5 more added to list of senatorial candidates for 2013 polls

Five more will be added to the list of 27 senatorial candidates who will run in next year’s midterm elections, Commission on Elections (Comelec) chairman Sixto Brillantes Jr. said Wednesday.

This was after the Comelec approved the certificates of candidacy of two independent candidates and three others who have political parties.

Brillantes, however, refused to identify the latest additions to the list, saying they would release the final list on Monday.

A total of 84 senatorial hopefuls filed their COCs early October.

The commission has held a hearing on Thursday and Friday last week for the 57 candidates to defend their candidacies. Of the number, 21 did not show up.

Many of the hopefuls who defended their candidacies last week — including one who claimed to be married to President Benigno Aquino III’s sister Kris Aquino, and one who said his job is suing erring government officials and businessmen — were earlier described “colorful” by Brillantes. — Marc Jayson Cayabyab/KBK, GMA News

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Philippines, Australia Agree To Boost Trade, Investments

CANBERRA, Australia --- The Philippines and Australia have agreed to increase trade and investment flows, particularly citing the potential of the mining sector to boost development.
President Benigno S. Aquino III met Prime Minister Julia Gillard at the Parliament House and agreed to resist trade protectionism and promote stable business environment in their respective countries.
The two leaders also witnessed the signing of a new air services agreement between the two countries to help lay the groundwork for increased trade and people-to-people links.
Also tackled were the historic Bangsamoro peace agreement, efforts to combat transnational crimes and counter-terrorism and development aid.
“The leaders agreed the economic relationship between Australia and the Philippines holds great promise, building on the strong foundation provided by the Agreement Establishing the ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand Free Trade Area,” a joint statement of Aquino and Gillard read.
“Both leaders also shared the objective of increasing two-way trade and investment flows and agreed on the importance of a stable and predictable regulatory environment,” it added.
Gillard praised Aquino’s reform agenda to promote good governance, transparency and accountability in government.
“The Leaders agreed to continue to work in regional and multilateral forums to advance regional economic integration and resist trade protectionism,” the statement read.
The two leaders likewise tackled the potential of the mining sector to contribute to the Philippines’ development.
“Prime Minister Gillard described the mining industry’s role in Australia’s economic success, its leadership in environmentally sustainable and socially responsible mining, and the contribution Australian companies could play in the responsible development of the Philippine mining sector, particularly the development of Mindanao,” the statement read.
Gillard likewise welcomed the Philippines’ decision to apply to join the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative. “The leaders also noted the development cooperation activities provided by Australia that will support responsible mining in the Philippines,” the statement read.
Presidential Communications Development Secretary Ramon Carandang said the President mentioned that the government has revised rules on mining to safeguard the environment.
Carandang, speaking to reporters here, said Australia understands that no new mining investments will be approved in the Philippines until a new mining tax is passed by Congress. “They all also know that there’s pending legislation. As we’ve announced before, we want to file a bill with Congress that would allow the state, the Philippine state, to have a greater share of the revenues from mining,” he said.
In the same statement, the two leaders welcomed the recent entry into force of the Status of Visiting Forces Agreement between Australia and the Philippines.
They also hailed the recent signing of a Memorandum of Understanding on Combatting Transnational Crime and Developing Police Cooperation between the Australian Federal Police and the Philippine National Police. “The leaders noted the high level of cooperation between Australia and the Philippines on counter-terrorism,” the statement read.
Gillard likewise thanked Aquino for supporting Australia’s bid to become a member of the United Nations Security Council.
The leaders also cited the development aid given by Australia to the Philippines to help reduce poverty.
