going to sit down with them in the usual dialogue with labor and to also help Secretary (Rosalinda) Baldoz appeal to the workers’ sector … to wait for the unveiling of the package. That’s nonwage benefits,” Valte said.

Valte said the public should withhold comment on the package until this is presented.

Before the Palace unveiled the package of nonwage benefits, Partido ng Manggagawa (PM) described the minimum pay in the country as “starvation wages.”

“The minimum wage cannot buy a working class family its daily bread. The Constitution mandates that a worker receive a living wage. Instead, the regional wage boards prescribed a libing (burial) wage,” PM secretary general Judy Miranda said in a statement sent to the Inquirer.

The group said its own study of the cost of living for a family of six in Metro Manila showed that it had already reached P1,217 a day.

“This estimate shows that the gap between the P456 minimum wage in (Metro Manila) and the present cost of living is a yawning P761, or 167 percent of the ordinary wage. Even if both parents work—which is the buy-one, take-one policy of the government—then their combined income will not be enough to feed the entire family,” Miranda said.

The group’s cost of living estimate did not provide for savings and social security, which in the government’s basket of goods and services constitute 10 percent of the cost of living.

Miranda said the study did not include items such as leisure and recreation, and the family budget for health excluded medical expenses.

“If we include such items, and we must in a more accurate survey, then the cost of living will significantly exceed P1,200 per day,” she said.

‘Hopelessly outdated’

She added that “the National Wages and Productivity Council’s cost of living estimate of P917 in 2008 is hopelessly outdated in light of this study and in the face of continuing inflation.”

The militant labor group Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU), which is usually not invited to the breakfast dialogue with the President, is gearing up for Labor Day protest rallies that would include the burning of Aquino’s effigy.

KMU chairman Elmer Labog said the President was condoning increases in power and water rates, in prices of oil and other basic goods, and the privatization of public hospitals.

Jobless growth

“The burden on the Filipino workers and urban poor is getting more and more unbearable because of Aquino’s subservience to the dictates of the United States and of his big capitalists cohorts,” Labog said.

Officials of the moderate Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) vowed to raise unmet labor issues and “jobless growth” on Tuesday’s pre-Labor Day breakfast with Aquino at the Heroes Hall.

“On top of the agenda is this so-called jobless growth. There has been a pronounced improvement in the economy but this growth does not translate to generate opportunities for employment,” TUCP secretary general Gerard Seno said in a statement.

In 2012, the country posted a 6.6-percent gross domestic product growth compared with Thailand’s 6.4 percent, Indonesia’s 6.2 percent, Malaysia’s 5.6 percent, Vietnam’s 5 percent and Singapore’s 1.2 percent.

But citing the National Statistics Office, the TUCP said there were 2.89 million unemployed Filipinos and 7.934 million underemployed Filipinos in January 2013.

The “all-time high” underemployment rate in six years was recorded in July 2012 at 8.55 million, it added.

Poverty incidence

Besides the big number of unemployed and underemployed, poverty incidence in the country has remained unchanged over the past six years despite economic growth.

Poverty incidence in the first semester of 2012 stood at 27.9 percent, “practically unchanged” from 28.6 percent in 2009 and 28.8 percent in 2006, the National Statistical Coordination Board announced on April 23.

The high poverty incidence showed that the benefits of economic growth were not trickling down to the poor.

Valte said that the last time she checked, the unemployment rate was going down. “We see that the trend is going down,” she said.

70 job fairs

As part of Labor Day celebrations, the Department of Labor and Employment would open 70 job fairs in the country’s 16 regions on Tuesday, she said.

“So there are over 400,000 jobs that will be available—both local and overseas job opportunities that will be available in the 70 job fairs. And we encourage everybody to go to those job fairs and see what these have in store for you,” she said.

The TUCP said that high on the agenda of Tuesday’s dialogue with the President were issues such as employment and job creation, contractualization, social protection, right to self-organization and collective bargaining, wage increase, tripartism and social dialogue, and labor dispute settlement.

In a paper submitted to the Tripartite Industry and Peace Council, the Associated Labor Unions-TUCP recommended that the administration:

– Prioritize the creation of “decent” and productive employment.

– Ensure approval of the security of tenure bill.

– Direct labor officials to review outsourcing policies in the banking sector and other industries.

– Set up a commission on industrial policy.

– Craft a clear industrial policy.

Mural, effigy

The KMU said it was preparing a mural and an effigy that would be showcased on May 1. The mural, measuring 15 by 24 feet, depicts Aquino dressed as a clown and hounded by workers, peasants, urban poor and other sectors while hanging on an airplane piloted by US President Barack Obama.

