Editor's Note |
20 years of service to the community
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Time flies.
Exactly 20 years ago this month, The SUN shone for the Filipinos in Hong Kong. It was
the fulfillment of a dream that took shape years earlier, or shortly after I arrived here in 1987 and
realized there was no reliable information channel serving the community.
But turning that dream into reality proved to be difficult. Several people offered to fund
the publication of a news-paper, but everyone wanted a business model different from what we had
in mind.
Details...
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Anak Araw |
Pagpapabaya
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Nitong nakaraang buwan ay naging saksi tayo sa nangyari kay Manang Gloria Ortinez,
ang OFW na biktima ng tanim-bala sa Manila airport. Halos buong araw kasi ay naglagi siya sa
opisina ng The SUN, kasama ang mga naghatid sa kanya na sina Susan "Toots" Ople na tagataguyod ng
mga OFW, at ang abogado niyang si Atty Spocky Farolan, kaya nasaksihan namin siya nang malapitan.
Details...
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Migrant's Forum |
Nanay Gloria's journey to HK
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President Benigno Simeon Aquino III recently told the media that cases of tanim-bala
were sensationalized, citing figures to prove his point. As an OFW advocate, I respectfully
disagree. Looking at this from a purely numbers perspective could lead one to overlook the deep trauma
that such incidents have caused its innocent victims.
Had he met and spoken to 56-year old OFW Gloria Ortinez, our President would have
learned the following:
Details...
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Know Your Rights |
The Mission
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This was the speech delivered by the Mission for Migrant Workers' general manager,
Cynthia Tellez, at the launch of the 10-year Impact Evaluation Report of the Mission's work held on
December 5, 2015 at the Li Hall of St. John's Cathedral.
Details...
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With at least one -- and possibly two disqualification cases in the presidential race --
the Supreme Court has assured the nation politics will not dictate its decisions.
See this month's stories...
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Staff and volunteers at the Mission for Migrant Workers had reason to celebrate when
they launched the non-government organization's 10-year Impact Evaluation Report at Li Hall of St
John's Cathedral on Dec. 4. Nearly all, or 97% of migrants who sought assistance said that they were
helped by the Mission, and more than half of them (57%) said they would recommend the NGO to others.
See this month's stories...
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Mid-April 2015
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Philippine News
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More than ratings in surveys, competence, honesty, trustworthiness and performance record
are what President Benigno Aquino III will consider in endorsing candidates for the 2016 elections.
The President's Deputy Spokesperson Abigail Valte gave these criteria on Friday, April 10,
to dispute a report that the President had warned presidential aspirant Manuel "Mar" Roxas II to
improve his survey ratings if he wanted to be the "anointed one."
Roxas, who gave up his presidential ambition in 2010 and slid down to be the vice
presidential candidate of then Senator Benigno Aquino III who, in turn, was pushed to seek the presidency,
has been faring poorly in popularity surveys done by both the Social Weather Stations (SWS) and
Pulse Asia on preferences for the presidency in the 2016 elections.
Vice President Jejomar Binay, the opposition's likely bet for president, has consistently
been topping the surveys despite drops in his ratings brought about by serious allegations of corruption
by his erstwhile trusted allies in the City of Makati.
Quoting unnamed sources, some news outlets said that President Aquino had told Roxas
to improve his standing in the surveys if he wanted to be the "anointed one" for the 2016
presidential election.
Valte however said it was not so. "Whenever he goes out and gives his speeches, he
does mention that he's looking for someone who can continue the reforms that he has instituted;
he's looking for someone whose integrity is unquestioned and whose honesty is unassailable, as well
as someone who will be committed to making good governance the rule as it is now and not an
exception," Valte pointed out.
In a Pulse Asia survey in March, Binay topped the voters' preference among the
presidential contenders in 2016 at 29 percent, followed by neophyte Sen. Grace Poe at 14 percent. Even
Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte got higher ratings than Roxas at 12 percent. The DILG chief
trailed badly at four percent.
Despite his plunging ratings in the aftermath of the Mamasapano tragedy, Aquino firmly
believes that his endorsement power has not diminished.
While he has not openly endorsed anyone, it is widely acknowledged that he would
eventually name Roxas as his preferred successor come 2016.
Roxas lost to Binay in the 2010 vice presidential race.
Roxas, Trillanes won't run with Binay
Interior Secretary Manuel Roxas II, the presumptive presidential candidate of the ruling
Liberal Party (LP), has turned down suggestions he run in 2016 as the vice president of his
political archrival, incumbent Vice President Jejomar Binay of the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA).
"I will never tread the crooked path. I will only take the straight path," Roxas said on
Friday, April 10, during a visit to Dagupan City in Pangasinan.
Vice President Binay has publicly announced his desire to seek the presidency in 2016 and
has said that Roxas is among those he is considering as runningmate.
Roxas gave up his presidential plans in 2010 and slid down to the vice presidential race in
favor of then Senator Benigno Aquino III.
Roxas, who comes from the wealthy Roxas and Araneta clans, had said he would only
join those "who are clean, who are not tainted with corruption in their service to the people."
