Death toll 215

The death toll in the Bohol earthquake continues to rise, as 4 bodies were found in a sinkhole in Antequera. Two hundred one fatalities came from Bohol; 13 from Cebu and 1 from Siquijor; 742 were wounded and 8 are still missing.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) estimated infrastructure damage at P2.2 billion. Relief efforts continue with Philippine STAR, GMA-7, and Ateneo helping out.

TV reports show Boholanos sleeping in an open field complaining of the cold nights. The Philippine National Red Cross (PNRC) should take the lead in providing blankets. Even President Aquino commented on the cold air and he said he slept with his jacket on.

How about Governor Chavit Singson and his sons, Governor Manoling Ortega of La Union and Mayor Mauricio Domogan of Baguio sending Ilocano “Abel kumots” to Bohol? The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has sent 6,000 hygiene kits.

DOLE Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz announced overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) will get P3,000 cash and also from Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA).

Jinggoy to US

Senator Jinggoy Estrada revealed in a radio interview that he plans to go to the United States with his wife, Precy, to get a second opinion on the lumps in Precy’s breasts.

This will test the legality of the Department of Justice’s request to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) to cancel Jinggoy’s passport as well as those of Senators Juan Ponce Enrile, Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr., and 34 others even before any cases have been filed with the Sandiganbayan.

The DFA announced that the 37 passport holders will be asked to comment on the DOJ’s request.

Will Secretary Leila de Lima hold Jinggoy at the airport despite the lack of court order or a DFA cancellation order? She did it with President Arroyo.

Senator Jinggoy promised he will be back by the time the Senate reopens. It is now in recess. It appears that Jinggoy will still be abroad on November 7 when Janet Napoles appears in the Senate.

Lacson attacks

In a speech during the meeting of the Philippine Constitutional Associations (PHILCONSA), Senator Ping Lacson called on President Aquino to abolish the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) and Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP) labelling them “evil siblings.”

He revealed that influential senators give from P500 million to P1 billion in PDAF and DAP allocations.

He recalled caucuses where the senators decided to increase their PDAF to a P300 million minimum.

Secretary Sonny Coloma refused to engage Lacson on a debate insisting the DAP was legal.

Senator Lacson has told close friends that a rumored Cabinet appointment is no longer forthcoming. “Wala na yan,” is the way he put it. Senator Francis Pangilinan has also said he is no longer interested in accepting a Cabinet post.

Presidential pork stays

Senator Francis Escudero has recommended to the plenary the approval of P600 billion in Special Purpose Fund (SPF), labeled as presidential pork barrel.

The Finance Committee also approved the P997-million budget of the Department of Budget and Management (DBM).

In addition, the President still retains the discretion to distribute the Malampaya Fund, the President’s Social Fund (PSF), and the Motor Vehicles User’s Charge (MVUC) fund.

The Senate still has to decide on the abolition of its PDAF totalling P4.8 billion.

The question: For the retention of the presidential pork barrel, how much “incentive” will the senators get?

Rice smuggling going on

Another shipment of smuggled rice has been intercepted at the port of Davao. With the destruction of rice fields in Nueva Ecija and Tarlac due to typhoon ‘Santi’, it is clear that the promise of President Aquino to achieve rice sufficiency by the end of 2013 will not be achieved.

The Department of Agriculture has been quite slow in assisting farmers who suffered damage from calamities. Up to now the farmers of Davao Oriental and Compostela Valley have not been able to replant their damaged fields from Typhoon ‘Pablo’.

There’s a big question now on whether Department of Agriculture (DA) funds are reaching the farmers. It looks like all the funds released to DA have been malversed by lawmakers in cooperation with DA officials. Napoles’ NGOs operated in the DA.

There’s no sign that Secretary Proceso Alcala will be asked to explain by the President. A buddy of President Aquino since their Congress days, Alcala is one of the “untouchables” in the Aquino administration.

Sad note

It is sad to see more than 1,000 teachers in ARMM refuse to serve as members of the Board of Election tellers.

First, it shows a seeming lack of a sense of duty and sacrifice on the part of teachers whose salaries have been increased to about P20,000 a month.

It is also a proof that the peace and order situation in Mindanao is really bad.

TIDBITS:The Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union Expressway (TPLEx) will have its soft opening on October 30, 2013. It is an extension of the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEx). The TPLEx project is the first all-Filipino owned public-private partnership (PPP) project led by San Miguel Corporation. Eight Filipino contractors financed the project.

The National Statistics Office (NSO) 2012 Family Income and Expenditures Survey showed rich Filipinos get an average of P60,000 a month, while poor Filipinos earn as low as P6,000 a month. The Autonomous Region for Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) recorded the lowest income levels.

Vegetable prices up. Typhoon ‘Santi’ must have destroyed vegetable farms too. Prices of eggplant and ampalaya have gone up to P100/kilo from P50/kilo.

Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) predicts a high 3.6% inflation rate for October due to weather disturbances.

Advance birthday greetings to Marilyn Pardo, wife of Titoy Pardo and to Nilo Raymundo.