Month: July 2010

Transcript of first press conference of Noynoy Aquino as president

Published by Ellen on July 8, 2010

Presidential Briefing/President Noynoy Aquino/July 7,2010

Aurea Calica: Sir, wala po bang effort to dineny yung meeting? Kasi kanina nung tinatanong naming sya (Cito Lorenzo), hindi daw nya alam.

P-Noy: Kasi nung nagkita naman kami, parang hi and hello. Di naman ako sigurado kung may goodbye. It was a party. We didn’t go to a secluded location and he was in the midst of the crowd. And I guess I didn’t tell other people,mga kasamahan ko, kasi pakiramdam ko lagi ko naman kayong kasama so wala naman kaming tinatago nun. So, yung mga wala dun siguro ang hindi alam na nagkausap kami kahit bahagya.

Manila Shinbum: Does this mean na yung other officials who allegedly knew about this in the past administration, are you also encouraging them if ever to come out become possible state witnesses like Mr. Neri?

P-Noy: That is an accepted practice. When there’s a conspiracy, there’s always the person with the least guilt that can help you with the prosecution can be afforded with the privilege of being a state witness. In the interest of the country, there are objectives that have to be met. There would be laws and rules that would be adhered to because we want to be a system. You would also need witnesses to prove allegations and assertions to determine the truth. So, matagal na hong practice na those with the least guilt in a particular crime are given the opportunity in the interests of meeting out justice.

Breaking news: Faeldon surrenders

Published by Ellen on July 7, 2010

Marine Capt. Nicanor Faeldon surrenders.

Media advisory:

The Philippine Navy will hold a presscon tomorrow, 08 July 2010, 9 a.m. at The Villa Cristina Resort and Hotel, Taktak Road, Antipol city on the surrender of fugitive Captain Nicanor Faeldon.

Rear Admiral Danilo, Flag Officer in Command and Maj. Gen. Juancho Sabban, commandant, Philippine Marine Corps will have a presscon and media presentation of Faeldon.

ABS-CBN report July 8, 2010

Faeldon: Justice possible under Aquino gov’t

Romulo compels Aquino to defend Arroyo’s privileged envoys

Published by Ellen on July 6, 2010

Anytime this week, the Union of Foreign Service Officers, will bring to court the issue of the extension of the service of political ambassadors appointed by Gloria Arroyo.

It would be the first suit against officials of the Aquino administration. Members of the UNIFORS are not happy doing this but they have to inorder to restore the rule of law in the department.

The foreign service suffered immensely with Gloria Arroyo’s utter contempt of the law implemented dutifully by her (and now Aquino’s) Foreign Secretary Alberto Romulo. Foreign service officers had great hopes that under the leadership of President Aquino, professionalism would return and department would regain its premier role in the government.

It is this yearning for professional foreign service that they are bringing the issue of the extension of the service of political ambassadors to court.

Aquino urged to run after ex-DA chief for fertilizer scam

Published by Ellen on July 6, 2010

Despite his brothers P20 million contribution to Aquino campaign

by Lynda Jumilla
ABS-CBN

Among the scandals and controversies that the newly installed Aquino administration wants to revisit is the P728 million fertilizer scam, where public funds intended for farmers were allegedly diverted to former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s 2004 election campaign.

Just days after President Aquino ordered an investigation into corruption allegations by a still-to-be-created “truth commission,” former Agriculture Secretary Cito Lorenzo was spotted last Saturday night at a party of Aquino-Binay supporters.

Like his Agriculture Undersecretary Jocelyn “Jocjoc” Bolante, who was tagged by the Senate as the architect of the fertilizer scam, Lorenzo left the country sometime in 2006 to avoid having to testify in the Senate investigation and has since returned.

Trillanes wants to attend Senate opening

Published by Ellen on July 6, 2010

by Ashzhel Hachero
Malaya

Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV yesterday asked Makati Judge Oscar Pimentel to allow him to attend the opening session of the Senate on July 26.

Trillanes’ lawyer Reynaldo Robles also asked that Trillanes be allowed to take lunch with Senate colleagues within the premises of the Senate at the GSIS Financial Complex on Roxas boulevard, Pasay City.

Trillanes said he will abide with the security considerations of his custodian.

Trillanes is detained at the PNP Custodial Center at Camp Crame, Quezon City, in connection with his involvement in the short-lived Oakwood mutiny in 2003.

He was elected senator in the 2007 mid-term election despite campaigning behind bars and with little resources at his disposal.

