Media - TV, Radio, Newspaper

[judE_Law]

Very soon, kung si Noynoy Aquino ang masusunod, higit na malaki ang babayaran mo para sa isang papel na pinilahan mo ng limang oras.

Gov't wants to raise agency service fees

MANILA, Philippines - Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima reported that the Aquino administration plans to raise the fees and charges imposed by government agencies.

Purisima told lawmakers during the recent budget hearing at the House of Representatives that the increase would be commensurate to the increase in the cost of providing the service.

"We are looking at adjusting user fees and rates of state firms commensurate to the increase in the cost of providing the service," he said.

He said the finance department initiated the plan that is currently being reviewed by the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA).

"It is currently being processed by NEDA which would determine how much the increase in fees should be," Purisima said.

Finance Undersecretary Gil Beltran said in a separate interview that the fees of some agencies have not been adjusted since the 1970s.

"The increase would be based on the actual costs of salaries and cost of paper," he said.

The fees and charges collected by state-owned firms form part of government revenues. These so-called revenues from other offices amounted to P9.275 billion in June alone, according to the latest data from the Department of Finance (DOF).



These include fees charged by the Land Transportation Office (LTO), the Land Registration Authority (LRA), National Statistics Office (NSO), the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), the Land Transportation and Franchise Regulatory Board (LTFRB) and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI).

The government wants to raise fees imposed by state-owned firms as part of efforts to contain the budget deficit.

Administration officials hope to contain the budget deficit to roughly P300 billion this year or 3.2 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) from the actual P314.4 billion or 3.7 percent of GDP incurred last year.

From January to June, the budget deficit was recorded at P17.231 billion, significantly lower than the programmed P152.1-billion deficit recorded for the period, largely because of lower spending.

In June alone, the government recorded a budget deficit of P7.691 billion, narrower than the P34.6 billion recorded a year ago.




http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=717230&publicationSubCategoryId=63

[ctan]

hanga ako sa mga media corporations na nag-iisponsor ng community-based programs. tulad ng pinanggalingan ko kanina. sponsored ng GMA NewsTV 11 ang medical mission sa Bagong Silang, QC. :-)

[vir]

Isolated heavy rains in MM until Tuesday
By Evelyn Macairan (The Philippine Star) Updated November 06, 2011 12:00 AM

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) yesterday said isolated heavy rains in Metro Manila may continue until Tuesday.

"We could expect isolated rainfall and in some instances it would be heavy rains," said weather forecaster Samuel Duran.

According to the rainfall data gathered by their Science Garded station in Diliman, Quezon City, rainfall in some parts of Metro Manila yesterday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. was recorded at 36 millimeters.

"If the rainfall is greater than 7.5 millimeters within an hour, it would be considered as heavy rains," said Duran.

As of 2 p.m. yesterday, a shallow low-pressure area was estimated to be 330 kilometers east northeast of Borongan, Eastern Samar. It is embedded along the intertropical convergence zone.

The country will experience mostly cloudy skies with scattered rainshowers and thunderstorms becoming cloudy with widespread rains over the eastern part of Luzon, Visayas and Northeastern Mindanao that could trigger flashfloods and landslides.

Moderate to strong winds blowing from the east will prevail over Luzon. Winds coming from the southwest to southeast blowing over Eastern Visayas will render coastal waters along these areas moderate to rough.

Elsewhere, winds would be light or moderate blowing from the southwest to southeast with slight to moderate seas.                                 

[mang juan]

DepEd drops 'Science' for pupils

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Education (DepEd) has decided to drop "Science" from the roster of subjects taken up by incoming Grade 1 pupils in line with its efforts to decongest the Basic Education Curriculum and to make learning more enjoyable to young learners.

Education Secretary Armin Luistro said that the move to exclude Science in Grade 1 subjects starting this coming school year is based on the design of K to 12 curriculum. "The overall design of the new curriculum to be introduced and implemented this coming June to both Grade 1 and First Year high school students is based on the idea that we should be taking the students where they are," Luistro said in an interview.

But Luistro noted that excluding the subject does not mean that Science concepts will not be introduced to Grade 1 students at all. "We will be integrating topics in other subjects to make the new curriculum more child-friendly," he explained.

Luistro stressed that while the K to 12 curriculum is much more simplified, a lot of topics will be integrated in the subjects. "For instance, there will be no Science subject in Grade 1 but when the students do the readings, there will be Science concepts introduced but Science is not the subject," he explained.

