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Today is April 22, 2009,Wednesday
Today's headlines and top stories in today’s newspapers
SC sits 32 more party list solons, Malaya banner story -- In a 35-page decision penned by Associate Justice Antonio Carpio, the Court en banc struck down for being unconstitutional the 2 percent threshold in the distribution of additional seats in relation to the distribution of additional party list seats under R.A. 7941 (Party List System Law).The decision is immediately executory.

The 2 percent threshold presents an unwarranted obstacle to the full implementation of party list representation and prevents the attainment of "the broadest possible representation of party, sectoral or group interests in the House of Representatives," the SC said.

SC party-list ruling kills Cha-cha, Tribune banner story -- Charter change (Cha-cha) through the one-chamber Constituent Assembly (Con-ass) is dead in the water, with the Supreme Court (SC) ruling having set the guidelines for parties running for the remaining party-list slots in Congress to represent marginalized and underrepresented sectors in society.

The decision raised the party-list seats to 55 from the current 23 and effectively increased the required three-fourths vote needed for Congress to amend or revise the Constitution.

Opposition decries new way for Charter change, Times front page -- A sponsorship speech of Rep. Victor Ortega of La Union, the chairman of the House Committee on Constitutional Amendments, kicked off deliberations on the recommended changes as pushed by House Resolution 737 filed by House Speaker Prospero Nograles.

Ruling seen as blow to Cha-Cha efforts, Malaya front page -- The resolution of Speaker Prospero Nograles which seeks to lift the limitation on foreign ownership of land now requires 207 signatures out of the new total House membership of 270 to comply with the three-fourths vote requirement. The previous requirement was 179 out of 243 members.

The bar is even higher for the Constituent Assembly resolution of Rep. Luis Villafuerte. It now needs 222 signatures out of 293 members, including 23 senators. The previous requirement was 197 out of 266 legislators.

House officially flags off Charter Change express, Malaya news page -- Nograles also sought to allay fears that the passage of his House Resolution 737, which seeks to allow foreign ownership of alienable public and private lands, would open the floodgates to revision of the Constitution.

HR 737 was finally sponsored in the plenary Tuesday night by the chair of the committee on constitutional amendments Kampi Rep. Victor Ortega (La Union), officially opening the debates on Charter Change.

Erap tells bishops: Let the people, not church, decide, Tribune front page -- Estrada has repeatedly said he would run for president again if the opposition forces fail to unite behind a single candidate. He was elected as president in 1998 but was deposed in 2001 amid charges of corruption and mismanagement. He was convicted of plunder after a six-year trial and then granted an absolute pardon by his successor, President Arroyo.



Don’t vote for bets with ads–Namfrel, Times front page -- Henrietta de Villa, chairman of the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting and of Namfrel, said people should show their outrage over the violations, not just in words but also in deeds. Namfrel is an officially accredited election watchdog in the Philippines.

She was referring to likely presidential candidates who have been airing radio and television commercials. Other likely bets are also hosting radio segments and endorsing commercial products also in commercials and in outdoor advertising—allegedly to gain media exposure and get a headstart on the next year’s campaign.

Next year’s polls shaping up to be star-studded production, Times news page -- Already, a number of celebrities from the movie and television business are sending signals—some not subtle—suggesting an interest to seek public office next year.

Senators Jinggoy Estrada and Ramon Bong Revilla Jr. are most likely to seek reelection, even as fellow television personality Edu Manzano is reportedly preparing to join them in the Senate. Manzano is the country’s anti piracy chief.

Sen. Escudero ‘dreaming’ of Palace bid, Times news page -- Sen. Francis “Chiz” Escudero on Tuesday admitted he has dreams of joining the presidential race in 2010, even as Joseph Estrada lashed out at a bishop who said the former president should not run next year.

But Escudero said he has yet to decide on making a bid for the Palace next year, and he would only decide on running once he meets the legal qualifications for presidential aspirants.

