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BS Aquino III is not president? DIE HARD III Herman Tiu Laurel 12/19/2011

Sunday, December 18, 2011

BS Aquino III is not president?

DIE HARD III
Herman Tiu Laurel
12/19/2011
Just as we said that Gloria Arroyo was not president when she was declared such in 2001 by Davide and again in 2004 by Congress (in an election where the Cojuangco-Aquino clan endorsed her wholeheartedly), so it is increasingly the case with the current Malacaang occupant.

When BS Aquino III became an accidental candidate in 2009 upon the death of his mother, Cory Aquino (an event played up to launch his campaign), the election that followed was soon hounded by suspicions on the PCOS (Precinct Count Optical Scan) machines of Smartmatic and the Commission on Election (Comelec)s removal of vital voting safeguards. Many became aware that the UV light ballot authentication, the digital signature of the Boards of Election Inspectors (BEI), and the voters receipt were all done away with. Even the highly irregular recall of 76,000 CF (Compact Flash) cards just a week before the polls raised a huge red flag.

Today, many of those suspected criminal acts are now confirmed, thanks to the findings of citizens election watchdogs, CenPEG (Center for People Empowerment in Governance) and AES (Automated Election System) Watch, after year-long investigations.

The following conclusions, which I abridge below, have been borne out of the painstaking efforts of information technology (IT) academics and experts alike:

On May 10, 2010, (Comelec) made available to the public the election results by precinct, town/city, district, province, and nation (via the Web site) http://electionresults.comelec.gov.ph/. A few months later this Web site was taken down. We believe that it is governments duty to make election data from this Web site publicly and freely available, because it is THE STORY of how the Smartmatic-Comelec partnership carried out the computerization of our elections, and whether the computerization exercise was successful or not (As such) we have decided to publish our mirror of this Web site, so that the data are available even if they are not anymore available (That) Web site is: http://curry.ateneo.net/~ambo/ph2010/electionresults/...

A number of researchers have begun work on the data in this Web site (discovering) many serious errors like: 1) 371 precinct election results with 10 voters or less, when the actual number of voters is 400 to 1000 for each of those precincts, 2) 8,939 precincts with no data at all, indicating a possible failure of transmission of data from the precinct to Comelec, 3) of the 67,162 precinct election results which contain data, 25,530 precinct election results have missing data in one elective position, or two or three or more (Such) missing data in one or more elective positions is a clear indicator of the presence of serious bugs which SysTest Labs already pointed out in its certification report to Comelec, which bugs the Technical Evaluation Committee and Comelec conveniently chose to ignore.

(The researchers cannot) stand by while Comelec makes another serious mistake in re-using the Smartmatic technology. First, Smartmatic has to install a substantial number of bug fixes in their system before they can get it to work for our elections. Second, Smartmatic cannot do these bug fixes by its lonesome self, since it does not own the technology the copyright to the software is by Dominion Voting Systems of Canada, and Smartmatic is not allowed to make any changes in the source code, and must wait for Dominion to write the bug fixes in its own good time. Third, the PCOS hardware is not adequate to implement the security features required by RA 9369, like: 1) the requirement of digital signatures by the BEI and 2) the planned fingerprint/biometric reader to be installed on the PCOS.

Kudos to experts Dr. Pablo Manalastas, Dr. Felix Muga and Dr. Philip Truscott of the Ateneo de Manilas computer science and mathematics departments for trawling data originally posted on the Comelec Web site, which had been inexplicably taken down.

Out of all the major findings, the most significant centers on the missing data in 25,520 precincts, which indicates that there were at least two different canvassing programs in use during the 2010 elections, one that was used in the 41,632 precincts that had a complete set of data and another that was used in the 25,530 precincts that had missing sets of data.

So they ask: How come there was more than one program in play? The obvious answer is that the original program that was supposed to canvass votes and transmit the results from those 25,530 precincts was replaced by another program.

As a result, The only way of discovering the actual results would be to open the ballot boxes in those 25,530 precincts and count or feed them into pre-tested PCOS counting machines. The results can then be compared to the results reported by the substituted software In the set up by Smartmatic, the consolidating computers apparently had no hand-shaking protocols that would have allowed them to distinguish between legitimate and illegitimate sources (which means) the canvassing computers could have added to, subtracted from, or otherwise altered election results and then transmitted bogus returns.