They also highlighted a program that will help improve access to education in Mindanao which may help promote peace and stability in the region.
“BEAM-ARMM (Basic Education Assistance to Mindanao – Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao), will support the most disadvantaged conflict-affected communities. The program will introduce community-based education in remote communities, integrate health and hygiene programs in schools, develop technical and vocational training for out-of-school youth, and increase access to quality early childhood and basic education,” the statement read.
After the meeting with Gillard, the President laid a wreath at the Australian War Monument and later toured the place. He also attended a state banquet hosted by Gillard at the Parliament House.
Early in the day, he met Governor General Quentin Bryce at the Government House where he was given a 21-gun salute.
On Thursday, the President will travel to Sydney for a series of meetings with business executives from Atlantic Gulf and Pacific Company of Manila, Macquarie, Austal, and Telstra. He will also deliver speeches before the Philippine-Australia Business Forum, the Asia Society of Australia, and the Australia-Philippine Business Council.
On Friday, Aquino will lead the unveiling of a statue of Dr. Jose Rizal in Campbeltown City and later meet with the Filipino community. There are around 225,000 Filipinos living in Australia while some 6,000 Filipino students are enrolled in Australian schools.
Before flying back home, Aquino will attend a special counter-terrorism demonstration by Australian forces.
Australian officials lauded the Philippine government for forging a historic peace agreement with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, saying it could be a “model” for other peace processes in the region.
The Australian Prime Minister and her ministers pledged support to the peace process in Mindanao, according to Philippine officials.
“They not only welcomed our Framework Agreement and congratulated the President for concluding the Framework Agreement but they did say that our Framework Agreement can be used as a model for other peace processes in the region,” Philippine Ambassador to Australia Belen Anota said in a press briefing after the meeting of the two leaders.
“I think that’s a very good sign of Australia’s very strong support for us, a strong affirmation of the accomplishments of the President,” she added.
Australia and the Philippines are also exploring possible cooperation on disaster relief and rehabilitation under an existing military agreement, Carandang said.
“One of the things that we might look into is enhancing our humanitarian assistance and disaster relief. That’s something that has been very close to the President’s concerns,” Carandang told Manila-based reporters here.
“You know that when we go to ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations), when we talk to other countries in the region, the President always brings up humanitarian assistance and disaster relief. That is one of the things that we’re thinking of moving forward under the SOFA,” he added.
Carandang said at the start of the meeting, Australia expressed gratitude for the ratification of SOFA, that sets conditions for deploying Australian troops to the Philippines, by the Senate last July.
Meanwhile, from New Zealand to Australia, President Aquino is being hounded by people seeking the release of elephant Mali from captivity in the Philippines.
A man dressed in an elephant costume launched a protest seeking the freedom of Mali, now 36 years old and weighing seven tons, while the Philippine leader started his three-day state visit here.
The lone protester carried a placard that read “Please help save Mali” while Aquino’s security convoy made its way to the Government House where he met with Governor General Quentin Bryce. The man was allowed to stand outside the Government House as guards stood a close watch.
Before flying to Canberra, the President was also met by a small group of protesters calling for Mali’s freedom from the cramped enclosure at the Manila Zoo while he was visiting New Zealand. The supporters of Mali kept hounding Aquino in his stopovers in Auckland and Wellington.
Mali has been at the Manila zoo for the past 32 years, or since she was orphaned at 4 years old. The elephant was donated by the Sri Lankan government in 1980 to then first lady Imelda Marcos. Several groups have appealed to President Aquino that Mali be freed from captivity and allowed to live in the United States sanctuary for aging elephants.

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Comelec bats for ‘people’s initiative’ to stop political dynasties