Created by painter and printmaker Orlando Castillo, former president of the Art Association of the Philippines and founding member of the Concerned Artists of the Philippines, the mural will be unveiled at a program in Liwasang Bonifacio in Manila.

Other artworks by various artists will be highlighted on Labor Day, according to Labog.

“They depict suffering and lies being inflicted on the Filipino workers by President Noynoy Aquino,” he added.

Labog said Castillo’s mural “also shows the growing anger of the Filipino people against Aquino’s antipoor policies, betrayal of the people, and puppetry to the US. Anger at Aquino’s propaganda stunts aimed at deceiving the public is intensifying.”

The 10-feet tall effigy being created by artists from UgatLahi Artist Collective depicts Aquino and Obama as two serpents around an electric post.

The concept was inspired by the symbol for universal healthcare, according to KMU.

The effigy would be burned at around 5 p.m. at the Chino Roces bridge (formerly Mendiola) in Manila to mark the closing of this year’s Labor Day protests.

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Haemophilia patients demand better treatment, infrastructure

Sumitra Deb Roy, TNN | Apr 28, 2013, 06.28 PM IST

MUMBAI: This World Hemophilia Day, the city's Hemophilia Society, brought focus on how the government needs to do much more in terms of awareness, diagnosis and management of the disease. A programme to discuss these issues was organized at the Parel's KEM Hospital, where over 400 patients participated.

Out of 11,200 haemophiliacs in the state, only 2,500 feature in the registry of the State Blood Council. And even though, the Rajiv Gandhi Jeevandayi Arogya Yojana that covers over 900 diseases, includes Hemophilia in the list, a clear demand for better infrastructure and day care centers for proper care and rehabilitation, was echoed by patients.

President of Mumbai's Hemophilia Society Indira Nair said, "Not only we want to raise the awareness about the Hemophilia disease among physicians and the public, but also to provide patients who suffer from Hemophilia a total care. We are thankful to the government for making the availability of factor VIII and IX concentrates as the safest treatment option for patients with hemophilia." She said that the government will continue to support with the availability of free treatment to patients with hemophilia at all the government hospitals.

"Improving Infrastructure and establishing hemophilia treatment centre's can be one step to ensure these patients get the best care. The next step would be a creating more awareness about the disease and providing comprehensive psycho-social care mechanism for the PWH in the state," said Nair.

However, one of the major challenges for these chapters is treating poor as most of the patients are from poorest of poor background and more than 80% of patients suffering from hemophilia are undiagnosed. A wellness centre for the hemophiliac patients, the first of its kind in the city, was started at the KEM Hospital.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr Jayashri Kale, professor and head Occupational Therapy, KEM Hospital said "Hemophilia is the oldest known uncommon genetic bleeding disorder that disrupts the blood clotting process. It is caused by the absence of a certain blood clotting factor in the blood. Prolonged bleeding may occur after sustaining injury or can happen spontaneously. A hemophilic has to be injected with the appropriate clotting factor on a prophylactic or demand basis to help control a bleeding episode, and each injection costs Rs 9,000. Replacement therapyof a deficient coagulation of factor VIII and IX are the safest available treatment options. We have been demanding free diagnosis and free treatment for patients with hemophilia at Government hospitals and today we have been successful in launching the first wellness centre for these patients. Thera-band exercises which are safe and effective, especially for home maintenance in the PWH are being incorporated in the rehabilitation regime.

PDEA seizes P.4M shabu in buy bust

ABS-CBNnews.com
Posted at 04/27/2013 3:00 PM
Updated as of 04/27/2013 3:00 PM

MANILA, Philippines – Authorities nabbed a suspected member of a notorious drug syndicate during a buy-bust operation in Makati City last Thursday.

The arrest of Antonio Medina de Leon also led to the confiscation of P400,000 worth of shabu, according to the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA).

PDEA Director General Undersecretary Arturo G. Cacdac, Jr. said De Leon, alias “Tony”, is a suspected member of the Morales Drug syndicate which operates in the cities of Pasay and Manila.

A poseur-buyer was able to meet De Leon in a pre-arranged transaction along H. Santos Street, Barangay Tejeros.

After the suspect received the buy-bust money in exchange for sachets of shabu, weighing approximately 92 grams, PDEA agents immediately swooped down on De Leon.

De Leon now faces charges for violation of the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act.

