2: Todays major developments
Balita News Group
Three oil firms defraud RP gov't of P150-B
MANILA - Three big oil firm allegedly have defrauded the Philippine
government of an estimated P150 billions of basic income and specific taxes
in 1990, 1992 and 1996. Named by Genaro Lualhati, 80, a retired Bureau of
Internal Revenue (BIR) division chief today said the oil firms involved in
tax fraud are Petron Corporation, Caltex (Phils.) Inc. and Pilipinas Shell
Corporation. Lualhati said the taxes defrauded by the three oil firms could
now have reached P150 billion, because of the surcharges from the unpaid
taxes. His allegation are contained in a letter to the late Bureau of
Internal Revenue (BIR) Commissioner Beethoven Rualo dated March 5, 1999 on
the three-year inaction of BIR on the original P43 billion tax discrepancy
from 1990 to 1996 committed by the said oil firms.
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GMA cites three-point formula for economic recovery development
MANILA - Tighten belts, work on a big budget deficit, and use money wisely.
Thus, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo summed up what the government has
been doing to improve the economy which, she said, is the "biggest
challenge" confronting her barely three-month-old administration. Asked in
an interview with an Indian journalist, Saeed Naqvi, at Malacanang Saturday,
about prospects for improving the country,s economy in the face of the
current world recession, she said "(we) have to do our part" regardless of
the status of world condition.
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Every department launching upgrading programs for poor GMA reveals
MANILA - President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo revealed that virtually every
government department and agency is launching or upgrading programs to boost
the income and well-being of the poor and least fortunate. The President
stressed during her speech at the Manila Overseas Press Club last March 29
that "it is by advancing the interests of the majority of the Filipinos,
especially the poor, and by demonstrating the highest standards of morality
and performance, that our administration will maintain its claim on the
nation,s allegiance." The Department of Agriculture has drawn up a food aid
program to help some 1-million members of the coconut sector hit by low
copra prices, the President said.
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GMA: Peace talks with MILF within context of RP's territorial integrity
MANILA - President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has stated that the peace talks
with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) shall be "in the context of
(our) territorial integrity." The President said her impression of a meeting
between the government and Moro rebel representatives, held in Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysia, the previous week, was that the MILF was no longer fighting for an
independent state. A government panel, led by Presidential Adviser on Peace
Process Eduardo Ermita, signed recently at the Malaysia capital an accord
with its MILF counterpart on the resumption of peace talks. However, no date
and venue for the negotiations have so far been designated. "The way that
they talked to us in Kuala Lumpur, they are willing to talk to us in the
context of our territorial integrity," Mrs. Arroyo told Indian journalist
Saeed Naqvi Saturday in an interview at Malacanan Palace.
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GMA leads PPC rally in Mandaluyong
MANILA - President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo last night (March 31) led the
proclamation rally of the local candidates in Metro Manila running under the
People Power Coalition (PPC) held in Mandaluyong City. In her remarks during
the occasion, the President thanked the local candidates of PPC in Metro
Manila for their significant role in the recent People Power II, which led
to the ouster of former President Joseph Estrada. She particularly lauded
the organizers of the so-called Kangkong brigade, which trooped to EDSA
during that fateful event and expressed their strong desire for a change of
government.
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GMA gets Metro bets' pledge to fight graft/gambling and illegal drugs
MANILA - President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo witnessed last night (March 31)
the reading of the People Power Coalition (PPC) senatorial and Metro Manila
candidates of the Kasunduan sa Taumbayan (Agreement with the People),
wherein they promised to fight graft and corruption in government, gambling
and illegal drugs. "Magsisikap kami upang sugpuin ang katiwalian at lahat ng
anyo ng korapsyon sa pamahalaan. Pupuksain namin ang salot ng ilegal na
droga at sugal (We will strive to fight graft and corruption in government.
We will crush the menace of illegal drugs and gambling)," the PPC candidates
said during the proclamation rally of Metro Manila candidates held in
Mandaluyong City. They pledged that they will stand for the cause of
building a new politics which is rooted on the spirit of the recent People
Power in EDSA and launch a kind of governance which fully recognizes one
very important truth: that true power emanates from the hands of the people.
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Gov't employes demand for P3T pay hike
CEBU CITY - A group of government employes is asking the Macapagal-Arroyo
administration to approve the P3,000 across-the-board salary increase.
Confederation for Unity, Recognition and Advancement of Government Employees
(Courage) national president Ferdinand Gaite said that granting the raise
will not be too hard for the government. "If we realign the budget, it can
be done," Gaite said during the organization's first regional assembly in
Cendet along Osmena Blvd., Cebu City on Friday. Courage is an organization
of all government employes in different agencies. Gaite said that the
national budget allocates too much for debt servicing and the military. "The
problem is not money. It is in the prioritization," he added.
