Sunday, February 5, 2023
manilastandard.net
ADVERTISEMENT
  • About
  • News
    • Top Stories
    • National
    • World News
    • Pinoy Abroad
    • Features
  • Opinion
    • Editorial
    • Columns
    • Soundbytes
  • LGUs
    • NCR
    • Luzon
    • Visayas
    • Mindanao
  • Business
    • Corporate
    • Economy & Trade
    • Stocks
    • Money
    • Agri & Mining
    • Power & Tech
    • IT & Telecom
  • Sports
    • Basketball
    • Volleyball
    • Fightsports
    • Active
    • Sports Plus
    • One Championship
    • Columns
  • Entertainment
    • TV & Movies
    • Celebrity Profiles
    • Music & Concerts
    • Digital Media
    • Columns
  • Lifestyle
    • Food
    • Culture & Media
    • Fashion
    • Health and Home
    • Leisure
    • Shopping
    • Columns
  • Others
    • Pets
    • Pop.Life
      • Newsmakers
      • Hangouts
      • A-Pop
      • Post Its
      • Performances
      • Malls & Bazaars
      • Hobbies & Collections
    • Technology
      • Gadgets
      • Computers
      • Business
      • Tech Plus
    • MS ON THE ROAD
      • Sedan
      • SUV
      • Truck
      • Bike
      • Accessories
      • Motoring Plus
      • Commuter’s Corner
    • Home & Design
      • Residential
      • Commercial
      • Construction
      • Interior
    • Spotlight
    • Gallery
      • Photos
      • Videos
    • Events
      • Seminars
      • Exhibits
      • Community
    • Biyahero
      • Travel Features
      • Travel Reels
      • Travel Logs
  • Advertise with Us
No Result
View All Result
  • About
  • News
    • Top Stories
    • National
    • World News
    • Pinoy Abroad
    • Features
  • Opinion
    • Editorial
    • Columns
    • Soundbytes
  • LGUs
    • NCR
    • Luzon
    • Visayas
    • Mindanao
  • Business
    • Corporate
    • Economy & Trade
    • Stocks
    • Money
    • Agri & Mining
    • Power & Tech
    • IT & Telecom
  • Sports
    • Basketball
    • Volleyball
    • Fightsports
    • Active
    • Sports Plus
    • One Championship
    • Columns
  • Entertainment
    • TV & Movies
    • Celebrity Profiles
    • Music & Concerts
    • Digital Media
    • Columns
  • Lifestyle
    • Food
    • Culture & Media
    • Fashion
    • Health and Home
    • Leisure
    • Shopping
    • Columns
  • Others
    • Pets
    • Pop.Life
      • Newsmakers
      • Hangouts
      • A-Pop
      • Post Its
      • Performances
      • Malls & Bazaars
      • Hobbies & Collections
    • Technology
      • Gadgets
      • Computers
      • Business
      • Tech Plus
    • MS ON THE ROAD
      • Sedan
      • SUV
      • Truck
      • Bike
      • Accessories
      • Motoring Plus
      • Commuter’s Corner
    • Home & Design
      • Residential
      • Commercial
      • Construction
      • Interior
    • Spotlight
    • Gallery
      • Photos
      • Videos
    • Events
      • Seminars
      • Exhibits
      • Community
    • Biyahero
      • Travel Features
      • Travel Reels
      • Travel Logs
  • Advertise with Us
No Result
View All Result
manilastandard.net
No Result
View All Result
Home Opinion Columns To The Point by Emil Jurado

Contentious issues

Emil JuradobyEmil Jurado
January 4, 2017, 12:01 am
in To The Point by Emil Jurado
Reading Time: 3 mins read
A A
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on Email

There are two issues in Congress that could affect public interest and the future of this country.

One is the enactment of a committee-approved bill restoring the death penalty. President Duterte wants it back to enhance his war on illegal drugs. He wants five to six executions a day, either by firing squad, hanging, or lethal injection to instill fear among druglords, drug dealers and their protectors.

But the death penalty has not deterred crime! Only the poor suffer because the rich can afford lawyers to save them.

The house of Representatives seems to have become a rubber-stamp Congress. Will the President have his way on this one, too?

* * *

ADVERTISEMENT

Another contentious issue is the shift to federalism. It can happen this year. The 1987 Constitution needs to be amended, though. Former President BS Aquino had opposed this because it would mean tinkering with his mother’s charter.

The problem is that Mr. Duterte’s lackeys in Congress are bent on amending the Constitution, through a Constituent Assembly, supposedly in consideration of the lower cost.

