Browse: Home / Vedanta Aluminium to upgrade health service in Orissa’s Kalahandi
By youBloggers on December 8, 2010
Renewing its commitment to provide improved health care service to people of Lanjigarh, Vedanta Aluminium Limited (VAL) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Zilla Swasthya Samiti, Kalahandi to upgrade the infrastructure, management and delivery of health service of Lanjigarh Area Hospital, catering to the health needs of the populace of Biswanathpur block under PPP mode. This is the first ever Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) led Public Private Partnership in Orissa Health sector. The MOU has been signed based on the concurrence of Govt of Orissa and under the guidance of Mr. RS Gopalan, District Collector Kalahandi. Dr. Mukesh Kumar, Chief Operating Officer, Vedanta Aluminium Limited and Dr. Sushil Rath, Chief District Medical Officer, Kalahandi signed the MoU on September 23, 2009 at Bhawanipatna.
The MoU will facilitate Vedanta Aluminium Limited to upgrade the available infrastructure, quality of management, outreach program and indoor and outdoor facility for the benefit of local people. As per the arrangement, the ownership of the hospital will continue to remain with the Government and the management, operation, medical and outreach service will be taken up by VAL. The Company will provide comprehensive secondary health care, both referral and specialist, to the community through the hospital.
Signing the MoU Dr. Mukesh Kumar, COO, VAL said, “this has been a long-standing commitment to people of Lanjigarh and Vedanta will ensure that quality oriented healthcare service is delivered at the Hospitalâ€. The Hospital will deliver specialized services in General medicine, general surgery, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Pediatrics, anesthesia, Radiology, dermatology, dental and AYUSH. In addition, Ambulance service will be provided by the Hospital.
The hospital will operate as a part of the Government health service network and National Rural Health Mission (NRHM). Chief District Medical Officer, Kalahandi and Zilla Swasthya Samiti (ZSS) will monitor the functioning of the Hospital.
Mr. PK Hota, GM (CSR), Dr. Sabita Swain, Chief Medical Officer, Ms. Alka Minj, Associate Manager (CSR) of VAL; Mr. Prasanta Acharya, Chief Program Coordinator, NRHM, Bhubaneswar; Mr. Santosh Nayak, District Program Manager, NRHM, Kalahandi were present in the MoU signing ceremony.
Source: Orissadairy.com
Notes/References: Renewing its commitment to provide improved health care service to people of Lanjigarh, Vedanta Aluminium Limited (VAL) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Zilla Swasthya Samiti
This post was submitted by Anjan.
Posted in Specials | Tagged Anil Agarwal, bloggista, Kalahandi, Lanjigarh, VAL, Vedanta, you blog |
By youBloggers on December 8, 2010
Of late , Vedanta, the Aluminium Major, has emerged as the whipping boy of NGOs and Media.
Jairam Ramesh, Union Minister Forest & Environment has added fuel to the fire by the statement that the company had violated norms both on the tribal and forest regulation fronts at its Rs 50,000 crore project in Odisha.
After this Vedanta baiting has reached a crescendo in the state.
The truth is however, some what different, feel Industry Watchers.
The Greenfield project of Vedanta Aluminium Limited (VAL) at Lanjigarh in Kalahandi district has been flayed for starting construction on non-forest revenue land before forest clearance is obtained for forest land which is a part of the same project.
Mr.Ramesh, who is heading the Ministry of Forest & Environment (MOEF) has clearly mentioned in a Press Release on 27 November, 2009 that construction on non-forest land while awaiting for forest clearance of forest land, is not a violation of Forest Conservation Act.
It is a violation of the guidelines issued by MOEF under the Act.
MOEF sought an explanation from the Government of Odisha explaining the reasons and circumstances on which such non-forest construction taken up for Lanjigarh Project.
State Government has satisfactorily clarified that construction was undertaken on non-forest revenue land leased out for the Project through IDCO long back.
IDCO is the State PSU, responsible for allotment of land for industrial purpose.
In absence of the clarity in the matter, such construction could not construe violation of law, said Government of Odisha.
In fact MOEF it self have confounded the confusion by violating their own guidelines in various cases.
In December, 2009 MOEF in a similar case relating to a mining project, has advised Government of Odisha to allow mining in non-forest area although the project involves non-forest land and land for which permission was due.
This has again happened only recently in case of another aluminium project near Sambalpur.
In January, 2010, MOEF asked Government of odisha to allow the project proponent to undertake construction activities in non-forest area without even waiting for a compliance report to Stage-I approval.
Applying different principles to different projects has surprised the State Government and Industry Watchers.
They strongly feel that clear cut and uniform guideline should be spelt out to ensure smooth implementation of pending projects requiring both forest and non-forest lands.
They also feel that Vedanta is unfairly dealt with to appease NGO sentiment.
