12.06.2005
Newsbriefs 6 December Afternoon
Simbahang Lingkod ng Bayan
Villar: 'Disguised pork' to hold up budget debates (inq7.net)
“SENATOR Manuel Villar warned that deliberations on the P1.056-trillion national budget for 2006 could reach an impasse because of “disguised pork barrels” and predicted that this and other delays would force the government to work under a reenacted 2005 budget during the first three months of next year. He said the increases in the proposed 2006 budget would likely be subjected to extensive discussion, hampering the budget’s passage.
But he added it would be important to scrutinize additional projects in the budget, which include the Kilos Asenso Support Fund and the Kalayaan Barangay Program Fund, since these would be funded by additional taxes collected under the expanded value added tax (VAT) law.
Some senators had voiced concern earlier over the two new funds, which will require a total outlay of P8 billion. They suspected that these were new forms of pork barrel, a known source of kickbacks.
“Some of the projects are good but they would be using VAT earnings,” Villar said. “We have to see where the money goes because most of these projects are just disguised pork. We might forget that the primary reason we imposed the VAT is to fix the country’s finances. If we are so hot to spend the earnings, we might end up getting back our old financial problems.””
Garcillano: I'll name 26 more opposition 'phone pals' (abs-cbnnews.com)
“The lawyer of former Commission on Elections commissioner Virgilio Garcillano said Tuesday his client will name more opposition congressmen and senators who allegedly spoke to him during the May 2004 elections.
"Mayroon pa marami pa 'yan (there are more), there are about 10 to 20 names of congressmen. At saka doon sa lista[han] ni Mr. Garcillano nakita ko ay mga five to six senators (On Garcillano's list I saw the names of five senators)," Tamondong told ABS-CBN's Magandang Umaga Bayan.
Tamondong dismissed allegations that his client's bombshell is just a ploy to divert the attention of the public from the "Hello, Garci" audiotape scandal.
"Hindi. Hindi nililihis. Talagang tumawag sila (No. No he is not muddling the issue. They really phoned him.)," he said.
He added: "Now, yung denial expected 'yan. So siguro, mabuti na mag-submit sila sa lie-detector test para malaman kung nagsasabi ba sila ng totoo o nagsisinungaling (Their denials are expected. Maybe it would be fine if they submit to lie-detector tests)."”
'Moment of truth' for solons in Garcillano testimony—Palace (inq7.net)
“INSTEAD of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, it will be some lawmakers who will face the "moment of truth" on Wednesday when the House of Representatives resumes its inquiry on the wiretapped tapes supposedly linking the President and an election official to poll fraud, according to Malacañang Tuesday.
"Now it seems to be the turn of some legislators to face the moment of truth," Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye said before former Commission on Elections commissioner Virgilio Garcillano testified on his alleged conversation with the President over the purported manipulation of results in the May 2004 election.
Bunye said the President was "out of the fray" after House legislators had dismissed an impeachment complaint against her.
"The case is closed as far as the Presidency is concerned. The verdict has been issued via the failed impeachment move," Bunye said.”
COMELEC to produce Garci phone records (abs-cbnnews.com)
“The Commission on Elections on Tuesday said it is willing to provide copies of former COMELEC commissioner Virgilio Garcillano's phone records to separate congressional inquiries into the wiretapping controversy.
COMELEC Chairman Benjamin Abalos said the agency gave each poll commissioner a cellular phone with a regular line before the May 10, 2004 elections. He admitted that Garcillano used a postpaid line, which indicates all the calls he made and received during election season.
"We will be willing to cooperate with anybody...we will produce all of these because there are public documents," Abalos told DZMM after being asked about Garcillano's phone records.”
Consultative Commission set to endorse parliamentary gov't (inq7.net)
“THE CONSULTATIVE commission (ConCom) on Charter change is expected Tuesday afternoon to adopt a recommendation mandating a shift to a parliamentary form of government in a new Constitution, a commission official told the Inquirer Monday.
Rene Azurin, a professor at the University of the Philippines Graduate School of Business and co-chairman of the commission on the form of government, said an overwhelming majority of commission members would recommend the shift to a parliamentary from the presidential form, and there was nothing opponents of the change could do about it.
"There's nothing more we can do. All we can do right now is vent our opposition in the media and hope the public is enlightened when they ratify the new constitution in a plebiscite," Azurin said in an interview.
Azurin and only six other commission members are opposed to the idea of changing the system of government, saying the parliamentary form would give politicians too much power.