The late IT expert Manuel Alcuaz had repeatedly stressed in the many forums he spoke, including my TV show, that the cheating in elections is not at the precinct level, where local and party officials are focused on, but at the municipal canvassing level, where the totals are very conveniently and easily manipulated with spurious inputs. Knowing this, he was thus incensed as the precinct level computerization was a big rip-off.

Since past Comelec officials (including its then legal chief) allegedly derived pecuniary benefits from Smartmatics PCOS machines, so are the present crop of Comelec commissioners and their supposed politician-clients perceptibly pushing for this patently fraudulent automated system for 2013 and 2016.
In the meantime, the political elite and its darling chief executive are creating political circuses left and right all to divert attention from the most crucial issues, including the question, Is PeNoy simply a Hocus-PCOSed president?

(Tune in to Sulo ng Pilipino/Radyo OpinYon, Monday to Friday, 5 to 6 p.m. on 1098AM; Talk News TV with HTL, Saturday, 8:15 to 9 p.m., with replay at 11 p.m., on GNN, Destiny Cable Channel 8; visit http://newkatipunero.blogspot.com for our articles plus TV and radio archives)

(Reprinted with permission from Mr. Herman Tiu-Laurel)

SourceThe Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20111219com5.html

US will "absolutely" continue drone war on Iran

US will "absolutely" continue drone war on Iran


Even with the loss of not one, but two multi-million-dollar drones in recent weeks, the head of the US Defense Department says that America will “absolutely” continue stealth jets missions over Iran.

Despite these losses, the US Department of Defense is showing no signs of retreat, even if Tehran has insisted that they are well on their well to decoding the top-secret technologies under the hood of the recovered Sentinel. Speaking to Fox News this week, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said that stealth missions into Iran will continue “absolutely,” despite ongoing opposition from overseas..... MORE

SourceRT.com

URL: http://rt.com/usa/news/panetta-absolutely-iran-drone-831/

Secret documents reveal truth about American massacre in Iraq

Secret documents reveal truth about American massacre in Iraq

President Barack Obama may have declared the war in Iraq over, but unearthed documents thought to have been destroyed are bringing to light gruesome details from a skirmish that the military wishes hadn’t happened.

Scouring a junkyard outside of Baghdad, a reporter for The New York Times recently came across 400 pages of interrogations detailing the truth behind a massacre of dozens of Iraqi civilians that was carried out by American troops in 2005 in the town of Haditha. The documents, once under lock-and-key, were supposed to be destroyed. The reporter, however, came upon the remnants of the slightly-charred file as he picked through the debris in the dump.

According to the reporter, the junkyard attendant was using pages of the paper for kindling as he roasted a dinner of smoked carp in a trailer on the site..... MORE

SourceRT.com

URL: http://rt.com/usa/news/documents-american-massacre-iraq-925/

‘Blue bra girl’ atrocity: Egyptian military police more than brutal (VIDEO)


 

‘Blue bra girl’ atrocity: Egyptian military police more than brutal (VIDEO)

The blogosphere is boiling at the cruel beating of a female protester by Egyptian military police, who continued battling protesters in Tahrir Square on Sunday. The clashes, into their third day now, have left 10 people dead and hundreds injured.

­The video uploaded on YouTube Sunday reveals the extreme cruelty of the country’s law enforcers during the crackdown.

The army soldiers in full riot gear have been savagely beating a seemingly unconscious female protester with big sticks, kicking her and stomping on her chest. .... MORE

SourceBulatlat.com

URL: http://rt.com/news/egyptian-military-cruelty-beating-079/

Passion for teaching

Passion for teaching

By ANNE MARXZE D. UMIL
Bulatlat.com

MANILA – John Clifford Sibayan, 19, is following the footsteps of his mother who is a teacher in a public school in Pampanga.

“There is nothing like teaching,” Clifford said during an interview. They do not only teach the students their lessons, for a public school teacher like Clifford’s mother, it’s more than giving education.

From his own experience during his practicum at Araullo High School in Manila, Clifford said, being a teacher in a public school is really tiring. But leaving the country for a better pay never crossed his mind.


