Price Manipulation by Oil Companies

Poring into the cash sales of oil companies is improper, rules the office of the Solicitor General (SoCGen), handling the government its first trip in the dash to prove alleged price manipulation among big oil companies.  

The victory for oil companies was also a backslide for the Manila Trial Court who tasked government agencies to examine the books of giant oil firms accused of violations of the Oil Deregulation Law.

Citing provisions in the 1987 Constitution, the Administrative code and other relevant laws, Solicitor General Agnes Devenadera explained "the examination or audit of the books of oil firms is beyond the authorities conferred to the Commission on Audit (COA), Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) and Bureau of Customs (BOC).

Moreover, she argued that to demand compliance would be deemed improper and unjust.

This would then not bind the audit results of whatever the agencies find not legally binding, making the inquiry lame.

Last April, Manila RTC Branch 26 Judge Silvino Pampilo Jr. ordered COA, BIR and BOC to form a panel that will look into the books of Pilipinas Shell, Chevron and Petron, which were accused of price manipulation, cartelization and other violations in the Oil Deregulation Law.

The companies denied all allegations.

Pampilo's order covers the "opening and examination of the cash receipts, cash disbursement books, purchase orders on the petroleum products, delivery receipts, sales invoices and other related documents on the purchases of the petroleum products" from January 2003 to December 2003.

As for COA, Devenadera said its mandate is limited to the auditing of the government or any of its subdivisions, agencies, or instrumentalities, including government-owned and controlled corporations in accordance with Section 2 (1) of Article IX (D) of the 1987 Constitution.

The examination in the court order, Devenadera said, is not in any way connected with the assessment and collection of taxes, fees and charges due to the government neither to the enforcement of all forfeitures, penalties, and fines, such examination is beyond the limits of the BIR's mandate.

 

As for the BoC, an examination of the books of the oil companies, as importers, are provided and outlined in the Tariff and Customs Code, as amended by the Republic Act 9135.

 

If the court would compel the COA, BIR, and BoC to pursue the audit, Devenadera said that such action make the results of the audit legally non-binding. - Philippine Information Agency

No Swine Flu in Bohol

By Rey Anthony Chiu

Nothing on the health radar screen that should make Boholanos apprehensive about the dreaded influenza A H1N1, assured Dr. Greg Sodusta.

But for preparedness sake, local health authorities eye disease management trainings for rural health nurses and schools to arrest any eventuality of a disease infection spin-off, bares the assistant provincial health officer for Dr. Reymoses Cabagnot.

This is despite the continued efforts of the Department of Health to trace down persons who may have been in contact with the confirmed carriers in the country.

As of now, Bohol health authorities admit they are on the preparedness level just as Gov. Celestino Gallares Memorial Hospital has opened its Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) isolation room for any reported swine flu case here, Dr. Sodusta bared.

On personnel, he said the Department of Health in Region 7 has updated its doctors in its rural health units on the management of infected cases.

We are planning, at our level to cascade the training the doctors had last week, to the rural health nurses and then to the schools which would be appropriate, we just await the funds, he said. 

 

For Boholanos who may have come from affected countries and who noticed usual symptoms within the period of personal quarantine, the GCGMH can provide the necessary management, he added.  

 

On Wednesday, Health Secretary Francisco T. Duque announced that DOH confirmed four new A/H1N1 cases raising the confirmed numbers to six. 

 

The new cases are two females, aged 1 year old and 26 years old, and 2 males, aged 13 years old and 55 years old.

 

The infected children had history of traveling to Hongkong and the United States, which are known affected countries. The adults accordingly were exposed to a mother and daughter who tested positive upon their return to Taiwan.

Since there is continuous international travel and the number of affected countries continues to increase, the DOH has in place the pandemic preparedness and response plan and expanded its referral hospitals to all DOH Regional Hospitals and Medical Centers.

