PHILIPPINES: How to Slay the Oil Price Monster (tags)
Leaders are elected in order to take decisive action to solve problems. What is demanded from a leader is–after a careful weighing of costs and benefits–action that cuts the Gordian Knot of a seemingly complex reality.
Renewable energy solution to oil price hikes (tags)
Manila, Philippines: Akbayan Party today urged the Aquino administration to push for renewable energy as a long term solution to oil price hikes. Akbayan lawmaker Walden Bello said that the spiraling cost of fuel should send alarm signals to the government and stress the urgency of pushing for renewable energy to address the country’s energy needs.
Fearless Forecast: A Shaky Aquino Presidency Seen in the Philippines (tags)
Despite the election of Benigno Aquino III as the presumptive president of the Philippines, the political scene in the Philippines for the next six years is far from being an orderly and a stable nation. While Aquino got the executive post, the legislative and the judicial positions including the Supreme Court are his problems as well as the control of regional, provincial and mayoral positions that are in the control of his perceived enemies. In Congress, at the house of representatives, LP bet for Speaker , Quezon City Mayor Feliciano “Sonny” Belmonte is confident of becoming Speaker. He said that he would get the support of not only some 30 Lakas “originals” but also of party-list, Nacionalista Party (NP) and Nationalist People’s Coalition contingents in the House. The LP has only 37 elected members.Belmonte said he had even talked to the NP president, Sen. Manuel Villar,
Estrada an ‘enemy of Islam,’ declares MILF in ‘fatwa’ (tags)
Estrada an ‘enemy of Islam,’ declares MILF in ‘fatwa’ "After studying the actions and policies of Mr. Estrada before and after his election as president until this present time, we found out that he is really an enemy of Islam," MILF quoted the Bangsamoro Supreme Council of Ulama as saying. Ex-movie star Estrada, who publicly opposes peace talks, is polling in third place in the opinion polls, nine years after he was ousted in a bloodless military coup that followed his impeachment for corruption.
LACSON MUST FACE THE MUSIC--ATTY.VALERA (tags)
The US-based lawyer of Dacer-Corbito murder case star witness Cezar Mancao today lauded the arrest order against Senator Panfilo Lacson but urged the government to focus on the bigger conspiracy and expand indictments on all suspects identified in Mancao’s testimony. “This is good for our justice system and to the families of Bubby Dacer and Emmanuel Corbito,” lawyer Arnedo Valera said in a statement. He urged Lacson to surface and submit himself to the Philippine justice process.
PHILIPPINES: Palace happy Villar is not hitting Arroyo (tags)
MANILA, Philippines—The rumored “hidden candidate” of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo (GMA) got a boost Tuesday from Malacañang.
PHILIPPINES: Capitalist Villar is CPP's bet in 2010 presidential election (tags)
Two days before its 41st founding anniversary, the clandestine Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) endorsed the candidacy of Manuel Villar Jr, the standard-bearer of the Nacionalista Party (NP) in the 2010 presidential elections.
PHILIPPINES: Leftist Ocampo, Maza guest senatorial candidates of Rightist NP (tags)
MANILA, Philippines - Extreme Left party-list Reps. Satur Ocampo of Bayan Muna (People First) and Liza Maza of Gabriela Women's Party have finally decided to run as guest senatorial candidates of the Nacionalista Party, after Manuel Villar Jr., a billionaire businessman and senator, announced that the NP had severed its ties with the Kilusang Bagong Lipunan (KBL - New Society Movement), which was founded by the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos.
