Balita briefs for May 1
Wayne Johns
-- GMA to lead Labor Day celebration
-- Reyes laughs off junta yarn
-- DILG debunks report that mayors no longer recognize GMA
-- MMDA to reimplement waste segregation starting May 1
-- Comelec assures no ballot box shortage in May 14 polls
-- Immigration employees banned from entering casinos
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NOW THE NEWS IN DETAIL...
President Macapagal-Arroyo will lead the nation in its celebration of Labor
Day today honoring the country's 31 million workers and citing their role
as a major component of the economy.
In her message, the President welcomed the occasion as an opportunity for
strengthening national unity to foster workers' progress and welfare.
Mrs. Arroyo believed that unity would pave the way for the working class to
have enough stable jobs, decent wages, and the opportunity for professional
upliftment and prosperous living.
The President assured workers that her administration would closely look
after their welfare being an integral part of the nation's economy.
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IN A RELATED DEVELOPMENT...
Labor Secretary Patricia Sto. Tomas said that it is time for the
Macapagal-Arroyo administration to give all workers a new deal.
Sto. Tomas said the administration should strive mightily to translate its
plans, programs and projects to give all workers a fair share of the
nations' fruits and uplift them far above the subsistence level.
The labor secretary also noted the downtrend in strikes during the first
quarter of 2001, however, the government, she said, is still apprehensive
that labor unrest will rise in the last two quarters of the year as it
pointed out that collective bargaining agreements (CBAs) in many firms will
expire this year.
But Sto. Tomas said DOLE officials are confident that offices and agencies
responsible for labor relations will be able to temper the expected rise in
labor disputes.
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MEANWHILE...
Defense Secretary Angelo T. Reyes yesterday laughed off reports of a
military junta branding it as "baseless, unfounded politically- motivated
rumor."
Reyes told defense reporters that there is no threat whatsover of a
military junta apparently floated by politicians supporting jailed
President Joseph Estrada.
For his part, an angry Maj. Gen. Librado Ladia, commandant of the
Philippine Marines, strongly denied he received a big amount of money to
defect to the opposition.
Ladia, a war veteran in two Mindanao wars against Muslim rebels, reiterated
his full support to the government of President Macapagal- Arroyo.
Also a Mindanao war veteran, AFP chief of staff Gen. Diomedio Villanueva
said the military is united as ever and all generals under him have pledged
their loyalty to defend the government of Ms. Arroyo.
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IN A RELATED DEVELOPMENT...
The Department of the Interior and Local Government yesterday branded as
mere propaganda the report that 900 municipal mayors have withdrawn their
recognition of the administration of President Gloria Macapagal- Arroyo.
Interior and Local Government Undersecretary for Local Government Eduardo
R. Soliman said the report is a mere propaganda strategy concocted by
certain political opportunists who want to take advantage of the present
situation to advance their political ambitions.
Soliman said he had talked to the members of the League of Municipalities
of the Philippines and they disowned the report.
Soliman suspected that the mayors' league is being used by Mayor Raymundo
Roquero of Valderama, Antique, who is known to be a protegee of San Juan
Mayor Jinggoy Estrada.
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IN OTHER NEWS...
The Metro Manila Development Authority will reimplement the waste
segregation scheme starting today with great hopes that the public will
adopt the practice after several attempts failed to institutionalize the
scheme.
MMDA Chairman Benjamin S. Abalos told reporters the scheme would restart
despite the current political conflict.
The Metrowide reimplementation of waste segregation was agreed upon by the
MMDA, the Association of Barangay Captains and the Solid Waste Contractors
Association of the Philippines.
It was agreed however, that during the initial period, segregated garbage
will be collected six days each week and unsegregated wastes only on the
seventh day, thus households will be compelled to sort out their wastes to
avoid garbage backlog in their homes.
Garbage will also be sorted into two general types, the dry or
non-biodegradable wastes and the wet or biodegradable wastes to simplify
the process and encourage homeowners to sort out garbage.
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MEANWHILE...
Commission on Elections Chairman Alfredo Benipayo yesterday assured that
there will be no ballot box shortage in the May 14 national and local
elections.
Benipayo made the assurance following the withdrawal of election protests
filed by People Power Coalition senatorial candidate Roberto Pagdanganan
and Quezon City congressional bet Edcel Lagman.
Benipayo said the withdrawal of the election protests by the two candidates
would allow the use of additional 172,374 ballot boxes in the May 14 polls
thus augmenting the poll body's ballot box shortage.
Earlier, the Comelec was reported to be experiencing ballot box shortage
after the Senate Electoral Tribunal refused the Commission's request to use
said boxes until Pagdanganan and Lagman agreed to withdraw their cases.
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MEANWHILE...
Immigration Commissioner Andrea Domingo yesterday warned Bureau of
Immigration employees against going to casinos and other gambling places or
face suspension or dismissal from the service.
Domingo aired the warning in a memorandum banning bureau employees from
directly or indirectly participating in any form of gambling in casinos and
other establisments where gambling activities are held.
She also prohibited the employees from soliciting and inducing a fellow
employee to give money or bet in any gambling activity.
Domingo said she has received reports from various agencies that many
immigration employees frequent casinos, thereby tarnishing the bureau's
image and its personnel.
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FINALLY THE WEATHER...
Mindanao will experience mostly cloudy skies with scattered rainshowers and
thunderstorms. The rest of the country will have partly cloudy to at times
cloudy skies with isolated rainshowers or thunderstorms.
Light to moderate winds blowing from the northeast and east will prevail
over the country and the coastal waters throughout the archipelago will be
slight to moderate.
Metro Manila will be partly cloudy to at times cloudy with isolated
rainshowers or thunderstorms, winds light to moderate blowing from the
northeast and east, Manila Bay slight to moderate, temperature range is 24
to 35 degrees Celsius.
Sunrise at 5:34; sunset comes at 6:12. (PNA) VCS/
PNA 05010642