Based on the design of the new curriculum, the learning areas for Grade 1 will be Mother Tongue, Filipino, Edukasyon sa Pagpapakatao, Music, Art, Physical Education and Health (MAPEH), Mathematics, Araling Panlipunan, and English – which will be taught in the second semester and will mainly focus on oral fluency.

Science, as a subject, will be introduced when they get to Grade 3; the Edukasyong Pantahanan at Pangkabuhayan when they reach Grade 4 and Technology and Livelihood Education when they become Grade 6 students.

Source: http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/349141/deped-drops-science-pupils

[pong]

Do you still want to have that iPhone? Read this:

In China, Human Costs Are Built Into an iPad
By CHARLES DUHIGG and DAVID BARBOZA
for the full report, click the link: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/26/business/ieconomy-apples-ipad-and-the-human-costs-for-workers-in-china.html?_r=1

Excerpt:
In its most recent supplier responsibility report, Apple wrote that after the explosion, the company contacted "the foremost experts in process safety" and assembled a team to investigate and make recommendations to prevent future accidents.

In December, however, seven months after the blast that killed Mr. Lai, another iPad factory exploded, this one in Shanghai. Once again, aluminum dust was the cause, according to interviews and Apple's most recent supplier responsibility report. That blast injured 59 workers, with 23 hospitalized.

"It is gross negligence, after an explosion occurs, not to realize that every factory should be inspected," said Nicholas Ashford, the occupational safety expert, who is now at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. "If it were terribly difficult to deal with aluminum dust, I would understand. But do you know how easy dust is to control? It's called ventilation. We solved this problem over a century ago."

In its most recent supplier responsibility report, Apple wrote that while the explosions both involved combustible aluminum dust, the causes were different. The company declined, however, to provide details. The report added that Apple had now audited all suppliers polishing aluminum products and had put stronger precautions in place. All suppliers have initiated required countermeasures, except one, which remains shut down, the report said.

For Mr. Lai's family, questions remain. "We're really not sure why he died," said Mr. Lai's mother, standing beside a shrine she built near their home. "We don't understand what happened."

[judE_Law]

Daang Matuwid ba ito? linisin mo muna bakuran mo!

---------------------------------
Sandigan suspends Noy aide over graft

By Michael Punongbayan (The Philippine Star) Updated February 04, 2012 12:00 AM Comments (52) 

MANILA, Philippines - The Sandiganbayan yesterday ordered Presidential Assistant on Climate Change and Laguna Lake Development Authority (LLDA) general manager Nereus Acosta placed under 90-day preventive suspension for alleged misuse of his pork barrel funds when he was a congressman representing Bukidnon.

The anti-graft court's Fourth Division directed the Office of the President through Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr. and the LLDA Board of Directors to implement the suspension of Acosta, who faces trial on charges of fraudulently disbursing P10.5 million in pork barrel funds.

In a 10-page resolution, the court ordered Acosta to "cease and desist from further performing and/or exercising the functions, duties, and privileges of the positions he is currently occupying."

The decision was in response to a motion filed by Ombudsman prosecutors Rabendranath Uy and Ireneo Paldeng urging the Sandiganbayan to implement the mandatory suspension of any official charged under the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.

Government lawyers said Acosta should be temporarily removed from his post "to prevent the accused public officer from hampering his prosecution by intimidating or influencing a witness, tampering with documentary evidence, or committing further acts of malfeasance."

The Sandiganbayan, in a ruling penned by Associate Justice Maria Cristina Cornejo, junked Acosta's argument that being an alter ego of the President, he could not be suspended.

"Only in matters pertaining to the department where he is assigned and where the President is required by law to exercise authority. The alter ego principle cannot be invoked with respect to acts committed by the public official concerned before his appointment as such Cabinet member or one with the rank of a Cabinet Secretary," the ruling read.

The Sandiganbayan said the criminal liability is personal to the offender and cannot be transferred to another as in Acosta's case.

The anti-graft court added the alter ego argument raised by Acosta is "erroneous" and "utterly bereft of legal basis."

"Accused may simply have ignored the fact that while he no longer holds office where and by virtue of which the questioned acts were committed, nevertheless, he remains to be a public official and not just a public official, but one with a Cabinet rank and as such, logically continues to be with influence," Cornejo said.