What makes a ‘good senator’, Maceda counts the ways

INQUIRER.net 1:43 pm | Monday, April 29th, 2013

MANILA, Philippines – Intelligence alone does not necessarily make a good senator.

Former senate president Ernesto Maceda believes that it takes years of experience—54 years in public service and 43 government positions, to be specific.

Maceda was a member of the Senate from 1970 to 1998—at one point serving as Senate President— and was Philippine Ambassador to the United States from 1998 to 2001.

“I have delivered 200 exposes, authored and co-authored 600 laws, and I have been in public office for 54 years and held more than anybody else, 43 government positions. I don’t think anybody else can equal my record,” he told INQUIRER.net in a recent interview.

“I have the Maceda Law which provides protection to real estate buyers. For you to have a law named after you and it is being studied in law school is some sort of an exceptional achievement,” he said.

And at 78 years old, the former senator feels that the time is right for him to take his place among fellow lawmakers once more, feeling that the quality of debates in the Senate has been declining.

“The general impression is that if you go farther back, the better, the higher the quality of debates. As you go near the present time, it seems to me that the quality is declining,” said Maceda, a senatorial bet running under the United Nationalist Alliance [UNA].

A good senator would attend as much committee hearings as possible in a day, continue researching and studying laws, and exert the power of check and balance in the government.

But it still boils down to more than five decades in public service for Maceda.

“You must have a lot of experience and knowledge and intelligence to be able to discuss well over… 5,000 to 6,000 bills. If you don’t have an extensive background you probably will be very selective. You cannot be good enough to involve yourself in the debates of all the bills,” he said.

“Almost automatically if you have good senators you have good debates, if you have silent senators you have no debate,” Maceda added.

Usually a member of the opposition, the UNA bet believes that he can “shine more as an expose person, a fiscalizer and an independent senator. That is one thing you have to look for in a senator… hindi pwedeng yes sir ng yes sir sa Presidente.”

If he did not choose to pursue a career in politics, Maceda said that he would have become a doctor.

“In a sense, I am a doctor—a doctor of political diseases,” he said.

Lawmakers receive P10.6-B 'pork'

by Jess Diaz
The Philippine Star

MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) appears to be speeding up the release of pork barrel funds to senators and congressmen, many of whom are seeking reelection or other posts in next month’s polls.

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has exempted pork barrel funds from the ban on the release of money from the national treasury provided these are not used for election purposes.

As of last Friday, the DBM website showed that a total of P10.6 billion of the P25-billion Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) had already been released. PDAF is the official name of the congressional pork barrel.

The P10.6 billion is almost double the P5.8 billion that was out as of March 8, or less than a month ago.

Of the P10.6 billion, P9.4 billion has been made available to members of the House of Representatives and P1.2 billion to senators.

Of the amount released to House members, P7.6 billion was for those elected from legislative districts and P1.8 billion for party-list groups.

Among the recipient-lawmakers are senatorial candidates of the administration Team PNoy coalition and the opposition United Nationalist Alliance (UNA).

The biggest recipient is reelectionist Sen. Aquilino Pimentel III of Team PNoy, who has received P167.3 million.

Senate colleagues Loren Legarda, Francis Escudero, Alan Peter Cayetano, and Antonio Trillanes IV, who are also seeking reelection under the administration coalition, have received P90.5 million, P88.8 million, P7.3 million, and P30 million, respectively.

Some P50 million has been released to another Team PNoy senatorial candidate, Aurora Rep. Juan Edgardo Angara.

UNA candidates are also getting their share of the pork barrel. Sen. Gregorio Honasan has received P54 million, while Reps. Joseph Victor Ejercito of San Juan and Jack Enrile of Cagayan have received P32 million and P15 million, respectively.

The campaign managers of the administration and the opposition are also getting their share. Some P41 million has been made available to Sen. Franklin Drilon of Team PNoy and P16 million to his UNA counterpart, Navotas Rep. Tobias Tiangco.

Other senators who have received their allocations are Edgardo Angara, P80.2 million; Pia Cayetano, P12.1 million; Jinggoy Estrada, P95.5 million; Juan Ponce Enrile, P5 million; Teofisto Guingona III, P31.2 million; Ferdinand Marcos Jr., P51 million; Sergio Osmeña III, P82.5 million; Francis Pangilinan, P98 million; Ralph Recto, P23 million; and Manuel Villar Jr., P49.5 million.

Vicente Sotto III and Lito Lapid have availed themselves of their full half-year allocation of P100 million each.

