Philippines’ anti-divorce status ‘a world record’

Filipinos should be congratulated for being the only race in the world that has maintained an unceasing respect for the sanctity of marriage and the preservation of the family as a basic institution of society, a lawmaker said Tuesday.

Bagong Henerasyon Representative Bernadette Herrera-Dy said that with Malta’s decision to legalize divorce, the Philippines thus earned the distinction of becoming the only country, other than Vatican City, that upholds the inviolability of marriage.

Vatican City is a city-state that has a population of 800 comprised mostly of celibate members of the Catholic clergy.

“Being citizens of a nation that protects the sanctity of marriage and protects the unity of the family is an honor that we all should all be proud of,” said Herrera-Dy as she vowed to oppose House Bill 1799 which proposes the legalization of divorce.

By Kathrina Alvarez

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Nursing not a good course for Pinoy students?

Pinoy nurses seeking US jobs plunge by 52% - Bill seeks to revive NARS jobs plan for PH's biggest group of unemployed skilled workers

The number of Filipino Nursing graduates aspiring to practice their profess

ion in America plummeted by 52 percent in the first quarter of this year, after nose-diving by 37 percent in the whole of 2010, a member of Congress reported recently.

Rep. Arnel Ty of the party-list group LPG/MA said only 1,454 Filipino Nursing graduates took the NCLEX for the first time from January to March this year, compared to 3,024 in the same th

ree-month period in 2010.

The NCLEX is the licensure exam administered by the US National Council of State Boards of Nursing (USNCSBN). The number of Filipino Nursing graduates taking the NCLEX for the first time, excluding repeaters, is considered a reliable indicator as to how many of them are trying to enter the profession in the US.

Citing USNCSBN statistics, Ty said that in the 12 months of 2010, the number of Filipino nursing graduates who took the NCLEX for the first time dropped by 37 percent to just 9,789 compared to 15,382 in the whole of 2009.

Special jobs for nurses

This has prompted Ty to file a bill seeking to establish a special jobs plan for the country’s growing number of unemployed and underemployed nurses.

As proposed by Ty in House Bill 4582, the jobs plan would be an expanded version of the Nurses Assigned in Rural Service (NARS), the short-lived Philippine government project that enlisted 10,000 nurses to improve healthcare services in the country’s 1,000 poorest municipalities in 2

009.

Ty said nurses now comprise the country’s second-largest group of professionals after teachers, and the nation’s biggest group of unemployed skilled workers.

In the 30 months from June 2008 to December 2010 alone, he said a total of 500,766 Nursing graduates took the local licensure exam administered by the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC), with 40 percent of them or 204,754 passing and becoming registered practitioners or RNs.

“The problem has been aggravated by America’s lingering economic difficulties, which have lessened both the demand for Filipinos nurses as well as their desire to seek employment in that country,” he added.

America has been a key foreign labor market for Filipino nurses. NCLEX statistics provided by Ty’s office showed that in the last 16 years, from 1995 to 2010, a total of 140,451 Filipino Nursing graduates took the US licensure exam for the first time.

Ty’s bill proposes to establish the Special Program for the Employment of Nurses in Urban and Rural Services or NURSE, to deliver additional public health care services to depressed municipalities in the countryside as well as informal settlements in urban areas, while providing gainful employment to RNs and developing their competencies.

Don't take up nursing

Health Secretary Enrique Ona urged incoming college students to avoid taking up Nursing. He said too many nurses needed jobs here and abroad, while many Nursing schools were closing following a government review of their quality of instruction.

As proposed by Ty in his bill, the NURSE program would mobilize a total of 10,000 nurses every year, with each practitioner serving a six-month tour of duty and receiving a monthly stipend not lower than the amount commensurate to Salary Grade 15, the higher starting pay for government nurses mandated by the Philippine Nursing Act of 2002.

The program would be directed, managed and administered jointly by the Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE), Department of Health (DoH), and the PRC in consultation with the Board of Nursing, with the Secretary of Labor and Employment as program director.

The recruitment and selection of nurses for employment under the program would be the responsibility of the DoLE through its regional offices.

Nurses engaged under the program must not be over 35 years old, and must have a valid PRC-issued RN license.

Trashy TV Journalism

“The news is the message not the over-acting messenger…

Can Ted Failon, Kabayan Noli de Castro, and Mike Enriquez tone down their alarmist voice inflection for sobriety’s sake?..

Freedom of information is of course a double-edged blade. You can broadcast people who make fools of themselves. Or catch them when they show courage under fire. Objectivity in news reporting requires a certain degree of detachment.”

BY MINYONG ORDOÑEZ

Immorality is out-and-out trash. Watching it is like seeing dogs copulate inside a church. It’s a mixture of shame and glee.

No supreme social, professional, and political status can save the moral offender from loss of face and honor under the full glare of the global media. The whole thing stinks. It’s fodder for paparazzi journalism. No public relations outfit can turn moral disasters around.

Sex scandals, finance scams, and family betrayals have no etiquette. The current list of high end celebrity scandals is long: The beastly sex attack of IMF head Dominique Strauss-Kahn on a hapless hotel chambermaid. Bernie Maddoff’s mega size embezzlement of investors’ money that shattered the integrity of Wall Street. Bill Clinton’s sex trips behind the oval office, complete with semen specimen on the girl’s underwear. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s adulterous forays that wrecked his family, devaluing the Kennedy progeny.

All scandals create a media festival on voyeurism and pornography delighting audiences with prurient or lascivious interest whether closeted or out in the sunlight. The longer the serialization, the hungrier the crowd. The right to privacy does not hold in retailing celebrity shenanigans. They always sell like hotcakes.

Positions of high status deserving impeccable trust from constituents or stakeholders have a rule of thumb on decorum. Bishops and priests are not supposed to loiter around red light districts and strip-tease joints. Bank CEO’s and managers are not allowed to meander in casino aisles much less sit at the poker table. Supreme Court justices and ambassadors are not supposed to banter in beer gardens and get tipsy on the third bottle and please, no pinching the behind of sexy waitresses. The president of the Philippines, the aging and loveless bachelor, must not be seen driving a high speed Porsche at NLEX. Even if precautionary measures—ambulances manned by paramedics and SUV’s full of palace security men—are all in place. No wang wang of course.

There are minor scandals that involve bad taste, such as the hula-hoop dance performed by a cute little boy in Willing Willie TV variety show. It was a mountain made out of a molehill by puritans and elitists who take wacky TV shows seriously and fell for his rivals’ campaign to portray him as a villain.

Trash scavenging is the fodder of speculative or rumor mongering talk shows involving film celebrities. Audience grabbers are scoops with juicy details on the indiscretions of married celebrities and their relationships on the rocks. Rumored pregnancies of unmarried stars scintillates. Here, TV’s top rating muckrakers Boy Abunda, Lolit Solis, and Cristy Fermin take the cake, the ratings, and advertising revenues in one bundle.

The most tactile scandal in my memory was Boy Abunda’s scoop on the nasty and lurid break-up of Kris Aquino and Joey Marquez (with details of gun toting and a sexually transmitted disease). Dignity dictates that scandals littered with unmentionables should be treated as a private matter. But to ABS-CBN’s judgment, the matter was of public interest, no matter how tacky it was hence the telecast. There’s nothing to gain for the viewers. Movie stars should keep their trash to themselves.

