Do you see the look on Gloria’s face as she swears in her chief justice? She seems to be saying “Bwahaha! Naisahan ko kayo! Jejeje!”
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Chief Justice Renato Corona
Category: Government
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New Supreme Court Justice
President Arroyo yesterday appointed Court of Appeals Presiding Justice Ruben Reyes as newest Supreme Court associate justice.
I was pleased to hear this news as it I think it is just fair that the CA presiding justice should be promoted to the High Court before anyone else. I was about to say maybe the President is becoming more prudent in appointing people–then I remembered that Lito Atienza took his oath as environment secretary just this week.
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Peace?
“President Arroyo’s policy since day one of her administration has been to push the peace process. And peace process means making peace with those fighting the government,” abs-cbnNEws.com quoted Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita as saying.
He should try telling that to the relatives of the more than 800 extrajudicial killing victims, who are mostly critics of the government.
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Devanadera on SC’s Batasan 5 Decision
Radio DZBB and GMANews.tv reported that the administration will appeal the Supreme Court’s decision that dismissed the rebellion case against the Reps. Satur Ocampo, Teddy Casiño, Joel Virador, Liza Maza, and Crispin Beltran–the activist lawmakers collectively known as the Batasan 6.
The reports quoted Solicitor General Agnes Devanadera –a former Government Corporate Counsel–as saying that the “the government decided to file an appeal to the High Court to bring back the stability of the justice system.”
Devanadera has a point there. The SC sided nga naman with the “destabilizers.” Hehe.
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The Invitation
President Arroyo “has invited former Vice President Teofisto Guingona to spearhead development programs attuned to the 10-point agenda, ” according to Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye.
But the Manila Bulletin, quoting “Malacanang insiders” reported that the invitation “may run in conflict with her earlier designation of Vice President Noli de Castro as alternate chairman of the National Anti-Poverty Commission, Presidential Adviser on OFWs, and Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council chairman.”
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Tax Terror
Three nights ago, my flatmates were discussing how difficult times are getting. One was complaining that while she was living independently and earning her own keep, she would sometimes borrow money from her mother just to survive. I myself experience living from one pay check to the next. A lot of times, when I feel the urge for a little luxury, I would mentally charge the cost to my next pay, spending some from what little I save. I could only imagine the woes of those who have the burden of earning for their families towards new tax measures proposed by some, whom Sen. Joker Arroyo aptly named as “tax terrorists.”
Franchise tax for telecoms, P2 per liter oil excise tax, sin taxes (the latter one I approve of), these are just some proposals to remedy our growing budget deficit. I could imagine my brother saying, “Anlaki-laki ng tax na binabayaran mo, saan naman napupunta?!” As if the unequal distribution of wealth in the country isn’t worse enough. What’s next? Television watching tax?
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Proclaimed
Before dawn today, while most of us were still in dreamland, the Philippine Congress formally proclaimed Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo as the president-elect and Noli de Castro as the vice-president-elect.
After being proclaimed, Arroyo called for unity: “This is the time for forgiveness and letting-go-of-the-past,” she said.
But how could she call on the people to forgive and forget when doubts on the credibility of the recent elections that made her remain in power persist?