miniZibaldone

Sun.Star Cebu's  Carvajal: "Pride of nation" IT is not difficult to understand why droves of Filipinos are jumping on the bandwagon of un-prim and un-proper Rody Duterte. Twenty six million marginalized  Filipinos only understand the language of food, health security and freedom from fear of losing life and property to the corrupt and criminal among us. Duterte  commits all this to them with the added assurance of a no-nonsense gutsy personality that gets things done.  What is harder to fathom is Bongbong Marcos magnetizing millenials. True, they did not experience Martial Law. But they are well-educated and have guardians who had  at least a glimpse of the evil of Martial Law. Still, they seem to be reading or listening to a different version of history. They seem to agree with Bongbong that  we should “unite and move on.”  No argument can be made against moving on united. Nevertheless, I who suffered ignominy.....   [full text] The Freeman's...

Philippine Star  "Give them back their money" “We don’t have too much money,” Ambassador John Gomes said, as he pointed out that $81 million “is a huge amount of money for a country like Bangladesh.”  The envoy made the comment as he expressed hope that the $81 million stolen by hackers from the Bangladesh central bank’s account at the Federal Reserve Bank of New  York and laundered through Philippine casinos and the banking system would be returned to his country before the end of President Aquino’s term.  That looks like a tall order for the chronically inefficient Philippine judiciary, which must first conclude with finality the forfeiture proceedings initiated by  the Anti-Money Laundering Council or AMLC to recover the amount. Gomes has noted that the casinos have already profited from the stolen funds. Returning the money to  its rightful owner, unfortunately for Bangladesh, is not as simple as it appears in the Philippines.   [full text] Sun....

Philippine Star  "Endangered remittances" Several banks have denied shutting down their operations in Italy following the multimillion-dollar electronic heist that saw money stolen from the Bank of  Bangladesh account in the US Federal Reserve being laundered through Philippine casinos and the banking system.  The scandal has not only become a national embarrassment for the Philippines, where a large portion of about $81 million still has to be traced, but has also  endangered the remittances of millions of overseas Filipino workers. This concern has been raised by the Department of Foreign Affairs, even as it denied yesterday  the reports about several Philippine banks shutting down their operations in Italy due to the money laundering scandal.  Credit rating agencies and various analysts have expressed confidence that the Philippine banking system will weather this storm. There are also no indications so  far that the scandal might put the country ...

Philippine Star  "Violent contests" Police have noted that election violence is highest in local races. Violence, however, is not the only problem that authorities must monitor and prevent as the local  races kick off. Candidates for local government positions also tend to be the most brazen in flouting election rules, from the posting of campaign materials to  spending limits.  The Commission on Elections and Metropolitan Manila Development Authority have been active in taking down campaign materials illegally posted around the metropolis.  But just outside Metro Manila, in nearby towns of Southern Tagalog and Central Luzon, trees and lampposts are slowly being covered again with campaign posters and  streamers. If the candidates are incumbent officials, the campaign materials are unlikely to be taken down.   [full text] Sun.Star Cebu  "Heart and discipline" The days seem longer and hotter. Few children mind that there seems to be more hours...

Philippine Star  "Water and jobs" Think about it: if people in underdeveloped communities do not have to trek for several hours just to get water for their households, they could instead spend those hours learning livelihood skills or, for children, in getting formal education.  The United Nations estimates that about 1.5 billion people work in sectors where water plays an important role, including fisheries, farming, manufacturing and energy generation. Their work, earnings and quality of life could be improved with the efficient delivery of clean water.  As World Water Day is marked on March 22, the UN is focusing on the links between water and jobs, and consequently to poverty alleviation. Adequate supply of clean water is also indispensable in public health and sanitation. This is important in developing countries such as the Philippines where millions of households still lack piped water and modern toilets.   [full text] Sun.Star Cebu  "Crucial swing vot...

