NOT MORE FUN TO BE A RETIREE IN THE PHILIPPINES

BALITA KAY JUAN Not more fun to be a retiree in the Philippines By Stuart C. Jones Managing Director CitiBank N.A. Hong Kong Philippine Retirement Authority (PRA) retiree from UK risks losing required deposit in Export and Industry Bank. In 2004, under the auspices of the Philippine Retirement Authority (PRA), my mother, Mrs Kitty Vera [...]

Being right is not a rule in war. Might is the only rule in war

KUWENTO NI JUAN Being right is not a rule in war. Might is the only rule in war By Mang Juan Pinoy A confrontation of one who is right and one who has might A day after China dispatched its biggest civilian patrol boat to the disputed Spratlys, the Philippines deployed its biggest warship, the [...]

Angelo Reyes’s final words: life without honor is a tragedy

BALITA KAY JUAN Living life without honor is a tragedy bigger than death itself – Angie Reyes “Honor, truth, justice. Honor above all else. Pride goes with it, self-respect, sense of legacy. This is very, very important to me. Sometimes, I am accused of being arrogant. I like to have plenty – a healthy sense [...]

Unpunished Plunder

BALITA KAY JUAN Plea bargain By Ana Marie Pamintuan The Philippine Star   People who worked to prosecute retired Maj. Gen. Carlos Garcia for plunder are preparing to challenge the plea bargain he has struck in exchange for a lighter sentence. Opponents of the deal have pointed out that plea bargaining is allowed only before [...]

Former VP Noli de Castro not off hook in Pag-IBIG fund mess

BALITA KAY JUAN Former VP not off hook in Pag-IBIG fund mess By Angie M. Rosales Senate probers suspect a “high-level” cover-up by some Home Development Mutual Fund (Pag-IBIG) Fund officials in the P7-billion housing fund mess involving property developer Globe Asiatique Realty Holdings Corp. “There’s (a possible) cover-up in this case. It could go [...]

Syndicated estafa constituting economic sabotage filed vs. “Pag-IBIG Fund lawyer, et al”

BALITA KAY JUAN Globe Asiatique execs face syndicated estafa raps By Ina Reformina ABS-CBN News Charges of syndicated estafa constituting economic sabotage were filed on Friday by the Home Development Mutual Fund (Pag-IBIG Fund) and the National Bureau of Investigation(NBI) against officers of Globe Asiatique (GA) Realty Holdings Corporation and a Pag-IBIG employee in connection [...]

‘GMA forced Neri to approve NBN-ZTE deal’

BALITA KAY JUAN ‘GMA forced Neri to approve NBN-ZTE deal’ By Niña Corpuz ABS-CBN News Former Socio-economic Planning Secretary Romulo Neri was compelled by then President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo to approve the US$329 million National Broadband Network (NBN) deal, according to a newspaper columnist who first broke news about the anomalous government contract. Philippine Star [...]

‘What IIRC recommended, what was changed’

BALITA KAY JUAN ‘What IIRC recommended, what was changed’ Compiled by David Dizon abs-cbnNEWS.com   The Palace legal team watered down several of the recommendations of the Incident Investigation and Review Committee (IIRC) with respect to the filing of criminal and administrative charges against 13 individuals in the August 23 hostage crisis. Specifically, the legal [...]

Rising cost of those presidential messages

BALITA KAY JUAN Rising cost of those presidential messages By Federico D. Pascual Jr. The Philippine Star Some people have asked what I think of the funding versus the functions of the two departments one for creating and another for distributing presidential messages  that emerged out of the reorganized Office of the Press Secretary. In [...]

Puno remembers all 5 groups out to get him except jueteng emissary’s name

BALITA KAY JUAN Puno: 5 groups out to get me By Alcuin Papa, Christian V. Esguerra, Norman Bordadora Philippine Daily Inquirer Interior Undersecretary Rico E. Puno claimed that five groups including one led by Local Government Secretary Jesse Robredo are working to have me ousted. Puno told the Inquirer on Thursday night it was these [...]