With the year ending, awards are usually given for good performances. After 50 years of public service in 5 Cabinet positions, 3 terms as Senator and a stint as Ambassador to Washington, we believe we are qualified to be a judge of people’s performance. Here is our choice for the top ten performing sub Cabinet level officials:
1. PCSO Chairman Margarita P. Juico
3. Pagcor Chairman Cristino “Bong” Naguiat
4. ERC Chairman Zenaida C. Ducut
5. MTCRB Chairman Mary Grace Poe Llamanzares
6. BCDA Chairman Felicito “Tong” Payumo
7. CDC President Felipe “Ping” Remollo
8. OWWA Chairman Carmelita Dimson
9. PCGG Chairman Andres Bautista
10. PDIC President Valentin Araneta
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NO MEDIATION . . . Sen. Franklin Drilon, Vice Chairman of the Liberal Party is not keen on holding mediation talks between P-Noy and CJ Corona. The cause of the conflict is the President’s non-acceptance of 5 or 6 decisions of the Supreme Court. How can you mediate that? Will the President ask that the Supreme Court issue rulings favorable to his position? Will he ask for reversal of the decisions? And the SC Chief Justice Corona, can he answer for the 14 other Justices and assure more favorable rulings to please the President? Specifically, will the pending cases like the constitutionality of the Comelec-DOJ panel be the subject of mediation? That’s against the law.
Yes, we agree with Sen. Drilon. Mediation talks will just complicate matters and unless done publicly, will be subject to all kinds of speculation.
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MINDANAO KIDNAPPINGS UNABATED . . . After 3 Koreans were kidnapped in Lanao del Norte with one dying from his ordeal, an Australian, Warren Richard Rodwell was kidnapped by 6 men who forcibly took him from his home in Ipil, Zamboanga Sibugay. Police suspect the Abu Sayyaf.
Lawyer Felimon Tercero was shot dead in Casimiro Homes, Talon, Las Piñas. A bus was held up by 4 young men on Edsa, wounding a retired police officer, SPO1 Nestor Miral who tried to stop them.
Carjackings in Metro Manila are still happening with the Mitsubishi Montero of Edison de Guzman taken from him by 3 men waiting for him in front of his house in Ilocos Street, Barangay Magsaysay, QC.
A 14-year-old girl was gang-raped by 4 teenagers in a house in Pasig City. Two Germans were robbed by a gang using knives at Edsa and Apelo St. in Pasay City.
Two Barangay Councilmen were killed in separate incidents in Mangatarem and Mangaldan, Pangasinan. Indian Charles Sublash, 32, was shot dead in Santiago City, Isabela.
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NO DOCTOR, NO NURSE . . . DepEd Sec. Armin Luistro admitted in an interview Sunday over DZRJ-AM that there are no doctors or nurses assigned to almost all of the 45,000 elementary and high schools. There is no money provided for the purpose of hiring doctors and nurses in the 2012 budget of DepEd.
For 2013-2014, the DepEd and the CHED should be allowed to have at least 15,000 nurses to attend to the medical needs of 17 million students. Special attention must be given to 1.7 million 5-year-olds enrolled in kinder classes. The nurses could also be harnessed to conduct health education training activities in the barangays.
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TOYM 2011. . . Congratulations to this year’s TOYM awardees Mayor Sherwin Gatchalian of Valenzuela City for public service; Mayor Paulino Leachon of Calapan, Mindoro Oriental for community development; Edgar Sia II, founder of Mang Inasal food chain for entrepreneurship; Maria Antonia Arroyo, daughter of Sen. Joker Arroyo for biotechnology advocacy; musician Gerald Salonga; physician Raul Destura for medical science and business executive Antonio Tiu for agri-entrepreneurship.
It is a little sad to note that the judges could not find 3 more outstanding young leaders to complete a list of ten.
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SMUGGLING OUT . . . At the Senate hearing on the mining industry, Christian Monsod of the Save Palawan Movement testified that the government was collecting little from mining operations because of under reporting of production and smuggling out of mining products. He said that from 2000-2009, P277 billion was smuggled out, comparing the production figures and the imports reported by China.
The DENR and BSP also reported that its purchase of gold went down by 76 percent due to smuggling from P12.3 billion in 2010 to P3.5 billion in 2011. The BIR again filed a tax evasion case against gold trader Junrie Tenorio of Iloilo for unpaid taxes totalling P2.7 billion.
Smuggling of mineral products on such a huge scale only means BIR, BOC and DENR officials are in cohorts with the smugglers.
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COMMENDATION. . . Kasangga Rep. Ted Haresco commended DILG Sec. Jessie Robredo for buying 170 firetrucks thus increasing municipal government capability for disaster relief operations and for fighting fires. He called for the purchase of 800 more firetrucks to replace dilapidated ones.
Rep. Haresco also called attention to the big lack of roads and bridges in the rural areas causing barangay residents to walk for hours to reach a school, hospital and market.
He lauded Robredo for the use of an ODA loan from the Austrian government to procure the trucks.
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TIDBITS. . . Pulse Asia latest survey shows President Aquino’s ratings at 72 percent, down 5 percent from the last survey; down 8 percent in Metro Manila. Vice President Binay got 85 percent. Aquino’s trust rating is at 74 percent, Binay is at 86 percent.
Past Presidents used to blame Congress or media for their lack of performance. President Aquino now uses the Supreme Court as his scapegoat.
Sen. Koko Pimentel, chairman of the Senate committee on games and amusement has announced an investigation of the proliferation of casinos, internet gambling parlors and other gambling operations throughout the country.
The Christmas party of Philconsa will be held on Dec. 12 at the Rigodon Ballroom of the Manila Hotel at 7 p.m.
Greetings to readers Genaro and Lydia Reyes, Marilou Bagasan.
Thank you to Cong. Rex Gatchalian, Ramon Ang, Cio Lim, Annie Borromeo, Sen. Manny Villar, Jaime Dechavez, Johnny Sy and Bong Naguiat for their Christmas greetings.