Thanks to Malou Tiquia for this photo.Ang halaga ng buhay ay hindi nasusukat sa haba kungdi kung paano mo ginamit ang bawat minuto o oras na biyaya ng Panginoon.
Masasabi natin na walang nasayang na oras sa sobra 54 taong ibinigay ng Panginoon sa nasawing secretary ng Department of Interior and Local Government na si Jesse Robredo.
We join all those who grieve for the passing of Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo. We will always remember him to be a decent and competent government official.
We also echo the call of Solar News’ Pia Hontiveros “Leave no one behind. Not the pilots. Not the rescuers. Not the divers. Let’s take care of everyone.”
Contrary to earlier reports when Robredo’s body was retrieved from the ill-fated Piper Seneca’s fuselage yesterday, the bodies of the aircraft owner, Capt. Jessup Bahinting and co-pilot Sri Lankan Kshitiz Chand, have not yet been recovered.
Transportation and Communication Secretary Mar Roxas said the bodies of the two pilots were seen slumped in the cockpit. Retrieval operations will resume today.
We pray that the families Robredo, Bahinting and Kshitis be blessed with strength to sustain them in this hour of sorrow. We also pray for the complete healing of Robredo’s aide, who survived the plane crash, Chief Insp. Jun Abrasado.
Robredo during the Rizal Park hostage taking crisis
ABS-CBNnews.com
A Cessna aircraft carrying Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo crashed in the sea off Masbate City Saturday afternoon, according to a Masbate official.
Masbate Vice Governor Vince Revil said the plane carrying Robredo and several others crashed 150 meters away from the Masbate airport.
“Nag-emergency call that they are going to have an emergency landing sa Masbate City Airport pero nag-crash ang plane about 150 meters away from the airport , nag-crash sa dagat,” Revil told “TV Patrol: Weekend.”
Sabi ni Pangulong Aquino “taken out of context” daw siya sa sinabi niyang aalisin na si Secretary Jesse Robredo sa Department of Local Government at ilipat sa isang presidential commission para sa mga mahihirap sa lungsod na kanyang itatayo pa lang.
Kapag sinabi mong “taken out of context”, maaaring hindi ka naintindihan ng reporter, or nag-sensationalize ang reporter. Ibig sabihin nun, kasalanan ng media.
Napanood ko ang interview na ‘yun ni Ted Failon sa TV Patrol kay Aquino noong Huwebes ng gabi. Tinanong siya tungkol sa kanyang mga miyembro ng cabinet na kanyang isusumite sa Commission on Appointments dahil mag-kakaroon na ulit ng sesyun.
Nai-report na kasi dati na tatlong miyembro ng kanyang cabinet ay “acting” at hindi isusumite ang mga pangalan sa CA: sina Robredo, Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz at Environment Secretary Ramon Paje.
The latest exposé of retired Archbishop Oscar Cruz on jueteng should be another wake up call to President Aquino that something is wrong with the setup that he has created at the Department of Interior and Local Government where he stripped the secretary of supervision over of the Philippine National Police, a vital element in local governance.
Inquirer reported that Cruz said two of Aquino’s trusted officials are receiving a minimum of P2 million monthly payola from jueteng. He gave a clue: the two hold security-related positions which include eradication of the illegal numbers game. Another clue: “One of them began getting his share of the other, who came into the picture fairly recently.”
Update: In his appearance in ABS-CBN’s “Umaga Kay Ganda”, Puno categorically denied accepting jueteng money. “Hindi po.Walang nagbigay. Kung may magbibigay, hindi ko tatanggapin.”
Cruz, who was also a studio guest, declined to name the two officials of the Aquino administration resorting to “Secret” when pressed by host Anthony Taberna. He however said they are more than two actually but the officials are “not in a cabinet position.” One, he said, “malapit na.”
He also said there are also jueteng lords who are governors, unlike before when the governors were just jueteng beneficiaries. Although he declined to name the governor-jueteng lords, he said jueteng is rampant in Regions One (Ilocos), Two, (Cagayan Valley) and Four (Calabarzon and Mimaropa).
On Puno,Cruz said, he is impressed by the targets that he has set.
On putting the burden of proof on him, Cruz said, “Na sa inyo ang kapulisan, ang NBI. Be fair. Ibig sabihin kung wala kaming input, wala kayong magagawa?” (You have the police and NBI. Be fair. You mean if we don’t give you inputs, there’s nothing that you can do?)
Cruz practically cleared Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo saying the arrangement in the DILG where the latter is confined to “ a comprehensive plan on delivering social services to and relocating informal settlers in coordination with the local governments” while he retained direct supervision of the Philippine National Police.
By VERA Files When Malacanang submits to Congress for confirmation its list of Cabinet appointees, Interior and Local Governments Secretary Jesse Robredo, who is under…
President Aquino believed everything that Rico E. Puno, his shooting buddy that he appointed Interior Undersecretary for police matters, advised him during the Aug. 23 hostage crisis.
Rico E. Puno's photo from ABS-CBN onlinePuno, on the other hand, believed everything that the police and Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim told him about the hostage situation. Lim assured him they were in control of the situation and all their strategy was “to tire him out.”
Puno never set foot in the crisis command headquarters, if ever there was one.
Puno said there was no TV set at the Emerald restaurant which was supposedly Lim’s command center. They were just getting reports of police by cellphone.
The above were just few of the booboos committed by those in charge of the Aug 23 hostage crisis. Here’s ABS-CBN’s report:
A government panel on Friday uncovered a series of errors that could have led to the bloody ending of the August 23 hostage crisis that killed 8 Hong Kong tourists.
A Department of the Interior and Local Government official assigned to supervise the country’s police force noted several lapses in the handling of the hostage crisis including: lack of crowd control, lack of control of the media and lack of equipment for the police team assigned to assault the bus held the remaining 15 hostages.
Aquino owned up responsibility for hostage crisis fiasco
President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III on Friday took responsibility for “everything that has transpired” in the hostage crisis last week.
President Aquino said he actually has direct supervision of the Philippine National Police at the time since he had previously asked Department of the Interior and Local Government Secretary Jess Robredo to concentrate on something else.
Aquino explained that when he offered the DILG portfolio to Robredo, Robredo was asked to address concerns such as coming up with a comprehensive plan on delivering social services to and relocating informal settlers in coordination with the local governments. Aquino, who held the DILG in a concurrent capacity when he assumed office, had the direct control of the PNP.
“When I got him, I did tell him, that at this point in time, we’re trying to consolidate especially with our security forces, I will retain direct supervision on the PNP, until such time that he has addressed other concerns, specifically our promises to the informal sectors of our country,” Aquino told reporters.
Aquino said at the end of the day, he was responsible for everything that happened.
This is a tragic comedy. You have a presidential aide who did not give the telephone to the President when Hongkong chief executive Donald Tsang called because he didn’t know who Tsang is.
Now you have a signed re-instatement of Mendoza by National Capital Region Police Chief Leocadio Santiago which didn’t reach the hostage taker in time because it was carried by motorcycle cop. They haven’t heard of fax machine!
From ABS-CBNnews
Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Jesse Robredo will not resign amid calls for his head to roll in the wake of the August 23 hostage crisis.
“Honestly, if I can tell myself that I was really responsible, you will not see me any minute longer in this office,” he told ABS-CBN News in an exclusive interview.
He added that he was not part of the crisis management group that led efforts to get dismissed police officer Rodolfo Mendoza to free the Hong Kong tourists held hostage inside a bus in Manila.