AJLPP DISPUTES ARROYO'S STAND ON EDSA UPRISING (tags)
The Alliance-Philippines disputes President Arroyo;s assertions that there should not be anymore EDSA. Referring to the People’s Revolt against dictator Marcos in 1986, Arroyo abhorred another EDSA after she herself was propelled into power by another EDSA in 2001 againt former President Joseph Estrada
LACSON BOYS TO BE FREED BY US COURTS (tags)
The AJLPP learned today that a Federal Appeals court on Friday vacated the sentence of a former Philippine National Police officer imprisoned for possessing secret US documents. Michael Ray Aquino is serving a six-year, four-month sentence after pleading guilty to unauthorized possession of classified documents.The new ruling in US District Court concluded that the sentence was based on a mistaken interpretation of federal guidelines. "For the AJLPP the news of the release proves that the charade of injustice is ever present when it comes to the cabal of AFP men who served as worst human rights violator and proven puppets of the United Statesmilitary like the Lacson boys," AJLPP said.
LACSON BOYS TO BE FREED BY US COURTS (tags)
The AJLPP learned today that a Federal Appeals court on Friday vacated the sentence of a former Philippine National Police officer imprisoned for possessing secret US documents. Michael Ray Aquino is serving a six-year, four-month sentence after pleading guilty to unauthorized possession of classified documents.The new ruling in US District Court concluded that the sentence was based on a mistaken interpretation of federal guidelines. "For the AJLPP the news of the release proves that the charade of injustice is ever present when it comes to the cabal of AFP men who served as worst human rights violator and proven puppets of the United Statesmilitary like the Lacson boys," AJLPP said.
CORY SEEKS ESTRADA'S FORGIVENESS FOR EDSA 2 (tags)
For the first time since the coup d’etat of 2001, former President Corazon Aquino, during the book launching of ousted Speaker Jose de Venecia (JdV), yesterday publicly apologized to former President Joseph Estrada for her role in the elite-led Edsa ll revolt which saw the toppling of Estrada and his government.
FILIPINO VETERANS SICK AND TIRED OF EMPTY PROMISES (tags)
he praises heaped upon the Filipinos who fought against the Japanese invasion during World War II did not impress a group of veterans who attended the commemoration of the Leyte Landing held on Monday.
No to military offensive in Mindanao (tags)
Bishops from the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) and the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference (ACBC) yesterday cautioned the Arroyo government on engaging in an all-out military offensive against the Muslim rebels and bandits in Mindanao, saying such action could have repercussions on the “peace-building” efforts of the inter-religious groups in the region. “Conflicts cannot be resolved simply by military might. Conflicts can be solved by mutual understanding,” CBCP president Angel Lagdameo said during the 12th Asia Pacific Policy Forum on the “Role of Youth in Peace Building” held yesterday at the Australian Embassy at RCBC Plaza in Makati City. The event was attended by Australian officials led by Ambassador Rod Smith, student leaders, CBCP president Lagdameo, CBCP chairman on Inter-Religious dialog Antonio Ledesma, members of academe and non-government organizations.
Behind Bars: The Travails of a Political Prisoner, Randall Echanis, KMP (tags)
Randall Echanis, of the militant peasant organization the Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas, is not the only political prisoner of the Arroyo regime. There are currently 240 prisoners in detention by the count of Samahan ng mga Ex-Detainee Laban sa Detensyon at para sa Amnestiya (SELDA), an organization dedicated to helping political prisoners.
Delay in peace talks deliberate, says MILF (tags)
The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), the largest Muslim separatist rebel group in the country, accused Manila on Wednesday of delaying the peace talks. Manila is negotiating peace with the MILF, an army of about 12,000 rebels with millions of Muslim supporters. Peace talks were stalled after both sides failed to sign an agreement on the Muslim ancestral domain.
Top 10 stories for Filipino Americans in 2007 (tags)
Filipino Americans can look back on 2007 with both elation and embarrassment.FilAms figured prominently in mainstream media news, headlining topics such as the 9/11 health crisis, boxing, TV entertainment as well as espionage in high places.
