Tag: Benigno Aquino III

Gatdula axed as NBI Director

Published by Ellen on January 20, 2012

President Aquino said he has lost trust on NBI Director Magtanggol Gatdula. He is president and he has every right to fire anybody whom he no longer trusts.

But there must be competent way to do it.

After the Department of Justice implicated NBI Director Magtanggol Gatdula in kidnapping and extortion, here comes the DOJ Undersecretary Francisco Baraan saying they didn’t make any conclusion.

Take a look at the letter Justice Secretary Leila de Lima sent to the Ombudsman. She can’t decide who she is sending the letter to.

De Lima letter to Ombudsman re gatdula — Please click on photo to view it enlarged

‘Beyond my competence’

Published by Ellen on January 20, 2012

Kris, PNoy, Yingluck — Kris Aquino's competence

The quote for this week should be: “It’s not within my competence.”

That was what Supreme Court Clerk of Court Enriquita Vidal told the Senate-turned-impeachment court when she was still in a dilemma whether to comply with the trial court’s order to produce the Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Networth of Chief Justice Renato Corona.

A variation of it, “It’s not within the competence of the witness,” was former Associate Justice Serafin Cuevas’ constant protest when prosecution lawyers would ask records custodians-witnesses to comment on the veracity of the contents of the documents that they were merely told to bring to the impeachment court.

Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda also said, “It is not within my competence.”

Mapayapa at masaganang bagong taon

Published by Ellen on January 1, 2012

Riding the wave — Sakay sa agos ng buhay,payapa man o maalon.

Taong 2012 na tayo.

Sa mga katulad ko na nasa pangalawang buhay (nagkaroon ako ng ovarian cancer noong 2003), bawat minuto dito sa mundo ay bonus na. Kaya kapag nakabuo ng isang taon, talagang malaking bonus.

Alam ko naman na darating na rin talaga ang oras na kailangan nang pumunta sa pupuntahan natin lahat. Palagi ko iniisip, paano ngayon kung tanungin ako ng Panginoon, ano ang ginawa mo sa bonus na binigay ko sa iyo?

Actress’ tweets earned brickbats for PNoy

Published by Ellen on December 18, 2011

Interaksyon’s article by Mark Holandes Ubalde:

While nation mourns Sendong’s dead, Aquino partying with actresses in Palace?

Statement of Communications Secretary Ricky Carandang issued today, Dec. 19, 2011.

Yesterday (Sunday), a decision was made to cancel cabinet Christmas party but PSG decided to push thrpugh with its party since relatives of soldiers had already flown in from the provinces. The President dropped by the PSG party.

Where was President Benigno S. Aquino III on Sunday evening, as the people of Cagayan de Oro and Iligan cities and several other areas in Visayas and Mindanao grapple with the devastation of tropical storm Sendong? Apparently, drinking with his security personnel in Malacanang, and laughing and exchanging jokes with actresses.

Related article:
http://www.interaksyon.com/article/19918/aquino-to-visit-flood-ravaged-areas-dec–20-not-dec–27

This was according to a post on Twitter by actress Valerie Concepcion on Sunday, the same day the combined death toll in Cagayan de Oro and Iligan climbed to more than 600.

“Done w/ work.. Tnx for having me.. 🙂 It was nice to see Pres. P-Noy laughing at my jokes & enjoying my performance..ü #Malacañang #PSGNight,“ Concepcion said in her tweet that has since been deleted as of posting time.

More, Mr. President

Published by Ellen on December 6, 2011

Aquino, Corona, Enrile — Body language tells it all

Go on, Mr. President. Give the mob what they want. Don’t waste the momentum that you have gained. Take over the Arroyo appointees-dominated Supreme Court. Your popularity will rise higher no Philippine President has ever achieved.

You were right in humiliating Chief Justice Renato Corona. He deserves it for being Gloria Arroyo’s lackey.

Teach him a lesson for conspiring with Arroyo in putting one over the people and assuming the top SC position when the 60-day election ban was in force.

You are right about reminding him, to his face and in public, and the people that he is a “midnight” appointee.

“Hindi ito ang unang beses na gumawa ang Korte Suprema ng mga desisyong napakahirap unawain. Ayon sa article 7, section 15 ng Saligang batas, ‘Ang isang Pangulo ay hindi dapat gumawa ng mga paghirang sa loob ng dalawang buwan bago sumapit ang susunod na halalang pampanguluhan at hanggang sa matapos ang kanyang taning ng panunungkulan, maliban na lamang sa mga pansamantalang paghirang sa mga katungkulang ehekutibo.’

Pres. Aquino slams Corona at 1st National Criminal Justice summit

Published by Ellen on December 5, 2011

Following is the speech of President Aquino Monday at the 1st National Criminal Justice Summit where he slammed Chief Justice Renato Corona. I’ll make my commentary later today.

