Archive for November 2008
Asia needs to step up anti-AIDS info campaign
By Jesus F. Llanto
Researcher, Newsbreak
November 28, 2008
With an estimated 10 million Asians infected by AIDS by 2010, experts said that governments in the Asia-Pacific region should start stepping up their information campaigns on prevention of AIDS.
During the launch of an online AIDS database (www.aidsdatahub.org) in Manila, experts said that while the prevalence of AIDS in Asia-Pacific is still low compared to sub-Saharan Africa, governments in the region should not be complacent and should start addressing the epidemic.
Amala Reddy, regional program advisor for strategic information of the Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), said that by 2010 there will be around 10 million cumulative cases of AIDS in the region. She added that infections per year may reach 500,000.
“We do not expect infection levels to reach as high as Africa,” Reddy told reporters.
A March 2008 report of the Commission on AIDS in Asia showed that AIDS epidemic in the region is driven by the cases of unprotected paid sex, sharing of contaminated needles and syringes among injecting drug users and unprotected sex between men.
HIV’s continuous transmission, the report said, will continue to be a threat to the region with an estimated 75 million Asian men buying sex regularly from 10 million Asian females who sell sex.
The report also said that growing prevalence of male-to-male sex and drug injection add another 20 million or more to men at high risk of HIV infection.
‘Know our epidemics’
Anupama Rao Singh, United Nations Children’s Fund regional director for East Asia-Pacific, said that a major step in the campaign to contain the spread of the epidemic is dissemination of information.
One of the main problems in tracking the epidemic, she said, is the lack of updated HIV prevalence data of some countries in the region. (abs-cbnNews.com/Newsbreak)
Arroyo allies say there’s ‘no beef’ in impeachment rap
By Jesus F. Llanto
Researcher, Newsbreak
November 25, 2008
Anti-impeachment lawmakers defended President Arroyo on Tuesday at the House committee on justice hearing on the impeachment complaint against her by saying that it failed to implicate the president and described it as merely based on hearsay evidence.
Comparing businessman Jose “Joey” de Venecia III’s impeachment raps against President Arroyo to a sandwich without the beef, Cebu Rep. Pablo Garcia cited that the complaint, albeit sufficient in form, is yet to be determined for sufficiency in substance.
“When the committee found that the complaint is sufficient in form, it was as if this committee is being offered something which looks like a sandwich in form. But the question that is at the mind of our colleagues is ‘Where’s the beef? Where is the substance?” he said during the hearing Tuesday of the House Committee of Justice.
Garcia defended Mrs. Arroyo’s trip to Shenzhen, China in relation to the controversial ZTE-NBN deal, pointing the failure of the complainant to make a recital of ultimate facts, or truths enough to constitute for an impeachable offense.
“The President and the First Gentleman went to China. That is a fact. But does that constitute an offense? Is going to China an impeachable offense? That’s why we have to examine and analyze the complaint,” he said. (abs-cbnNews.com/Newsbreak)
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Pro-gov’t solons clear Arroyo in ZTE deals
By Jesus F. Llanto
Researcher, Newsbreak
November 25, 2008
Pro-administration lawmakers on Tuesday cleared President Gloria Arroyo of involvement in the National 
Broadband Network (NBN) deal and the Mt. Diwalwal agreement with China’s ZTE Corp..
During the continuation of the House justice committee hearing on the impeachment complaint against the President, anti-impeachment lawmakers said she has no direct participation in these contracts since it was her subordinates who signed them.
The continuation of the hearing Tuesday came after pro-impeachment lawmakers faced the committee Monday to provide details to all the cases involved in the impeachment complaint.
The complaint cited the alleged involvement of Mrs. Arroyo in the P728-million fertilizer fund scam that was purportedly used to for her campaign kitty in 2004, the US$329 million NBN deal with ZTE Corp., the alleged bribery of House members, and human rights violations under her administration.
Former House Speaker Jose de Venecia, a former staunch ally of Mrs. Arroyo, on Monday linked her to the NBN-ZTE deal and showed a photograph of himself with the President, First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo, former elections chief Benjamin Abalos and a ZTE official in Shenzhen, China. (abs-cbnNews.com/Newsbreak)
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JDV, opposition solons detail alleged Arroyo offenses
By Jesus F. Llanto
Researcher, Newsbreak
November 24, 2008
After former House Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr. linked President Arroyo to the National Broadband Network (NBN) deal with China’s ZTE Corp. and to the alleged attempts to bribe some House members, pro-impeachment lawmakers detailed the president’s involvement in two anomalous contracts.
Pro-impeachment lawmakers on Monday implicated the president to the controversial contracts of North Rail and the agreement that would allow ZTE Corp. to pursue mining operations in Mt. Diwalwal, Compostela Valley.
