http://www.pinaspolitics.com Open discussions on political issues in the Philippines Mon, 24 Nov 2008 12:11:39 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en MANILA, Philippines - Congress resumes sessions Monday after a month-long break, with approval before yearend of the proposed P1.415-trillion national budget for 2009 on top of its agenda. The budget, up 15% from the P1.227 trillion appropriated this year, is scheduled for third and final approval in the House. The measure ... http://www.pinaspolitics.com/uncategorized/budget-top-priority-as-session-resumes.html President Arroyo said on Wednesday Southeast Asian nations and their dialogue partners have agreed to create a standby liquidity fund for the region. Arroyo said the World Bank (WB) had committed to initially provide $10 billion as its contribution to the facility. She said she hoped other multilateral ... http://www.pinaspolitics.com/uncategorized/south-east-asia-crisis-fund.html NEW YORK (AFP) - - A rare bird in the political world, the US Communist Party is feeling rather smug in these days of capitalist turmoil. At the party's New York headquarters on 23rd Street in Manhattan, regional party chairman Libero Della Piana, 36, laid out why he thinks Marxist-Leninism's time ... http://www.pinaspolitics.com/uncategorized/search-us-communists-say-their-time-has-come.html MANILA, Philippines – Senators on Thursday described the Supreme Court ruling which upheld the executive privilege invoked by former national planning chief Romulo Neri when he evaded questions regarding the government's deal with China's Zhong Xing Telecommunications Equipment (ZTE) Corp. as "erroneous," "terrible," and "unreasonable." However, the senators said they would ... http://www.pinaspolitics.com/political-news/senators-on-sc-ruling-terrible-erroneous-unreasonable.html MANILA, Philippines - Proponents of the move to amend the Constitution may avail of a fourth mode to change the Charter, a congressman said Wednesday. In this mode, dubbed the "piecemeal legislation," the amendment can be initiated by a House resolution which can act as counterpart of the Sen. Aquilino ... http://www.pinaspolitics.com/political-news/solon-says-4th-mode-can-be-utilize-for-cha-cha.html BEIJING (Reuters) - U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday urged China to match its growing economic and political clout with more funding and troops for peacekeeping operations to meet growing international crises. China, a relative latecomer to global peacekeeping, has about 1,800 peacekeepers deployed abroad, making it the second largest contributor ... http://www.pinaspolitics.com/uncategorized/uns-ban-calls-on-china-to-be-bigger-peacemaker.html President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and Republican presidential candidate John McCain agreed to further strengthen the long standing bilateral relations of the Philippines and the United States. In a brief meeting, the President and McCain exchanged pleasantries and discussed RP-US relations. ”The Filipinos are watching this elections in the US and hoping for the ... http://www.pinaspolitics.com/political-news/pgma-mccain-agree-to-further-strengthen-rp-us-relations.html MANILA, Philippines – President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo will fly to Davao City on Wednesday to witness the formal merger of the country's two biggest political parties -- the Lakas-CMD and Kampi. The event will also feature the presentation of the party's candidates in the 2008 elections in the Autonomous Region of Muslim ... http://www.pinaspolitics.com/uncategorized/arroyo-flies-to-davao-for-lakas-kampi-merger.html House Speaker Prospero Nograles, Lakas-CMD president released on June 2, 2008, its tentative 2010 senatorial elections line-up: • Senator Ramon “Bong” Revilla, Jr. • Senator Manuel “Lito” Lapid • Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap • Health Secretary Francisco Duque III • Metropolitan Manila Development Authority chairman Bayani Fernando • Quezon City ... http://www.pinaspolitics.com/uncategorized/lakas-tentative-senatorial-line-up.html The family of former House Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr. believe the speakership of the Philippines’ House of Representatives (HR) is their “family-owned corporation.” Thus lamented Pampanga Rep. Juan Miguel “Mikey” Arroyo – the elder of two congressman sons of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo — when asked for his opinion about the ... http://www.pinaspolitics.com/political-news/arroyo-de-venecia.html