NEWS MONITOR (April 19, 2002)
1. HOUSING
QC SQUATTERS WON'T GET LAND FOR FREE
(Manila STandard, Page 1)
All yours but not completely for free. The chairman of the House committee on housing and urban development yesterday said the beneficiaries in the 444-hectare National Government Center (NGC( at Constitutional Hills in Quezon City won't get their land free. Davao City Rep. Prospero Nograles, panel chairman, said the residents would still pay the government a minimal P500 to P1,000 a month for their lots, excluding land titling costs, once HB 3593, known as the NGC Housing Act, is enacted into law.
HOUSE BILL TO SETTLES OWNERSHIP ISSUE
(Inquirer, PAGE 28)
REP. Prospero Nograles, chair of the committee on housing and urban development, has filed a measure that he said would resolve the ownership dispute over the 444-hectare National Government Center site in Constitutional Hills, Quezon City. Nograles said HB 3953, the NGC Housing Act, would finally legitimize the land ownership claim of some 48,500 families residing in the area. Nograles, who co-authored the bill with Speaker Jose de Venecia and Quezon City Rep. Ismael Mathay III, said the proposed measure would settle the issue invoving 422 hectares of government land at the 444 hectare National Government Center.
2. ERAP/PLUNDER CASE
ESTRADA MARKS 'VERY MEMORABLE' 65th BIRTHDAY IN JAIL
(Inquirer, Page 1)
"THIS is very memorable. I can’t imagine I will be celebrating like this," Joseph Estrada said to reporters Thursday with a wry smile. He was marking his 65th birthday a day in advance, while in detention on charges of plunder.
Birthday boy Estrada wants unity, true democracy
(Philippine Star, Page 6)
Ousted President Joseph Estrada’s birthday wish is for the Filipino people to be united and to fight for the return of "true democracy, true justice and legal processes based on the Constitution." Estrada turns 65 today. In a taped message to the nation yesterday, Estrada said his resolve to fight the Arroyo administration’s "persecution and vilification" has been strengthened by the Filipino people’s continued support for him. "Despite obstacles, my heart is overflowing with joy due to your greetings and expression of support... which I heard over the radio," he said. "At the date anointed by God, I would be vindicated in the end and the wrongs now dominating our society today would again be corrected," the former movie actor turned politician said. After Mass at the Veterans Memorial Medical Center (VMMC) in Quezon City yesterday, Estrada told reporters he has become closer to God during a year of detention. About 200 friends from way back, relatives, political supporters and fans dropped by the presidential suite of the Veterans Memorial Medical Center to wish Estrada well. He will mark his first year in the air-conditioned prison on April 25.
Estrada call:Return constitutional democracy to country
(Tribune, Banner)
Detained President Joseph Estrada yesterday asked the Filipino people to remain united and called on them to push the return of constitutional democracy, truth and justice. This, Estrada said, was his birthday wish. The ousted leader turns 65 today and will spend his birthday in detention at a military hospital. He thanked all his supporters and friends for their continued support for him despite government efforts to separate him from them.
Pro-GMA senators to visit Erap on 65th b-day
(Tribune, Page 1)
President Arroyo's birthday wish to her ousted predecessor Joseph Estrada, who celebrates his 65th birthday today, will only prove sincere if she allows him to undergo knee surgery in the United States, both administration and opposition senators said yesterday.Allies in the Senate of the now jailed Estrada are expected to visit the deposed leader at the Veterans Memorial Medical Center (VMMC) also today to personally greet him on his birthday as a “sign of respect.” A party to mark the occasion inside the fallen president's detention cell inside the VMMC in Quezon City was also yesterday said to have been allowed by Philippine National Police chief Director General Leandro Mendoza.
Sandigan left out of Erap birthday bash
(Manila Times, Page 1)
JOSEPH Estrada is throwing a birthday bash tonight at his detention quarters at the Veterans Memorial Medical Center, but the members of the Sandiganbayan First Division obviously have not been invited. Estrada turns 65 today, and movie and political celebrities are among the people expected to attend.
