DoJ: Rabusa to be under witness protection program By Benjamin B. Pulta,Angie M. Rosales and Mario J. Mallari 01/29/2011

DoJ: Rabusa to be under witness protection program

By Benjamin B. Pulta,Angie M. Rosales and Mario J. Mallari 01/29/2011

Justice Chief Leila de Lima yesterday said former state auditor Heidi Mendoza and retired Col. George Rabusa qualify for inclusion in the government’s witness protection program to ensure they would testify on what they know about the corruption in the military.

“Heidi Mendoza was invited to the Senate inquiry (and) we heard Sen. Jinggoy Estrada announced they are considering making a request to cover him (Rabusa) under the witness protection program but preliminarily he will be with the Senate. We are ready. The DoJ stands ready to cover under the witness program, either or both Heidi Mendoza of the Garcia case and Rabusa.” she said.

Mendoza was the head of a special six-member team of the Commission on Audit (CoA) and was detailed at the Office of the Ombudsman from 2004 to 2006 to investigate Carlos Garcia’s transactions.

Mendoza testified on the missing P50 million double reimbursements where part of expenses for soldiers who went abroad to serve under international coalitions already paid under the United Nations fund but were again reimbursed under the Balikatan funds..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20110129hed5.html

GOCCs remit P29-B revenues to Aquino 01/29/2011

GOCCs remit P29-B revenues to Aquino

01/29/2011
A total of P29.25 billion was remitted by 19 government-owned and -controlled corporations (GOCCs) to the national government.

According to President Aquino, who received the checks in a ceremony held at Malacañang yesterday, the dividends and other remittances will be given back to the people in the form of social of services, including anti-poverty programs.

“As you can see, we are working overtime to bolster our abilities to give back to the Filipino people what they have given us,” the President said. “We will do this, not only because this is what we are mandated to do, but more importantly, because this is the right thing to do.”

In his message at the ceremonial turnover of GOCCs check dividends and remittances at the Rizal Hall of Malacañang, the Chief Executive said dividends and other remittances from GOCCs will allow the government to frontload its expenditures and speed up the implementation of anti-poverty programs, among others..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20110129hed6.html

DILG wants juvenile law amended 01/29/2011

DILG wants juvenile law amended

01/29/2011
The Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) said yesterday it will submit to Congress a bill seeking to amend the law that exempts youth offenders from criminal liability.

DILG Secretary Jesse Robredo said he will propose for the amendment of certain provisions of the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act (JJWA), including Section 6 of the said law, which states that “a child above fifteen (15) years but below eighteen (18) years of age shall likewise be exempted from criminal liability and be subjected to an intervention program, unless he/she has acted with discernment, in which case, such child shall be subjected to the appropriate proceedings in accordance with this Act.”.... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/nation/20110129nat7.html

NPA denounces Makati bombing, justifies killing of 5 policemen By Ted Boehnert 01/29/2011

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Empty, nonsensical talk EDITORIAL 01/28/2011

Empty, nonsensical talk

EDITORIAL

Click to enlarge

01/28/2011
Noynoy appears to have got up on the wrong foot after a likely afternoon nap the other day when he faced media as he droned on and on, some of which droning were the most nonsensical statements thus far he had uttered over the bus bombing at Edsa.

In his somnambulist state, Noynoy said there was a big difference between the bombing of the bus and a supposed threat to blow up a mall which he said was the subject of the adverse travel advisories that six western countries late last year issued on the Philippines.

The subject of the alert on the country, however, was the possibility of a bomb blowing up anywhere in the country, with which the administration of Noynoy is not capable of dealing, as proven in the incident at Edsa and even with the admission of Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin that his office had been tipped off but did short of nothing by way of government security action.

Noynoy asking the silly phrase, “aren’t buses very much softer targets? This is not identified in the previous records” was no different from telling the world that the Philippines is definitely safe since terrorists only bomb buses instead of malls..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20110128com1.html

Utter failure FRONTLINE Ninez Cacho-Olivares 01/28/2011

Utter failure

FRONTLINE

Ninez Cacho-Olivares

01/28/2011

Noynoy tried to excuse his and his aides’ failure of intelligence and failure to stem the bombing of a bus, to the extent of claiming that the foreign advisories sent by their governments were still not validated, saying all those advisories spoke of mall bombings, not bus bombings and stupidly argued that some 7,000 buses cannot possibly be monitored.
He then added that bombings cannot be prevented, citing the recent Moscow bombing that killed more people.

But realizing too late that this bus bombing incident in the heart of the Metro Manila would turn off foreign investors who have been turned off since he took the presidency and blunders through it, Noynoy asked media not to highlight the negative aspect of the peace and order situation in the country, which won’t do him any good.

While it can be argued that such bombings can, and do occur in other countries where intelligence gathering and networking are superior to the country’s, the fact is that there is a high level of confidence in the leaderships of governments of other countries, whether in the United States, the United Kingdom, Spain or Russia, at least in doing their utmost to keep their citizens safe, something which is horribly lacking in the leadership and security forces of the country, as they are truly headless, inefficient and highly incompetent in handling such preventive measures, despite the fact that billions of taxpayers’ money in intelligence funds are hardly ever utilized for intelligence work..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20110128com2.html

School hijab ban divides Muslim Azerbaijan FEATURE 01/28/2011

School hijab ban divides Muslim Azerbaijan

FEATURE

01/28/2011
NARDARAN � A woman with her head uncovered is a rare sight in Nardaran, an impoverished village on the Caspian Sea which has become a stronghold of Islamic activism in ex-Soviet Azerbaijan.

Roadside posters offer messages from the Koran, alcohol is absent from local shops, and hundreds of villagers recently took to the streets in protest against a controversial decision to stop girls wearing the Islamic headscarf in schools.

Angry worshipers demonstrated last month outside the huge mosque which dominates the village on the outskirts of the capital, set fire to a photograph of the education minister and chanted: �We�d rather die than give up the hijab!�

The hijab was effectively banned in schools last year by new rules defining what kind of uniforms pupils should wear in this mainly Shiite Muslim country, which emerged as one of the most secular in the Islamic world after decades of Soviet rule..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20110128com3.html

More ‘X’-es NO HOLDS BARRED Armida Siguion-Reyna 01/28/2011

More ‘X’-es

NO HOLDS BARRED

Armida Siguion-Reyna

01/28/2011
Yesterday marked the 40th day of my husband’s demise. Writing this in advance, I was of course unable to know who would be going to the mass and dinner my children and I tendered for the occasion. The card we’re still sending out reads, “There are simply no words to thank you for the loving expression of sympathy you have given us during the passing of Sig. Please know how much we appreciated your prayers and kind words, and taking the time to comfort us. Sig was a happy, loving and kind man. We are grateful to have been part of his life.”

