“The Presidency”

THE MANILATIMES 2010 YEARENDER The bungled Manila hostage crisis, jueteng allegations, excommunication threats and differences with the judiciary were among the controversies that rocked the 6-month-old administration of President Benigno Aquino 3rd.

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Two incendiary changes this year helped jump-start the Philippine economy — down but not out — as it reeled from the global financial meltdown that began in the US in 2007.

HERE’S a no-brainer: With nine out of ten Filipinos expecting things to get better next year, even as economic growth is tipped to be slower, will satisfaction with the government go up or down?

MANILA, Philippines – In a move to beat his self-imposed deadline of filling up all vacant government positions by the end of the year, President Aquino has appointed governors and city mayors belonging to the Liberal Party (LP) as heads of different Regional Development Councils (RDCs) nationwide.

Majority of Filipinos are satisfied with the performance of President Benigno Aquino 3rd, the latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey showed on Wednesday. The survey showed that 74 percent were satisfied and 10 percent dissatisfied with the performance of President Benigno Aquino 3rd, for a “very good” net satisfaction rating of +64.

President vows to punish crooks President Benigno Aquino 3rd on Wednesday vowed to continue seeking the truth and hold accountable those who took part in alleged misdeeds during the past administration.

No real change or reform is possible under the existing government set-up. It looks like PNoy may not truly succeed in his promised pagbabago if he will just continue working under the present policies and practices prevailing in government service. The fact that even in government, family ties still run deep for many of his…

MANILA, Philippines – Trade Secretary Gregory Domingo topped the list of Cabinet members with the biggest real estate properties worth more than P55 million. Energy Secretary Jose Rene Almendras came in second with P48 million followed by Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala with P46.676 million. The figures were based on the Cabinet members’ Statement of Assets…

President Aquino issued a blanket assurance to Cabinet members against a shake-up yesterday, saying he does not plan to remove any of his officials from their respective positions.

VOW OF POVERTY: Having witnessed the ostentatious display of overflowing wealth among officials in the past, I was appalled by reports that many members of the Official Family of President Noynoy Aquino are poor by today’s standards.

MANILA, Philippines – A Cabinet member has 15 cars while some have millions in cash deposited in banks. These are some of the interesting details in the Statements of Assets and Liabilities and Net Worth (SALN) of President Aquino’s official family.

MANILA, Philippines – They may have given up lucrative family businesses to join President Aquino’s administration, but even in government, family ties still run deep for many Cabinet members.

MANILA, Philippines – Finance Secretary Cesar Purisma is the Aquino administration’s richest Cabinet member with a net worth of over P252 million while Education Secretary Armin Luistro is the least moneyed with only over P89,000.

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MANILA, Philippines – Almost half of the Philippines’ population is dissatisfied with the way the government is handling the pursuit of justice for the victims of the Nov. 23 Maguindanao massacre, the latest survey by the Social Weather Stations (SWS) showed.

SOMETIMES it takes an outsider to appreciate the positive aspects of the country we call home. US President Bill Clinton, who was in Manila briefly to deliver a speech,“Embracing Our Common Humanity,” certainly had some good things to say about the Philippines.

MANILA, Philippines—Inequality in global economics and instability in world politics are making it difficult for countries like the Philippines to operate on a level equal to more progressive nations.

President Benigno Aquino III’s promise of change is likely to follow the same path as that of US President Barack Obama, according to a US-led multinational risk consultancy firm doing intelligence work for the world’s top corporations and embassies in Manila.

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MANILA, Philippines – At least 70% of Filipinos are satisfied with the performance of Vice-President Jejomar Binay in his first 3 months in office, a new Social Weather Stations survey (SWS) revealed Tuesday.

LAST October 3, we discussed the need for the Aquino III administration to do “best practices called the 4-Cs” within its first 200 days. Recall the record of President Aquino III’s first 100 days which materialized well below what was anticipated, considering the nationwide optimism at his inaugural on 30 June and further boosted after…

THE Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) asked President Benigno Aquino 3rd on Wednesday to review the amnesty given to the rebel soldiers who took part in three mutinies against the previous Arroyo administration.

MANILA, Philippines – Chief Justice Renato Corona has defended the Supreme Court (SC) in exercising its constitutional duty to review actions of the Palace and Congress, saying it is not stepping on the powers of the two other co-equal branches of government.

THE Aquino administration will adopt a five-year poverty reduction masterplan that aims to slash the country’s poverty incidence to 24 percent by 2015, presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said.

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Judgment at 100 days is another one of those strange things picked up from the Americans. I’m not sure how you can fairly judge someone’s performance a scant three months into office. Six months is the more normal corporate measure. But 100 days is “mandated” by tradition, and President Aquino measured himself and his performance…

AKBAYAN, a party-list group allied with President Benigno Aquino III, was granted a P4.05-billion fund for its marginalized constituents in agrarian reform communities Thursday, lawmakers said.

Injunction order lets appointees of GMA get jobs back President Benigno Aquino 3rd on Thursday accused the Supreme Court (SC) of aiding corruption after it blocked his move to fire officials linked to millions of dollars’ worth of allegedly shady deals. He lashed at the 15-member High Court, a day after it issued a temporary…

MANILA, Philippines – President Aquino accused the Supreme Court (SC) yesterday of setting a bad precedent that could cause “chaos and paralysis” in government when it stopped the removal of Secretary Bai Omera Dianalan-Lucman of the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos, one of the many midnight appointments of former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.