Source: http://www.tathya.in/news/story.asp?sno=3878
Notes/References: Of late , Vedanta, the Aluminium Major, has emerged as the whipping boy of NGOs and Media.
This post was submitted by Amit.
Posted in Specials | Tagged Anil Agarwal, bloggista, Jharsugda, Lanjigarh, VAL, Vedanta, you blog |
By youBloggers on December 8, 2010
Chapter 1
I remember that day that started a story that gave me all the emotions a man can have to confirm his existence… i know you remember it too. Even though i have told myself over and over again that i would never look back… that i would never recall- here i am at it again. Maybe because i know deep inside me that no matter how i deny… what happened was something special, very special.
It started with a smiley like this 
that popped out from a chat box here in facebook. Though it arrived at a time I wasn’t checking, none the less i was able to recognize it the moment I logged in. There it was, the only one, below the screen. I was surprised, but mostly interested, why someone i don’t personally know would leave me such combination of marks . And so i checked the profile of this person. Honestly speaking i am more interested seeing the picture behind the sender of the smiley. Why? for a very obvious reason- the person is physically gifted. And so, with such interest, i wondered why such person possessing a beautiful appearance would be interested in sending me such a message. I feel complimented. I feel thrilled… I felt entertained that my attention got caught in something i would now admit i was very happy to happen.
What happened next? since the person was offline, i sent a personal message. Don’t anymore ask what the message was-i won’t tell. Then again, i hoped for a reply. Although I wasn’t expecting the reply would arrived- but it did quite soon. I got more interested with the reply. Honestly i would say that at first I thought that this was a usual interaction of someone who is having fun using facebook and its features… that i didnt quite feel the seriousness behind. But then again my interest was increasing and so in a moment of time- numbers were exchanged.
Yes, you can say that this is the part where the love story would usually begin. Why am i writing this then? Well, aside from there is nothing to do- i felt relieved by expressing something that my inner self kept hiding.You can blame it from lack of rest, energy and boredom. Let’s go back to the story then.
Well, in no time i was sending text messages to the person behind the smiley… and the reply was continuous. It started with usual conversation, asking how the person was, what the person was doing, and some personal information. By that time this person was going on a field trip to sorsogon( you know the usual company trip that most professions comprised of young people would go to). Aside from text messages, i was more ecstatic when a call was made. Ofcourse i felt happy, excited, some feeling that made you feel light hearted and cared for. Yeah yeah… it was a good feeling.
The person went on tour, I went back to work… but in between messages were sent. What started a combination of marks..turned to texts… messages… personal call. It is happening so fast that in no time we were planning of meeting up when the person returns.
This is the part called “The meet up”.
The person returned. I have no idea who the person really is- aside from the profile picture, the information given through text, and some strange trust. And so it started with this strange trust that i felt toward the person…. wanting to see in person… wanting to know the person more… at the same time afraid of the uncertainties… don’t know how to act …nervous yet anxious.
That day, i mean night… there was a problem with the smart network that text messages would usually arrive late. But then again, the plan was set… so we decided to go. We planned to meet at Bigg’s..well at first it was bigg’s advent then changed to bigg’s centro but then the person checked bigg’s advent but we end up meeting at bigg’s centro (ehehe i was driving that time so i cant reply the text messages). He was kindda upset when i showed up…coz there were several new messages already in my inbox i wans’t able to reply (as i have said..i was driving- don’t text and drive people).
But then again we were able to meet up… the question you should be wondering is- So how was it? Hehehe… guess i have to admit i expected less for what appeared infront of me is someone my eyes were very delighted to see. My heart was pounding all the time. I was trying to control my act not to look silly or not to mess this up. I know i wasn’t expecting much but things suddenly made a turn that i thought “is this really happening”.
Since we are already at bigg’s- the person did something noble… that is treating me to a nice full meal. Which i was happy but really nervous and anxious…and all the clumsy feeling won’t go away. You can imagine i am blushing as i write this part…. we talked… and talked… and the smiley turned into a beautiful smile….
What happened next?….. ehehe really this is chapter 1.. the chapter ends here. 
Notes/References: Jonathan C. Briones, Naga City,Philippines. 2010
This post was submitted by jonathan briones.
Posted in Specials | Tagged bloggista, jonatz, love, story, The Smiley, you blog |
By MBJ on September 6, 2010
The chief of the Manila Police District (MPD) “ignored” an order for the deployment of an elite force in the botched rescue attempt that led to the killing of eight Hong Kong tourists, according to a witness in his testimony before a government panel.
Deputy Director General Leocadio Santiago, the chief of the Metro Manila regional police command, testified that he received an order on August 23 from Director General Jesus Verzosa of the Philippine National Police (PNP) for the use of the PNP Special Action Force (Saf) to conduct the rescue operation.
