DENR offers scholarships in geosciences QUEZON CITY, METRO MANILA Incoming college freshmen are encouraged to avail of the

Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR)'s scholarships in geosci ences to boost the country's geohazard system. DENR cecretary Ramon Paje issued the directive to encourage more students to tak e up mining and metallurgical engineering, who would eventually assist in geohaz ard mapping and assessment. The agency noted a steady decline in the number of geologists, and mining and me tallurgical engineers in the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) over the past ye ars. Jobs abroad that offer higher pay grade and the rationalization program contribu ted to this decline. The number of geologists who chose to stay and work with us is barely enough to h andle the increasing work load particularly on geohazard mapping and assessment which is a necessity due to climate change, Paje furthered. There are only 88 geologists in MGB and over 120 vacant positions. Paje appealed to incoming and current college students to take advantage of the scholarship program. He also urged qualified DENR personnel who wish to pursue a career in geosciences to try applying. The program will cover tuition fees, a monthly stipend of P3, 000 and book allow ance. There are currently 12 scholars enrolled in the only five universities that offe r the said courses locally. These are the University of the Philippines, Adamson University and Mapua Univer sity in Luzon; Cebu Institute of Technology in the Visayas; and University of So utheastern Philippines in Mindanao. SWS: 73% of Pinoys want CJ convicted MANILA, Philippines - Seven in 10 Filipinos want Chief Justice Renato Corona con victed even as the same number want him to testify in his impeachment trial, res ults of the latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey revealed. The SWS poll, conducted from March 10 to 13, found 73 percent prefer a convictio n at this stage of the trial, while 25 percent said they wanted a not guilty verdi ct. A similar 73 percent of respondents want Corona to personally testify in his own impeachment trial to disprove the charges filed against him, while 26 percent s aid otherwise. The survey also showed that a majority or 67 percent of the respondents would ac cept any verdict that the Senate, sitting as an impeachment court, will hand dow n on the complaint filed against the chief magistrate, while only nine percent s aid no. Half of Filipinos (51 percent) were satisfied with the way the impeachment trial has proceeded while 20 percent were dissatisfied, for a good net 31 rating, SWS s aid. The survey research firm noted that satisfaction was moderate in balance Luzon, th e Visayas and among non-high school graduates. Results of the SWS poll were published in the newspaper BusinessWorld yesterday. The nationwide poll found respondents neither trusting nor distrusting the Senate to make a fair decision, which it said indicated public anxiety about the outcom e. With regard to the House of Representatives decision to impeach Corona, 53 percen t said they were satisfied, against 17 percent who were dissatisfied, for a good n et rating of 36. The SWS said satisfaction was good in all areas and demographic groups. Sixty-six percent of Filipinos were satisfied with Senate President Juan Ponce E nrile s handling of the trial and 11 percent were dissatisfied, giving him a net s core of very good 55. Asked about their trust that the Senate impeachment court would issue a fair ver

