Palace takes its time choosing PNP chief

The selection process for the next Philippine National Police chief is still in progress.

Presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda would not say Monday when President Aquino would finally announce Director General Alan Purisima’s replacement, after several names had been dropped as possible contenders.

Lacierda told reporters the decision would be based on qualification, track record and the merits of the candidate, as well as the assessment of the President.

Presidential Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma made the same statement last week, noting that despite the long selection process, the President was aware of the “sense of urgency” of appointing the top PNP official.

Among the contenders is Chief Supt. Raul Petrasanta, who was suspended by the Ombudsman over 1,004 missing high-powered firearms. The weapons were allegedly sold to the communist New People’s Army.

The PNP official, along with Purisima and other officers, was also suspended for his alleged involvement in an anomalous transaction with a courier service. At the time, he was head of the PNP Firearms and Explosives Office.

But Petrasanta has the support of Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr., vice chair of the ruling Liberal Party, who was said to have written President Aquino endorsing the suspended Central Luzon police director for PNP chief.

Petrasanta has been called “PNP chief in waiting” due to his close ties to the President’s family. He had headed the Presidential Security Group assigned to the Aquino residence on Times Street in Quezon City.

Sole discretion

PNP spokesman Chief Supt. Wilben Mayor said the police force respect Belmonte’s endorsement of Petrasanta, although the choice remained the President’s.

“We respect the statement of the Speaker regarding Petrasanta, although the appointment or designation of the PNP chief is at the sole discretion and decision of President Aquino,” the PNP spokesman said on Monday.

The most serious threat to Petrasanta’s assumption to the top post is Deputy Director General Marcelo Garbo Jr., who reportedly has the backing of Interior Secretary Mar Roxas.

Another strong candidate is Director Benjamin Magalong of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group, who is said to be backed by former Sen. Panfilo Lacson, also an ex-PNP chief.

The other candidates are Director Ricardo Marqueza of the Directorate for Operations and Director Juanito Vano of the Directorate for Logistics, who is reportedly supported by Purisima.

Personal friend

Purisima resigned in February at the height of the controversy over the bloody Jan. 25 Mamasapano incident, which left 44 troopers dead in a clash with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front.

Before this, Purisima, also a personal friend of the Aquinos, was placed under preventive suspension by the Office of the Ombudsman for six months in connection with the allegedly anomalous gun license courier deal.

Source:
newsinfo.inquirer.net

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VP Binay resigns from Cabinet

Metro Manila (CNN Philippines) — Vice President Jejomar Binay submitted on Monday (June 22) his irrevocable resignation from the Cabinet — effective immediately, the Office of the Vice President (OVP) confirmed.

Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa received Binay's resignation letter before 4:00 p.m. on Monday.

Joey Salgado, head of OVP Media Affairs, said that the vice president's resignation letter — which was addressed to President Benigno Aquino III — was delivered by one of the vice president's daughters, Makati Rep. Abigail Binay.

According to the OVP, Rep. Binay was accompanied by Undersecretary Benjamin Martinez Jr., chief of staff of the vice president.

Prior to his resignation, vice president was the chair of the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC). He was also the presidential adviser on overseas Filipino workers' (OFWs) concerns.

source: cnnphilippines.com

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Duterte: I can hire more contractual workers to keep Davao clean, safe

DAVAO CITY—Mayor Rodrigo Duterte said he would hire three times as many contractual employees as the existing 11,246 if only to keep the city clean, safe and orderly.

“In the government, we don’t add plantilla positions every year and Davao City is one of the biggest cities in the country, so, we hire contractuals,” Duterte said in reply to the Commission on Audit (COA)’s report questioning the hiring of 11,246 contractual workers by the city mayor’s office in 2014 alone, costing the city government some P708 million.

“The P708 million (that the COA questioned) is part of the city’s operation expense, I’m spending it on contractual workers from garbage collectors to drivers, to intelligence operatives roaming around the city,” the mayor said in his television program “Gikan sa Masa, Para sa Masa” on Sunday.

“You don’t expect plantilla workers to collect garbage, don’t you?” he asked. “And garbage collectors are working in the city on three shifts,” Duterte said.

“The SCAAs (Special Civilian Active Auxiliary), the soldiers roaming around Davao, I’m paying them,” Duterte said. “They’re part of the intelligence apparatus roaming the city.”