There are no entries in the DBM website for Miriam Defensor-Santiago and Ramon Revilla Jr., while Joker Arroyo and Panfilo Lacson have not been using their annual P200-million fund since their election to the Senate more than 11 years ago.

Party-list groups that have been disqualified by the Comelec are among the recipients of pork barrel funds.

These groups have questioned the Comelec decision before the Supreme Court, which has decided to return their cases to the poll body with a new set of parameters for qualifying or disqualifying them.

They have received their share of pork barrel funds even if the Comelec insists on their disqualification.

They include Ako Bicol, which has received P90 million; Alliance for Democracy and Nationalism, P35 million; Association of Philippine Electric Cooperatives, P35 million; and 1st Consumers’ Alliance for Rural Energy, P69.8 million.

Meanwhile, Manila Auxiliary Bishop Broderick Pabillo said the Aquino administration should tap pork barrel funds to finance programs under the Magna Carta for the Poor.

“If they are going to utilize (pork barrel) properly, it will really help the poor and not coursed it through the hands of legislators because that is not their job,” said Pabillo, chairman of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines-National Secretariat for Social Action, Justice and Peace.

Last month, President Aquino vetoed the proposed Magna Carta for the Poor, explaining that it would be a “mission impossible” for the government to allocate around P3.3 trillion from the P2-trillion annual national budget to fund the programs outlined in the bill.  – With Evelyn Macairan, The Philippine Star

DBM releases P575.3M for school furniture

By Jovan Cerda (philstar.com) |
Updated April 29, 2013 - 11:04am

MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Budget and Management released a total of P575.3 million to purchase school tables and other furniture in the bid to improve educational facilities in the country, the state agency announced on Sunday.

Budget Secretary Florencio Abad said the fund came from the Department of Education's approved budget under the General Appropriations Act for this year. The disbursement followed the P10-billion release last month for the construction and repair of school buildings nationwide.

“Besides meeting President (Benigno) Aquino’s goal to close the longstanding classroom gap within the year, we also want to ensure that all school buildings will be equipped with enough school tables and chairs. This will help ensure that students will no longer learn their lessons in cramped classrooms, where children are forced to share chairs or remain standing just so they can attend their classes,” he said.

He added that the additional furniture will help students to focus on their lessons and improve their academic performance.

The Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao will get the lion's share of the budget with P88 million. This is followed by schools in the Bicol region (P69 million) and the National Capital Region (P56 million).

DepEd said arts and trade schools, which include technical and vocational schools, will be prioritized in the allocation of newly purchased furniture.

Drilon’s ’12-0′ called ‘mind conditioning’

DUMAGUETE CITY ­- Vice President Jejomar C. Binay once again dismissed the 12-0 target of Liberal Party (LP) campaign manager Sen. Franklin M. Drilon as “impossible“ due to the groundswell of support for United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) Senate bets on the local level.

But the Vice President expressed concern that Drilon’s impulsive optimism may be directly described as “mind conditioning.“

In a press conference last week, Drilon accused UNA of mind conditioning that there will be “massive cheating“ in Mindanao brought by the power outages.

Binay said the concerns being raised by UNA with regard the possibility of massive cheating in the middle of the power crisis in Mindanao are legitimate issues and not just a baseless agitation.

“Kung mind-setting ang paguusapan natin eh guilty si Drilon dun. Ang mind-setting ni Drilon, 12-0. Pwede ba naman yung 12-0? That is a concrete example of mind setting,“ Binay said.

Even LP ally Sen. Serge Osmena said that Drilon’s 12-0 dream is unrealistic and impossible to achieve, saying that the LP campaign manager is threading a dangerous and twisted path.

Drilon said in a press conference that the massive cheating in Mindanao which UNA allegedly fears is a form of mind conditioning.

UNA said that massive cheating in Mindanao is a matter of fact and not a product of any imagination or fear.

Posted by Online on Apr 29th, 2013

Bet for municipal council in NCotabato town shot dead

By John Unson (philstar.com) 

 Updated April 29, 2013 - 1:59pm

COTABATO CITY, Philippines  --- A still unidentified gunman shot dead Sunday night a candidate for the municipal council in troubled  Banisilan town in North Cotabato.

Senior Supt. Danny Peralta, director of the North Cotabato police, said the victim, Gafur Omar, was on his way home from a late campaign engagement at the town proper of Banisilan when a gunman approached from behind and repeatedly shot the victim with a pistol.

Peralta said Omar, who was a candidate for municipal councilor, died on the spot.