However, the suspension order against Acosta can still be appealed through the filing of a motion for reconsideration by the accused 15 days after its official receipt, the Sandiganbayan said.

If a motion for reconsideration is filed within the allowed period, the anti-graft court said the suspension order would not be implemented until after the appeal is resolved.

Acosta is accused of involvement in the allegedly illegal transfer of a Solar Tunnel Dryer worth P2.5 million from the municipality of Talakag to Manolo Fortich and its subsequent use and management by the Bukidnon Integrated Network of Home Industries, Inc (BINHI) when he was still serving as representative of the province.

He was also accused of releasing public funds to the same private entity in the amount of P2.5 million and releasing public funds amounting to P5.5 million to the Bukidnon Vegetables Producers Cooperative (BVPC), another private entity.



http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=774193&publicationSubCategoryId=63

[joshgroban]

Boston marathon attack kills three and injures more than 100 in two blasts

Two large explosions at the final stretch of the Boston Marathon killed at least three people and injured more than 100, sending a pall of smoke over the area and staining the sidewalks with blood.

The blasts took place in a crowd of spectators, just feet away from the finish line where hundreds of runners were completing the world's oldest annual marathon. Photographs showed the area along Boylston Street covered in injured people, with security guards and emergency workers scrambling to give first aid.

Witnesses said they had seen victims who had lost limbs. "There were a lot of people down," said Frank Deruyter, who was running the marathon.

An eight-year-old boy was among the dead. At the city's Children's Hospital a nine-year-old girl, a seven-year-old boy, a 12-year-old and another child aged two were among the injured, according to the Globe.

Early on Tuesday morning the Guardian witnessed FBI investigators entering and leaving a building in the Boston suburb of Revere, at one stage taking away a black plastic bag. The Associated Press said Massachusetts state police had confirmed that a search warrant related to the investigation into the explosions was served on Monday night in Revere but authorities provided no further details.

As many as two unexploded bombs were also found near the end of the 26.2-mile (42km) course as part of what appeared to be a well co-ordinated attack but they were safely disarmed, a senior US intelligence official told the Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

The two devices that caused the carnage had detonated without warning at about 2.50pm ET on Tuesday, the Boston police commissioner Ed Davis told reporters at a media briefing. Asked whether the city was under a terrorist attack, he replied: "We're not being definitive about this right now, but you can reach your own conclusions based on what happened."

The Reuters news agency said the devices used gunpowder as the explosive and were packed with ball bearings and other shrapnel to maximise injuries. Reuters said the description came from a senior law enforcement official briefed on the investigation who declined to be identified because of the sensitivity of the information.

Dozens of injured people were taken to local hospitals where some remained in a critical condition on Monday evening. The Associated Press put the number of injured at more than 130.

Police wearing camouflage uniforms and carrying assault rifles guarded the main entrance of Massachusetts General Hospital on Monday evening. Inside were 29 people injured in the blasts, including eight who were in a critical condition and undergoing surgery. Dr Alasdair Conn, the hospital's chief of emergency services, said at least four of them had arrived with traumatic amputations, meaning their limbs had been blown off.

President Obama, at a briefing at the White House, said: "The American people will say a prayer for Boston tonight. Michelle and I send our deepest thoughts and prayers to the families of the victims in the wake of this senseless loss."

Obama said he had spoken with the FBI director and the Department of Homeland Security, who were co-ordinating the federal response. He stopped short of using the word "terrorism" to describe the explosions but vowed to bring the perpetrators to justice.

"We will find out who did this and we will hold them accountable," he said. "Make no mistake, we will find out who did this and why they did this, and the groups or individuals responsible will feel the full weight of justice."

A White House official, speaking off the record, said the attack was being treated as an act of terrorism. But at a press conference on Monday night the FBI special agent who has taken control of the inquiry, Rick DesLauriers, said it was a "criminal investigation and potential terrorism investigation".

He refused to comment on reports that a "person of interest" was being treated at Brigham and Women's hospital in the city. The police commissioner flatly denied reports there was a suspect at the hospital.

Davis described the loss of life as "horrendous", adding: "This cowardly act will not be taken in stride. We will turn every rock over to find the people who are responsible for this."