My appreciation, once again, for all who dropped by last night.

Aawitan Kita sa Makati goes on its 63rd staging this evening at the University of Makati’s 6th floor auditorium, also with Bimbo Cerrudo, Isay Alvarez, Bayang Barrios, Bangge Mabanta, Joel Villaflor, Raul Montesa and Miguel Castro, in a first-of-the-year presentation entitled “Bagong Taon, Bagong Puso.” I play the role of a widow, in a script that was written way before I became one. The show starts exactly at 6 p.m., but be there 30 minutes earlier to get good seats. Admission is free, but senior citizens get priority accommodation, as part of the Office of the Mayor of Makati City’s project for the city’s elderly..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20110128com4.html

Time to step up C.R.O.S.S.R.O.A.D.S Jonathan De la Cruz 01/28/2011

Time to step up

C.R.O.S.S.R.O.A.D.S

Jonathan De la Cruz

01/28/2011
There is a time for everything, the Good Book says. After days of crime and violence — from the kidnapping and killing of Emerson Lozano and Venson Evangelista to the killing of Gerry Ortega and then, culminating in the bombing of a Newman Goldliner bus along Edsa, causing death to five persons and injury to dozens — it is time not only to grieve and condemn but to act and act decisively to get the perpetrators to justice and the nation to come around united in fighting all forms of criminality and mayhem now enveloping the length and breadth of the archipelago. For sometime we have somehow assumed that these types of crimes will never reach our shores lulling us into complacency and inaction. And so, our officials are bumbling their way around uttering all kinds of rubbish to explain away the mess only to be dragged back to earth with the wails of our people for justice and peace. But this is not the time for finger pointing so we urge one and all to stay focused, get to the bottom of this wave of criminal acts and find ways to stem the flow, as it were..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20110128com5.html

Clarification LETTER 01/28/2011 Dear Editor:

Clarification

LETTER

01/28/2011
Dear Editor:
This is to respond to the points raised by Mr. Charlie V. Manalo in his article entitled “Group asks Congress to investigate corruption in DSWD’s CCT program,” published in The Daily Tribune last Jan. 3, 2011.

In the article, it was written that Mr. Fernando Hicap, chairman of the Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya), has called on the House oversight committee on monitoring CCT funds to conduct investigation into the alleged corruption of CCT funds last year in Donsol, Sorsogon. In another statement, it was claimed that Mr. Hicap received several text messages from CCT beneficiaries in Barangay Vinisitahan, Donsol, Sorsogon complaining about the distribution, if any, was committed in the area.

On this note, we would like to inform the public that the cash grants for the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program go directly to the hands of the beneficiaries. A systematic process of transfer of amount is done through over-the-counter payments and ATM cash cards facilitated by Land Bank of the Philippines and their partner rural banks in the Pantawid Pamilya areas. We have also embarked on the use of Globe G-cash Remit to deliver the cash grants to the beneficiaries living in far flung areas with minimal or no cost on their end (we are already implementing G-Cash in 17 municipalities, including Taytay and Balabac, Palawan)..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20110128com6.html

Edsa II and the Greenbase legacy DIE HARD III Herman Tiu Laurel 01/28/2011

Edsa II and the Greenbase legacy

DIE HARD III

Herman Tiu Laurel

01/28/2011
Who is in need of turning public attention away at the moment? Who is capable of this? Who has the actual track record for such dastardly crimes? These were the first questions that came to mind when I heard about the Newman Goldliner bus explosion the other day.

My thoughts immediately raced back to the F-I-D-E-L series of Rizal Day bombings a decade ago where the masterminds, who continue to run scot-free, subsequently attained their goal of grabbing power from a popularly-elected president, with some Muslim insurgents cum “patsies” (manipulated dupes) falling by the wayside.

I also had flashbacks of Operation Greenbase, an exposé by the Bagong Katipuneros against a top ranking military general and Defense official, accused of ordering the bombing of mosques to create a crisis scenario. Now, it seems, these shadowy figures have good reason to mobilize their assets once again.

In December 2000, the masterminds created a sense of absolute failure on the part of government to secure public safety, thus laying the predicate for the forced removal of the national leader back then. In the Edsa-Buendia bus bombing, the timing and the probable suspects lead us to speculate that the motives may well range from a deepening investigation into the Maj. Gen. Carlos Garcia caper to their eagerness to show how much more incompetent the present government is compared to theirs.

Echoes of similarities between those two bombings became more vivid as the former’s most lamented victim, Crizel Acusin, a little girl whose face was blown off, shared an eerily similar name with Kristel Ausena, one of the fatalities in the recent blast. But apart from this, one cannot help but get unnerved by the deliberate inhumanity of it all.

Among the theories that officials are circulating about Tuesday’s explosion is the involvement of Abu Sayyaf or other Islamic insurgents and extortionists. But many of these groups are known to be offshoots of military, police, and paramilitary black ops — let loose under continuing monitoring of handlers who hold dossiers to keep these elements under control and used whenever necessary.

The circumstances and timing of the F-I-D-E-L bombings point to such a similar scenario, where the conspiracy of military and police generals with “The Great Usurper” to topple President Joseph Estrada (boastfully admitted by Arroyo in the video-recorded Copa celebrations of 2001) was the most likely culprit in the different maneuvers that made it possible for the heinous crime to happen, e.g., opening access to the LRT (through the withdrawal of bomb sniffing dogs a week ahead).

Subsequent events involving generals of Edsa II and the capture, helicopter escape, and then rubout of Al Ghozi also point to police brass manipulation of these elements. Some individuals involved in that conspiracy have been in the limelight the past few weeks and may have believed it opportune to put some of these old assets to use this time around.

Whether there is actually this plot today doesn’t really matter. Media have now been effectively sidetracked from the heated investigations that lead to certain generals and people in authority.

But it really brings up the old questions again: If those who have conspired against the Rule of Law and have been shown to have used direct threats of treasonous military action and actual violence against the elected government of Estrada continue to dominate Philippine society, should we wonder why such atrocities as the Goldliner “terror” bombing keep happening?

Remember that these Edsa II personalities, from Gloria and Mike Arroyo to (ret.) Gen. Renato de Villa (who recently got featured in the Jan. 26 Business Mirror column of Manuel Buencamino), were on record with this quote: “Our group, there was a backup strike force… with orders to shoot…” And with their rogue columnists continuing to justify this dark chapter in our history, can it not be said that they and their brand of injustice are still very much around?

