***THREE (3) STORIES***
STORY NO. 1
-------------------
Camille P. Balagtas
People's TONIGHT
August 11, 2002
"HIGHWAY ROBBERY ON THE INFORMATION
SUPERHIGHWAY" --LEGARDA
Legarda asks NTC to investigate Prepaid
Internet Providers
========================================================================
Senate
Majority Leader Loren Legarda Leviste. filed resolution, yesterday to investigate unscrupulous prepaid internet
Card providers offering extra hours of
internet usage they could not afford to give.
Senator
Legarda said many coming from consumers have
reached her office that fly-by-night prepaid internet providers
were victimizing internet surfers by
giving more hours of internet use in their
promotional advertisement, but could not provide reliable
connection services.
This
is a clear information highway robbery and I am asking the National
Telecommunications Commission (NTC) to go hard on those who are involved in
this," Legarda said.
Reports
have revealed that prepaid internet cards offered as long as 21 hours of Internet use for only P100 in their
promotions.
A
very affordable amount compared with
internet service providers (ISP), which can, only offer 20 to 30 hours of internet use for a monthly subscription
fee of 500.
Aggressive
promotions focusing on long surfing hours and cheap prices have been the selling points of prepaid
cards, luring mostly young internet
enthusiasts in buying prepaid cards rather than entering subscription
with ISPs.
The
Senator from Batangas said "Cyberspace related abuses should be
investigated by NTC and proper complaints should be filed against those found
violating our laws and NTC rules and regulations," Legarda added.
///camille p. balagtas
STORY NO. 2
-------------------
Camille P. Balagtas
People's TONIGHT
August 11, 2002
ADMIN SENATORS TO FINALIZE COMMITTEE
CHAIRMANSHIPS
==================================================
The
majority as a whole will finally decide for the committee chairmanship
specifically the two committees that are now vacant following the settlement of
the impasse between the administration and opposition blocs in the chamber,
Senate Majority Leader Loren Legarda Leviste said yesterday.
In
an interview, Legarda said that the Senate committees on finance, and foreign
relations will be filled up after the majority decides in a caucus on who
should assume their chairmanships.
The
Senate finance committee was chaired by Sen. John Osmeņa when he was still with
the administration bloc. He later switched to the opposition in protest the
majority bloc's inaction on the Purchase Power Adjustment (PPA) charges
resulting from onerous provisions of the National Power Corp. with Independent
Power Producers (IPPs) during the Ramos administration.
The
Senate foreign relations body was vacated by Sen. Blas Ople who has since
resigned from the Senate to assume the post of secretary of the Department of
Foreign Affairs.
The
choice for new chairman of the Senate finance committee was earlier reported to
be a toss up among Senators RamonMagsaysay Jr., Ralph Recto, and Manuel Villar,
Legarda. However, she added, Villar is likely to get the committee as Magsaysay
has gave way to him.
Legarda
explained that Magsaysay gave way to Villar as Magsaysay would rather have the
Senate agriculture committee. Villar is thus likely to drop the agriculture
committee in favor of Magsaysay, Legarda said.
Should
Villar take the Senate finance committee, Sen. Juan Flavier is likely to take
the post of Senate pro tempore. Flavier is now the most senior member of the
administration party Lakas-NUCD in the Senate.
Legarda
said that she was authorized to reveal the sentiments of the majority of
senators in the administration although nothing has yet been finalized.
Legarda
said that the chairmanship of the foreign relations committee is still open as
no senator has expressed a desire for it.
She
said that her bloc will decide whether or not to give the Senate committee on
government corporations and public enterprises to Sen. John Osmeņa who has made
public his desire for it so he can pursue an inquiry on IPP contracts.
Legarda
said that the majority bloc can take the committee away from Osmeņa anytime
should it decide to do so in favor of any of its members who may be interested
in it. She said Sen.James Barbers may have his eyes on the committee.
Legarda
said the administration bloc might offer the defense committee to its present
vice chairman, opposition Sen. Rodolfo Biazon.
"Alam
naman natin na matagal nang ini-aalok ni Senator Magsaysay kay Senator Biazon
ang defense chairmanship, pero hindi ko lang alam kung io-o-offer nga kay
Senator Biazon at kung may condition. The majority would still decide on
that," Legarda said. Angara
On
the otherhand, Sen. Edgardo J. Angara yesterday said that removal of Sen. John
Osmeņa from the Senate committee on government corporations may abort the
scheduled Senate inquiry into the 36 Independent Power Producer (IPP) contracts
alleged as onerous.
