Category: General

By William M. Esposo
The Philippine Star 12/31/2006

Going into the New Year, the political scenario promises to be as exciting as the past two years – ever since Virgilio Garcillano came into vogue. I have been asked the following questions which I now endeavor to answer to the best of my ability to monitor and forecast political trends and events.

2007 Political Risks Q and A

Q: Will there still be restiveness in the AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines) after the post-February 24, 2006 clampdown and the arrest of the escaped Magdalo soldiers before the SONA (State of the Nation Address) in July of 2007?

May 2007 be a better year for all of us.

This picture was taken during the “Long Live the Emperor” Christmas party of the Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippinees where ISAFP Chief Delfin Bangit gave out gifts (cash and appliances) furiously as if money would be abolished tomorrow.

Military sources said the funding for that party came from “the top”.

Click here for the story of Fe Zamora in the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

BAGHDAD, Iraq – Three years after he was hauled from a hole in the ground by pursuing U.S. forces, Saddam Hussein was hanged Saturday under…

Lance Corporal Daniel Smith, convicted for raping a Filipina, was returned to the U.S. custody despite decisions by the Makati Trial Court and the Court of Appeals that he should stay in Makati jail.

The manner Smith was returned to US custody, surely with the approval of the executive department, is another demonstration that jungle justice reigns supreme in Gloria Arroyo’s administration.

Following is Inquirer’s story on Smith’s return to US custody:

If you had difficulty accessing this blog today, or for that matter connecting to the internet, here’s the reason:

RP Internet, phone calls affected

Telecommunications in the Philippines, along with its neighbors, were severely disrupted on Wednesday after earthquakes off Taiwan damaged undersea cables, slowing Internet services and hindering financial transactions, particularly in the currency market.

International telephone traffic was restricted from some countries and Internet access slowed to a crawl.

While the nation was busy observing Christmas, the Department of Justice released its Nov. 14, 2006 decision clearing former Comelec Virgilio Garcillano of charges of perjury and falsification of passport.

Cavite Rep. Gilbert Remulla, who spearheaded the investigation of Garcillano at the House of Representatives, said the the media release of the decision was timed for “minimal impact on the public.It must be the administration’s Christmas gift for Garci,”

Sen. Panfilo Lacson, who filed the case along with a number of opposition congressmes, is not at all suprised. “Malacañang and the DOJ have no choice but to drop the case. If the case were filed in court, Garci will go all over town pointing his fingers at them. They can’t afford Garci telling on them.”

Shades of the Ombudsman’s clearing of Comelec Chairman Benjamin Abalos in the anomalous Mega-Pacific deal.

This blog has been visited over a million times. As of yesterday, the number of visits registered in this blog has reached 1,027,405 since it…

My favorite Christmas story is “The Other Wise Man” by Henry Van Dyke, an American clergyman and educator.

Written in 1896, “The Other Wise Man” is also known as the Fourth Wise Man, the one who failed to join The Three Wise Men- Melchor, Gaspar and Balthazar – to witness the birth of Jesus Christ.

In Van Dyke’s story, the Fourth Wise Man was Artaban who lived in the city of Ecbatana, in the mountains of Persia (now Iran).