Santiago said he relayed Verzosa’s order to Chief Superintendent Rodolfo Magtibay, the MPD chief, who, however, apparently ignored it and chose instead to deploy his own Special Weapons and Tactics (Swat) team.
Santiago testified late Saturday before an inter-agency committee formed by President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino to conduct marathon but fair, exhaustive and transparent investigation on the bloodbath.
The committee is to resume Monday its investigation to meet the three-week deadline imposed by Aquino for the submission of its findings and recommendations on the tragedy that has chilled relations between the Philippines as well as China and Hong Kong.
When asked by Secretary Leila de Lima of the Department of Justice, the committee chairman, Santiago said Verzosa chose a Saf team to undertake the rescue because of its reputation as a highly-specialized PNP force trained to deal with crisis situations like the August 23 hostage-taking in Manila.
Santiago also said that as the former commander of Saf, he would also have taken the same option if he were ordered to conduct the rescue operation that resulted also in the killing of the hostage-taker, dismissed police senior inspector Rolando Mendoza.
He said the Saf members were “better equipped and more skilled” than their counterparts like the Swat.
But Santiago told the committee, it was Magtibay’s option to ignore Verzosa’s order in his capacity as the “ground commander” in charge of resolving the problem as provided in the protocols regarding hostage-taking and similar crisis situations.
As it turned out, however, the MPD Swat team preferred by Magtibay failed in its assignment and was made an example on the lesson of “how not to conduct a hostage-rescue operation.”
Nevertheless, two of the Swat members who participated in the operation, told the committee they could have done better if they were provided with modern weapons and gadgets needed for such assignments.
The members complained that the weapons they were provided were of the “vintage” variety that were used during the Vietnam war.
Moreover, they also lamented that the bullet proof vests they used were way past their expiration dates, which put them in greater danger in dealing with a heavily-armed hostage-taker like Mendoza, also a veteran police officer.
Posted in Headlines, Nation | Tagged chief, Hong Kong, MPD, pnp, tourists |
By newsmaster on September 6, 2010
President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino has formed a committee to advise the government panel when it resumes peace talks with the separatist Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), a Malacanang official disclosed on Sunday.
Secretary Teresita Deles, the presidential adviser on the peace process, said the committee was established to ensure transparency and accountability in the talks expected to resume either in late September or early October.
Deles also said Aquino directed the committee to help a separate government panel in its negotiations with the Communist Party of the Philippines and its armed wing the New People’s Army.
In addition, the President is to sign a memorandum containing the guidelines that will set the parameters, mandate and responsibilities of the advisory panel, Deles said.
According to Deles, the committee is composed of members of the House of Representatives and the Senate, retired justices of the Supreme Court, members of the 1987 Constitutional Convention, local government officials in the strife-affected areas, representatives of non-government organizations and former chairmen of the government peace panels.
She disclosed she already met with House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte and Senate President Juan Ponce-Enrile to ask them to designate their representatives to the committee.
In preparation to the resumption, President Aquino appointed Marvic Leonen, an expert on ancestral domain and the dean of the College of Law of the state-owned University of the Philippines as the chairman of the government panel.
Both the government and the MILF have agreed to retain Malaysia as the broker or facilitator in the resumption of the peace talks to be hosted in its capital of Kuala Lumpur.
A Malaysian military general also heads an international team monitoring the ceasefire agreement between the government and the MILF while their representatives are talking peace in Kuala Lumpur.
Earlier, President Aquino announced that the government was willing to resume talks with the MILF after the Muslim holy month of Ramadan on September 10.
However, Mohagher Iqbal, the head of the MILF panel, doubted the talks could be resumed immediately, saying that Malaysia would hold a week-long celebration of the Eid’l Fitr which marks the end of Ramadan.
In this light, Iqbal said negotiations could start either in late September or early October.
The talks collapsed in 2008 when the Philippine Supreme Court declared as illegal a draft agreement that called for the establishment of an expanded Moro homeland in Mindanao under the concept of ancestral domain.
In its decision issued on the eve of its signing in Kuala Lumpur, the High Court ruled the agreement violated the Constitution because it meant the establishment of a state within a sovereign state.
Posted in Nation, News | Tagged College of Law, malaysia, milf, noynoy aquino, Ramadan, UP |
By newsmaster on September 6, 2010
Police commandos killed a leader of the Abu Sayyaf extremists and two of his men in an encounter on the strife-torn island province of Sulu, a ranking police officer reported on Sunday.
Senior Superintendent Joseph Ramac, the Sulu police provincial commander, said Gaffur Jumdail was slain along with two of his cohorts in the clash with members of the elite Special Action Force (Saf) of the Philippine National Police (PNP) in a remote village in the town of Maimbung, Sulu late Saturday night.
Ramac said the commandos believe they also wounded several other militants based on the heavy bloodstains found on the escape routes of the extremists.