Peralta said investigators are still trying to determine if the shooting incident was politically-motivated.

Two security escorts of a re-electionist councilor in the same town were wounded in an ambush about a month ago. The councilor survived the ambush unscathed and was quick to blame Moro guerillas identified with a rival clan as behind the attempt on his life.

Peralta said he has deployed a company of  policemen to Banisilan as part of the security measurest to stave off any escalation of election-related hostilities in the area.

Banisilan accounts for most number of still unresolved “rido,” or clan wars involving armed Moro clans in North Cotabato.

Muslim extremists kill two soldiers in southern Philippines

Muslim extremists linked to Al Qaeda killed at least two soldiers in an ambush Sunday in the restive southern Philippine province of Basilan.

Regional military spokesman Col. Rodrigo Gregorio said Monday members of Abu Sayyaf militants killed Sgt. Richard Hamin and Private First Class Julieto Tanses in an attacked around 1:00 p.m. in the village of Ubit in Lamitan City.

Gregorio said the two soldiers, both under 32nd Infantry Battalion died of multiple wounds.

"They were heading back to their camp when they were ambushed," he said.

The Abu Sayyaf, active in southern Philippines, was founded in the 1990s and has perpetrated a number of high-profile attacks, including kidnapping, bombing and beheading.

 Xinhua | 2013-4-29 10:54:58  By Agencies

Army to bets: Don't give in to rebel demands

By Editha b. Colmo
Published: April 29, 2013

Capiz - Major Gen. Jose Mabanta,  Jr,  commanding general of the 3rd Infantry division, Philippine Army, is reiterating his call to the political candidates not to give in to the demands of the CPP-NPA through their Permit to Campaign (PTC) scheme and other extortion activities.   

Major Gen  Mabanta  in a press release, said that “We are warning them not to allow the CPP-NPA influence the outcome of this coming election through threats. We have data to support that a handful political contenders are extending financial assistance and giving in to the demands of the CPP-NPA extortionists. We will not allow this and we remind  that their decision to give in will have legal repercussion.” 

Early this year, reports from the Army field units state that some candidates received Permit to Campaign letters from the CPP-NPA, with some PTC letters recovered during the apprehension of CPP-NPA top leaders in the region recently. 

Mabanta stressed that “Giving in to the demands is not a guarantee that the CPP-NPA will not harass the candidates anymore and be given access. There is evidence of politicians who give in to extortion demands of the CPP-NPA and are still continuously harassed. This is because of factious leadership on their (CPP-NPA-NDF) organization. They now lack leaders and have inconsistent chain of command.” 

Series of armed violence and atrocities that indiscriminately violate human rights and the International Humanitarian Law shows that CPP-NPA leadership is not in control and has no grasp of their forces. 

Mabanta further stressed that “At this point, there is infighting among their (CNN) top leadership and this will ripple down to their lower levels.” 

Due to lack of support and confidence in the CNN higher level leadership, their local leaders are starting to come out in the open in order to extort. 

From the start of this year to date, seven (7) CPP-NPA leaders in Western Visayas were apprehended by the joint forces of the AFP and the PNP through the Regional Joint Peace and Security Coordination Center (RJPSCC) and the AFP-PNP COMELEC checkpoint. All of them have warrants of arrest with cases ranging from arson to murder.

“The CPP-NPA has already lost the support of their mass base so  they resort to extort from the people especially the candidates during elections. Candidates who are giving in to their demands are just helping the rebels to regroup and further conduct terroristic activities that victimize innocent people. We will file criminal charges against  candidates who insist.  and let them face the consequence, Mabanta added.

Migrante stages protest at DFA HQ, demands OFW repatriation in Jeddah

By Roy C. Mabasa
 Published: April 29, 2013

Members of a Filipino migrant rights watchdog staged a protest rally in front of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) headquarters in Pasay City Monday to push the Philippine government to attend on the mass repatriation of stranded overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in Saudi Arabia.

The members of Migrante  said they plan to stay at the said area until Tuesday. However, Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario personally met with the rallyists to politely ask them to leave because they are  causing inconvenience to visitors and to the day to day work at the DFA. 

Del Rosario promised to meet with them on Tuesday to tackle the issues they are raising related to the Saudi impasse.  

Around 50 protesters were carrying placards one of which called for the resignation of DFA Undersecretary Jesus Yabes who was earlier dispatched to Saudi to talk with the campers. 

In an interview with Manila Bulletin, Migrante chairperson John Leonard Monterona said stranded OFWs encamped beside the Philippine Consulate building in Jeddah has already ballooned to 3,424 . 