The respect for the Rule of Law has not been restored; therefore, the reign of justice and peace cannot as yet return. The culture of impunity will remain for as long as the corrupt and dehumanized powers continue with their Rule of Force.

We must pressure media to return to the burning issues of the day before this latest tragedy completely distracts us. The investigation into widespread military corruption, the network behind the carnapping syndicates and the recent spate of gruesome murders, the injustice of unending increases in public utility rates, the exposé on Supreme Court sleaze by victims of injustice, as well as the economic larceny behind the latest Cha-cha (Charter change) call must all proceed full steam.

In short, we must continue to expose the legacy of Edsa II and Operation Greenbase, which is the total failure of the present system and the parasitic ruling class that are destroying our society and Republic. Nothing short of a revolutionary reversal will restore justice and peace in this country.

(Tune in to Sulo ng Pilipino, Monday, Wednesday and Friday, 6 to 7 p.m. on 1098AM; TNT with HTL, Tuesday, 8 to 9 p.m., with replay at 11 p.m., on GNN, Destiny Cable Channel 8, about “Crime and Corruption in Philippine Society” with PMJ’s Tito Guingona and Atty. Oliver Lozano; visit our blogs, http://newkatipunero.blogspot.com and http://hermantiulaurel.blogspot.com)

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

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20110128com7.html

Ex-AFP budget chief drops big payola bomb vs Angie By Angie M. Rosales 01/28/2011

REYES, MILITARY CHIEFS’ GET P500M SLUSH FUND

Ex-AFP budget chief drops big payola bomb vs Angie

By Angie M. Rosales 01/28/2011

It really pays to be the chiefs of staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) as they end up becoming instant millionaires.

Apart from getting “send-off” money in the millions upon their retirement from the service, they even have close to half a million pesos in “slush funds” yearly at their disposal — despite the fact that these “monetary perks” enjoyed by the various military chiefs are not allotted in the military budget.

Former Defense Secretary Angelo Reyes and other former AFP chiefs of staff were alleged to have a P480 million “slush fund” at their disposal at one time, a former comrade and military budget officer-turned surprise witness divulged before Senate probers yesterday.

Reyes, according to Col. (ret.) George Rabusa, also received P50 million as a “parting gift” when he retired from his 37 years of service in the military in 2002, on top of the P5 million he allegedly received monthly, in
the last 15 months of his tour of duty, for personal use and another P5 million for his office expenses, taken from the said “slush fund.”.... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20110128hed3.html

Marcelo failed to include Garcia’s P50M 01/28/2011

Marcelo failed to include Garcia’s P50M

01/28/2011
Special prosecutors handling the plunder and other charges filed against former Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) comptroller Maj. Gen. (ret.) Carlos Garcia did not go after the P50 million as the former military officer managed to withdraw this amount prior to the freezing of his bank accounts and have it included as restitution to the government.

The amount was part of the alleged deposits maintained by Garcia and family to keep the purported ill-gotten wealth he amassed while still in the active service.

This was among the apparent loopholes government prosecutors from the Office of the Ombudsman who inked the plea bargain agreement with Garcia which was noted by Senate probers yesterday.

It was Sen. Franklin Drilon who raised this issue during the initial public hearing of the Senate blue ribbon committee into Garcia’s plea bargain agreement which would entail the former official “surrendering” an amount of P135 million to the government, in exchange for the dropping of the lesser charges..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20110128hed4.html

Palace slams ‘noisy minority,’ blames media ‘sensationalism’ By Aytch S. de la Cruz and Michaela P. del Callar 01/28/2011

Palace slams ‘noisy minority,’ blames media ‘sensationalism’

By Aytch S. de la Cruz and Michaela P. del Callar 01/28/2011

Vexed by the onslaught of criticisms it has been receiving lately on the government’s failure to prevent the recent bombing incident in Makati and address the rising criminality in the country, Malacañang yesterday slammed the so-called “noisy minority” for allegedly politicizing the issues that are currently confronting President Aquino’s leadership.

Presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda also blamed the media for allegedly “sensationalizing” the recent crime incidents that are being reported to the public lately beginning from the carjacking and killing spree involving a notorious group of car thieves to the latest bus mishap which already claimed five innocent lives.

“They (police) are the repository of all the statistics. They enforce peace and order. These things, I do not think, can be fudged. The only reason we are thinking that crime rates are up is that there is publicity on the kidnapping, on the certain.... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20110128hed5.html

Don’t let strong ties with China keep US on sidelines, RP told By Michaela P. del Callar 01/28/2011

Don’t let strong ties with China keep US on sidelines, RP told

By Michaela P. del Callar 01/28/2011

A senior US State Department official yesterday said Washington does not object to the Philippines’ growing ties with China but stressed that it must not neglect its long-standing relationship with the United States.

According to US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asia and Pacific Affairs Kurt Campbell, maintaining good relations with the two countries would not only benefit the Philippines but the entire region as well.

“We expect and want the government of the Philippines to have a close and growing relationship with China. We also want very much for the government of the Philippines to want a good relationship with the US,” Campbell told a press conference.

Campbell, who is in Manila for the two-day Philippines-US bilateral strategic dialog, noted that it is the case “that almost every country in Asia seeks two strong relationships.”.... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20110128hed6.html

Noy’s new flame: P8.5-M bullet-proof Lexus car 01/28/2011

Noy’s new flame: P8.5-M bullet-proof Lexus car

01/28/2011
President Aquino appears to have shifted his hobby from firing pistols to collecting luxury cars after he was seen riding a bullet-proof Lexus LX 570 in visiting victims of the fatal Edsa bus bombing incident who were being treated at St. Luke’s Global City Hospital.

The ritzy car is aside from a P4.5-million luxury Porsche sportscar that he justified as being purchased “third-hand.”

The Palace has rejected repeated demands to show purchase documents on the Porsche to verify the sportscar’s true cost but a source had said it was a gift from a businessman which has a local Porsche dealership..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20110128hed2.html

Jinggoy moves to level ‘employment field’ for women 01/28/2011

Jinggoy moves to level ‘employment field’ for women

01/28/2011
Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Ejercito Estrada moved to institutionalize measures assuring equal employment opportunities for all regardless of gender.

