After that highly charged Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV) debate at San Ildefonso Parish, the sibling rivalry between the Binays has turned from bad to worse.
Junjun’s camp is linking Abby and her husband, Rep. Luis Campos, to the recent death of his longtime aide and secretary Monaliza “Monette” Bernardo. Abby flatly denied the allegation and confronted her brother for spreading lies about her during the campaign.
Another mayoral candidate, lawyer Renato Bondal of People of Makati, took Junjun to task for his P2-billion “white elephant hospital,” the “unfinished” Ospital ng Makati (OsMak) 2. This project is currently undergoing a “fraud audit” by the Commission on Audit on its awarding, construction and payments. Of the P2-billion cost for OsMak’s two phases, P1.4 billion was allegedly paid during Junjun’s term.
The incumbent mayor, Abby, cannot finish the project because it has to be audited first, says Bondal.
It would have been interesting if this issue was discussed in the PPCRV debate.
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Workers groups are pushing for a wage increase as the nation marks Labor Day tomorrow. The Trade Union Congress of the Philippines wants a daily minimum wage of P710 in the National Capital Region (P14,200 a month or 20 working days) but insists that P1,200 is the right figure. The militant Kilusang Mayo Uno is demanding a P750 daily wage (P15,000 a month) nationwide, or an increase of P113 from the present rate of P537.
I sought the reaction of a businessman-friend who told me that, as of today, minimum-wage workers were already getting a tax-exempt P13,425 monthly salary, excluding overtime and holiday wages.
His employees also get a 13th month pay and are entitled to one month of paid leave (15 days for sick leave and 15 days for vacation leave), on top of 23 to 24 days of nonworking, national or local holidays.
Technically he says, his workers get up to 15 months of pay yearly. Employers also shoulder their Social Security System, PhilHealth and Pag-IBIG contributions which are “forced but beneficial savings.”
Compared to the “living wage” of P10,475 a month for a family of five, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority, the current monthly income of P13,425 for minimum wage workers is an advantage.
While we celebrate the efforts of laborers today, we must also credit the businessmen who give them their wages and benefits.
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The spat between Marikina Mayor Marcelino Teodoro and Philippine National Police officials is getting nasty.
Teodoro reportedly withdrew support for the city police after he was not consulted on the appointment of Police Col. Redrico Maranan as acting Marikina police chief.
Interior Secretary Eduardo Año and the PNP chief, Police Gen. Oscar Albayalde, were aghast at the reduction in gas allowance for the city’s patrol cars, the recall of ordinance and traffic violation receipts issued to policemen and the cutting off of phone hotlines for peace and order operations.
But Teodoro says he is considering a cost-sharing agreement with the PNP because the city government is building a police headquarters worth P128 million.
Who is telling the truth here?
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