"That much I can say," Roxas said when pressed to elaborate, saying that he would rather
focus on his job as overseer of the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the local government units.
Binay and members of his family, who have controlled Makati since 1986, have been in
the center of several corruption accusations, including his alleged questionable ownership of
a multibillion-peso agricultural estate in Batangas.
Like Roxas, Senator Antonio Trillanes IV, who initiated an investigation of alleged
corruption deals involving the Binays, said that teaming up with Binay in the 2016 elections is "nothing
but wishful thinking."
Trillanes, affiliated with the Nacionalista Party (NP), also discounted the possibility that
his party would enter into a partnership with Binay's UNA in the forthcoming elections.
He said that if the NP did not team up with UNA in the 2013 midterm polls when Binay
was more popular, a partnership is even less likely now that the vice president is facing
corruption charges.
Trillanes accuses Binay of buying TRO
Senator Antonio Trillanes IV has accused Vice President Jejomar Binay's family of paying
a crucial injunction from the Court of Appeals (CA) that stopped the preventive suspension of
Makati Mayor Erwin Jejomar "Junjun" Binay.
Trillanes, who initiated the Senate blue ribbon sub-committee investigation of alleged
irregularities involving the Binays and their accumulation of unexplained wealth, however withheld
information on the supposed bribery. "One of these days, we will expose them: who had fronted for
them, who they had talked to, how much they paid. Eventually, we will bring that all on interview.
"That is proof that our justice system is corrupt," the former renegade military officer asserted.
On April 6, the CA issued an extended stay order for an indefinite period against the
preventive suspension meted out by the Office of the Ombudsman to Mayor Binay Jr. who is being
investigated for corruption over the alleged overpricing of Makati City Hall Building II. The decision, written
by Justice Jose Reyes Jr., said it was "enjoining" the Office of the Ombudsman, Department of
the Interior and Local Government (DILG) and their agents and/or representatives from enforcing
the Ombudsman's March 10 order preventively suspending Binay for six months.
Binay was directed to post a P500,000 bond as a condition for the effectivity of the writ.
The bond "shall answer for whatever damages which may be sustained by reason of the
preliminary injunction in the event that it is finally decided that the petitioner is not entitled thereto."
Trillanes said he had received "information" that the Binays had spent "big money" to
secure the injunction. There were rumors that the Binays shelled out P50 million to get the TRO from
the CA.
The Ombudsman ordered the preventive suspension of Mayor Binay while he was being
investigated in connection with the alleged irregularities in the construction of the Makati City
Hall Building II, the first issue tackled in the Senate blue ribbon subcommittee hearings.
Construction of the P2.28-billion building first began when Vice President Jejomar Binay
was the mayor of Makati, and completed when his son took over the post.
But the younger Binay challenged the ruling before the appellate court, which ruled in his
favor, stopping his suspension indefinitely.
Cayetano to decide on plans in August
Senate Majority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano said he is giving himself until August to decide
if he would run for president next year.
"You can only run for president if the people want you. I feel that people are looking for
someone with a vision but they are still in the process of choosing," Cayetano said when interviewed
in Dagupan City about his plans for 2016.
He said he would make an announcement "around June, July or August."
"If I'm included in their three or four choices, I will take a leap of faith," he said.
He said he would also use surveys to guide him in his decision.
"You would run because you want to win. You would not run just for the sake of running.
You would have to gauge people's support," Cayetano said.
Cayetano had served as councilor in Taguig, then vice mayor and congressman. His wife Lani
is the incumbent mayor of Taguig after serving as congresswoman.
Aquino's survey rating at new low
President Benigno III's public satisfaction rating in the latest Social Weather Station
(SWS) survey hit the lowest so far and a Palace spokesman quickly attributed the slump to criticisms on
the botched police operation in Mamasapano, Maguindanao on January 25 and other negative
media reports.
The survey, conducted from March 20 to 23 this year with 1,200 respondents, showed
Aquino with a net satisfaction rating of a "moderate" +11 (those satisfied minus unsatisfied), from
"good" +39 from December 2014.
Public satisfaction on the Aquino administration dropped 35 points from +47 rating it had
from the same period last year.
Despite the huge drop on the President's satisfaction rating, only 32 percent of
respondents support calls for Aquino's resignation. The survey said that 50 percent conveyed their support to
the administration while 18 percent are undecided on the issue.
The survey also showed that Aquino's satisfaction rating plunged in all geographic areas and
all socioeconomic classes.
The President's satisfaction rating registered a 43 point drop (from "good" +49 to "neutral"
+6) among Class ABC and a 27 point drop in both Class D (from "good" +37 to "moderate" +10)
and Class E (from "good" +45 to "moderate" +18).
SWS categorizes net satisfaction ratings through the following terms: +70 and above,
"excellent;" +50 to +69, "very good;" +30 to +49, "good;" +10 to +29, "moderate;" +9 to -9, "neutral;"
-10 to -29, "poor;" -30 to -49, "bad;" -50 to -69, "very bad;" -70 and below, "execrable."
Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. said the Mamasapano incident that left
67 persons dead, including five civilians, was "a significant factor" that contributed to the decline in
the President's satisfaction rating.
