Belmonte open to non-LP bet

House Speaker and Liberal Party (LP) Vice-Chairman Feliciano Belmonte Jr. said that he is open to having an administration standard bearer for the 2016 presidential polls who belongs to a party outside the LP.

“Actually, there’s a lot of talk about consensus building. I, as Speaker of this House and also as vice chair of the LP, I’m in charge of not just talking about consensus within the LP, but consensus with the allies, Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC), Nacionalista Party (NP), and the National Unity Party (NUP),” Belmonte said.

Many LP members are worried about Mar Roxas’ winnability considering his low survey ratings.

The ruling LP has allocated six slots for its senatorial bets, namely re-electionists Senate President Franklin Drilon, Senators Teofisto Guingona III and Ralph Recto, food security czar Francis Pangilinan, rehabilitation czar Panfilo Lacson Jr. and Justice Secretary Leila de Lima,  and the remaining six for coalition allies for the 2016 presidential polls.

ER accepts SC ruling

Laguna Governor Emilio Ramon “ER” Ejercito has taken Mayor Joseph Estrada’s advice to accept the unanimous 12-0 decision of the Supreme Court (SC), junking Ejercito’s petition contesting his disqualification, by not filing a motion for reconsideration and just run again for the post in 2016.

The Comelec earlier disqualified Ejercito after concluding that he spent more than P23 million for his campaign, exceeding the allowed P4.5 million or P3 per voter. The disqualification case was filed by Edgar San Luis, Ejercito’s rival.

Senator Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito had said that the Comelec was being used by the Aquino administration to prosecute members of their family ahead of the 2016 polls.

ER now is busy shooting a movie, “Muslim Magnum .357,” for entry in the Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF).

Commission on Elections (Comelec) spokesman James Jimenez said there is no truth to the allegation that ER was being singled out. In fact, their campaign finance unit has been moving against more than a hundred candidates who violated the campaign finance rules during the 2013 national and local elections.

Comelec commissioner Lucenito Tagle said that ER can still run for governor in 2016 because the disqualification was administrative, not criminal. 

Too late

After four years and 5 months in office, President Aquino announced he was going to certify a bill that will govern the use of the P72.8-billion coco levy fund, at least the interest earned, to be distributed to coconut farmers.

According to Aquino, said legislation will ensure long-term benefits of the coco levy fund to the Philippine coconut industry.

He will also work with coconut farmers to craft an acceptable bill on the coco levy fund. The President said he will study the possibility of issuing an executive order providing for a mechanism for the use of the coco levy fund while the bill is being crafted.

Several measures on the coco levy fund, including a people’s initiative bill from coconut farmers, are already pending at the Senate and the House of Representatives. Again we ask, why the long delay in the SC?

The Philippine government is still contesting ownership of a block of treasury shares excluded from the SC ruling on the coco levy fund. But Aquino said his administration will continue supporting coconut farmers through funding the Philippine Coconut Authority even in the absence of a final court ruling by selling its shares in the United Coconut Planter’s bank, which will yield at least P1.1 billion.

EDCA, unconstitutional?

Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago said Thursday that President Aquino’s claim that the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) is an Executive agreement and did not have to be submitted to the Senate for ratification may be a ground for his impeachment.

The EDCA, as yet another step in the Barack Obama Administration’s strategy of containing China through an “Asian Pivot.” significantly expands US military presence in the Philippines.

She said that this is culpable violation of the Constitution and betrayal of public trust, for allowing a foreign government to maintain military bases without Senate concurrence.

Foreign military bases are banned in the country under the 1987 Constitution.

But the reality is that with President Aquino in control of the House, no impeachment will prosper.

Cha-cha to be passed

Resolution of Both Houses No. 1 (RBHI), which seeks to encourage the entry of more foreign investments by easing the restrictive economic provisions of the Constitution, could be approved before Christmas, according to House Majority Leader Neptali Gonzales II.

Being a constitutional amendment, a three-fourths vote of both the House of Representatives and the Senate is required.

Senate President Franklin Drilon and Senator Ralph Recto said the Senate will act on it once it is approved by the House.

Gonzales also said the House will take up the Anti-Trust and Competition Law.

Other priority measures that the House is expected to pass next month are the resolution seeking to provide special powers to President Aquino to address the looming power crisis in 2015, as well as the P23-billion supplemental budget being requested by Malacañang.

Tidbits

Ebola outbreak death toll is 5,689.

Congressman Manny Pacquiao is selling his Forbes Park mansion for P500 million.

Joseph Russel Ingco, 39, was identified as the driver of the Maserati who roughed up MMDA traffic constable Jorbe Adriatico.