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Admitting strategy error, Bush adds Iraq troops

Published by Ellen on January 11, 2007

He says 21,500 new troops will help quell violence, hasten homecoming

WASHINGTON (NBC News)- Defying public opinion polls and newly empowered Democratic lawmakers, President Bush told Americans Wednesday that he is dispatching 21,500 additional U.S. troops to Iraq. And in a rare admission, he said he made a mistake by not deploying more forces sooner.

“The situation in Iraq is unacceptable to the American people, and it is unacceptable to me,” Bush said in a televised address from the White House. “Where mistakes have been made, the responsibility rests with me.”

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Press freedom, not technicality, is the issue

Published by Ellen on January 11, 2007

Last Monday, Jose Miguel Arroyo, through his lawyer, asked the Makati Trial Court to dismiss the class suit we (more than 35 journalists he charged with libel plus more than 30 co-petitioners) filed against him describing it as as “plain political harassment”.

Arroyo’s lead counsel Ruy Alberto Rondain said the suit “is not even a class suit and is only a move by the plaintiffs to vindicate personal and individual interests, albeit imagined.”

Arroyo’s spokesman Jesus Santos said the case is defective in nature and should be dismissed.

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Nani seen as Palace sacrificial lamb

Published by Ellen on January 11, 2007

I am intrigued by the motive of Malacañang for allowing Nani Perez to be charged for the $2 million he received from mark Jimenez. I’ll write about that later. Here’s Malaya’s update on the $2 million man.

By JP Lopez

Malacañang will apparently turn former Justice Secretary Hernando “Nani” Perez into a “sacrificial lamb” to show the Arroyo administration is running after corrupt officials, Senate minority leader Aquilino Pimentel Jr. said yesterday.

“They want to create the impression that they are not tolerating corruption,” Pimentel said.

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Trillanes para senador

Published by Ellen on January 10, 2007

Bakit kaya hindi nasasama si Navy Ltsg Antonio Trillanes sa ginagawa ng oposisyon na senatorial tiket?

Malaki ang sakripisyo na napuhunan ni Trillanes, lider ng Magdalo na umalsa laban sa kurakutan sa military noong 2003. Oakwood mutiny ang tawag sa pangyayring yun.

Ang mga ibinunyag nina Trillanes na kurakutan sa military ay napatunayan sa maraing expose na lumabas katulad ng kaso ni Gen. Calos Garcia.

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Repentant mutineers treated better, Army admits

Published by Ellen on January 10, 2007

If you want a good life in the military, just say Gloria Arroyo is the best president the Philippines ever had and that you will die fighting for her. Check out this story by Joel Guinto in Inquirer.

THE Philippine Army admitted on Tuesday that rebel soldiers who have reaffirmed allegiance to the government are detained in more comfortable facilities than their defiant former comrades.

The group of Captain Gerardo Gambala, who have issued two statements of support to President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, are housed in “comfortable living quarters” complete with accommodations for their visitors, Army spokesman Major Ernesto Torres told reporters in Camp Aguinaldo.

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Challenge to Asean

Published by Ellen on January 9, 2007

The 12th Asean summit in Cebu on Saturday, Jan. 13, makes for good study on the vagaries of international diplomacy – a president gasping for survival hosting a summit of an organization threatened with irrelevance.

The most important document expected to be signed in the Cebu Asean summit is a framework charter of the 40-year old organization. The leaders will just agree on the basic principles, not the charter itself. A final draft of the charter is expected to be presented to the leaders in the 13th summit in Singapore in December.

Last week, S. Jayakumar, Singapore’s deputy prime minister, warned “”If it just continues to do more of the same, I think over a period of time, Asean will just become one of those organizations which will slowly fade into the sunset.”

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Nani Perez faces graft and extortion charges over $2 million

Published by Ellen on January 9, 2007

The graft and extortion charges to be filed by the Ombudsman against former Justice Secretary Hernando Perez is based on the claim of former Rep. Mark Jimenez that he paid Perez $2 million to stop him (Perez) from harassing him to execute an affidavit against former President Estrada.

Jimenez made this claim in 2002 at the time when he was fighting his extradition case to the US. His story didn’t help him because he was sent back to the U.S. where he served his time in jail (two years and three months) for charges of tax evasion, conspiracy, fraud and illegal campaign contributions. He returned to Manila in December 2005.

That Jimenez gave Perez $2 million is proven by the money trail. But many doubt Jimenez’ version of the origin of the $2 million and give credence to rumors that “The $2 million was alleged to have come from a $14-million bribe for the approval of the contract for the Caliraya-Botocan-Kalayaan hydroelectric plant won by Argentina’s Industrias Metalurgicas Pescarmona Sociedad Anonima (Impsa).”

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Namamangka sa dalawang ilog

Published by Ellen on January 8, 2007

Mula ngayon hanggang Feb. 12, deadline ng pag-file ng certificate of candidacy sa mga kandidato parasa sa national positions, marami pang pagbabago ang mangyayari sa mga listahan ng administrasyon at oposisyon.

Katulad na lamang ng grupo nina Senate President Manny Villar na nasa listahan ng parehong administrasyon at oposisyon.

Ang grupo ni Villar ay kinabibilangan ng kapwa niyang re-electionist na mga senador na sina Kiko Pangilinan, Ralph Recto, Joker Arroyo at ang dalawang batang congressman na sina Alan Peter Cayetano at Gilbert Remulla.

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