Year: 2010

Nanay Tansing’s simple wish

Published by Ellen on October 20, 2010

(I have posted my Abante column on this topic earlier. This is the one I wrote for Malaya.)

I got this letter from a friend in Maguindanao. This relates the visit of South Upi Councilor Linda Erese to the mother of Melchor Fulgencio, the 52 year old construction worker and member of the CAFGU, the civilian unit of the military assisting them in its anti-insurgency drive.

Fulgencio has confessed to the crime of raping Florence (not her real name) the nurse. Because of this confession, Philippine National Police Chief Bacalzo declared the case solved. Florence has regained consciousness but she couldn’t remember anything of the heinous crime done to her.

Justice Secretary Leila de Lima, who heads the task force to look into this deplorable incident contradicted Bacalzo’s pronouncement and said she will loo into the circumstance of Fulgencio’s “confession.”

Morong 45 na!

Published by Ellen on October 19, 2010

May nanganak na naman kahapon ang isa sa mga health workers na kabilang sa Morong 43 na ngayon ay nakakulong pa rin sa Camp Bagong Diwa sa Bicutan.

Nanganak kahapon si Ma. Mercedes Castro sa Philippine General Hospital. Maselan ang kanyang pagpanganak kaya sa pamagitan ng caesarean section. Kaya kahit sila ay nagdurusa sa kulungan, Masaya sila sa bagong buhay na naisilang.

Noong Hulyo, nanganak rin si Judilyn Oliveros at hanggang ngayon ay naka-hospital arrest pa rin siya.

The gall of Navera

Published by Ellen on October 17, 2010

The temerity of Juan Pedro Navera,senior state prosecutor, to complain about the decision of President Aquino to grant amnesty to some 300 military officers and soldiers that stood up against Gloria Arroyo show that Justice Secretary Leila de Lima is presiding over an organization, many of whose personnel have still a mindset of impunity that characterized the Arroyo administration.

This is a serious challenge to President Aquino’s reform agenda especially in the area of anti-corruption. This is as problematic as the issue with an Arroyo loyalists-dominated Supreme Court.

A newspaper report quoted Navera as saying that his seven years of hard work to convict the Magdalo officers and soldiers have come to nought with the issuance of the President of Proclamation 50 giving amnesty to military officers who were allegedly involved the July 2003 Oakwood mutiny, the reported plan to withdraw support from Arroyo following the “Hello Garci” expose in February 2006 and the Manila Peninsula seige.

Gusto ni Navera baluktot pa rin

Published by Ellen on October 17, 2010

Ang tapang naman ng apog nitong si Senior State Prosecutor, Juan Pedro Navera magreklamo sa desisyun ni Pangulong Aquino na magbigay ng amnestiya sa mga sundalong nanindigan sa illegal na administrasyon ni Gloria Arroyo.

Kasama sa nabigyan ng amnestiya si Senador Antonio Trillanes IV na hanggang ngayon ay nakakulong pa. Mga 300 na opisyal at enlisted men ang sakop ng amnestiya kasama na rin sina Maj.Gen. Renato Miranda, Brig.Gen. Danilo Lim, at Col. Ariel Querubin.

Ang amnestiya ay magpawalang halaga kung sakaling magdesisyun sa Oktubre 28 si Judge Oscar Pimentel na “guilty” sina Trillanes at mga lider ng Magdalo ng “kudeta” sa nangyari noong Hulyo 27, 2003 sa Oakwood Hotel sa Makati kung saan binulgar nila corruption sa military kasama na ang pagbenta ng mga armas at bala sa kalaban na siyang ginagamit para patayin sila.

Hinaing at hiling ng isang ina

Published by Ellen on October 16, 2010

Ito ay tungkol sa pag-uusap ng ina ni Melchor Fulgencio, na diumano ay umamin na siya ang nag rape kay “Florence”, ang nurse sa Maguindanao at Councilor ng South Upi na si Linda Erese.

Si Fulgencio ay miyembro ng Citizen Armed Force Geographical Unit na nagtatrabaho sa isang kumpanya na pag-aari ng Koreano sa Mindanao. Sa pag-amin daw ni Fulgencio sabi ng Director General Raul Bacalzo, hepe ng Philippine National Police na solved na raw ang kaso ni “Florence” (hindi niya totoong pangalan).

Sabi naman ni Justice Secretary Leila de Lima na siyang namumuno ng imbestigasyon ng kaso, “Hindi pa at marami pang hindi nagtutugma sa mga kuwento tungkol sa nangyari,” sabi ni de Lima.

Sumulat sa akin ang aking kaibigan sa Maguindanao at ikinuwento niya ang pagbisita ni Erese sa bahay ni Fulgencio na kilala sa kanilang lugar na “Boy” kung saan doon din nakatira ang kanyang 116 taong gulang na ina, si Nanay Tansing.

Wala ako sa posisyon para magsabi kung inosente si Fulgencio o hindi.

