Advocates pitch benefits of medical marijuana

MANILA -- Advocates of medical marijuana on Tuesday attempted to convince lawmakers of the positive use of the illegal plant in the field of medicine.

Various experts attended the hearing of the House Committee on Health to convince lawmakers to pass House Bill 4477, or the "Compassionate Use of Medical Marijuana Act,'' which was filed by Isabela 1st District Representative Rodolfo Albano III and has 69 co-authors.

The advocates, including a foreign doctor who shared his expertise through a video message, explained the medical significance of cannabis or marijuana.

They insisted that cannabis is a unique drug that has vast potential for treatment.

Marijuana is the only known plant that produces large amounts of a class of chemicals known as cannabinoids, which is naturally produced by the human body.

The cannabinoid system, only discovered roughly two decades ago, is responsible for the regulation and protection of the the body. Cannabis has been used to manage pain, fight inflammation, battle depression, and regulate appetite and sleep, among others.

It has been proven as an effective treatment against serious ailments like Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), epilepsy, Parkinson's Disease, and Multiple Sclerosis.

Albano clarified that HB 4477 only seeks to legalize marijuana strictly for medical use only. The bill seeks to regulate the use of cannabis for treatment and medication of patients with debilitating medical conditions.

If enacted, a Medical Cannabis Regulatory Authority under the Department of Health will be established to regulate the medical use of marijuana.

Qualified patients will be given identification cards that will protect them from criminal liability for the use of medical cannabis.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Singapore clamps down on shisha smoking

SINGAPORE - The Singapore government said Tuesday it would phase out public shisha smoking to protect young people who feel that smoking tobacco through water pipes is less harmful than cigarettes.

Faishal Ibrahim, parliamentary secretary for the health ministry, told a legislative session that a ban on new licences for shisha imports and sales would come into force this month.

Existing importers and retailers will be given until July 2016 to shift to other businesses.

"In view of the health risks associated with shisha smoking and to prevent the proliferation and entrenchment of shisha smoking in Singapore, my ministry intends to prohibit the import, distribution and sale of shisha," Faishal told lawmakers.

Faishal said government surveys showed the proportion of students using alternative tobacco products had increased from two percent in 2009 to nine percent in 2012.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Lawmakers seek probe of 'Last Home Stand'

MANILA – Rep. Winston "Winnie" Castelo on Wednesday expressed his disgust over the cancellation of the exhibition game between Gilas Pilipinas and a group of NBA stars, and sought an immediate congressional probe "in aid of legislation" on the circumstances surrounding the fiasco.

Castelo on Wednesday filed House Resolution 1293, which seeks to come out with a remedial legislation that could prevent the recurrence of the incident.

Filipino basketball fans had paid as much as P23,000 a ticket to see a basketball game between the national team players and the NBA stars. The cancelled game was supposed to be part of a series of exhibition games before Gilas flies to Spain to play in the FIBA World Cup.

Reports suggested that the PLDT Group of Companies, which sponsored the cancelled game, appeared to have been duped by a US-based event organizing group, which promised the conglomerate to bring in the NBA players.

Citing press reports, PLDT was informed by the other party to the agreement just hours before the event that the NBA players were barred from playing, citing the existing NBA players' memo which informed the player agents and the players themselves that the NBA does not allow unsanctioned exhibition games, Castelo said.

Castelo said Congress has to initiate an inquiry to prevent a repetition even as PLDT chairman Manny Pangilinan said "a refund scheme was being put in motion" because he did not want the public to feel shortchanged.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Senate, House OK RH bill on final reading

The Senate and the lower House approved the reproductive health (RH) bill on 3rd and final reading Monday.

The lower House version of the bill, sponsored by Rep. Edcel Lagman, was first approved 133-79, with 7 abstentions.

The vote was made quickly, with 199 representatives present.

It passed by a higher margin of 54 votes on 3rd reading, in contrast to the close 113-104 vote on 2nd reading.

Some lawmakers made it to the plenary session to cast their votes despite being ill or having important matters to attend to.

Rep. Miro Quimbo, who voted in favor of the measure, attended the session despite being ill with dengue.

