1. PLUNDER CASE
ERAP’S PUBLIC DEFENDERS WANT OUT
(Inquirer, Page 1)
Estrada’s
de officio lawyers firm on quit move
(Tribune, Page 1)
THE MUDDLED trial of deposed
President Joseph Estrada may be in for further delays after all his
court-appointed lawyers, both public and private, asked to be relieved.The
Public Attorneys Office on Thursday joined the four court-appointed private
lawyers in asking the Sandiganbayan to reappoint Estrada’s original defense
team -- which he had dismissed on Feb. 27 -- to represent him anew.
(Inquirer, Page
3)
Joker
flays Ani on MJ extradition: ‘Shut up’
(Tribune, Page 1)
OMBUDSMAN Aniano Desierto should
"learn to keep his mouth shut" and not meddle in the extradition case
of Manila Rep. Mark Jimenez. In a scathing statement, Sen. Joker Arroyo reacted
sharply Thursday to Desierto's "open, unsolicited and uncalled-for advice''
to Jimenez to testify against former President Joseph Estrada in order to delay
his extradition to the United States where he is wanted on four charges.
"Our treaty obligations (to the US) are not the concern of the Ombudsman.
His concern is to investigate and prosecute grafters," Arroyo said.
(Inquirer, Page
6)
THE INTEGRATED Bar of the
Philippines on Thursday asked members of Congress to junk the impeachment
complaint filed against Chief Justice Hilario Davide Jr. and the entire Supreme
Court. IBP national president Teofilo S. Pilando Jr. said the move to impeach
Davide and all 13 incumbent associate justices was uncalled for. "The IBP
believes the impeachment complaint and the unwarranted criticism hurled against
the Supreme Court are unfortunate attempts to ride on the controversial issues
raised by former President Joseph Estrada against the integrity of the
judiciary," said Pilando in a one-page statement to the INQUIRER. The IBP
said giving due course to the complaint filed with the House by Crispin T. Reyes
of the Anti-Graft League of the Philippines would further distract Congress from
more pressing tasks.
(Philippine Star, Page 1 )
Ousted President Joseph Estrada
accused the Supreme Court yesterday of plotting with the Ombudsman to humiliate
him in public by allowing the live television coverage of his trial for plunder
and four other criminal cases. At the Sandiganbayan, the five court-appointed
lawyers of Estrada are set to present in court today their oral arguments for
their separate motions to withdraw as counsel for the former leader. Calling the
action "unprecedented," Estrada said the Supreme Court issued the
decision following a meeting between Associate Justice Artemio Panganiban and
Ombdsman Aniano Desierto at the Westin Philippine Plaza in Pasay City on March
12.
(Tribune, Page 1)
BIG BUSINESS BELIEVES ERAP IS A ‘SPENT FORCE’
(Inquirer, Page 1)
A business group whose opinions
have been polled for a survey by a Wallace economic group, headed by Australian
Peter Wallace, says it still sees deposed President Joseph Estrada as a threat
to the Arroyo administration.Of the 250 members who participated in the survey
conducted early March, 55 percent of the respondents said they still consider
Estrada as one who has "the potential to create destabilizing impact"
as compared to the 26 percent who believe otherwise.Despite these figures,
Wallace, however, claimed the business group regards Estrada as a "spent
force."
(Malaya, Page 1)
PNP chief Leandro Mendoza yesterday
said the police have not violated any law by restricting visitors to former
President Joseph Estrada.Mendoza said those who have been complaining against
the restrictions apparently wanted entry to the detention quarters up to
midnight. "No prison allows visits until midnight," Mendoza said.He
said the rules allowing unrestricted access only to family members and
court-appointed counsels stay.
(Inquirer, Page 1)
THE GOVERNMENT is studying what
"framework" to use for merging next month's Philippine-US Balikatan
02-2 military exercise in Central Luzon with a larger one involving several
other countries as the United States proposes, according to National Security
Adviser Roilo Golez. He described the proposed "Team Challenge"
multinational exercise as "a possibility and a good measure to promote
regional harmony." But another administration official, who requested
anonymity, said Muslim countries like Malaysia and Indonesia were "not too
keen on joining such an exercise because it could offend their
constituencies."
