Is there really a rice crisis? Or is it really that worse? There is a suffice supply of rice, especially in Mindanao, but the prices are too high. Even the poorest of the poor could not afford it.

A very well known politician, close to PGMA, in Mindanao is reportedly supplying NFA rice to his workers. In short, the politician is reportedly ‘abusing’ his power to secure sacks of NFA rice to feed his workers.

This is happening while his constituents across Mindanao could hardly afford the skyrocketing prices of rice and other basic commodities.

South Cotabato Gov. Daisy Avance-Fuentes is also wondering where have their rice supplies gone. Fuentes said her province is  a ‘rice granary’ but then they are suffering shortages even as the farmers in the  province have just harvested .

Oh well, the rice shortage issue could be nothing but meant to overshadow the corruption scandals that’s been rigging the Arroyo administration.

HOT SPOT.  These soldiers had a grand time browsing pornographic websites during the first day of the Local Peace and Security Assembly (LPSA) in Tagum City’s Bulwagan ng Lalawigan on Thursday, while National Security Adviser Norberto Gonzales was delivering a speech. President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo attended the event the next day. The soldiers managed to go online because the venue had been turned into a wifi hotspot for the event. (Davao Today)

Official development assitance (ODA) is just like an apple in the Holy Bible that has tempted Adam and committed a sin.  As billions of ODA-assisted projects have been poured in our country, billions too could have been pocketed by our government officials. These government officials are making these projects as their milking cow.

ODA surge sparks scandals for Arroyo

The $329-million national broadband network (NBN) project has been scrapped but over the last seven months, it continues to cause a frenzy among executive and legislative officials, and sparked allegations of abduction in apparent official attempts to cover up the corruption that marred the project. The core issue, however, is the sharp surge in official development assistance (ODA) in recent years that has sparked scandals and allegations of corruption, and threatens to drag Filipino taxpayers deeper in debt. The Philippines received an average of new ODA loans of $741 million in 2003 and 2005. In 2006, this soared to $1.3 billion.

Despite all sorts of obstacles, the country finally looks well on its way toward having medical facilities that are clear of mercury.

IT’S A shimmery, shiny substance that seems to have a mind of its own when held between one’s fingers. In the Philippines, it is commonly found in thermometers that are widely used in hospitals to check on patients’ temperatures or are sold over the counter for household use. Other medical devices, in fact, still use elemental or metallic mercury — even if this is a known toxic substance that can be absorbed by the skin and can easily penetrate biological membranes, including the blood-brain barrier. [read on]

The PNP’s assertion to obtain the copy of the copy of the footages of the stand-off in Makati only shows how desperate they are. It’s their only way to shoot back at Trillanes’ group as well as with the media because both may have outsmarted them. The police or military failed to intercept Trillanes’ move.

Now, DOJ Secretary Raul Gonzales is seeking the help of NTC to obtain the copy of the tape from the ABS-CBN, which they also accused of having a hand in the failed revolt. It’s a damn desperate act of the government, an act to suppress the press. Dahil naisahan kayo, media pag-iinitan nyo?

Police condemned for arresting journalists

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) condemns the actions of the Philippines police in detaining and arresting 17 journalists who were reporting on the takeover by rebel army soldiers of a hotel in Manila on November 29.

The obstruction of journalists in the conduct of their work came as the Philippine National Police stormed the Peninsula Hotel to end a seven-hour stand-off with disgruntled rebel soldiers attempting a coup.

According to the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP), an affiliate of the IFJ, journalists were detained along with rebel soldiers. The Government said it had wanted to ensure rebel troops did not slip away among the journalists covering the incident. However, journalists were taken by police to the National Capital Region Police Office in Bicutan, and police confiscated video footage from some journalists.

The IFJ’s Asia-Pacific Director, Jacqueline Park, said the police action against the journalists is a great disappointment in a country where media freedom is meant to be constitutionally guaranteed.

“The detention of journalists in the Philippines can be seen as an attempt by the Government to intimidate media personnel into less aggressive reporting of political events,” Ms Park said. “Some news anchors covering the coup attempt at the hotel are well-known personalities who would be easily identifiable to police and therefore could not have been mistaken for rebel soldiers.”

The IFJ welcomes reports today that the President, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, regretted the detention of journalists. However, the IFJ calls on her Government to make a firm commitment that such action will not be repeated in the future.

The NUJP is concerned that some media organizations may have been sufficiently intimidated into softening their coverage of future events.

The IFJ joins the NUJP in condemning the actions of the Philippines police and calling on the Government to uphold the constitutional freedom of the media to ensure that media personnel are not intimidated or detained for doing their jobs.

For further information contact IFJ Asia-Pacific on +61 2 9333 0919
The IFJ represents over 600,000 journalists in 114 countries