Over this too, Duque urged anyone who have traveled to affected countries or have been exposed to a confirmed case of Influenza A(H1N1) and have fever, cough, sore throat or other flu-like symptoms, to consult a health facility immediately. 

The DOH Hotline is (02) 711-1001 or 711-1002. People in the Visayas may use the DOH Hotline (032) 418-7636 and (032) 255-1591 while those in Mindanao may use the DOH Hotline (082) 227-2731. 

21st National Council Convention of the Girl Scouts of the Philippines

The upcoming 21st National Council Convention of the Girl Scouts of the Philippines, will close Triennium 2006-2009 as GSP heads for Triennium 2009-2012.

      The gab will be based on the theme "Join in, Reach out, Change lives" adopted from the World Conference of the World Association of Girl Scouts recently held in South Africa.

      GSP-Bohol expects around 350 delegates from 95 councils all over the country to participate in the

      Negros Oriental State University (NOrSU) president, Dr. Henry Sojor, will be the keynote speaker during the opening of the conference.

      The convention will highlight the election of the members of the Central Board for the triennium 2009-2012 and amendments of the Girl Scouts of the Philippines Constitution and by-laws.

      The workshop topics include conscious development of peace, making planet Earth breathe better; succession planning, adolescent reproductive health, power dressing and effective communication, living life to the fullest, cyberspace, and GSP ways of work.

      Day 2 on May 26 will be the 69th anniversary of the GSP. The celebration will open with a mass and other religious services.

      Bohol Council also offers a special tour to participants to see for themselves what the country's top tourist destination has in store.

The Truth About Hayden Kho and Katrina Halili

By Boy Guingguing

Publisher, Bohol Sunday Post

Salacious is the apt description of this rare column. Because this is all about the combustible chemistry of two sex artists caught on camera in the act of making love. 

Coming from an aging gigolo, it makes sexual sense to delve sometimes into the realm of sexual fantasies if only to awaken a "paralyzed predator" which sent many women exclaiming Hesus, Mingo, dis-a man ka ana magpaliwat or loosely translated Jesus Christ Mingo, where have you inherited such well-endowed manhood. 

Anyway, the late Mingo was a neighborhood playboy who boasted of his women conquests. Another favorite one-liner after a tryst with his victim: Balik-balik go (Mingo), kay magihaw tag pis-an. Or please come back Mingo because I would be preparing chicken soup for you. 

Mingo must be a sexual athlete during his prime that many women were longing for her bedroom prowess as evidenced from the parting statement every time he made love with his lady love. That's according to him, however. 

But wait! Before we are lost in our own sexual illusion, let it be clear here that the meat of this column is all about the hurricane that Katrina Halili brought to this sex-crazed nation. 

Like the original Hurricane Katrina that devastated New Orleans in 2005, the kind of storm that Katrina, the starlet, unleased, was as devastating not only to herself but to other women victimized by a sexual pervert named Dr.Hayden Kho.   

It was said that this "sick cosmetic surgeon" has a virtual library of sex videos  involving as many as 40 women. 

Out of curiosity, we downloaded a copy of the sex video to see for ourself if at all, it can arouse a "collapsing scaffold"  worn out not by overused but by the sheer impact of a deadly  ailment. But no, this little bulldog, just refused to wake up, apparently from its deep slumber.  

If you ask this BGlante who have seen the tape, our conclusion was that it was filmed for art's sake and for the exclusive consumption of the two people making love.  

But if a third party like Dr. Vicky Belo, who happened to be a former girlfriend of Dr. Kho, was involved in uploading the video in cyberspace, it was because she has a score to settle with her ex-boyfriend. It was confirmed that the relationship between the two cosmetic doctors was still in full swing when Hurricane Katrina came into the picture. 

So, hell hath a woman like Dr. Belo scorned by the love of her life. 

On the part of the doctor cum pervert, there's no argument that he is psychologically sick. 

How can you explain of one guy who advertises his sexual promiscuity. It even borders on the maniacal. 

Again, looking again and again of the sordid sex drama, Katrina is also equally liable for exhibitionism.  