Philippine Star  "Preventing vote buying" Reversing the Commission on Elections again, the Supreme Court yesterday granted a petition to issue receipts for the automated voting. The unanimous SC vote ordered the Comelec to enable the voter verified paper audit trail or VVPAT feature of the vote counting machines.  The decision has raised concern that vote-buying politicians will again have a way of verifying if they are getting what they paid for through receipts.   [full text] Sun.Star Cebu  "Game-changer?" WHAT an eventful International Women’s Day it turned out to be for Sen. Grace Poe. Voting 9-6, the Supreme Court En Banc reversed yesterday a decision of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) and allowed her to run for the presidency.  For voters, the decision offers the chance of greater clarity. With Poe firmly in the saddle, and with much of the speculative melodrama from her disqualification cases now set aside, voters can more clinically assess her...

Inquirer  on climate change accord UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon described the global consensus [climate change accord in Paris] as a “defining moment on a long journey,” a historic passage from  contentious debate to communal action meant to save this planet we all call home. [...]  While the accord may be imperfect, it provides a helpful precedent for future efforts, US President Barack Obama said, adding that “The Paris agreement establishes  the enduring framework the world needs to solve the climate crisis.” [full text] Sun.Star Cebu  on Duterte and controversy DAVAO City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, who is running for president in 2016, continues to be a magnet for controversies in this electoral joust. The latest one is when he  responded to Liberal Party (LP) standard bearer Mar Roxas, who refuted his claim that Davao is the safest city in the country. [...]  This is not the first time that Duterte responded wildly to a criticism. After ...

Inquirer  on Kobe Bryant KOBE BRYANT will go down in history as the best player of his basketball era. The numbers that he accumulated throughout his career as a member of the Los Angeles  Lakers do not pay him sufficient homage. He is more than the championship trophies, the MVP awards, the statistics, the jerseys, the arena seats sold, and the fans  collected. [full text] Sun.Star Cebu  on Cebu politics “Weder-weder lang” surfaced in the months going into the mid-term elections in 2013 with the suspension by Malacañang of then governor Gwendolyn Garcia, allowing LP  stalwarts to take over the Capitol for the duration of the campaign period. One Cebu gubernatorial bet Pablo John Garcia eventually lost to the LP’s Hilario Davide  III. [...] Yesterday, officials of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) 7 implemented Malacañang’s order to suspend Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama for 60 days. [full text] Manila Bulletin   about P...

Inquirer  on climate conference in Paris Developments in the negotiations [of the 21st Conference of Parties (COP21)], now down to the last two days of an exhausting fortnight, may still prevent the “Draft  Paris Outcome” from taking off. Perhaps countries like Saudi Arabia may balk if full decarbonization is adopted as an objective; perhaps energy-hungry economies like  India or China may resist strong language about limiting the rise in global temperatures to 1.5 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels. [...]  The sluggish pace of negotiations over the language of the draft agreement and its implementing decision prompted the French hosts—under the UN system, the hosts  serve as president of the conference and enjoy a wide latitude for initiative—to fast-track the talks, at the same time preserving the openness of the process which  the French presidency put in place.  [full text] Sun.Star Cebu  on the new Cebu police director Chief...

Inquirer  on Inquirer anniversary It was December 1985 and the rented office in the Port Area building was crowded with Eggie Apostol’s editors, reporters, photographers, other personnel—and an  overwhelming sense of purpose. [...]  Fast forward to 30 years later, and the Inquirer continues to deliver the news and commentary that make history. [...]  As the newspaper grew its readership, it built strength and stature. [full text] Sun.Star Cebu  about holiday cash incentive AT LEAST four councilors allied with the Bando Osmeña-Pundok Kauswagan (BOPK) are correct. The P30,000 across-the-board cash incentive for all officials and employees  is “too much.” [...]  Good work deserves to be recompensed. No question there. [...]  Councilor Dizon is right: to receive P30,000 when some of the City’s constituents continue to wait for urgent shelter assistance is insensitive, to say the least. [full text] Manila Bulletin   on Comelec and elec...