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Sunday said it was powerless to stop political dynasties because Congress had yet to pass an enabling law for the constitutional prohibition.
But Comelec Chairman Sixto Brillantes Jr. said those “annoyed” by them may resort to a “people’s initiative” or massive signature campaign to prevent their dominance in the country’s political landscape.
Brillantes over the weekend said it was “impossible” for the election body to prevent relatives of incumbent officials from seeking government posts in the 2013 elections.
“We can’t do anything about it,” he said.
“There is no enabling law that prohibits political dynasties even if it is not allowed under the Constitution,” Brillantes said.
The Comelec chief was apparently commenting on a petition filed in the Supreme Court asking the justices to order the poll body to enforce the constitutional ban on political dynasties in the coming national and local balloting.
“We can only administer what is provided by law,” Brillantes said.
But he suggested that those irked by the presence of political dynasties in the government could employ the constitutional  provision on people’s initiative.
“A people’s initiative is the best … real solution to that problem so that it would no longer have to pass through Congress,” Brillantes said, referring to Republic Act No. 6735, the law on people’s initiative and referendum. “Because the Congress will not allow that (banning political dynasties) … they will not do something that will directly affect them,” he added.
Article 17 Section 2 of the Constitution provides that “amendments to the Constitution may likewise be directly proposed by the people through initiative upon a petition of at least 12 percent of the total number of registered voters … .”
Brillantes did not explain what constitutional amendment could be proposed to bypass the need for implementing laws.
In a 24-page petition filed in  the Supreme Court on Friday, a certain Louis Biraogo lamented how patronage politics “became the rule in the elections,” and a candidate had no chance at winning if he or she did not belong to a political dynasty.
The petitioner noted that the current candidates for the upcoming midterm elections were the “best testament to that political and constitutional mockery.”
“The refusal of the government, the Congress in particular, to fulfill the constitutional prohibition against political dynasties has been a continuing insult to the Filipino people. Something must be done about this anomaly,” Biraogo said.
Congress has also been sitting on the implementing rules of the freedom of information provision in the 1987 Constitution.

 By Jocelyn R. Uy
Philippine Daily Inquirer

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Proud Pinoys hail canonization

MANILA, Philippines - Seventy-six year old Norma Reyes could not hold back her tears when Pope Benedict XVI announced yesterday the name of Pedro Calungsod as one of seven new saints.
“I am proud to be a Filipino because we have a new saint,” Reyes said. She was among the thousands of Catholics who trooped to The Arena in San Juan City yesterday to watch the live telecast of Calungsod’s canonization.
Among the personalities who attended yesterday’s gathering in San Juan were former Manila mayor Lito Atienza, former ambassador to the Vatican Henrietta de Villa, and presidential sister Viel Aquino-Dee.
Youth delegates from the Sanctuario de Sto. Cristo Parish in San Juan also cheered when Pope Benedict XVI called Calungsod’s name, waving their Philippine flaglets and a mini-flag bearing the face of the new saint.
Souvenirs like t-shirts printed with Calungsod’s face and mini statues were sold in front of The Arena.
The Pope presided over the canonization of Calungsod and six others at the Vatican yesterday afternoon.
Calungsod is the second Filipino saint after Saint Lorenzo Ruiz.
President Aquino declared yesterday as the “National Day of Celebration” to honor Calungsod.
“The President has signed Proclamation 481 declaring Sunday, 21 October 2012, as a National Day of Celebration on the occasion of the canonization of Blessed Pedro Calungsod,” deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said.
Malacañang said Oct. 21 is a “day of great spiritual joy and national pride” for all Filipinos, as it joined over the weekend the whole Catholic faith in celebrating the proclamation of the young Visayan missionary as the second Filipino saint.
“We join the Catholic world on this day of solemn commemoration and celebration,” Valte said.
Aside from San Juan, masses were also held in Tondo, Makati, Novaliches, and Cebu hours before Calungsod’s canonization.

