Month: May 2010

Danny Lim released from detention

Published by Ellen on May 31, 2010

While I am glad that Brig. Gen Lim is out and would be able to celebrate his birthday in his home on Wednesday, I’m sad that 15 other officers who are accused with him in the February 2006 non-event are still in detention. Of the 15, eight are Scout Rangers junior officers and one, a member of the Army Special Forces.

I’ll write more about this on Wednesday. Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV is the only one left in Camp Crame. True to his word to his fellow Magdalo officers and men that “I will be the last man out of here.”

Anyway, here’s the report by Malaya reporters Victor Reyes, Raymond Africa and Ashzel Hachero:

Former Scout Ranger chief Brig. Gen. Danilo was released from detention yesterday and turned over to the custody of Brig. Gen. Reynaldo Ordoñez, chief of the military’s Philippine Defense Reform office.

Something sinister in Genuino’s midnight re-appointment

Published by Ellen on May 30, 2010

There is something sinister in Gloria Arroyo’s re-appointment of Efraim Genuino and four other members of the board to the Philippine Amusement Gaming Corporation in violation of the ban on midnight appointments.

Last week, my friends and I were talking about how the grim predictions about the May 10 elections were proven wrong.
I asked, “Were we wrong about Gloria Arroyo? ”

I asked that because we all believed that she would do everything to hold on to power beyond June 2010 including cause a failure of election.

Our paranoia was not unfounded. We have seen Malacañang’s efforts to change the Constitution to remove the term limit that prohibits Arroyo from staying on to power. There was an attempt to change the form of government from presidential to parliamentary that would have qualified Arroyo to stay on as prime minister.

Ayaw bitawan nina Arroyo ang Pagcor

Published by Ellen on May 29, 2010

Update:

1. http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/05/29/10/palace-defends-midnight-reappointments-pagcor
2. http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/video/nation/05/29/10/bernas-hits-midnight-appointments-pagcor-officers

Itong midnight appointment ni Efraim Genuino sa Pagcor ay nagpapahiwatig na hindi talaga bibitaw si Gloria Arroyo sa kapangyarihan. May binabalak siyang hindi maganda.

Kung akala natin ang appointment ni Renato Corona bilang Supreme Court chief justice ay ang malaking problema na kailangan resolbahin ng susunod na pangulo na si Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III, mas madugo itong sa Pagcor. Bilyunes yata ang nakataya dito.

Ang ibig sabihin ng Pagcor ay Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation na siyang nangangasiwa ng lahat na pasugalan sa buong bansa. Ang malaking parte ng kita ng Pagcor ay pumupunta sa Presidential Social Fund kung saan malawak ang kalayaan ng isang pangulo kung paano gamiting ang pera.

Arroyo extends Genuino at Pagcor for another one year term

Published by Ellen on May 28, 2010

Another past-midnight appointment

From ABS-CBN:

President Gloria Macapagal has re-appointed her close ally Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) Chairman Efraim Genuino as well as 4 members of its board of directors.

Genuino said he accepted his re-appointment, confirming a document obtained by ABS-CBN News that he had been re-appointed for another 1-year term.

Others who were re-appointed, based on the document from the Office of the Executive Secretary dated March 9, were Rafael Francisco, Philip Lo, Manuel C. Roxas and Ester Alano Laconico-Feria.

‘Please let Romulo go’: foreign service corps urges

Published by Ellen on May 27, 2010

The victory of Liberal Party presidential candidate Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino gave the Foreign Service corps a sense of hope that the winds of change he promised during the campaign would revitalize the department that had degenerated under the watch of Gloria Arroyo’s lackey, Foreign Secretary Alberto Romulo.

But their hopes have been dashed when sources close to Aquino relayed the message that Romulo would be retained.

It’s demoralization time again for the country’s global frontliners.

It’s bad enough that Romulo is incompetent. What is worse is that he has been the face of the Arroyo government to the world throughout these years of corruption and human rights violations. He defended Arroyo in international fora amidst accusations of cheating in the 2004 election, extra-judicial killings, and massive corruption.

Ang batas at ang paninigarilyo ni Aquino

Published by Ellen on May 26, 2010

Kapag manumpa si Noynoy Aquino sa pagka-presidente sa Hunyo 30, ay magsasabi na ipapatupad niya ang lahat na batas . (“ conscientiously fulfill my duties as President, preserve and defend the Constitution, execute its laws…”)

Paano niya ngayon ipatupad itong Memorandum number 17 ng Civil Service Commission na nagbabawal ng paninigarilyo sa mga gusali ng pamahalaan?