Gabriela Rep. Luzviminda Ilagan told the House justice committee that Arroyo violated the constitution when she approved the contract that allows ZTE Corp. to explore, process and use mines in Mt. Diwalwal despite her earlier order for a suspension of mining operations in the area.
“The president sold our gold resources to ZTE,” Ilagan told the panel, adding that the contract is disadvantageous because 90 percent of the revenues will go to ZTE and only 10 percent will go to the Philippines. (abs-cbnNews.com/Newsbreak)
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Palace says JDV ’sour graping’
By Jesus F. Llanto
Researcher, Newsbreak
November 24, 2008
Former House Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr. implicated President Gloria Arroyo on Monday in the National Broadband Network (NBN) deal with China’s ZTE Corp and in the alleged bribery attempts to House members at the House justice committee hearing on the substance of the impeachment complaint.
Speaking in the House justice committee hearing on the impeachment complaint against Arroyo, De Venecia told the panel that president told him to approve the US$329-million NBN deal with ZTE Corp.
De Venecia also linked First Gentleman Jose Miguel ‘Mike’ Arroyo to the deal by saying that it was the presidential spouse who proposed that the contract should be done on a government-to-government contract instead of the build-operate-transfer scheme, which is more favorable to Filipino taxpayers since it will built at no cost to the government.
The former Speaker said the president told this to him in November 2006 when she invited him to play golf in Shenzhen, China. De Venecia said that he met former Commission on Elections chief Benjamin Abalos and First Gentlemam Mike Arroyo in Shenzhen.
De Venecia also showed a photo of Arroyo, the First Gentleman, Abalos and an official of the ZTE Corp.
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Photo Credit: www.pia.gov.ph
Customs, BIR, DPWH most insincere in fighting corruption –SWS survey
By Jesus F. Llanto
Researcher, Newsbreak
November 21, 2008
Only 8 out 30 government agencies have become more sincere in fighting corruption, a business survey on corruption by the Social Weather Stations showed.
The 2008 Survey of Enterprises on Corruption showed improvements in ratings of sincerity in fighting corruption of the city/municipal government, the Department of Health, the Commission on Audit, the Armed Forces of the Philippines, the Senate, the Department of Justice, the Philippine National Police and the Commission on Elections.
The survey—the eighth SWS business survey on corruption since 2000—asked managers of 402 enterprises in Metro Manila, Cebu and Davao from Sept. 9-October 10, 2008 to rate 30 government agencies in terms of their sincerity in fighting corruption.
The institutions are ranked in terms in net sincerity—the difference between the percentage rating an agency as very/somewhat sincere and the percentage rating as very/somewhat insincere.
The ratings of the eight agencies with improved sincerity in fighting corruption are as follows: City/municipal government (from +27 in 2007 to +35 in 2008), DOH (+29 to +30), COA (from +21 to +23), AFP (from -10 to +6), Senate (from -7 to -6), DOJ ( from -21 to -17), PNP ( from -25 to -18) and COMELEC (from -36 to 27).
Best performers: Filipino business associations, SSS
The survey showed that Filipino business associations, the Social Security System, the Department of Trade and Industry, the Supreme Court and city/municipal governments are the most sincere in fighting corruption.
Mayors glad, sad over SC decision voiding 16 cities
By Jesus F. Llanto
Researcher, Newsbreak
November 19,2008
Mayors of cities that have experienced a substantial decrease in allocation as result of the creation of new cities welcomed the Supreme Court decision voiding the laws converting 16 municipalities into cities.
City mayors interviewed by abs-cbnNews.com/Newsbreak said the decision of the High Tribunal proves that the requirements for cityhood set by the Local Government Code (LGC) should be strictly followed and that there should be no exemptions in conversion of towns into cities.
The Supreme Court, voting 7-5, nullified the conversion of 16 municipalities into cities by granting the petition of the League of Cities of the Philippines (LCP) seeking to declare as unconstitutional the 16 cityhood laws. The LCP claimed that the 16 cities were created even if they did not meet the minimum income requirements for cityhood.
The decision of High Tribunal will reduce the number of cities in the Philippines from 136 to 120.
Among the cities whose cityhood laws have been voided by the Supreme Court are: Batac in Ilocos Norte; Tabuk in Kalinga; Tayabas in Quezon; Baybay in Leyte; Catbalogan in Samar; Borongan in Eastern Samar; Guihulngan in Negros Oriental; Bogo, Naga and Carcar in Cebu; Tandag in Surigao del Sur; Cabadbaran in Agusan del Norte; El Salvador in Misamis Oriental; Mati in Davao Oriental; Bayugan in Agusan del Sur; and, Lamitan in Basilan.
