The Philippines’ first impeachment trial of a Supreme Court justice opened Monday, in a major battle of President Benigno Aquino III’s anti-corruption campaign targeting his detained predecessor and her allies.

Chief Justice Renato Corona was impeached by the House of Representatives last month on corruption allegations as well as accusations that he tried to block prosecution of former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, who has been detained on vote-rigging charges.

Corona’s trial before the Senate has sparked fears of a constitutional crisis pitting Aquino against the 15-member court, where 12 of the justices were appointed by his rival and predecessor, Arroyo.

Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile promised his chamber would hold an impartial trial as the nationally televised proceedings got under way Monday, attended by Corona, his wife and a dozen defense lawyers. In his first ruling, Enrile dismissed a Corona petition that may have halted the trial on grounds the charges against him were defective.

More than 300 left-wing activists demanding Corona’s conviction rallied outside the Senate, a block away from dozens of Corona followers. Police anti-riot squads stood by to prevent any clashes.

Pinaliwanagan mismo ni Pangulong Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III si Sarangani Rep. Manny Pacquiao hinggil sa Reproductive Health Bill.

Magugunitang kontra si Pacquaio sa RH bill dahil sa paniwalang hindi na kailangan ang ganitong batas at baka masayang lamang umano ang ilalaang pondo. Sinabi ni Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Abigail Valte, ipinaliwanag ng Pangulo ang kanyang five-point stand sa responsible parenthood at kung bakit dapat maipasa ang panukalang batas.

The election protest of President Aquino’s losing running mate Manuel “Mar” Roxas II against Vice President Jejomar Binay would proceed despite his imminent appointment to an executive position.

An official of the Presidential Electoral Tribunal (PET) told The STAR yesterday that Roxas may accept his post as presidential chief of staff and still pursue his bid to be declared winner in last year’s vice presidential race.

MANILA, Philippines – Senator Panfilo Lacson will expose what could be the first corruption allegation against the Aquino administration.

Lacson on Monday revealed that he had been receiving information about the alleged corruption under the present administration involving tens of millions of loss revenues, specifically in the Bureau of Customs (BOC).

“Kasi may pumapasok na information about corruption under the present administration so tinitingnan nating mabuti (We will be looking into information about corruption under the present administration),” he told reporters on Monday.

“May mga information pero hazy, very sketchy ang mga reports, subject to verification (There are information but they are hazy, very sketchy [and will be] subject to verification),” the senator added.

Lacson refused to provide more details except that the alleged corruption was committed in the “middle and lower level” of the agency.

“Wala pang evidence o information na nag-i-indicate na sa higher level. Meron pero dapat tingnan din. Hindi natin alam hanggang saang level umaabot ang corruption. (There is no evidence or information indicating [that there is corruption] in the higher level [of the government]. We do not know what level corruption has reached.) Right now we’re looking at corruption in the Bureau of Customs,” he said

JAKARTA – President Aquino will be joining the nation in praying for another victory for Filipino world boxing champion Manny Pacquiao even as he will be busy attending the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Leaders’ Summit and related meetings here.

“The President and the people are 1,000 percent behind him,” Presidential Communications Development and Strategic Planning Office Secretary Ricky Carandang said about Pacquiao in a press briefing yesterday on the sidelines of the summit.

“Our prayers go to Manny Pacquiao as he embarks on another history-making fight,” he said.

Unfortunately, Carandang said the President would not be able to watch the bout because he would be in meetings with other ASEAN leaders.

“But like everybody else, the President is going to pray and wish for another victory for Manny Pacquiao,” he said.

Pacquiao, who is also a congressman of the lone district of Sarangani, is an ally of Aquino and had joined the President’s Liberal Party.

His fights have become a unifying force for Filipinos as everyone would pray and cheer for his victory regardless of political affiliations.

Unlike the President, Vice President Jejomar Binay is in the country but has opted not to watch the fight live.

MANILA, Philippines – President Aquino denied yesterday that his favorite pastime is playing portable play station (PSP).

“I never played PSP,” he told GMA-7 anchor Arnold Clavio in an interview in Malacañang.

Aquino said his hobbies include shooting and playing billiards and, of late, biking.

Since the start of the year, he rides his bike inside the Malacañang premises, he added.

Aquino is a known sharpshooter, and has even offered to train prosecutors from the Department of Justice.

He also does not regret being President, even if he has to contend with never-ending problems like oil price hikes, increases in transport fares, and the like.

He said he is also getting used to the utter lack of the privacy.

Aquino also denied that he has not been keeping up with the working pace of a president.

“I would like to start out with a comment I read in one of today’s columns – actually there were two columns, both of them critical – and they said I don’t work hard enough,” he said before he delivered his speech to employers at the Marriott Hotel in Pasay City.

HIS failure to deliver on his promises of more jobs and less corruption is the main reason why President Benigno Aquino’s ratings continue to drop, lawmakers  said yesterday.