We may be tolerant if her bedroom calisthenics was that of an innocent provincial lass. Demure, virginal, and that is excusable. But behaving like a veteran in bed? That's another story. A cursory look of the tapes not only showed that Katrina was aware that they were behaving  on cam, but she also showed signs of a sexual expert playing fire with a sexual partner equally in flames. 

To this BGlante, they are no better than a torero and a torera, a man and woman tandem paid to perform the sex act to ogling males who were out on pasture by their spouses in the guise of lakbay habal …er aral.  

Pardon this frank assessment of the sex video. In the first place , why did Katrina consented to have their love-making taped. She  also wanted to see for herself how she performed in bed? To our mind, the way she played her role in  the sexual combat left no room for doubt that she deserved the moniker sexy actress and she was one hell of a fighter when it comes to sex. 

If so, it was not farfetched to discern that she was no innocent nymphet after all, and  Dr. Kho could be just one of the men she was romantically linked. 

So, what lessons to be learned from l'afaire Katrina? Okay, to all the consenting women out there, if your sex partner ask for souvenirs in the form of a taped sequence of a "bedroom mazurka", just don't allow it to happen. It might end up in the Internet and lo! and behold, you are becoming an instant celebrity of the salacious kind. 

High School Reunion in Central Visayas Institute Jagna

By Joe Espiritu

There was a Grand Reunion of the Central Visayan Institute Alumni Association the recent week. This was attended by expats from the US particularly from the East Coast, West Coast and Texas. We can boast of having one from Europe. Do not count out Antiocho – did we spell his name right? – Lloren. He came from Europe but settled here for good. The rest were made up with locals, the famous near famous and not so famous. And the bums, yours truly included.

     Anyway, we should have had a sign on the Jagna Gym entrances paraphrasing (shades of Mrs Maria C Pajo) the sign to Dante's Inferno "Abandon all titles and honors all ye who enter here". This means forget who you are now, be what you were before, a student wrestling with syntax, despairing over physics experiments or trying to speak Tagalog with a Pangasinense accent. But it would be no need. No one was putting on airs... That is the CVI spirit.

     We could not say we had full attendance. This cannot really be attained. When the prewar alumni were called, the ranks were empty. There were few who answered for the 45 to 48 alumni call. When the 49 attendance was called we were surprised that only one hand was raised. Ours. Rip Van Winkle – er – Melquiades Abrea is still around but perhaps sleeping. Also Juaning Galagar Caseñas but she forgot her Skelan. She did not attend 

     As for the rest of our class we could either point to Pangas or the great cross in Kota, or to heaven for those buried out of town like Justice Bernardo Salas. And Magdaleno Rangas. They all have RIP after their names. We would not like to have the letters DOM on their crosses or tombstones. They were clean living citizens when alive not Dirty Old Men. Besides we have ladies among us too. After the 49 call there were again voices who answered.

     The CVI had come a long way. She had graduated the greats, not so greats average Joes, the mediocre, goats and bums. Presently, the bums were gone; they were a dying breed when the Drs Bernido took over. There are still goats but they can easily wear sheep's clothing. Oh, we had use for the bums. They turned out to be demagogues, charlatans, ambulance chasers, accountants who cook up ledgers to make companies in verge of bankruptcies appear thriving. Lawyers who cannot find their way to the courtrooms and whatever, some became politicians. An improvement? They are the people who make the world interesting.

     The CVI had undergone an evolution. As Central Visayan Institute, she thrived under Mr Fernando N. Pajo Mrs Maria C Pajo Pacifico Custudio, our beloved Guro Jose P Cavardo, who always challenged us to a fist fight when we inserted Visayan cuss words in Tagalog grammar. The CVI became CVC briefly, turning out elementary school teachers taking up inverted courses. Then she reverted to CVI once again until she became a foundation under the Drs Bernido.