Estrada, concurrent chairman of the Senate committee on labor, employment and human resources development and the joint congressional oversight committee on labor and employment (Cocle), lamented that despite the explicit guarantees expressed by our Constitution, ratified United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (Cedaw) and the recently enacted Magna Carta for Women, it is believed that many cases of discrimination happen everyday in factories, corporate towers and also in government offices..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/nation/20110128nat2.html

25% increase in HIV patient seen in RP By Pat C. Santos 01/28/2011

25% increase in HIV patient seen in RP

By Pat C. Santos 01/28/2011
x
Persons suffering from HIV/AIDS increased rapidly by 25 percent for this year in the Phillippines according to an international expert Steve Kraus of the UNAIDS Regional Support for Asia and the Pacific in meeting with Catholic bishops to discuss role of Christian faith in fighting the dreaded infection.

Catholic bishops simultaneously wore red ribbon lapel pins yesterday as they pledged a proactive role in the fight against HIV/AIDS and prevent discrimination against those living with the disease.

“The Church has made remarkable things in all parts of the world and these include the years of prevention, treatment, support and care for the people living with HIV,” Kraus said.

“Here in the Philippines, it is crucial and logical that you work closely with the Church… this is a good sign that we will intensify our collaboration and work even close together.”.... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/nation/20110128nat4.html

8th most dangerous country EDITORIAL 01/27/2011

8th most dangerous country

EDITORIAL

Click to enlarge

01/27/2011
Peace and order in this country have gone from bad to worse under the Aquino administration and no amount of claims that the perpetrators are going to be caught and justice being done will change the peace and order picture.

If one goes by categories, at this point, under the presidency of Noynoy Aquino, the country has become not only the eighth most dangerous country in the world, with the Philippines going up two notches in this year’s global terrorism risk assessment, but it has also become a failed state.

In such international surveys that cast a negative picture of his government and the state of corruption, terrorist activities, criminality and even human rights abuses, the predictable reply from Noynoy’s defenders in the Palace always points to the surveys as still referring to the previous administration of Gloria Arroyo.

But Noynoy has been in office for some seven months, and blaming his predecessor for everything going wrong under his stewardship is getting too tiring. Noynoy is president. It is his administration today — and has been for some seven months, and he has done nothing, but nothing to fix things in this country..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20110127com1.html

Caught with their pants down FRONTLINE Ninez Cacho-Olivares 01/27/201

Caught with their pants down

FRONTLINE

Ninez Cacho-Olivares

01/27/2011
Once again, the incompetent Noynoy Aquino has been caught with his pants down.

Even as he admitted that he had received intelligence reports and was warned of an imminent terror attack by Muslim militants, he also said that he did make the report public because his officials believed the militants did not have the capability to carry it out.

As he put it: “We have had a report that there were terrorist groups planning the same (an attack). But the assessment at the time was that there was a lack of resources to be able to carry it out and a lack of support base.”

His admission came after he repeatedly denounced the US and five other Western governments in November last year when they issued travel advisories warning that a terrorist attack was imminent in Manila..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20110127com2.html

Lord Rabbit reigns again for China’s Lunar New Year FEATURE 01/27/2011

Lord Rabbit reigns again for China’s Lunar New Year

FEATURE

01/27/2011
BEIJING — Lord Rabbit, a mythical bunny sent down from the moon to bring good health to Beijing, is making a triumphant comeback as the Chinese capital gears up for the Lunar New Year.

Banned during the tumultuous Cultural Revolution (1966-1976) when China’s communist rulers sought to stamp out customs seen as superstitious, Lord Rabbit has re-emerged as the nation once again embraces its ancient traditions.

“Traditionally, Lord Rabbit has nothing to do with the Year of the Rabbit,” Tang Yujie, a fifth-generation artisan whose family makes traditional Chinese crafts including figurines of the mythical hero, told AFP.
“But as the government has been sponsoring a resurgence in Chinese folk customs, it is natural that ordinary people are making the connection.”

Tang, 50, runs Bannerman Tang’s Toys and Crafts, a shop in a quiet lane near the Confucius Temple in Beijing. She is hoping to keep traditional arts and crafts alive through her work, some of which is displayed in city museums..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20110127com3.html

Bukidnon revisited BLURBAL THRUSTS Louie Logarta 01/27/2011

Bukidnon revisited

BLURBAL THRUSTS

Louie Logarta

01/27/2011
In preparation for a planned bike trip this Holy Week that would take us from Cagayan de Oro City and Davao City, my son-in-law AJ and I decided recently to check out the terrain and do some reconnoitering in order to determine the possible pit stops along the 330-kilometer route where our small entourage would be taking refreshments and attending to basic necessities, as well as finding a suitable place where to spend the night. Because let’s face it, I’m no spring chicken any longer and it’s just not possible for me to finish the gig in one day, unlike those superbly-conditioned road warriors in the old Tour of Luzon. And besides, this wasn’t intended to be a race, but a leisurely outing where we could take in the scenery and enjoy all the fresh air en route, which can’t be done in Manila.

So, one lazy day after Christmas, we boarded our car and motored to the upland province of Bukidnon where around 80 percent of the itinerary would traverse.

I hadn’t been to Bukidnon in 32 years so I was simply itching to go back to the place. The last time I was there was in 1978, together with my late father Nic Logarta who was then minority leader in the Interim Batasang Pambansa. And as I recall, we were in CDO to see his cousin, the late Mayor Oloy Roa, the owner of the biggest Toyota dealership in Northern Mindanao who had promised to sell him a Crown sedan at a big discount, among other things..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20110127com4.html

Deals COMMENTS 01/27/2011

Deals

COMMENTS

01/27/2011
In the “done deal” case where erstwhile Defense Secretary Angelo Reyes was placed on the senatorial carpet by Jinggoy Estrada and Miriam Defensor-Santiago, it should not be difficult to establish at least his tacit participation in former AFP Comptroller Gen. Carlos Garcia’s alleged heist of over P300 million worth of State assets. An audit can trace the assets that started from the comptroller’s official custody and ended somewhere beyond an unauthorized exit door.

In the comptrollership over government resources, responsibility is never vested in only one functionary. Subordinates are called upon to participate in the comptrollership process, and higher authorities are enjoined to supervise, approve, confirm or note all transactions relative to the assets. The Senate’s investigation should also include all the five Generals who alternately served as Chief of Staff during the entire comptrollership tenure of Garcia.

It taxes even an idiot’s mind to suppose a comptroller’s larceny this humongous has benefitted only one person. State auditor Heidi Mendoza’s recent revelation she had received a call from the “Palace” warning her to slow down on Garcia leaves no room for doubt a very powerful person did not wish to be implicated, thereby creating the supreme horror that the higher the rank is, the grislier than a carnap-murder of the current variety the plunder gets to be.

