Category: Peace and Order

Bawal sana ang utak pulbura sa bagong taon

Published by Ellen on December 28, 2010

New Year fire works display — Photo courtesy of http://www.solarnavigator.net from the website of Arnel Syjuco Oroceo

Tatlong araw na lang bago magbagong taon ngunit ang dami nang napuputulang ng daliri sa paputok. Hindi talaga tayo natututo.

Bakit ba ganun tayo mag-celebrate ng New Year, nakakasakit ng katawan?

Noong nagkaroon ako ng Marshall Mc Luhan grant sa Canada noon 1999, nagsalita ako sa isang grupo ng mga Pilipinong estudyante sa elementary grades sa Winnipeg. Tinanong ko sila kung ano ang name-miss nila sa Pilipinas. May ilang sumagot ng putukan kapag bagong taon.

Talagang mami-miss nila ang putukan sa New year dahil istrikto ang Canada sa paglinis ng kanilang kapaligiran.

Kung maari lang umaalis ako sa Manila kapag bagong taon dahil may asthma ko. Kapag New year, nagkukulong na lang ako sa kuwarto.

Dati okay sa probinsiya namin, may sayawan sa plasa. Pag dumating ng hating gabi, umiikot sa buong baryo at sumisigaw ng “Adios” sa patapos na taon at “Viva” sa bagong taon.

Marami pa ang dapat abutin ng diwa ng Pasko

Published by Ellen on December 26, 2010

dec 26 jolo bombing — After the blast. Manila Bulletin photo

Dalawang insidente sa Muslim Mindanao ang nangyari noong Sabado na dagok na naman sa seguridad ng bansa at nagpaala-ala sa atin na marami sa atin ang hindi na aabot ng diwa ng Pasko.

Una ay ang pagbomba sa simbahan sa loob ng kampo ng Philippine National Police sa Jolo at ang pangalawa ay ang pagtakas ng apat na suspek ng pambubumba sa detention center ng PNP sa Zamboanga city.

Kung sino man ang may kagagawan ng pagbubomba sa simbahan, maitim ang kanyang kaluluwa.

Nakakabahala din ito dahil kung itong lugar na dapat protektado dahil nasa loob ng kampo ng pulis ay napasukan ng terorista, saan pa ang lugar na ligtas ang ordinaryong mamamayan?

Wala naman daw namatay ngunit sampo ang nasugatan.

Ang misyun ni Grace Capistrano

Published by Ellen on November 27, 2010

Kapag hindi mo pa talaga panahon, kahit anong gawin sa iyo, sagasa-an ka man ng tren, itapon ka man sa mataas na gusali, mabubuhay ka pa rin. Samantalang kung oras mo na rin talaga, kahit gaanong pera ang gagastusin o kahit natutulog ka lang, mawawala ka na sa mundo.

Hindi tayo dito mananatili sa mundo kahit isang minuto na sobra o kulang sa itinakda sa atin.

Ganun ang nangyari kay Grace Capistrano, ang pulis-informer sa Laguna na binaril, sinaksak ng 24 beses, itinapon sa bangin, nabuhay pa rin!

Ayon sa report ng pulis noong Miyerkules, mga ika-pito ng gabi, kinuha ng dalawang pulis na sina PO2 Mario Natividad at PO1 Antenor Mariquit si Capistrano sa kanyang bahay sa Angono, Rizal. Itinulak siya sa loob ng sasakyan , tinalian ang mga kamay at linagyan ng duct tape ang bunganga.

Pagdating sa Pagsangjan, Laguna, hinulog siya sa bangin at binaril. Natamaan siya sa paa.

Aquino’s problem with Robredo

Published by Ellen on November 7, 2010

(The photos posted here were sent to me by someone who was on the scene during the Aug. 23 hostage taking tragedy. It shows Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo on the scene although he was “out of the loop”. He was with Chinese Embassy representatives, Bai Tian, spokesperson and Li Qinfeng, in a light shirt, consul General.)

President Aquino made a hasty turn- around after he announced in a live TV interview Thursday that he was transferring Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo to the still to be created Presidential Commission for the Urban Poor.

He has to have a scapegoat and the most convenient for him now is media. He said media misunderstood what he said to Ted Failon. ““Mali ang pagkakaintindi,” he said.

Failon asked him what happens now to the three cabinet members who are in “acting” capacity since Congress will be resuming session soon and the Commission on Appointments would be able to deliberate on his appointees. This was his answer : “Sa DILG naman po, baka imando natin sa iba pang ahensya kung saka-sakali. Wala pa pong planong maliwanag. Si Sec. Robredo maganda po ang ginagawang trabaho ngayon pero meron po tayong gustong i-fast track na mga programa tulad sa informal settlers na talagang expertise ho niya.So baka magtayo tayo ng bagong grupo na talagang tutulong sa Presidential Commission on the Urban Poor at mga shelter agencies natin na mas focused and mas realizeable tulad noong sa Lupang Arenda, daang libo ang nasa danger.”

Ang tunay na rason sa pagkakabahala ni Aquino

Published by Ellen on November 7, 2010

Kaya naman pala inis na inis si Pangulong Aquino sa travel advisories ng limang bansa na iwasan ang Pilipinas dahil sa banta daw ng mga terorista. Umiiyak na raw ang mga Philippine tour operators sa mga kanselasyon ng package tours galing Hongkong at China, tapos dadagdagan pa nitong travel advisories, talaga ngang nakakabahala.

