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Category: General

Ampatuan held briefly at LA airport; ARMM Sol Gen says visa ‘not cancelled’

Published by Ellen on May 5, 2009

by MindaNews and VERA Files

Governor Datu Zaldy Ampatuan of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) “encountered difficulties” with his United States visa and was held briefly when he arrived at the Los Angeles airport (LAX) with his family on April 26.

But ARMM Solicitor General Cynthia Guiani-Sayadi denied reports Ampatuan’s visa was canceled and that he was questioned for allegedly bringing with him $6 million.

Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Franklin Ebdalin told VERA Files on Monday that the Philippine Consulate in Los Angeles “did not disclose the reason for Ampatuans being held up in immigration.”

Continue readingAmpatuan held briefly at LA airport; ARMM Sol Gen says visa ‘not cancelled’

One day of summer fun for children of detained officers

Published by Ellen on April 25, 2009

It’s summer time and most of children of officers who are facing charges of mutiny in connection with the February 2006 non-event are visiting their fathers in Camp Capinpin in Tanay, Rizal.

Last Wednesday, former President Estrada allowed them to be at his JE camp/resort just across Camp Capinpin. The children had fun swimming.

Share their joy:

sliding-11 sliding-31 kobe1
about-to-jump renzo val
francine-and-julia francine-and-amiel2 fontiveros-brothers
inside-van1 julia-and-sean eating-time

Photo caption:

Continue readingOne day of summer fun for children of detained officers

Park-phone-for-a-fee under a Balete tree

Published by Ellen on April 19, 2009

(I have written on this subject before in my column in Abante. So this is not new to many of the regular bloggers here. This article appeared in Malaya today.)

ON the fringes of Roxas boulevard, where many shady deals are made, there’s a thriving business that operates primarily on trust.

In front of the US Embassy, under the shade of an old Balete tree, Linda Dragon will hold electronic devices for anyone going inside the embassy building for P150. No written guarantee except trust.

Continue readingPark-phone-for-a-fee under a Balete tree

Suicide

Published by Ellen on April 18, 2009

Inquirer Editorial

After watching the way the police have been handling the investigation of the death of Trinidad Arteche Etong, ABS-CBN news anchor Ted Failon’s wife, Filipinos have reason to be afraid — very afraid — of their so-called protectors.

From the time the Quezon City police began working on the case, it was clear they wanted to pin down Failon in a murder charge.

With little to go on but a fertile imagination, Superintendent Frank Mabanag, chief of the Quezon City Police District’s Criminal Investigation and Detection Unit, theorized that Etong could have been killed in their Pajero and brought up to the bathroom where Failon claimed to have found her lying in a pool of blood.

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Lacaba released

Published by Ellen on April 2, 2009

Breaking News! Mary Jean Lacaba, one of the three Abu Sayaff hostages, has been released. She is now at the Marines headquarters.

‘A nation of servants’

Published by Ellen on March 28, 2009

Do we deserve this?

chip-tsao

The war at home

by Chip Tsao
HK Magazine

The Russians sank a Hong Kong freighter last month, killing the seven Chinese seamen on board. We can live with that—Lenin and Stalin were once the ideological mentors of all Chinese people. The Japanese planted a flag on Diàoyú Island. That’s no big problem—we Hong Kong Chinese love Japanese cartoons, Hello Kitty, and shopping in Shinjuku, let alone our round-the-clock obsession with karaoke.

But hold on—even the Filipinos? Manila has just claimed sovereignty over the scattered rocks in the South China Sea called the Spratly Islands, complete with a blatant threat from its congress to send gunboats to the South China Sea to defend the islands from China if necessary. This is beyond reproach. The reason: there are more than 130,000 Filipina maids working as $3,580-a-month cheap labor in Hong Kong. As a nation of servants, you don’t flex your muscles at your master, from whom you earn most of your bread and butter.

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Mancao’s Feb 2009 affidavit

Published by Ellen on March 20, 2009

Downloaded from Inquirer online

*****************************************************

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA )
FORT LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA )

AFFIDAVIT

I, CEZAR OCHOCO MANCAO II, of legal age, married, Filipino and presently under the custody of US Federal Marshals at Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States of America, after being duly sworn to in accordance with the law, hereby depose and state, to wit:

1. I am the same CEZAR OCHOCO MANCAO II who is one of the several accused in Criminal Case No. 01-191969 pending before Branch 18 of the Regional Trial Court of Manila, Metro Manila, Philippines, entitled “PEOPLE OF THE PHILIPPINES versus MICHAEL RAY AQUINO, et al.”, or more popularly known as the DACER-CORBITO DOUBLE MURDER CASE.

2. I am executing this Affidavit to narrate, out of my own personal knowledge, among others, the relevant incidents that transpired in connection with the abduction and death of SALVADOR “BUBBY” DACER and his driver EMMANUEL CORBITO on November 24, 2000, and name the persons responsible therefor,

Continue readingMancao’s Feb 2009 affidavit

‘Nicole’ recants

Published by Ellen on March 17, 2009

Sworn Statement of Suzette S. Nicolas media hid under the name “Nicole”

REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES
Annex A
CITY OF MAKATI

I, SUZETTE S. NICOLAS, of legal age. Filipino, a resident of Zamboanga City, after being duly sworn in accordance with law, hereby depose and state:

1. I am a Bachelor of Science graduate, major in Management Accounting, of the Ateneo de Davao University. Soon after my graduation, I took up nursing in 2004 at the Ateneo de Zamboanga City and at the same time assisted in managing our family owned canteen located inside the military base of the Southern Command. My mother was a civilian supervisor of the Philippine Navy for 25 years while my deceased father was a Philippine Navy Officer.

2. Since our canteen also catered to American servicemen who stayed at the military base every time their vessels docked in Zamboanga City, my family came to know many American servicemen who would go to our canteen to eat and buy souvenir items. We treated them as family and we would go out of our way to talk to them, play cards and on many occasions, my mother would even cook special meals for them. They would even entrust their ATM cards to us to withdraw money for them from the bank. My former boyfriend, Brian Goodrich, is also an American serviceman.

3. After working in Swift Foods Inc. since January 22, 2007, I decided to quit my job as a Credit Accountant to pursue my studies in the United States through the help of my family, relatives and close friends. I know that they supported me so that I could finally move on after my tragic experience in 2005 in Subic, Zambales which led to the trial and conviction for rape of Daniel J. Smith.

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