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Kaban ng Bayan, Bantayan, (part II)

Published by Ellen on September 24, 2008

(The second privilege speech of Sen. Panfilo M. Lacson which the camp of Senate President Manny Villar tried, but failed, to block. September 22, 2008)

I would not have taken the floor today as I am concerned the core issue of corruption in the national budget will be diverted. But for the lies that are now part of the Senate record and other misinterpretations of the contents of my privilege speech last Monday by the gentleman from Makati and Camarines Sur, I now rise on a matter of personal and collective privilege.

I will not dignify by wasting a second of the Senate’s time, however, the points raised by the other fanatical defender of the Senate President. Arguing with the gentleman, I am afraid, would be like talking to a chatterbox in a TV paid advertisement.

Going back to the points raised by Sen. Arroyo, or at least some of them, without conceding of course that the other issues raised are correct, please allow me to state here and now:

Worrisome omens

Published by Ellen on September 23, 2008

Let’s help Lorelei Fajardo, deputy presidential spokes-person, understand where the fear that Gloria Arroyo will ferociously hold on to power even after June 30, 2010 is coming from.

Fajardo said, “The President intends to vacate her office when her term ends in 2010, and does not know where such fear-mongering is coming from.”

Let’s remind Fajardo that on Dec. 30, 2002, Arroyo pledged before the statue of Jose Rizal that she would not run in 2004. Ten months later, on Oct. 5, 2003, she said without blinking an eye, “I will run for President in May 2004.”

As we all know, not only did Arroyo run in 2004; she cheated and stole the presidency.

Sa kuko ng panganib

Published by Ellen on September 22, 2008

Nabanggit sa The Dawn newspaper sa Pakistan na isa sa sobra 40 ka tao na nasawi sa suicide attack sa Marriott Hotel noong Sabado ng gabi sa Islamabad ay Filipino

Hindi sinabi kong turista o nagtatatrabaho sa hotel ang Filipino na namatay. Hindi pa rin natin alam kung nag-iisa lang ang Filipino na nasawi. Wala pang report ang Department of Foreign of Foreign Affairs.

Isang truck na puno ng bomba ang umararo sa harap ng Marriott Hotel, na paboritong lugar ng mga dayuhan. Ang suspetsa sa may kagagawan ng kahindik-hindik ng pangyayari ay Al Qaeda o Taliban. Warning raw sa mga bagong pinuno ng Pakistan na mukhang maka-Amerikano mas malagim pa ang mangyayari kung hayaan nilang mag-operate ang military ng U.S sa loob ng Pakistan.

Trillanes quotes Miriam

Published by Ellen on September 21, 2008

An officer and a gentleman, Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV, is courteous to Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago.

Last Sept. 3, the detained senator filed a resolution questioning Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita’s meddling in Senate processes by presiding the Senate Technical Working Group on Philippine Baseline Bills on Aug. 14, 2008 in Malacañang.

Trillanes, who is one of the five senators who have filed a bill delineating the country’s archipelagic baseline, said Ermita’s role as presiding officer of a Senate committee meeting is a clear violation of the constitutionally enshrined principle of separation of powers of the three branches of government.

“Secretary Ermita’s actions effectively undermined the independence of the Senate as an institution,” he said.

Bolante’s habeas corpus bid dismissed anew

Published by Ellen on September 21, 2008

A U.S. court dismissed recently former Agriculture Undersecretary Jocelyn “Joc-Joc” Bolante’s petition for habeas corpus which, he said, would enable him to challenge the legality…

A Filipino among those killed in Pakistan blast

Published by Ellen on September 21, 2008

The following article from the Pakistan newspaper, The Dawn, says one of those killed in the suicide bombing in Pakistan is a Filipino.

Terror tears through capital

ISLAMABAD, Sept 20: An explosive-laden truck rammed into the front gate of a premier hotel in a high-security zone of Islamabad on Saturday, setting off what police called the most devastating suicide attack in the capital that killed at least 40 people and wounded more than 250.

The attack outside the five-star Marriott Hotel — not far from key government buildings such as the parliament house, the presidency, the prime minister’s house and Pakistan Television headquarters — happened early in the evening shortly after Iftar and hours after President Asif Ali Zardari addressed a joint session of the two houses of parliament where he said Pakistan would not allow the use of its territory for terrorist activities.

Toxic na gatas

Published by Ellen on September 20, 2008

Sinabi una ng Food and Drug Agency na wala dito sa Pilipinas ang kontaminado na gatas na galing sa China. Mali pala.

Nadiskubre ng GMA News na ang gatas na “Monmilk” ay galing sa China at gawa ng Mengniu Dairy Group Co. and Yili Industrial Group Co, dalawa sa kumpanyang nadiskubre na ang kanilang gatas ay may melanine, isang toxic na kemikal na nagre-resulta na pagbubu-o ng bato sa kidney.

Bumili ang GMA News team ng tetrapak ng “Monmilk” na kanilang binili sa malls sa Quezon City at Divisoria.

Danny Lim and Our Lady of Peñafrancia

Published by Ellen on September 20, 2008

Last Saturday, as Bicolanos celebrated the feast of the Virgin of Peñafrancia something stirred the curiosity of those who joined the “traslacion”, the procession transferring Ina, as they call image of Our Lady of Peñafrancia , from the basilica to the Metropolitan Cathedral of Naga City.

Around the city, there were several streamers that proclaimed “Viva la Virgen de Peñafrancia”. Below was the name and photo of Brig. Gen. Danny Lim, who is now in detention for allegedly planning to withdraw support from Gloria Arroyo in February 2006 following the expose of the Hello Garci tapes and in November 2007 following more scandals the most bewildering of which is the NBN/ZTE deal.

Arroyo’s team to US: more than 70

Published by Ellen on September 20, 2008

Inquirer’s Christine Avendaño reported that in Arroyo’s trip to the United States this week, she is bringing along more than 70 people, according to Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita.

As in every foreign junket of Gloria Arroyo, the Filipino people become million of dollars poorer with all the expenses in airplane fare, hotel, food, allowances.

It was only last June that Gloria Arroyo was in the U.S. with more than 60 congressmen while the Filipino people were reeling from the lashing of typhoon Frank. Former ambassador to the U.S. Ernesto Maceda gave an idea the expenses incurred in a presidential foreign trip.

Here’s Maceda’s estimate based on an “official party” of more than 20:

CA to AFP: Produce 2 abducted UP studes

Published by Ellen on September 18, 2008

by Evangeline de Vera

Reversing its decision, the Court of Appeals yesterday ruled there is sufficient evidence to prove that the Army’s 7th Infantry Division abducted and continues to have custody of the two University of the Philippines students and a farmer who have all been missing since June 2006.

The CA’s Special Former 11th Division, in a 33-page decision, ordered the Armed Forces to release Sherlyn Cadapan and Karen Empeno, as well as farmer Manuel Merino, who were abducted allegedly by military men on June 26, 2006 in Hagonoy, Bulacan on the ground they are members of the New Peoples’ Army.

The ruling, penned by Associate Justice Jose Catral Mendoza, reversed the CA’s June 2007 decision dismissing the writ of habeas corpus petition filed by the families of the three missing persons based on the testimony of witness Raymond Manalo, who said he was a victim of military abduction and torture, along with his brother Reynaldo.

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