According to Monterona the figure was confirmed by Philippine embassy officials during a meeting with the leaders of the stranded OFWs and also with Filipino community leaders held last April 26. 

During the said meeting, the relocation of the stranded OFWs especially old and sick, women and children to a more comfortable shelter was discussed. Monterona said Philippine officials offered the 4th floor of the consulate building and a compound owned by a Saudi national, which will accommodate around 200 people. 

However, he said the leaders of the stranded OFWs rejected the relocation as they said it is not enough and no clear blue print on their relocation and repatriation were presented. 

Also contrary to earlier statements issued by the DFA, Monterona claimed the population of campers outside the Consulate actually increases during the night. 

"It's impossible that the population at the camp increases during the day time because the weather is too hot," said Monterona. 

Team PNoy bets bares Labor Day wishes for working class

By Ellson Quismorio
Published: April 29, 2013

LUCBAN, Quezon—More non-wage benefits, diminished cost of living, additional jobs.

These were among the wishes of a handful of Team PNoy senatorial candidates for the labor sector this coming Labor Day even as they individually tackled the rationality of an across the board wage hike for workers. 

Former Akbayan party-list representative Risa Hontiveros told manila-based reporters here that pushing Congress or the executive branch for a legislated wage increase is “worth a try” but offered other measures that could alleviate the burden on Filipino workers. 

“For the next three years, it’s worth a try (wage hike). If it could be worked out within the next three years, at least (give the workers) security of tenure and other non-wage benefits that will basic goods and services accessible to the working people,” said the Senate hopeful. 

Hontiveros stressed that providing workers with security of tenure should be treated as not just a mere benefit but as their right. 

“I know President Noy (Benigno S. Aquino III) isn’t too hot on it (security of tenure) right now but I still want to pursue it if only to protect our workers in this climate of contractualization, which is happening not only in the Philippines but in the whole world.” 

Hontiveros reckoned that workers should also have more bang for their buck as far as basic goods and services are concerned. 

“Let’s raise their non-wage benefits. Their buying power should be enhanced by giving them better access to prices of basic goods and services.” 

Fellow Team PNoy bet, former senator Jamby Madrigal echoed Hontiveros’ sentiments, lamenting that the cost of living in the Philippines is too high compared to other Asian countries. 

“For me, the Philippines has three problems, these are the high costs of electricity, food and water. If you go to Thailand, India or Indonesia, you’ll see that food prices are low, as well as power and at water. All of these drive up our cost of living,” she said. 

While she noted that a wage hike is necessary to improve the people’s quality of living, Madrigal stressed that it is more important to lower the cost of living here to make sure that workers are actually able to save a chunk from their salaries. 

Another former senator on the administration ticket, Ramon Magsaysay Jr., had a simpler wish for Filipinos this Labor Day—more jobs. 

“I wish there’d be more jobs. Of course we need to increase wages, but it would be better to generate more jobs because of sheer number of jobless people,” said Magsaysay, who estimated that around four million out of the country’s labor force are unemployed. 

“So number one, more jobs, more businesses. That’s what the President is doing. Without business, there is no employment. Capital needs to keep pouring in. And that’s exactly what he is doing.” 

When asked about his stand on legislated wage hike, Magsaysay, son of former president Ramon Magsasay, preferred to let the wage boards handle the matter although he said he was in favour of increasing salaries “based on workers’ merits”. He also wanted additional non-wage benefits as well as strengthened social safety nets like Philhealth coverage. 

Re-electionist Senator Koko Pimentel III for his part vowed to work together with the labor sector to come up with what he called a “decent wage”. 

“My commitment to the labor sector is I will continue for decent wages for all workers. Now the question is what is that decent? I’m willing to go through number-crunching to determine what is a decent wage on a per region or city basis if necessary,” he said. 

“I can’t tell what a decent wage is but we will continue to pursue that concept. We’ll meet with a representative from the labor sector and let us compute, let’s do some number-crunching so that we will have a basis once we reach a figure.”

Pimentel said that his fellow Team PNoy candidate Magsaysay’s suggestion of a merit-based wage hike could work hand-in-hand with a legislated wage increase, which he said he was open to.

“It can be both things. There should be a minimum increase plus (another) based on merit on the point of view of the employer—a merit-system of the employers. It’s like a scholarship program. There’s a scholarship for the general population and there’s a scholarship program for the best and the brightest. That’s where the merit comes in, it’s the same thing.”