Ramac said Gaffur was the brother of Abu Jumdail also known as Dr. Abu, a ranking leader of the extremist group, who has a $100,000 reward on his head from the US State Department.
The Saf comnandos, Ramac said, launched an operation after receiving information that a suspected Malaysian terrorist, identified as Zulkiffli bin Hir alias Marawan, was spotted in Maimbung.
But Ramac could not confirm whether Marawan was with Jumdail’s group when the 15-minute firefight occurred.
The US State Department has offered a $5 million reward for Marawan, a US-trained Malaysian engineer, wanted for several deadly bombings in the Philippines as well as the 2002 bomb attack in Bali, Indonesia that killed more than 200 mostly Australian tourists.
According to Philippines and regional security experts, Marawan sought refuge in Mindanao after the Bali attack and was “coddled” by the Abu Sayyaf and members of the “lost command” of the separatist Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).
Marawan is said to be a ranking member of the central command of the Indonesia-based Jemaah Islamiyah militant group with links to the Abu Sayyaf and to the global terrorist network of Osama bin Laden.
Following the killing of Jumdail, the PNP raised a “full alert” in the region as a security measure against retaliatory attacks from the Abu Sayyaf.
The PNP described Jumdail as a “high value target,” due to his reported involvement in several high-profile criminal cases in Mindanao, particularly in Sulu and the neighboring island province of Basilan which belong to the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).
Based on PNP records, Jumdail and his group were involved in the abduction of three Red Cross staffers – an Swiss national, an Italian and a Filipino – in front of the provincial capitol of Jolo on January 1, 2008.
That same year, police said Jumdail and his group also kidnapped members of a news team from ABS-CBN, the country’s largest broadcast network, who were released only after a “hefty” ransom payment.
Posted in News, Region | Tagged abu sayyaf, encounter, leader, mindanao, police, sulu |
By MBJ on September 5, 2010
A member of the Aquino Cabinet reported that a $400-million approved by the Manila-based Asian Development Bank (ADB) has provided a big boost to the government’s poverty reduction programme.
Secretary Corazon Soliman of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) said the amount would be used to expand the government’s conditional cash transfer programme to benefit an additional 500,000 of the country’s “poorest of the poor” families.
The programme, Soliman explained, covers five years and provides conditional cash grants to extremely poor households to improve their health, nutrition and education, particularly of children aged 0 to 14.
“This is very timely as the DSWD will increase the number of families receiving monthly cash grants to 2.3 million by the end of 2011,” Soliman pointed out.
She also disclosed this was the first ADB loan to the Philippines for the programme under President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino since he took over Malacanang on June 30.
According to Soliman, the programme gives about $12 for health and nutrition and about $7 per child per month for educational expenses.
A household with three qualified children can avail themselves of up to $30 per month, or $300 a year, Soliman added.
So far, the programme has benefited nearly 900,000 poor households nationwide since it was launched in 2008, Soliman said.
She said the DSWD will likely reach the one-million mark before the end of this year.
As conceived, mothers and pregnant women are eligible for cash grants if their young children receive regular health checkups and immunizations, and if pregnant women receive prenatal and postnatal care.
Families can also receive an addition grant if their children are enrolled in primary or secondary schools and maintain a class attendance rate of at least 85 percent each.
In approving the $400 million loan, the ADB pointed out that financial barriers are a major reason why children and pregnant women from poor families do not regularly seek out preventive health care.
Similarly, the ADB noted that costs associated with education as well as the needs of poor households for additional income are leading factors in keeping children out of school.
“Conditional cash transfer programmes have proven to be an effective way of keeping children healthier and in school,” said Camilla Holmemo, the ADB poverty reduction specialist. “These programmes help families break free from the cycle of poverty.”
The ADB said the loan will have a 25-year term, including a grace period of five years. The loan, it added, has an annual interest rate of 0.15 percent.
Posted in Headlines | Tagged $400-million, ADB, Aquino cabinet, dswd, loan, poverty reduction programme |
By newsmaster on September 5, 2010
The embattled chief of the 125,000-strong Philippine National Police (PNP) is stepping down on September 14, or four months before he reaches his mandatory retirement age of 56 in December, the PNP spokesman has confirmed.
However, Senior Superintendent Agrimero Cruz Junior clarified the decision of PNP Director General Jesus Verzosa to opt for early retirement has nothing to do with the ongoing investigation on the botched police rescue attempt that led to the killing of eight Hong Kong tourists in Manila on August 23.
Cruz said Verzosa decided to retire early in order to give a chance to the younger officers to take over and implement reforms amid charges of major police blunders in their handling of the recent hostage crisis.
In addition, the PNP image has been tainted by accusations of alleged unabated torture and similar human rights violations as well as corruption and illegal activities such as drug-peddling and robbery-extortion by the “bad eggs” in the agency.
