Another CA reversal

The Court of Appeals declared illegal the formation of a 2nd panel of prosecutors by the DOJ in the Gerry Ortega murder case. This has the effect of invalidating the warrant of arrest for Joel and Mario Reyes issued by the Regional Trial Court of Palawan.

This is a similar to a previous Court of Appeals decision that invalidated the findings of probable cause in the case of Senator Ping Lacson and lifted his warrant of arrest.

The CA also just reversed itself on the Banco Filipino case.

This indicates inefficiency on the part of DOJ Prosecutors. We are reminded too of the acquittal of the Alabang boys in the drug charges filed by the DOJ against them. The rate of conviction in drug cases is 5%. Again, something wrong with the DOJ case build ups.

This is one additional reason why criminals act with impunity. Their chances of conviction are very slim. In fact majority of criminal cases do not even reach the courts. They are dismissed at the prosecutors level, sometimes as early as after inquest proceedings.

The Supreme Court has to look into these cases of dismissals and acquittals. There is something very wrong in this situation. There are indications of case fixing here.

SOLID NETWORK . . Cebu Governor Gwen Garcia hosted a meeting of 11,335 barangay health workers (BHW), barangay nutrition scholars (BNS), barangay animal health aides and barangay day care workers at the Cebu International Convention Center last Tuesday.

Gov. Garcia assigned each BHW to take care of 30 houses each of their health needs, including distribution of free medicines.

Barangay health workers receive an allowance of P450-P1,000 depending on the financial resources of the local governments.

Gov. Garcia, Rep. P.J. Garcia, Rep. Mitos Magsaysay and I have proposed that all barangay officials and volunteers like the BHWs and day care workers should receive regular salaries and be entitled to GSIS membership and pension benefits.

If the administration is giving P1,400 in CCT or 4P allowances to 3.1 million recipients, there is a good reason to give salaries to barangay officials and workers. Leading the attendance at the meeting were Lenny Bagol, BHW Provincial Federation president; Estrella Manugas, president, Provincial Federation of Day Care Workers; Ma. Luisa Delantar, president of Barangay Nutrition Scholars Association; Stanly Tan, president of Barangay Animal Health Aides Association.

Also in attendance were Buboy Durano, candidate for Vice Governor, Senator Migz Zubiri, former Gov. Tingting Cojuangco who came with daughter Mikee, former Congresswoman Neri Soon Ruiz and Provincial Board Members Sun Shimura, Jose Holganza Jr., Elmer Cabahug, Sergio Restauro, Julian Daan and Joven Mondigo.

Gov. Gwen Garcia is also the provincial chairman of UNA for Cebu. Good job, Gov. Garcia. We take our hats off to you. You have the biggest network of barangay volunteer workers.

EPIDEMIC OF MURDERS . . A policeman was shot dead in GenSan.

An ex-PMA cadet was shot dead in Kiamba, Sarangani. A 16-year-old boy was shot dead in Tagbilaran.

Several killings have occurred in Iloilo, Lanao del Sur, Laguna, Cavite and Batangas for the last 2 weeks.

Yes, there is an epidemic of killings all over the country. The PNP is helpless to prevent these killings, many of them by riding in tandem assassins.

What is a common thread is the use of guns. Looks like it so easy to buy a gun in the provinces.

NO JOBS . . We have written several times about the biggest problem in the country — the lack of jobs.

The World Bank and the Asian Development Bank have issued the same comment.

Now we have official confirmation by a ranking cabinet member.

At the ADB forum, NEDA Director General Arsenio Balisacan said that not enough jobs are being created for the last 2 and half years of the Aquino Administration.

With the official 7% unemployment rate, there are at least 3 million unemployed. In addition, there are 8.5 million underemployed.

Balisacan pointed out the country’s GDP must grow by 6.7% if we are to create more jobs. Balisacan admitted the country suffers from high income inequality which indicates economic gains have not been broadly distributed across the different sectors of the population.

What is to be sadly noted is the fact that the P2 trillion 2013 budget is not focused on job creation. The allocations for public works and infrastructure projects have not been increased.

Again, World Bank, ADB and UP professors have recommended that at least P700 billion should be appropriated for public works.

In his 2012 SONA, President Aquino reported the creation of only 1.1 million jobs. The target should be increased to 3 million a year for the next 4 years.

Small business enterprises must be encouraged with a target of 1 million to receive funds for capital and training be given on how to start and to run a small business.

There is no increase on the creation of jobs by the private sector. The record shows that we have the lowest foreign direct investment after Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia and Vietnam.

EXCESSIVE . . Sen. Miriam Defensor Santiago reported and questioned the use of the P39.5 billion CCT fund.

Sen. Santiago found that budget for salaries increased by 32%, 20% for overhead expenses including 82% increase in banking fees.

Also found was reduction of CCT allocation for ARMM by 92% from P3.5 billion to 253 million. Several COA reports have found irregularities in DSWD disbursements. There have been numerous reports of teachers and DSWD personnel relatives being included in the list of beneficiaries.

COA reported that DSWD disbursed P14,486,750,001.28 in 2011 but only P10,716,588,449.28 was properly documented and verified.

The administration has been defensive on these charges of DSWD irregularities. It is time for President Aquino to order Sec. Rene Jose Almendras to investigate the matter as billions are involved.