By Germelina Lacorte MindaNews and VERA Files DAVAO CITY—Dry leaves litter the grassy alley leading to the house in Bago Galera, Toril District here that…
Making life worth living.
Month: March 2011
By Amer R. Amor VERA Files After the earthquakes that hit Japan and New Zealand, volcanologists are drawing attention to the possibility a big one…
Click on photo to view it enlarged. From msn.com
I’m fascinated by reports that last Friday’s Japan earth earthquake moved some the location of some cities a bit and that there’s a possibility that million years from now, the world’s geography will not be the same at it is today.
We have been educated that the earth’s crust is made up of dozens of tectonic plates that solidified for billions of years. An article I found in the internet likened the earth’s plates to “giant rafts which often slide next to, collide with, and are forced underneath other plates. There is a tremendous amount of energy created by the movements of these plates. Thus we have volcanic eruptions and earthquakes.”
The most volatile of those tectonic plates is the Pacific Plate which “ covers almost the entire floor of the Pacific Ocean, making it the largest plate on the planet.”
Habang pinagdadasal natin ang mga na-apektuhan ng lindol at tsunami, ipagdasal rin nating ang ating sarili.
Paala-ala ito sa bawa’t isa sa atin na pahalagahan at gamitin sa kabutihan ang buhay na binigay sa atin ng Panginoon dahil kahit anong oras, pwede na tayong tawagin.
Nakakayanig ang lindol na nangyari sa Japan noong Biyernes. Sabi sa report 8.9 ang intensity. May sukatan ang mga eksperto sa mga lindol at isa na ito sa pinakamalakas sa buong mundo.(Noong Disyembre 2004, ang lindol na nangyari sa Indonesia kung saan mga 220,000 na mga tao ang namatay ay 9.1 ang intensity.)
By Ed Sitjar VERA Files Jeanne sat with her 2-month-old baby at a fastfood restaurant in a mall in Caloocan City, looking like a regular…
When it rains, it pours.
After years of being protected by Gloria Arroyo’s Malacañang, House of Representatives,and Supreme Court, Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez is getting it from all directions.
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Last Monday, the House Justice committee voted that there’s probable cause to impeach Gutierrez for betrayal of public trust on five cases at the same time that the Supreme Court denied with finality her motion for reconsideration to stop the House from proceeding with her impeachment.
The approval by the House Justice Committee of the impeachment complaint against Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez shows momentum in the fight to make government officials accountable of their actions.
Thirty-nine of the 55 members of the Justice committee found there are “reasonable grounds that an impeachable offense has been committed “by Gutierrez and that she is “probably guilty” and that she should face trial.”
The committee voted on two complaints against Gutierrez. The first one was filed by Akbayan led by former Rep. Risa Hontiveros-Baraquel alleged that Gutierrez betrayed public trust as shown by the low conviction rates of the Office of the Ombudsman under her leadership; inaction on the $329.5 million controversial National Broadband Network-ZTE telecommunications deal; inaction on the 1995 death of Navy Ensign Phillip Pestaño.
In a vote of 39 out of 55 members, the House Committee on Justice found probable cause to impeach Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez for betrayal of public trust and culpable violation of the Constitution.
Nine members voted against the motion and one, Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman, abstained.
In a related case, The Supreme Court dismissed with finality in a vote of 7-5-2, the motion for reconsideration of Gutierrez to stop the House from proceeding with the impeachment proceedings against her.
Two names are prominently being mentioned: Edward Go and Alfonso Uy. Both are businessmen which is good because trade relations with China, the world’s economic superpower, is very important.
Go has extensive banking experience (Citibank, United Coconut Planters Bank , Philippine Bank of Communications, China Banking Corporation, Philippine Banking Corporation, Asian Bank). He holds directorship in more than 20 corporations among them the Philippine Long Distance Company and Metro Pacific Investments Corp, both headed by Manuel V. Pangilinan. It’s something that he has in common with the newly-appointed acting foreign secretary, Albert del Rosario, who was also with MPIC before he returned to foreign service two weeks ago.
Uy, an Ilonggo, is chairman of Philippine Foremost Milling Corporation and former president of the Federation of Filipino – Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Inc. (FFCCCII). Click here for Alfonso Uy Biodata
By Leilani Adriano and Bobby Labalan VERA Files Photos of most wanted criminals in Ilocos Norte are posted in public places, with the promise of…