SUNNY WEEKEND EXPECTED
Warm weather will continue to prevail in many parts the country until weekend despite of a storm hovering near the Philippine area of responsibility, the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical

and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) on Friday said. Pagasa weather forecaster Manny Mendoza said that even if the storm enters the country “either Sunday evening or Monday morning,” it is still too far to affect any part of the country. Mendoza said the cyclone would likely be felt in the country starting Wednesday or Thursday. Once it enters the Philippine territory, he said it will be locally named “Pablo” (international name: Bopha)— the first storm in December. Mendoza asked the public to prepare for the storm since it is expected to further intensify into a typhoon category before it enters the country.
Jing Villamente

FREEDOM OF INFORMATION STILL HANGS
The approval of the Freedom on Information (FOI) Act in the Fifteenth Congress, at least in the House of Representatives, cannot be guaranteed by the House members. House Deputy Majority Leader Janette Garin made the admission on Friday considering the sentiments of her colleagues who are insisting on including the right of reply (ROR) under the FOI. The FOI measure provides the public access to information on matters of public concern, state transactions involving public interest such as wealth statement of public officials, information being used for decision making or project management, as well as transcripts and minutes of official meetings. ROR, on the other hand, would mean that a journalist would allot the same amount of space to the reply of the subject politician compared vis-à-vis the space allocated for the report based on records derived thru the FOI. The ROR provision is not included in the FOI measure approved by the House Public Information panel last Tuesday.
Llanesca T. Panti

JUSTICE VOWED FOR SLAIN CALOOCAN YOUNGSTERS
Interior and Local Government Secretary Mar Roxas on Friday vowed to give justice to the deaths of two young girls in Caloocan City whose gruesome murders in the hands of a lone suspect last Sunday night was the latest in the recent spate of heinous crimes in the country. Roxas personally went to the wake of cousins Joana Marie Coronado, 9, and Diana Rose Liza, 15, who died from multiple knife wounds in the attack, and promised the victims’ families that the police will spare no efforts in arresting the suspect.
Jing Villamente

HOUSE ARREST FAVORS MORATO, SAYS LAWYER
FORMER Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office board member Manuel “Manoling” Morato should be considered as an elder with disability, necessitating house arrest in line with the P366-million intelligence fund scam of the lottery agency. In a 10-page reply to state prosecutors who opposed Morato’s house arrest, his lawyer Dante Diaz raised a study from the Commission on Human Rights which stated the consideration of the disabled person’s state on trial. “If judicial proceedings are instituted against them [persons with disability] the legal procedure applied shall take their physical and mental condition fully into account,” the defense quoting the CHR paper raised. Diaz said that the 79-year-old erstwhile official is blind in one eye.
John Constantine G. Cordon

DRUG SMUGGLING ON THE WANE
The Bureau of Customs on Friday announced that the percentage of illegal drugs smuggled into the country has decreased. Based on a report the bureau has already confiscated drugs amounting to half a billion pesos since the agency the tight implementation of the anti-illegal drugs drive in all piers and airports.“The BOC has crafted measures and innovations in securing the country’s ports in a bid to prevent the entry of contrabands into the country,” Customs Commissioner Ruffy Biazon said. Moreover, the record showed that the quantity of confiscated drugs increased 10 times this year as compared to 2010 and 2011. The bureau said that the decrease in smuggled drugs could be attributed to the arrest of foreigner drug mules attempting to smuggle drugs into the country. The BOC added that more foreigners who were engaged in drug trafficking were arrested this 2012 as compared to 2011 and 2010.
Jovee Marie N. Dela Cruz