Disrespect for privacy or insensitivity over the death of a loved one is another subtle form of scandal. Paparazzi style TV newscasts feast on personal tragedies habitually. Prime examples were the executions of Filipino drug mules who violated China’s anti narcotic laws. Local TV reporters roam far and wide for weeks before and after the convicted Filipinos were put to death. Every relative, Juans, Pedros, and Joses told their sob stories on TV. Every drop of tear exacted, prolonging national grief to the point of nausea. We already got it the first time. We all knew it hurt. And we’ve said our prayers for the dead. Enough is enough! We cannot look like a nation of congenital weepers bereft of stoicism in confronting the facts of life.

I still remember with shock the ABS-CBN TV videos right after the tragic death of teen movie idol Rico Yan in Palawan. The grieving father of Rico, still in a state of shock, was on a plane accompanying the remains of his son. Suddenly a pale and anxiety-ridden Karen Davila thrust a microphone in front of Mr. Yan to solicit his feelings. Hello!?! His feelings!?! We all knew how Rico’s father felt. What he needs is solitude, the comforting sympathy of silence. Can’t news scooping wait, out of reverence for a Father’s grief?

Courage under fire is a more admirable scene to watch. Seeing cry babies wallow in tears in front of TV disturbs one’s equilibrium.
Philippine media, especially TV, must learn the value of restraint as a mark of professional maturity.

Freedom of information is of course a double-edged blade. You can broadcast people who make fools of themselves. Or catch them when they show courage under fire. Objectivity in news reporting requires a certain degree of detachment.

Is TV news capable of restraint?

Can Ted Failon, Kabayan Noli de Castro, and Mike Enriquez tone down their alarmist voice inflection for sobriety’s sake?

The news is the message not the over-acting messenger. Take a cue from the pro. The men and women at BBC.

Malacañang tree named symbol of biodiversity

President Benigno Aquino 3rd proclaimed the balete or dalakit tree (Ficus Concinma) located at the state entrance of Malacanang Palace as a ‘Heritage Tree’ at the launch rites of the United Nations Decade of Biodiversity on Monday.

Aquino said the proclamation of the commemorative marker of the new Heritage Tree is a “fitting symbol of our commitment to the United Nations Decade of Biodiversity.”

“This balete tree, which is more than a hundred years old, has been a mute witness to Philippine history,” the President said.

In his speech delivered at the Rizal conference hall, Aquino cited the Philippines is ranked fifth for having the most number of plant species in the world.

Aquino has launched the National Greening Program aiming to plant 1.5 billion trees in 1.5 million hectares of land across the Philippines from 2011 to 2016.

“This program complements an earlier directive I issued – Executive Order no.23, which calls for a total logging ban in our natural and residual forests and establishes an anti-illegal logging task force to enforce the campaign,” he added.

By Claire Capul

Jinkee Pacquiao says no to Ellen DeGeneres, hasn't 'texted' Paris Hilton yet

Manny Pacquiao’s wife has passed off the chance to guest on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” – for a reason.

“Ano lang, kasi live. Sabi ko ayoko nang live. First time ko ‘yung magge-guest sa Amerika tapos sa CBS pa tapos live. Sabi ko, ayoko nang live hindi ako sanay,” she explained on “Showbiz Central,” May 29.

Jinkee hesitates because she lacks good command of English, as she, herself, admits.

“Siyempre, English ‘yon so baka magno-nosebleed ako. Hindi ako fluent sa Ingles. Inaamin ko naman ‘yon. Basta, naging totoo lang naman ako na baka ano ‘yung masasabi ko. Ayokong magkamali, eh,” she humbly said.

Although “nanghinayang din ako pero naintindihan naman nila,” Jinkee still welcomes the possibility of one day guesting on “Ellen.”

“Pag taping lang na, ano, okay lang sa akin. Pero ‘pag live talaga... takot kasi akong magkamali, eh. Parang ayokong ma-criticize ng tao.”

“The next time baka handa na ako sa gano’n,” she said.

Of late, Pinoy performers who have guested live on “Ellen” were Charice Pempengco, Ralph Salazar and Arnel Pineda of Journey.

In the taped interview, Jinkee addressed accusations that questions her penchant for shopping. Most of her acquisitions include the most expensive signature bags, shoes, accessories and clothes. Pacman’s wife is not at all offended by the “Material Girl” tag some gave her.

“Hindi naman. May kanya-kanya naman tayong opinion sa isang tao. Pero hayaan na lang natin kung ‘yon ang opinion nila,” she said.

During Manny’s last fight with Sugar Shane Mosley, Jinkee met hotel heiress and socialite Paris Hilton who promised that she will visit the country soon.

To this, Jinkee said, “If ever talaga na matuloy siya ia-announce ko para at least alam ng mga tao talaga na pupunta siya dito. Last naming usap nu’ng umalis ako after the fight, pabalik ng Pilipinas. ‘Yun lang ‘yung last kasi nahihiya naman akong... alam mo ‘yun, ‘yung parang mauna akong mag-text. Baka busy ‘yung tao.”

Meanwhile, Manny refused to confirm report that he will have a rematch fight with Juan Manuel Marquez on Nov. 12.

“‘Pag nakapirma na siya tuloy na ‘yon,” Pacman said.

He also did not comment on who’s the better fighter between him and Marquez.

“Ayaw ko namang magbuhat ng sarili kong upuan. Ayokong magsabi ng hindi maganda sa tainga ng mga kababayan natin. Hayaaan na natin ang mga fans, mga fans ng boxing at mga kababayan natin na maghusga kung sino ang lamang o sino ang pipiliin.”

Now that he’s back in the country after his fight with Mosley, Pacman has also buckled down to work as Saranggani representative.

“Busy tayo sa congress. Busy tayo sa trabaho natin. At least makita naman nila na hindi ako bubulakbol-bulakbol lang doon at ginagawa ko ang aking magagawa.”

By ALEX VALENTIN BROSAS

MMDA No-Smoking Campaign/Policy 2011

An announcement released May 27 by the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA), that starting May 30, (Monday) MMDA together with 17 other Local Government Units (LGU) of Metro Manila in connection to Tobacco Regulation Act of 2003, will start apprehending smokers that will be caught smoking cigarettes or puffing away in public places in all major and secondary roads of Metro Manila.

Violators will be fined PHP 500.00 on their first offense and for those who cannot afford to pay the dues will be obliged to render 8 hours of community service. It will be the MMDA, LGU Health and Environment Sanitation officers, usually accompanied by Police will be roaming around Metro Manila to keep an eye on smokers caught violating.

MMDA will be very strict on the implementation of this policy. Also, this is in preparation to the 100% Smoke-Free Environment campaign on Monday and the World No Tobacco Day celebratipon on June 1, 2011.

This is a 9.5 Million Grant fund to the MMDA to finance its Anti-Tobacco Use program.

A word from MMDA Charman Francis Tolentino “We should transform Metro Manila into a smoke-free community. A healthy Metro Manila is a healthy and progressive Philippines,”

God Bless the Philippines and more power to MMDA, this project is definitely helpful to the environment and very necessary, hope it will be implemented well. And to all cigarette lovers, let us all obey the law and smoke on right places and dispose your trash properly.

Pope’s view on condom, HIV hailed by UN agency head

The head of the United Nations AIDS agency told a Vatican conference that the Pope had opened the door to greater dialogue with his groundbreaking comments on condoms and HIV prevention – even as Vatican officials stressed abstinence and marital fidelity as the best prevention.

Dr. Michel Sidibe, executive director of UNAIDS, was invited to speak at the conference on preventing HIV and caring for HIV-positive people, a significant event in and of itself, given that the Vatican usually only invites like-minded outsiders to its conferences and UNAIDS has not been like-minded on this issue at all.

