By Leilani Adriano and Bobby Labalan VERA Files Photos of most wanted criminals in Ilocos Norte are posted in public places, with the promise of…
Making life worth living.
ellen tordesillas Posts
May basehan si Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez kung bakit sa isip niya, mas pag-asang siyang mas may laban siya sa Senado kaysa sa House of Representatives sa impeachment na kanyang hinaharap.
Sa ngayon kasi, alam na ng mga kongresista na gusto ng Malacañang maalis si Gutierrez dahil walang mangyayari sa mga kaso ng kurakutan na sabi si Gloria Arroyo habang si Gutierrez ang Ombudsman. Alam naman natin sa House, kung ano ang kumpas ng Malacañang, kahit anong administrasyon, susunod yan dahil sa kanilang pork barrel. Itong klaseng impluwensya ng Malacañang ay maaring gamiting sa kabutihan, maa-aring ring gamiting sa masama katulad ng pagggamit ni Arroyo sa paghadlang ng katotohanan nang siya ang nasa Malacañang.
Ang Senado naman, talagang may kasaysayan din namang may sariling diskarte. Lalo pa ngayon na iilan lang ang kapartido ni Pangulong Aquino. Kaya nga ang senate president ay si Juan Ponce-Enrile na hindi kapartido ni Aquino dahil kulang sila sa numero.
Tinanong ni Sen. Franklin Drilon at Sen. Jinggoy Estrada ang representative ng Ombudsman sa hearing ng Blue Ribbon Committee na nagi-imbestiga ngayon ng plea bargain agreement kay dating military comptroller Carlos Garcia kung ano na ang nangyari sa kanilang pangako ng bawiin o ipahinto sa Sandiganbayan ang kontrobersyal na kasunduan.
Sagot ng kinatawan ng Ombudsman, “pinag-aaralan pa.”
Hindi ko nakuha ang pangalan ng Ombudsman dahil nagbrownout sa amin at lumipat ako sa radyo. Medyo inis ang dalawang senador dahil mag-iisang buwan na mula ng nangako sila na pag-aaralan ang pagbawi ng plea bargain agreement halatang namang talong-talo ang mamamayang Pilipino. Biruin mo sa P303 milyon na nahuling nakaw na yaman ni Garcia, pumayag ang Ombudsman na P135 lang ang ibalik. Pwedeng nang itago ni Garcia ang P168 milyon.
Related report:http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/nation/view/20110305-323560/China-snubs-PH-protest
The Philippines filed a diplomatic protest Thursday with China over the intrusion of two Chinese patrol boats Wednesday into Reed Bank in Western Palawan where a seismic survey is being conducted by the Department of Energy.
A text message from Communications Secretary Ricky Carandang said: “I confirm the incident on March 2, 2011 (that) two Chinese patrol boats encountered a Phil-sanctioned vessel conducting seismic surveys in the Western Palawan. The Chinese boats warned the vessel away and the vessel moved away from its position.
“We have sought an explanation from the Chinese Embassy regarding the matter. The vessel is expected to resume its normal activities in a few days.”
The Chinese Embassy, through its spokesperson Ethan Y. Sun, issued the following statement Friday:
I noted the related report. What I want to point out is that, ever since ancient times, China has indisputable sovereignty over Nansha Islands and their adjacent waters. China has been consistently sticking to the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea, and committed to maintaining peace and stability in the South China Sea. The Chinese side maintains that the related disputes should be resolved through peaceful negotiations. Thank you and have a nice day.
Until the House committee on justice voted (41-12) last Tuesday that the two impeachment complaints against Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez have sufficient grounds, Gloria Arroyo and her family had reasons to be confident that they would get away with the crimes she committed against the Filipino people.
I seriously doubt if she is as confident now.
The impeachment complaint against Gutierrez still has to go through another voting in the committee level. It needs one third of the House members (94 out of 283) to have it passed and bring to the Senate.
But once it gets to the Senate, Gutierrez is in trouble. Sentiments against her in the light of the controversial plea bargain her office entered into with former military comptroller Maj. Gen. Carlos Garcia are high among most of the senators. Even if that particular issue is not included in the complaint, that would be a factor in the decision of the senators.
Acting Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario surprised everybody when he flew to Tripoli in Libya the day after he was sworn into office by President Aquino to oversee the evacuation of some 24,000 Filipinos in the African country which is now being rocked by violent protests between the forces loyal to strongman Muammar Gaddafi and rebels who want to end his 42-year dictatorship.