"You give them both legislative and executive powers. They will have the power to make the policies and then implement them," Azurin said.
"The national budget will become a huge pork barrel. Budget deliberations will just be partitioning the funds to determine who gets how much," he added.
Azurin said that under a parliamentary system, there was no check and balance with the Prime Minister and his Cabinet except through the judiciary.
"[But] that assumes one can actually document and prove wrongdoing. If we are now disturbed by the way politicos are wielding limited powers, what should we imagine will happen after they've been given virtually unlimited powers?" Azurin said.”
Floods displace 1,850 families in Lucena (abs-cbnnews.com)
“An estimated 1, 850 families evacuated their homes in Lucena City after heavy rains triggered flash floods in 11 barangays, the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) said Tuesday.
OCD operations chief Neri Amparo identified the affected barangays as Uno, Singko, Otso, Nueve, Diyes, Market View, Mayao-Crossing, Ibabang Dupay, Gulang-Gulang, Cuta and Dalahican.
Amparo said at least 9,250 residents left their homes Monday night and are now staying in evacuation centers.
Weather bureau PAGASA earlier said there is no typhoon within the immediate Philippine area of responsibility.
It said a low pressure area is causing heavy rains in several provinces in Southern Luzon.”
RP inflation picks up slightly in November (philstar.com)
“MANILA (AFP) - Philippine consumer prices rose 7.1 percent from a year earlier in November, slightly exceeding the forecasts of the central bank and private economists, the National Statistics Office said Tuesday.
The November inflation rate was also a slight increase over the 7.0 percent posted in October and September, the NSO said.
Month-on-month, consumer prices in November were up 0.8 percent over October when they rose by 0.5 percent.
The November outcome brought the average rate for the first 11 months of the year to 7.7 percent, the office added.
The Central Bank of the Philippines had earlier projected inflation in November at 6.4-6.9 percent, with economists expecting 6.7-7.0 percent. Its full year estimate is for a 7.6-7.9 percent rise in prices.
Prices of food, which make up about half of the consumer price index basket, jumped 6.4 percent in November, faster than October's 5.8 percent pace.
However core inflation, which excludes volatile food and energy prices, eased to 6.1 percent in November from 6.3 percent in October.” ¶ 5:04 PM
Simbahang Lingkod ng Bayan
Villar: 'Disguised pork' to hold up budget debates (inq7.net)
“SENATOR Manuel Villar warned that deliberations on the P1.056-trillion national budget for 2006 could reach an impasse because of “disguised pork barrels” and predicted that this and other delays would force the government to work under a reenacted 2005 budget during the first three months of next year. He said the increases in the proposed 2006 budget would likely be subjected to extensive discussion, hampering the budget’s passage.
But he added it would be important to scrutinize additional projects in the budget, which include the Kilos Asenso Support Fund and the Kalayaan Barangay Program Fund, since these would be funded by additional taxes collected under the expanded value added tax (VAT) law.
Some senators had voiced concern earlier over the two new funds, which will require a total outlay of P8 billion. They suspected that these were new forms of pork barrel, a known source of kickbacks.
“Some of the projects are good but they would be using VAT earnings,” Villar said. “We have to see where the money goes because most of these projects are just disguised pork. We might forget that the primary reason we imposed the VAT is to fix the country’s finances. If we are so hot to spend the earnings, we might end up getting back our old financial problems.””
Garcillano: I'll name 26 more opposition 'phone pals' (abs-cbnnews.com)
“The lawyer of former Commission on Elections commissioner Virgilio Garcillano said Tuesday his client will name more opposition congressmen and senators who allegedly spoke to him during the May 2004 elections.
"Mayroon pa marami pa 'yan (there are more), there are about 10 to 20 names of congressmen. At saka doon sa lista[han] ni Mr. Garcillano nakita ko ay mga five to six senators (On Garcillano's list I saw the names of five senators)," Tamondong told ABS-CBN's Magandang Umaga Bayan.
Tamondong dismissed allegations that his client's bombshell is just a ploy to divert the attention of the public from the "Hello, Garci" audiotape scandal.
"Hindi. Hindi nililihis. Talagang tumawag sila (No. No he is not muddling the issue. They really phoned him.)," he said.
He added: "Now, yung denial expected 'yan. So siguro, mabuti na mag-submit sila sa lie-detector test para malaman kung nagsasabi ba sila ng totoo o nagsisinungaling (Their denials are expected. Maybe it would be fine if they submit to lie-detector tests)."”
