double faced

Presidential duplicity

By Manila Standard Today | Aug. 14, 2014 at 12:01am

 Once upon a time, President Benigno Aquino III gave us the sense that he despised his job so much that he could not wait his term to be over.
But he had the legacy of his parents to live up to, and as he said in his most recent State of the Nation Address just less than a month ago, he felt he had no choice but to take this path that seems to have been carved out for him.
In the past four years, the yellow ribbon-sporting President has made his mark by saying one thing and then doing another.
For instance, he said he would tread the straight path by going after the corrupt in government. In fact, he has only gone after his perceived political opponents —a Supreme Court Chief Justice who had the audacity to lead an adverse ruling on the Cojuangco family’s estate in Tarlac, and the President who had appointed him just before she stepped down.

 Everybody else is presumed guilty until proven otherwise— except his men and women who continue to enjoy his trust and who must be deemed innocent until proven guilty. There is, however, no means for proof to be established because they are never charged and prosecuted in the first place.
He also was adamant about attempts to amend the 1987 Constitution, crafted and ratified when his mother was President, even though proposals meant only to change the economic provisions and make the country more open and competitive.
But in an interview with News5’s legal analyst Mel Sta Maria, Mr. Aquino revealed on Wednesday that his position was not cast in stone after all. And no, he made no mention of greater foreign investments and competitiveness as factors that has changed his mind. Instead, he felt the powers of the Supreme Court were limitless and had to be clipped—the result, no doubt, of the Court’s surprise adverse and unanimous vote against his brainchild, the Disbursement Acceleration Program.
Mr. Aquino suggested that the Judiciary—one of the three supposedly Independent branches of government—has been using its power much too often.
Of course, a happy coincidence would be the possibility of running for a second term, as Interior and Local Government Secretary Mar Roxas suggested a week ago. At that time, many thought Roxas was plain silly, or plain desperate, but now it appears he has been in the loop in the Grand Plan, after all.
We now have it straight from the President’s mouth that his decision to go for a second term would all depend on what the people, his supposed bosses, want. The yarn is that the people have been enjoying the benefits of good governance and reforms he has instituted. They want him to carry on.
It’s a clamor he must heed, he hinted. But it is a clamor that we find difficult to imagine—what with his declining approval ratings and the increasing frustration with his arrogance, self-righteousness and duplicity.
With these pronouncements, President Aquino has marked the beginning of his downfall. Anybody who still believes he operates in good faith must now consider that the President’s feel-good talk is mostly hot air.

HACENDERO AT SWAPANG

HE RELEASED A PART OF THE DISBURSEMENT ALLOCATION PROGRAM  TO THE TUNE OF AROUND 50 MILLION PESOS TO PAY HIS TADECO, A FAMILY CORPORATION THAT MANAGES HACIENDA LUISITA. INUNA MUNA NIYA ANG INTEREST NILA!!!!

THEY AWARDED THIS PROJECT TO SAN MIGUEL CORPORATION. KAMAG-ANAK NA NAMAN!

Bangsamoro lands open, Danding Cojuangco, Henry Sy, Ayala and ABS_CBN Lopez, HAPPY about it

Bangsamoro agreement opens up Mindanao’s fertile lands

March 27, 2014 10:02 pm

by Joel M. Sy Egco Senior Reporter & Llanesca T. Panti

Moro Islamic Liberation Front rebels shout “Allah akbar” (God is great) inside their camp in Sultan Kudarat during a rally in support of the peace agreement on Thursday. AFP PHOTO

Implementation of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB) will open up “vast fertile lands” in Mindanao to development projects that will eventually boost the entire country’s economy, Presidential Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. said on Thursday.

“Mindanao constitutes a very big part of the nation. Can you imagine a situation where we are able to open up the entire Philippines including places like Sulu, Tawi-Tawi, Maguindanao? Those of you [who] were at the Sajahatra Bangsamoro launch last year, we recalled that we saw vast stretches of very fertile land,” the Palace official told reporters hours before the formal signing of the CAB.

Coloma said cessation of hostilities and promise of enduring peace will foster growth in the regions covered by the new Bangsamoro political entity.

 “If we can only increase the productivity of Mindanao, if we can only increase significantly the gross domestic product of the regions covered by this agreement, that would be a tremendous boost to the entire country,” he pointed out.

Previously, the National Economic and Development Authority (Neda) said Mindanao may even surpass the growth of Luzon under an environment of peace. Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Arsenio Balisacan, also Neda director-general, said maximizing Mindanao’s economic potential through a Bangsamoro economic plan will provide a stronger boost for the entire economy.

