Military – Page 32 – ellen tordesillas

Prosecution agrees to review charges vs Miranda et al

Published by Ellen on April 5, 2008

From Malaya:

by Victor Reyes

The prosecution on Thursday agreed to review the charges against 28 Marine and Army officers who are facing trial for the alleged attempt to grab power in February 2006 based on the “special plea” of former Marine commandant Maj. Gen. Renato Miranda, alleged plot leader.

At Miranda’s arraignment yesterday, military defense counsel Lt. Col. Basilio Pooten moved for the withdrawal of the charges (noli proseque), citing lack of evidence against the accused, after Miranda was asked for his special plea.

The offers

Published by Ellen on April 3, 2008

In the past weeks, Maj. Gen. Renato Miranda and his fellow detainees at the ISAFP compound in Camp Aguinaldo have been visited by officers with a message from someone “at the top”.

A source said there were two proposals. The first was for the officers to plead guilty to conduct unbecoming of an officer in exchange for the dismissal of the charge of mutiny. Punishment for conduct unbecoming of an officer and a gentleman (Articles of War 96) is dismissal from service while mutiny is life imprisonment.

OSG asks SC to dismiss journalists’petition for amparo

Published by Ellen on April 2, 2008

Government lawyers said Puno, Razon, Gonzalez et al were thinking of the safety of the officers when they were ordered to vacate the hotel. My foot!

From Malaya:

by Evangeline de Vera

The Office of the Solicitor General asked the Supreme Court to dismiss the consolidated petitions for Amparo and prohibition filed by print and broadcast journalists led by Ces Drilon and Raoul Esperas in connection with the arrest of mediamen at the height of the Manila Peninsula standoff last Nov. 29.

Nine former Magdalo officers plead guilty to coup d’etat

Published by Ellen on April 2, 2008

The nine have long been expelled from the Magdalo group. Their plea of guilty smells of a deal. Let’s watch in the following days or weeks.

From Malaya:

by Ashzel Hachero

In a move that caught the defense lawyers by surprise, nine Magdalo junior officers including two of the group’s core leaders changed their plea to guilty on the charge of coup d’etat for their participation in the 2003 Oakwood mutiny.

Murder in the making

Published by Ellen on March 23, 2008

AFP Hermogenes Esperon has failed to break the spirit of the 28 officers he has charged with various offenses in connection with the military unrest in February 2006 following the leak of the “Hello Garci” tapes the illegitimacy of the Arroyo presidency.

Now, he is trying to kill them by depriving them of adequate air.

Dawn of Tuesday last week, Medal of valor awardee, Col. Ariel Querubin, complained of shortness of breath and chest pains. It was only after four hours, at about 7 a.m., that he was brought to the Camp Aguinaldo hospital, where the X-ray machine was out of order and no medicine available. Querubin had to send his security escort out to buy his medicine. He was later transferred to V. Luna Medical Hospital where he was confined at the Intensive care Unit. He will be brought to the Philippine Heart Center today for angioplasty.

An injustice that must be rectified

Published by Ellen on March 16, 2008

On Sept. 25, 2006, 1Lt. Artemio Raymundo Jr., was riding the LRT and he saw someone distributing DVDs of “Ang Mabuhay para sa Masa” and “At All Costs”. Since it was for free, he got six copies and upon arriving at the Marine barracks in Fort Bonifacio, he shared the extra copies with his fellow junior officers.

The two CDs are documentaries. “Ang Mabuhay para sa Masa” is a biopic of former President Estrada while “At All Costs” is about the rigging by Gloria Arroyo of the 2004 elections.

The CA’s collective gall

Published by Ellen on March 13, 2008

It was about time someone exposed the wheeling and dealing at the Commission on Appointments.

Sen. Jamby Madrigal, by invoking Section 20 of the Senate rules last Wednesday, frustrated the plan of Malacañang to railroad the promotion of 24 military officers despite blatant violations of the law in their appointments.

I have attended three sessions of the CA because I’m closely watching the confirmation of the promotion of John Martir to brigadier general and it’s appalling to observe the “collective gall”, in the words of RC Constantino, of many of the administration allies, especially the CA chair, Rep. Roque Albano III.

Gonzales: Worst of oust-GMA is over

Published by Ellen on March 11, 2008

by Regina Bengco
Malaya

National security adviser Norberto Gonzales yesterday said the worst of the moves to oust President Arroyo has passed and the rest of the opposition’s efforts won’t make much of an impact.

Gonzales said the destabilization peaked during the February 29 interfaith rally in Makati City when, he said, the crowd was less than the expected 1 million. Police estimated the crowd at 15,000 while organizers said it was at 75,000.

He said the Lenten break would defuse the tension and this would be helped along by the fact that students, who he said are being targeted by the opposition’s propaganda efforts, would also have their summer vacation.

Wives of ‘Tanay Boys’ hit limits on conjugal visits

Published by Ellen on March 7, 2008

by Victor Reyes

Wives of military officers implicated in the alleged attempt to grab power in February 2007 are complaining against the lack of conjugal visits to their husbands who are detained at a facility at the Intelligence Service of the AFP inside Camp Aguinaldo.

The complaints were relayed to the media by Gina de Venecia, wife of former House Speaker Jose de Venecia, who had a dialogue with the accused officers inside Isafp. She was with a group of Commission on Human Rights officials led by Commissioner Wilhelm Soriano.

She said her visit, timed for Women’s Day, was prompted by the soldiers’ wives asking for her help.

Cimatu confirms gentleman’s pact in Oakwood

Published by Ellen on March 6, 2008

by Ashzel Hachero

Former Armed Forces chief Roy Cimatu yesterday testified before the Makati regional trial court in the coup d’etat trial of the Magdalo soldiers that there was indeed a gentleman’s agreement forged between the government negotiating team and the Magdalos that led to the bloodless resolution of the July 2003 Oakwood mutiny.

Cimatu said he had been given orders by then Executive Secretary Alberto Romulo to lead the negotiations with the Magdalos led by then Navy Ltsgs. Antonio Trillanes IV, James Layug, Marine Captain Gary Alejano and Army Captains Gerardo Gambala and Milo Maestrecampo who were holding out at the Oakwood Premiere Hotel in Makati.

Category: Military