'Moment of truth' for solons in Garcillano testimony—Palace (inq7.net)
“INSTEAD of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, it will be some lawmakers who will face the "moment of truth" on Wednesday when the House of Representatives resumes its inquiry on the wiretapped tapes supposedly linking the President and an election official to poll fraud, according to Malacañang Tuesday.
"Now it seems to be the turn of some legislators to face the moment of truth," Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye said before former Commission on Elections commissioner Virgilio Garcillano testified on his alleged conversation with the President over the purported manipulation of results in the May 2004 election.
Bunye said the President was "out of the fray" after House legislators had dismissed an impeachment complaint against her.
"The case is closed as far as the Presidency is concerned. The verdict has been issued via the failed impeachment move," Bunye said.”
COMELEC to produce Garci phone records (abs-cbnnews.com)
“The Commission on Elections on Tuesday said it is willing to provide copies of former COMELEC commissioner Virgilio Garcillano's phone records to separate congressional inquiries into the wiretapping controversy.
COMELEC Chairman Benjamin Abalos said the agency gave each poll commissioner a cellular phone with a regular line before the May 10, 2004 elections. He admitted that Garcillano used a postpaid line, which indicates all the calls he made and received during election season.
"We will be willing to cooperate with anybody...we will produce all of these because there are public documents," Abalos told DZMM after being asked about Garcillano's phone records.”
Consultative Commission set to endorse parliamentary gov't (inq7.net)
“THE CONSULTATIVE commission (ConCom) on Charter change is expected Tuesday afternoon to adopt a recommendation mandating a shift to a parliamentary form of government in a new Constitution, a commission official told the Inquirer Monday.
Rene Azurin, a professor at the University of the Philippines Graduate School of Business and co-chairman of the commission on the form of government, said an overwhelming majority of commission members would recommend the shift to a parliamentary from the presidential form, and there was nothing opponents of the change could do about it.
"There's nothing more we can do. All we can do right now is vent our opposition in the media and hope the public is enlightened when they ratify the new constitution in a plebiscite," Azurin said in an interview.
Azurin and only six other commission members are opposed to the idea of changing the system of government, saying the parliamentary form would give politicians too much power.
"You give them both legislative and executive powers. They will have the power to make the policies and then implement them," Azurin said.
"The national budget will become a huge pork barrel. Budget deliberations will just be partitioning the funds to determine who gets how much," he added.
Azurin said that under a parliamentary system, there was no check and balance with the Prime Minister and his Cabinet except through the judiciary.
"[But] that assumes one can actually document and prove wrongdoing. If we are now disturbed by the way politicos are wielding limited powers, what should we imagine will happen after they've been given virtually unlimited powers?" Azurin said.”
Floods displace 1,850 families in Lucena (abs-cbnnews.com)
“An estimated 1, 850 families evacuated their homes in Lucena City after heavy rains triggered flash floods in 11 barangays, the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) said Tuesday.
OCD operations chief Neri Amparo identified the affected barangays as Uno, Singko, Otso, Nueve, Diyes, Market View, Mayao-Crossing, Ibabang Dupay, Gulang-Gulang, Cuta and Dalahican.
Amparo said at least 9,250 residents left their homes Monday night and are now staying in evacuation centers.
Weather bureau PAGASA earlier said there is no typhoon within the immediate Philippine area of responsibility.
It said a low pressure area is causing heavy rains in several provinces in Southern Luzon.”
RP inflation picks up slightly in November (philstar.com)
“MANILA (AFP) - Philippine consumer prices rose 7.1 percent from a year earlier in November, slightly exceeding the forecasts of the central bank and private economists, the National Statistics Office said Tuesday.
The November inflation rate was also a slight increase over the 7.0 percent posted in October and September, the NSO said.
Month-on-month, consumer prices in November were up 0.8 percent over October when they rose by 0.5 percent.
The November outcome brought the average rate for the first 11 months of the year to 7.7 percent, the office added.
The Central Bank of the Philippines had earlier projected inflation in November at 6.4-6.9 percent, with economists expecting 6.7-7.0 percent. Its full year estimate is for a 7.6-7.9 percent rise in prices.
Prices of food, which make up about half of the consumer price index basket, jumped 6.4 percent in November, faster than October's 5.8 percent pace.
However core inflation, which excludes volatile food and energy prices, eased to 6.1 percent in November from 6.3 percent in October.” ¶ 5:04 PM