Minority Leader Edcel Lagman said that instead of looking for solutions to  problems on unemployment and rising cost of fuel and basic commodities, Aquino is busy blaming previous administrations for their alleged mistakes.

“Lackadaisical performance jives well with the law of gravity,” Lagman said, adding that Aquino’s net rating of +46, with 18 percent of respondents dissatisfied, is a grudging concession of voters trying to justify or rationalize their having voted for Aquino.

“It is a psychological protection of their choice despite failed expectations,” he added.

Lagman said that even the centerpiece agenda of the President – the eradication of corruption — scored only a “moderate” +14 which means the people are not convinced of the resoluteness of his advocacy.

Compared with the survey in November, the Social Weather Stations latest poll showed that the administration’s net satisfaction rating fell by eight points in the Visayas from 59 to 51, by 20 points in Mindanao from 67 to 47 and by 27 points in Luzon (excluding Metro Manila) from 69 to 42.

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines was rated “very weak” in terms of governance and corruption in the 2010 Global Integrity Report released yesterday.

The overall Philippine classification in 2010 was 57 or “very weak,” a downgrade from the 2008 overall score of 71 or “moderate.”

The country was rated “weak” (64) in the category “Anti-Corruption Legal Framework, Judicial Impartiality and Law Enforcement Professionalism” and the “Rule of Law.” This included the sub-categories “Anti-Corruption Law” (89 or strong); “Anti-Corruption Agency or Equivalent Mechanisms” (53 or very weak); “Judicial Independence, Fairness, and Citizen Access to Justice” (62 or weak); “Law Enforcement: Conflicts of Interest Safeguards and Professionalism” (52 or very weak).

The country scored 53 (very weak) in the category “Government conflicts of interest safeguard and checks and balances” (53 or very weak) but rated 71 or “moderate” on “Budget Process Oversight and Transparency.”

Based in Washington D.C., Global Integrity is a leading international non-profit organization that tracks governance and corruption trends around the world.

“While anti-corruption legislation is very strong, the anti-corruption agency does not have the ability to effectively deliver on its remit,” the group said.

The latest Global Integrity Report also showed that the Philippines is “very weak” in providing the public access to government information, scoring only 42 on a scale of 0 to 100.

MANILA, Philippines – President Aquino ordered yesterday the military and police to be on full alert following the killing of top international terrorist leader Osama bin Laden in Pakistan.

“The death of Osama bin Laden marks a signal defeat for the forces of extremism and terrorism,” Aquino said in a statement.

“It represents the death of the efforts of one man to stoke the fires of sectarian hatred and to promote terrorism on a scale unprecedented in the history of mass murder.”

US Special Forces killed the al-Qaeda leader at his safehouse in Abbotabad, Pakistan during a firefight.

“Let us not forget that this is not just an achievement for the United States. It has brought justice to over a dozen Filipinos who lost their lives during the Sept. 11, 2001 attack in the World Trade Center,” Aquino said.

But Aquino said the death of bin Laden “should not lull us into complacency” and called for vigilance.

“The world must continue to consistently and courageously raise its collective voice against religious hatred, political intolerance, and terrorism of all kinds. We must remain vigilant and united in pursuing peace, pluralism, and collective efforts at security. One sword has been beaten down; we must continue to be dedicated to the principle of beating the swords of terrorism into the plowshares of progress and peace,” the President said.

MANILA, Philippines – Malacañang yesterday said it was not aware of any special arrangements with former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and her family to leave the country without passing through immigration.

STAR columnist Sara Soliven de Guzman wrote that the Arroyos flew to the United States last Wednesday night without passing through immigration.

Citing information from sources, de Guzman said the Arroyos arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 1 around 6 p.m. in three cars. The convoy entered the VIP tarmac where they were held for 30 minutes for clearing.

Soliven de Guzman wrote that Arroyo supposedly left for a speaking engagement. The columnist, however, questioned the need to bring her whole family and bypass immigration. There were speculations that the Arroyos fled the country, fearing the charges that might be filed against them now that former Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez – an appointee and close ally of hers – had resigned.

Presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said the Arroyos were probably just “on vacation.” He also said the Palace does not have information on Arroyo’s itinerary or her supposed speaking engagement.

MANILA, Philippines -  There might be good news from the government for the workers on May 1 even as the Labor Day celebrations will not be moved to Monday for a long weekend.

“There are measures that are going to be undertaken, hopefully in time before Labor Day, that we can announce and so that we can assure the public that we are trying to do all we can to alleviate the burden to the public,” presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said yesterday.

“The rice prices have gone down. We are monitoring and making sure that prices are kept at reasonable amounts. We hope to hear good news from the economic managers and from the President,” Lacierda told a press briefing in Malacañang.

But Lacierda said populist measures like imposing price controls on basic commodities might not be feasible.

“With respect to the economic managers there are some hesitations to impose price control because it will cause hoarding (and) temporary shortages,” he said.

Lacierda said the President’s economic managers are discussing measures to alleviate the price increases.