(Inquirer, Page 1)
US forces back in combat zone to help AFP
(Philippine Star, Page 1 )
GIs now in combat zone
(Tribune, Page 1)
BASILAN -- US military paramedics
yesterday helped evacuate seven Filipino soldiers who were wounded in a
mid-morning clash with Abu Sayyaf bandits in the Upper Mangas area. Reporters
also saw a US Army humvee jeep with five heavily armed US Special Forces troops
speeding out of the 103rd Philippine Army Brigade headquarters at noon as
fighting raged near the town of Lantawan. But Capt. Noel Detoyato, Southern
Command spokesperson, insisted the US soldiers did not take part in the clash at
the coconut-growing villages of Bolansa and Tairan. 7 Rangers wounded in new clash (Manila Times, Page 1) ZAMBOANGA
CITY — Paramedics on board Huey helicopters evacuated seven wounded Scout
Rangers from the Basilan war zone yesterday following fierce fighting between
government troops and a big group of Abu Sayyaf rebels.
(Inquirer, Banner)
Five
more bombs found in key cities
(Philippine Star, Page 1)
4
explosives recovered in Manila, Cotabato
(Tribune, Page 1)
More bombs found ;No lead on
'Indigenous People's Federal Army'
(Malaya, Banner)
FOR the third straight day, bombs
were discovered in Manila and Caloocan City on Thursday, bringing to seven the
number of explosives found in the metropolis since Monday night.The bomb scare
spread to Cotabato City after police discovered two improvised bombs planted
separately in the commercial district and in the public market.
(Philippine Star, Banner)
Authorities clueless on men behind Metro bomb
scare
(Inquirer, Page 1)
Police at a loss on who are planting those bombs
(Manila Times, Banner)
The Philippine National Police
(PNP) remains in the dark regarding the bomb scare that has gripped Metro Manila
and Central Mindanao over the past few days. This developed as police
intelligence agents pursued their investigation on the possible links of the
so-called Indigenous People’s Federal State Army (IPFSA), which has claimed
responsibility for the bomb scare, to communist and Muslim secessionist groups
as well as radical political groups. PNP chief Director General Leandro Mendoza
noted that the bomb scare was apparently part of a bigger plot to destabilize
the Arroyo administration.
Morocco’s help sought in solving MILF problem
(Philippine Star, Page 3)
MARAKECH, Morocco - President
Arroyo has sought the help of the government of Morocco, an influential member
of the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC), in resolving the Moro Islamic
Liberation Front secessionist problem in Mindanao: The appeal is contained in a
letter Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr. personally handed to King Mohammed VI,
Ambassador Abdeslam Jaidi, the king’s special envoy and adviser; and other
Moroccan leaders. In her letter to the king, the President said the Philippine
and Moroccan governments have had the "privilege to work side by side with
the OIC in serving the welfare of Filipino Muslims; as well as the institution
of genuine and meaningful autonomy in Muslim Mindanao."
(Tribune, Page 2)
Three Indonesians held in Manila on
suspicion of terrorism were linked yesterday by police to another detained
Indonesian believed to be an explosives expert for the al-Qaeda network. Agus
Dwikarna, Tamsil Linrung and Abdul Jammal Balsas, arrested at the Ninoy Aquino
International Airport last week, have been jointly charged with illegal
possession of explosives. A senior Philippine National Police (PNP) official
told AFP all three had reportedly met with associates of Fathur Rohman Al-Ghozi,
an Indonesian self-confessed bomb expert working for the Jemaah Islamiyah.
(Philippine Star, Page 1 )
It will be a long, hot summer for
private sector workers. The Employers Confederation of the Philippines (ECOP)
rejected yesterday the possible implementation of a four-day summer work week
for its labor force, a day after President Arroyo approved the scheme for state
employees. ECOP president Donald Dee said the scheme would not be viable for
those employed by the private sector, except for those whose functions are
administrative in nature. "Such a scheme will be too complicated to
implement in the private sector, where the usual practice is to adopt a
three-shift workday," Dee responded when asked if employers would consider
a four-day work week this summer. Ecop
slams GMA’s 4-day work (Tribune, Page 2) Reducing the
working days will severely affect the businesses, the Employers Confederation of
the Philippines (Ecop) said. Ecop issued the statement after President Arroyo
signed Administrative Order 32, which provides the working days and hours of the
employees in the government sector which will be cut to four days from its
previous five days.
ANALYSIS/ RECOMMENDATION:
This “holiday economics” tack of President Arroyo was certainly designed to boost her popularity in preparation for the 2004 presidential polls. But while this is a popular policy, Mrs. Arroyo’s “holiday economics” could damage the efficiency of the bureaucracy because essentially, the government would be reducing work output unless it decides to hire additional civil servants. This decision is also very ironic if not dumb because many of our government agencies are not only undermanned but are also facing severe work backlog. President Arroyo’s “holiday economics” could not also work under a situation like ours because our underpaid civil servants does not have the money to spend during their extended day-offs. We can make a press release expressing your concern on this issue.