"We also recognize that public opinion surveys are based on information from the media
being read and consumed by the country's citizens. In our view, (the decline in the President's rating)
is mostly media-related," Coloma said when interviewed on television.
He asked the media to cooperate with the government in sharing factual information to
Filipinos.
"We are hoping that through disseminating correct and truthful information, Filipinos
can thoroughly understand the position of the government," he added.
PH won't attack China over rift
The Philippines will continue to exhaust diplomatic means to settle its territorial dispute
with China and is not keen on increasing its military presence in the contested waters, according
to Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Abigail Valte.
However, she said the government will continue to assert its sovereignty over the West
Philippine Sea through proper channels.
Reports recently came out with new photos showing China's ongoing reclamation
activities within the Philippines' exclusive economic zone, especially in Mischief Reef.
Valte said the government will not worsen the tensed situation in the disputed islands by
deploying more patrol ships to the area.
"We have committed to, again, standing on what is ours. We have also committed to
making sure that tensions--not to take any steps--to increase tensions," Valte said.
"What the other guy does is not within our control. But, certainly, we do not want any
heightening of tensions that will lead to putting us in a disadvantageous position," she added.
Valte said the country will continue to push for diplomacy and for a rules-based approach on
the dispute.
"We have chosen the peaceful track because, obviously, we want in this case to make a
point that right is might and not the other way around," she said.
The Philippines has filed a case before a United Nations arbitral tribunal questioning
China's nine-dash-line claim that covers the entire South China Sea. China has refused to participate in
the arbitration and instead resorted to military actions and increased reclamation activities in the
contested waters.
The Department of Foreign Affairs has filed diplomatic protests against these activities
and China's harassment of Filipino fishermen and patrols in the West Philippine Sea.
Azcuna eyed as Comelec chair
Former Supreme Court Associate Justice Adolf Azcuna is reportedly being eyed to chair
the Commission on Elections (Comelec), taking the place vacated by Sixto Brillantes who retired
in February. Azcuna served as chief legal counsel, press secretary and spokesman of the late
President Corazon Aquino. A lawyer with an impeccable record as public official, Azcuna also appointed
as acting chairman of the Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG). He was a
member of the 1986 constitutional commission that drafted the 1987 Constitution. Reports said the sisters
of President Benigno Aquino III have been pushing for his appointment. The other names mentioned
for the Comelec top post were Rowena Guanzon, former mayor of Cadiz City, and Winston
Ginez, chairman of the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB). Apart from
the position of the chairman, there are also two vacant posts for commissioner left by Lucenito Tagle
and Elias Yusoph who also both finished their term in February this year.
Ex-PMA cadet to UP Law
Cadet Aldrin Jeff Cudia, dismissed from the Philippine Military Academy in 2014 for
allegedly violating the honor code, has passed the entrance exam of the University of the Philippines
College of Law. Public Attorney's Office chief Persida Acosta confirmed that Cudia passed the exam.
She said that although the PMA had dismissed Cudia, he managed to satisfy all the academic
requirements for a bachelor's degree needed to enter law school. "Every PMAer has two personalities _
as student and as cadet. He won't be commissioned in the military but he met the academic
requirements," Acosta explained. The Supreme Court affirmed last February PMA's dismissal of Cudia.
It said PMA did not violate Cudia's right to due process when it enforced its rules on discipline,
including the Honor Code, for lying.
Gates cancels meet with Aquino
American billionaire and Microsoft founder William "Bill" Gates visited the Philippines on
the eve of Easter Sunday but cancelled a request to meet with President Benigno Aquino Jr.
Abigail Valte, the President's deputy spokesperson said that the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
indeed had sought a meeting with Aquino but later withdrew it for still unknown reasons. The
immigration bureau has confirmed Gates' arrival in the country on April 4 on board a private jet that landed at
the Ninoy Aquino International Airport. Reports said he visited the International Rice Research
Institute (IRRI) in Los Banos, Laguna, and a recipient of donations from Gates' foundation. While the
Gates couple was in the country, a 32-year-old Bulgarian, jailed by Paraguayan authorities in 2011
for allegedly stealing thousands of dollars from the accounts of Gates, was arrested in Quezon
City while using different counterfeit bank cards. Konstantin Simeonov Kavrakov, was arrested in the
act of withdrawing money using different counterfeit cards at the ATM machine of a PSBank branch
in Quezon City.
P1-B for night fighting tools
The Philippine Army (PA) has been allocated P1-billion for the purchase of a night
fighting system to enhance the military's combat capabilities. Defense Assistant Secretary Efren
Fernandez had signed a bid bulletin for P1.116-billion to acquire 4,464 sets of brand new night fighting
system. The deadline for submission of bids will be on May 5 at 10 a.m. The bids will be opened on the
same day. The bid bulletin did not say, however, what equipment would be purchased, but night
fighting system usually includes night vision goggles and rifle add-ons that can illuminate targets. The
procurement will be done through open competitive bidding procedures as provided by the
implementing rules of the procurement law. The bidding is open to both foreign and local bidders.
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