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Campaigns begin in Manila with festive atmosphere
MANILA - Political campaigns began in festive atmosphere in the city. The
campaign period for local officials began last Friday, April 30, with former
Department of Interior and Local Government Secretary Alfredo Lim hosting a
dinner for retirees of the Western Police District. Lim was former chief of
the Western Police District, served as Director of the National Bureau of
Investigation then elected twice as Mayor of Manila. He is running against
his former Vice Mayor, Lito Atienza, now the city's executive. Aside from
Lim and Atienza, Amado Bagatsing is also running as Mayor of Manila.
Bagatsing is a son of former Manila Mayor Ramon Bagatsing. The candidates
have began swapping charges and calling their opponents names.
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ePLDT allocates P1.5-B for Visa Cash Card
MANILA -- ePLDT, the Internet vehicle of the dominant Philippine Long
Distance Telephone Company (PLDT), has allocated P1.5 billion for its Visa
Cash Card which will be launched within the year. Of the amount, P400
million will be spent on the first year. The PLDT Visa Cash Card is
chip-based payment card that may be used for multiple transactions and is
reloadable. It may be used to make phone calls at PLDT payphones, to pay for
purchases at the SM Department Stores and Jollibee Food Corp`s fast food
chain stores. The PLDT Visa Cash Card issuers will also be able to run a
loyalty rebate program for customers. The smart card can also be used for
offline transactions while at the same time addressing the coin shortage.
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30 drew death verdicts in March
MANILA -- Thirty convicts were meted out death sentences in March, bringing
to 1,720 the total number of inmates on death row, Senator Loren Legarda, an
official of the anti-crime Citizen`s DrugWatch Foundation, reported over the
weekend. Of the 30, Legarda said 12 were condemned for aggravated rape, 10
for qualified bribery, six for murder and two for robbery with homicide.
Among the convicts were 10 former police officers, including a
superintendent, who took a P650,000 bribe in exchange for the irregular
release of two Chinese men arrested for large-scale drug trafficking in
Quezon City, according to Legarda. The senator said the convicts also
included seven fathers who raped their daughters. Legarda said there are now
896 convicted rapists on death row.
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Don't mess with the peace process PPC tells the opposition
MANILA - THE People Power Coalition called on the opposition to stop
meddling with the ongoing efforts of the government to talk peace with the
Moro Islamic Liberation Front and to cease from politicizing the process
which will directly benefit Mindanaons. PPC senatorial bet Liwayway
Vinzons-Chato asked the opposition to set aside political bickering and
grandstanding that only tend to confuse and divide the public on the peace
process issue. "This is not in the first place a political issue. This
process is very important for the Mindanaons because this is something which
will directly affect them. This is very important for them, so please don't
mess with it," said Chato whose husband hails from Surigao. Chato assailed
Pwersa ng Masa senatorial bets Juan Ponce Enrile and Orly Mercado for
issuing statements detrimental to the ongoing peace process.
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GMA launches 'Sundays in Malacanang Gardens'
MANILA - President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo today launched "Sundays in
MalacaÑang Gardens," an innovative project that opens the gates and gardens
of MalacaÑang to the people and offers free cultural and other forms of
entertainment for the whole family. A Holy Mass officiated by Monsignor
Augusto Laban, chaplain of the Office of the President (OP), at 9 a.m.
officially opened the weekly event which is meant to turn MalacaÑang into a
true Palace of the People. The President mingled with the crowds, composed
mostly of family groups who brought along picnic baskets and enjoyed the
entertainment offered by the Letran Band, the Philippine Madrigal Singers
and Ballet Philippines. The Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO),
one of government agencies participating in the President,s project, set up
a medical and dental mission composed of doctors and dentists who attended
to almost 400 patients as of noontime. The Technology Livelihood and
Resource Center also set up a booth where they featured soap-making processes.
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GMA hailed for Mindanao development project
MANILA - Several leaders from the different sectors in Mindanao today
expressed their unequivocal support to the efforts of President Gloria
Macapagal-Arroyo to harmonize the society and propel growth in the area. In
a statement, former Cotabato City Mayor Virgilio Rey Retana said the
President's effort to rehabilitate and develop Abubakar, Bushra and Rajah
Muda is a long overdue initiative deserving of the support from all sectors
in Mindanao. "The development of these communities and enclaves of the Moro
Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) is long overdue," Retana said. Last Friday,
the President said the development of Abubakar, Bushra and Rajah Muda will
start immediately since the government and the MILF have already agreed that
the areas are not camps of the Muslim separatist group but mere
"communities" similar to the other communities in the entire Mindanao.