Loi: Erap return haunts Arroyo ;RAM: Gloria should not take AFP restiveness lightly
(Malaya, Banner)
Sen. Loi Estrada yesterday said the Arroyo administration is clearly apprehensive the Venezuela experience, where the president was ousted by the military only to return to power just two days later because of mass protests, might be replicated in the Philippines.Estrada said the experience of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez was very similar to that of her husband."Lahat ng nangyari kasi kay Chavez nandidito ngayon sa atin. Ibig sabihin, si President Chavez ng Venezuela, hindi siya na-impeach, at hindi naman siya namatay. Ganun din eh. Parehong-pareho. Kaya siguro natatakot sila kung anong mangyayari sa kanila," Estrada said.The senator distributed 2,500 bags of goods to residents of a depressed area in the North Triangle, a stone's throw from Veterans Memorial Medical Center where former President Joseph Estrada is detained.
Erap's wish: Pursuit of fight for justice, democracy
(Malaya, Page 1)
Detained President Joseph Estrada, celebrating his 65th birthday at his detention room in a government hospital, said his wish is for the people to continue to fight for the return of "true democracy, true justice and the legal processes based on the Constitution."He said he also wishes for a longer life for his mother, Doña Mary, who is turning 97 on May 1."My mother is the most important person in my life," he said.In a taped message, Estrada thanked his supporters for sticking it out with him.He said the people's continued support for him stiffens his resolve to fight back the persecution and vilification campaign against him by the Arroyo government.
Perez: Ocampo to shownew evidence vs Erap
(Tribune, Page 1)
Government witness Clarissa Ocampo will present new evidence against deposed President Joseph Estrada in his plunder trial before the Sandiganbayan today, when the prosecution will present her as its witness.Justice Secretary Hernando Perez, one of the government prosecutors aside from Ombudsman Aniano Desierto and Solicitor General Simeon Marcelo, said they might also be presenting new witnesses but this will only come “much, much later.”Perez yesterday could not help himself from taunting Estrada when asked on what he wished the disgraced leader on his birthday.“Perhaps the former president should consider rendering, changing his plea of not guilty and changing it to a plea of guilty. And I'm saying it at the mercy of the court and at the mercy of the Filipino people. After all we have the evidence and we have already presented enough to prove his guilt and therefore, for the sake of the nation and for the sake of...for the peace of mind of many people, perhaps he should consider rendering a plea of guilty,” he said
3. CHA-CHA
JDV: I AM FOR GLORIA IN 2004
(Inquirer, Page 2)
SPEAKER Jose de Venecia Jr. declared Thursday he has no hidden personal agenda in seeking constitutional amendments and that his presidential candidate in 2004 is President Macapagal-Arroyo. "Today, I wish to make it clear that I have no more ambition for higher political office. I am not running for President in 2004 and even if the constitutional amendments could be completed and ratified before 2004, I have absolutely no plan to seek the office of Prime Minister," De Venecia said in a press conference.
JDV: I won’t run for prime minister
(Philippine Star, Page 5)
Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr. declared yesterday that he will not run for prime minister and has no hidden agenda in pushing for Cha-cha (Charter change). "I will not run for president and vice president, and if constitutional amendments could be completed and ratified before 2004, I have absolutely no plan to seek the office of prime minister," De Venecia told a news conference. He said his reasons for favoring constitutional changes are transparent. "I have no ulterior motive, no hidden agenda. Personal ambition has nothing to do with it," he said. The Speaker made the declaration to clear the air about his motive in advocating Cha-cha. Some sectors have speculated that the reason he wants a shift to the parliamentary system is because he wants to be prime minister.
LEDAC to tackle Cha-cha LEDAC to tackle Cha-cha
(Philippine Star,Page 1)
President Arroyo is expected to convene the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC) on April 26 at Malacañang to clarify the Charter change (Cha-cha) proposals by some of the country’s political leaders. The Chief Executive said she will also invite representatives of all political parties to the LEDAC meeting to finalize the agenda of the "political summit" proposed by Speaker Jose de Venecia scheduled on May 3 to 5. The President, who opposes the Cha-cha initiative, is supposed to speak before the summit which was proposed to reduce political bickering and accomplish the national legislative agenda. But Mrs. Arroyo is concerned that some politicians would take advantage of the summit to push their Cha-cha proposals. "I intend to call all the political parties because if I’m going to keynote that (political summit), I can’t just be a bystander. I have to have my inputs in the agenda and the direction of the resolutions," the President said.
