Jalosjos' Time Running Out; Colleagues Set To Suspend Him
CONGRESSMAN Romeo Jalosjos has until tomorrow to turn himself in before the House of Representatives decides on taking punitive action against him. Sources say the House is inclined to suspend Jalosjos for evading arrest. But even then, it's a decision Congressmen are already agonizing over. The 72-hour ultimatum for Congressman Jalosjos to turn himself in to the authorities expires tomorrow at 10:00 in the morning. When it does, the House committee on ethics will recommend a 60-day suspension for the congressman for "disorderly behaviour." "Disorderly behaviour" is ground for the ethics committee to recommend a congressman be suspended or expelled. By a vote of 2/3, Congress as a whole can carry out the punishment.
In a meeting this morning, the ethics committee decided to take drastic action against Romeo Jalosjos. They will meet again tomorrow. Ethics committee chair Emigdio Bondoc refused to say if it was going to be suspension or expulsion. But committee members admitted the consensus was to go for a "suspension." Were it the rape charges they were voting on, they say they wouldn't even consider suspension. But evading arrest is something else. Congress likes to go by the books, especially if a colleague is on trial. Some feel Jalosjos should be given due process, and the committee, they say, shouldn't rely on media reports to make decisions. Congress wants to save a member, but it also needs to save itself. Although former Congressman Nicanor de Guzman was neither suspended nor expelled on gun-smuggling charges, the experience was near catastrophic for, and revealing, of the 8th Congress. Jalosjos still has until tomorrow to save the situation and spare Congress the pain of unseating one of their own.
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Gov't Hopes Order To Freeze Assets May Flush Out Jalosjos
WHILE the National Bureau of Investigation and the police are looking for Jalosjos, prosecutors are looking into his assets. The Justice Department wants to freeze the assets of the congressman. Perhaps this would force him to come out. Because authorities cannot get him, they want to get his properties, hoping this would force Congressman Romeo Jalosjos to surrender and face trial. Justice Secretary Teofisto Guingona explains any freeze order on his assets will be lifted if Jalosjos is acquitted. Or they can be used to compensate the 11-year old girl Jalosjos is accused of molesting. But the bank secrecy law prohibits authorities from freezing, or even examining his bank account. The lawyer of Jalosjos has said he will block any freeze order by the court. The justice department is still determining the assets of Jalosjos before it asks the court for a freeze order. According to his statement of assets and liabilities, Jalosjos has assets amounting to P32 million. He owns several houses and condo units, and a world class beach resort in Zamboanga del Norte.
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VP Estrada Boasts Of New Recruits To His Party
VICE-PRESIDENT Joseph Estrada boasts of new recruits to his Partido ng Masang Pilipino among senators, congressman, governors and mayors. Estrada says he will reveal their names soon. President Ramos is known to play his cards close to his chest. No one really knows what he's up to next. After saying on several occasions that he'll anoint a candidate for 1998, the President today said he also might not anoint anyone at all. Ramos, it seems, likes to keep everyone guessing, hoping perhaps that this will prevent him from becoming a lame duck in the last months of his Presidency. The political situation also happens to be very fluid. So far, only Vice-President Estrada is clear about his plans. It's the presidency or nothing. Estrada has invited other former LDP senators to join him. Senators Gonzales and Romulo are reportedly inclined to accept.
Sources say, Estrada is also interested in Finance Secretary Roberto de Ocampo. Secretary De Ocampo is not closing his door to politics, though he will not run for president if not endorsed by President Ramos. He admits he has intentions of pursuing a political career in 1998. De Ocampo, who was named Euromoney Magazine's "Finance Minister of 1996", admits, businessmen have sounded him out about running for public office.
Speaker Jose De Venecia, for his part, is inviting his supposedly closest rival to join Lakas. De Venecia says he's spoken to Interior Secretary Robert Barbers, and brothers Lito and John Osmena. He says they'd make good running mates. De Venecia, of course, sees nothing less than the Presidency for him.
