USA: Sign of the Times: Freedom of Religion has gone awry.

What does this portend for America? On the other hand, I dont mind if they banned religious graven images (it is part of the Ten commandments!!) but Obama portrayed as a Roman ruler? ..., that smacks of something else, or is someone fawning to get into the graces of Obama?

We fear the Philippines has no bright future, her bright, young professionals are killed

We ask the presidency of our beloved president Pnoy to think of the people who loved their country to the point of death! Here is one bright light who life was snuffed out by professional assasins for exposing the fertilizer scam during the term of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.

She is Marlene Garcia, a BS Chemistry graduate of a university based in Iloilo and who later shifted to hard hitting and biting journalism field. Rest in peace, Ms. Marlene.You will not be forgotten!



Acknowledgement: Photo uploaded by her classmate to Facebook from Batch 1980 of University of St. Agustin school yearbook.

Noynoy gets his wish in appointing Marvic Leonen as SC justice

After masterminding the successful procsecution of the former Chief Justice Renato Corona, President Noy is lucky to appoint not one but two of his personal choices to the Supreme Court! The new chief Justice is Ma. Lourdes Sereno, who does NOT crave the limelight, she is averse to media scrutiny.

Now Noy has the enviable choice of appointing today, November 21, relatively young at 49 years, chief government negotiator Marvic Leonen as Supreme Court (SC) associate justice, in place of the position vacated by Supreme Court Chief Justice Ma. Lourdes Sereno.

Leonen will forever be tainted as Aquino's YES man in the Supreme Court, though that remains to be seen. Now Aquino may quietly stop the SC in putting a final decision about the distribution of the vast sprawling Hacienda Luisita in Tarlac.

And yet we are aware that Pres. Noy Aquino promised to have a single term, that only means in 3 years he will step down. But history has always been farcical towards pronouncements on retirement on political ambitions. Perhaps Noy will get infected with hunger for power when his term is nearly up. But we are willing to wait and will continue to monitor this sad development, the SC DOES NOT look independent to the public! Now we have two appointees who may think of Utang na Loob when they decide cases involving the actions of President Noy and the interests of the Aquino-Cojuangco family.

We offer our congratulations to the Honorable Marvic Leonen, but we also send him a message that us political bloggers will be alert to follow his decisions on cases under consideration of the Supreme Court.

Should not Pres. Noy be more discreet in his personal choice for SC justice?

This does not look presidential at all. President Noy should have kept his mouth shut about his presonal choice for filling in the vacancy in the Supreme Court due to the elebation of Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno.

It besmirches the reputation of the Supreme Court as a whole since the open endorsement of President Noy for Marvic Leonen gives the idea that there is one justice who owes his appointment personally to President Noy! Although it remains to be seen, his candidate will be judge preliminary as the President's man in the supreme court!

Pres. Noy! Will you please keep your mouth shut and let the JBC do its work ?!!


Further reading:

philstar.com, 11/12/2012: Noy wants Leonen for SC

Negros Occidental Governor pushes for Coal fired power plant in Cadiz City

The governor of Negros Occidental, the Honorable Alfredo Marañon Jr. has given advise to the local officials of Cadiz City to go on with the proposed coal-fired power plant to be sited in the City.

Yet, this is the same power plant proposed in Pulupandan and Bago but which did not push through due to the organized opposition of environmentalists some of whom are residents of the area and have experience living besides a coal fired power plant of the Asian Alcohol Corporation when it was still operational.


The governor claims that power plants in Iloilo and Cebu have environmental controls explaining why people in those places have not voiced any complaint regarding health and pollution issues. He further added that oppositors to the project were talking without any facts or basis. See [Ref 3].

Yet it has been observed that the number of dolphins have decreased in the Tañon strait near the coal fired plant in Toledo, Cebu. [Ref. 2]

The governor emphasized the importance of stable power.

It is to be noted that the project for the coal fired power plant has been approved by Pres. Benigno Aquino III and Vice president Jejomar Binay.
Target date for completion is year 2014!

No one can argue against the fact that burning coal is the dirtiest, most carbon intensive of all fossil fuels one of the leading contributors to climate change.

References:

1. Sunstar, 10/31/2012: Governor bats for coal fired power plant
   
2. Sunstar, 9/2/2012; Groups oppose to build more power plants in Cebu
   
3. Inquirer.net, 10/22/2010: Probe sought on Iloilo coal fired power plant