Malaya – Page 56 – ellen tordesillas

CA justice dismissed; another suspended, 3 more censured

Published by Ellen on September 9, 2008

by Evangeline de Vera
Malaya

The Supreme Court yesterday dismissed Court of Appeals Justice Vicente Roxas and suspended Justice Jose Sabio Jr. for impropriety and irregularities in handling the Meralco board elections case, upon the recommendation of the three-man panel created by the tribunal.

In a 58-page per curiam decision, which takes effect immediately, the SC upheld the panel’s report finding Roxas guilty of multiple violations of the canons of the Code of Judicial Conduct, grave misconduct, dishonesty, undue interest and conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service.

The Court also voted to forfeit all of Roxas’ benefits, except accrued leave credits if any, with prejudice to his re-employment in any branch or service of the government including government-owned and controlled corporations.

Preparing for a nasty exit

Published by Ellen on September 7, 2008

In her fake presidency, Gloria Arroyo has every right to appoint anybody- scoundrels and losers -in her cabinet.

If she thinks Chavit Singson, will help her stay in power, let her be. After all, if not for Singson, she would not be in Malacañang today.

In fact, she should not stop at Singson. When Joc-joc Bolante comes back, she should appoint him agriculture secretary so he could go back to his familiar ground and continue what he does best – diversion of funds for farmers to her campaign kitty. That way, he could invoke the all- season weapon against truth – executive privilege.

Desperately saving Gloria Arroyo

Published by Ellen on August 31, 2008

Now that it’s becoming clear that the Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front is unconstitutional and could be grounds for the impeachment of the one who authorized it, Gloria Arroyo’s minions are scrambling to protect her saying she never saw the document that has now claimed more than 200 lives and rendered homeless more than 250,000 people.

At the final hearing of the Supreme Court on the MOA-AD, Solicitor General Agnes Devanadera said “The panel conveyed to me that the MOA was not submitted to the Office of the President..She never saw it, she was never shown a copy.”

Grasping at (foreign) straws

Published by Ellen on August 28, 2008

Gloria Arroyo is leaving abroad this weekend, a source in Malacañang said.

She declined to tell me the destination but it couldn’t be to the United States because her next trip there will be next month. Arroyo is scheduled to leave for New York Sept. 22 to attend the United Nations General Assembly and the Clinton Global Initiative conference.

I’m told she will also be going to Seattle to attend a Fil-Am activity.

It is expected that Arroyo will again be accompanied by her usual coterie of junketing congressmen paid for by Filipino taxpayers. At this time economic difficulties and with the uneasy situation in Mindanao, another transatlantic trip for Arroyo reflects callousness.

Let the trial begin

Published by Ellen on August 26, 2008

Former AFP chief Hermogenes Esperon will be the first to take the witness stand when the court martial of 28 officers accused of mutiny in connection with the February 2006 alleged coup attempt starts.

At the pre-trial conference yesterday, Col. Feliciano Loy, head of the prosecution panel, told the court that he will be presenting 20 witnesses who executed affidavits on the alleged plan of the officers to withdraw support from Gloria Arroyo following the” Hello Garci” expose that showed her masterminding the manipulation of the results of the 2004 election in Mindanao in her favor.

Esperon was then army chief. His affidavit submitted to the panel that investigated the incident related the meeting with then AFP chief Generoso Senga the night of Feb. 23 where the accused officers talked about the restlessness in the military over the loss of confidence on Arroyo.

The road map to war

Published by Ellen on August 22, 2008

Malaya editorial:

What the hell is going on?

At the Supreme Court hearing yesterday on the petition to permanently stop the government from signing the memorandum agreement on ancestral domain with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, chief government negotiator Rodolfo Garcia said he had no authority from President Arroyo to sign an agreement on behalf of the government.

All he had, he said, was his original authority to negotiate.

What was he doing then in Kuala Lumpur for the scheduled signing ceremony on August 5 (the signing was TROed by the Supreme Court on August 4)? The Malaysian hosts had prepared an elaborate stage where Garcia and his MILF counterparts were supposed to sign the document. Set to stand as witnesses were a Malaysian cabinet official, representatives of the Organization of Islamic Conference and ambassadors of a number of Islamic countries. Even US Ambassador Kristie Kenney was there for what was touted as a “historic” milestone in the march toward lasting peace in Mindanao.

Blood in Gloria Arroyo’s hands

Published by Ellen on August 19, 2008

After throwing a tantrum because the teleprompter was not ready, Gloria Arroyo told the Filipino people Monday, “Because of this sneaky and treacherous attack , as your commander-in-chief, I have ordered the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police to defend every inch of Philippine territory against MILF forces, and Immediately restore peace in the affected areas in Lanao de Norte.”

It would have been funny if not for the more than 30 lives that were lost and more than 60,000 people who have been rendered homeless.

It would have been funny because if not for the temporary restraining order by the Supreme Court, Arroyo would have given away more than 700 barangays in addition to Basilan, Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi, and Marawi city that compose the Autonomous Region for Muslim Mindanao to the MILF.

A military officer said Arroyo’s statement on the MILF attacks is a “classic example of the arsonist who acted as fireman at the expense of poor household owners.”

A country not even his own

Published by Ellen on August 17, 2008

Last month,Meralco chair Oscar Lopez said in a forum that with what is happening now to his family in relation to the ruling power, it’s as though Ferdinand Marcos’ dictatorship had not ended.

Lopez said this following attempts by Gloria Arroyo’s avid supporter, Winston Garcia, president and general manager of the Government Service Insurance System, to takeover Meralco, the Lopez family’s flagship firm.

The Cha-cha option

Published by Ellen on August 14, 2008

We all knew that Gloria Arroyo has no plans of giving up her stolen presidency but her temerity last Monday pushing for a shift to federal system of government, followed up by her press secretary, Jesus Dureza, left us flabbergasted.

A friend pointed out to us that Arroyo actually announced it last July 29 in her state- of -the -nation address but we were too busy with VAT and the 50 centavos text (which turned out to be a big lie).

Hijacking the Muslim cause

Published by Ellen on August 12, 2008

The gall!

As residents of Pigkawayan in North Cotabato scamper from the raging war triggered by her hijacking of the peace agreement between the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front to push her own agenda of charter change, Gloria Arroyo pushes a shift to a federal system of government.

“We advocate federalism as a way to ensure long-lasting peace in Mindanao,” Gloria Arroyo said in a toast to visiting Swiss President Pascal Couchepin Thursday.

Category: Malaya