Gutierrez gaining support

The results of the voting on the Committee on Justice impeachment report last night will be a crucial test of President Aquino’s leadership. President Aquino went public on his orders to LP Congressmen to vote for the impeachment of Merceditas Gutierrez at a Liberal Party caucus last week. Since then, Malacañang lieutenants have been calling Congressmen for their support in a brazen interference in the affairs of the House affairs, generating adverse reactions all the way up to the Senate.

The House majority led by Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. counts with 257 members. A vote of less than 50 percent or 129 will show weakness reflecting on both Speaker Belmonte and President Aquino.

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SURPRISE MOVE. . . No less than Justice Committee Chair Niel Tupas Jr., Deputy Speaker Raul Daza and Rep. Walden Bello have confirmed that the influential Iglesia ni Cristo has actively campaigned for a No vote against Merceditas Gutierrez impeachment.

It confirms that in less than a year, the Iglesia ni Cristo leadership is not happy with the Aquino administration. It will have serious consequences in the Senate where you have six senators running for re-election in 2013, namely Francis Escudero, Alan Peter Cayetano, Loren Legarda, Gregorio Honasan, Juan Miguel Zubiri and Antonio Trillanes.

Note that Senators Miriam Defensor Santiago, Joker Arroyo and Jinggoy Estrada have already expressed serious reservations about the weakness of the House Committee on Justice report.

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SAME SAME. . . Despite public criticism against the pork barrel practice, President Aquino has fully released the P70 million pork barrel (PDAP) to Congressmen for the 2010 budget year.

Malacañang is now using the 2011 pork barrel in its campaign to impeach Merceditas Gutierrez.  

Once again, there is valid reason to observe that P-Noy is continuing the old practices of former President GMA.

Maintaining, even increasing the pork barrel funds is definitely not an anti corruption move. The going rate is a 30-50 percent kickback on pork barrel funded projects. Play it again, Sam. . .

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SOMETHING’S WRONG. . . The NPAs have attacked the police station of Panabo City, just one hour away from Davao City, killing PO3 Narciso Pakiwag and wounding Senior Inspector Jay Dimaala, the chief of Police.

The NPAs have mounted attacks including planting land mines in Compostela Valley, Surigao del Sur, Negros Occidental, Capiz, Masbate, Camarines Sur and Quezon. Isn’t there supposed to be a truce considering the ongoing peace talks in Oslo?

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GOOD SERVICE. . . We took Cebu Pacific SJ 806 flight from Singapore to Manila last weekend. The Cebu Pacific staff at the airport were very efficient and courteous. One impressive thing that Supervisor Vee Mallari, a Pampangueña did to cure the 20 minute delayed flight was to start lining up the departing passengers and getting their boarding pass stubs as soon as the plane landed. This enabled the ground crew to turn around the flight in 29 minutes. We arrived back in Manila on time.

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WATERLESS. President GMA and LWUA Administrator Butch Pichay had claimed before the May 10, 2010 elections that only three percent of the country had no access to potable drinking water. That has been exposed as another lie of GMA.  

Speaker Sonny Belmonte reported that 15 million households have no access to potable drinking water and that 273 towns are waterless.

A serious review of the “completed” projects of the GMA administration will reveal many ghost projects, including many irrigation projects, farm to market roads and road board highway road signs.

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UPROAR IN TANDAG. . . CBCP President Nereo Odchimar has led a protest procession and mass against a spate of killings in Tandag, numbering five last week alone. Bishop Odchimar blamed Mayor Alexander Pimentel for not acting on the matter and the ongoing reign of terror in that city.

What’s happening, General Bacalzo?

Davao, Cotabato, Basilan, now Tandag. Rolando de la Cruz, a restaurant manager was kidnapped in Lamitan, Basilan yesterday.

Meanwhile, two more killer cops. PO2 Amiel Arceo and PO2 Giovanni Chua of the NCRPO Regional Office have been tagged as the masterminds in a highjacking and homicide of a cargo truck in Caloocan.

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FAST ONE. . . The United States, France and UK have fooled the Arab League of 22 countries to agree to a no fly zone over Libya to immobilize Gadhafi’s air force. Contrary to the understanding with the Arab League, Russia and China, the three super powers expanded the UN Security Council to authorize them to bomb Tripoli, Benghazi, Mizrata and Libya military units on the ground including Gadhafi’s residence.

In Russia and China’s words, what US, UK and France did is regrettable.  

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TIDBITS. . . The only bill certified as urgent by President Aquino is the ARMM election postponement. It looks like P-Noy will lose this vote also. Senators Joker Arroyo, Francis Escudero, Bongbong Marcos and Migz Zubiri are against the postponement.

Migrante Japan has blasted the DFA/DOLE for not helping Filipinos in Japan to return to the Philippines. DFA claims they have no budget to help buy tickets for the Sendai refugees.

Congratulations to Ateneo de Manila Law School for getting the top two slots, 5th and 9th places in the 2010 bar exams. Cesario Antonio Singzon, Jr. of Catbalogan, Samar, a member of the Aquila Legis Fraternity was the No. 1 topnotcher. Felimon Ray Javier placed second. UP took the 6th, 7th and 9th places. San Beda was shut out of the top ten.

Actor John Apacible was shot dead by his uncle Armando Rustia in a family spat in Cainta, Rizal.

Taguig Mayor Lani Cayetano is proving to be a good Mayor. She tripled the salary of barangay health workers from P1,000 to P3,000 and announced health centers will be open 24/7.