After announcing that it is now up to RTC Judge Jesus Mupas to decide whether to grant GMA hospital or house arrest, and earlier, promising GMA a fair trial, here comes Presidential Spokesman Edwin Lacierda again saying Malacañang will oppose any petition for bail filed by GMA’s lawyers.
It’s been a daily statement from Lacierda or Valte commenting on the GMA issue causing observers to accuse Malacañang of hypocrisy.
Malacañang also announced that it had no objection to hospital arrest for GMA. Within the day, Judge Mupas obliged and issued an order committing GMA to the Veterans Memorial Medical Center, (VMMC), the same hospital where President Estrada was confined for four years. GMA could also stay there for 4 years.
GMA’s family should be happy with the VMMC presidential suite. It has 6 rooms, including a big Master’s bedroom, a good comfort room and a big receiving/dining room.
VMMC funded by US grants have complete facilities and a competent staff. It is situated near the Quezon Memorial Circle and is therefore, easily reachable by specialists from St. Luke’s Hospital.
Obviously, Lacierda and Valte have seized the GMA case as a convenient smokescreen to hide negative GDP figures and high poverty rates.
Unfortunately for them, it is not working as hard times have descended on the poor and middle classes of society and people are suffering and complaining.
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NO HUMILITY. . . President Noy branded Elena Bautista Horn’s expose of a plot to kill GMA a “work of fiction”. DBM Sec. Butch Abad who has nothing to do with crime and the administration of justice suddenly suggested that Ms. Bautista Horn see a psychiatrist. DOJ Sec. Leila de Lima said that GMA and Horn are nearing paranoia.
Malacañang’s spokesperson Edwin Lacierda once called Supreme Court Justices paranoid. He could not resist talking about Atty. Ferdinand Topacio’s balls.
Sec. Ricky Carandang and Usec Abigail Valte have the same tendency to come out with combative, personal comments.
When you are occupying high office, the dignity of the office requires that you speak with civility and some humility.
President Aquino resumed his word war with the Supreme Court at the 30th anniversary of the Makati Business Club where he criticized the Supreme Court’s hasty issuance of a TRO on the GMA travel ban. He also questioned the “judicial uncertainty” caused by the Court’s “flip-flopping decisions.” He said he is “alarmed” by the SC’s lack of “objectivity giving way to partisanship.”
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WHAT ABOUT THE CRONIES?. . . It is apparent that the way Malacañang pressed hard to charge and arrest GMA is not the same standard applied to GMA assistants and cronies who also took advantage of their positions or closeness to GMA.
The cases against then Pagcor Chairman Ephraim Genuino are not moving. There has been no investigation ordered of the misuse of P60 billion of Road Board funds. Anomalies in the DOTC, Department of Agriculture especially National Irrigation Administration (NIA), the Pagcor Social Funds and the PCSO Charity Funds have not been fully investigated.
No wonder the Philippines under President Noynoy has been rated the most corrupt in the Asian region by Transparency International (TI) landing in 124th place compared with Singapore (5th); Malaysia 60th; Thailand 80th, Indonesia 100th and Vietnam 113th.
Definitely, corruption in the Bureau of Customs, PNP, AFP, DPWH, DOTC, BIR and DOH is still ongoing.
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MEDICAL UPDATE - ARRYTHMIA. . . Has your heart ever skipped a beat? Sometimes it really does if you have an arrhythmia. An arrhythmia is any disorder of your heart rate or rhythm. It means that your heart beats too quickly, too slowly or with an irregular pattern. When the heart beats faster than normal, it is called tachycardia. When the heart beats too slowly, it is called bradycardia.
Many factors can affect your heart’s rhythm, such as having had a heart attack, blood chemistry imbalances or abnormal hormone levels. Some substances or medicines may also cause arrhythmias.
Former Erap DAR Secretary Horacio “Boy” Morales suffered a 2nd stroke in Baguio. Tacloban businessman Jimmy YaoKasin died of a massive heart attack after taking a shower early in the morning.
We suggest you have a checkup every 6 months, especially of your heart.
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OUTSTANDING GOVERNORS (2) CONT’D. . . Gov. David Jayjay Suarez of Quezon — He launched a program to plant 5 million coconut trees, established Quezon Science High School in Lucena, started computerization of all high schools, awarded 3 scholars for every barangay and allocation of P50,000 health coupons for every barangay.
Gov. Amado Espino Jr. of Pangasinan — Under Gov. Espino, Pangasinan received the following awards: Best Provincial LGU Millennium Development Goal (MDG) Project Implementer for 2010; Hall of Fame Award - Most Outstanding Coastal Resource Management Implementer 2009-2010 (Provincial Category); Champion - 2010 Search for the LGU Best Practices — Project Level in Region 1, Entitled - “Enhanced Hospital Management System”; Champion — 2009 Search for the Best LGU Province in Region 1 Based on LGPMS; First Place — Best Project Implementer 2010; First Place - Best Poverty Reduction Program Implementer.
Governor E.R. Ejercito Estregan of Laguna — was awarded the Presidential Lingkod Bayan Award for governance. He established quality health care by upgrading 9 provincial hospitals, by hiring more doctors and nurses, bought more equipment and provided enough medicines. He put up a Laguna Health Access Card similar to the yellow card program of Makati. He upgraded education by introducing the ER tablet in Laguna schools and colleges, a program which has been adopted by DepEd. He has awarded 10,000 scholarships of P10,000 each to Laguna students.
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TIDBITS . . . Greetings to our readers Sebastian Chua, DYNF Cebu Broadcaster Oscar Pasaporte, Tony Avila also of Cebu, Xavier Grade 5 teacher Ivy Cabalin, ANC Bottom liners Nene Borja, Dr. Dennis Ngo, Xiao Chua, Mike Lopez and Gabby Gorres.