“I dream that one day the system of education in our country will change. And that dream still prevails.” (Photo by Anne Marxze D. Umil / bulatlat.com)
“It’s really a tiring job. My work does not end in school; I still bring my work with me at home,” he said. Preparing for his lesson plan and grades also take his time. He handled five sections with 45 to 50 students. He also dealt with the lack of classrooms, chairs and other facilities. “Because there is no proper ventilation, I bring two handkerchiefs with me because of the scorching heat.”

Clifford is a fourth year student, BSE Major in Filipino at Philippine Normal University in Manila. He may sound dismayed when he told me about his experience but when asked about his plans for the future, Clifford said, he will still continue with what he has started.

Clifford’s stories about his practicum seems endless. He related that a student stole his classmate’s cellphone; about teachers doing all kinds of sidelines just to earn an extra income because of the low salary. His experience is like scenes in a movie that come to a reality and for Clifford, it was heart breaking. “That is why I don’t go to my mother’s workplace because I don’t want to see the poor children.”.... MORE

SourceBulatlat.com

URL: http://bulatlat.com/main/2011/11/24/passion-for-teaching/

Mothers of missing UP students call for immediate arrest of Palparan et.al

Mothers of missing UP students call for immediate arrest of Palparan et.al 

In a resolution released Dec. 15, a Department of Justice (DOJ) panel found probable cause to file charges against retired Major General Jovito Palparan and his men for the abduction of UP students Sherlyn Cadapan and Karen Empeño, and farmer Manuel Merino.
By RONALYN V. OLEA
Bulatlat.com

MANILA – Teary-eyed Erlinda Cadapan, 60, said she is somehow happy to receive the news. “I’ve been waiting for that for years,” she said.

In a resolution released Dec. 15, a Department of Justice (DOJ) panel found probable cause to file charges against retired Major General Jovito Palparan and his men for the abduction of the Mrs. Cadapan’s daughter Sherlyn, her companion who is also a UP student Karen Empeño and farmer Manuel Merino.

Sherlyn and Karen, both students of the University of the Philippines (UP), were abducted on June 26, 2006 by suspected soldiers under the command of Palparan, then commanding officer of the 7th Infantry Division of the Philippine Army. Since the two have gone missing, their mothers went to courts, police stations, military camps, hospitals and morgues in searching for them.

“My happiness is not complete. Until they surface Sherlyn, until I would be able to embrace her, I would not be really happy,” Mrs. Cadapan told Bulatlat.com in an interview..... MORE

SourceBulatlat.com

URL: http://bulatlat.com/main/2011/12/16/mothers-of-missing-up-students-call-for-immediate-arrest-of-palparan-et-al/

Navy Christmas party causes furor among military men By Mario J. Mallari 12/19/2011

Navy Christmas party causes furor among military men

By Mario J. Mallari 12/19/2011

The Navy’s holding of a “lavish” Christmas party has caused a storm of reaction from active and retired members of the military but Navy Flag Officer in Command Vice Admiral Alexander Pama downplayed insinuations that the gathering was extravagant and runs contrary to the austerity program of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).

Pama yesterday confirmed to the Tribune the Navy’s “Christmas Ball” at the Manila Hotel last Wednesday, the same day the Navy officially commissioned its latest addition to its fleet, the Hamilton class cutter BRP Gregorio del Pilar.

The Tribune report created furor against the Navy, stressing there was no justification for such ritzy gathering amid pronouncements of austerity measures in the AFP..... MORE

SourceThe Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20111219hed5.html

‘Sendong’ death toll soars to 652; US, China offer aid By Mario J. Mallari and Michaela P. del Callar 12/19/2011

‘Sendong’ death toll soars to 652; US, China offer aid

By Mario J. Mallari and Michaela P. del Callar 12/19/2011

The death toll from tropical storm “Sendong” has climbed to 652 with 808 others missing in Northern Mindanao region, particularly the cities of Iligan and Cagayan de Oro which were hit by massive flash floods during the wee hours on Saturday triggered by heavy rains, disaster officials yesterday said.

Benito Ramos, executive director of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), said their own count stood at 516 deaths and 274 missing. But he conceded that the death toll would likely go higher.