The Massachusetts governor, Deval Patrick, said the city would be open on Tuesday "but it will not be business as usual".
Boston marathon The aftermath of the attack on the Boston Marathon. Photograph: Boston Globe/Getty Images

The blasts came at the climax of what should have been a day of great celebration for Boston and for marathon runners from around the world. The 26.2-mile race, which started in 1897 and is one of six World Marathon Majors, has almost 27,000 participants and attracts up to 500,000 spectators, making it a massive security operation for the local authorities.

The event takes place on Patriots' Day, a Massachusetts state holiday to mark the first battles of the revolutionary war against Britain. Monday is also "Tax Day" in the US, the deadline for individuals to file their tax returns.

After the explosions the city went into high alert. All off-duty police officers were brought back on the job and told that a maximum alert would remain indefinitely. Tests and controlled explosions were carried out on scores of parcels and backpacks that had been left strewn along the parade line in the panic that followed the blasts.
Police and runners react following two explosions at the Boston Marathon finish area. Police and runners react following two explosions at the Boston Marathon finish area. Photograph: MetroWest Daily News/Ken McGagh/Reuters

A no-fly zone was imposed in the immediate zone of the incidents and flights into local airports were suspended briefly. Boston residents and visitors to the marathon were advised to return home or stay in their hotel rooms, and to avoid congregating in public spaces. "People should be calm but they should understand this is an ongoing event," the police chief said.
'A loud boom ... then glass everywhere'

Wounded people were taken to the medical tent that had originally been set up to treat weary runners. One of the victims included a Boston police officer seen being wheeled away from the scene with a bleeding leg. Cherie Falgoust, who was waiting for her husband to finish the race, said: "I was expecting my husband any minute. I don't know what this building is ... it just blew. Just a big bomb, a loud boom, and then glass everywhere. Something hit my head. I don't know what it was. I just ducked."

Dennis Crowley, the founder of social media company Foursquare, was running in the race. He used Twitter to reassure family and friends that he was safe. His cousin witnessed the explosion and was "shaken but OK. FYI no one at mi 26 has any idea what's happening," he tweeted.

Crowley said cell phone service had been swamped by worried callers, mobile batteries were running out and runners were struggling to get through to their friends and relatives.

Doctors treating the 29 patients brought to Massachusetts General Hospital after Monday's blasts were seeing "a lot of shrapnel injuries", said Peter Fagenholz, a trauma surgeon.

Many of the most seriously wounded had sustained damage to their lower limbs, he said. Several of the patients had traumatic amputations and at least one patient had a shattered eardrum, Fagenholz said.

It was too early to say "how everybody is going to do" and a number of the patients would need repeated surgery in the coming days. Fagenholz added: "They're pretty brave, you know? It's a terrible thing and most patients' attitude is just 'Do what you have to do and try to make me better.'"

A spokesman for the White House said the administration was in contact with state and local authorities, with White House officials instructed to provide whatever assistance was necessary in the investigation and response.

Security was stepped up in New York City, with the NYPD's critical response vehicles being deployed, though it was not clear whether the move was a routine precaution or based on any specific intelligence.

In Boston there were accounts that the windows of a local restaurant were blown out. Security was stepped up in hotels and public buildings throughout the city.
Link to video: Aerial video shows Boston Marathon finish line aftermath

Chris Cassidy, a reporter with the Boston Herald who was taking part in the marathon, said he saw two explosions, accompanied by a loud bang and then smoke rising. "I kept running and I heard behind me a loud bang. It looked like it was in a trash can or something. That one was in front of Abe and Louie's. There are people who have been hit with debris, people with bloody foreheads."

Among the injured was Dean Smith, who had been standing close to the second blast site to watch his 27-year-old son finish the race. Both he and his son suffered minor injuries. "It felt like it was right there," he told the Guardian as he left hospital on Monday night, pointing to his car two feet away. "It was really close. My wife said I flew five feet."

Smith sustained a minor shrapnel wound to his right calf. His back was also injured and both his eardrums burst, he said. His son was expected to make a full recovery, he added.

Shaan Gandhi, a medical student at Massachusetts General Hospital, said the hospital was working flat out to take care of the injured. "It's supposed to be a really happy day," he said. "It's supposed to be a really quiet day and then this all happens."

He said he had seen a patient with severe leg injuries. "We were just trying to stop the bleeding as much as possible and try to save his life," Gandhi said. "I've never seen something like this."

This year's Boston Marathon, the 177th annual race in the city, was being staged in commemoration of the Newtown school shooting, in which 20 young children and six educators were killed in December. The finishing mile was dedicated to the victims of Newtown.