According to Cruz, President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino has approved the request of Verzosa who himself said he would devote his retirement years toward becoming a “gentleman farmer.”
Verzosa, a member of Class 1976 of the Philippine Military Academy, is to reach his mandatory retirement age of 56 on December 25.
Although an appointee of then president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, Verzosa reportedly earned her ire when he announced he would never allow the PNP to be used for partisan politics in the May 10 elections won by Aquino
In the August 23 hostage crisis, Verzosa was one of the several government and police officials whose resignations have been demanded by opposition lawmakers and other quarters for allowing the police to commit major blunders in their rescue operations.
But Cruz expressed confidence Verzosa would not be leaving the PNP with a cloud of doubt in connection with the crisis.
Cruz said Verzosa has promised that even in retirement he would still help out with the investigation, including his willingness to be called anew to testify on the circumstances leading to the botched rescue attempt.
Testifying on Friday before a committee investigating the tragedy, Verzosa admitted that on August 23, he flew to Mindanao to attend a regional conference on public safety and security in Cagayan de Oro City while negotiators were urging the hostage-taker dismissed police senior inspector Rolando Mendoza to release his hostages.
Verzosa, however, insisted that even while in Mindanao, he was still on top of the situation because he was in constant contact through mobile phone with Manila police officers assigned to handle the case.
Posted in Headlines | Tagged jesus verzosa, pnp, retiring, stepping down, top cop |
By MBJ on September 5, 2010
President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino is not resigning although he has taken full responsibility for the botched police rescue attempt that resulted in the killing of eight Hong Kong tourists in Manila, a Malacanang official stressed on Saturday.
Secretary Herminio Coloma of the Presidential Communications Group also emphasized Aquino’s admission doesn’t mean the government and police officials who are directly responsible for the “fiasco” have already been cleared.
“President Aquino is not resigning,” Coloma said in an interview with government radio DzRB. “He received a clear mandate from more than 15 million Filipinos (in the May 10 elections).”
He pointed out that as a leader, the President is accountable to the people who elected him “because the buck stops with him.”
It is within this context, Coloma pointed out, that the President on Friday said he was taking full responsibility for the bloodbath on August 23 when a dismissed Manila police captain hijacked a bus and held hostage 22 Hong Kong tourists and three Filipinos in an 11-hour standoff at the Luneta Park in Manila.
In this light, Coloma said officials under the President will still be held accountable if an ongoing investigation will show they are to blame for the major lapses that led to the tragedy.
Eight of the tourists and the hostage-taker former senior inspector Rolando Mendoza were killed in the botch rescue attempt by what appeared to be ill-equipped and ill-trained supposedly elite policemen that was covered live by radio and TV and beamed to the world.
The President has vowed that “heads will roll” based on the findings and recommendations of an inter-agency committee which he created to conduct a fair, exhaustive and transparent investigation of the tragedy.
He gave the committee three weeks to finish the investigation and submit its findings and recommendations which Malacanang is also to submit to China and Hong Kong in a determined attempt to “defrost” relations that have chilled due to the tragedy.
The committee, headed by Secretary Leila de Lima of the Department of Justice, started hearing on its second day the testimonies of the government officials and police officers who were directly involved in the fiasco.
During the hearing, one of the committee members Hernan Basbano, quoted from a sworn statement of police Senior Inspector Romeo Salvador, one of the negotiators, which he could have agitated Mendoza and caused him to become violent.
In his statement, Salvador said he overheard Mendoza hurl invectives while he was talking over the cellphone from the tourist bus with lawyer Emilio Gonzales, the deputy Ombudsman.
Salvador said he overheard Mendoza berating Gonzales for allegedly demanding $3,000 from him for a review of the case of robbery-extortion filed against the hostage-taker.
It was at this point, Salvador said, that he saw Mendoza become agitated and his temper rise. It was not known, however, what the money allegedly demanded by Gonzales was for.
Posted in Headlines | Tagged Aquino, DoJ, Hong Kong, malacanang, police rescue |
By andong on September 4, 2010
Philippine lawmakers expressed their “extreme shock” on Tuesday over revelations that employees in a government agency have been awarded bonuses totalling an extra 25 months a year while it was losing heavily in 2008 and 2009.
The beneficiaries were officials and employees of the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage Authority (MWSS) as revealed by the agency’s officer-in-charge herself, engineer Macra Cruz during the resumption of Senate hearings on the huge paychecks and benefits enjoyed by personnel of government-owned or controlled corporations.
In one instance at the hearing, Cruz even corrected Senator Franklin Drilon, the chairman of the Committee on Finance, who said he received reliable information that MWSS officials and employees had been enjoying bonuses and other benefits totalling 19 months a year.
These are on top of the regular salaries that MWSS employees have been getting annually for the past 24 months, Drilon said.