dict, 51 percent said they were unsure, 30 percent said they had much trust, and 19 percent had little trust in the chamber. The dominance of the middle position, with a near-balance of the positive and neg ative sides, indicates public anxiety about the ultimate decision of the Senate, the SWS said. Slow pace Nearly half or 49 percent of respondents, meanwhile, said the pace of the trial was too slow, followed by 40 percent who said it was just right and 11 percent w ho viewed it as hurried. SWS said the impatience was dominant everywhere except in Mindanao, class E and non-high school graduates. A majority (69 percent) said the trial was fair to both sides, a strong perceptio n in all demographic groups. Nearly two out of 10 or 17 percent claimed it favore d the defense team, while 12 percent said the prosecution was being given the ad vantage. Asked to choose whether the Chief Justice should resign immediately, about half of the respondents (49 percent) said Corona should wait to be found not guilty t hen quit; 30 percent said he should resign soon, and 18 percent said he should l eave only if convicted and 3.5 percent had no opinion. The impeachment proceedings, which started on Jan. 16 this year, are currently s uspended for a Holy Week break. The trial will resume on May 7, with the defense to continue presenting its case. The SWS used face-to-face interviews of 1,200 adults nationwide, with sampling e rror margins of plus or minus three percentage points for national and plus or m inus six percentage points for area percentages. Prosecution elated The prosecution expressed elation over the result of the SWS survey, saying it r eflects the people s sentiment on Corona. It s a reflection of the people s sentiment, prosecution spokesman Rep. Miro Quimbo of Marikina said. Considering that the survey is consistent with a previous one done by Pulse Asia, the defense should stop questioning the methodology and sampling of these surve ys. Instead of shooting the messengers the survey companies the camp of CJ Coron a should come up with a more credible defense, he said. Quimbo said the SWS poll shows that the people are satisfied with the Corona imp eachment process in the House of Representatives and with the performance of its prosecution team. More importantly, the survey result means that the people believe in the strength of the evidence we have presented against the Chief Justice before the Senate i mpeachment court, he said. Aurora Rep. Juan Edgardo Angara, a spokesman for the panel, said the poll showed that the prosecutors were on the right track. We have discharged our duty to prove a case for betrayal of public trust, Angara s aid. We can only hope that our good senators feel the same way since they will be the ones to decide. Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. said the survey also showed that lawmakers were s peaking on behalf of the people in calling on Corona to personally testify in hi s trial. We have long been appealing to him to testify, Belmonte said. Complete process The defense, meanwhile, expressed confidence yesterday that the 23 senator-judge s will not be swayed by the results of recent surveys that seem to find Corona g uilty of the impeachment charges filed against him. Surveys are some sort of observation and guidance but it does not mean that it wi ll be the basis of our senator-judges when they render a decision. They (senator s) had declared that. They also said the popularity is like ice cream that melts , defense lawyer and spokesman Tranquil Salvador III said yesterday. The positive thing that you could see here is that they want the whole process to be completed, Salvador said. For us, that s a good indication, that they want to re spect the verdict even before the defense started to present their evidence.

Another defense lawyer, Rico Paolo Quicho, said the latest SWS survey should als o be seen not against Corona, but as a measure of the public s sentiment in wantin g to see the case to a conclusion. We have a high regard (for) the independence and integrity of the senator-judges, we believe that they will not be swayed by public opinion, specifically by thes e surveys. At the end of the day, they took an oath that they will be judging th is impeachment case based on the evidence that the parties presented and based o n the law that is applicable on the matter, Quicho said. Salvador also doused anew insinuations for the Chief Justice to merely resign. He said the prosecutors are the ones calling for Corona s resignation because the impeachment case is naturally weak. Premature The Supreme Court (SC) also downplayed the SWS survey. Just like the recent Pulse Asia survey, SC spokesman Midas Marquez said the new SWS survey showing almost three out of four Filipinos prefer a guilty verdict on C orona by the impeachment court is premature. As what we have said, it s premature to conduct surveys at this point because the i mpeachment case is still pending. We don t know the basis of the respondents in sa ying that he s guilty or innocent. The defense isn t through yet, he told reporters i n an interview. He believes the public had a one-sided view of the case since they had not yet h eard the defense when they were asked by Pulse Asia about Corona s guilt or innoce nce. Still, the SC official said he could only hope there was no ulterior motive in t he release of the surveys. I hope it is not taken and released to influence the senator-judges from deciding one way or the other, he said.

PNP On Full Lenten Alert MANILA, Philippines - Police forces nationwide were placed on full alert status effective Wednesday afternoon as part of the security measures in anticipation o f exodus of tens of thousands of people to the provinces for the long Lenten bre ak. Director General Nicanor Bartolome, chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP ), said he has already ordered his commanders down to the municipal station leve l to start implementing their respective security measures. "All unit commanders are reminded to secure all PNP camps and offices, vital ins tallations, economic key points, and places of convergence of people," said Bart olome in his memorandum. The full alert status, equivalent to red alert in the military that requires 100 percent duty of all its 140,000 personnel, took effect at 5 p.m. Wednesday. It is the highest security alert of the PNP. Bartolome particularly ordered his men to prioritize national highways, bus term inals, ports, and airports where a large number of people are expected to conver ge starting as early as Friday. As such, he said he had already instructed his men to set up Police Assistance C enters along national highways which will be manned not only by policemen but me dical personnel, among them are the Maharlika Highway from North to South Luzon, the Manila South Road from Manila to Bicol, the Manila East Road from Eastern M etro Manila to Northern Quezon, the Strong Republic Nautical Highway that passes through island provinces in Visayas and Mindanao, and other major thoroughfares . Police Assistance Centers will serve as quick-reaction points for police emergen cy and medical response, and advance command post for traffic management and roa d security operations. All PACs are linked with Patrol 117 nationwide emergency telephone hotline, and