Gwendolyn Pang, secretary general of the Philippine National Red Cross, in a statement, also warned the numbers could climb further..... MORE

SourceThe Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20111219hed4.html

No major power disruptions in Mindanao during typhoon 12/19/2011

No major power disruptions in Mindanao during typhoon

12/19/2011
Major power transmission lines of the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) remain operational even as tropical storm “Sendong” continues to batter Mindanao.

The storm made landfall Saturday afternoon in Hinatuan, Surigao del Norte.

Power transmission service provider and grid operator NGCP continues to monitor the movements of Tropical Storm “Sendong” and its effects on power transmission facilities in Mindanao.

Necessary preparations and precautions have been implemented to minimize the impact of the storm on NGCP operation and facilities..... MORE

SourceThe Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20111219hed7.html

Solons laud Hataman’s appointment as ARMM OIC By Gerry Baldo 12/19/2011

Solons laud Hataman’s appointment as ARMM OIC

By Gerry Baldo 12/19/2011

Lawmakers yesterday hailed the appointment of former Anak Mindanao party-list Rep. Mujiv Hataman to the post of officer-in-charge of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) even as they expressed hope that the appointee would be able to institute reforms in the region.

Eastern Samar Rep. Ben Evardone, Aurora Rep. Juan Edgardo “Sonny” Angara, Citizens Battle Against Corruption Rep. Sherwin Tugna and Cavite Rep. Joseph Emilio Aguinaldo Abaya Jr. said that Hataman’s appointment brings a ray of hope for the ARMM which has been rocked with all sorts of anomalies, including election fraud and funds misuse.

“We welcome and support his appointment. He is a very capable leader. I’m sure he will be able to institute reforms in ARMM,” Evardone said following that announcement of Hataman’s appointment..... MORE

SourceThe Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/nation/20111219nat1.html

Body on Muslim welfare vows Hajj rules review 12/19/2011

Body on Muslim welfare vows Hajj rules review

12/19/2011
Maintaining that its handling of the just concluded Hajj (Pilgrimage to Makkah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia) for Filipino pilgrims was not a failure despite some challenges, the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos (NCMF) vows to institute further measures and review its existing policies and guidelines on Hajj to ensure more responsive and efficient management and supervision of ensuing Hajj.

Lately, the NCMF has to contend with the controversy on the shortage in Hajj visas that prevented some prospective Filipino pilgrims to join the said religious exercise this year.

The NCMF contracted earlier with the Saudi Ministry of Hajj for the accommodation and issuance of corresponding number of visas to 4,000 Filipino pilgrims this year..... MORE

SourceThe Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/nation/20111219nat7.html

‘Christmas Lanes’ lessen traffic on major roads 12/19/2011

‘Christmas Lanes’ lessen traffic on major roads

12/19/2011
With Christmas Day fast approaching, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) said over the weekend the “Christmas Lanes” were able to alleviate the volume of vehicular traffic on major thoroughfares in the metropolis, especially those leading to shopping malls and other business centers.

MMDA Traffic Engineering Center head Noemi Recio cited as an example Del Monte Ave. in Quezon City which is now serving as an alternative route for motorists instead of using Quezon Ave., one of the metropolis’ busiest thoroughfares.

Recio said their monitoring showed that 50 percent of private vehicles that normally plied Quezon Ave. are now using Del Monte Ave. as their route..... MORE

SourceThe Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/metro/20111219met2.html

Relocate dwellers living in hazard zones — solon 12/19/2011

Relocate dwellers living in hazard zones — solon

12/19/2011
A party-list lawmaker yesterday urged the National Housing Authority (NHA) to provide preferential resettlement to the informal dwellers around the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), in accordance with government’s strategy to give the highest priority to the relocation of underprivileged families living in so-called hazard zones.

In House Resolution 2004, LPG/MA party-list Rep. Arnel Ty pointed out that the NHA is getting an extra P1.3 billion in next year’s budget to build additional resettlement projects.

“There is ample funding for community housing to allow the orderly transfer of settlers around our busiest airport,” said Ty, a member of the House committee on housing and urban development..... MORE

SourceThe Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/metro/20111219met3.html

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