He revealed the economic managers would firm up their recommendations to President Aquino that will be announced anytime before Labor Day on Sunday.

President Benigno Aquino III called on Filipinos to harness their renewed faith in helping fight the Calvary caused by corruption.

In his Easter message, Aquino reminded Filipinos they should keep their faith in God alive even after the Holy Week has ended.

“Bawa’t isa sa atin ay may maiaambag sa pagtuldok sa katiwalian upang maisalba sa hirap at pasakit ang marami nating kababayan. Sa pamamagitan lamang nito, mararamdaman ng bawat Pilipino ang tunay na liwanag ng pagbabago,” he said.

(Each of us can contribute towards ending corruption, to save our fellow Filipinos from poverty. Only in this way can we Filipinos truly feel the light of change.)

“Sa pagwawakas ng Semana Santa, hindi sana magtapos dito ang ating taimtim na pananalig sa Panginoon. Ipagpatuloy natin ang pagtupad sa Kaniyang mga aral at lalo pa nating paigtingin ang ating pagkakawanggawa,” he added.

(As the Holy Week winds up, we should not stop believing in God. We must continue taking his teachings to heart and showing love for our neighbor.)

Tsika ng isang very close kay Kris Aquino (kailangan pa ba naming sabihin sa ‘yo ang name ng source namin, Ian F.?), hindi P42M, kundi P41M lang, ang part na nakuha ni James Yap sa conjugal earnings nila ni Kris noong sila’y nagsasama pa.

Well, minus na raw dito ang dapat ding maging parte ni Bimby (James Yap Jr.) who, at three, is earning  for himself na (ilan din ang kasalukuyang endorsement niya with his mom).

Bimby or Baby James turned three last April 19. Ka-birthday niya ang dating pangulo nating si Joseph Estrada at si Kim Chiu.

Come to think of it, payagan kaya ni Kris si Bimby na lumabas sa isang commercial with his dad o exclusive lang sa kanya ang anak nila ni James?

Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez does not intend to engage President Aquino in a public word war.

In a statement, Gutierrez said she is not going to pick a fight with Aquino, who has been going around delivering speeches about how he wants her removed from office.

“I have been attacked numerous times, though unjustly and without basis,” she said.

“Many of these attacks have been coming not only from my usual detractors, but from no less than the President of the Republic himself.

“Despite all that he has said and done, I maintain my deep respect for the President. Despite his repeated pronouncements, mostly before graduating students of various schools in Metro Manila, that he is ‘at war’ against me, I have chosen to be silent mainly because I have deep respect to the institution that the President represents.”

Gutierrez issued the statement a day after Aquino delivered another speech before graduates of the University of the Philippines, where he called on them to support efforts to oust the Ombudsman.

“Despite the open call of the President to impeach me and his calling on the people, especially young students, to support the impeachment proceedings against me, I would not engage him in a word war before the public as this would only demean both of us, especially in this season of Lent,” Gutierrez said.

The government stands to lose more than P84 billion in the Supreme Court (SC) decision favoring businessman Eduardo “Danding” Cojuangco Jr. over his 20 percent stake in San Miguel Corp. (SMC), Sen. Joker Arroyo asserted yesterday.

Arroyo lamented the Aquino administration, for some reason, is taking the SC ruling lightly.

Arroyo said the administration was never shy of lambasting the SC in previous decisions that seemed adverse to them, but apparently changed after the high court ruling favoring President Aquino’s maternal uncle.

Arroyo noted Malacañang stated they would study the SC ruling but stressed the President has to attend to other issues of greater importance.

“This is the first time that the Supreme Court made a decision (against them) and they are quiet. They are not aggrieved. Where is their outrage over the Supreme Court (ruling)?” Arroyo said.

“The government is taking this lightly. What is involved is P84 billion. It is as if they are afraid to make a reaction,” he added.

By Jess Diaz (The Philippine Star)

Congressmen-allies of former President and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo backtracked yesterday on their decision to mount a “frontal attack” on the Aquino administration.

House Minority Leader Edcel Lagman, who chairs the opposition Lakas party, said nothing would change in their group’s “critical cooperation with the Aquino administration for the national interest.”

Sen. Ramon Revilla Jr., Lakas party president, yesterday denied giving marching orders to party members to go on a full offensive against the Aquino administration.

In a statement, Revilla said that the party “remains an ally of the current administration in all its efforts to alleviate every Filipino’s living condition, eradicate corruption in the government and improve the country’s economic situation while continuing to play its role as a check and balance.”

Surigao del Norte Rep. Jose Aquino II, the party’s secretary-general, said Lakas has a “higher duty to the Filipino people to support government policies that hasten economic development and intensify efforts to fight poverty and corruption.”

Former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s allies in the House of Representatives have decided to “go on the offensive” against the Aquino administration, Quezon Rep. Danilo Suarez said yesterday.

“We agreed not to be docile, supportive and constructive anymore. We will go on the offensive and criticize this administration frontally. That was the marching order,” he said at the news forum Serye Café in Quezon City.

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