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Jinggoy links Angie, Ligot to ownership of US homes By Michaela P. del Callar 02/08/2011

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

BOMBSHELL ON EX-GENERALS’ CALIFORNIA HOMES IN SENATE

Jinggoy links Angie, Ligot to ownership of US homes

By Michaela P. del Callar 02/08/2011

They weren’t featured in glossy US magazines such as House Beautiful, Home and Gardens, Town and Country and Architectural Digest, but photos of the the obviously illegally-acquired homes registered in the name of the spouse of former military comptroller during the term of then Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Chief of Staff, Gen. Angelo Reyes, Ret. B/Gen. Jacinto Ligot, certainly made a big splash in the Senate blue ribbon hearing yesterday, with Senate president pro-tempore Jinggoy Estrada showing the pictures of the twin homes located in California, USA, complete with documentation of ownership.

Estrada yesterday bared that the spouses of embattled retired generals Angelo Reyes and Ligot, who are linked to massive corruption in the military, have unlawfully acquired properties in the United States.
Estrada, at the Senate blue ribbon committee hearing, said two houses located in suburban communities in California, amounting to $504,000 and $183,688, respectively, were acquired using the name of Ligot’s wife, Erlinda.

Showing photos of the properties at the hearing, Estrada confronted Ligot and asked him if he is aware that his wife owns two houses in California..... MORE

SourceThe Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20110208hed1.html

Senate caucus spares Garcia from contempt, detention raps 02/08/2011

Senate caucus spares Garcia from contempt, detention raps

02/08/2011
Discharged Maj. Gen. Carlos Garcia, who has been threatened by the Senate with contempt charges and a detained stay at the Senate for refusing to respond to the questions posed by the senators forming the blue ribbon committee probe on the massive military corruption, won’t be cited for contempt by the Senate—at least not this time around.

Throughout the Senate blue ribbon inquiry, Garcia has been invoking his right against self-incrimination and last week, senators threatened to cite him for contempt and a possible detention at the Senate until he opens up. But as there was an absence of quorum on the day the senators wanted him cited for contempt, an announced caucus was instead resorted to by the senators,

The caucus was held yesterday, after the panel’s inquiry was suspended.

The right against self-incrimination is a constitutional right and it was speculated by many legal minds that Garcia, through his lawyers, would challenge this contempt citation and his detention at the Senate should the Senate go ahead with its threat..... MORE

SourceThe Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20110208hed2.html

Palace softens stance on RH bill, drops birth control in Ledac meet 02/08/2011

Palace softens stance on RH bill, drops birth control in Ledac meet

02/08/2011
An expanded list of priority bills to be discussed in the first Legislative Executive Development Advisory Council (Ledac) meeting scheduled on Feb. 28 was finally presented by Malacañang to the media yesterday but it did not include the controversial Responsible Parent-hood (RP) bill, Freedom of Information (FoI) bill as well the Whistleblowers Act which President Aquino previously said he would vouch for.

Presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda explained that the five-pronged RP bill or the sanitized version of the controversial Reproductive Health (RH) bill was omitted from the list out of courtesy to the members of the Catholic Church pending the final results of their dialogs.

“I think that’s the whole idea of holding a dialog (is) to listen to their (Church leaders’) views. We have made that position very clear with them. We will maintain the five-point statement (on RP bill) but we would like to have their views as well. So we are going to finish the dialog and whatever inputs they have there — without necessarily moving away from our position of providing access to both natural and artificial family planning methods — will also be placed in part and parcel of the Responsible Parenthood bill,” Lacierda told reporters at a news conference.

“The President has not backtracked on this (Responsible Parenthood Bill). We are aware of the sensitivity of this issue and the President is keen on listening to all sectors concerned,” Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr. explained for his part..... MORE

SourceThe Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20110208hed3.html

Mancao vows to pin Ping on Dacer murders By Benjamin B. Pulta 02/08/2011

Mancao vows to pin Ping on Dacer murders

By Benjamin B. Pulta 02/08/2011

Former police Supt. Cezar Mancao II yesterday met with Justice officials and vowed to pin down his former boss, Sen. Panfilo “Ping” Lacson, for the murders of publicist Salvador “Bubby” Dacer and his driver Emmanuel Corbito in November 2000.

“I have sacrificed a lot to be away from my family, I was removed from the service. I hope the public and the media will understand,” he said.

The Court of Appeals (CA) earlier junked the two murder cases against Lacson.

It also ruled that “Mancao is not a credible and trustworthy witness.”

But Mancao believes the CA erred in ruling against his credibility.

“I’m disappointed but there is a process. I still believe in the justice system, they can still do better than what they are doing now. The truth will come out.”.... MORE

SourceThe Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20110208hed4.html

RP gov’t defends Taiwanese deportation 02/08/2011

RP gov’t defends Taiwanese deportation

02/08/2011
The government yesterday defended its decision to deport 14 suspected Taiwanese fraudsters to China, while expressing hope the incident would not hurt relations with Taiwan.

Philippine authorities arrested the Taiwanese group, along with 10 Chinese nationals, in December for allegedly swindling $20 million in an international scam targeting mainland Chinese, and last week deported them to the mainland.

The move infuriated Taiwan, which said the Taiwanese should have faced justice at home on the self-ruled island rather than in China. Taiwan threatened to review its exchanges with the Philippines over the incident.

But the office which handles Philippine relations with Taiwan said authorities had acted appropriately..... MORE

SourceThe Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20110208hed5.html

Pichay, CoA members linked to funds scam 02/08/2011 By Michaela P. del Callar

Pichay, CoA members linked to funds scam

02/08/2011
By Michaela P. del Callar
The vicious web of corruption alleged to be endemic in the military has branched out into the legislature and the state audit body itself, based on the continuing revelations by whistle-blower Lt. Col. George Rabusa at the Senate yesterday with former Surigao del Sur Rep. Prospero Pichay, a close ally of former President Arroyo, being accused of receiving part of the controversial funds diverted from the Philippine military’s coffers.

Rabusa said Pichay, then House committee chairman on national defense, received P500,000 each time he visited the office of former Armed Forces Chief of Staff Gen . Diomedio Villanueva.

He said former AFP comptroller Carlos Garcia would instruct him to release the money to Pichay, but claimed that he does not know what it was for.

“Immediately he (Garcia) would tell me to prepare P500,000 for Pichay whenever he dropped by the office of the Chief of Staff,” Rabusa told the Senate blue ribbon committee. “I just follow the order of General Garcia because he was my boss.” Rabusa said, adding that Pichay had been given the money at least three times..... MORE

SourceThe Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20110208hed6.html

Embattled Garcia faces expulsion from PMAAA By Mario J. Mallari 02/08/2011

Embattled Garcia faces expulsion from PMAAA

By Mario J. Mallari 02/08/2011

Former Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) comptroller discharged Maj. Gen. Carlos Garcia is now facing expulsion from the Philippine Military Academy Alumni Association (PMAAA) amid the growing controversies about the alleged massive corruption in the AFP during his incumbency as deputy chief of staff for comptrollership or J6.
 
Former AFP chief and Muntinlupa Rep. Rodolfo Biazon, chairman of the PMAAA, said that a resolution from fellow cavaliers have been passed calling for the expulsion of Garcia, a member of the controversial PMA Class of 1971.

“A resolution for expulsion had been submitted and so we discussed it in the board. Finally, the board agreed that we should not preempt the judicial proceedings ongoing,” Biazon said.

Garcia was charged with plunder for allegedly amassing more than P300 million in unexplained wealth during his incumbency as AFP comptroller..... MORE

SourceThe Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/nation/20110208nat1.html

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