Duterte said there is no cap on the number of contractual employees to be hired by the city government. He added it is still possible for him to increase the number of contractual workers to three times as many as they are now, since the city is very big with 183 barangays (villages).

“It’s my duty to make the barangay clean, the people simply deserve it,” he said.

“I am the mayor, I decide how much I spend and how many will work for the interest of the city,” he added.

The audit report was released in 2014 but was made public through an online news portal only on June 16.

“There’s a COA office on our (City Hall) ground floor, why didn’t they tell me, why point that to me only now?” asked Duterte when interviewed on Friday.

“As long as those contractual workers are rendering service, what’s the problem? The problem only comes when they are not rendering services in the city,” said Duterte.

The COA report particularly pointed out the alleged lack of a hiring manual, which allegedly opened the hiring of contractual workers in the city to the possibility of patronage politics. Most of over 11,000 contractual employees questioned by the COA were hired by the city mayor’s office.

“The city has no written policy or manual on the hiring of employees particularly under contract of services and job orders. Identification of persons to be hired for such nature rests directly upon the recommendation of the department heads and other officials of the city,” the report, quoting the COA, said.

“Impossible,” said Duterte, commenting on the supposed absence of guidelines. “It’s the DILG (Department of the Interior and Local Government) which provided the guidelines.”

“If any person can come up with evidence that I made money from the government, I will immediately resign as city mayor,” he said.

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Jennylyn Mercado is FHM Philippines’ sexiest woman for 2015

MANILA, Philippines – Jennylyn Mercado is FHM Philippines’ sexiest woman.

The men’s magazine made the announcement on its social media accounts on Sunday.

The GMA-7 actress bested other favorites Andrea Torres and Ellen Adarna for the title. FHM’s Sexiest Woman in the Philippines is determined based on an online poll.

Other celebrities who made it to the top 10 of FHM Philippines’ Sexiest Woman in the Philippines this year include Marian Rivera, Sam Pinto and Angel Locsin.

Although a constant fixture in FHM Philippines’ annual sexiest list, this is the first time Jennylyn topped the polls. This also continues her string of recent success—including winning the 2014 Metro Manila Film Festival best actress award and the Best Teleserye Actress award from PEP List.  

Source: www.philstar.com

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Floyd Mayweather, Manny Pacquiao keep it surprisingly civil during their press conference.

As Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao locked eyes in the obligatory stare-down before Wednesday’s televised press conference in Los Angeles, what appeared to be a pained expression on both men started to register.

For what seemed like a minute, the two superstars did not glare at each other, as most fighters do, but were just kind of looking, until they finally turned away.

There was little emotion, no anger. It was a strange, emotionless moment, producing the sizzle of a business transaction, such as withdrawing money from an ATM. For a welterweight unification match that is expected to shatter every financial record in boxing, the analogy isn’t a bad one.

It wasn’t until Freddie Roach, who trains Pacquiao, took his place on the dais at the Nokia Theater that it felt like an actual fight.

“This is the biggest challenge of my life,” said Roach. “I’ve been looking forward for this for a long time. We’re fighting the best fighter of our life. But we’re going to kick his ass! Good luck Floyd.”

Until then it had been a virtual love-fest, with Bob Arum remarking on how the two sides — which include the rival networks HBO and Showtime — worked together in harmony to make this long-awaited fight on May 2 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on Pay-Per-View finally happen.

 Arum even got a little mawkish, recalling the Philippines, where Pacquiao is from, as a place “with a graciousness and kindness” because during the Holocaust “when the doors of most countries of the world were closed to those fleeing the Holocaust, including this country, the doors in the Philippines were not only open, but welcoming.”

For those in search of trash talk or any kind of hostility between the camps, outside of Roach’s comments, this wasn’t the place to be.

Wednesday’s event will be the only press conference before fight week and it’s just as well, as each fighter seemed tired of discussing the other.

Mayweather didn’t seem to bat an eye at Roach’s prediction. He later got up and thanked social media while promising fireworks. He looked sleepy, in need of a nap.

Pacquiao, 36, and Mayweather, 38, acted like the adults they are, perhaps aware a larger-than-normal audience was watching. Both even did their best to downplay the fight, as if they didn’t want to talk about it.

 “I’m more worried about my last few fights with (Oscar) De La Hoya and (Miguel) Cotto than this fight,” Pacquiao said on ESPN.