Queen Annie sings for her Prince Richard

Published by Ellen on October 15, 2010

By Elizabeth Lolarga VERA Files Richard Merk, jazz singer, comic singing host and owner of Merk’s Bar and Bistro at Greenbelt 3, Ayala Center, Makati…

“Hello Garci” in Truth Commission list to be investigated

Published by Ellen on October 15, 2010

The Truth Commission has in its initial list 23 cases that they will investigate including the “Hello Garci” scandal that exposed the direct role of Gloria Arroyo and the military in tampering with the results of the 2004 elections in her favor.

The “Hello Garci” scandal put in doubt the legitimacy of the Arroyo presidency.

At least two major corruption scandals – the P728 million fertilizer scam and the$329 million NBN-ZTE deal – were linked to the 2004 elections anomaly.

The Truth Commission was created by President Aquino by Executive Order No. 1 to “primarily seek and find the truth on, and toward this end, investigate reports of graft and corruption of such scale and magnitude that shock and offend the moral and ethical sensibilities of the people.”

Here’s ABS-CBN’s report:

DFA in a mess; two ambassadors refuse to return home

Published by Ellen on October 14, 2010

DFA statement:

On Tiglao:The DFA confirms the non-extension of the tour of duty of Ambassador Tiglao in Greece. He has been notified of it.

On Benedicto:President Aquino signed the nomination of Francisco Benedicto as Philippine ambassador to Beijing. The nomination paper will be submitted to the Commission on Appointment, and he will come home for the confirmation hearing once Congress resumes session.

Update: Yesterday afternoon (Oct. 14) Foreign Secretary Alberto Romulo called up Akbayan Rep. Walden Bello and told him that Tiglao will not be retained as ambassador to Greece. Akbayan members in Greece are among those protesting the Romulo’s tolerance of Tiglao in Athens despite lack of legal authority.

While President Aquino expressed concerned over decision of the Supreme Court favoring the midnight appointments of Gloria Arroyo, his secretary of foreign affairs is condoning, even supporting, the illegal stay of Arroyo’s appointees in their foreign posts.

The other day, members of the Filipino community in Greece staged a rally in front of the Philippine Embassy in Athens protesting the continued stay of former ambassador Rigoberto Tiglao in his post.

Francisco Benedicto, also refuses to return to Manila holding on to the appointment signed by Arroyo as basis for his continued stay in Beijing.

It’s a mess out there at the DFA and the foreign secretary either encourages it as in the case of Tiglao or clueless as in the case of Benedicto.

It must be recalled that there was a controversy over the extension of the stay in their posts of 21 political ambassadors appointed by Arroyo after June 30, 2010. Since all political appointees are co-terminus with the appointing power, it goes without saying that when Arroyo’s term ended noon of June 30, 2010, they no longer had any legal authority as of 12:01 of June 30, 2010.

Aquino laments SC action favoring Arroyo midnight appointees

Published by Ellen on October 14, 2010

Statement of President Aquino on the Issuance of a Status Quo Ante Order Regarding Executive Order No. 2
by the Supreme Court

Yesterday, the Supreme Court issued a Status Quo Ante Order granting the motion of Bai Omera Dianalan-Lucman. She was one of four people who filed petitions before the Supreme Court questioning the constitutionality of Executive Order No. 2, but the Supreme Court only acted on Lucman.

We issued Executive Order No. 2 recalling, withdrawing, or revoking midnight appointments, because the previous administration had exceeded and abused the limits of its powers to appoint.

We had to issue EO2 because there were people who accepted illegal appointments. By knowingly accepting illegal appointments, they became part of a conspiracy to impede and to thwart, our people’s clamor for a return to good governance.

We put in their place people who shared our aims. Our appointees allowed us to discover questionable deals, which we immediately stopped. For instance, our appointees uncovered close to a billion pesos worth of anomalous contracts that had been entered into during the past administration. We have cancelled those contracts and saved the government hundreds of millions of pesos.

Sunshine after a storm

Published by Ellen on October 12, 2010

Statement of Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV:

I would like to express my profound gratitude to President Noynoy Aquino for yesterday’s amnesty proclamation. This act of magnanimity is also clear indication of his sincere desire to attain unity and peace for our country.
I thank, as well, all those who moved and prayed for this amnesty to happen.
To all of you, I am forever indebted.

Maybe this is what sunshine after a storm is all about.

President Aquino yesterday signed a proclamation granting amnesty to Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV and other soldiers who dared stand up to corruption and abuse of power by Gloria Arroyo, who was never elected to the position of power she held for nine years.

Trillanes remains in detention at Camp Crame and is prevented from serving fully the people who elected him to the Senate in 2007.

Some three hundred officers and enlisted men stand to benefit from the long-awaited proclamation. It covers those who were involved in the July 2003 Oakwood mutiny, the 2006 alleged plan to withdraw support from Arroyo following the “Hello Garci” expose, the Bonifacio Marine standoff in February 2006 and the Manila Peninsula siege in November 2007.