UNAIDS holds that condoms are an “integral and essential” part of HIV prevention programs, which it says should also include education about delaying the start of sexual activity, limiting sexual partners and marital fidelity. The Catholic Church opposes condom use as part of its overall opposition to artificial contraception.

The Church does, however, play a crucial role in caring for HIV-positive people, particularly in Africa where some two-thirds of the world’s 22 million infected people live. It runs hospitals and hospices, orphanages and clinics and has played a critical role in helping to de-stigmatize those with the virus and stress the need for changes in sexual behavior to stop its spread.

But the Church has long been accused of contributing to the AIDS crisis because of its opposition to condoms.

That was why Pope Benedict XVI made headlines last year when he said in the book “Light of the World” that a male prostitute who intends to use a condom might be taking a first step toward greater responsibility because he is looking out for the welfare of his partner.

“This is very important,” Sidibe told the conference Saturday. “This has helped me to understand his position better and has opened up a new space for dialogue.”

At the same time, however, the Vatican officials speaking at the conference either glossed over or made no reference whatsoever to Benedict’s condom remarks – evidence of a certain “one step forward, two steps back” mentality that often characterizes developments in the Catholic Church.

Monsignor Silvano Tomasi, the Vatican’s envoy to the Geneva-based UN agencies, cited several other Benedict quotes from the book, but not the condom comments. Monsignor Zygmunt Zimowski, head of the Pontifical Council for Health Care Workers, which hosted the meeting, didn’t mention Benedict at all, citing instead Pope John Paul II about the “crisis of values” behind the AIDS crisis. Monsignor Jacques Suaudeau of the Vatican’s bioethics advisory board briefly showed a slide with the remarks but didn’t mention them.

The discrepancy reflects to some degree the way in which the Pope’s remarks were received. Progressives saw his comments as a justification of condom use in a break with church teaching; conservatives insisted he wasn’t altering doctrine and that the opposition to condoms remained. After three attempts at clarification, the Vatican eventually issued a definitive ruling saying the pope hadn’t changed church teaching.

Nevertheless, the impression left at least within the AIDS community was that he had made an opening – and Sidibe latched onto that Saturday.

Sidibe said previously the AIDS community and Catholic Church were “talking over” one another and often worked in opposition to one another in dealing with the AIDS crisis. But he said Benedict’s words had opened a new possibility for working together, particularly in agitating for greater access to anti-retroviral treatments for the world’s poorest patients.

“Yes, there are areas where we disagree and we must continue to listen, to reflect and to talk together about them. But there are many more areas where we share common cause,” Sidibe said.

Increasing access to treatment has become an even greater rallying cry following the recently published results of a nine-nation study showing that HIV-positive patients who received early treatment were 96 percent less likely to spread the virus to their uninfected partners.

Sidibe called the research a “game-changer” in the fight against AIDS, particularly for couples where one person is HIV-positive.

Zimowski concurred, saying it even gives hope to such couples who want to have children – in other words, sex for procreation in keeping with church teaching.

That said, all 1,763 couples in the National Institutes of Health study, where one partner had HIV and the other didn’t, were urged to use condoms and the study’s authors stressed that condoms remain crucial for protection.

The Vatican’s emphasis on the need for changes in sexual activity has been boosted by studies showing that at least in Africa, prevention programs focusing on condom promotion aren’t working and that what works is male circumcision and reducing the number of sexual partners.

Matuwid na Appointees?

“How Diokno (Ernesto) and Lim (Alfredo) were able to remain in the Aquinos’ good graces only the current President knows for sure. But as in the case of last year’s Luneta hostage fiasco and, now, the Leviste caper, the President’s coddling of these two controversial officials has earned for him—and for the nation—a great deal of embarrassment… In his blog, Santos wrote: “The personal connection of the president with these appointees makes him extremely vulnerable to accusations of favoritism and unprofessional conduct whether the allegations against his appointees are true or not.””

BY: Dan Mariano

An example of outstanding in-vestigative journalism was the report on the unauthorized trips outside the New Bilibid Prisons (NBP) made by former Batangas Gov. Antonio Leviste. Aside from focusing on favoritism in our prison system, the exposé also helped call attention to the issue of presidential appointees.

Convicted for shooting to death his own aide Rafael de las Alas in 2007, Leviste was supposed to be serving a 12-year sentence when he was spotted—by ABS-CBN reporter Anthony Taberna of the advocacy journalism program XXX—outside the Muntinlupa penitentiary, with no restraints and no court permission for his “escapade.”

The report—which the Palace cannot now blame on “jaded” columnists—documented a long suspected racket in the prison system. Rich convicts, like Leviste, get special treatment from prison authorities.

That such misdeeds continue to take place under the administration of President Aquino puts into question his fervent declaration about his Matuwid na Daan. There was nothing righteous about the extraordinary favors granted to Leviste apparently by Director Ernesto Diokno of the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor).

Diokno is a former police officer who had served under erstwhile Manila police chief and now mayor Alfredo Lim. Both Diokno and Lim had been closely identified with former President Corazon C. Aquino whose son has remained chummy with them.

How Diokno and Lim were able to remain in the Aquinos’ good graces only the current President knows for sure. But as in the case of last year’s Luneta hostage fiasco and, now, the Leviste caper, the President’s coddling of these two controversial officials has earned for him—and for the nation—a great deal of embarrassment.

Diokno is a presidential appointee and thus “serves at the pleasure” of Mr. Aquino. This fact has limited what his nominal superior, Justice Secretary Leila de Lima, can do to discipline the BuCor director.

After all, Diokno—although situated several rungs lower in the DOJ totem pole—owes his position, not to de Lima, but to the President.

De Lima has actually been reduced to issuing press statements expressing her confidence that the President would act correctly on Diokno’s case. Over the weekend, the DOJ chief was quoted saying: “I’m sure [the President] will do the right thing at the right time.”

The President, in turn, has said he would rely on the case facts gathered by the DOJ as well as its recommendations. Media reports indicated that Mr. Aquino would announce his decision today, Wednesday.

Beyond the President’s apparent lapse of judgment in installing Diokno as BuCor head, the Leviste case has brought up other issues relating to good governance—or, more accurately, the lack of it.
For instance, should Mr. Aquino continue with the custom of installing appointees even to mid-level positions in the bureaucracy?

This practice the Philippines inherited from its former colonial overlords, the Americans who abused the “spoils system” as a way of rewarding political followers. US President Andrew Jackson was widely regarded to have brought this scheme to the extreme.

Over the decades, the Americans have managed to reform their civil service. In our case, however, choice government posts continue to go to the incumbent president’s loyalists in the Jacksonian manner.

In his first months as president, Mr. Aquino has had to fill up an estimated 11,000 government positions, which were left vacant—or forced to be vacated—by the appointees of the previous chief executive. As analyst Doy Santos observed, that is “such an astronomically high number [of appointments] for one person to make.”

A senior policy analyst based in Adelaide, South Australia, Santos is described as “a Master in Development Economics from the University of the Philippines and an MS in Public Policy from Carnegie Mellon University.”

In his blog, titled The Cusp, Santos noted, “Even for a president who wants to be conscientious about the people he appoints, filling up so many vacancies would pose a serious challenge for even recruitment firms that specialize in this area. So in filling sensitive posts, it is no wonder that presidents turn to people they know, i.e. former colleagues.”

In a blog posting dated February 22, Santos had remarked on another controversial mid-level official appointed by Mr. Aquino, Director Virginia Torres of the Land Transportation Office whom various sources have described as one of the President’s “shooting buddies.”