The notion of power striking out from unseen hands raises fears that Garcia may have permanently vanished. Remember Bedol, Mahusay, Sollano and some 70 military personnel behind the Hello Garci scandal, to name just a few? They are all gone..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20110127com5.html

Pro-poor, yet pro-wrong VIEWPOINTS Archbishop Oscar V. Cruz 01/27/2011

Pro-poor, yet pro-wrong

VIEWPOINTS

Archbishop Oscar V. Cruz

01/27/2011
The State recognizes the sanctity of family life and shall protect and strengthen the family as a basic autonomous social institution.” (Philippine Constitution, Section 12).

Marriage is categorically not a mere contact that can be done away with at the instance of either or both parties therein. Marriage is definitely neither like using a car, getting rid of this thereafter in order to get a better looking one. Marriage is definitely an institution in the order of nature and thus recognized accordingly by the 1987 Philippine Constitution as nothing less than a State Policy.

Meantime, there is the provision of ab initio valid marriage that, however, rests voidable through subsequent annulment by post factum reasons — such as infidelity, violence, abandonment and psychological incapacity.
There is the ease of committing adultery, or the option to stage spousal violence, or the decision to abandon a marital partner, or the readiness to admit psychological incapacity — specifically and conveniently to obtain marriage annulment for a cost or but a whistle.

Furthermore, there is also the key question of how many marriages someone can enter into and subsequently annul — for any of the above cited grounds. Then, there is furthermore the big concern of how many homes can be broken, how many families can be abandoned by somebody through obtaining annulments one after another. Finally, on the ground, reality proves that anyone found guilty of infidelity, violence, abandonment or considered belabored by psychological incapacity, does not even meet the fundamental requirement for institutional marriage intents and purposes..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20110127com6.html

A literary melting pot in India’s ‘pink city’ focus 01/27/2011

A literary melting pot in India’s ‘pink city’

focus

01/27/2011
JAIPUR — Royalty rubbed shoulders with the rump of India’s caste system at the Jaipur Literary Festival this year as crowds flocked to India’s “pink city” for an annual dose of celebrity and culture.

Bright sunshine and a roster of 220 authors and performers, including a clutch of Nobel, Booker and Pulitzer prize winners, lured tens of thousands of book lovers to the grounds of the Diggi Palace — a converted 19th century mansion where the event has been held since 2006.

Billed as the world’s largest “free” literary festival, the Jaipur event prides itself on its open door policy, eclectic mix of speakers and informal atmosphere which spurns VIP enclosures.

Thus the former Maharaja of Kashmir, Karan Singh, who helped open the 2011 festival, could later be seen sitting among the crowd, taking in a poetry recital and signing autographs..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20110127com7.html

DND chief caught flatfooted but admits gov’t was tipped off 01/27/2011

AS NOYNOY, AIDES ATTEMPT TO DOWNGRADE TERRORIST ATTACK

DND chief caught flatfooted but admits gov’t was tipped off

01/27/2011
Even as the Aquino government authorities were tipped off on the bus bombing before the bomb went off, they were still caught with their pants down.

This was admitted by Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin yesterday as he said the government was caught flatfooted on Tuesday’s bus explosion despite the fact that the authorities had been tipped off about a possible terror attack.

But the DND chief, in an apparent attempt to evade charges of a failure of intelligence, stressed that the perpetrators merely managed to pull a fast one in this particular incident.

Gazmin said they are still exploring other angles and not just focusing on this blast being an act of terrorism.
President Aquino earlier had said threat assessments last year showed that were terrorist groups planning attacks but that these groups lacked the resources, capability, and support base to carry out attacks..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20110127hed1.html

Noy: Foreign warnings not validated by bus bombing By Aytch S. de la Cruz 01/27/2011

Noy: Foreign warnings not validated by bus bombing

By Aytch S. de la Cruz 01/27/2011
Foreign governments warned of bombing malls, not buses, and therefore none of these terrorist warnings can be considered as validated by the bus bombing in Edsa-Makati Tuesday.

This was the presidential logic, as President Aquino still refuses to admit that the foreign governments’ warning of an imminent terrorist attack on the country, including Metro Manila, was valid, as he yesterday claimed that the latest attack on a passenger bus along Edsa in Makati the other day — which he earlier had said could be the work of unknown terrorist groups — still does not validate the barrage of travel warnings issued by foreign countries against the Philippines then and even now.

Aquino said the previous travel advisories released by at least six foreign governments during the last quarter of 2010 merely concentrated on the supposed imminent terrorist attacks targeting the malls but the buses were not in that picture.

He insisted that there is a huge difference between guarding a bus and a mall, but conveniently omitted that the same advisories also warned of bombs going off anywhere..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20110127hed2.html

Enrile quizzes evidence vs carjack-slay suspect By Angie M. Rosales 01/27/2011

Enrile quizzes evidence vs carjack-slay suspect

By Angie M. Rosales 01/27/2011

Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile yesterday questioned the arrest made by the law enforcers on the alleged prime suspects behind the spate of carjackings with murder.

The Senate chief noted the possibility of authorities “planting” the evidence even as he issued a stern warning to the Philippine National Police (PNP) top brass on the matter being mishandled by the authorities and the case ending up being dismissed by the courts.

Enrile raised his observations on the manner in which law enforcers considered the alleged suspect, Raymond Dominguez, as supposedly behind the killing of car dealers Venson Evangelista, Emerson Lozano and another purported victim.

The senator quizzed PNP chief Director General Raul Bacalzo on the validity of claims of the police that the
driver’s license of Evangelista was supposedly found in one of the purported safehouses of Dominguez in Pampanga..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20110127hed3.html

RP-US ties at forefront of Manila meeting By Michaela P. del Callar 01/27/2011

RP-US ties at forefront of Manila meeting

By Michaela P. del Callar 01/27/2011

The Philippines and the United States will hold a two-day meeting in Manila beginning today to chart the future direction of the two countries’ bilateral relations and at the same time discuss pressing concerns such as the South China Sea disputes, the Mindanao peace process, the possible review of the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) and the continuing battle against terrorism.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo said the first Philippines-US Strategic Dialogue on Jan. 27 and 28 will be co-chaired by Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Erlinda Basilio and Defense Undersecretary Pio Lorenzo Batino for the Philippine

side, and Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Kurt Campbell and Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Asian and Pacific Security Affairs Derek Mitchell on the US side.