In his homily, Manila Auxiliary Bishop Bernardino Cortez said the canonization of Calungsod shows that Filipinos are capable of laying down their life for their faith and God as exemplified by the new saint.
“Pedro Calungsod is not just the country’s hero of faith but of the whole world,” Cortez said.
Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. yesterday led lawmakers in hailing the canonization of Calungsod.
Belmonte said the new saint made Filipinos proud and would inspire them to do more good.
“I’m very proud to be a Filipino,” Belmonte said. “It (canonization) is a testimony to our capacity for faith, character, loyalty and sense of self-sacrifice for a righteous cause.”
Aurora Rep. Juan Edgardo Angara said St. Pedro Calungsod serves as a good role model for the youth because of his self-sacrifice and his devotion to his faith.
“Our churches and seminaries are full, evident of a deep and practicing faith that is young, dynamic and so much alive in collective prayers and hopes. I pray for more Filipino saints and blessed,” Ang Kasangga party-list Rep. Teodorico Haresco said.
Zambales Rep. Milagros Magsaysay said Filipinos “should all be proud of him, that someone who was selfless and had other people’s interest at heart could one day be a saint, he is a very good example for all of us.”
Eastern Samar Rep. Ben Evardone said the canonization of Calungsod should serve as “a guiding light to us public servants as we carry out our tasks in serving our people.”
“His canonization is a message of hope and selflessness,” he added.
Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez said the canonization not only honored Filipinos, but also strengthened their faith as well. He said overseas Filipino workers would also be reminded of their faith while abroad.
“The canonization confirms that the Roman Catholic Church is truly a universal church. A big part of the Vatican II is the transformation of being Europe-centered to universal. This the reason why that the Church has started to recognize the evangelical works of non-Europeans. A great honor for us Filipinos,” Quezon City Rep. Winston Castelo said.
Born in the Visayas in 1654, Calungsod was a Filipino Catholic martyr. He was doing missionary work in Guam in 1672 when he was killed, together with Blessed Diego San Luis Vitores, at the age of 17.
Church leaders said it would probably take several years before the country will have another saint.
Basilan Bishop Martin Jumoad said retired Cebu Archbishop Ricardo Vidal started working on the beatification of Calungsod in the 1980s.
“After 30 years of laborious follow up, we now have Saint Pedro Calungsod,” Jumoad said.
Malolos Bishop Jose Oliveros said there are other Filipinos whose names have been forwarded to the Vatican Congregation on the Cause of Saints.
Oliveros cited the case of Missionary Catechists of St. Therese of the Child Jesus founder and former Lucena Bishop Alfredo Obviar, who was declared Servant of God in 2001.
 – Delon Porcalla, Paolo Romero

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House approves K-12 program on 2nd reading

MANILA, Philippines — The House of Representatives has approved on second reading the bill on the K-12 program which seeks to add two years to the present 10-year education program in the country.
Despite Kabataan Partylist Representative Raymond Palatino’s statements against the bill, it was passed by lawmakers through a viva voce vote or by saying ‘aye’ or ‘nay’. The other form of voting is nominal.
The session was however momentarily disrupted by militant youths who shouted protests against the K-12 program. The protesters, members of the League of Filipino Students, were quickly dragged out by security personnel after the commotion.
The K-12 program is envisioned by the Department of Education as a way to improve the present state of education in the country and was started last June despite lacking an enabling law.
Palatino and Gabriela Partylist Representative Luzviminda Ilagan have voiced their objections to the new education program, saying that it is not the solution to the poor quality of education in the country.
The government, they said, should instead find solutions to the lack of teachers, classrooms and education materials.
But Eastern Samar Representative Ben Evardone, a member of the House basic education panel, was positive that the K-12 program would “make our educational system more competitive and responsive to the demands of the job market.”
Aside from adding two more years to the current education program, technical vocational courses will also be included in the curriculum for basic education.

By Karen Boncocan
INQUIRER.net

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Australian yacht designer killed in Philippines

 MANILA, Philippines (AP) — An acclaimed Australian yacht designer was hacked to death inside his residence in the northern Philippines, police said Wednesday.
A neighbor found the body of 81-year-old Joe Adams early Monday and blood scattered on the floor of his two-story house that was left open in the village of Tuding in Benguet province's Itogon township, said regional police director Benjamin Magalong.
Hack wounds on Adams' hands suggest that he tried to fight off attackers armed with a machete, Magalong said. He said police are investigating the motive for the killing and that forensic experts are examining possible fingerprints left by the suspect or suspects.
The Sydney-born yacht designer was behind the record-breaking Sydney-to-Hobart winner Helsal in 1973. After moving to the Philippines, he became an investor in a property development company in northern Baguio city.
Tuding police investigator Julius Acay said Adams may have been killed between late Sunday and early Monday. His valuables were left intact although his wallet contained no money when it was found, Acay said.
Acay said Adams had been a Philippine resident for about 10 years and lived for many years in Tuding's Alphaville subdivision. During that time, there was no record of disturbance or altercation involving Adams, who lived alone after separating from his third wife, a Filipino who now lives in Australia, Acay said.
The Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade confirmed Adams' death.
Acay said that Adams recently let go of his Filipino maid because he could no longer pay her. He was last seen walking his maid to her new employer within the village Sunday afternoon.

