Category: Governance

Ang problema sa mga “shooting buddies” ni PNoy

Published by Ellen on June 5, 2011

LTO chief Virginia Torres — PNoy's shooting buddy

Ang isang rason kung bakit mahirap tanggapin ang tinutulak ng Malacañang na pagkansela ng eleksyun sa Autonomous Region for Muslim Mindanao ay ang kanilang kagustuhan mag-appoint si Pangulong Aquino ng mga officers-in-charge (OIC).

Maliban sa mag problema ang legalidad ng ganyang plano, marami na ang hindi tiwala sa kakayahan ni Pnoy na kumilatis ng mga taong ilalagay sa pamahalaan. Sa mga na-appoint ni Aquino ng pagpasok niya sa Malacañang, marami naman ang maayos kasama na doon ang sa kanyang economic team.

Ngunit ang mga na-appoint na ang pinaka-qualification ay kaibigan sila ni PNoy, super ang palpak.

Ang nasa mata ngayon ng kontrobersiya at ang nasuspindi na hepe ng Land Transportation Office na si Virginia Torres, na siyang dahilan kung bakit nag-resign si Secretary Jose “Ping” de Jesus ng Department of Transportation and Communication at apat niyang undersecretaries.

Si Torres ay barkada ni PNoy sa kanyang hilig na pagbabaril (shooting buddy). Nasangkot si Torres sa kontrobersiya ng Stradcom, ang kumpanyang nagku-computerize sa LTO.

Aquino’s problem with Robredo

Published by Ellen on November 7, 2010

(The photos posted here were sent to me by someone who was on the scene during the Aug. 23 hostage taking tragedy. It shows Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo on the scene although he was “out of the loop”. He was with Chinese Embassy representatives, Bai Tian, spokesperson and Li Qinfeng, in a light shirt, consul General.)

President Aquino made a hasty turn- around after he announced in a live TV interview Thursday that he was transferring Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo to the still to be created Presidential Commission for the Urban Poor.

He has to have a scapegoat and the most convenient for him now is media. He said media misunderstood what he said to Ted Failon. ““Mali ang pagkakaintindi,” he said.

Failon asked him what happens now to the three cabinet members who are in “acting” capacity since Congress will be resuming session soon and the Commission on Appointments would be able to deliberate on his appointees. This was his answer : “Sa DILG naman po, baka imando natin sa iba pang ahensya kung saka-sakali. Wala pa pong planong maliwanag. Si Sec. Robredo maganda po ang ginagawang trabaho ngayon pero meron po tayong gustong i-fast track na mga programa tulad sa informal settlers na talagang expertise ho niya.So baka magtayo tayo ng bagong grupo na talagang tutulong sa Presidential Commission on the Urban Poor at mga shelter agencies natin na mas focused and mas realizeable tulad noong sa Lupang Arenda, daang libo ang nasa danger.”

Ostrich syndrome

Published by Ellen on October 8, 2010

by Amando Doronila
Philippine Daily Inquirer

President Aquino reported to the nation yesterday the “significant” accomplishments of his first 100 days in office, diminished by a 23-point slump in the satisfaction rating for his administration.

The Social Weather Stations had published on Wednesday the results of a survey conducted from September 24 to 27, a month after the August 23 hostage-taking debacle. The results showed that the President’s net approval rating dipped to +60 percent from +83 percent net trust rating just before his inauguration on June 30. The net satisfaction rating is the difference between the percentage of the satisfied and dissatisfied. The survey showed 71 percent of the respondents were satisfied with the President’s performance, while 11 percent were dissatisfied.

The survey came as a rude wake-up call and confirmed observations that the hostage fiasco has eroded the administration’s popularity more deeply than it would admit. The survey was the first taken within 90 days of the Aquino presidency. Although SWS described the net satisfaction rating as “very good,” it also discounted it, saying that President Aquino’s score is not the highest initial rating for a Philippine president.

No more New York hotdogs for P-Noy

Published by Ellen on September 23, 2010

By Benjamin Pimentel
Inquirer.net

CALIFORNIA, United States—Maybe P-Noy should lay off the New York hotdogs. It’s making him talk strange.

Consider what he told the Philippine Daily Inquirer when asked about his friend, Undersecretary Rico Puno, who’s in hot water over alleged links to gambling and his role in the bungled Luneta rescue.

“One thing we have to watch out for is if these people who have been with us when we were still in the harassed opposition and who joined us in our struggles…if all these people who are close to us are removed and replaced by those who are not as close, the next group could already be our enemies,” he said.

Now, that was one jumbled, scary statement. You can read it on so many levels, few of them flattering to the chief executive of the country.

For the Philippine President basically admitted that, despite what appeared to be a pretty hefty mandate, he’s really relying on a very small circle of people to do his job.