I found Santos’s observations relevant to the Diokno case, too.

In his blog, Santos wrote: “The personal connection of the president with these appointees makes him extremely vulnerable to accusations of favoritism and unprofessional conduct whether the allegations against his appointees are true or not. It raises the question as to whether the president should exercise the power to make so many appointments and whether he should put such a premium on personal friendship as a basis for making them.”

Santos also wrote: “The Constitution and the Administrative Code of 1987, which give the president his appointive powers, are vague as to the extent of these powers and have been liberally construed to date. Perhaps the time has come to make them more specific through some kind of enabling law or convention.”

Santos added: “Perhaps the time has come for us to consider paring down the number of presidential appointees. In light of past events, perhaps the punishment meted out against those found guilty of abusing the personal trust and confidence of the president should be at the maximum when judges sentence them. The manner by which such political appointees have in the past allegedly used their position to commit grave acts of corruption would provide justification for this.”

Recalling the questionable appointment of Torres to the LTO as well as the problematic posting of another shooting buddy, Rico Puno, as interior undersecretary, Santos concluded: “In the wake of all these incidents, is it time to curtail presidential appointments?”

The tradition of presidential appointments stands in the way of meritocracy and professionalism, which Filipinos have long sought in the civil service. The time has come for our civil servants to work their way up the bureaucratic ladder on the basis of personal performance, not political connections.
The British civil service is often held up as a model for the rest of the world because of, among other strengths, its permanency and reputation for absolute honesty.

Why?

British civil servants are strictly excluded from politics.

President Noynoy is making wedding plans?

After being linked to several women, President Aquino finally spilled the beans – somewhat – on his love life Tuesday, saying he intends to finally get married when he steps down from office in 2016.

The country’s bachelor leader shared his desire for marriage, apart from ushering a more progressive nation, by the end of his term during a lake seeding activity in Jala-Jala, Rizal.

The latest tidbit on the President’s love life was made despite his recent appeals to the public, especially the media, to respect his privacy.

“Manalig po kayo: Hangga’t pagkakapwa-tao at hindi panlalamang ang isinasapuso natin, pagbaba ko sa puwesto sa 2016, sana po ay nakapagasawa na (Trust me, as long as I only have human compassion and no ill will against anybody, when I step down from office in 2016, hopefully I will be married by then),” the President said in his remarks, drawing cheers from the crowd.

The 51-year-old Aquino then continued, “babangon kayo sa isang Pilipinas na mas maunlad, mas marangal at mas maipagmamalaki sa buong mundo (You will rise to a Philippines that is more prosperous, honorable and one you can be proud of).”

The President’s latest comment about his desire for marriage was a spontaneous remark inserted in a prepared Filipino speech for the lake-seeding event.

Aquino led the release of 200,000 tilapia and carp fingerlings into Laguna Lake as he expressed hope that this would lead to a better harvest and livelihood for the people. He also made an appeal to the communities surrounding Laguna Lake to take care of the lake and avoid illegal fishing and dumping of garbage.

Deputy Presidential Spokeswoman Abigail Valte, meantime, underscored that the President has the prerogative to share some details about his love life despite his appeals for the public to stop prying into his personal business.

“There are some things he shares and there are others that he would like to keep for himself,” Valte said in a later press conference in the Palace in trying to explain Aquino’s penchant to volunteer information about his personal life.
“Sometimes he would like to share and joke about the status of his love life,” she added.

Valte acknowledged that the President has often been asked about his love life and “there is a very high interest in his personal life because he is a bachelor President.”

Recently, the President appealed to the public, especially the media, to stay away from his personal life after he was seen dating a lady friend during a band concert.

By GENALYN D. KABILING

Hyping Lacierda!

“So why do Palace officials like Lacierda continue to overestimate the influence of columnists... That sort of thinking persists in the administration because Mr. Aquino himself was to a large extent a product of hype engineered by some of the country’s most creative advertising, public relations and other mass communication experts who rallied to his campaign last year, mostly at their own expense.”

BY DAN MARIANO

During a Palace press briefing last week, presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda was quoted saying at one point: “But these are all columnists—they have their own opinions, they have their own jaded view of certain events.”

From Merriam-Webster comes the following definition of “jaded”: 1: fatigued by overwork: exhausted; 2: made dull, apathetic, or cynical by experience or by surfeit .

What is the reason for Lacierda’s apparent antipathy toward writers who express personal opinion in the print media?

Well, the way the communications group of President Aquino sees it, columnists are responsible for the declining approval ratings of their boss.

Lacierda and company, however, credit columnists with far too much ability to shape public opinion. In fact, newspaper circulation figures have been suffering a sharp drop over the past two decades or so. The vast majority of Filipinos get to touch newspapers only when they buy fish.

So why do Palace officials like Lacierda continue to overestimate the influence of columnists?

More than the rumored infighting among the three factions in the Palace communications group is the notion that propaganda would be enough to reverse the drop in the President’s once-seemingly unassailable popularity.

That sort of thinking persists in the administration because Mr. Aquino himself was to a large extent a product of hype engineered by some of the country’s most creative advertising, public relations and other mass communication experts who rallied to his campaign last year, mostly at their own expense.

Those Noynoy boosters—which certainly included columnists—did so because they feared the return of an ex-president who had made the Philippines a global laughingstock or the rise of a realtor-turned-politico who evidently thought everybody had a price. Either of them was on the verge of capturing Malacañang until then-Senator Noynoy threw his hat in the ring.

Palace talking heads need to understand that true believers made up just one segment of the massive support that allowed Mr. Aquino to score one of the biggest margins of victory in Philippine presidential races. Moreover, his win would not have turned out to be a landslide were it not for the backroom deal that resulted in the shocking loss of his highly favored running mate.

As President, Mr. Aquino soon faced an expectant populace that could no longer be placated with platitudes, or even the vilification of his predecessor.

Filipinos expect action, performance and results—not much of which seems to be forthcoming from the administration. Why, Malacañang’s point man in Metro Manila cannot even ease, much less fix, traffic jams or stop killer buses from mowing down other road users.

What we have here is not just a failure to communicate, but more important a failure to live up to the people’s expectations. Whatever columnists have to say will not make up for the difference.

Gay group offended by Mommy Dionisia Pacquiao's anti-RH, anti-gay statements

A gay activist group has expressed dismay at some of Dionisia Pacquiao's anti-gay retorts to Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago, fearing that such remarks may once again trigger homophobia and transphobia, reports news sources.

Dionisia Pacquiao, or Mommy D as she is fondly called, is boxing champ and Sarangani Rep. Manny Pacquiao's mother. Dionisia lashed out at Defensor-Santiago after the senator criticized her son's stance regarding the Reproductive Health Bill, as mentioned in earlier reports.

This time, however, her blows have gone past Defensor-Santiago and right to the ire of the Progressive Organization of Gays (ProGay Philippines), whose members are staunch supporters of the RH Bill. "Tingnan mo, mga bakla, kaiinom ng pills, hindi na bagay inumin ng mga bakla kasi lalake sila. Ginagawa sila ng Diyos na lalake. Umiinom talaga sila ng pills para magsilaki ang dede. Bawal 'yan (Look, it's not right for gays to take pills because they're male. God made them male. They drink pills to make their breasts grow. That's not allowed)!" Dionisia said, according to reports.

"We are deeply offended and scared that her words can again revive the disease model of homosexuality and transexuality in the Philippine society," Goya Candelario, spokesperson of ProGay, said.