“The dialog will affirm the strength of the Philippine-US alliance and the dynamic partnership for peace, security, stability and prosperity,” Romulo said, adding the meeting “is a clear manifestation of both countries’ resolve to enhance their relations.”.... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20110127hed4.html

Terminal 3 impasse haunts Noy even in German HR meet By Aytch S. de la Cruz 01/27/2011

Terminal 3 impasse haunts Noy even in German HR meet

By Aytch S. de la Cruz 01/27/2011

The impasse over the Terminal 3 project of the Ninoy Aquino International Aiport (NAIA) remained on the table even during a meeting between President Aquino and German liberal democrats supposedly to discuss human rights and politics that underlined the deep concern of Germany over the long-drawn dispute involving one of its major companies, the state-owned airport developer Fraport AG.

President Aquino told reporters that human rights issue was on top of the agenda when he met German officials who went to Malacañang last Monday to accompany Commissioner Mark Loning of the Federal Government’s Human Rights Policy and Humanitarian Aid who made a courtesy call to Aquino but the discussions veered off to the Fraport issue.

“The one who visited me actually was the Commissioner on Human Rights. So we were discussing the human rights situation. We touched on the Fraport (issue) — we discussed a little on the trade that already exists between Germany and ourselves and the last point there was that we were both liberal democrats. So there is going to be a big meeting in the middle of this year for liberal democrats everywhere in the world,” Aquino told reporters..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20110127hed5.html

CCT funds going to wrong hands — minority By Gerry Baldo 01/27/2011

CCT funds going to wrong hands — minority

By Gerry Baldo 01/27/2011

Funds from controversial Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) Subsidy Program of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) under its chief, Corazon “Dinky” Soliman, as predicted, have been going to families who can hardly be considered the poorest of the poor.

CCT stipends have been found to make their way to families that cannot be considered as indigents.

According to House Minority Leader Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman, there are validated reports that non-indigent families are regularly receiving the CCT funds.

“We have already received reports about families or individuals who are not exactly indigents but who are regularly receiving the maximum CCT benefits,” Lagman said yesterday..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20110127hed6.html

AFP to file complaint vs NPA with rights groups over use of landmines By Mario J. Mallari 01/27/2011

AFP to file complaint vs NPA with rights groups over use of landmines

By Mario J. Mallari 01/27/2011
The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) will be filing formal complaint before local and even international human rights groups against the continuing use of landmines by the communist New People’s Army (NPA) as evidenced by the ambush against policemen in Cagayan province over the weekend.

AFP spokesman Brig. Gen. Jose Mabanta Jr. noted that the NPA’s continuing use of the banned land mines were a blatant violation of the Comprehensive Agreement on Respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law (CARHIHL) signed by the Government of the Philippines and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) as part of the peace process..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/nation/20110127nat2.html

DND chief approves amnesty pleas of Trillanes, 58 others By Mario J. Mallari 01/27/2011

DND chief approves amnesty pleas of Trillanes, 58 others

By Mario J. Mallari 01/27/2011
Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin has approved the amnesty application of former Navy and now Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV and 58 other officers and enlisted personnel of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) figured in military uprisings against the previous Arroyo administration.

In a resolution, the Department of National Defense-Amnesty Committee (DND-AC) recommended to Gazmin the approval of the 59 officers and EP who filed their applications on Jan. 4 to 5.
The DND-AC noted the absence of any objection in the applications for amnesty of Trillanes and 57 other rebel soldiers.

“Whereas, no opposition was filed against the applicants within 15 days following the publication of their names on Jan. 5, 2011 in the designated bulletin boards and the official websites of the DND and AFP pursuant to DND Ad Hoc Committee Circular Number 1(Rules of Procedures in the Processing of Amnesty),” the resolution stated...... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/nation/20110127nat4.html

Still shielding pals and allies EDITORIAL Click to enlarge 01/26/2011

Still shielding pals and allies

EDITORIAL

Click to enlarge

01/26/2011
Any which way it is cut, Noynoy Aquino and his aides will be seen here and abroad, especially in Hong Kong, as evading the call for the search of the truth behind the botched hostage rescue operations; their refusal to be held responsible and accountable while continuously protecting the presidential close buddies and allies.

The negative perception of the Noynoy presidency and administration can’t be helped, given the fact that, from the day the Hong Kong government announced it would be holding a coroner’s inquest, there went Justice Secretary Leila de Lima, constantly stating that the witnesses being summoned do not have to attend the inquest, citing sovereignty issues, when sovereignty is not even in the picture. This was followed by her insistence on pushing the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty the country has with Hong Kong which she claimed is for the protection of Filipino officials who want to testify..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20110126com1.html

Bowing to bishops FRONTLINE Ninez Cacho-Olivares 01/26/2011

Bowing to bishops

FRONTLINE

Ninez Cacho-Olivares

01/26/2011
Malacañang says the Responsible Parenthood bill it has certified as urgent has been accepted by the Catholic Church, as the Palace said the bill is not meant to curb population growth — which means no targets on population control will be made — and that the bill is fashioned to alleviate poverty, along with the claim that there will be no insistence or coercion from government on couples to use artificial contraceptive measures.

As Malacañang didn’t quite bare just what the bill says, or does not say, it is doubted that the Church officials just agreed to what is being claimed by the Palace, because there was never anything argued between the bishops and the Palace about poverty alleviation on the Responsible Parenthood bill, nor, for that matter, population growth curbs..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20110126com2.html

End of the world, and we know it HE SAYS Aldrin Cardon 01/26/2011

End of the world, and we know it

HE SAYS

Aldrin Cardon

01/26/2011
When Asha, my eight-year old daughter, asked why it remains cold on January nights and early mornings, I just brushed her aside by telling her to blame the winds coming from China and Siberia.

At noon, she comes back to ask why it suddenly becomes too humid. Oh, blame the sun was my reply.

I got a cute smirk, but I also got my momentary peace, not being ready for any more discourse on geography (I know where China is, but Siberia?), or meteorology (What’s the difference between climate change and changes in weather?), fearing things might get lost in translation and understanding.

The following night, she caught me tucked up in bed, fully covered to the neck. Blame winds from China and Siberia..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20110126com4.html

Overflow SHE SAYS Dinah S. Ventura 01/26/2011

Overflow

SHE SAYS

Dinah S. Ventura

01/26/2011
The year of the Metal Rabbit is about to commence, and feng shui experts are warning followers of the art and science of geomancy that 2011, although a better year overall compared to last year, not only lacks in the Earth element but is full of clashing elements as well.

What this essentially means is that people are cautioned to be careful at all times and prepared for anything as things are not always what they seem. This may sound either vague or trite to some people, but feng shui followers are already looking into ways in which they can protect themselves from the year’s negative aspects.

According to Hong Kong’s feng shui Master Joseph Chau, the year bodes well for all businesses, but especially for those in the Metal (banking, car sales, etc.) and Wood (publishing, garments, etc) sectors, ushering prosperity for many.