Drilon: Cha-cha not not on Senate agenda
(Inquirer, Page 2)
CHARTER change is not on the agenda of the Senate and it is unlikely that the senators will be able to push for amendments in the 1987 Constitution even with growing pressure from the House of Representatives. This was disclosed by Senate President Franklin Drilon as he noted that in a recent caucus by the Senate majority, not one senator brought up amending the Constitution as an urgent matter. "I don't see it in the calendar of the Senate at this point,'' Drilon said in a press briefing. According to Drilon, most of the senators were ''cold'' to the idea of amending the Constitution now. "It is not opportune for us to reopen the whole Constitution for a review,'' Drilon said.
4. BALIKATAN EXERCISES/ABU SAYYAF/INSURGENCY,WAR ON TERROR
300 US Seabees waiting for signal to land
(Inquirer, Page 1)
AMERICAN sailors on a warship are waiting off the Philippine coast for approval to go ashore in a plan to expand counter-terrorism efforts, senior US defense officials said. They said Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld had approved the deployment of 300 Navy Seabees, engineers who will undertake civil projects in support of US troops on Basilan island.
GMA OKs more US troops
(Philippine Star, Page 1)
Showing who’s boss, President Arroyo said yesterday she has approved "in principle" the deployment of an additional 340 US soldiers, mostly engineers, in Basilan for the ongoing Balikatan 02-1 military exercises, shrugging off objections made by her foreign affairs secretary, Vice President Teofisto Guingona Jr. During an open forum at the Manila Overseas Press Club’s "President’s Night" at the Manila Hotel last night, the President said she was invoking her powers as commander-in-chief of the armed forces and her role as "chief architect" of the government’s foreign policy. "It’s already approved in principle," Mrs. Arroyo said of the additional troops, 280 of which will be from the US Navy’s construction brigade, and 60 from the marines.
Indon pleads guilty, gets 12 years
(Inquirer, Page 3)
Explosives man gets 12; yrs Indon terror suspect enters guilty plea
(Manila Times, Banner)
SELF-CONFESSED terrorist, Indonesian Fathur al-Ghozi, was sentenced yesterday to 12 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to illegal possession of explosives charges. Judge Marivic Trabajo Daray, acting presiding judge of General Santos City Regional Trial Court Branch 35, convicted al-Ghozi after he owned up to the crime during his arraignment Thursday. In a two-page decision, Daray found al-Ghozi "guilty beyond reasonable doubt" of violating section 3 of Republic Act 8294. Daray then sentenced al-Ghozi to a penalty ranging from 10 years and one day to 12 years in prison. He was also ordered to pay a fine of 200,000 pesos.
10 more wait to be arraigned
(Manila Times, Page 1)
TEN other foreigners suspected of being international terrorists are awaiting arraignment on gun and explosives charges. The 10 are under the custody of the Bureau of Immigration and the Philippine National Police (PNP).
5. OTHER TOP STORIES
JANCOM CONTRACT REBIDDING SOUGHT
(Inquirer, Banner)
UNLESS compelled by the courts, President Macapagal-Arroyo will stick to her decision not to sign the controversial 350-million-dollar garbage incineration agreement between the government and Jancom Environmental Corp., Acting Press Secretary Silvestre Afable said Thursday.But Jancom expressed confidence that the President would respect the Supreme Court decision declaring the contract legal and approve the contract once she was fully convinced that the project offered the best permanent solution to the garbage problem.
Arroyo to stand pat on Jancom decision
(Philippine Star, Page 1)
President Arroyo insisted yesterday on her prerogative to decide the fate of the controversial P390-billion garbage disposal deal with Jancom Environment Corp. Acting Press Secretary Silvestre Afable said the President "did not act whimsically" when she announced on Wednesday that she was not inclined to sign the build-operate-transfer deal which she found "flawed." "It is clear that the Supreme Court (SC) said that the contract is legal (but) the President really has the prerogative to exercise her judgment when it comes to public needs for this project or contract. And the President has deemed otherwise," Afable said. "The President has always taken the position that she will exercise her executive prerogative in line with what she perceives to be the national interest and she will continue to do this until she is restrained by the court. She is following that policy," he added.
DOF mulls tax on text messaging
(Philippine Star, Page 1)
The phenomenal success of the short messaging system (SMS), or text messaging, has not escaped the attention of the cash-strapped administration, which has initiated a review of the possible imposition of taxes on the service. Although not fully pursued in the past, the proposal started to gather momentum after Finance Secretary Jose Isidro Camacho ordered his department’s domestic finance group to study the economics of SMS taxation. Camacho said the group will look into the SMS output of telecommunications companies to determine various details such as the possible impact of new taxes on volume and service consumption.