In a TV interview, pills user Izzy Gobo said that Mommy D's comments don't contribute to the understanding of the issue. "Those statements push lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgenders into hiding," he said.

While Candelario doesn't deny that some transgenders use contraceptive pills to contrive more feminine features, he maintains that such practice should not be considered immoral, illegal or a state of mental disorder. He added that looking feminine is an advantage in the beauty and tourism industries where gays thrive. "Because of expensive hormones that only high-income transgenders can afford, we urban and poor rural gays and transgenders can only access the cheaper birth control pills," he explained.

By SPOT.ph

University of the Philippines tops RP list of schools

Four Philippine universities made it in the Top 200 Asian Universities for 2011, career and education network QS reported.

Philippines' Number 1 is the University of the Philippines, which ranked at Number 62 in Asia. It was followed by the Ateneo de Manila University (No. 68 in Asia), University of Santo Tomas (No. 104 in Asia), and De La Salle University (No. 107 in Asia)

Eleven universities occupied the 201+ ranking in Asia, which included the Mindanao State University, Xavier University, Polytechnic University of the Philippines, Silliman University, Father Saturnino Urios College, Mapua Institute of Technology, Adamson University, Saint Louis University, Central Mindanao University, University of San Carlos, and University of Southeastern Philippines.

By Jun Pasaylo

Tricycles and Pedicabs to be Banned?

A clutch of lawmakers thumbed down the proposed banning of tricycles and pedicabs along national roads, saying that such measure will displace thousands of tricycle and pedicabs drivers who rely solely on plying the streets for income.

Reps. Antonio Tinio of ACT Party-list and Gabriel Quisumbing of Cebu made the statement in light of the call made by Interior and Local Government Secretary Jesse Robredo that local chief executives and members of the local legislative councils should ban tricycles and pedicabs on national roads.

Quisumbing noted that the government cannot discount the important role of the tricycle in transportation in many parts of the country especially those in far flung barangays.

Tinio agreed, citing that the can traverse highways, city streets, inner roads, alleys, dirt paths, and even places where there are no identifiable pathways.

“We cannot just ban this means of transportation in whole of the country since millions of people are getting their daily sustenance from it,” Tinio said.

Combined pedestrian and vehicular accidents account for 30 percent of injuries in previously healthy children, while tricycle passenger injury ranks fourth in causing motor vehicle injuries.

By LLANESCA T. PANTI

Pacman pays PNoy a visit in Malacañang

Filipino boxing champion and Saranggani Representative Manny Pacquiao arrived in Malacañang for a scheduled courtesy call before President Benigno Aquino III, Friday.

Pacquiao arrived at the Palace at 2 p.m. and proceeded to President Aquino’s Conference Room.

Presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda earlier dismissed supposed brewing rift between the President and the pound-for-pound king due to their contrasting views on the controversial Reproductive Health bill.

Lacierda pointed out that President Aquino respects the opinion of Pacquiao on the matter.

Pacquiao arrived in the country last Saturday after his successful boxing match with Sugar Shane Mosley last May 8.

Malacanñng did not set any hero’s welcome or a courtesy call for Pacquiao upon his arrival while President Aquino visited United States aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson.

The Palace repeatedly denied that it was because of the boxing champ's opinion opposing the RH bill which President Aquino supported.

By Jill Beltran

LACIERDA the LOOPY!

"But as usual, Lacierda is being simultaneously ignorant and condescending, a trait he must have developed during his Black and White Movement days. No wonder his own boss, when called to account for being lazy and incompetent, invariably points to Lacierda and the two other Stooges as the real culprits; perhaps Aquino is truly convinced that because the people in his CommGroup are certainly more stupid and clueless than him, he can’t really be blamed."

LACIERDA the LOOPY!

By: Jojo A.Robles

It makes sense for a presidential spokesman to blame newspaper columnists for bringing down the popularity of Noynoy Aquino. After all, the President himself has repeatedly blamed his own propagandists for the erosion of his popularity—following their boss’ lead, these people must find others to blame, in turn.

Lest he be accused of wanting to control the media, Spokesman Edwin Lacierda was quick to explain that columnists were probably criticizing Aquino because they are out of what he calls an “information loop.” That’s why the Palace has never had problems with the Malacañang Press Corps, Lacierda declared; apparently those reporters are “in the loop” and know better than to criticize.

But as usual, Lacierda is being simultaneously ignorant and condescending, a trait he must have developed during his Black and White Movement days. No wonder his own boss, when called to account for being lazy and incompetent, invariably points to Lacierda and the two other Stooges as the real culprits; perhaps Aquino is truly convinced that because the people in his CommGroup are certainly more stupid and clueless than him, he can’t really be blamed.

Lacierda cannot understand that the reporters assigned to the palace are not there for punditry but to report what goes on with journalistic objectivity. Furthermore, he believes that the press releases he churns out and the briefings he stage-manages should be taken as gospel by columnists, whose job is certainly not to report what passes for “news” emanating from the palace these days.

Had the reporters in Malacañang been given columns instead of news stories to write, I am sure they would not just regurgitate what Lacierda shovels down their throats daily. Indeed, I wonder what these reporters were thinking right after they heard Lacierda’s fellow Stooge say that he did not know if Aquino’s bike ride around Quezon City Memorial meant he was quitting smoking, because “the question was never asked.”

Of course, there certainly must be some newspaper columnists who are in Lacierda’s information loop. These people must only write glowingly about the good things that this administration is supposed to be doing and do not hesitate to attack anyone who shows the slightest sign of dissent.

Personally, I want no part of that loop. And the only “engagement” I want to see is Aquino’s own, so that he doesn’t bore us anymore with his serial dating and his hypocritical complaints about not getting enough privacy afterwards.

But if Lacierda really wants all columnists to be in his loop, he can make a rope out of all his inane press releases, loop it around his neck and jump in the Pasig River. What a loopy guy.

Commuters beware: ‘Weight problems’ beset LRT, MRT

Authorities of the Light Rail Transit found the problem in the continuing malfunctioning of the trains, as they blamed “overloading” has been causing main damages to it making them malfunction.

LRT Administration (LRTA) spokesman, lawyer Hernando Cabrera, said “overloading” may be causing LRT or Metro Rail Transit (MRT) trains to break down during rush hour.

“We’re overloaded at peak hours . . . the rail system can bear the punishment but spare parts and components start to wear down.” he said.

On Wednesday, an LRT-2 train at C.M. Recto Avenue in Manila, had an engine problem—an air leak, forcing train authorities to ask the passengers to get down the train.

While the engine problem was quickly fixed in only six minutes, the train’s brakes malfunctioned forcing the LRTA to bring the train to the depot at the V. Mapa area at around 7:38 a.m. on Wednesday.

Although the second “glitch” was fixed at 7:45 a.m., Cabrera said the incident had caused an “exponential” delay because the schedules of other trains behind were affected.

By FRANCIS EARL A. CUETO

Bus driver in journalist's death surrenders

The bus driver who fled after a road accident that killed veteran journalist and University of the Philippines Prof. Lourdes "Chit" Estella-Simbulan surrendered to authorities late Thursday, said television reports.

Daniel Espinosa, 39, turned himself in to Davao City Vice Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, who, in turn, presented him to the Davao City Police Office.

Espinosa will be flown to Manila Friday and he will be turned over to the Quezon City Police District, said reports.

He figured in the road accident that killed Simbulan when the Universal Guiding Star Bus he was riding rammed the taxi where the UP professor was onboard along Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City last May 13.

A P100,000 reward was earlier offered for information leading to his arrest.