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Senators defend NGO’s grants; Enrile calls it foreign interference

 

Senators Frank Drilon and Panfilo Lacson on Tuesday defended non-governmental organizations that received grants from New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg for their anti-tobacco advocacy.

 

"The grants are not lobby money because these NGOs are advocates of something that Bloomberg believes in," said Drilon.

 

“You want to put up an anti-cigarette foundation and you show that you will work for the reduction of smoking in our country you can apply for a grant but it doesn’t mean [it’s] lobby money. I don’t think that’s correct," he added.

 

Meanwhile, Lacson believed there is no need to investigate the supposed lobby fund given to the organizations.

 

"It doesn’t merit [an investigation] Nasa website naman yan. Kung lobby ilalagay mo sa website?," he asked.

 

But Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile has a different take on the matter.

 

"I do not know whether that is a lobby fund. I just read that most of the projects where the money, where allotments were made were all dealing with tobacco control," he said.

 

"It only shows that there is an effort by foreigners to influence the internal policies of the country," he added.

 

‘Industry lobbyists are the problem’

 

In a privilege speech Monday, Senator Ralph Recto said it did not matter to him if groups that received lobby money from Bloomberg’s foundation opposed his version of the sin tax bill.

 

But NGOs criticized Recto for questioning the motives of health and human rights groups funded by Bloomberg.

 

“Casting malice over good work is an act of despair,” said Evita Ricafort of public health policy NGO HealthJustice. 

 

“Recto singled out Mayor Bloomberg as a funding source, but didn’t say New York City’s lung cancer rates have dropped dramatically,” said Ricafort, “ He wants to ‘help’ consumers by providing affordable access to an addictive product that kills? That’s hardly good for consumers and is far from a public service." 

  

“We thank Recto for resigning and withdrawing his report but he needs to realize that tobacco industry lobbyists are the problem and not Mayor Bloomberg who is only helping the Philippines and not gaining anything from it,” said Emer Rojas of New Vois Association of the Philippines, a group of cancer survivors and persons with disabilities actively lobbying for tobacco tax reform.

 

The groups said Recto was not the first to argue against funding for tobacco control. They said Rep. Mitos Magsaysay, Rep. Eric Singson, and even Enrile have often been critical of such grants for both NGOs and government agencies. 

 

The NGOs argued that under the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, a treaty negotiated under the auspices of the World Health Organization, the Philippines is obligated to shield public health policy from the influence of the tobacco industry which stands to gain if more people smoke.

 

Also, Recto said he could not see how raising sin taxes will bring in the revenue that the government is targeting while decreasing the number of smokers at the same time.

 

But the NGOs claimed that Recto refused to meet with health expert Dr. Prakit Vathesatogkit, a former senator of Thailand who sent Recto a graph of their experience where cigarette sales volumes have stayed constant while revenues successfully quadrupled over the last 22 years

 

Also, Recto proposed that if public health is really the goal, cigarettes should be banned altogether rather than be heavily taxed.

 

“This part, Recto got right: banning cigarettes would be the best thing our government can do,” said “running priest” Fr. Robert Reyes, “Kung seryoso siyang naniniwalang nakakamatay ito, ipanukala niya ang total ban kesa gamitin ang argumento laban sa tamang buwis.”  

 

“Pero aasahan pa ba natin sa kanya yun, kung buwis nga hindi niya maitaas ng husto,” Reyes added. — DVM, GMA News

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