ABS-CBN NEWS: Philippine economy to slow down in 2014 - economist-In an interview on DZMM, Diokno said he expects economic growth to slow to 5.5% to 6.5% this year, lower than the government forecast of 6.5%-7.5%. "As a nation parang mas divided tayo dahil sa mga pangyayari ngayon. Nakita ng mga tao na may pagka-vindictive talaga ang Presidente natin and demonstrated incompetence sa paghandle ng ekonomiya. Unang-una, yun PPP hindi naman nagtake-off. At nakita ng mga tao ang pag-responde nila sa mga natural calamities," he said.

MANILA TIMES: AMERICANS HAVE 9/11, FILIPINOS HAVE 11/8 by YEN MAKABENTA 11/8 is a grim reminder that nations do not choose a president for the good times. The good times can take care of themselves. ?We elect a president for troubled times,? says the writer Ellen Goodman. ?We pick the man who will be waked up in the middle of the night with decisions to make.? Sadly, we don?t have that kind of president today. He is busy. He?s having a coughing fit. Bahala na tayo sa ating sarili. We are on our own.

MANILA STANDARD: JOJO ROBLES - A CRYING SHAME For a presidency that has already wasted more than half of its time pursuing its political vendettas and conducting damage control after natural and man-made disasters, two years will go by in the bureaucratic equivalent of a blink of the eye. And what will Aquino have to show for his entire term, some achievement that is his alone and that will stand the test of time? Nothing, really, except probably his ban on sirens ? and even that could be gone even before he leaves. What a waste. What a crying shame.

ARCH OSCAR CRUZ: ?AQUINO BIGGEST PROBLEM OF 2013? Cruz, who is dissatisfied with Aquino?s administration, sees a brighter 2014 if Aquino will resign for the sake of the Filipino people who suffered a lot because of his leadership since he was elected as the president of Philippines three years ago. For Cruz, the Aquino administration was like a ?big joke.? ?First, he does not know how to lead. He is not capable of leading. Second, the country had become more problematic when he became the president,? he said. ?I?m sorry, I hope I was, but I am not,? the bishop said when asked if he was satisfied of Aquino?s presidency.

ABSNEWS 12/19 9:30 AM The Sandiganbayan allowed the family of former President Gloria Arroyo to spend Christmas eve and New Year's eve with the latter at the hospital. The court said Arroyo's relatives will be allowed to stay at the former President's room at the Veterans' Hospital past visiting hours on Dec. 24 and 31.

ANC: House Speaker Sonny Belmonte backs more visiting hours for detained former President now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo during Christmas and New Year.

MLA STANDARD: Gloria ?home alone? this Christmas? Her lawyer thinks so Former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo might be spending the holidays alone after the National Police imposed stricter rules on visiting hours on her. The rules prevent her immediate family members from staying overnight at the Veterans Memorial Medical Center in Quezon City. Lawyer Raul Lambino, the former president?s counsel and chief of staff, cried foul over the new policy which ran contrary to the PNP?s previous rules where her immediate family members were allowed to spend Christmas and New Year?s eve. Under the new PNP protocol, Lambino said all visitors of Mrs. Arroyo, detained for plunder case before Sandiganbayan, cannot stay beyond 9:30 p.m. in her hospital suite.

pag AYAW ng palasyo, "hindi kami makikialam, bahala ang korte".... pag GUSTO, in 5 hours or less, impeached ang chief justice, bale-wala ang TRO ng korte suprema, arestado at KULONG ang kalaban kahit walang ebidensya!!! HINDI RAW SILA NAKIKIALAM?

ON MAR ROXAS-MAYOR ROMUALDEZ ISSUE: SHORT or FULL version: the main issue is DID MAR SAY THESE? ?You are a Romualdez and the President is an Aquino.? ?If we cannot legalize [the turnover of authority to the national government], you?ll be in charge, we?ll help you, and that?s it, pero bahala na kayo sa buhay niyo.? SHORT CLIP OR FULL CLIP - YES HE DID! do you really "HAVE TO LEGALIZE HELPING PEOPLE? during calamities and disasters? or IS HELPING PEOPLE ILLEGAL? was it really necessary for him to act like A DEMIGOD who just descended from mt olympus hurling lightning bolts given by ZEUS SIMEON and SAY THIS IS NOT POLITICAL? sad to say that the whole world NOTICED that THERE WAS NO LIGHTNING SPEED involved in government's response after yolanda. IS THE WORLD LYING? ON NAME TAGGING, we SAY that an AQUINO will always be an AQUINO and ROXAS will always be a ROXAS versus the people of the philippines!

brilliantes on soce: another cheap ploy to divert negative palace stories and deteriorating pnoy approval ratings: record-high electricity and and gas prices; UN investigation on relief goods; UK on relief goods resale on malls; misuari escape; roxas-romualdez video; SC's decision on PDAF; plunging govt sws survey; and NSCB's report on increasing poverty. not to mention napoles/billion-pork issue.