Bawal mapikon

Published by Ellen on July 6, 2010

Sa gitna ng maliit lang naman na gulo sa media ng ilang gabinete ni Pangulong Aquino, dapat lang natin purihin ang pagbabalik ng pagkabukas ng bagong pamahalaan sa media na nawala ng panahon ni Gloria Arroyo.

Ang gaan-gaan ng pakiramdam na hindi ka makikipag-away papunta palang sa coverage.

Natural lang na may kunting girian sa simula dahil hindi pa sanay sa istilo ng bawat isa. Ngunit maganda ang payo ni Mike Toledo, spokesperson ni dating pangulong Estrada, kay Edwin Lacierda, tagapagsalita ni Aquino ngayon: “Bawal mapikon”.

Magkakaroon ng seminar daw ang mga miyembro ng gabinete ni Aquino tungkol sa media. Mabuti naman kasi iba-iba kasi ang ating personalidad. Minsan kahit maganda ang iyong intensyun, sa pagsasalita, iba ang dating.

Romulo pre-empted Malacañang on retention of envoys?

Published by Ellen on July 6, 2010

The July 5 statement of Malacañang says Romulo and Ochoa have recommended Arroyo envoys’ extension of service and the memo is still at the President’s desk.

Yet, last July 1, Romulo sent out a memo individually to the 26 political ambassadors that they can stay up to September 30, 2010. Click here for the news report on this by Philippine Star.

Did Romulo pre-empt Aquino?

Ochoa also said, “Everybody stays until they are replaced or until the agreed period, whichever comes first.”

What’s the basis of this order? Were the ambassadors appointed by Aquino? There’s nothing that says they were appointed? Nothing in the powers of the president grants him the power to extend a non-existent appointment.

Meanwhile that Aquino has not yet (supposedly) approved the recommendation of Romulo and Ochoa, what’s the legal basis of those political ambassadors in using government facilities and spending government money?

If the Union of Foreign Service Officers pushes through with their plan to goto court to once and for all settle the issue, Aquino might find himself on shaky ground. Will write more about this later.

Romulo’s extension of services of Arroyo’s political ambassadors has no legal basis

Published by Ellen on July 5, 2010

The order of Foreign Secretary Alberto Romulo extending the tour of duty of political ambassadors appointed by Gloria Arroyo for another three months is fraught with legal landmines:

1. If it’s his order, what ‘s his authority to extend the services of an ambassador whose appointment has expired. Under the Constiution and in the Foreign Service Act,it’s only the president who can appoint ambassadors.

2. The President, on the other hand, has no power to extend a terminated contract. He can only nominate or appoint. Now, has he nominated or re-appointed these ambassadors?

3. If he has issued new appointments to these ambassadors, there is a process to make the assumption of the position legal. They have to go through confirmation by the Commission on Appointments, get an agreement from the host country and present their credentials. It’s doubtful if these political ambassadors complied with the process.

4. If their extension of services has no legal basis, will they be getting salaries? How about their use of embassy facilities? Will that not constitute usurpation of authority and malversation?

Dapat kasi magaling ang foreign secretary.

Standoff at Malacañang’s media office

Published by Ellen on July 4, 2010

1.How to break the infighting among Arroyo’s communications people by Carlos Conde
2.President Noynoy and the working press by At Midfield
3. What’s President Aquino’s New Media strategy by Carlo Ople

Don’t visit the website of the Office of President (www.op.gov.ph). It’s inaccessible and it contains the warning: Visiting this site may harm your computer.

Unable to access the site, a blogger, Ferrum Mann tried accessing a cache and this is what he got: “The website at webcache.googleuser.com contains elements from the site www.macapagal.com which appears to host malware – software that can harm your computer or otherwise operate without your consent. Just visiting a site that contains malware can affect your computer.”

The status of the OP website mirrors the standoff in the rivalry of the two factions in the Aquino administration. It’s also a manifestation of the disarray in the first week of the Aquino presidency.

Okay lang ang wangwang kay P-Noy

Published by Ellen on July 4, 2010

Sa isyu ng paggamit ng wangwang, naipakita ni Pangulong Noynoy Aquino na ang pagbigay ng ehemplo ang siyang pinakamagandang paraan para magpatupad ng batas.

“Set an example,” sabi sa English. Maganda yun. Kahanga-hanga.

Ngayon pwede na siguro siya gumamit ng wangwang para sa kanyang siguridad rin. Nadeliver na niya ang kanyang mensahe. May mga mas mahalaga pa siyang mga bagay na dapat asikasuhin.

Ayun sa batas, ang exempted sa pagbabawal sa paggamit ng wangwang ay ang presidente, ang bise-presidente, senate president, Speaker of the House of Representatives at Supreme Court chief justice.