Category: Benigno Aquino III

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.

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.

Wangwang

Published by Ellen on July 3, 2010

Malaman ang simpleng inaugural speech ni Pangulong Noynoy Aquino ngunit ang isang nakahagip ng interest ng taumbayan ay tungkol sa wang-wang .

Ang wang-wang ay isang instrument na nilalagay sa mga sasakyan na nagbibigyan ng kakaibang busina para hawiin ang ibang sasakyan sa kalsada para makadaan ang isang sasakyan. Ito ay para sa mga sasakyan na ang sakay ay VIP (Very Important Person) o emergency ang pangangaiilangan katulad ng ambulansya at firetrucks.

Ito ang sinabi ni P Noy: “Kayo ba ay minsan ring nalimutan ng pamahalaang inyong iniluklok sa puwesto? Ako rin. Kayo ba ay nagtiis na sa trapiko para lamang masingitan ng isang naghahari-hariang de-wangwang sa kalsada? Ako rin. Kayo ba ay sawang-sawa na sa pamahalaang sa halip na magsilbi sa taumbayan ay kailangan pa nila itong pagpasensiyahan at tiisin? Ako rin.”

Office of the President website still has Gloria Arroyo as president

Published by Ellen on July 2, 2010

Update, July 3, 2010: Warning: Please don’t go to www.op.gov.ph. According to Tounge-twisted, one of our techie bloggers, www.op.gov.ph is infected and contains malware that…

The swords are out

Published by Ellen on July 1, 2010

The swords are drawn.

President Aquino gave orders to investigate crime against the Filipino people. Pampanga Representative (2nd district) Gloria Arroyo files a resolution to amend the Constitution.

First day of the new administration and Gloria Arroyo has served notice that she won’t be just waiting for sheriffs to pick her up and dump her in jail just like what she did to her predecessor, President Estrada.

Together with her son, Camarines Sur Rep Diosdado “Dato” Arroyo,she filed a resolution calling for the convening of Congress into a constitutional convention for the purpose of amending economic and political provisions in the Constitution.

“Ipaglaban ko ang pagsasama ng pamilya natin”: James Yap

Published by Ellen on July 1, 2010

Aquino, her husband Yap holding Baby James and her eldest son Joshua attend a mass for the late former President Aquino on the third day of her mother's wake at Manila Cathedral — At President Cory's funeral

Statement issued by James Yap:

“Kilala niyo po naman ako. Tahimik at simple lang akong tao. Tingin ko din itong lahat na issues na naglalabasan siguro dapat kami na lang mag-asawa ang mag-aayos in private. Ever since naman, never niyo akong naringgan ng kung-anu-ano tungkol sa relasyon namin ni Kris.

“Kaya konting lang ang gusto kong sabihin.

“Naniniwala ako sa kahalagahan ng pagkakaroon ng buo ang pamilya. Kaya ipaglalaban ko na mapanatiling buo ang pamilya namin ni Kris anuman ang mangyari. Alam ko walang pamilyang hindi dumaan sa ganitong pagsubok. Marami na kaming dinaanang pagsubok ni Kris before and I don’t think na ngayon pa kami susuko. Gusto ko talagang i-save ang pagsasama namin dahil syempre, may anak kami at hindi biro ang halos anim na taon naming pagsasama. Umaasa pa rin ako na darating ang tamang panahon na maaayos ang lahat.

“Marami nang lumabas na mga balita at mas pinili ko na manahimik muna bilang paggalang sa ating bagong Presidente Noynoy Aquino.