Bribery seals
deals under GMA gov’t;44 PERCENT OF BUSINESSMEN BELIEVE ALL GOVERNMENT
AGENCIES CORRUPT
(Tribune, Banner)
Two out of three Filipino companies
admit “most, if not all” companies in their sector engage in bribery to win
government contracts, according to a Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey
released yesterday. Forty-four percent of Filipino businessmen believe “there
is no government agency” free of corruption, the polling agency said. The
business community itself believes that government contracts have a median
“bribery component” equivalent to 15 percent of the actual cost, slightly
less than the average of 20 percent in 2000, according to SWS chief Mahar
Mangahas.
(Philippine Star, page
1)
Businessmen give Gloria high marks...
(Malaya, Page 1)
Top executives of multinational
companies (MNCs) doing business in the Philippines have given President Arroyo a
high performance rating during her first year at Malacañang but expressed
concern that deposed President Joseph Estrada remains a destabilizing factor in
her administration. These sentiments were expressed by 250 chief executive
officers (CEOs) from 38 MNCs operating in the Philippines who responded to the
survey conducted by international risk consultant Peter Wallace. Wallace
presented to Mrs. Arroyo at Malacañang yesterday the survey results of his AYC
Consultancy Inc. at the Philippine Corporate Update Program he jointly organized
with Trade and Industry Secretary Mar Roxas II.
SWS: Businessmen willing to donate profits vs
corruption
(Philippine Star, Page 5)
Local businessmen believe President
Arroyo is sincere in her fight against corruption and are even willing to donate
some of their profits to the battle, an independent polling firm said yesterday.
A survey by the Social Weather Stations (SWS) revealed that 44 percent of
Filipino businessmen agree that there is no government agency free of
corruption.
(Inquirer, Page 6)
CABINET members can soon approve
contracts worth 50 million pesos and above, which are previously approved solely
by the National Economic Development Authority. President Macapagal-Arroyo
announced Thursday she will authorize Cabinet members to approve such contracts
to expedite the process. Last year she devolved the final approval authority
from the Office of the President to the Neda board.
ANALYSIS/RECOMMENDATION:
Again, this new executive policy would only ham the government because it would leave a gaping hole in the effort to fight corruption in the government. Even at present where the existing policy is for the Cabinet secretaries to clear from the President any spending amounting to P50 –million and above, various anomalies prevail in many government offices. This would surely provide many government officials the opportunity to splurge government resources while keeping away the president a direct responsibility in case an anomaly is discovered in the process. Would you like a press release on this?
(Philippine Star, Page 8 )
Former Senator Juan Ponce Enrile
has withdrawn his election protest against Ralph Recto after the May 2001
senatorial election. In a motion issued last March 13, the Senate Electoral
Tribunal said Enrile decided to withdraw his protest because of huge expenses,
as well as, "the time and efforts that will be spent in the revision and
recount of the ballots."
OFWs fear
passport fees hike
(Philippine Star, Page 8 )
Overseas Filipino workers (OFWs)
expressed fears yesterday of a possible exorbitant increase in recruitment fees
as a result of the shortage of Philippine passports. Migrante International, a
group of Filipino overseas workers, claimed that the shortage of passports is a
"signal" of an impending increase in passport and recruitment fees.
DFA ACCUSED OF CRAETING ARTIFICIAL SHORTAGE (Inquirer, Page 1) An alliance of overases contract workers accused the
Department of Foreign Affairs yesterday of creating an “artificial shortage”
in new passports, to justify a forthcoming increase in processing fees
and to pave the way for privatizing the printing of passports.
Loi, Barbers’ proposed punishment for heinous crimes
inhumane — CBCP
(Tribune, Page 2 )
The Episcopal Commission on Prison and Pastoral Care (EPPC)
of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) yesterday slammed
Senators Lusia “Loi” Ejercito Estrada and Robert Barbers for proposing very
unhuman options of castigating criminals who committed heinous crimes. Rodolfo
Diamante, executive secretary of the CBCP-EPPC, said the suggestions given by
Ejercito to castrate those convicted of child molestation and executing one or
two prisoners in the death row every month by Barbers are “insensitive
recommendations.”
(Tribune, Page
2)
Despite initial moves in Congress
for the repeal of the eight-year-old Heinous Crimes Act, or Republic Act (RA)
7659, reinstating the death penalty, Justice officials yesterday said at least
one death row inmate maybe executed within the year. Speaking with reporters,
Justice Undersecretary Ramon Liwag yesterday said the case of “at least one
person is ripe (for execution)” in August of this year.