Month: October 2011

8 banks ask SC to stop gov’t from imposing tax on PEACe Bonds

Published by Ellen on October 18, 2011

Let’s see how President Aquino will resolve this because it involves people who helped him in his bid for the presidency.

Lorenz Neil Santos, InterAksyon.com

Dinky Soliman, Code -NGO — Who's going to pay the tax now?

Eight banks on Monday asked the Supreme Court to stop the government from imposing a 20-percent final withholding tax on P35 billion worth of the controversial Poverty Eradication and Alleviation Certificates (PEACe) government bonds, which will mature on Tuesday, October 18.

In their 65-page petition, the banks urged the high tribunal to stop the government – particularly the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) and the Bureau of Treasury – from implementing BIR ruling 370-2011, which would impose a 20-percent final withholding tax on PEACe bonds sold in 2001.

The eight banks that filed the petition are Banco De Oro, Bank of Commerce, China Banking Corporation, Metropolitan Bank and Trust Company, Philippine Bank of Communications, Philippine National Bank, Philippine Veterans Bank and Planters Development Bank.

BIR finds Code-NGO liable for P4.86B tax for PEACe Bonds

Published by Ellen on October 16, 2011

By Luz Rimban and Yvonne T. Chua VERA Files The Bureau of Internal Revenue has found the Caucus of Development NGO Networks (Code-NGO) liable to…

Kailangan ang sangkot sa krimen para makuha ang utak ng krimen

Published by Ellen on October 16, 2011

Norie Unas — Unas: alleged participant in Maguindanao massacre; state witness vs Gloria Arroyo in election sabotage

Para mapanagot si Gloria Arroyo sa kanyang mga kasalanan sa taumbayan, kailangan merong isang malapit sa kanya na kasabwat sa kanyang pandaraya at pagnanakaw na kailangang kumanta.

Sa iba’t-ibang imbestigasyun na lumabas, may ilang mga pinagkatiwalaan si Arroyo sa mga hindi kanais-nais na kanyang pinaggagawa para manatili sa kapangyarihan. Ang ilan mga nababanggit at si dating Police Chief Hermogenes Ebdane, dating Comelec Chairman Benjamin Abalos, dating Comelec Commissioner Virgilio Garcillano.

Ngunit malabo kung babaligtad itong tatlo laban sa kanilang dating amo. Kaya dapat kasama na rin sila na kakasuhan para managot sa mga kasalanan na ginawa nila sa taumbayan.

Siyempre sa malalaking operasyun na bilyun-bilyun na piso ang nakasalalay, marami tao ang kailangan a at meron nang kumakanta. Maganda siguro tingnan kung paano sila pinakanta ng mga tauhan ni Aquino. Ngunit sa ngayon, ang ilang kaso ay nakasalalay sa kanilang testimonya.

Masasagip pa kaya ni Iggy ang kapatid na si Mike?

Published by Ellen on October 16, 2011

Mike and Iggy Arroyo — Thanks to Inquirer for this photo

Akala ba ng mga Arroyo ang kanilang ninakaw na kapangyarihan ay habang-buhay? Ano akala nila sa sarili nila, sobra-sobra ang swerte?

Nagre-reklamo na ngayon ang magkapatid na Pidal, este, Arroyo na masyado daw silang iniipit ng administrasyong Aquino.

Ito ay may kinalaman sa isinampang kaso ng tatlong senador laban kay Mike Arroyo, asawa ni Gloria Arroyo at 16 pa kasama doon mga opisyal, reirado at aktibo, ng Philippine National kaugnay sa pagbenta sa PNP ng second-hand na helicopter sa presyong bago.

Ang tatlong senador na nagsampa ng kaso ay sina Teofisto Guingona III, Panfilo “Ping” Lacson, Aquilino Pimentel III. Ang kasong kanilang isinampa ay paglabag ng Anti-graft and Corrupt Practices Act at Government Procurement Reform Act.

Please, no more study groups, Mr. President

Published by Ellen on October 13, 2011

Pnoy at Focap, Oct 12, 1011 — Resuming the tradition with foreign correspondents

It is within the rights of President Aquino to deny the desire of the Marcos family for a state burial for President Ferdinand Marcos.

If Aquino thinks that Marcos’ dictatorship nullified the latter’s two-term presidency and disqualified him for a state burial, he is entitled to that opinion.

Since Aquino is the president now, his decision will be followed in political matters, which the Marcos burial issue, has become.

At the forum hosted by the Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines last Wednesday, Aquino announced his decision to ignore the recommendation of Vice President Binay whom he had tasked to study the issue that his three predecessors – Fidel Ramos, Joseph Estrada, and Gloria Arroyo, did not want to handle.

Aquino cited the many victims of Marcos’ martial law that includes his father, Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr.

Another cabinet member gets away with wang-wang act

Published by Ellen on October 11, 2011

While Presidential Adviser for Political Affairs Ronald Llamas is twisting in the wind over the discovery of an AK-47 in his official car used by his bodyguards while he was in Switzerland, another cabinet member did a wang-wang act and got away with it.