According to Coloma, all Filipinos, not only the people of Mindanao, are stakeholders in the peace process because its long-term benefits will redound to the good of all.

“Not only those in Mindanao but all Filipinos are important stakeholders in establishing enduring peace through this Bangsamoro agreement,” the Palace official said.

“And we are determined to carry out all the necessary efforts to make this peace an enduring legacy way beyond June 30, 2016,” he added. On this date, a successor to President Benigno Aquino 3rd will have taken his or her oath to lead the country until 2012.

“It is important that we get the widest and deepest support of the entire nation, not only [that of] our brothers in Mindanao,” Coloma said.

The Makati Business Club, one of the country’s influential business groups, also on Thursday said effective implementation of the peace deal will unleash the full economic potential of Mindanao.

The group added that the CAB presents a “golden opportunity” for Mindanao, particularly in agriculture and agribusiness investments, tourism and natural-resource development.

It called on the private sector to support the economic development of Mindanao and help provide more livelihood opportunities for the people there.

”Indeed, it is only through coming together as a people that the greatest of challenges can be confidently faced and surpassed.

Let us build upon this landmark achievement to bring forth a generation of peace and inclusive development in Mindanao and in the other troubled areas of our country,” the MBC said.

Rep. Sherwin Gatchalian of Valenzuea City, the vice chairman of the House Committee on Housing and Urban Development, said foreign direct investments will pour into Mindanao once the armed conflict there ends.

“Foreign investors need a peaceful and business-friendly environment. The peace pact will guarantee that the Bangsamoro will be a fertile ground for much-needed investments,” Gatchalian pointed out.

Poverty incidence in 2012 the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, which will fall under the jurisdiction of the Bangsamoro, was pegged at 48.7 percent, making it the region with the highest poverty incidence in the country.

For Rep. Carlos Zarate of Bayan Muna party-list, the work is just getting started.

“In fact, the signing of this new agreement will embolden the Moro people to be more vigilant of their rights. While a new law is yet to be passed by Congress, we have to be on the lookout [for] attempts to place the future of the Bangsamoro in the hands of people who will profit greedily from further liberalization of our economy and privatization of our basic services,” Zarate, a lawyer, said.

LA GORILLA

SO THAT THE PUBLIC MAY KNOW

Kris Aquino and Philip Salvador performing limbering exercises

MANILA STANDARD ON HACIENDA LUISITA

Luisita terror tactics blasted

By Fred Villareal | Posted 4 hours ago | 169 views

Angeles City — A farmers’ group  belonging to Alyansa ng mga Magbubukid sa Gitnang Luzon on Saturday condemned the alleged assault by the Tarlac Development Corporation against the Alyansa ng Manggagawang Bukid sa Asyenda Luisita.
The AMGL  in a statement said that   when the Department of Agrarian Reform  began the raffle-distribution of certificate of land ownership awards since October, Tadeco and another corporation, Luisita Realty Corp built fences around the 100-hectare land in Barangay Cutcut and about 400 hectares in Barangay Balete and recently last October 31.  AMBALA’s Dennis Dela Cruz who actively worked at a ‘Bungkalan’ (cultivation) site was murdered in Balete.

 Joseph Canlas, AMGL chairperson said, “Hacienda Luisita is under a reign of terror, perpetrated by the hacienda ownes led by the family of President Benigno Aquino III .  “They have sabotaged the Supreme Court decision to distribute the lands by using the anti-farm workers’ schemes implemented by DAR, and now an AMBALA leader was mercilessly killed,” Canlas said.
The AMBALA, a farm workers’ alliance and AMGL chapter in Luisita expressed belief that the murder of Dela Cruz is connected to the land issue as he was a staunch activist working with the ‘Bungkalan’ campaign, and was threatened by TADECO security guards last September.
The group in a statement said that it was to terrorize the farm workers who are fighting for their right to own land.

 The AMBALA   earlier reported that military deployment in Hacienda Luisita had intensified as at least four military tanks were sighted to have entered the estate.
“The Aquino government deployed many elements of the police and military during the so-called CLOA  distribution by DAR, to subvert the protest of the farm workers.  Now they are actually sending in more forces to intimidate the unarmed farm workers,” Canlas said.

