This is another sad day for democracy.
The Supreme Court junked the petition of Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV to be allowed to perform his duties as senator.
A Makati Regional Trial Court, meanwhile, dismissed the class suit filed by members of media and concerned citizens against government offficials responsible for the former’s arbitrary arrest and handcuffing duringthe Nov. 29, 2007 Manila Peninsula incident.
Following are the news reports:
Update: ABS-CBN suspends Ces Drilon
By Elizabeth Sanchez-Lacson
Philippine Daily Inquirer
Television network ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corp. will investigate the conduct of kidnapped journalist Ces Drilon to determine whether she breached protocols on news coverage that led to her kidnapping last June 8.
“There is a process of investigation and I don’t want to preempt that process. At the end of that, we have to find out if the proper process was followed by Ces,” network chair and chief executive Eugenio “Gabby” Lopez III said at the sidelines of the ABS-CBN stockholders’ meeting Thursday.
May I invite you to take a look at the topic on the right hand column of this blog: The Rising Price of Gas in…
Ayon sa balita, uuwi na raw ngayong araw si Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap at si Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro naman ay susunod bukas.
Inigsi-an ni Yap at Teodoro ang kanilang pagsama kay Arroyo dahil sa batikos sa kay Arroyo at ng mga kasama niya sa kanilang pagliliwaliw sa Amerika habang dumaranas ng paghihirap ang maraming Filipino na nasalanta ng bagyong “Frank.”
Ngunit ang kapal talaga ng magpamilyang Arroyo at ng mga kongresista.
Correction: Iloilo Rep. Arthur Defensor is not with Arroyo in the U.S.
The Inquirer reported that Defensor cancelled his trip to Europe to attend to oversee the rehabilitation of his district (3rd) which was badly hit by typhoon “Frank”. My apologies.
While thousands of our countrymen are pre-occupied with coping with deaths and devastation left by typhoon “Frank,” members of Gloria Arroyo’s entourage are busy posing for souvenir photos with American officials.
A member of Arroyo’s delegation relates a comical incident at the photo session after the meeting of Arroyo with Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte. Other officials in that meeting were Ambassador Kristie Kenny, Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo and Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro.
Ang galing ng timing ni Gloria Arroyo.
Kaya ayan, habang nakikipag-bolahan siya doon sa Amerika kay George Bush at kung sino pang grupong mabobola niya, ang headlines sa buong mundo ay ang paglubog ng MV Princess of Stars na sobra 800 katao ang sakay.
Sr Estrella Casteleone forwarded to me this text from Rodolfo “Jun” Lozada, star witness in the NBN/ZTE scandal:
A warrant of arrest was issued for Violet from the Regional Trial Court in connection with the complaint filed by the PNP and Mascariñas.
We are posting bail. Violet is down.
They are trying to break me by hitting Violet.
Statement from AFP Spokesman Lt. Col. Ernesto Torres:
1.We recognize the wisdom of the court and respect its decision. The decision is neither a victory for the defense nor the prosecution. It was a triumph of the rules as upheld by the court;
2.It should be noted that the decision to prescribe some of the charges was reached not based on the merits of the case but on mere legal technicalities. Hence it will not in any way affect the conduct and outcome of a separate trial for a graver charge of mutiny;
3. We will consistently allow the due process of law to take its course. And with the current development, we are optimistic that we will soon finally get to know the truth surrounding the events that took place in February 2006.
Marine lieutenant Belinda Ferrer said she was praying all the while that Col. Marian Aleido was reading the decision on whether the minor charges against them have prescribed and therefore,dropped.
It was the longest ten minutes of her young military career, she said adding that her fellow detainees were in the same nervous state as she was. After two years of being on the receiving end of unfavorable decisions by the court, the only female detainee in the whole armed forces said she prepared herself for the worst.
Dead bodies were found floating in the waters of Sibuyan island in Romblon. They were believed to be passengers of “MV Princess of Stars” that sank at the height of typhoon Frank’s onslaught. The ship was carrying more than 700 passengers and 120 crew members.
Update: Mayor Isnaji’s new lawyer confirms additional P15 million ransom. Also, P3 million of the first P5 million came from ABS-CBN.
Mabuti lang karamihan sa publiko hindi naniniwala sa pinagsasabi ng Malacañang kaya sa mga lumalabas na balita tungkol sa P20 milyon na ransom kina Ces Drilon, wala masyadong nagulat.
Ang narinig kong sinasabi ng marami: “Sabi ko na nga ba e.”
Naintindihan ko kung bakit kailangan magkaroon ng “No ransom policy” ang pamahalaan. Kapag normal kasi ang pagbigay ng ransom, lalo magiging malala ang kidnapping. Negosyo na nga yun hindi lamang ng Abu Sayyaf kungdi dito rin sa kalakhang Maynila.