Not everybody applauded saying that the secretary’s job is at the home office to oversee the gargantuan evacuation operation. They said he was exposing himself unnecessarily to risks and added more pressure to the overburdened staff of Philippine embassy .
(Why is del Rosario’s title ‘acting secretary’? To allow him to assume the position of foreign secretary without confirmation by the Commission on Appointments.
Under the law, all cabinet appointments by the President have to pass CA approval. He can only make cabinet appointments without CA approval when Congress is not in session.Congress is in session now but was not scheduled to meet the week del Rosario had to assume the job because of the emergency in Libya.Thus, the ‘acting” title. Del Rosario’s title will be upgraded once confirmed by the CA.)
The Asia Foundation and VERA Files will be presenting their latest work, Democracy at Gunpoint: Election-Related Violence in the Philippines, on March 2 at 5 p.m. at the Magellan Room, 41/F of the Discovery Suites in Ortigas Center, Pasig City.
In the 2010 elections, The Asia Foundation partnered with VERA Files in producing a series of journalistic accounts—news, features, in-depth reports on election-related violence in nine provinces that were traditionally considered as election hotspots. VERA Files consolidated the journalistic pieces into a book to provide a comprehensive, in-depth report that examines election-related violence in the Philippines.
The 212-page Democracy at Gunpoint: Election-Related Violence in the Philippines examines why election violence happens in 10 provinces known for being hotspots. While violence was the thread that stitched all provinces together, each one had particular characteristics that aggravated the problem.
“That violence still happens more than two decades after the ouster of Marcos and the restoration of democracy, and well into 21st century Philippines is cause for consternation and frustration,” wrote book editors Yvonne Chua and Luz Rimban in the preface.
The 15-nation UN Security U.N. Security Council Saturday unanimously imposed travel bans and froze the assets of Gaddafi, members of his family and inner circle as he continued to crack down on escalating protests against his 42-year authoritarian rule.
More than a thousand have already been killed and more blood is expected to spill on the streets of Tripoli, where Gaddafi is expected to hold firm as long as he could. He won’t do a Hosni Mubarak. He had warned, “At the suitable time, we will open the arms depot so all Libyans and tribes become armed, so that Libya becomes red with fire.”
Tuloy-tuloy hanggang lampas ng hatinggabi ang kunsiyerto ng mga palaka. Minsan may nagso-solo,pagkatapos pumapasok na parang background music. Ang galing. Talo si Ogie Alcasid at ang kanyang mga all-stars performers sa EDSA.
Sobra isang linggo na ako sa aming baryo sa Guisijan sa Antique at talaga namang nakaka-relax ang sariwang hangin, sariwang isda at sariwang gulay.
Nasubukan nyo na ba ang masaheng alon? ‘Yan ang nangyari sa akin noong isang linggo. Pinaghahampas kami ng alon. Masaya kaya lang masakit sa katawan.
Hindi masyadong damdam ng mga kapitbahay namin dito and selebrasyon ng EDSA1. Natutuwa lang ang mga bata dahil wala silang pasok kaya naligo kami sa dagat. Nang gabi nga nasalubong ko ang aming kapitbahay at sinabi niya makikinood daw siya kanyang katabing bahay ng “Willing-Willie.” Mukhang mas mabenta ang Willing-Willie kaysa EDSA1 na palabas.
The 1986 People Power is most memorable for us in Malaya, whose owners, Jose Burgos Sr and his son, Joe Burgos, Jr.,editors and columnists were imprisoned three years earlier when their other newspaper, WE Forum, which was padlocked, ran the Marcos fake medals story.
I was home resting the day then Defense Secretary Juan Ponce Enrile and Philippine Constaburary Chief Fidel Ramos launched their “People’s revolution” having come from a gruelling and emotion-laden coverage of the funeral of former Antique Governor Evelio Javier. I had to cut short my rest and cover what turned out to be one of the Filipinos’ greatest moments.
Here’s Chuchay’s Edsa1 recollection:
“EDSA, from my perspective as then editor-in-chief of the “Mosquito Press” pioneer Ang Pahayagang Malaya of Joe Burgos Jr., broke in the early afternoon of Feb. 22, 1986 when I received a phone call from Malaya’s Malacanang reporter, Butch Fernandez, who said he had heard the distinct “ting-ting-ting” of the teletype machine that receives wire-agency news feed at the Palace press room, indicating an urgent, big development.