     Under Dr Ma Victoria Carpio Bernido –  sorry Chris ladies first – and Dr Christopher C Bernido, the passing for the UP College Acceptance Test  UPCAT keep rising. While graduates of expensive high schools study specialized review centers to pass the UPCAT, a CVIF graduate takes it even shortly before graduation. And the CVIF passing average is high.

     One thing. For one whom finishes a course in UP, he will never lack employment. When employed, if  he starts at the bottom, he will never feel the bottom anyway. After UP he can become a college instructor then if he continues, a professor. When he becomes a lawyer, he will never become an ambulance chaser. The ambulance will chase him. Or a hearse. He could either become a scientist, technologist, politician  or a Communist. If he prefers.

     There may be other reunions but we may not be able to attend anymore we will be sporting an RIP but definitely not a DOM. 

Coral Reefs Degradation in Southeast Asia

By Joe Espiritu

    This week, Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo went to Indonesia to attend a South East Asian conference in the conservation of the coral reef of the region. Those who attended were the heads of most South East Asian countries like Malaysia, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea, which owns the Solomon Islands. They all low within the marine, Indo Pacific Region.

     The purpose of th4 conference is how to protect the coral reefs of the region. Coral reefs are is a natural resource that we had taken for granted. Not only that they have been victims of illegal fishing practices but also prey to man's neglect. Previously, the natives were living in harmony with nature. They took only what they want from the environment in order to exist.  They made no permanent structures; they farmed only enough for food. 

     The coming of the white man changed all that. They built churches and other buildings, they cleared land haciendas, they cut down forests for timber, all in all they took much from the environment that Mother Nature was not given enough time to recover before fresh demands were again made. Coral blocks were made into bricks to make churches, fortifications and other buildings. Over the years, they introduced animals that overgrazed grass cover, used fertilizers, pesticides and other chemicals used in modern farming.

     Then erosion set in. with no vegetation to hold them back tropical; rains washed out loosened soil and chemicals out to sea. Along the shores, salinity .fluctuated wildly and not only did the silt covered the coral strands, chemical poisoned them as well. With the dying of corals plus population pressure, valuable shellfish had disappeared. Marine bio diversity was threatened.

     For nations heavily dependent on marine resources for food, the situation is serious. The coral reefs are not only breeding grounds for organisms, which are among the first in marine life, they also act as fortresses for fish larvae and small fishes when threatened by predators. Not only that. They are also home for valuable shellfish. They are either utilized as food or are sold as collectors' items.

     The coral reefs around Bohol had been source of some valuable shells. Somewhere in the northern flats where sand islands appear only during low tides, lie the most precious cowries in the world. Long time ago this spot was visited by Evaristo Zambo, a University of the Philippines graduate from Mandaue City and Dr Paul Zhal Ph D, a Senior Natural scientist. Zambo asked Dr. Zahl not to reveal the location for the cowries found there, if shipped in numbers to collectors in Europe would drastically lower the price.

     Before 1817 only half a dozen of the Glory of the Seas cone, the deadly conus gloriamaris were known to exist. In that year, the famous British collector Hugh Cuming visiting a reef near Jagna turned over a small rock and found two side by side he recalled that he "nearly fainted with delight". When the reef vanished under an earthquake the world believed that the habitat of the gloriamaris disappeared. So famous were those shells that a writer Fanny Steele made a novel of these shells. They still value hundreds of dollars now. Another valuable shellfish that could be found in Bohol coral flats is the Leucodon cowry, the cypraea leucodon. This was found inside the stomach of a fish. 

     We have to protect our corals from chemical poisoning dynamite, and muro ami fishing and also from extraction of corals. Not only that. National and local laws must be passed to regulate the collection of shell fish. Today there are still fishermen who use crawl nets to haul up those specimens.

Philippine Cha-cha (Charter Change) Waste of Time

      We're just wasting the time of the nation.

      This was what Rep. Luis Villafuerte said to explain his decision to throw in the towel on his Charter change resolution. After causing the nation so much trouble, it came down to this.