the TXT PNP 2920 SMS hotline. In coastal resort areas, the Maritime Group and local PNP units were tasked to c onduct seaborne patrols and other police security functions to assist in enforci ng maritime laws and local ordinances that impose safety regulations in the oper ation of inter-island vessels and motorized boats that ferry passengers across b odies of water. In Metro Manila, Oplan Bantay-Lakbay will be spearheaded by the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) in coordination with the Metropolitan Manila Devel opment Authority (MMDA) and local government units. Police stations Metro Manila and other urban centers are tasked to conduct preve ntive patrols and neighborhood watch to guard against criminal elements that may take advantage of unattended residences. All commercial business establishments, shopping malls, places of worship, MRT a nd LRT, and other vital installations will be placed under intensive security co verage. National Capital Region Police Office chief Director Allan Purisima directed all Metro Manila district directors, chiefs of police, and operational support unit commanders to beef up their security operations and public safety plan to ensur e a secured, safety, and orderly observance of the Holy Week. In the Southern Police District (SPD), Supt. Jenny Tecson, spokeswoman and concu rrent chief of the Public Information Office, disclosed that Senior Supt. Arraza d P. Subong, officer-in-charge, directed all police stations under the district to intensify its police visibility. NLEx, SCTEx Express Lanes As this developed, The North Luzon Expressway (NLEx) and the Subic Clark Tarlac Expressway (SCTEx) will implement an express payment program called the "Holy We ek Express Lane." The program is intended for Class 1 vehicles traveling to the North this Holy We ek. Class 1 vehicles include cars, vans and jeepneys. The program will start at 2 p.m. of April 4 (Holy Wednesday) and will end at 5 p.m. of April 5 (Maundy Thu rsday). It seeks to shorten transaction time in busy plazas like Dau-Mabalacat i n Pampanga, Subic-Tipo and the Tarlac exits in SCTEx. Under this program a Class 1 motorist exiting Dau and Subic-Tipo or Tarlac via S CTEx may already pay his/her toll fees in full as he/she passes the Balintawak o r Mindanao Avenue Toll Plazas. Motorists exiting Dau will pay a total toll fee a mounting to R218 while motorists exiting Subic via SCTEx will pay R408 and motor ists exiting Tarlac via SCTEx will pay R322. This program aims to alleviate queu ing at the Toll Plazas especially during peak hours of the Holy Week exodus. Des ignated Express Lanes are located at the left side of the Toll Plazas. Motorists intending to use the Express Lanes should keep left as they approach the toll p lazas for their entry and exit.

Job hunting season begins Applicants look at a board displaying job vacancies during a job fair in Manila March 19, 2012. The Philippines' jobless rate, among the highest in Southeast As ia, rose to 7.2 percent in January from 6.4 percent in October, the statistics o ffice said on March 15. Thousands leave the country every day to work as domesti c helpers, nurses and engineers overseas. REUTERS/Romeo Ranoco (PHILIPPINES - Ta gs: BUSINESS EMPLOYMENT)

Andal Ampatuan Sr. Former Maguindanao Governor Andal Ampatuan Sr. (C) is escorted by heavily armed Bureau of Jail Management and Penology personnel as he leaves the court after at

tending the arraignment of his electoral sabotage case at a regional trial court in Pasay, east of Manila, March 26, 2012. According to local media, Ampatuan Sr . pleaded not guilty and is also a prime suspect in a massacre of around 50 peop le, most of whom were journalists, that occurred in Maguindano in 2009. REUTERS/ Noel Celis/Pool (PHILIPPINES - Tags: POLITICS CRIME LAW)