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PIRMA To Push Through With Signature Campaign
PIRMA is pushing through with its signature campaign by the end of the month. It will be aided by the "Liga ng mga Barangay" and other groups in favor of a second term for Ramos, as well as businessmen whose financial support is crucial to the success of the signature campaign. The President's operation last December and questions about his health, have not resulted in a change of plan for Pirma. Pirma is now coordinating with the Liga ng mga Barangay, and an organization of Christian fundamentalists in pushing for a people's initiative for charter change. The group Lagda, was organized by the Jesus Is Lord Movement, a group that believes Ramos is God's anointed leader.
In Malacañang, the President was asked if 10 million signatures will make him run again. Pirma organizer Alberto Pedrosa, says they will start their signature campaign on January 25. They say the temporary restraining order issued by the Supreme Court applies only to the Comelec. Pirma had petitioned the Comelec to help them gather the signatures. Now, proponents of a second term for Ramos will have to rely on their own resources. A source in Pirma claims several big businessmen are funding them. Businessmen normally prefer to be anonymous. After all, it's their money that matters most.
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Regionally Elected Senators Gaining Proponents
A SURVEY by the Social Weather Stations says more people now favor electing senators by region. At least, 56 percent of those polled said they are in favor of amending the Constitution to have a regional representation in the Senate. The survey, covering 800 Metro Manilans, was taken from December 2 to 10 last year. The same survey also revealed, 59 percent are in favor of a bicameral system of legislature. Forty percent favored a unicameral system.
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Nobel Laureate Ramos-Horta Bannes From Entering RP
NOBEL Peace prize winner Jose Ramos-Horta is still banned from entering the Philippines. This time, government is invoking national security in blocking his entry. Ramos-Horta had applied for a visa to attend a human rights seminar in Manila next week. When Ramos-Horta was banned from the Philippines in November last year, he was promised he could come another time. That time, has yet to come.
Today, President Ramos said the ban on Ramos-Horta was renewed on the basis of "national security". He says preliminary consultations have to be made with government every time Horta wants to come to the Philippines. The President says he's not closing his doors on the Timorese independence leader. And Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary Rafael Seguis, says the ban on Horta will be lifted in due time. The problem is, it might take a while.
This is the third time Horta has been denied entry to the Philippines. In 1994, he wasn't allowed to participate in an international forum on East Timor. Last year, government feared his presence at a counter-APEC forum would embarass Indonesia's President Soeharto.
For a man who won the Nobel Peace prize, it's ironic he's a big threat to national security. But security isn't the only issue. Indonesia is a close ally of the Philippines.
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GRP, MILF Adjourn Informal Peace Talks
THE GOVERNMENT and MILF panels have adjourned informal peace negotiations in Sultan Kudarat. They plan to resume talks next month. Both panels cancelled a scheduled meeting of their technical committees that would draft a ceasefire deal. Instead, they issued a joint statement, saying they need more time to study each other's proposals. Both sides hailed the preliminary talks as a positive step. They also proposed guidelines for a ceasefire agreement and an agenda for formal peace talks. MILF vice-chairman Al Haj Murad, says they want government to recognize MILF-controlled areas, pull out military troops from those areas, and ban the entry of soldiers to such areas. They also want government to allow MILF men to carry guns.
In Lanao del Norte, MILF rebels executed three men suspected of stealing a car and killing its owner. Reports say, the three were shot by a firing squad of 11 rebels at a public plaza in Linamon town. MILF Commander Yaya Lucsa-Datu says the suspects were executed for killing an MILF rebel in Linamon last Thursday.