Drilon admitted he got the surprise of his life when Cruz pointed out: “It’s a little more than that, sir. I think it’s 25 months.”
The financial bonanza, Cruz added, came at a time when the MWSS reported a heavy loss equivalent to $70 million in 2008 and 2009.
And true enough, Cruz read a list of the 25 MWSS bonuses, equivalent to one month, when ordered by Drilon to enumerate them.
These included: traditional corporate Christmas bonus, traditional Christmas bonus, additional Christmas bonus, scholarship assistance bonus, efficiency incentive bonus, year-end financial assistance bonus, anniversary of the MWSS privatization bonus, traditional mid-year bonus, anniversary bonus, education assistance bonus, additional educational assistance bonus, family week celebration bonus, scholarship assistance bonus and calamity assistance bonus.
Reliable sources also disclosed that the MWSS officials and employees were to award themselves another bonus this year to “celebrate” the state-of-the-nation address by President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino before the opening of the joint session by the House of Representatives and the Senate of the 15th Congress on July 26.
But this was aborted when President Aquino specifically mentioned in his address the MWSS as an example of “wasteful spending” in government agencies through huge salaries and bonuses while the rest of the nation are wallowing in pervasive poverty especially in the countryside, said the sources who requested anonymity.
After Cruz finished reading the list, Drilon noted that MWSS personnel received so many bonuses that there were not enough letters of the alphabet to label them, as he pointed out:
“They’re trying to justify the bonuses by giving them different names. This is totally immoral and there should be a stop to this. It’s so annoying, almost funny.”
A member of the House of Representatives who watched the Senate hearings covered live by TV chimed in: “I think I am in the wrong profession.”
And the lawmaker said so with a straight face amid the continuing controversy arising from the order of President Aquino to make the “pork barrel” allocations for senators and congressmen transparent and made readily available to the public in his determined attempt to rid the government of unabated graft and corruption.
Posted in Teachers Board Exam |
By newsmaster on September 4, 2010
President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino on Friday declared September 10, which marks the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, a non-working holiday nationwide.
Aquino said the declaration aims to promote cultural understanding and integration to enable the entire nation to have the full opportunity to join their Muslim brothers in the observance and celebration of Eid’l Fitr.
In the proclamation, Eid’l Fitr is described as a momentous occasion which is celebrated for three days at the end of Ramadan, the month of fasting.
“In order to bring the religious and cultural significance of the Eid’l Fitr to the fore of national consciousness, it is necessary to declare September 10 as a regular holiday,” the President emphasized.
With the declaration, Filipinos will again enjoy a three-day weekend because September 10 falls on a Friday.
Aquino likewise reiterated that the government is prepared to resume peace talks with the separatist Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) at the end of Ramadan.
However, Mohagher Iqbal, the head of the MILF panel, earlier said negotiations could be resumed in late September or in early October mainly because Malaysia would hold a week-long celebration of the Eid’l Fitr.
The government and the MILF have agreed to retain Malaysia as the broker or facilitator of the talks to be hosted in its capital of Kuala Lumpur.
Secretary Edwin Lacierda, the presidential spokesman, has announced that the President is about to complete the five-member lineup in the government panel to talk peace with the MILF.
Named as chairman was Marvic Leonen, an expert on ancestral domain and the dean of the College of Law of the state-owned University of the Philippines.
According to Lacierda, the President ordered the panel to make a thorough review of records of past government negotiations with the MILF to avoid the “mistakes” that could have been committed.
The negotiations collapsed in 2008 when the Philippine Supreme Court (SC) rejected a draft agreement which was to create an expanded Moro homeland in Mindanao under the concept of ancestral domain.
The SC declared the agreement, which was to be signed in Kuala Lumpur, had violated a provision in the 1987 Constitution because this would mean the creation of a state within a sovereign state.
Posted in Nation, News | Tagged Eid’l Fitr, holiday, Muslim, noynoy aquino, Ramadan |
By MBJ on September 4, 2010
Filipino and world boxing icon Manny “Pacman” is on leave as a member of the House of Representatives and is now in the US for a promotional tour of his upcoming fight with a Mexican brawler, the House speaker has confirmed.
But Speaker Feliciano Belmonte pointed out that despite his absence, Pacquiao is still entitled to his salary and allowances as the duly-elected congressman of Sarangani in Mindanao, one of the country’s 20 poorest provinces.
Belmonte added Pacquiao sought his permission last week to go to the US for a three-city promotional and press tour for his fight for the vacant welterweight title of the World Boxing Organization with Antonio Margarito of Mexico on November 13.
If he wins, this would be Pacquiao’s unprecedented eighth world boxing championship belt, the first ever for a pugilist anywhere in the world, and would also stamp his standing as the world’s best pound-for-pound fighter today.
“It’s a terrific thing and I don’t think anybody will ever blame Manny for being absent,” Belmonte said. “But still, insofar as the record of the House is concerned, he was marked absent.”