Quimbo, on a wheelchair, was accompanied by a doctor who held up his dextrose bag.

"Para sa bayan, I vote yes," he said when his name was called.

"Can't breathe well. Nursing a cold and headache. I almost screamed inside the plane bcoz of the pressure. But must go to Batasan," Negros Occidental Rep. Mercedes Alvarez said earlier in the day.

Those who voted no include party-list Rep. Juan Miguel "Mikey" Arroyo and Rep. Mitos Magsaysay.

"Mr. Speaker, this practicing Roman Catholic will always vote no," Arroyo said.

"I just voted NO!" Magsaysay said on Twitter.

House Speaker Sonny Belmonte Jr. and Rep. Lorenzo "Erin" Tañada III, who was the presiding officer in the 2nd reading, voted in favor of the measure in the final reading.

Senate nod

The Senate, meanwhile, approved it 13-8, on 2nd and 3rd reading.

The bill, sponsored by Senators Pia Cayetano and Miriam Defensor Santiago, immediately went to 3rd reading after the 2nd reading because President Benigno Aquino certified it as urgent.

The bicameral conference committee will get both versions of the bill for consolidation before the President signs it into law.

The Senate vote was made after the upper House tackled amendments proposed by Senator Vicente "Tito" Sotto III.

Those who voted yes were:

Edgardo Angara,
Joker Arroyo,
Pia Cayetano,
Alan Peter Cayetano,

Miriam Defensor Santiago,
Franklin Drilon,
Chiz Escudero,
TG Guingona,

Ping Lacson,
Loren Legarda,
Bongbong Marcos,
Kiko Pangilinan, and
Ralph Recto.

The senators who voted against the measure on 3rd reading were:

Tito Sotto,
Jinggoy Estrada,
Gringo Honasan,
Koko Pimentel,

Ramon "Bong" Revilla Jr.,
Antonio Trillanes IV,
Manny Villar, and,
Juan Ponce Enrile.

Senators Sergio Osmeña III and Lito Lapid were absent.

'Freedom of choice!'

The vote drew cheers from Interior Secretary Mar Roxas, whom President Aquino earlier tapped to talk to congressmen regarding the bill.

"History in the making! Freedom of Choice!" Roxas said on Twitter.

Angara said the RH bill "is an affirmation of human rights."

"Provisions of the RH bill respond to challenges of the times," he added.

Angara said that while he acknowledges concerns of the Catholic community, the bill does not legalize abortion.

"We have to consider that not all Filipinos are Catholics. We have Muslims, Protestants, Buddhists, non-believers," he said.

"Today, I vote as a Filipino, a public health advocate, a father," Angara added.

Arroyo, who voted "conditional" yes, said the bill should be subject to further amendments in the bicameral conference  committee.

"This bill promises more than it can deliver, because sex is not the root of poverty, it is not the cause of underdevelopment," he said.

Senator Alan Peter Cayetano, who voted in favor of the bill, said the RH bill is part of the solution to family problems.

"If I had a daughter who is a teenager now, gusto ko bang bigyan sya ng condom? Of course not. But as a parent, I can only do so much," he said.

"Don't you want your daughter to have [someone] to approach on reproductive health concerns?" he asked.

"We will fight not only to protect marriages. This is not an incentive to the married, this is also for the unmarried," Cayetano said.

His sister, Sen. Pia Cayetano, had tears in her eyes while explaining her vote.

"We will fight not only to protect marriages. This is not an incentive to the married, this is also for the unmarried," she said. "I hope you can join me to strengthen it, to craft it. I will do my best to preserve the integrity of Senate version."

Miriam: An idea whose time has come

Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago, a co-sponsor of the measure, had words for the Catholic Church in explaining her vote.

"I vote yes. The Catholic church has steadfastly rejected RH bill. No force more powerful than an idea whose time has come," she said.

"Copernicus refused to believe that sun revolved around the earth. He was condemned by the Church," she added.

She said the Vatican has made many mistakes in the past "because it is a human institution."

"Today is the time for the RH bill. In antiquity, the Church committed grave mistakes. It is not perfect, it is only human," she said.