Versoza’s DILG chief dream dashed?

Published by Ellen on September 7, 2010

Despite the Euro-generals scandal at the beginning of his term as chief of the Philippine National Police two years ago, Police Chief Jesus Versoza has been lucky and even re-invented himself from a Mike Arroyo man to Noynoy Aquino ally in the last May election.

Aquino confirms VERA Files story that he had differences with Robredo.

“There are various reasons kung bakit acting. In the case of Jesse, we had some differences during the campaign as to style. We want to make sure we can really work with each other well. It does no good to get him through the whole process of the CA only at the end of the day to find out that there might be difficulties in our working style, among others, our core philosophy, so we did agree na acting na muna,” Aquino said.

“May evaluation period, siguro check ang working style, after two months sigurado na tayo, we still have certain things discussed,” he added. “Dadalawang buwan pa lang kami nagkakasubukan kung talaga nga bang kaya naming mag-mesh.”

Click here: http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/09/07/10/aquino-admits-differences-robredo

Talk in the power circles even said Versoza was slated to be the next secretary of interior and local government after Jesse Robredo has been eased out of the politically strategic department. That’s the reason why as early as last month he was sharing to media his thoughts about going to civilian life earlier than his December official retirement date.

Palace won’t seek CA confirmation for Robredo, 2 others

Published by Ellen on September 5, 2010

By VERA Files When Malacanang submits to Congress for confirmation its list of Cabinet appointees, Interior and Local Governments Secretary Jesse Robredo, who is under…

Finally, E.O on communications group released

Published by Ellen on August 10, 2010

Finally, Executive Order No. 4 was released yesterday “reorganizing and renaming the office of the press secretary as the presidential communications operations office; creating the presidential communications development and strategic planning office; and for other purposes.”

Secretary Herminio “Sonny” Coloma heads the Presidential Communications Operations (PCO).

Secretary Ramon “Ricky” Carandang is Presidential Communications Development and Strategic Planning Secretary (PCDSP). His deputy is Manuel “Manolo” L. Quezon III.

Both Coloma and Carandang hold cabinet rank and they will each have separate budgets. They will be working hand-in-hand with the Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda.

Lucille Ortile and the Acuzar connection

Published by Ellen on August 8, 2010

Why is Lucille Ortile, once rumored to be former Vice President Noli de Castro’s special someone, in Malacañang as chief of staff of Executive Secretary Paquito “Jojo” Ochoa?

In February 2008, when De Castro was still being considered as a presidential candidate for the 2010 elections, an item went around the internet and text about a P200 million house at 2256 Paraiso st, Dasmariñas Village, Makati City reportedly belonging to somebody special to De Castro. The name “Lucille Ortile” was mentioned.

De Castro vehemently denied having anything to do with the Dasmariñas house. Friends who know Ortile attest to her innocence and falsity of that rumor.

Kawawang hepe ng Pag-asa

Published by Ellen on August 7, 2010

Naawa ako kay Prisco Nilo, ang sinibak ni Pangulong Aquino na hepe ng Pagasa (Philippine Atmospheric and Astronomical Services Administration).

Sinibak ni Pangulong Aquino si Prisco Nilo, hepe ng Pagasa dahil naka strike two na daw na palpak sa weather forecast.

Maganda ang kampanya ni Aquino na pagwawalis ng mga korap sa pamahalaan. Kung isasama niya ang mga incompetent, yung mga hindi napapakinabangan ang serbisyo, maganda rin yun.

Ngunit mali ang kanyang sinibak. Hindi dapat si Nilo. Dapat inalam n Aquino muna ang rason bakit hindi makabasa ng eksakto ng mga taga-Pagasa ang mga bagyo. Hindi kasalanan lang yan ni Nilo.

Aquino withdraws GMA midnight appointments

Published by Ellen on August 4, 2010

Palace lists 997 midnight appointees

by Regina Bengco
Malaya

President Aquino has ordered the recall, withdrawal and revocation of midnight appointments made by former President Gloria Arroyo for violating the appointments ban in the Constitution and the Omnibus Election Code.

Aquino issued Executive Order No. 2 on the midnight appointments last July 30 but it was released only yesterday.

Click here (Official Gazette) for the text of E.O No. 2.

The order defined “midnight appointments” as those made on or after March 11, 2010, including those dated prior to March 11 where the appointee has accepted, taken his oath or assumed public office on or after March 11, except those appointed under exigencies of the service; those made prior to March 11 but which took effect after it; appointments to positions that would be vacant only after March 11, 2010; and appointments and promotions made 45 days before the May 10, 2010 elections in violation of the Omnibus Election Code.

Chief presidential legal counsel Edgardo de Mesa said there are 977 suspected midnight appointments so far, excluding those in the judiciary.