From Sunnex

DoH: Philippines HIV cases to increase

Cases of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) in the country are likely to increase by five-fold or at an average of 45,000 by 2015, a government official said Thursday.

Dr. Eric Tayag, newly designated Assistant secretary of the Department of Health (DoH) and National Epidemiology Center (NEC) Director, based the figures on the escalating number of HIV infections in the country now numbering at 6,498, the latest National AIDS registry said covering the years 1984 to 2011.

Males having sex with Males (MSM) have completely overtaken the female sex workers as the Most-At-Risk Population (MARP) as reflected in the registry showing an 80 percent rate in the most predominant type of sexual transmission.

For two decades, beginning 1984, HIV was mostly seen among FSWs until the ‘shift’ began in 2007.

“The shift began in 2007. It was a complete flip wherein we saw more males having sex with males driving the HIV epidemic in the country,” Tayag said in his presentation during the HIV/AIDS seminar sponsored by the AIDS Society of the Philippines.

There is even more HIV prevalence among MSMs than the Registered Female Sex workers (RFSW) and Freelance Female Sex Workers (FFSW) combined, he said.

By JENNY F. MANONGDO

UP student convicted of animal cruelty for killing a cat and blogging about it

A physics major from the University of the Philippines, Joseph Carlo Candare, was convicted last week for killing a cat named "Tengteng" in 2009 and blogging about it. Although he pled innocence to charges of animal cruelty, he was sentenced to two months of volunteer work for the Philippine Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) and fined P2,000.

In April 2009, Candare was in his second year in the UP National Institute of Physics (NIP) when he blogged about pulling a cat's tail, throwing the cat and jumping on it "like some pro wrestler." He admitted that it was not the first time he killed a cat and said that "it feels good" when he's beating up one.

Candare, 19 at the time, also blogged, "It didn't occur to me back then that the cat had a leash. So I think somebody owns it. Well it's very well loved in NIP from what I heard and I just ended its life. So there you go, I'm sorry. I won't be striking another one for maybe about a month." He later deleted his blog but screen grabs have been posted on news sites and his blog's contents may be accessed through Google's web cache.

Candare soon became under fire for his act, and PAWS filed a case of animal cruelty against him. PAWS Executive Director Anna Cabrera told the press last week, "I think to his credit, Joseph Candare wants to change. I think he has learned his lesson." She added, "Animal cruelty is a serious thing... When we help pursue cases against animal cruelty, we're helping people from turning violent. It's not just a victory for animal welfare advocates but for our society."

Even before Candare's conviction, UP has been reviewing its code of conduct for students, according to reports. UP President Alfredo Pascual said, "There is no provision in the code that a violation of Philippine laws could lead to a separate penalty under the Code of Student Conduct and Discipline." But, he said, "Of course, our students are expected to obey UP’s rules and the laws of the land."

According to the press, the case was the first successful conviction of a person accused of animal cruelty in the country.

From SPOT.ph

Ping revives call for national ID system

Senator Panfilo Lacson has revived the call for a National Identification System. He said that with so many IDs in use by different government agencies, it is a simple matter for a criminal to just change his name and get a new ID.

"Our wallets are full of so many IDs and we're so scared of a singular ID system," Lacson, who has refiled his National ID System bill, said.

He said that citizens should not be worried about their privacy since the ID will only record information like birthdates and vital statistics. He said financial information like bank accounts will not be recorded on the ID.

Lacson said he is still looking for someone who will file a counterpart bill at the House of Representatives.

By Jonathan de Santos

Pacman reiterates pro-life stand, celebrates Pacmom’s birthday

Pound-for-pound king and Sarangani representative Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao cites his "beliefs" as reason he is against the Reproductive Health (RH) Bill.

“Against ako. Unang-una, naniniwala ako, madasalin akong tao... sumusunod ako sa utos ng Panginoon at ito ay labag sa kautusan ng Panginoon,” Pacquiao told “Umagang Kay Ganda” in an interview aired on May 16.

This is not the first time the eight-division world champion made his stand known publicly. In November 2010, he said that he opposes the bill primarily because he comes from a family of nine. On March 25 this year, he attended a pro-life interfaith rally where he also gave his opinion on the issue.

However, he clarified, “Kanya-kanya tayong opinyon at saka sana, tayo [ay] maging bukas ang ating puso't isipan na ang Panginoon pa rin ang mananaig.”

“Ang kautusan ng Panginoon ang dapat sundin natin, hindi yung kautusan ng tao,” he added.

In a separate report published in abs-cbnnews.com on May 14, Pacquiao explained, “Hindi naman ako pwede mag pro-RH dahil madasalin akong tao. May takot ako sa Panginoon. Ang boss ko kasi ang Panginoon. Ayokong labagin ang kautusan ng Panginoon.”

He also believes that stopping corruption is the solution to alleviating poverty in the country and not the passing of the RH Bill.

On Sunday, Pacquiao’s mother, Dionesia “Mommy D” Pacquiao, celebrated her 62nd birthday party at the Pacquiao Gym in General Santos City. According to a report by “Unang Hirit” also on Monday, the People’s Champ arrived at dinnertime after conducting a motorcade around Gen San and attending a presscon at the Sarangani capitol.

Speaking in the local dialect in front of the guests, Pacquiao greeted and thanked his mother. He and his wife Jinkee then presented Mommy D a boxed gift, said by Pacquiao to be the Hermes bag the she wished for. The champion boxer also sang his latest single, “Sometimes When We Touch,” for his mother.

Among Mommy D’s guests was former president Erap Estrada, who also went on stage to praise his co-actor in “Ang Tanging Pamilya.”

“Alam niyo si Mommy Dionisa, talagang natural actress. Ang galing-galing nyang umarte. Yung aming pelikulang [Ang Tanging Pamilya] ay talagang napakagaling, puro take one,” he said.

Members of the Pacquiao family who attended the party included all of Mommy D’s children and her mother Cristina Dapidran. Pacman’s children were not able to grace the party because, according to Jinkee, they remained in their Laguna home because they still have classes. Instead, the kids sent their "grandma" letters and birthday cards.

Some 800 guests were said to have attended the party which was previously reported to have cost about 1 million pesos to realize. Mommy D danced the Argentine Tango and sang the Imelda Papin hit, “Bakit (Kung Liligaya Ka Sa Piling Ng Iba),” to entertain her guests.

“Tingnan niyo, ang dating ng katawan [ko] 26 [years old]. Kayo nang magbaliktad niyan!” Mommy D told “Unang Hirit,” laughing.

In other Pacquiao-related news, artist and Pacman fan Jose Gamboa gave a unique spin in making his idol’s biography through comic books.

“Sa tingin ko na kung gagawa ka ng biography lang tungkol kay Pacquiao, nagawa na yun. Pero mahirap siyang basahin para lalo na sa mga bata, o kahit na sa matatanda na hindi naman talaga mahilig magbasa ng non-fiction,” Gamboa told “Unang Hirit” in a separate taped interview aired on the same day.

Gamboa said the biography in comic form makes it easier for everyone to read.

The comics, which was already read by Pacquiao himself, featured the little-talked-about events in the champ’s life such as his childhood, and the time when he was still courting Jinkee. Gamboa also made comics on Pacquiao becoming a world champion and finally winning in the last national elections.

The artist has already met Pacquiao and he believes the latter likes his project.

“Binabasa niya, tapos pinapakita niya sa mga kasamahan niya no'n. So sa tingin ko maganda naman yung reception,” he said.

Gamboa took his references on Pacquiao’s life from previously published bios, and was also able to interview a child of Pacman’s first trainer.