Angara
said that Osmeņa's removal may not be acceptable to the public which wants a
full inquiry into the onerous IPPs.
While
the administration senators can remove Osmeņa from the committee, Angara said,
that move would be ill-advised.
Angara
said that Osmeņa precisely resigned from the Senate majority to join the
opposition in the Senate to carry out a no-nonsense and impartial inquiry into
the 36 IPPs.
"I
believe that the Senate should not be remiss in its job of looking into the
technical and financial details of the onerous IPP contracts so remedial policy
can be crafted," he said.
An
alternative power bill filed by Angara and several members of the Senate minority
seeks an "arms-length" review of the IPP contracts.
The
bill proposes a panel of international experts to make the review truly fair
and impartial.
The
bill also seeks the reduction of the power purchase adjustment (PPA) from P3.30
to P1.20 per kwh and the grant of special rates to 9.5 million low-volume
electricity consumers.
It
seeks a 23-centavo per kwh cap on the stranded cost charges of the Napocor to
lessen the burden on power consumers.
The
bill also seeks drastic measure to promote efficiency and competition in the
power sector.
"The
alternative bill seeks a lasting and comprehensive solution to the country's
power mess," said Angara.///camille p. balagtas
STORY NO. 3
-------------------
Camille P. Balagtas
People's TONIGHT
Aug.11, 2002
Villar willing to give up his Pro Tempore
position in exchange for Finance Chairmanship
-Sens. Legarda and Recto also also eyeing
finance chairmanship-
========================================================================================
Rivalry
for Finance committee chairmanship among administration senators will be
resolved today.
Senate
President Pro Tempore Manuel Villar will give up his post to chair the powerful
Senate committee on finance while Senate Majority Leader Loren Legarda also
expressed willing to handle the same position.
The
finance committee, the Senate counterpart of the House committee on
appropriations, was yielded by opposition Sen. John Osmeņa because of the
emergence of a new majority.
Sen.
Recto reportedly consulted Finance Sec.
Jose Camacho and asked for a short briefing regarding the matter.
It
was reported earlier, that Villar expressed willingness to give up the No. 2
post in favor of the chairmanship of the finance committee. He said he wanted
more work and he had very little responsibilities as Senate president pro
tempore, a largely ceremonial position.
Legarda
meanwhile divulged that Sen. Juan Flavier will succeed Villar as the No. 2 official
of the Senate.
She
added that the chairmanship of the agriculture committee, currently headed by
Villar, will be taken over by Sen. Ramon Magsaysay Jr., also chairman of the
committees on defense, science and technology and banking.
The
majority will decide in a caucus Monday on who would be the chairman of the
foreign relations committee, a post vacated by Sen. Blas Ople after his
appointment as foreign affairs secretary.
"I
would have wanted to head the foreign relations committee, but Senate President
Franklin Drilon said he wanted me to stay at my post," Legarda said.
Senate
Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel Jr. will hand over his post to Sen. Vicente
Sotto III. Pimentel, however, will not be left empty handed as he would get the
chairmanship of the Senate committee on local government, formerly headed by
Osmeņa.
"We
are all agreed on sharing committee work with the minority," Legarda
explained.
Osmeņa
will in all probability retain the chairmanship of the committee on government
corporations and public enterprises. The committee has primary jurisdiction
over the resolution seeking to investigate the implementation of the Power
Crisis Act, the Build-Operate-Transfer Law and the Electric Power Industry Reform
Act of 2001.
The
resolution also seeks to investigate former President Fidel Ramos, among other
former officials, on the signing of alleged onerous contracts with independent
power producers.
Sen.
Robert Barbers asked Drilon the other day to explain why there was a decision
to retain Osmeņa without consultations. Barbers said he believed that Osmeņa is
qualified to head the questioned committee, but there was a procedure to be
followed.
Drilon
said that his decision was based on a Senate practice since the time of the
late Senate President Marcelo Fernan allowing minority senators to head one
committee each.
Sen.
Renato Cayetano, chairman of the Senate committee on energy, said he would
support the continued chairmanship of Osmeņa of the committee on government
corporations and public enterprises.
Cayetano
said that although his committee has secondary jurisdiction over the resolution
on Ramos' investigation, he would let Osmeņa go all alone so there would be no
doubts that he or the other administration senators are stonewalling the probe
of Ramos.
Both
Sen. Cayetano and Sen. Barbers denied protecting former President Ramos in the
alleged anomaly.
The
two Lakas senators said there is nothing to hide in this transactions because
everything has been supported by enough documents and this has been reviewed by
the congressional oversight committee responsible to monitor the
transactions.////camille p. balagtas