      Of course, it was not because of Villafuerte's lack of initiative. The head of Pres. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's Kabalikat ng Malayang Pilipino did everything to get the infamous bill off the ground. It is not dead not because of Villafuerte – but in spite of him.

      "This is now a terminal case. Let us remove the life support system and bury it," Villafuerte declared with some measure of eloquence to describe the fate of the bill that polarized the nation throughout its existence.

      The death of Villafuerte's Cha-Cha is more a credit to the fight waged against it by a curious mixture of people genuinely enraged by its stupidity and those who once pushed it for the same reasons that they oppose it now.

      As everybody knows, Villafuerte's bill was aggressively sponsored by his patron and all those who shamelessly played the fiddle with her while the Philippines burned.

      Today, only Villafuerte could summon the courage (or shall we call it temerity?) to send it to its burial ground. That's life. Defeat is an orphan.

      Villafuerte of course has little reason to sulk. This administration is known for its generosity to those who serve its purpose and there is no reason to doubt that he was treated differently.

      If there was anybody entitled to fume and rage over the late, unlamented Resolution 1109, it is the Filipino people. They had to channel precious energy and resources they have to fight the good fight.

      While Malacañang and its stooges danced the Cha-Cha using the people's money intended for other purposes, the Filipino people who fought back had to dig deep into their pockets to fight it.

      That it sapped the energy, strength and creativity of a nation, there was no doubt about it. Still it was one fight that had to be fought and won. The nation cannot afford to auction its future, if not sell its soul.

      It is a pyrrhic victory in more ways than one. We fought hard and long, spent so much in the process - and not get anything much in return at the end of the day.

      Still, a victory is a victory. This is one win worth taking credit for.   

Shabu Seized in Manila

Police confiscated P12 million worth of illegal drugs and arrested three suspected dealers, including a Chinese national, in a buy-bust operation in Binondo, Manila on Wednesday, the National Capital Region Police Office said Friday.

Superintendent Leo Francisco, head of the NCR intelligence operations unit, named the suspects as John Wu, 36, a Chinese national, Deron Teddy Mamao, 36, and Mangundao Amir Hussin Maundas, 28.

Maundas and Mamao are both natives of Marawi City while Wu is a frequent visitor to the country, according to Francisco.

Apart from the illegal drugs, police also recovered a black Toyota Altis and a silver gray Mitsubishi Outlander from the suspects.

Believed to be big-time dealers in Metro Manila, the suspects have been charged with drug pushing and possession of illegal drugs at the Manila City Prosecutor's Office.

The police, however, refused to divulge other details about the syndicate where the three suspects allegedly belong, saying they were still conducting follow-up operations.

Rice Husk as Source of Electricity?

Do you imagine the possibility of the mountains of rice husks stockpiled at the back of rice mills in the province to be harnessed into electric power? 

This question was posed by Bohol V-Gov. Julius Ceasar Herrera after he was informed  that there's a  plan of the national government to construct energy plants with rice husks as power source.  

He said that with Bohol  very much dependent on the Leyte-Bohol Interconnection Project, power supply is subservient to  climatic conditions making the power situation vulnerable to erratic power supply. 

In the past weeks, Bohol suffered a series of blackouts, paralyzing major industries and commerce because of unannounced power outages. In most cases, the blackouts were blamed by automatic trip-offs of the interconnection.  

This prompted the vice-governor to propose a resolution urging the Department of Agriculture and Department of Energy (DOE) to pursue the plan of the national government in setting up power plants powered by rice husks across the country to augment the unstable power supply of the province.  

The measure may be tackled on Tuesday during the regular session of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan where he is the presiding officer.  

Under his proposed resolution, Herrera said that  province is one of the eight provinces where these plants are to be constructed.  

Based on the study, rice husk power plants can generate between 1.5 and 10 megawatts. The technology is a viable energy source as used in Japan .  

