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Ang panig ng abogado ni Zaldy Ampatuan

Published by Ellen on February 6, 2011

Sumulat sa akin si Atty. Howard Calleja, na binabatikos ngayon dahil sa kanyang pagtanggap kay Zaldy Ampatuan bilang kliyente.

Kasama si Zaldy sa nakasuhan ng multiple murder sa masaker ng 58 na tao, 32 doon ay mga journalists, noong Nobyembre 23, 2009. Ang itinurong nagsagawa ng masaker ay ang kanyang kapatid na si dating Mayor Andal Jr. Sabit din ang kanilang ama na si Andal Sr. Sobra isang daang tao ang nakasakdal sa kasong ito.

Pinuna ko si Calleja sa aking kolum noong isang buwan. Nadismaya ako sa kanya dahil kilala ko si Howie bilang ma-prinsipyo na abogado. Abogado siya nang Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting, isang organisasyun na ang misyun ay malinis at maayos na eleksyun. Alam naman natin kung anong eleksyun ang pinaiiral ng mga Ampatuan sa Maguindanao. Ang tawag nga doon bangko ng mga boto. Magdeposito ka lang ng cash, makukuha mo ang boto na gusto mo. Tanungin nyo si Gloria Arroyo at si Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri.

Panibagong imbestigasyun ng Dacer-Corbito murder case

Published by Ellen on February 5, 2011

Statement of Sen. Panfilo “Ping” Lacson:

Secretary Leila de Lima should stop using brute reason in interpreting the court of appeals ruling dismissing the case against me which she claimed she has not even read.

Let me remind her that in a civil and common law system like ours, the hierarchy of courts places the supreme court at the highest level and is therefore the sole authority to reverse the court of appeals in its ruling and decision. – not any of the lower courts of the land and certainly not the secretary of justice.

The appellate court has ruled that there is no probable cause to indict me for two counts of murder and categorically nullified the warrant of arrest that the Manila RTC branch 18 issued against me. De lima cannot place herself above any court of law. Otherwise, the justice system becomes defective and worse, will self-destruct.

Continue readingPanibagong imbestigasyun ng Dacer-Corbito murder case

Palpak UAVs, and more exploded in Senate hearing

Published by Ellen on February 3, 2011

Miriam Santiago and George Rabusa — Where have you been all these years? Miriam asks Rabusa during last Thursday's Senate hearing. Photo from Malaya.

The AFP, under Chief of Staff Roy Cimatu, bought unmanned aerial vehicles to be used against the Abu Sayyaf for $2 million based only on a board room presentation without bidding and canvassing. “Nagbagsakan yun. Hindi po nagamit. I don’t know how long. Palpak, nagbagsakan,Rabusa said.

Sabi nga namin,na 1-2-3 tayo. We had no more contact with the Israeli company,” he added.

Following is David Dizon’s report at ABS-CBNNEWS online:

Diversions of soldiers’ salaries and United Nations funds, multi-million cash gifts to military chiefs of staffs, and illegal military contracts were just some of the bombshells revealed during Thursday’s resumption of the Senate Blue Ribbon committee hearing on military corruption.

Under pressure from senators, Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez reluctantly said her office would file a manifestation with the Sandiganbayan seeking to defer action on its plea bargain agreement with former military comptroller Carlos Garcia in light of testimonies of new witnesses that could bolster the plunder case originally filed against Garcia.
http://www.malaya.com.ph/feb04/news1.html
http://www.gmanews.tv/story/212155/ombudsman-to-file-manifestation-on-recommendation-to-withdraw-plea-bargain-deal

Former military budget officer George Rabusa, aided by his former staff Lt. Col. Ramon Antonio “Sonny” Lim, said former military chiefs Diomedio Villanueva, Roy Cimatu and Angelo Reyes received “pabaon” (send-off money) upon their retirements from active service.

Villanueva allegedly received the largest “pabaon” of P164 million, followed by Cimatu with P80 million and Reyes with P50 million.

Ping Lacson cleared

Published by Ellen on February 3, 2011

Sophia M. Dedace, GMANews.TV

The Court of Appeals on Thursday granted the petition of Sen. Panfilo Lacson to dismiss the double murder case lodged against him for the Dacer-Corbito killings a decade ago.

In an 80-page ruling, the appellate court’s Special Sixth Division reversed the two orders from the Manila Regional Trial Court Branch 18 that found probable cause to indict Lacson for the killings of publicist Salvador Dacer and driver Emmanuel Corbito in November 2000.

The CA also revoked the arrest warrant the Manila court issued against Lacson, who has been in hiding since January last year.

We salute Heidi Mendoza

Published by Ellen on February 1, 2011

heidi mendoza at House hearing — Thanks to ABS-CBN for this photo

As long as there is a Heidi Mendoza, there is hope for the Filipino nation.

As astounding as the courage of Heidi Mendoza, former state auditor who investigated the case of retired Maj. Gen. Carlos Garcia, was the refusal of Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez and the government prosecutors to acknowledge the evidence even if they were staring on their face.

Mendoza’s testimony about the pressures she had to put up in uncovering military corruption was so moving especially when she tearfully appealed to spare her family from harm. “Maawa kayo sa akin. Maawa kayo sa mnga anak ko,” she pleaded adding that in coming out she didn’t want to hurt anybody.

A daughter of a policeman, she said she took on the challenge of investigating corruption in the military “to give honor to the soldiers who risk their lives in defense of the country.”

