Opinion 11/27/15 (Philippines, presidential elections, Roxas, dispute, LTO, meeting)

By Anonymous

Inquirer on Mar Roxas and presidential elections
Ex-Secretary Mar Roxas is the first candidate for president in the post-Edsa era to run on the promise of specific program continuity, and he is not shy about it. [...] Other candidates have campaigned on the basis of promised reforms, of course; but no one, not even Fidel Ramos in 1992, could present himself or herself as the avatar of continuity. Whether this is a winning strategy for Roxas—Mr. Aquino’s losing vice presidential running mate in 2010 and his survey-challenged preferred successor in 2016—remains to be seen. [full page]


Sun.Star Cebu about the International Eucharistic Congress in Cebu
The IEC is among the major global activities in the calendar of the Catholic Church and the number of Catholic Church faithful it gathers is huge. Besides, it is not often that a local hierarchy or a country gets to host it. Consider, for example, that the last time the Philippines hosted the IEC was in 1937 yet, in Manila. [...] The Cebu City Transportation Office (CCTO) conducted over the weekend a two-day traffic dry run to gauge the effect of the IEC on the city's traffic flow. Mayor Michael Rama has pushed for the widening of Pope John Paul Ave. where the IEC Pavilion is located. That has spawned a controversy, however, over the plan to cut the trees lining the avenue. [full page]

Manila Bulletin on international law of the sea and territorial dispute
The Arbitral Tribunal at the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) of the United Nations in The Hague, Switzerland, is holding hearings this week on the Philippine case asserting its rights in the South China Sea. The tribunal had earlier ruled that it had a right to hear the case under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). [...] n the face of all these uncertainties, the Philippine position is that its best option is to take its case to the United Nations which has an established process in place for such disputes. But sovereign states, particularly the powerful ones, do not easily bow to any decisions by any UN arbitral tribunal. Thus any decision by the tribunal now hearing the Philippine case in The Hague is not likely to end the ongoing dispute. At best, it will have a persuasive effect as the world reacts and responds to the hearing and the resulting decision. [full page]

Philippine Star about LTO requirements
As of yesterday the Land Transportation Office had suspended the order requiring persons applying for a professional driver’s license to obtain clearances first from the Philippine National Police and National Bureau of Investigation. But the suspension is only for those renewing their licenses. For new applicants, the clearances are still required. [...] If this LTO requirement is mainly for law enforcement purposes, the office should simply link up with the PNP and NBI, sharing a database of wanted and convicted felons for quick reference in processing applications for a driver’s license. [full page]

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