Kaya lang sa halip na mainis sa ibang bansa na nagpu-protekta lang ng kanilang mamamayan, dapat ayusin natin ang pamalakad dito sa atin at iyan ay dapat manggagaling kay Aquino. Ang problema lang hindi nakakabigay ng kumpyansa ang kanyang mga aksyun at sinasabi.

(Click here for the interview of Aquino by Ted Failon on terror threat: http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/video/nation/11/04/10/terror-report-raw-unverified-noynoy-1-1-ted#ooid=hvMXhzMTrHxTB7iLpEMl4REPPznJGFEb)

Ang bansang United States, Britain, Australia, Canada, New Zealand at France ay nagpalabas ng babala sa kanilang mga mamamayan na iwasan ang ilang bansa na may impormasyon silang baka umatake ang mga terorista. Isa sa kanilang listahan ay ang Pilipinas.

Comparison of IIRC recommendations and the President’s decision

Published by Ellen on October 11, 2010

Please click here (VERA Files) to view in full the matrix comping the IIRC’s recommendations and the Palace action—or inaction—on the Aug. 23 tragedy.

Transcript of Q & A on Aquino’s decision on IIRC recommendation

Published by Ellen on October 11, 2010

Q: Sir, considering that Malacañang put a lot of time and effort in the piece decisions, do you expect the public, the people of Hongkong, the victims and the Chinese government to accept them?

PNOY: I’m hoping that, that will be the case. Again, we want to be fair to all parties concerned, processes were religiously observed and at the end of the day, there was an evaluation as to what can be preferred in terms of corrective action. I will ask them to also provide with you. Well, it will be posted in the gazette, but you can get and secure copies. There was a very lengthy explanation of all the legal concepts. The bottom line is, ….would not want to file charges, that one knows from the get go, will not prosper. That will just taking much of the courts time, which can be utilized to effect a better conviction rate for cases that can prosper.

Q: Doon po sa case ni Mr. Rogas saka ni Mr., Tulfo, you made a statement that you would be compelled to support a measures in Congress that restrict coverage. Can this be taken as a warning?

Aquino’s decision on IIRC recommendation: Puno, Verzosa cleared

Published by Ellen on October 11, 2010

Summary: Puno, Verzosa cleared. Mayor Lim, just administrative sanction care of the DILG

Statement of President Benigno S. Aquino III on the recommended actions to be taken after reviewing the report of the Incident Investigation and Review Committee on the August 23rd Quirino Grandstand hostage-taking incident

The Executive Secretary (ES) and the Chief Presidential Legal Counsel (CPLC) have completed their review of the recommendations of the Incident Investigation and Review Committee (IIRC).

The review was undertaken within three basic parameters:

First, the facts enumerated in the IIRC report; second, the possible criminal, and administrative sanctions that could be imposed under the law; third, whether the cases to be filed will prosper.

The Review also defines concepts such as reckless imprudence, simple imprudence, criminal negligence, neglect of duty, simple neglect of duty, gross incompetence, mistake in judgment, that are offenses under the law and punishable, if proven.

This having been done, I am ordering that the following actions be taken:

Review of the review: Verzosa, Puno, Moreno cleared

Published by Ellen on October 6, 2010

DILG decides on Lim; two newsmen chided

By Regina Bengco
Malaya

Malacanang has cleared three officials and downgraded the punishment recommended on a few others by the Incident Investigation and Review Committee (IIRC) in connection with the botched hostage rescue attempt last August 23.

This was revealed in documents obtained on the Palace legal team’s review of the IIRC report, which President Aquino was supposed to release yesterday. The legal team is composed of Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr. and chief presidential legal counsel Eduardo de Mesa.

Deputy presidential spokeswoman Abigail Valte said President Aquino did not release the Palace review team’s report because he is attending to preparations for his First 100 Days report.

Please tell me it’s not true

Published by Ellen on October 3, 2010

Update on the IIRC, Oct. 6,2010:

President Aquino says he will release full Palace-IIRC report on Aug 23 hostage incident only after he marks his 100th day in his office this week.

A friend close to members of the Incident Investigation and Review Committee, that investigated the Aug. 23 tragedy where a dismissed policeman held hostage a busload of tourists from Hongkong resulting in the death of eight of them, called me up Saturday saying the information she got about the recommendation of the presidential panel tasked to review the IIRC recommendations was not good.

She said her information is that Interior Undersecretary Rico E. Puno and recently retired Philippine National Police Chief Jesus Verzosa were “cleared” and Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim was cited only for “neglect of duty.”

If true, that would be a downgrading of the recommendations of IIRC that recommended the filing of administrative and criminal charges against Lim. The IIRC also recommended the filing of administrative charges against Puno and Verzosa and “that a preliminary investigation be conducted by the appropriate government agency for any possible criminal liability.”

I called several sources in Malacañang. Only one replied. He said our fears are “unfounded.”

I fervently hope he is right and that the information my friend got is false. We are closely watching how President Aquino will decide on the IIRC recommendations because it will show us the direction that his administration will take after a disappointing first 100 days.