“Anyway, he is doing a great service to the House and to the country,” Belmonte added, apparently referring to the shattered image that the Philippines has suffered following the botched police rescue attempt that resulted in the killing of eight Hong Kong tourists and their hostage-taker in Manila on August 23.
He disclosed Pacquiao is to leave again later in September for the US where he will train for his championship bout with Margarito at the Cowboys Stadium in Dallas, Texas on November 13.
Pacquiao earlier expressed his intention of training inside the sprawling House of Representatives complex in suburban Quezon City, Metro Manila but this was rejected by Belmonte.
The speaker said he would fly to the US witness the fight but stressed he would pay for the plane fare and other expenses from his own pocket.
House records show that Pacquiao, a freshman lawmaker, is the vice chairman of the House Committee on Youth and Sports and the Committee on Millenium Development Goals, chaired by Congresswoman Imelda Marcos of Ilocos Norte province in Northern Luzon, the widow of the late Philippine dictator Ferdinand Marcos.
He is also a member of eight other committees, including national defense and security as well as public information.
In 2009, Pacquiao landed sixth among the world’s richest sportsmen with earnings totaling $40 million. This is on top of the huge fees he receives from endorsing products in the Philippines and the US.
In his upcoming fight with Margarito, Pacquiao is reportedly getting a guaranteed purse of $15 million, aside from share in the lucrative pay-per-view TV rights.
Posted in Headlines | Tagged Antonio Margarito, brawler, house of representatives, lawmaker, Mexican, pacquiao, World Boxing Organization |
By MBJ on September 4, 2010
President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino on Friday took full responsibility for the bungled police rescue attempt that resulted in the killing of eight Hong Kong tourists who were held hostage by a dismissed Manila police captain on August 23.
“At the end of the day, I am responsible for everything that has transpired,” the President told Malacanang reporters as a five-member committee started also on Friday marathon three-day hearings on the tragedy that chilled relations between the Philippines as well as Hong Kong and China.
As ordered by Aquino, the inquiry will be fair, thorough and transparent and those responsible will be held accountable.
In taking the blame, the President defended Secretary Jesse Robredo of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) whose dismissal is being demanded by opposition lawmakers for his alleged involvement in the botched rescue attempt.
Aquino explained that during the hostage-taking, he had full control and supervision over the Philippine National Police (PNP) through Rico Puno whom he appointed DILG undersecretary in charge of police matters and public safety.
For this reason, Aquino pointed out that Puno is partly to blame for the glaring lapses that attended the fiasco which resulted in the killing of the eight tourists as well as the hostage-taker, former senior inspector Rolando Mendoza of the Manila Police District.
The President disclosed that when he named Robredo to the DILG, he told him to concentrate on the local government units and leave the police problems to him and Puno.
He explained local government units needed Robredo’s urgent attention, particularly in the delivery of basic services to their constituents, as well as the need to coordinate with local officials in solving the problem of “informal settlers,” more popularly known as squatters.
Robredo was awarded the prestigious Ramon Magsaysay Award, considered Asia’s version of the Nobel Prize, for his outstanding performance as the three-term mayor of Naga City in the Bicol Region.
In a related development, the committee started hearing on Friday the testimonies of the officials and personalities who had a direct participation in the hostage-taking drama.
The first to testify before the committee, headed by Secretary Leila de Lima of the Department of Justice, was DILG’s Puno who said he was taking the blame for the lapses in the hostage-taking fiasco.
Puno likewise admitted that he has no training in handling hostage-taking situations and similar serious cases.
The second to testify was Director General Jesus Verzosa, the head of the 125,000-strong PNP, who admitted he flew to Mindanao on August 23 at the height of the negotiations for the release of the hostages, composed of 22 Hong Kong tourists and three Filipinos, including the driver.
Verzosa said he left for Mindanao to attend a regional meeting on peace and security in Cagayan de Oro City but insisted he was on “top of the situation” by remaining in constant contact with the crisis management panel ordered to deal with the hostage-taker.
Posted in Headlines | Tagged china, dilg, fiasco, Hong Kong, hostage taking, noynoy aquino, pnp, Puno |
By newsmaster on September 1, 2010
A ranking leader of the separatist Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) on Tuesday said peace talks with the government could resume either on September 30 or in early October.
Mohagher Iqbal, the head of the MILF panel, explained that Malaysia, the broker or facilitator of the talks, will have a week-long celebration of the Eid’l Fitr that marks the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan that is to end between September 10 and 12, depending on the lunar calendar.
“The decision to meet must come from the two parties with the consensus of the facilitating country,” Iqbal said, referring to Malaysia which has been confirmed by both the government and the MILF as the broker of the negotiations in its capital of Kuala Lumpur.