House to probe Manila Hotel debt
(Inquirer, Page 1)
"THE ISSUE here is what happened to the loan even after Don Emilio Yap took over Manila Hotel," Deputy Speaker Raul Gonzalez said. To try to resolve the issue, the government corporate counsel and officials of the Government Service and Insurance System will be summoned to a hearing by the House committee on good government to explain why the 600-million-peso loan extended to Manila Hotel remains unpaid. Gonzalez said that while the loan was extended to Manila Hotel before Emilo Yap's takeover of the hotel from the GSIS during the Ramos administration, the present management must explain why the debt had not been settled. Gonzalez said the GSIS clearly considered the present Manila Hotel owners liable for the loan because GSIS president Winston Garcia had told him that the GSIS had sent a series of demand letters but the "imperious Yap refused to pay."
Afable named acting press secretary
(Philippine Star, Page 8)
Meet the press. President Arroyo officially appointed yesterday Presidential Management Staff chief Silvestre Afable as acting press secretary while Press Secretary Rigoberto Tiglao is on a six-month leave. The President said Tiglao will definitely stay on as her spokesman, but hinted another press secretary could be named. Afable took over as acting press secretary when Tiglao left for Japan last Monday to work as a visiting professor at Kyoto University. Aside from heading the Presidential Management Staff (PMS), Afable is also the officer-in-charge of the Philippine Information Agency, an agency of the Office of the Press Secretary.
Can't be West Nile, doctor says of Ormoc virus
(Inquirer,Page 6)
NONE of the 12 children belonging to the prominent Larrazabal clan of Ormoc -- who have been stricken by a suspected rare disease -- have been abroad recently and neither does the family own imported horses. The statement was made by the country's top epidemiologist, Dr. Consortia Lim Quizon, to refute early suspicions the children had been afflicted with the rare West Nile Fever Infection (WNFI). "How could the dreaded West Nile virus have reached local shores?" asked Dr. Quizon, director of the National Epidemiological Center, who said the virus has been detected in other countries but not the Philippines. "Mukhang hindi yon (It doesn't look like it)," Quizon told the INQUIRER in a telephone interview. "How could the virus have reached our shores without a carrier?"
Bayan Muna protests repression
(Inquirer, Page 5)
REPRESENTATIVES Satur Ocampo and Liza Maza of the party-list group Bayan Muna led a rally at Camps Aguinaldo and Crame, both in Quezon City, Thursday to protest the "systematic campaign of political repression" against their organization. Ocampo said Bayan Muna lost 17 members and supporters in the past year to brutal slayings carried out mainly by police, military and paramilitary groups. In a phone interview, Ocampo said the group has written Defense Secretary Angelo Reyes, Justice Secretary Hernando Perez, Interior Secretary Jose Lina and Philippine National Police Director General Leonardo Mendoza to look not only into the killings but into other human rights violations committed against the group as well.
PAGCOR PLANS WORLD'S FIRST CASINO UNIVERSITY
(Inquirer, Page 1)
Gambling officials are planning to set up what is believed to be the world's first casino unicersity to promote the art of dealing cards and spinning a roulette wheel. Pending approval from educational authorities, the state-run AGCOR will offer a bachelors degree in casino.
RAM: Retirement law must prevail
(Tribune, Page 1)
The rightist Rebo-lusyonaryong Alyansang Makabayan (RAM) yesterday said the military retirement law should be properly observed by President Arroyo in considering the next Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief.“We have a very rigid retirement law and if this is not observed there is bound to be some demoralization...why appoint somebody who is already retiring,” retired Col. Reynaldo Samaco, RAM spokesman, said.President Arroyo had earlier hinted she was planning to appoint Southern Command (Southcom) chief Lt. Gen. Roy Cimatu as successor of Gen. Diomedio Villanueva upon his retirement on May 20.Mrs. Arroyo also said she intends to extend Cimatu's term beyond his retirement age on July 4, which created massive opposition from the officers corps, including generals.“We have many generals capable of handling the position. Why pick somebody who is already retiring? They (other generals) have gone through all the process and are capable for the job,” Samaco said.
Entry of foreign gun assemblers godsend for paltik manufacturers
(Manila Times, Page 1)
HE paltik (guns assembled in illegal, backyard shops) makers of Danao City now have a chance to go legit and even make their mark in the world market. An executive order signed by President Macapagal-Arroyo yesterday allows foreign arms manufacturers to set up factories in the Philippines.