And yes, there is also the problem of how Constituent Assembly would be undertaken. Will amendments be made via joint assembly, or with both chambers voting separately? The Senate should never agree to a joint assembly since they would be outvoted easily.

The bigger problem in Con-Ass is that there is nothing that can stop the House from pursuing their own agenda, like extending their term limits.

I believe in a federal form of government. Still I have to be convinced that a federal system of government is the cure-all for the problems in Mindanao. There will always be the problem of some regions being richer than others.

How problematic these issues are. I hope President Duterte can see the light at the end of the tunnel this year.

* * *

We all know that BS Aquino used every means, short of destroying institutions like the Department of Justice, the Office of the Ombudsman, the Department of Budget and Management, the Anti-Money Laundering Council and even the Supreme Court to prosecute its political enemies.

The AMLC, for one, was used as a political tool by BS Aquino to go after the late Chief Justice, Renato Corona, who was convicted for the non-impeachable offense of failing to declare all his assets in his Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth.

Now there is House Bill 731, which seeks to amend Section 128 of the Central Bank Act, to insulate Bangko Sentral officials from the actuations of the AMLC, especially the political acts, which may be influenced by their loyalty to the appointing authority. The bill was filed by House Deputy Speaker, former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.

“The BSP should be liberated from the burden of supervising the rigorous demands of criminal investigations such as those performed by the AMLC,” Mrs. Arroyo said.

AMLC Chairman and BSP Governor Amando Tetangco is a career official and has performed effectively. Even President Duterte said he could be appointed to his third term. The Central Bank Act allows the BSP governor only two terms; the law may have to be amended for this.

Arroyo’s bill strikes at the heart of political power being abused. Recall the time when BS Aquino used the AMLC in leaking the bank records of then-candidate Rodrigo Duterte during the campaign period.

I am glad Rep. Arroyo filed this bill.

* * *

I wanted to go to Baguio City over the holidays but was told that doing so would be stressful. Almost everybody had the same idea. My family and I ended up staying in the city where traffic was so light.

I was told by my former student at Ateneo High School, businessman Roberto “Bobby” Ongpin, that his magnum opus—the Alphaland Mountain Lodges—was well under construction. In fact, Phase One is almost finished.

Last year, I had the opportunity to visit the place, some 8 kilometers along the Ambuklao Road. The only structure I saw then was Bobby’s three-bedroom wooden cottage on top of a hill.

The project where some 50 lodges will be built have already been identified. The first 20 units will be completed come Easter time. Phase 2 will start in early 2018. No less than 140 parties have shown interest. Ongpin expects the project to be completed in 2019. Ongpin has used nothing less than the best for the future owners of lodge houses.

I must give it to Ongpin. Despite losing P22 billion when he was chairman of PhilWeb, being tagged by President Duterte as an oligarch and being persecuted by BS Aquino, he remains standing.

Tags: 1987 ConstitutionAnti-Money Laundering CouncilConstituent AssemblyContentious issuesdeath penaltyHouse Bill 731
ADVERTISEMENT
Emil Jurado

Emil Jurado

To The Point

Related Posts

POGOs must go

byEmil Jurado
February 3, 2023, 12:20 am
0
8
Denying Villafuerte justice

"From my own point of view as a lawyer, the main issue here is sovereignty" Following calls for President Marcos...

Read more

Clear case of human rights violation

byEmil Jurado
January 31, 2023, 12:05 am
0
8
Denying Villafuerte justice

"I believe (the Davos trip) was all worth it, if only for the fact that BBM showed to the world...

Read more

Why POGOs must be banned

byEmil Jurado
January 28, 2023, 12:15 am
0
8
A tribute to Bob Garon

"It would do well for BBM to get advice from veteran AFP generals, since they have been there and done...

Read more

The poor and Leila can benefit from Gigi’s release from jail

byEmil Jurado
January 24, 2023, 12:05 am
0
8
Denying Villafuerte justice

"Let’s just hope and pray that it won’t escalate to the point that rice, the staple of Filipinos, will be...

Read more

Why I can’t retire

byEmil Jurado
January 20, 2023, 12:05 am
0
8
Denying Villafuerte justice

"For the nth time, I wish President Bongbong Marcos would certify as urgent and a priority the Senate Bill creating...

Read more

The PNP, AFP conundrum

byEmil Jurado
January 17, 2023, 12:05 am
0
8
Denying Villafuerte justice

"Having been involved in drug rehabilitation for some years, just isolating drug users and addicts in rehabilitation centers won’t cure...