 `The AMGL stated that the Cojuangco-Aquino family is firm in keeping control over Hacienda Luisita as it would bring them billions of profit.  Agricultural land valuation around the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEx) and Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union Expressway (TPLEx) ranges from P1 million to P6 million per hectare or P100 per square meter to P600 per square meter, thus, the the Hacienda land was reclassified as the Cojuangco-Aquino family prepared in the land use plan furnished by the Luisita Realty Corp. in 1998.
Canlas, also a fourth nominee of the Party List AnakPawis charged that, “the Cojuangco-Aquinos are notorious in attacking the farm workers. The estate was under martial law during the Marcos dictatorship, de-facto martial law before and after the Hacienda Luisita massacre in 2009, the Oplan Bantay Laya is in full effect.”
Canlas noted that  “it is like a time-space warp inside Hacienda Luisita where you would feel like the Spanish colonization of the country continuously unfolding and ‘hacenderos’ ruling with ‘whips and iron-fist, slaughtering those who oppose them.”

RED FLAGS FOR THE 2015 ASEAN INTEGRATION!

 RP should industrialize like Sokor — expert
    Written by  Tribune
    Sunday, 20 October 2013 00:00

President Aquino’s boast in South Korea that the Philippines will soon follow in the footsteps of the prosperous Asian neighbor remains long way off and industrialization is needed for the Philippines to realize the goal of becoming a new tiger economy, economist and University of Asia and the Pacific (UA&P) professor Bernie Villegas said.

Filipinos have to change their mindset about blue collar jobs as skilled workers will bring industrialization to the country, he said.
Villegas noted that skilled workers are the backbone of the manufacturing industry which will support inclusive growth in the country.

However, he said Filipinos should have a “paradigm shift” and look at blue collar jobs as critical contributor of economic growth as these jobs were often demeaned in the country.
Villegas cited that this culture has started during childhood since parents instill in children that the best jobs are those of doctor, engineer, lawyer and business managers.
Understanding the worth of skilled workers is also limited, according to Villegas.

“Few have realized that they can make more money out of being a plumber than being a lawyer (for some instances),” he said.

Further, Villegas mentioned that the country should now take advantage of the K+12 program and devote the last two years of the new education system into skills training.

“Convert this last two years in skills training program because the knowledge of these graduates will drive industrialization,” he noted.
The government shall also provide support and assure that the K+12 program will properly work, he added.
Aside from the skills training program, reviving manufacturing within rural areas will be crucial for industrialization.
In order to achieve this, Villegas said that the country will get these investors to develop within these zones, as much as possible away from Metro Manila.
And also, getting more “technical people” who are now working abroad will be very helpful for industrialization.
However, he said that the government should have a competitive offer to these offshore workers in order for them to come back and work in the Philippines.
The Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI), which is the largest business organization in the country, expects the economy to recover from the effects of recent political scandals and natural disasters.
PCCI president Miguel Varela said the economy will still be able to maintain its momentum as it already gained interests from other countries.
Varela noted that even with the past natural calamities such as the killer earthquake in Central Visayas and typhoons which ravaged some regions, foreign investors are keen to expand businesses in the country.
“(The) Philippines received so much interest (from other countries) based on business missions we participated (in),” he said.
The business group leader added that investors prioritized the strengths and potential of the Philippine economy rather than circumstances which can be resolved.
PCCI mentioned said the emergence of political issues nowadays including the controversial pork barrel system is actually a mark that the government is in the “cleansing stage” within its bureaus, addressing corruption in the country.
”This will serve as momentum of transformation despite issues on politics, disasters and territorial issues, among others,” said Varela.
“At the end of the day it’s business as usual for the Philippine economy,” the PCCI president concluded.
In his arrival message at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 2 in Pasay City on Friday evening, Aquino said he went home from South Korea with strong determination to achieve progress similar to South Korea’s gains.
The President likewise asked the support of every Filipino to join the collective effort to transform the country into a more progressive nation.
Also in his message, the President said he got the support of President Park Geun-Hye for the country’s quest for stability in its disputed territory.
There was fruitful discussion on the issues of defense, disaster response, trade, maritime dispute and sports, the President said.
President Park committed South Korea’s assistance to Zamboanga City, which was devastated by recent violence as well as to the Visayas region affected by a strong earthquake this week.
South Korean companies like Hanjin have committed to intensify its investment in the country, he reported. The Korea Electric Power Corp., which contributes to around 10 percent of power generated in the country, wanted to widen its operations in the Philippines.
Lotte, company engaged in hotel business, wants to put up hotel projects in the Visayas region, the President said. It also eyes to invest in other parts of the country to build more hotels, theme park, office space, and others.
South Korea’s National Pension Service has an available billion that could be invested in the Philippines each year, according to the President.
The extraordinary developments in the Philippine economy have generated a lot of interest in South Korea to bring its money here and invest, Aquino said.
The President also said he had a successful interaction with Filipinos leaving or staying in South Korea while in his two-day state visit to that country.