For the Philippines, however, he recommends more focus on businesses falling under the Water element, which includes tourism, trading, mining, transport and medicine..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20110126com5.html

Watchdog slams UN, EU’s human rights ‘cowardice’ focus 01/26/2011

Watchdog slams UN, EU’s human rights ‘cowardice’

focus

01/26/2011
BRUSSELS — The UN and EU stand accused of “cowardice” for claiming to tackle human rights abuses in places like China through soft diplomacy, Human Rights Watch said in its annual report Monday.

Highlighting its claim, the report on global human rights violations was issued in Brussels the same day the European Union hosted controversial Uzbek President Islam Karimov amid protests.

The New York-based NGO’s executive director Kenneth Roth lambasted “the failure of the expected champions of human rights to respond” to violations in 100-plus regimes.

In his eyes, the fundamental error made by United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and others is to place the focus on discreet cooperation, a euphemism for “other interests at stake.”

Roth cites a “tepid” response to repression in Myanmar, noting that the release of democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi in Nov. 23 was not matched on 2,100 other political prisoners..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20110126com6.html

Moscow bombing again shatters illusions in Russia focus 01/26/2011

Moscow bombing again shatters illusions in Russia

focus

01/26/2011
MOSCOW — President Dmitry Medvedev had this week been due to enjoy the honor of delivering the keynote speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, persuading investors that Russia is undergoing major change.

Instead, his glitzy trip has been shelved as the Kremlin chief stays at home to deal with the latest calamity to hit his tragedy-scarred country, an airport attack that is a brutal reminder of the problems he faces in reforming Russia.

Russia had ended 2010 on a high, revelling in the success of winning the right to host the 2018 World Cup, a coup which for many represented its acceptance as a normal, friendly country by the international community.

But the Moscow Domodedovo airport bombing that killed at least 35 underlined its vulnerability to attacks on key infrastructure used by thousands of people every day, coming less than a year after deadly bombings on the metro..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20110126com7.html

RP ranks high in terrorism, now 8th most dangerous By Michaela P. del Callar 01/26/2011

TERRORISTS STRIKE AS EDSA BOMB BLAST KILLS 4, INJURES DOZENS

RP ranks high in terrorism, now 8th most dangerous

By Michaela P. del Callar 01/26/2011

Foreign countries all issued travel warnings to their citizens against imminent terrorist attacks in the country, which irked President Aquino, who claimed then that these foreign travel advisories were baseless, and demanded at least seven countries to withdraw their advisories.

But the foreign advisories proved to have a lot of substance, as just yesterday, a bomb planted under a seat in the bus travelling through Edsa-Makati went off, killing at least four passengers and injured dozens, all of whom were brought to the government hospital in Makati.

Yesterday’s bus blast succeeds in affirming that the Philippines, which has moved two notches up in this year’s global terrorism risk assessment, now ranks as the eighth most dangerous country in the world.

Joining the Philippines in the Terrorism Risk Index are: Somalia, Pakistan, Iraq, Afghanistan, Palestinian Territories in fifth place, Colombia 6, Thailand 7, Yemen 9 and Russia at 10th spot..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20110126hed1.html

Merci ‘lectures’ Tupas; House gets even, slaps Ombudsman with subpoena 01/26/2011

Merci ‘lectures’ Tupas; House gets even, slaps Ombudsman with subpoena

01/26/2011
Citing a Supreme Court (SC) ruling, Chief Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez yesterday snubbed the hearing set by the House committee on justice aimed at determining the validity of the plea bargain agreement entered into by the Office of the Ombudsman and retired Army Maj.Gen. Carlos Garcia in connection with the former military officer’s P303-million plunder case, lecturing panel chairman, Iloilo Rep. Niel Tupas on the principle of the separation of powers.

Getting even, the panel approved unanimously to subpoena Gutierrez and six others from the Office of the Ombudsman, an independent and constitutional body, for the next hearing scheduled on Feb. 1.

In a one-page letter addressed to committee secretary, lawyer Narcisa Guevarra, Gutierrez said that while she and subordinates would want to attend the committee hearing, certain legal issues restrict them from doing so.

For one, the Ombudsman said the Garcia case is still pending before the Second Division of the Sandiganbayan and any discussion on the issue might be construed as sub judice..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20110126hed2.html

Garcia admits initiating plea bargain By Charlie V. Manalo 01/26/2011

Garcia admits initiating plea bargain

By Charlie V. Manalo 01/26/2011

Amnestied Sen. Antonio Trillanes’ claims of a missing retired Maj. Gen. Carlos Garcia was a complete dud, as the “missing” former military comptroller showed up at the House of Representatives to face the panel’s interrogators yesterday.

Garcia showed up yesterday at the hearing of the House committee on justice and admitted he had initiated the plea bargain agreement he entered into with the Office of the Ombudsman after members of his family were incarcerated in the United States sometime in March, 2009 in connection with their P303-million plunder case.

Garcia, accompanied by lawyer Constantino de Jesus, however, would not disclose who in the Office of the Ombudsman was involved in the deal although he was quick to add the idea of a plea bargain “was already in the negotiation stage as early as May 2008.”

“Knowing that they (Office of the Ombudsman) have a weak case, I did not immediately succumb to the offer,” Garcia told Parañaque Rep. Roilo Golez.

“I knew, from the very starts that which was important (to pin me down) was for a whistleblower to come out.”.... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20110126hed3.html

Probers eye police, fiscals link to car theft syndicates By Benjamin B. Pulta 01/26/2011

Probers eye police, fiscals link to car theft syndicates

By Benjamin B. Pulta 01/26/2011

Government investigators plan to zero in on the involvement of law enforcers and even prosecutors in the recent wave of car theft incidents, the latest of which saw the brutal slaying of two vehicle dealers.

A joint panel of Department of Justice (DoJ) and the Depart-ment of Interior and Local Government (DILG) officials will look into reports of the supposed complicity of the police and members of the judiciary in allowing carjacking syndicates to ply their evil trade.

Justice Secretary Leila de Lima speaking with reporters said the DILG has a list of law enforcers but could not be made public yet pending review of their records particularly involving car theft.

She said a joint department circular will be issued this week for the creation of the join investigating team.
.... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20110126hed4.html

US rights group blasts Noynoy for failing to check abuses By Michaela P. del Callar 01/26/2011

US rights group blasts Noynoy for failing to check abuses

By Michaela P. del Callar 01/26/2011
A prominent human rights watchdog yesterday blasted President Aquino for failing to live up to his commitment in providing justice for human rights abuses, eradicate private armies and address impunity by the Philippine police and military.