Malacanang earlier announced the Aquino administration is willing to resume peace talks with the MILF at the end of the Ramadan.
However, Iqbal would not say whether he would still head the MILF panel which has been “temporarily” deactivated pending the resumption of the talks.
In a separate interview, Mohammad Ameen, the chief secretariat of the MILF central committee, disclosed the front leaders will convene after the Ramadan to decide on the reactivation of its peace panel.
Ameen said they now have a short list of prospective members of the MILF panel but declined to comment on whether Iqbal would be retained as the head.
Iqbal, an ethnic Maguindanoan scholar, has been with the panel since the 1990s and has authored more than a dozen of books and studies on the Moro uprising in strife-torn Mindanao, starting with the Spanish colonial occupation of over 300 years.
The MILF deactivated its peace panel after the May 10 automated elections following its meeting with its government counterparts under former president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
Ameen explained the deactivation was just temporary to give the MILF central leadership enough space to study how its panel fared in the past negotiations and to evaluate the qualifications of prospective members.
On the other hand, President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino has appointed Marvic Leonen, an expert on ancestral domain and the dean of the College of Law of the state-owned University of the Philippines, as the government panel chairman.
Malacanang said three other members have been named, with one more to be appointed to complete the panel before the resumption of the talks.
The government started to talk peace with the MILF in 1997 but these have been marred by major differences which resulted in the breakdown of the negotiations.
The issue came to a boil in 2008 when the Philippine Supreme Court (SC) rejected the draft agreement to establish an expanded Moro homeland in Mindanao under the concept of ancestral domain, which was to be signed in Kuala Lumpur.
In its ruling, the SC declared the draft agreement as illegal and contrary to the provisions of the 1987 Constitution because it meant the establishment of a state within a sovereign state and that the other stakeholders were not consulted on the issue.
Posted in Nation, News | Tagged 1987 Constitution, Eid’l Fitr, milf, Muslim, philippines supreme court, Ramadan |
By MBJ on September 1, 2010
A member of the influential Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) on Tuesday warned against any attempt at “whitewash” as he urged officials to hasten the investigation of the recent Manila hostage-taking drama that claimed the lives of eight Hong Kong tourists.
The Reverend Broderick Pabillo, the Manila auxiliary bishop, aired the warning in an ecumenical “unity” memorial service conducted at the Luneta Park in Manila exactly nine days after the bloodbath arising from a bungled rescue operation that also resulted in the killing of the hostage-taker, Rolando Mendoza, a dismissed Manila police captain.
In his homily, Pabillo stressed: “Bring out the truth. Let those who are responsible, whoever they may be, accountable. No whitewash. No scapegoats. Let there be new life for our justice system.”
Pabillo also railed against politicians, whom he did not name, for taking advantage of the tragedy in order to advance their own personal interests.
Ranking government officials attended the mass that was concelebrated by Pabillo, two other CBCP members and their counterpart from mainland China to pray for the victims and to end violence in the world.
In a show of unity, Buddhist monks joined their fellow religious leaders in offering prayers and flowers for the victims.
During the memorial service, Executive Secretary Paquio Ochoa Junior was seated beside Liu Jianchao, the Chinese ambassador to the Philippines, who has earlier expressed, in behalf of Beijing and Hong Kong, anger and disgust over the police fumbling and bumbling of the rescue operation that resulted in the carnage.
Also present were other Aquino administration Cabinet officials like Secretary Leila de Lima of the Department of Justice and Secretary Alberto Lim of the Department of Tourism as well as Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim and leaders of the Filipino-Chinese community.
Students, like 17-year-old Toronueva of the “Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila” (PLM or Manila City University), run by Manila city hall, were likewise present, reportedly on orders of their school officials.
But Toronueva, a college freshman studying to be a teacher, pointed out that even if they were not ordered, they would have attended the memorial service just the same because “we want to show to foreigners that the Philippines is a safe place and that Filipinos are a peace-loving people.”
In a related development, Malacanang ordered the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to stop issuing statements and instead let De Lima, the justice secretary, to do the talking on the progress of the hostage-taking investigation.
De Lima heads a five-member inter-agency panel formed by Malacanang to do an exhaustive and transparent inquiry into the bloodbath, with Secretary Jesse Robredo of the Department of Interior and Local Government as co-chairman and three representatives from the private sector.
Secretary Edwin Lacierda, the presidential spokesman, said Malacanang issued the “gag order” following of spate of statements, especially from the police, on what they claimed are significant findings on their investigation of the case.
Lacierda disclosed the order was De Lima’s idea which aims mainly to avoid confusion as the PNP forensic counterparts from Hong Kong have been allowed to conduct their own investigation especially on the bus 22 Hong Kong tourists were held hostage.
Posted in Headlines | Tagged Buddhist monks, cbcp, Hong kong tourists, hostage taking, malacanang, manila, whitewash |
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