Read more

Print Edition

View More

Recent Posts

  • Sneakers for Makati : AB4.0
  • 4 China boats harass PH ship
  • NEDA vets 206 flagship plans, final list in Q1
  • Pupils prefer use of Filipino in classroom
  • PNP insists autopsy on Kian ‘honest’
  • Onion good as cash for a day in QC store
  • Gatchalian expected to breeze through appointments panel
  • All set for Army Navy Club200 Endurance Race on Feb. 11

Advertisement

Latest News

Onion good as cash for a day in QC store

byManila Standard
February 5, 2023, 1:20 am
0
8
Onion good as cash for a day in QC store

Onions, quite literally, were as good as cash if only for a day at the Japan Home Centre in Panay,...

Read more

Gatchalian expected to breeze through appointments panel

byMaricel Cruz
February 5, 2023, 1:10 am
0
8
Vergeire ‘ready’ to take DOH top job if offered

Unlike his immediate predecessor who failed to gain the nod of the Commission on Appointments (CA), newly appointed Secretary Rex...

Read more

All set for Army Navy Club200 Endurance Race on Feb. 11

byManila Standard Sports
February 5, 2023, 1:02 am
0
8
All set for Army Navy Club200 Endurance Race on Feb. 11

IT’S all systems go for the Philippines’ biggest motorsports extravaganza of 2023 – the Army Navy Club200 Endurance Race happening...

Read more

PCSO eyes 10% DST to hike funds for UHC

byAngelica Villanueva
February 5, 2023, 1:00 am
0
8
Lucky bettor wins  P162M lotto jackpot

The Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) urged Congress to reduce its documentary stamp tax (DST) by one-half, or from the...

Read more

Salceda urges PBBM to name PEZA chief soon

byMaricel Cruz
February 5, 2023, 12:50 am
0
8
Salceda urges Labor, Migrant depts to lift ban on OFW

Albay Rep. Joey Sarte Salceda on Saturday called on President Marcos to appoint a permanent director-general for the Philippine Economic...

Read more

Advertisement

ADVERTISEMENT
Facebook Twitter Instagram Youtube

ABOUT US

Manila Standard

Manila Standard website (manilastandard.net), launched in August 2002, extends the newspaper’s reach beyond its traditional readers and makes its brand of Philippine news and opinion available to a much wider and geographically diverse readership here and overseas.

Digital Edition

In tone and content, the online edition mirrors the editorial thrust of the newspaper. While hewing to the traditional precepts of fairness and objectivity, MS believes the news of the day need not be staid, overly long or dry. Stories are succinct, readable and written in a lively style that has become a hallmark of the newspaper.

Download – Today’s Paper

Search

No Result
View All Result

6th Floor Universal Re Bldg., 106 Paseo De Roxas cor. Perea Street, Legaspi Village, 1226 Makati City Philippines

Trunklines: 832-5554, 832-5556, 832-5558

© 2021 Manila Standard - Designed and Developed by Neitiviti Studios.

No Result
View All Result
  • About
  • News
    • Top Stories
    • National
    • World News
    • Pinoy Abroad
    • Features
  • Opinion
    • Editorial
    • Columns
    • Soundbytes
  • LGUs
    • NCR
    • Luzon
    • Visayas
    • Mindanao
  • Business
    • Corporate
    • Economy & Trade
    • Stocks
    • Money
    • Agri & Mining
    • Power & Tech
    • IT & Telecom
  • Sports
    • Basketball
    • Volleyball
    • Fightsports
    • Active
    • Sports Plus
    • One Championship
    • Columns
  • Entertainment
    • TV & Movies
    • Celebrity Profiles
    • Music & Concerts
    • Digital Media
    • Columns
  • Lifestyle
    • Food
    • Culture & Media
    • Fashion
    • Health and Home
    • Leisure
    • Shopping
    • Columns
  • Pop.Life
    • Newsmakers
    • Hangouts
    • A-Pop
    • Post Its
    • Performances
    • Malls & Bazaars
    • Hobbies & Collections
  • Technology
    • Gadgets
    • Computers
    • Business
    • Tech Plus
  • MS ON THE ROAD
    • Sedan
    • SUV
    • Truck
    • Bike
    • Accessories
    • Motoring Plus
    • Commuter’s Corner
  • Home & Design
    • Residential
    • Commercial
    • Construction
    • Interior
  • Spotlight
  • Gallery
    • Photos
    • Videos
  • Events
    • Seminars
    • Exhibits
    • Community
  • Biyahero
    • Travel Features
    • Travel Reels
    • Travel Logs
  • Pets
  • Advertise with Us

© 2021 Manila Standard - Designed and Developed by Neitiviti Studios.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Install Manila Standard Web App

Install App