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Traders seek re-opening of barter trade with Malaysia
ZAMBOANGA CITY - Muslim traders in Southern Philippines have appealed to
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to re-open conventional barter trading
with neighboring Malaysia and to promote the region as a new trading hub in
Southeast Asia, according to Sulu Governor Abdusakur Tan. The President is
expected to visit this port city soon to campaign for the administration's
senatorial candidates. She is also expected to go to Sulu to inaugurate
provincial government projects, among them a multi-million solar-power
potable water and irrigation system funded by the Asian Development Bank
(ADB). Tan said traders in his largely Muslim province appeal to Mrs.
Macapagal-Arroyo to allow them to engage in "traditional livelihood" to help
them cope with the present economic situation.
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SEABA starts Tuesday with RP playing Singapore
MANILA - After months of uncertainty, a basketball crisis and a bogus
cancellation, the 4th South East Asia Basketball Association (SEABA) Men's
Championships comes off the wraps beginning Tuesday at the Rizal Memorial
Coliseum with host Philippines testing its mettle against Singapore. The RP
Men's Team begins defense of its title against the Singaporeans at 3:30 p.m.
after the 1:30 p.m. game between Thailand and Brunei and before the 5:30
p.m. sked pitting Malaysia and Vietnam. Indonesia, the seventh and last team
to confirm participation, debuts on Wednesday against Brunei. Philippine
team head coach Dave Zamar said his wards, composed of the best players from
the Metropolitan Basketball Association and who have been training for the
past five months are ready and confident to take on all contenders.
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Globe Telecom to offer GPRS
MANILA - Globe Telecom will commercially launch its General packet radio
Service (GPRS) by the second quarter of this year. GPRS will enable Globe
handyphone subscribers to send and receive bigger data files like
photographs, graphics and video clips using cellular phones. It provides a
continous connection to the internet at data transmission speeds of up to
115 kbps but without continous charging. Rodolfo Salalima, Globe senior vice
president for corporate and regulatory affairs, said the firm is also
planning to establish a new-optic system that will link its submarine cable
system being constructed in Batangas to Cebu and Iligan.
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Parliamentarians to draft strategies to control TB in the Western Pacific
Region
MANILA - Dozens of parliamentarians and government ministers from 10
countries in the Western Pacific Region are gathering in Manila to discuss
strategies to fight tuberculosis (TB) from April 2 to 3, 2001. The meeting,
hosted by the Western Pacific Regional Office of World Health Organization
(WHO) in collaboration with the International Medical Parliamentarians
Organizations, follows World TB Day last March 24 where the magnitude of the
TB crisis and WHO`s responses was highlighted. Although people in developing
as well as developed countries can be affected by TB, rapid urbanization was
highlighted. An estimated 1.9 billion people worldwide are infected with the
TB bacili and one third of the infected lives in the Western Pacific Region.
More than 1,000 people die of tubercolosis in the Region every day;
Cambodia, China, the Philippines and Vietnam have the highest numbers.
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SPORTS: Mobiline topples Shell 77-54
MANILA - Mobiline moved up at 6-7 to become a contender of the last slot for
the Top 4 position of the All Filipino Cup quarterfinals at the Araneta
Coliseum by shooting down league leader Shell Turbo Chargers, 77-54, in
tonight's main game. Shell, already assured of twice-to-beat advantage with
a 9-4 card, was shooting for its 10th win to fortify its chances at the top
but played uncharacteristically soft to practically hand the victory to the
hungry Phone Pals. The battle was on even keel in the first quarter at
15-15. In the second period, Mobiline started inching its way ahead with a
36-32 advantage. The Phone Pals ballooned their lead to 58-41 in the third
quarter as they blanked Shell 16-0 with barely six minutes left.
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SPORTS: Pop Cola whips Alaska 93-90
MANILA - Pop Cola exacted revenge on Alaska tonight by whacking them with a
93-90 defeat to get into the Top 4 and gained a twice-to-beat advantage of
the PBA All Filipino Cup at the Big Dome in Quezon City. The first three
teams that captured the twice-to-beat advantage are Shell, San Miguel Beer
and Purefoods With its 7-5 win-loss card, the Pop Cola Panthers are now
temporarily in third place while Alaska has dropped to a 7-6 slate which
makes it difficult for the Aces to go further because Ginebra and Red Bull
stand a fighting chance with their 6-6 cards. The scores were close all the
way until Rudy Hatfield opened the fourth period with back-to-back baskets
for a 61-50 lead for his team and then Nelson Asaytono padded it to 71-57 at
6:54 to go. Pop Cola rejoiced with the sterling performance of Rudy Hatfield
who tallied 24 points, 23 rebounds and three assists while Nelson Asaytono
perked up with 22 markers, four rebounds and eight out of 10 field goals.