Mayweather didn’t seem overly anxious, either. “It’s just another fight for me,” Mayweather told ESPN.

Mayweather finally exhibited some of that brashness when the presser was over. Talking to  Showtime’s Brian Custer, he was asked why this fight finally was set.

“This fight happened because of me,” Mayweather said. “It didn’t happen because of Manny Pacquiao. We had a fight on May 2, and what better opponent to choose and we chose Manny Pacquiao.”

Critics will lament that it’s five years too late for this match, but it is still expected to generate more than $400 million, with Mayweather (47-0) receiving 60% of the revenue and Pacquiao (57-5-2) pocketing 40%. Mayweather Promotions CEO Leonard Ellerbe revealed that face value for tickets will range from $1,500 to $7,500 and said an announcement will be made shortly on ticket sales to the public.

Source:
www.nydailynews.com 

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Reason why MILF submits its report to Malaysia

Today, the Philippine National Police’s board of inquiry will submit its findings on the Mamasapano massacre to President Aquino. But why is the Moro Islamic Liberation Front submitting its investigation report to Malaysia, not to the President? That is an insult to the President and the Filipino people.

The cat is out of the bag. The MILF’s sponsor in the rebellion against the national government is Malaysia. For years, the MILF has been getting its arms from Malaysia. The earlier peace agreement that was declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court was hurriedly and quietly signed in Kuala Lumpur—not in the Philippines—with the American ambassador to the Philippines in attendance. Malaysia is also the referee in the current peace talks. If this were a boxing bout, the sponsor, promoter and referee are all for the MILF fighter. So how can the Philippine government’s boxer win or even battle to a draw?

I do not understand why our peace negotiators—and the President—are so naive as not to see the underhand of Malaysia in the rebellion and the peace negotiations. The draft Bangsamoro Basic Law may have been written with the aid of Malaysia.

Malaysia has the motive to have a semi-autonomous Bangsamoro with a parliamentary system of government just like Malaysia’s and unlike its home country’s presidential system. It would then be easy for the Bangsamoro, with its territory in southern Mindanao and the groups of Sulu and Tawi Tawi islands very close to Malaysia, to decide to join the Federation of Malaysia.

Why would Malaysia like that? Because of the Philippine claim to Sabah. Malaysia knows that if the claim is taken to the United Nations, the evidence will be against it. Historical records clearly show that Sabah was given by the Sultan of Brunei to the Sultan of Sulu out of gratitude for the latter’s help in quelling a rebellion in Borneo. When the Federation of Malaysia was formed, Sabah was annexed as part of the federation. Sabah is believed to have rich oil and natural gas deposits.

But Sabah belongs to the Philippines or, to be more precise, to the Sultan of Sulu, a Filipino. There are 1.5 million Filipinos in Sabah who are treated poorly by Malaysia. Its government provides free basic education to children—but only to Malaysian children. The children of Filipinos in Sabah are excluded. So Filipino children in Sabah are growing up without any schooling.

The Philippines has proposed taking the Sabah claim to the United Nations but Malaysia refuses to participate. The UN requires both sides to agree to arbitration. Because if one side refuses to participate, there can be no agreement.

* * *

Back to the Mamasapano massacre and the PNP board of inquiry’s report on its own investigation. What really happened in Mamasapano? That is the question everybody wants answered, and answered truthfully.

That is also the primary concern of Interior Secretary Mar Roxas who has stressed his commitment to a truthful and timely report on the Mamasapano incident.

Roxas, along with PNP officer in charge Deputy Director Leonardo Espina, was kept out of the loop in the operation to arrest Malaysian terrorist Marwan and his Filipino cohort Basit Usman in Mamasapano.

Specifically, Roxas wanted the board of inquiry created to investigate the incident and find answers to five nagging questions:

    Was the plan well-thought-out?

    Was everything done to ensure the safety of our troops?

    Were the orders of President Aquino followed?

    Was there American participation, and if there was, what was the US role in the operation?

    Did the radio sets, bulletproof vests, firearms and ammunition of the troops work properly?

“Never hesitate to pinpoint the accountabilities in each of these concerns. It is important for the public to know the truth,” Roxas told Police Director Benjamin Magalong who heads the board of inquiry.

In other words, let the chips fall where they may.

We should know all that later today when the board of inquiry submits its report.

Source:
opinion.inquirer.net 

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