Senate ethics issue seen disintegrating into fight among ‘presidentiables’, Times news page -- Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano, spokesman of the minority, said they also asked the majority at the all-Senate caucus to act on the “post-dated” order for Villar to reply to Madrigal’s charges even before the ethics committee had met to determine whether the charges were sufficient in form and substance.

Jinggoy urges Ping to recuse on ethics investigation of Manny, Malaya news page -- SENATE President Pro-tempore Jose "Jinggoy" Estrada yesterday urged ethics committee chair Sen. Panfilo Lacson to inhibit from hearing the complaint against former Senate President Manuel Villar on the alleged P200 million double insertion in the 2008 C-5 road extension project.

Estrada said panel members perceived to be biased against the former Senate President should also inhibit.

Estrada said the call for Lacson to inhibit was first raised by Sen. Miriam Defensor Santiago, also a member of the new majority bloc.

Self-Rated Poverty Declining–Survey, Times news page -- “Self-rated poverty has been on a generally downward trend since mid-2008, declining from 59 percent in June 2008, 52 percent in September, 52 percent in December, to 47 percent in February 2009,” the social research institution added.

In its latest survey on self-rated poverty, SWS said 27 percent of the respondents put themselves on the borderline, while 26 percent consider themselves as not poor.

Losing bidder says DepEd’s noodles now cost more, Malaya news page -- This was disclosed by Dennis Quido, sales manager of losing bidder Kolonwel Marketing Inc., which had submitted a sample of the noodles distributed by DepEd in its 2007 feeding program to laboratory testing to find out if the claims of winning supplier Jeverps Manufacturing on the noodles’ nutritional value are true.

Quido said DepEd spent P284 million in 2007 for more than 15 million packets of the noodles. In 2008, he said Jeverps, which was also the winning supplier in 2007, was paid P427 million for supplying more than 19 million packets of noodles. He said this means a packet costs P22 each, up from the previous price of P18 per packet which is still more expensive than noodles available in supermarkets for only P6 to P8 per packet.

Web-only newspapers? Don't junk the presses yet, Times news page -- A study by two researchers at City University in London dissects in excruciating detail the ill-fated move by an economic daily in Finland,Taloussanomat.fi, which shed its printing presses in December 2007.

The aim was to cut operating costs by eliminating paper, distribution and associated staff. It worked: the paper slashed its capital outlays by more than 50 percent.

The problem is that its revenue plummeted even further, by 75 percent.

Prepare for ‘Gloria Forever’ edtorde.htm by Ellen Tordesillas, Malaya Opinion -- Actually, at this point in time, Gloria Arroyo can do anything she wants.
If the real purpose in the char-ter change resolutions pend-ing in the Malacañang -controlled House of Representatives is not to prolong the hold on power of Gloria Arroyo, why are her minions desperately pushing for charter change less than a year away from the 2010 elections when they know very well that two out of three Filipinos do not want charter change now?

No amount of public assurance by Speaker Prospero Nograles and Camarines Sur Luis Villafuerte, authors of separate resolutions calling for amendments to the Constitution, will make the people believe that all these frantic moves have nothing to do with making sure that Arroyo continues to be in power, in whatever form or position, so that they also can continue enjoying the protection and privileges of being aligned with her.


Mr. Expose Insensitive by Amb. Ernesto Maceda, Tribune Opinion -- Deeper. The hot exchange of words between Sen. Ping Lacson and Sen. Manny Villar supported by Sen. Aquilino Pimentel Jr. and Sen. Allan Peter Cayetano is another unfortunate episode in the history of this Senate. Villar finally took the floor to defend himself. He also asked the Senate to investigate Lacson for murder and other crimes.

As a neutral observer, I believe public sympathy is on Villar�s side. Senator Lacson can limit the damage by immediately giving up the chairmanship of the ethics committee. Only then will any ethics committee report be credible.

After all, Villar has been �punished� enough with his removal as Senate President.