"INTELLIGENCE REPORT"

THE RECENT DAVAO CITY BOMBINGS WERE INSTIGATED BY THE AQUINO ADMINISTRATION USING SPECIAL ARMED UNITS FROM THE ARMED FORCES THAT ARE "LOYAL" TO THE AQUNO-COJUANGCOS. THEY WERE SENT TO "INFILTRATE AND DESTABILIZE" THE PEACEFUL CITY OF THE SOUTH.

FURTHERMORE,  THE BOMBINGS WERE MEANT TO INTIMIDATE DAVAO CITIZENS SINCE DAVAO CITY IS "HOME" TO BOTH TRIBAL AND MUSLIM CULTURE AND THE "MNLF". FURTHERMORE, DAVAO CITY IS NOT AN AQUINO-COJUANGCO INFLUENCED REGION.

THE BOMBING WAS ALSO MEANT TO "INTIMIDATE" THE LOCAL OFFICIALS OF THE CITY TO "KEEP OUT" OF THE "ZAMBOANGA CRISIS ISSUE".

THE BOMBINGS WERE SUPPOSED TO WARN DAVAO CITY GOVERNMENT, A MAJOR REVENUE CONTRIBUTING CITY TO THE NATIONAL COFFERS, TO KEEP OUT OF THE MNLF ISSUE.

1.3 TRILLION PESOS ANG PRESIDENTIAL PORK

ANO KAYA ANG GAGAWIN NIYA SA PERA NATIN!!???

TREASON !

A PRESIDENT WHO DOES NOT CONVENE THE SECURITY COUNCIL AND LIKEWISE INDIFFERENT TO THE CHINESE ENCROACHMENT OF THE PHILIPPINE TERRITORY IS GUILTY OF TREASON!

THE PRESIDENT IS DOING NOTHING!

CHINESE MILITARY WARSHIPS ARE ALREADY INSIDE OUR TERRITORIAL WATERS!

THEY ARE POACHING ON OUR WATERS, OUR MARITIME FOOD SUPPLY, WITH IMPUNITY.

AND THIS CREEP IS DOING NOTHING!

THERE IS A WAY TO DEAL WITH A CROOKED AND A TREASONOUS PRESIDENT!

APPEAL

WE ARE APPEALING TO THE FILIPINO NATION!

JOIN THE NATIONAL PROTEST TO IMPEACH AQUINO AND THE SCRAPPING OF THE PRESIDENTIAL PORK BARREL!

LET US CHANGE THE WAY THE SITTING PRESIDENT AND THE GOVERNMENT IS TREATING US!!!

LET US REMOVE HIM ONCE AND FOR ALL.

OLIGARCHS AND SLAVE DRIVERS PO ANG MGA TAONG NAGPAPATAKBO NG BANSA NATIN. EVEN MAR ROXAS, LIKE PANSOT AQUINO, IS OF CACIQUE TYPE. SILA AT MGA KA-URI LANG NILA ANG NAKIKINABANG NG KAYAMANAN NG BANSA NATIN.

FROM ENERGY TO MINING VENTURES, PURO OLIGARCH OWNED ANG COMPANY. SI LOPEZ OF ABS CBN NALANG, KANILA NA YUNG MGA GEOTHERMAL SA MOUNT APO AT BICOL.

KAILAN BA KAYO NAKABALITA NG SMALL MINING GROUPS SA BANSANG ITO NA TINULUNGAN NI PNOY UMANGAT??? INSTEAD OF HELPING SMALL FILIPINO MINERS, HE IS PENALIZING THEM AND DENYING THEIR OPPORTUNITY TO EARN BECAUSE OF SIMPLE LACK OF PAPERWORK. DI BA PWEDE I-ASSIST NALANG SILA NG GOVERNMENT???

WHERE IS ECONOMIC UPLIFTMENT HERE?

IT IS ALWAYS THE FIRST AND THE SOLEMN DUTY OF THE GOVERNMENT TO ASSIST ITS CITIZENS AND NOT TO PENALIZE or PUNISH THEM!