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Watching the presidency
Weekly Summary
September 25 - October 2, 2010

U.S. trip

43, 650 job for Filipinos – Aquino III

“In the last week during our visit to the U.S. we were able to send our message across: The Philippines is open for business,” said President Benigno S. Aquino III when he came home Tuesday this week with a suitcase full of investments which projects to produce 43,650 jobs for Filipinos in the next three years.

Included in his accomplished goals in his diplomatic visit in the U.S. were $2.4 billion worth of investments and $434 million Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) grant.

The eggs should not be counted before they are hatched. It’s too early to say that the investments and grant brought by Aquino will alleviate poverty in the Philippines. Should presidential trips be always this way – begging for investments and money when such job can probably be done by the President’s subordinated?

 

Aquino hotdog escapades not scripted – Lacierda

The Executive Office defended the President's behavior in New York saying that the choice of food, referring to hotdogs and pizzas in stalls all over the Big Apple, and the photo ops while eating are not mere publicity stunts.

According to Presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda, it is the President acting naturally when he opted to eat a hotdog in a kiosk in New York instead of dining in some restaurant. Such action, Lacierda explained, is not staged to appeal to the mass through the media.

Mr. Aquino should have dined, instead, at some nearby Filipino restos that sell relatively cheap food. Besides, the President was not promoting healthy food by eating hotdog.

 

Groups: MCC $343 M will not alleviate poverty

Various groups and organizations reacted that the $434-million grant given by the U.S. state department funded Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) has conditions that are not aimed at ending poverty in the Philippines but are designed to promote the economic interest of the U.S. in the country.

The MCC is awarded to countries on the condition that the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) will be achieved in or before 2015. The main mission of giving out MCC grants is to reduce poverty and fight corruption.

Ibon, an independent research group, said that the specific provisions in the MCC agreement are in conflict with national interest and will only generate policies that will be bad for the economy. Such an agreement, Ibon said, requires a country to meet qualifications regarding open trade, economic freedom, good governance and adherence to human rights. The group also added that the requirements are the same measures that the World Bank and the International Monetary Foundation stabilization programs implements in the past decades.

Jueteng probe

Executive branch has no influence in Senate probe

The Presidential office reiterated that the executive branch recognizes the separation of powers among the branches of government and that it does not exert any influence over the legislative branch. The office was referring to the Senate when the blue ribbon committee headed by Sen. Teofisto “TG” Giongona III decided to cut its investigation on the jueteng (illegal numbers game) controversy.

The blue ribbon committee, whose members are mostly allied with Aquino III, decide to stop its probe into the jueteng allegations involving officials in Aquino's camp. Reacting to the committee’s move, anti- jueteng groups called it a scheme to whitewash the issue and protect Aquino from scrutiny.

RH Bill

Aquino firm on RH Bill amidst threats of excommunication

Reports during the week showed President Benigno S. Aquino III standing firm in his decision to support responsible parenthood and family planning amidst rumors of excommunication threats from the Church by the Catholic Bishop Conference of the Philippines (CBCP).

The President remained unswayed by the threat of CBCP President and Tandag Bishop Nereo Odchimar that he could be subject to excommunication if he will support the use of contraceptives for artificial birth control.

On the other hand, Sorsogon Bishop Arturo Basts said that Bishop Odchimar's opinion on excommunicating does not necessarily reflect the sentiment of CBCP. The Catholic Church is for natural family planning

Infighting in the Aquino Camp

Internal feud in Aquino's camp politicizes issues

Ang Kasangga partylist Rep. Teodoro Hareso revealed that there is an internal feud inside the Aquino allies in the administration and ousting Department of Interior and Local Government Undersecretary Rico Puno is a scheme by the “other Yellow party” in the government.

Haresco, whose party is linked to former President Gloria M. Arroyo, said that there is still an effort on the side of defeated Liberal Party Vice Presidential candidate Manuel Roxas II's supporters to get hold of major positions in the Aquino administration even at the risk of ruining the Cabinet.

He added that there is a discreet but serious friction between the Noy-Bi group that supported the candidacy of then Liberal Party presidential candidate Aquino III and Pwersa Ng Masang Pilipino vice presidential candidate Jejomar Binay and the Noy-Mar faction that endorsed the candidacy of Aquino as President and his running mate Mar Roxas. The Noy-Bi group is now called the “Samar group” since their May polls headquarters is located in Samar Street at South Triangle, Quezon City while Noy-Mar group is tagged as “Balay group” by Roxas supporters. Known members of the “Balay group” are the “Hyatt 10” and its clique while “Samar group” has Rico Puno, the Aquino Loyalists, Sen. Francis Escudero and House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte.

Hostage crisis

President not fully satisfied with the IIRC report

After his week-long U.S. trip, President Benigno S. Aquino III started reviewing the report submitted by the Incident Investigation and Review committee (IIRC), the investigative body that probed into the August 23 hostage fiasco.

The President was said to have expressed dissatisfaction with hostage fiasco as reported in the IIRC report and wanted to see those who found liable will be charged in court backed by strong evidence. The Presidential office assured the public that there will be “no white wash” regarding the issue at hand.

The report was not disclosed completely and was subject to review by the Presidential legal staffs while a full copy of the report was sent to the government of China.

Peace talks

2 congressional bodies urge Aquino to talk to Mindanao leaders

Two congressional bodies asked President Benigno S. Auino III to set a meeting with key Mindanao leaders as a requirement in the peace negotiation between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

The House committees on Muslim affairs and on peace, reconciliation and unity, agreed that “legitimate leaders” of Muslim Mindanao, including those located in the South, should have a dialogue with the President so that the leaders will be able to directly tell the President their thoughts on the ongoing negotiations with MILF. This act, according to the committees, will somehow ensure the success of the peace talk.

Other Issues

Zero tariffs on wheat and cement, extended

The government is planning to extend to Arroyo crafted Administrative Orders that will impose zero tariffs on milling wheat and cement.

This will done in order to maintain the stable price of the goods and will help in reducing the price in the market. According to Department of Trade Secretary Gregorio Domingo, the six-month extension will take place next month.

The two orders that temporarily eliminate tariffs on the said products expired last August.

 

No politics in budget cut of OVP

Presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said that there is no politics involved in the slashed budget of the Office of the Vice President (OVP). OVP is just one among the many offices and departments that suffered budget cuts for 2011.

Reports said that Vice President Jejomar Binay felt slighted upon knowing that OVP has the smallest budget in the executive branch. The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) reduced the OVP budget from P195 million to P170 million.

Rumors are rife that executive officials are divided into factions where DBM Secretary Florencio Abad is a key personality affiliated with Manuel Roxas III, the defeated vice presidential candidate of the Liberal Party. With additional notes by Mia Toledo

 

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