In the  proposed resolution  rice husks can be produced as much as 20% of the paddy production. "In 2004, about 3.14 million metric tons of rice husks were generated of the total 14 million MT of rice produce and this translates to 1,600 giga-watt hour of potential energy that can light a highly urbanized city for a year."  

As an environmentalist, the vice-governor said the power project could help the growing concern over husk disposal that can harm the environment when they are  decomposed. When rotten, the husks emit greenhouse gases  contributing air pollution to the environment. He cited a finding that if rice husks are burned they discharge unfiltered smoke and toxic carbon dioxide that can help deplete the ozone layer.  

He added that it's about time to tap "our resources while there is still time to save our environment". (With reports from Ric Obedencio) 

Politics in the Philippines Election in 2010

By Joe Espiritu

    We should have been writing on the changes of flora and fauna in our environment but we seriously doubt that this would be interesting to our readers. The hottest topic today is politics. There are people who would ask us about the present local political situation every time we meet. It we do not always have up to date information, we would ask them in turn if we sense that the question is rhetorical. From this we learn a lot.

     Since the local political situation depends usually on the national scene, we would start from there... The administration is not yet firm on who would be the standard bearer. Though opinion pollsters rate VP Noli de Castro as a front runner, administration handlers are still open to Sen. Manny Villar. Villar had declared himself as an oppositionist. But since the opposition is not one solid body but a conglomeration of splintered groups Villar might form his own party or join the administration.

     Though Noli is an honest, plodding do gooder, free from controversy – except for the running gun battle with his comare Loren Legarda – he is less colorful than Villar. The latter, with his considerable logistics would make and ideal presidential candidate. Besides another opposition presidential aspirant Sen. Panfilo Lacson is after his scalp. Then there is another hopeful in the person of Sen Mar Roxas. If Villar jumps the fence, Noli would be left out in the cold and if his sympathizers object, then it will be the turn of the administration party to be splintered.

     Nearer home, we have no information on who will run for congressmen in the First and Second Districts. We can only speculate that Erico Aumentado would want his old post as congressman of the Second District. Rene Relampagos has three options. He could run as congressman of the First District, governor or mayor of the City of Tagbilaran. Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap is interested in the congressional seat of the Third District. He would be a formidable opponent of Boy Jala...

     The Edgar Chatto – Roberto Cajes tandem would be the administration gubernatorial candidate. That is; if Cajes agrees to play a second fiddle to Chatto. Since both were congressmen of different districts, equal in rank but different in localities, there would be an intense horse trading before the team will be formed. They will be opposed by VGov Julius Herrera and Provincial Administrator Tomas Abapo. 

     By geographical considerations, they are evenly matched. Chatto and Herrera are from the First District while Cajes and Abapo are from the Second District. However, exposure-wise .Herrera and Abapo has the edge since they had been holding provincial offices. How to translate that advantage into votes is another story. The gubernatorial dark horse will be Cesar Montano. Never count this Baclayanon out. This multi awarded actor, director, producer had not earned such distinctions through acting alone but by using his administrative and managerial skills to produce successful projects.

     In Jagna, the contest boiled down into a three cornered fight between Fortunato 'Bicbic' Abrenilla, Joseph Rañola and Paris Macarayan. Capt Cipriano Madera has faded out of the picture. While Abrebilla attends to his political fences personally, Rañola has his Jagna Renaissance. Macarayan, who has recently come home fro abroad on the other hand, has his cadre of seamen working for him. Bicbic and Paris are both about to retire... Rañola on the other hand can simply move his operations within the reach so he could serve Jagna effectively if elected.

     Since Abrenilla would be the administration candidate for mayor, his governor would doubtless be Chatto. Rañola is for Cesar Montano while Macarayan would wait for one who comes to him. He seems to be sure of his assets. Since the starting gun had nit yet gone off, we could not say who has the edge. Partisan say they have but those are just speculations. The situation is still fluid. Logistics, campaign strategy and sustained effort would decide who will win.