Frustrated over having to keep up with Sen. Miriam Santiago’s rapid-fire tirades at the trial of impeached Chief Justice Renato Corona, the Sign Language Association of the Philippines (SLAP) decided that henceforth the interpreter on duty will simply point a finger to his temple and move it in a circular motion whenever Miriam speaks. Just kidding.
Over the weekend, Sen. Santiago told dzBB radio that she had a brain scan after her blood pressure shot up following her full Brenda on private prosecutor Atty. Arthur Lim.
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Filomeno S. Sta. Ana III
January 30, 2012
in Yellow Pad
Jawidsawen nu Vatan! Is Ivatan. It means: How beautiful is Batanes!
Without a doubt, Batanes is beautiful. Together with Palawan or Siargao, Batanes is the poster image of the natural beauty of the Philippines. In my book, Batanes has one of the most scenic landscapes and among the friendliest people on earth. In Southeast Asia, it edges out Bali or Krabi.
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Manuel Buencamino
January 25, 2012
in Wala lang
Before yesterday’s hearing, I thought I had the defense strategy figured out: Tie the hands of the prosecution; block the submission of evidence by raising legal technicalities; confuse the public with legal gobbledygook; and distract everybody with the hairdo of Justice Cuevas. I figured wrong. I didn’t see the secret weapon of the defense: a remote control device to activate the motor mouth of lead prosecutor Iloilo Representative Niel Tupas.
Less talk, less mistake! Hasn’t anybody told Tupas that?
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Nepomuceno Malaluan
January 23, 2012
in Yellow Pad
The public disclosure element plays a very vital cog in the system of accountability that the Constitution wanted to achieve on SALNs. It empowers the citizens to scrutinize and verify the two other main elements of truthful declaration and submission.
But the public disclosure component leaves much to be desired in practice. One mechanism to frustrate compliance is through administrative avoidance. Rather than facilitating the orderly implementation of Section 8 (C) of RA 6713, some government agencies apply instead the general duty, also under RA 6713, to act promptly on letters and requests within 15 days from a request. Any response, including acknowledgement, referral, or indication of future action, is regarded as substantive compliance.
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Manuel Buencamino
January 18, 2012
in Wala lang
Gloria Arroyo wrote in the intro to her three thousand word rant against President Aquino, “I wrote this article (It’s the economy, student) on and off in my spare time during my house recuperation, re-hospitalization and hospital detention from October to December 2011.” Mukha nga.
That’s why Presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda dismissed it as “a political manifesto disguised as an economic paper” presented at “a press briefing masquerading as a colloquium.”
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Atty. Nepomuceno Malaluan
January 16, 2012
in Yellow Pad
Chief Justice Renato C. Corona’s impeachment has called attention to the legal requirement that public officers and employees submit a declaration of their assets, liabilities and net worth, or what is commonly referred to as SALNs. Under Article II of the Impeachment Complaint, Chief Justice Corona is accused of having “failed to disclose to the public his statement of assets, liabilities, and net worth”, that some of his properties “are not included in his declaration of his assets, liabilities, and net worth”, and that he has “accumulated ill-gotten wealth.”
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