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Senate Willing To Cur P9-Billion Insertions
SENATE President Ernesto Maceda says the Senate is willing to cut its P9 billion insertions by P3 billion to arrive at a more acceptable compromise formula for the 1997 budget. The proposed cut puts the House and the Senate's insertions equally at P6 billion each. Both chambers have unofficially agreed the other day not to cut the lawmakers' pork barrel by 40 percent, and instead, realign the amount for hard infrastructure. Congress is expected to pass the 1997 budget before session resumes on January 20. Back to Top
DoE Wants Full Deregulation One Month Early
THE Energy deparment will seek President Ramos's approval to go ahead with the full deregulation of the oil industry by February instead of March as earlier planned. Energy Secretary Francisco Viray says this is because the oil price stabilization fund (OPSF) is running low. Viray warns the P1 billion buffer fund will be depleted, possibly by the end of February, depending on the oil price adjustment this month. Under partial deregulation, government sets the price monthly depending on Singapore Posted Prices. Any increase more than 50 centavos a liter is absorbed by the OPSF. With full deregulation, market forces will determine prices of petroleum products.
Meanwhile, Finance Secretary Roberto de Ocampo, says the government is set on exiting from the IMF program by June this year. Two critical factors in assuring the exit are the passage of the remaining components of the tax reform package, and the settlement of the OPSF. The remaining concern in the CTRP is the revamp of the individual and corporate income taxes. In the OPSF, it's the elimination of the deficit. The DoF is eyeing appropriations from the 1997 and 1998 budgets and using some of the proceeds from bond flotations to pay off the oil companies' claims from the OPSF.
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BSP Mulls To Issue Yamkee Bonds
THE Bangko Sentral is considering a Yankee bond issue by the first quarter of this year. BSP Governor Gabriel Singson says 10 investment banks have proposed to underwrite the bond which will have at least a 30-year maturity. The Philippines has so far issued dollar bonds in the Euromarket and yen bonds in the Japanese market. Beginning tomorrow, the Philippine Stock Exchange will shift to scripless trading. PSE President Vitaliano Nanagas says the depository will start with Jollibee Food Corporation certificates. In their place, confirmation receipts will be issued when investors trade in it. The depository will eventually include other issues. Scripless trading will shorten settlement of trades to only four days. At present, investors get their stock certificates 20 to 27 days after trade. Meanwhile, Far East Bank economists warn the economy still has several weak spots. The bank's chief economist, Emma Pante says policies would have to be focused on the country's low domestic savings rate, dependence on overseas workers' remittances, lack of physical infrastructure and low agcricultural productivity. Pante says the low savings rate has made the Philippines heavily dependent of foreign capital and portfolio funds from abroad.
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PBA Rigodon Continues
THE wheeling and dealing in the PBA continues. Alaska team manager Joaqui Trillo said three teams are interested in acquiring Jeffrey Cariaso through a trade. He refused to identify the teams pending the outcome of negotiations tomorrow. Cariaso says leaving Alaska was a difficult decision. In a telephone interview, he says he was sad to leave. But he had to consider his family's future. Cariaso is in Davao to attend a wedding.
Newly-hired Mobiline coach Norman Black welcomes Cariaso. Black confirms Cariaso's camp approached him after the Alaska team arrived last Thursday from a vacation in Australia. They met on Friday and closed the deal Saturday. On Black's move to Mobiline, he reiterates it was really a personal career move. Black says he has pretty much accomplished everything with San Miguel, winning nine championships, including a grand slam. He relishes the challenge of starting over with Mobiline, which has not won a title since joining the league in 1990.
As to who will coach San Miguel is still up in the air. Consultant Ron Jacobs was given an offer. Former Beerman Ramon Fernandez is also being considered. Fernandez confirmed he contacted San Miguel when he heard Black was leaving. The 4-time MVP who retired two years ago, says he's eager to get back to PBA action.
Still in the PBA, Allan Caidic finally has come to terms with San Miguel Beer, contrary to earlier reports the triggerman was on his way to Purefoods. Details of the terms were not made available. But sources inside the San Miguel camp say it was only a one-year contract and way below his take in his previous contract. The pay cut, a source says, could mean the team is trying to make room for the salary of a big-name player the management is trying to lure into the team.
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