Meanwhile, Pacquiao is set to host a forthcoming game show on GMA-7.

By JULIEN MERCED C. MATABUENA

Higher Quality of Life Among Families with OFWs — Research

Filipino families with overseas Filipino worker (OFW) relatives are observed to have more leisure activities and own more gadgets compared to those without, according to a study conducted by market research consulting firm Synergy Business Consultancy.

OFW families are more inclined to eat out, socialize, travel, go to the mall, purchase gadgets, and do recreational activities, as well as allot a budget for charitable acts.

“Because they have higher purchase capacity, more of those with OFW families engage in certain leisure activities compared to those without. For example, 43 percent of respondents with OFW relatives go malling while only 32 percent of respondents without an OFW relative had this as one of their leisure activities.

The only similar behavior observed is media consumption,” shares Synergy managing director Germaine Reyes. The research noted that both groups like to watch TV, listen to the radio, and read newspapers.

Spending and Consumer Habits - OFW families are fond of eating out whether in fast foods or fine dining restaurants, comprising 54 percent and 19 percent of respondents, respectively. Traveling is also more common to OFW families, at 16 percent, while only 7 percent of respondents without OFW relatives noted this as one of their leisure activities.

Moreover, recreational activities such as going to the gym, playing musical instruments, playing board games, going to the salon or spa, playing video games, or engaging in sports are popular with OFW families. OFW families also allot budget for charitable acts such as participating in the parish and community civic activities, as well as other religious activities.

Gadget ownership with OFW families is prevalent compared to those without, particularly with owning computers or laptops. Thirty-five percent of OFW families have a computer or laptop while only 11 percent of families without OFW relatives own this gadget at home.

“There is a higher incidence of gadget ownership among OFW families, including mobile phones, computers, and digital cameras, among others. It may be that since computers are communication tools, the families of OFWs use them more readily to stay in touch. Thus, ownership of computer peripherals seem to be higher as well,” expounds Reyes.

The survey involved 1,000 households in Metro Manila and the interviews were done from September to October 2010. In Metro Manila, two in every five households have an OFW immediate household member or relative, which is represented by 929,000 households or 4.7 million household members.

In terms of socio-economic profile, 54 percent of OFW families interviewed belong to the D class. Meanwhile, only 9 percent of families with OFW relatives are in the ABC class, compared with 4 percent of families without an OFW immediate household member or relative.

According to Reyes, this is a higher-than-usual representation of the ABC households of OFW families compared with those without, and may indicate that having OFW relatives can potentially improve their ability to go up the socio-economic ladder.

“This is because close to 6 in 10 families receive remittances from OFW family members or relatives and this proportion is much higher compared with class E, thus possibly augmenting their income capacity and/or disposable income,” ends Reyes.

Senate bill seeks protection of seniors vs online scams

A bill was filed at the Senate to protect senior citizens from online and telemarketing scams.

Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago filed the Senior Financial Empowerment bill, which will task the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) to inform seniors and their caregivers of known scams.

"Perpetrators of mail, telemarketing, and Internet fraud frequently target senior citizens because they are often vulnerable aud trusting people," she said.

She said there is little data on how much Filipino senior citizens lose to these scams but that in the United States, the elderly lose around $2.6 billion a year to online and telemarketing fraud.

"As victims of such fraudulent schemes, many senior citizens reportedly pay a financial cost, having been robbed of their hard-earned life savings, and frequently pay an emotional cost, losing their self-respect and dignity," Santiago added.

If her bill is passed, the DTI will also put up a telephone hotline for reports of mail, telemarketing, and Internet fraud. It will have to forward these complaints to the Philippine National Police and the National Bureau of Investigation.

By Jonathan de Santos

President Noynoy bikes to promote health

Apparently reluctant to quit smoking, President Benigno S. Aquino III instead went biking Sunday to promote a healthy lifestyle among Filipinos.

The President encouraged Filipinos to exercise regularly to avoid acquiring non-communicable diseases (NCDs), which are among the leading causes of death in the country.

President Aquino, during the launch of a fitness event by the Department of Health (DoH) at the Quezon City Memorial Circle, cautioned that Filipinos risk future heart problems if they are physically inactive and don’t have proper food diet.

“Health is wealth and having regular exercise is one way to protect our health. Based on recent studies, regular exercises help prevent non-communicable diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, hypertension, and diabetes, which are one of the leading causes of death in the world,” he said in Filipino, before mounting his bike for a tour around the public park.

“Many Filipinos are having health problems such to NCD that is caused by lack of exercise and improper diet. That’s why we are serious in promoting this kind of program today,” he added.

After his speech, the 51-year-old President, clad in a yellow sports shirt and black shorts and rubber shoes, joined more than a hundred bikers in going around the Quezon City Memorial Circle.

He was joined by Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr. and other Cabinet members as well as former Sen. Mar Roxas who were also in their sports outfit during the fitness event.

Kris Aquino, the President’s sister, and her son Joshua, were also spotted at the health activity that promoted biking, running, brisk walking, and other sports activities at the park.

Secretary Ramon Carandang of the Presidential Communications Development and Strategic Planning Office (PCDSPO) said the President usually goes biking whenever he has free time.

The President, who took up biking as a New Year’s resolution to stay healthy, however, is not about to kick his smoking habit.

When asked if the President is considering kicking his smoking habit, Carandang said “He didn’t say anything like that. It was not discussed and it was not asked.”

In the same speech at the wellness program, the President also reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to universal health care for Filipinos.

He noted that 40 percent of the Filipino people have not yet undergone treatment under a health professional.

He said the government has also deployed 10,000 nurses to extend assistance to poor communities under the “RN Heals” program.

“In less than a year, we have seen the results of our reform agenda. We will continue to find solution to solve our problems we inherited. We will need a healthy and strong nation to hasten our economic prosperity. Our nation is ready to sprint to the finish line wherein all Filipino are winners,” he said.

Meanwhile, the fitness event, meantime, provided a rare occasion for the public to see Ochoa and Roxas in one place.

The two close allies of the President were seen exchanging brief pleasantries at the fitness event despite rumors of an imminent conflict of their jobs in the Cabinet.

Roxas is reportedly being groomed as the new Presidential Chief of Staff, whose functions may overlap the role of the Executive Secretary dubbed as the Little President.

An administrative order is currently being drafted to define the job description of Roxas and avoid overlapping of functions with other Cabinet officials.

Roxas, however, declined to comment about his forthcoming job at the Palace, saying it was best to wait for the official announcement.

By GENALYN D. KABILING

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When TV journalists carry their press freedom too far

“Some of them are grossly uninformed, misleading, irresponsible, systematically manipulative, or downright wacky—and they are oftentimes expressed in uncivil, grammatically fractured, and convoluted language as well… ”

When TV journalists carry their press freedom too far

JOSE A. CARILLO

I know only too well that freedom of speech is a hallmark of a robust democracy, and we are most fortunate that our country’s mass media currently enjoy this freedom to a remarkably high degree. I must say, however, that some of our national TV networks have lately been carrying this freedom of expression too far. A case in point is their recent unbridled use of the online social media facilities of Facebook and Twitter to stream in raw, uninter-mediated opinions onscreen during TV programs or interviews on controversial topics.