Last Monday’s column of Antonio Montalvan II in the Philippine Daily Inquirer titled “The people are not her bosses” was about Imelda Nicolas, chairperson of the Commission on Overseas Filipinos.”

He related of his experience lining up for his Philippine Airlines flight last Oct. 1, when the airline’s operations were in chaos because of the wildcat strike of the PAL Employees Union.

Here’s a portion of Montalvan’s narration of the incident:

“Aggravating the already chaotic situation, only two entrance gates of Terminal 3 were opened to departing passengers that morning. Everybody just had to catch their flights. “Everybody” included one latecomer, arriving in an SUV, who was right away allowed entry into the terminal in full view of everyone in that long, long line. It was my turn next to go through the baggage scanner, except that I had to stop and give way to this favored one.

Oras na ng bayaran ng P35 bilyun na PEACe Bonds

Published by Ellen on October 9, 2011

Nabuhay na naman ang usapang PEACe Bonds ( Poverty Eradication and Alleviation Certificates) dahil sa Oktubre 18, magbabayad na ang pamahalaan ng P35 bilyon sa ibinentang bonds na ang kumita ng husto ay ang CODE-NGO (Caucus for Development-Non-Government Organization).

Click below for:

Position paper of CODE-NGO on Peace Bonds
Statement of the Freedom from Debt Coalition on PEACe Bonds

Ang CODE-NGO ay organisasyun ng grupo nina Social Services Secretary Dinky Soliman.

Ito ngayon ang interesante. Noong binabatikos ito noong 2001 sa Kongreso, ang nagdedepensa kina Soliman ay si Mikey Arroyo, anak ni Gloria Arroyo, na doon ay kongresista ng pangalawang distrito ng Pampanga (ang nanay niya ang may hawak ng puwesto nay an ngayon) na ngayon ay miyembro pa rin ng kongreso ngunit bilang kinatawan ng mga security guards at tricycle drivers.

Malaking tulong ni Lapid para maintindihan ang RH bill

Published by Ellen on October 8, 2011

Malaking tulong ni Lapid para maintindihan ang RH bill

Dahil kay Sen. Lito Lapid, na minamaliit ng marami dahil hindi mataas ang pinag-aralan at hindi marunong mag-English, naipa-alam sa marami na walang koneksyun ang pag-inom ng birth control pills sa pagpangank ng pre-mature na mga sanggol, bingot (harelip) at pag-aanak ng marami sabay-sabay katulad ng triplets, quadruplets at ang iba mas marami pa.

Ang nakakatuwa dito, ay hindi naman talaga pro-RH (Reproductive Health) Bill si Lapid. Marami siyang agam-agam tungkol sa paggamit ng contraceptives na sinusulong bill para mabigyan ng pagkakataon ang mga mag-asawa na maplano ang laki ng kanilang pamilya.

Dahil itinanong ni Lapid kay Sen. Pia Cayetano, ang may-akda ng bill kasama si Sen. Miriam Santiago, naipaliwanag ni Sen. Pia.

Tinanong ni Lapid kay Cayetano kung siya ba ay nakadanas ng side effects nang siya ay gumagamit ng birth control pills dahil sabi niya, hindi maganda ang naranasan ng kanyang asawa. Ikinuwento niya ang kanyang karanasan.

A traumatic taxi ride

Published by Ellen on October 6, 2011

My VERA Files colleague, Yvonne Chua, forwarded to me a note from Jose Ramon Albert, a senior research fellow at the Philippine Institute for Development Studies,enclosing a first-person account by his niece Carina Linao, titled “Near-death experience.”

It was dated Sept. 26, 2011.I’m sharing this letter to warn others to be careful in taking taxis.

Here’s Ms Linao’s story:

“I don’t think I’ll ever go to Mall of Asia ever, again. I don’t like that mall anyway. Besides, it’s too big and far for me. I won’t go there ever.

Visionary Apple co-founder Steve Jobs dies at 56

Published by Ellen on October 6, 2011

From MSN

CUPERTINO, Calif. — Steve Jobs, the Apple founder and former CEO who invented and masterfully marketed ever-sleeker gadgets that transformed everyday technology, from the personal computer to the iPod and iPhone, has died. He was 56.

Apple announced his death without giving a specific cause. He had been battling pancreatic cancer.
“We are deeply saddened to announce that Steve Jobs passed away today,” the company said in a brief statement. “Steve’s brilliance, passion and energy were the source of countless innovations that enrich and improve all of our lives. The world is immeasurably better because of Steve.”

Steve Jobs’ 2005 speech at Stanford University

Jobs had battled cancer in 2004 and underwent a liver transplant in 2009 after taking a leave of absence for unspecified health problems. He took another leave of absence in January — his third since his health problems began — before resigning as CEO six weeks ago. Jobs became Apple’s chairman and handed the CEO job over to his hand-picked successor, Tim Cook.

By the time he turned the reins of the company over to Cook, Jobs had become one of the business world’s greatest comeback kids.