Skip to content

Category: Military

Rigodon ng mga kapit tuko

Sinulat kamakailan ni Lito Banayo, kolumnista ng Malaya, ang nasagap niyang balita sa kanyang mga kaibigan sa Malacañang na magkakaroon ng rigodon sa gabinete ni Gloria Arroyo sa bagong taon.

Sinabi ni Banayo, at kumakalat na ngayon sa text, papalitan ni DILG Secetary Ronnie Puno si Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita. Bibigyan daw ng ambassadorial si Ermita o isang position sa isang malaking korporasyon na lumalangaoy sa pera katulad ng san Miguel Corporation.

Si Environment Secretary Lito Atienza daw ang papalit kay Puno sa Department of Interior and Local Government. Papalitan naman si Atienza ni dating congressman Prospero Pichay. Maala-ala natin si Pichay ay tumakbo ng senador. Gumastos ng malaki sa advertisements ngunit natalo pa rin. Ngunit maaari lamang maging DENR secretary si Pichay sa Hunyo pa dahil mayroong isang taong ban na hindi maa-aring manungkulan sa pamahalan ng isang taon ang mga tumakbo at natalo sa isang eleksyon.

Pen civilians charge cops with illegal arrest

DILG’s Ronnie Puno shoves it on people’s faces:

Inquirer: Manila Pen police officers awarded for bravery

ABS-CBN news

by Peter Tabingo

Criminal and administrative complaints were filed yesterday against top PNP officials in connection with the arrest and detention of civilians during the Manila Peninsula standoff last November 29.

The three-page complaint filed before the Ombudsman by lawyers JV Bautista and Argee Guevarra, “running priest” Robert Reyes, and Navy Capt. (ret.) Julian Advincula named Director Geary Barias, chief of the National Capital Region Police Office, and Director Asher Dolina, chief of the PNP-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group.

The four said their arrest and subsequent detention for 14 days was illegal in the absence of any court warrant.

A rat of an officer

Update: Hearing on confirmation of Martir’s promotion to brigadier general was deferred to January 2008.

Tomorrow, when the Commission on Appointments Defense Committee meets, on the agenda is the promotion of Col. Jonathan Martir to brigadier general.

Friday last week, Malaya’s editorial, “Toadies crawling out of the woodwork” was about Gloria Arroyo’s lapdogs in frenzied competition proving what they can do to be promoted to chief tuta. That’s why we have NCR police chief Geary Barias proudly bragging to reporters how he manhandled Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV and other Magdalo officers after the Manila Peninsula standoff.

And of course, Martir didn’t want to be left behind. Malaya’s editorial said, “Martir pulled a macho stunt at the Pen. He manhandled Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV and some members of the Magdalo group while they were lying face down on the floor with their hands cuffed. Asked by a member of the CA from the House why he did so, Martir answered that Trillanes and his companions “deserved it.”

Ateneo polsci students make a stand

A call for change

The events that happened last November 29, 2007 marks an important day in these our modern times. It was an event that has been downplayed as another foiled coup attempt or presented as the Manila Pen siege by different sides, but at the basic sense it stands to be called the Manila Peninsula Standoff: a clash between Senator Trillanes et al and the state’s security forces. A clash that has seen the resounding call for the ouster of the current administration made by the group of Senator Trillanes, the aggressive armed response of the government in neutralizing these dissidents and the highly questionable actions taken by the government with regards to the media and the general populace.

Manila Pen incident – not a case of rebellion or warrantless arrest

All of the accused are clearly illegally and arbitrarily detained

by Atty. Ernesto B. Francisco, Jr.

Counsel for the Guingonas & some of the Accused

(Probe Team, ABS-CBN did a good documentary on the Nov. 29 incident. You can check it out in their website. It’s titled “Trabaho lang, walang personalan” four parts.

http://www.probetv.com/search_result.php?search_id=manila+pen&search_typ=search_videos)

The complaint for rebellion filed in connection with the Manila Pen incident should be DISMISSED FOR LACK OF PROBABLE CAUSE on the basis of the following grounds:

A perusal of the DOJ Panel Resolution and its supporting evidence clearly shows that they failed to establish probable cause that the crime of rebellion has been committed as would warrant the dismissal of the instant case.

Pen civilians to file illegal detention raps

by Raymond Africa
Malaya

Five of 18 civilians charged in connection with the Manila Peninsula standoff said yesterday they would file charges of contempt of the Supreme Court and arbitrary detention against police and justice department officials following the dismissal by the Makati court of the rebellion case filed against them.

Former Sanlakas Rep. J. V. Bautista said he and former UP president Francisco Nemenzo, “running priest” Robert Reyes, lawyer Argee Guevarra and columnist Herman Tiu Laurel are charging Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez and all the members of the DoJ prosecution panel headed by Cavite provincial prosecutor Emmanuel Velasco.

‘What is she up to? Stay beyond ’10?’

Gloria support for revival of anti-subversion law assailed

Malaya’s editorial: Why the proposed crackdown?

by Wendell Vigilia
Malaya

A move to revive the anti-subversion law is part of President Arroyo’s “ominous plan to extend her stay in power,” Rep. Teodoro Casiño said yesterday as he warned of massive rallies against the plan.

Casiño, of the party list group Bayan Muna, and other Leftist lawmakers said President Arroyo’s support for the move exposes her intolerance of legitimate dissent and her desire to declare martial law.

The November 29 movement

If Gloria Arroyo and her minions think they have crushed the passion for truth and justice of those who were at the Manila Peninsula on Nov. 29, they are very wrong.

The civilians arrested at the Manila Peninsula hotel at the end of the November 29 Makati standoff have formed a new “movement” after a court dismissed the rebellion charges filed against them.

Former University of the Philippines president Francisco Nemenzo told reporters at Camp Crame Thursday evening that they had named their new group the November 29 Movement or N29M.

Maria Ressa’s position paper on media at the Pen

by Maria A. Ressa
Head, ABS-CBN News & Current Affairs Division

On November 29, 2007, more than 30 journalists were arrested, handcuffed and transported to Camp Bagong Diwa in Bicutan. 12 of the journalists were from ABS-CBN, detained as “witnesses and suspects,” according to the police. Others were told they would be released as soon as their identities were verified.

Head of Newsgathering, Charie Villa, went immediately to the Peninsula Hotel to identify our people; yet, she was told they would still have to be arrested and brought to Bicutan. We believe this move sets a dangerous precedence and erodes our nation’s democracy.

NHK’s Chairmaine Deogracias on Manila Pen incident

Good morning. I am Charmaine Deogracias a reporter for Nippon Hoso Kyokai (NHK)/Japan Broadcasting Corp. NHK is Japan’s sole public broadcaster, thus it is independent from any private or governmental organization and doesn’t run its five television and three radio services for the Japanese audience on commercial basis. NHK Manila is just one of its 26 news bureaus around the world, while it maintains 54 stations across Japan. NHK also broadcasts news and general programs for overseas viewers and listeners on both television and radio. Its programs are distributed round-the-clock to foreign cable TV stations, satellite broadcasters, while some can be accessed on the internet. The company prides itself to have pioneered broadcasting in the digital High Definition format, the first in the world, through its recent satellite channel, the Digital Hi-Vision.

Our news broadcast is mainly in Japanese but I do English reports for various news programs for NHK World, the international broadcasting service of NHK. Our news bureau in Manila also covers outside the Philippines whenever and wherever we will be needed when news breaks anywhere in Asia.