"Surveys showed women die because of birth complications because they are too ignorant to control their bodies," Santiago added. "God gave me a conscience, gave me a brain. He asked me to use it for the good of my fellowmen."

Escudero, who also voted in favor of the measure said he is against abortion and is in favor of the RH bill because he wants to ensure the well-being of women and children.

"Pabor ako sa RH bill dahil gusto kong bigyan ng pagkakataon ang mga kabataan na magpasya para sa kanilang mga sarili," he said.

Sotto, the staunchest voice in Senate against the measure, said he will ask for God's forgiveness "for we do not know what we are doing."

"We took an oath, a promise to God. We promised to support the 1987 Constitution of the Philippines, not just the parts that suit us," he said.

"Malamang pagsisihan natin ito," he added.

He also claimed the bill will not even be discussed if President Aquino's mother, Cory, were alive today.

Enrile said the RH bill divided families.

"I hope that RH bill will bring the benefit that was sought to be accomplished," he said. "I vote no. But I hope those who propose the RH bill is proven right. Only time will tell." - with reports from ANC, dzMM

source: abs-cbnnews.com

Palace: Time-bound TRO on cybercrime law a 'signal'

MANILA, Philippines - Lawmakers should use the 120-day temporary restraining order (TRO) issued by the Supreme Court to amend the contentious provisions in the Anti-Cybercrime Law, Malacañang said.

In a press conference, Presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said that the halt order, which has a shelf life of 120 days, is already a “signal” from the SC that it sees flaws in the law.

"That 120 days perhaps is a signal by the Supreme Court to Congress it may want to amend the law because this is the first time or a very rare time when [it] issued a TRO [with a shelf life]. Again, perhaps this is a signal to the legislature if you would like to finalize whatever amendments you wish to do," he said.

Lacierda said the 120 days should be used by the lawmakers to finalize what they have voiced out only after the law was implemented.

The controversial law went into effect on October 3, only to be halted by the SC for 120 days ending on February 6, 2013.

Some lawmakers, including senators, only saw the need for amendments after they passed the law. Netizens have lashed at the libel provision as well as the additional powers given to the Department of Justice.

Lacierda said the halt order is just a “temporary setback” in the fight against cyber crimes.

"Obviously, we are stymied in the sense that we cannot use this law to file cases against those criminals," he said.

source: abs-cbnnews.com

Gov. Jerry Brown signs California budget

Gov. Jerry Brown signed a new state budget late Wednesday night, ending California's annual haggling over state spending and leaving the future of public schools in voters' hands.



"This budget reflects tough choices that will help get California back on track,” Brown said in a statement.]

The governor plans to veto some individual items as he signs the budget bills, an administration spokesman said, but details are not expected until Thursday.

The budget finalized by the Legislature earlier on Wednesday includes $91.5 billion in general fund appropriations. Spending from special funds and bond funds brings the total size of the budget to $142.6 billion.

The budget, which goes into effect July 1, hinges on the expectation that voters will approve more than $8 billion in temporary tax increases at the ballot box in November. Without a higher sales tax and increased levies on the wealthy, the governor says, the state will cut billions from public schools.

Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg (D-Sacramento) said the budget includes tough spending cuts that will help convince Californians that the state can be trusted with more tax money.

“We are poised to take our case to voters in November,” he said.

Republicans have sharply criticized the budget, saying it relies on new taxes and gimmicks to gloss over the state’s problems.

“It’s the typical kind of budget we’ve had in the past that kicks the can down the road,” said Senate Republican Leader Bob Huff (R-Diamond Bar).

Brown's signature capped a long day at the Capitol, where Democrats pushed nearly two dozen budget-related bills through the Legislature. The bills are the result of weeks of negotiation with Brown, and they make wide-ranging policy changes to welfare, healthcare and college scholarships.

The budget may also be a prelude to other legal and legislative fights in the coming months. Lawmakers and local governments are at odds over how aggressively the state can move to scoop up property tax money that once funded redevelopment agencies, which are being dissolved this year. In addition, Republicans are threatening to withhold votes needed to extend a healthcare fee because Democrats are shifting poor children into a less generous insurance program.

article source: latimes.com