Magandang umaga ho. Maupo ho tayong lahat.

Ako na ho pala agad. Sana ho hindi ako late.

Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile; Speaker Sonny Belmonte; honorable members of the House of Representatives present; Chief Justice Renato Corona and the honorable members of the Supreme Court, Court of Appeals, and Sandiganbayan; excellencies of the diplomatic corps; Secretary Leila de Lima; Secretary Jesse Robredo; Secretary Eduardo de Mesa: Secretary Cesar Garcia; Chairman Francis Tolentino; Presiding Justice Villaluz of the Sandiganbayan; men and women of the Philippine National Police, led by Director General Nicanor Bartolome; civil society; nongovernment organizations; fellow workers in government; honored guests; ladies and gentlemen:

Ang pagtitipon natin ngayong umaga ay isang pagkakataon para higit na masuri ang lakas at kahinaan ng ating kasalukuyang criminal justice system, at makalikom ng mga makabago at napapanahong inisyatibang pangkatarungan. Masasabi nating napapanahon ito: dahil sa mga araw-araw na headline sa diyaryo at telebisyon, nasasaksihan din ngayon ng buong bansa kung gaano kasalimuot ang trabaho ng mga clerk of court, abugado, at huwes.

Please, no more study groups, Mr. President

Published by Ellen on October 13, 2011

Pnoy at Focap, Oct 12, 1011 — Resuming the tradition with foreign correspondents

It is within the rights of President Aquino to deny the desire of the Marcos family for a state burial for President Ferdinand Marcos.

If Aquino thinks that Marcos’ dictatorship nullified the latter’s two-term presidency and disqualified him for a state burial, he is entitled to that opinion.

Since Aquino is the president now, his decision will be followed in political matters, which the Marcos burial issue, has become.

At the forum hosted by the Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines last Wednesday, Aquino announced his decision to ignore the recommendation of Vice President Binay whom he had tasked to study the issue that his three predecessors – Fidel Ramos, Joseph Estrada, and Gloria Arroyo, did not want to handle.

Aquino cited the many victims of Marcos’ martial law that includes his father, Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr.

Pres. Aquino meets with MILF chair Murad

Published by Ellen on August 5, 2011

By Carolyn O. Arguillas
Mindanews

Aquino wd Murad — Aquino and Murad in a Tokyo Hotel Thursday evening. Photo by OPPAP

GENERAL SANTOS CITY- Now the silence can be explained.

President Benigno Simeon Aquino III and Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) chair Al Haj Murad Ebrahim shook hands and talked peace for two hours in a hotel in Japan with their respective panel chairs taking down notes, the President’s Cabinet members and the MILF’s peace panel and Central Committee members as well as the Malaysian facilitator waiting outside the meeting room.

The President and the MILF chair agreed to move the negotiations forward to ensure that whatever agreement is forged can be implemented within the Aquino administration whose term ends on June 30, 2016, the chairs of both panels told MindaNews in separate telephone interviews. How the talks can move forward, the panels will discuss when they meet within the month, they said.

Aquino’s hard sell a turnoff

Published by Ellen on March 24, 2011

Aquino in Cagayan de Oro — Speaking in a press conference as a private citizen?

President Aquino should be told there are times when things are better left unsaid.

If he is worried that some people underestimate his intelligence and competence and thinks that by indiscriminately sharing information and his thoughts, he will earn respect as a leader, he is mistaken.

One flabbergasted political observer described him as “a male Kris Aquino.” And that’s not flattering at all for a leader.

A day after the House of Representatives approved in an overwhelming vote the impeachment of Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez, the President appealed to the people: “As the Senate prepares to try the Ombudsman, I urge you to support this (impeachment) and other efforts to fight corruption.”

Reminded of the principle of separation of powers in a republican state which the Philippines is, Aquino said, “I may be a president but I am also a citizen of this republic.”

Expect more of the same incompetence in foreign relations

Published by Ellen on January 2, 2011

sepsep — This is what earned Romulo the retention to the foreign secretary post.

By now, after six months in Malacañang, we have to say that there is so much more that President Aquino will have to do to earn our admiration as the country’s chief executive.

We don’t expect him to master all issues but it is important that he knows how to choose people to help him run the country. He should have an eye for , to borrow a phrase from what American journalist David Halberstam , the best and the brightest.

The late President Marcos was gifted with such talent even as he himself was brilliant. There were executives who were not intellectually heavyweights but were honest enough to admit their inadequacies and did the smart thing of hiring the “best and the brightest.” The one that comes to mind is former Ambassador to the US Benjamin Romualdez who tapped the brains and skill of the bright boys in the Department of Foreign Affairs namely Pacifico Castro,Rodolfo Severino and others.

President Aquino and his Malacanang team are weak in the area of foreign affairs. And the worrisome thing about this is, they don’t seem to realize it. They do not know that they do not know about foreign affairs.