Of course there’s value and virtue in getting a quick reading of the public pulse on matters of great importance, but I think it’s clear that whether expressed in English or whatever language, many of the opinions drawn in by those TV programs under these circumstances are highly unsuitable for broadcast. Some of them are grossly uninformed, misleading, irresponsible, systematically manipulative, or downright wacky—and they are oftentimes expressed in uncivil, grammatically fractured, and convoluted language as well. This was particularly true in the case of some vitriolic and inflammatory tweets for and against the Reproductive Health Bill shown in recent televised debates or guest shows. There’s no doubt in my mind that because of the very hostile and uncivil character of many such postings or tweets, by no means could they ever be an accurate and reliable measure of public opinion. (I remember that in the early days of TV broadcasting, a sharp mind in the US media—if I remember right, he was Walter Lippmann—sagely observed that one of the serious drawbacks of broadcast TV is its power to widely disseminate and in the process inadvertently validate uninformed opinion.)

So, in the same way that the print media are able to routinely edit the opinions they print on their pages, couldn’t the TV programs at least find some way of intermediating all that instant Facebook and Twitter feedback to ensure that only clear, sensible, and responsible ones—no matter how contrarian or strongly worded—are streamed onscreen? I think it would greatly raise the quality of public discourse if the broadcast media can do this.

The other matter I’d like to take up here is the lack of basic courtesy and decorum among some TV investigative journalists when they do face-to-face or telephone interviews in the course of their TV programs. These investigative journalists, live and onscreen, have this tendency to needle and browbeat their respondents to admit culpability in a supposed crime or misdeed that they (the investigative journalists) are working to establish within the short time frame of the TV program itself.

But really now, even if guilty or rotten to the core, who in his right mind would admit culpability on TV for all the world to see and hear? And isn’t it axiomatic that in our democratic society, the accused is entitled to due process and is presumed innocent until proven guilty? I’m afraid that these niceties are lost to some of these investigative journalists. In one such TV program I watched recently, in fact, the investigative journalist acted and used language that made it unmistakable that he thought himself the arresting police officer, prosecutor, legal counsel, judge, and executioner all rolled into one.

TV broadcasting being strongly imbued with public interest, I think the national TV networks should reconsider their live streaming of raw, unmitigated feedback from the social media, and their TV news reporters and talk-show hosts should closely watch their behavior and language on camera and not allow their personal biases and political leanings to get the better of them.

They should keep themselves objective, fair, and civil when exercising their press freedom. This way, they can maintain not only their own credibility and integrity as sources of information but also the viability of the mass media as a democratic institution.

HAPPY DAYS for PH BANKS

“In 2010, the economy grew by 7.3 percent, the best in a quarter century (vs. 1.1 percent 2009). Economic output reached P8.5 trillion for the first time. Also, there was election spending and euphoria and optimism with the election of new president, an honest one… With all that money and optimism, naturally money flowed into the banking system."

By: Tony Lopez

Banks made record profits last year. They also scored tremendous gains in resources, deposits, loan volume, and capital. These figures are at their record high levels. That’s why our bankers sport happy faces.

That’s the good news.

The bad news is that banks will charge you more, with higher interest rates and fees, this year and even higher, next year. That’s why our bankers will look even happier this year.

As a depositor though, you should demand from your bank higher yields. Banking has become very competitive. As a borrower, you should contest the higher interest rates. Banks are awash with so much cash they don’t know what to do with it.

The money came from OFW remittances which amounted to $18.3 billion last year or P823 billion – equivalent to half of the national budget.

Foreign reserves rose to $62.4 billion, thanks to strong exports and remittances. We have more dollars than the Bangko Sentral can handle. Why doesn’t the BSP funnel that money to development?

In 2010, the economy grew by 7.3 percent, the best in a quarter century (vs. 1.1 percent 2009). Economic output reached P8.5 trillion for the first time. Also, there was election spending and euphoria and optimism with the election of new president, an honest one.

With all that money and optimism, naturally money flowed into the banking system.

The Philippine banking industry scored soaring gains in profits, assets, deposits and loans to end 2010 with record profits, assets, deposits, loans and networth.

Total resources of the system (37 reporting banks) climbed to P6,564.78 billion (P6.56 trillion), up a scintillating P736.65 billion or 12.64percent; deposits to P4,816 billion (P4.8 trillion), up P446 billion or 10.21 percent, and loans to P2,589.97 billion (P2.589 trillion), up P205.73 billion or 8.63 percent.

With higher profitability, return on equity (profits over capital) improved by 23.4 percent to 8.47 percent in 2010 from 6.86 percent in 2009. Bank of PI President Aurelio Montinola estimates banking industry profits at P91 billion or 31 percent above 2009’s.
Awash with cash and profits, the banks also boosted their networth to a record P641.49 billion, up P95.59 billion or 17.51 percent from 2009.

Loan loss reserves of banks in 2010 increased slightly by P4.4 billion or 4.01 percent, half the P8.7 billion or 8.26 percent increase in provisioning in 2009, indicating higher confidence by the banks of not incurring losses from non-repayment of loans.

Banco de Oro Chair Teresita Sy-Coson recites the growth factors of 2010 and the reasons why the banks made so much money last year: “Externally, declining rates, plus lots of optimism from the (May) elections, and the good growth prospects for the Philippines.” Exports recovered mightily in 2010, rising by 33.8 percent, outpacing the 26.9percent rise in imports.

The banks lent PP205.7 billion more in 2010, more than double the P98.8 billion expansion in lending in 2009. They also tended to extend loans rather than merely buy government securities. Growth in investment securities in 2010 was P179.75 billion, or 13.07percent, slower than the P205.62 billion or 17.59percent increase in 2009.

Ayala-managed Bank of PI paced the industry in growth. Its resources increased a whopping P153.7 billion to P878.1 billion, up 21.2 percent ―infinitely better than the industry’s 12.64 percent growth.
BPI deposits grew by P140.3 billion or 24.2 percent, more than double industry’s 10.21 percent growth rate. Loans expanded by P76.8 billion or 21.79 percent (vs. 8.63 percent for the whole banking industry). Capital funds rose to P82.3 billion, up P14.5 billion or 21.4 percent (17.51 percent for the industry).

BPI’s net income was a stupendous P11.31 billion―the best in its 159-year history and up 33 percent over 2009. BPI has 13.22percent of total industry assets, 14.96 percent of deposits, and 14.77 percent of gross loan portfolio.

Not to be outdone, BDO, retailing magnate Henry Sy’s giant bank, increased profits 48.3 percent to P8.9 billion. Says Chair Tessie Sy: “Operating income was up 13 percent from 15 percent loan growth, coupled with good trading and fee income from service businesses. Growth in operating expenses was contained to 8 percent with effective cost management.”

George Ty’s Metrobank managed by son Arthur Ty, recorded P8.4 billion net, up 39.5 percent. Lucio Tan’s Philippine National Bank chalked up P3.54 billion in profits, up 68.5 percent.

Al Yuchengco’s Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. had its most profitable year ever, P4.2 5 billion, up 65.3 percent.

Moving forward, “most banks will go after consumer loans, SME loans and fee-based income from trust, asset and wealth management,” predicts Lorenzo Tan, president and CEO of RCBC. “Markets are very liquid with SDAs (deposits) reaching P1.5 trillion. Trading gains are very tough,” he says. Interest rates could be up another 25 basis points by yearend, he surmises.

RCBC, Tan says, “will focus on reducing cost to income ratio, building microfinance and global transaction service businesses. We will finish Tier 1 capital raising of P6 billion end of second quarter.”

Lending rates will be higher. “The market views further increases in BSP overnight rate of up to 50 bps by the end of 2011,” relates DBP President Francisco del Rosario. “We can expect interest rates to increase within the next two years to catch up with the BSP’s decade overnight average of 7.0 percent from today’s 4.5 percent only.”