Category: General

Denying motions of the defense lawyers is more of a rule than an exception at the court martial hearings of Maj. Gen. Renato Miranda, Brig. Gen. Danilo Lim and 26 other officers in Camp Capinpin, Tanay.

It is so predictable that even before the seven-person panel would come back from a recess to confer, reporters have already written in their notebook, “motion denied.” And so far, we have not made a correction in our notes.

It was under this despotic atmosphere last Friday that Air Force Maj. Gen. Fernando Manalo entered the court room. He was the third ranking officer to be called after Rear Admiral Petronilo Magno and Maj. Gen. Pedro Insierto were expelled by peremptory challenges of Lt. Colonels Achilles Segumalian and Nestor Flordeliza.

Supporters of detained Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV are set to launch next week the “Trillanes Paglingkurin Movement” that will campaign for the reversal of the Makati regional trial court’s rejection of the detainee’s petition to be allowed to attend Senate sessions and have access to media.

Trillanes is currently held at the Marine brig in Fort Bonifacio pending completion of his trial in civilian and military courts for his role in the 2003 Oakwood mutiny.

Trillanes’ spokesperson Sonny Rivera said the new group will hold an information campaign beginning next week and solicit signatures of support. “We should put pressure into this illegitimate government to grant the wishes of the people, not only those who voted for Senator Trillanes, and to allow him to function as a lawmaker,” he said.

Our officials are not just elected by cheating. We manufacture cheating machines for export!

Another incident that reinforces Philippine reputation as cheating capital. With a cheat for a president, what do we expect?

From ABS-CBN Online:

Defective voting machines used in a US congressional election in the state of Florida have been traced to a factory in the Philippines, an American news anchor has exposed in a 13-minute Web news clip.

In his HDNet report, Dan Rather was able to trace the touchscreen voting machines produced by Ivotronic Touchscreen to a Manila factory of Teletech Corp.

Back to the wild, primitive days!

Chairman Bayani Fernando of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) on Thursday reiterated that he will push through with his plan to arm his traffic enforcers with jungle bolos despite strong opposition from several sectors, including the police.

Fernando, in an ambush interview during President Arroyo’s barangay and police station visit in Caloocan City, said he will just coordinate closely with the police to ensure the plan’s smooth implementation.

Fernando had earlier resisted calls to withdraw the plan, saying he had tried the same tack when he was still mayor of Marikina and it worked in taming illegal vendors and traffic violators in his city.

Former Genuine Opposition spokesman Adel Tamano’s appointment as general counsel of the Senate blue ribbon committee was allegedly blocked by majority leader Francis Pangilinan at around the same time the latter was nominated by Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim to chair the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila.

Senate sources said the animosity between Pangilinan and Tamano which started during the campaign for the May elections was the reason for Pangilinan’s move. The source said the senator, who does not want to see Tamano in the Senate, went to Senate President Manuel Villar when he learned about Tamano’s impending appointment to the BRC.

It was Tamano who reportedly gave Pangilinan an ultimatum to attend the GO proclamation rally and its sorties if he wanted to be drafted into the GO senatorial lineup. Pangilinan stuck to his independent stance and was subsequently dropped from the opposition slate. He won his senatorial bid just the same.

by Regina Bengco

Even before his first day in office as energy secretary, Angelo Reyes has started throwing his weight around, and shocking officials of the Department of Energy and its attached agencies, a source at the energy department said.

The energy official, on condition of anonymity, said that Reyes, during a briefing last week with DOE officials in preparation for his takeover, requested his own room at the DOE and in each of its attached agencies like the Philippine National Oil Co. (PNOC), National Power Corp. (Napocor), and the National Transmission Corp. (Transco).

Each of the agencies has been trying to comply with Reyes’ request.

Nang hindi makalusot, umurong.

Malacañang yesterday abandoned a floater to grant emergency powers to President on the drought problem.

“On a scale of one to 10, I would put the possibility of the President resorting to emergency powers to address the situation at zero point five (0.5),” Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye said in a text message to reporters.

Bunye issued the statement after administration and opposition lawmakers said Arroyo does not need emergency powers to remedy the dry spell, saying she has “billions” to mitigate the effects of the dry spell.

Update: Not-so-great Basilan solon laments link to atrocities

Thanks to Newsbreak for posting the speech of Basilan Rep. Wahab Akbar last Tuesday.

I’m recalling this story told to me by a high-ranking military officer involved in securing the release of the Sipadan hostages during the term of President Estrada.

Robert Aventajado, personal representative of Estrada for the negotiation on the hostages, was to go up to the lair of the Abu Sayyaf in the mountains for a meeting with the leaders, Abu Sabaya and company.

Update: Solons cross party lines in rejecting extra powers

Arroyo emergency powers won’t solve drought- green group

The looming energy crisis brought about by the extended dry spell might push Malacañang to ask Congress to grant special powers to President Arroyo, ABS-CBN News reported Wednesday.
Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said the President would need an emergency prerogative to procure fuel for power plants.

“[Special powers are needed to authorize] for example, the acquisition of materials, resources, equipment without bidding,” Ermita said.

No wonder the upright Popo Lotilla was shunted out of the Department of Energy.

by Wendell Vigilia

All in the family.

Bayan Muna Rep. Teodoro Casiño has questioned the appointment of two Arroyos as chairmen of powerful committees at the House, saying this could betray the legislative duty of check and balance.

During the plenary session on Monday night, Casiño questioned the assignments of Rep. Juan Miguel “Mikey” Arroyo (Pampanga) as chair of the committee on energy and his uncle Rep. Ignacio (Iggy) Arroyo (Negros Occidental) as chair of the committee on natural resources.