DUTCH FASCISM & BUSH-ARROYO STATE TERRORISM ATTACK FILIPINO REFUGEES (tags)
Colluding with U.S. & Filipino reactionaries, Dutch fascist authorities arrested Jose Maria Sison, a Filipino political refugee, and raided the National Democratic Front International Information Office in Holland. This is a clear example of State Terrorism working on behalf of predatory imperialist capital. All progressives and democrats everywhere should protest this outrage and support the Filipino people's struggle for justice, equality, and true independence.
MORE WARS FOR GMA TO FIGHT (tags)
Communist leader Jose Maria Sison’s arrest by the Dutch police for two murders committed in the Philippines is yet one more example of the Philippines, a sovereign country, giving up its sovereignty to a foreign power by acknowledging The Netherlands’ jurisdiction over a case, or cases committed on Philippine soil. It would have been understandable, and even correct, for the Dutch authorities to order the arrest of Sison and whoever else among the self-exiles in the communist movement, if he and anyone of them broke Dutch law for a crime committed in Dutch territory. But to arrest Sison on charges of two murders committed in the Philippines years ago?
Military officers involved in last year’s coup plot ordered detained (tags)
— Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief Gen. Hermogenes Esperon Jr. ordered the detention here of all the military officers involved in last year’s foiled coup attempt. Esperon effectively wanted all those implicated in the power grab detained in one facility, directing the various commands to relinquish custody of the 28 officers charged before the General Court Martial to effectively acquire jurisdiction over them. The announcement came after the arraignment of the 28 accused officers was rescheduled after defense lawyers demanded to see a copy of the pre-trial investigation.
New GMA's Appointments: Ebdane to DND, Nachura to SC (tags)
Malacañang formally announced yesterday the appointment of former public works chief Hermogenes Ebdane Jr. as the new defense secretary, ignoring recommendations for a civilian to head the sensitive post. Ebdane, 58, replaces Avelino Cruz, who quit unexpectedly in November, fueling speculation of a rift in President Arroyo’s Cabinet over moves to change the Constitution. Also at Malacañang yesterday, Chief Justice Reynato Puno announced Mrs. Arroyo’s appointment of Solicitor General Antonio Eduardo Nachura as Supreme Court associate justice. Ebdane was reportedly the one who brought out of the country former elections commissioner Virgilio Garcillano at the height of the vote rigging controversy involving Mrs. Arroyo. Ebdane denied the accusations
AJLPP: GMA caused people's cynicism of People Power (tags)
On January 20, 2001, the people of the Philippines overthrew President Joseph Estrada and installed Vice President Gloria Macapagala-Arroyo, Six years after the EDSA 2 uprising that toppled President Joseph Estrada, the AJLPP-USA agroup in the US working for a just and lasting peace laments that the political situation turned to worse for the Filipinos.
2006 ‘another murderous year’ with 111 high-profile killings in the Philippines (tags)
The year, 2006 that is about to end is "another murderous year" in the country "with at least 111 high-profile killings recorded to date," opposition Rep. Roilo Golez of Parañaque said yesterday. Golez, former national security adviser of President Arroyo, said the killings represent "a near total breakdown of peace and order in the country."
MILF: WE ARE FOR NEW WAR (tags)
Media sources reported that the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) said yesterday that it was prepared to return to war should negotiations on territory, the thorniest of issues in ongoing peace talks with the government, lead to results not to its liking. Negotiations on territory, which documents on the peace talks describe as issues of ancestral domain, bogged down in Kuala Lumpur. More than 50,000 people died at the height of the Mindanao War just after Marcos declared martial law in 1972. In 2000, more than a million people were displaced when then President Joseph Estrada declared an “all-out war” policy aimed at dismantling MILF camps in Mindanao.
Michael Ray pleads guilty (tags)
— A former protégé of Sen. Panfilo Lacson pleaded guilty on Monday to unauthorized possession of US government defense documents. Former police senior superintendent Michael Ray Aquino’s guilty plea spared himself a possible life sentence and also spared the US government a messy trial that could highlight weaknesses on how it guards its secrets.