Ayun sa Memo 17 ng CSC ay ipinalabas noong May 29, 2009 nang si Ricardo Saludo, spokesperson ni Gloria Arroyo ang SCS chairman, bawal ang paninigarilyo sa loob building at grounds kung saan nag-o-opisina ang mga ahensiya ng pamahalaan.

Kasama diyan ang Malacañang.

Pwede raw maglagay ng smoking area na hindi lalaki sa 10 square meter ang laki ngunit dapat may distansya ito sa gusali na hindi dapat kumulang sa 10 square meters. Hindi rin ito dapat malapit sa entrance or exit kung saan dinadaanan ng maraming tao.

Bawal din manigarilyo sa sasakyan ng pamahalaan. Paano ngayon ang magiging sasakyan ni Noynoy kapag presidente na siya?

Ombudsman re-affirms clearance of Gloria and Mike Arroyo in NBN/ZTE case

Published by Ellen on May 26, 2010

Orders immediate suspension of Neri

by Andreo Calonzo
GMANews.TV

The Office of the Ombudsman on Wednesday affirmed the involvement of former National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) director-general Romulo Neri and former Commission on Elections (Comelec) chairman Benjamin Abalos in the botched multi-million NBN-ZTE deal.

In a 16-page joint order, the Ombudsman upheld its April 21, 2009 resolution recommending the filing of graft charges against Neri and Abalos in connection with the $329-million national broadband network deal (NBN) the Arroyo government entered with China’s Zhong Xing Telecommunications Equipment (ZTE) Corp. in April 2007.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo terminated the contract, which was supposed to improve the communication capabilities of government offices, in September 2007 after news of bribery surrounding the deal came out.

Bare denials

To quit or not to quit

Published by Ellen on May 26, 2010

I only knew now that there’s a law prohibiting smoking in government in government premises. Thanks, Ding.

by Ding Gagelonia
atmidfield.com

This should really be a non-issue – the matter of President-apparent Noynoy Aquino rising to the challenge of giving up smoking.

But it has become one with Mr. Aquino himself expressing annoyance:

“Noong tumakbo ako, alam ng taumbayan [na] naninigarilyo ako. At the appropriate time na hihinto ako, titigil ako. So long as nako-control ako sa mga batas at wala akong naiistorbo baka parte ito ng kalayaan kong natitira (When I ran for the presidency everyone knew I was a smoker. Perhaps I will kick the habit at the appropriate time. But for now, I hope people give me this leeway, as part of my remaining rights).

Here’s what Aquino is up against:

Securing election returns

Published by Ellen on May 25, 2010

Yesterday, under heavy security, ballot boxes containing election returns and certificates of canvass of May 10, 2010 elections were brought to the Batasan Pambansa, where the canvassing for the presidential and vice-presidential contest would be held.

The heavy security, the TV reporter annotated, was because of the reported switching of election returns that happened after 2004 elections.

In July 2008, I did for Vera Files a special report on the 2004 ER switching, which was the last stage of the grand conspiracy set up by Gloria Arroyo to defraud the Filipino people of their choice of president.

The ER switching, carried out starting at around midnight of Jan. 23, 2005, was done by the Special Action Force, the elite unit of the Philippine National Police.

Pakinggan ang reklamo, tuloy ang canvassing

Published by Ellen on May 24, 2010

Huwag tayong masyadong maiinip sa pag-iimbestiga ng mga reklamo tungkol sa mga palpak sa nakaraang eleksyon. Mabuti na hindi lang basta-basta isinasantabi ang mga lumalabas na reklamo tungkol sa mga palpak sa nakaraang automated elections.

Hindi katulad nang nangyari noong 2004 na ibinasura lang ni Sen. Francis Pangilinan at Rep. Raul Gonzales sa basurahang “Noted” ang mga reklamo kasama ang mga ebidensya ng dayaan.

Ngayon, kahit papaano pinapakinggan at hinihingan ng paliwanag ang Comelec at Smartmatic.

Ngayong araw magsisimula ang official canvassing ng mga boto para sa mga kandidato para presidente at bise-presidente. Sinabi ni Senate President Juan Ponce-Enrile at iba pang mambabatas na malamang sa Hunyo 15, o bago pa lumampas sa petsa na yun, made-deklara na ang nanalo at magiging susunod na presidente.

Sana naman hindi madaling araw nila gawin yun katulad ng ginawa ni Gloria Arroyo noong 2004 na parang inisahan ang taumbayan.