Mubarak’s Wife and Son Flee to London amid protests with 97 suitcases

Published by Ellen on January 31, 2011

Signs of beginning of the end. This was the scene that preceded the fall of Mohamad Reza Pahlavi,Shah of Iran, Doc Duvalier of Haiti, Thaksin Shinawatra of Thailand. In the case of Marcos, he and the family all left together.

by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
IsraelNationalNews.com

The wife of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and their son Gamal, considered the successor to his father as president, have fled to London with 97 suitcases after unprecedented massive protests in Egypt, an Arab website reported. Egyptian officials denied the claim.

egypt_protest — Anger in the streets.Photo from http://www.ahmedrehab.com/

The plane also reportedly carried Gamal’s daughter, the Akhbar Arab website reported. It also said a Twitter account was blocked to prevent a social network campaign to urge the ousting of Mubarak, who is over 80 and is reportedly is suffering from cancer.

Mubarak forms cabinet amidst shouts of get out!

Dozens of Twitter messages have been sent saying that Mubarak’s wife Suzanne was identified at Heathrow Airport in London, where she and her son and granddaughter arrived in a private jet.

In Egypt, calm has returned to the streets but authorities have arrested hundreds of protesters. Three people – two of them demonstrators — were killed in Tuesday’s rallies that spread throughout the country.
(IsraelNationalNews.com)

Frantic exodus from Egypt (culled from several news reports)

CAIRO — Cairo’s international airport was a scene of chaos and confusion Monday as thousands of foreigners sought to flee the unrest in Egypt and countries around the world scrambled to send in planes to fly their citizens out.

Garcia’s letter

Published by Ellen on January 30, 2011

I don’t know if retired Maj. Gen. Carlos Garcia will confirm this if asked in a Senate hearing but I learned that when he was in detention, he wrote a letter addressed to three persons detailing his version of the multi-million (even billion) mess in the military that he was embroiled in.

The letters, I learned, were placed in the safekeeping of those three persons with the instruction that in case something happens to him, the contents of the letter would be divulged.

This should give sleepless nights to all those involved in grand theft of the money intended for the soldiers, who lay down their lives, for the country’s peace, stability and security and for the upgrading of military equipment, that have become a laughing stock in the region.

Mukhang may natutunan si Aquino sa mga naunang palpak

Published by Ellen on January 30, 2011

Visiting bus blast victims — Click to view enlarged

Mga alas-dos ng hapon ng sumabog ang bomba sa isang bus ng Newman Goldliner sa EDSA noong Enero 25, alas –singko ng hapon, may statement na si Pangulong Aquino na nakikiramay sa mga nasawi at nasaktan at nangakong hindi titigil hanggang maparusahan ang gumawa ng karumal-dumal na krimen.

Aba, malaking bagay yan. Tatlong oras lang ang nakalipas, nagsalita na siya. Kahit pa sabihin nating “motherhood statement” lang ang sinabi niya, kahit naman papaano nagsalita at bumisita pa ng gabing yun din sa mga dinala sa ospital.

Malayong-malayo sa nangyari noong Agosto 23 nang nanghostage ang isa maykasong pulis ng isang bus na puno ng turista galing Hongkong. Umaga nagsimula ang panghu-hostage, inabot na ng gabi ni isang sentence, walang sinasabi si Aquino. Hindi nga alam ng marami kung nasaan siya ng mga oras nay un at kung alam niya ang nangyayari.

Naisalba ni Rabusa ang konsyensa at kaluluwa

Published by Ellen on January 29, 2011

Sa Senate hearing noong Huwebes, tinanong ni dating chief of staff ng Armed Forces of the Philippines Angelo Reyes si dating military budget officer Lt. Col. George Rabusa,”During the time that I was chief of staff, if I became greedy?” (Noong panahon na ako ang chief of staff, naging gahaman ba ako?

Ang talagang tumbok nang tanong ni Reyes ay kung siya ay naging madamot at sinusulo lang ang pera.
Sinupalpal siya ni Sen. Jinggoy Estrada: “Hindi isyu kung ikaw ay gahaman. Ang isyu ay kung ikaw ay corrupt na hepe ng Armed Forces. Anong paki-alam namin kung ikaw ay galante?”

Shocked talaga si Reyes sa paglitaw ni Rabusa na iba na ang tuno ng kinakanta. Kasama na dito si Maj. Gen. Carlos Garcia, dating military comptroller na ang kanyang ma-eskandalong plea bargain agreement sa Ombudsman, ang ini-imbistiga ng Senado at House of Representatives. Pati na rin siguro si retired Lt. Gen. Jacinto Ligot, dating military comptroller din katulad ni Garcia at Rabusa ay inakusahan ng pandarambong sa pamagitan ng paggamit ng pera na para sa mga sundalo para sa kanilang pansariling kapakanan.

Prosecution flaws bog down fight vs drugs

Published by Ellen on January 28, 2011

By IBARRA C. MATEO AND YVONNE T. CHUA
VERA Files

Cai Qing HaiFOR many years, Chinese national Cai Qing Hai had been on the list of Asia’s “most wanted drug manufacturers and traffickers,” with law enforcers from three countries—the Philippines, China and Malaysia—hot on his trail.

Cai was no ordinary drug dealer. He headed a transnational syndicate which Chinese authorities said produced 1.7 tons of methamphetamine hydrocloride or “shabu” in the three countries. He was also slippery prey—in 2005, he escaped prison by bribing his jailers in Malaysia just as they were about to hand him over to Chinese law enforcers. Cai then fled to Manila, which he has considered his second home since he was 13.

In October 2007, Philippine anti-narcotics agents caught up with Cai, then 36 and using the alias Bruce Esteban Ong, in his clandestine shabu laboratory in Sta Cruz, Laguna. They thought they had helped put an end to the activities of one of Asia’s most dangerous men.

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