New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) said seven months into his presidency, Aquino’s government “has taken insufficient steps to hold perpetrators of killings and other abuses accountable.

“President Aquino came to office promising that human rights would be a top priority,” said Elaine Pearson, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “But talk is cheap, so long as security forces remain unaccountable for violent abuses.”

In its 649-page World Report 2011, HRW described the Philippines as a multiparty democracy with a thriving civil society and vibrant media, but observed that law enforcement agencies and the military and police commit human rights violations with impunity.

The report is the group’s 21st annual review of human rights practices around the globe, which summarizes major human rights trends in more than 90 countries and territories worldwide..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20110126hed5.html

House launches Cha-cha information drive By Gerry Baldo 01/26/2011

House launches Cha-cha information drive

By Gerry Baldo 01/26/2011

Charter change advocates in the House of Representatives aren’t giving up the fight.
The House committee on constitutional amendments is set to launch an information drive on the issue of Charter change.

At a congressional hearing yesterday, the panel, headed by Loreto Leo Ocampos of Misamis Oriental, discussed the possibility of conducting yet another survey within their respective districts to get the pulse of their constituents regarding the proposed Cha-cha bills.

“There is a need to come up with an information drive to let the people know about Charter change,” Ocampos said during the hearing.

Ocampos maintained that there is now a growing sentiment for Charter change since President Aquino assumed office last year..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20110126hed6.html

Slain botanist’s kin file murder raps vs Army men By Benjamin B. Pulta 01/26/2011

Slain botanist’s kin file murder raps vs Army men

By Benjamin B. Pulta 01/26/2011
Murder charges have been filed before the Department of Justice (DoJ) against 38 soldiers in connection with the killing of noted botanist Leonardo Co and his two companions in the mountains of Kananga, Leyte on Nov. 15, 2010.

The criminal charges were filed by Co’s wife Glenda and parents Lian Sing Co and Emelina Co through their lawyer Evalyn Ursua against members of the Army’s 19th Infantry Battalion.

Named respondents were 1st Lt. Ronald Odchimar, 2nd Lt. Cameron Perez, Corporal Marlon Mores, Private First Class (Pfc) Albert Belmonte, Pfc Michael Babon, Pfc Elemer Fortaleza, Pfc Roger Fabillar, Pfc Gil Guimerey, Pfc Alex Apostol, Pfc William Bulic and 28 John Does.

Ursua said Co’s relatives are also appealing to Justice Secretary Leila de Lima to set aside the findings of the fact-finding committee that she created which cleared the military of any responsibility over the death of Co and his companions Sofronio Cortez and Julio Borromeo..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/nation/20110126nat1.html

3 to 5 years needed to clean up Makati oil leak, says FPIC By Angie Rosales 01/26/2011

3 to 5 years needed to clean up Makati oil leak, says FPIC

By Angie Rosales 01/26/2011
It will take three to five years to accomplish a total clean-up of the area in Makati City affected by the leak in the petroleum pipeline as there remains to be 1.8 million liters of oil that needs to be extracted from the ground.

Officials and consultants of First Philippine Industrial Corp. (FPIC) made the disclosure to Senate probers yesterday, on the last day of the upper chamber’s investigation into the petroleum seepage discovered last year.

Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri, chairman of the committee on environment and natural resources and overall lead in the proceedings in joint with the health and demography panel, said the so-called plumes due to the leak in the pipeline that is coming out of West Tower condominium is already “contained” and no longer pose a threat to the said building, residents and affected community in Barangay Bangkal, Makati City..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/nation/20110126nat3.html

Flawed justice system EDITORIAL 01/25/2011

Flawed justice system

EDITORIAL

Click to enlarge

01/25/2011
Retired Sandiganbayan Justice Manuel Pamaran pointed to the former Ombudsman, Simeon Marcelo, and his special prosecutor Dennis Villa-Ignacio for the “weakness” of the plunder case against military comptroller dishonorably discharged Maj. Gen. Carlos Garcia, laying the blame on the two former officials.

“It was the team of Ombudsman Gutierrez’s predecessor who spearheaded the filing of the incomplete and deficient information against Garcia without the allegation stated therein validated,” Pamaran was quoted in a report as saying.

He stressed that “the Information filed was so worded in generalities. Even the resolutions, which paved the way for the filing of the plunder charge, did not provide any discussion on the specific acts of the accused that would qualify as unjustly enriching himself at the expense and to the damage of the Filipino people.”

Pamaran said the prosecution team formed in 2004 failed to gather the needed documentary and testimonial evidence to sustain the plunder charge against Garcia..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20110125com1.html

Knee-jerk reactions FRONTLINE Ninez Cacho-Olivares 01/25/2011

Knee-jerk reactions

FRONTLINE

Ninez Cacho-Olivares

01/25/2011
Lawmakers always have the same knee-jerk reaction whenever a crime committed gets full publicity in media — especially in the broadsheets, and truly, it made the news only for want of news stories.

Right now, media’s flavor of the month is the carnap-murder of car dealers, which has the legislators all clamoring for the return of the death penalty for such crimes, or, in the case of Senators Chiz Escudero and Antonio Trillanes, proposing to make the crime of car jacks non-bailable.

The trouble is, this proposal, apart from being unconstitutional, since the Constitution expressly says in the Bill of Rights, that all persons, except those charged with offenses punishable by reclusion perpetua, or life sentences, when evidence is strong, shall, before conviction, be bailable by sufficient sureties, or be released on recognizance as may be provided by law. That right to bail shall not be impaired, even when the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus is suspended. Excessive bail shall not be required. (Article lll, Section 13).

What these provisions should mean is that even those accused of crimes that are punishable by life imprisonment can still avail themselves of bail — when the evidence against them is weak..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20110125com2.html

Memories take hold better during sleep — study FEATURE 01/25/2011

Memories take hold better during sleep — study

FEATURE

01/25/2011
PARIS — The best way to not forget a newly learned poem, card trick or algebra equation may be to take a quick nap, scientists surprised by their own findings reported Sunday.
In experiments, researchers in Germany showed that the brain is better during sleep than during wakefulness at resisting attempts to scramble or corrupt a recent memory.

Their study, published in Nature Neuroscience, provides new insights into the hugely complex process by which we store and retrieve deliberately acquired information — learning, in short.

Earlier research showed that fresh memories, stored temporarily in a region of the brain called the hippocampus, do not gel immediately.

It was also known that reactivation of those memories soon after learning plays a crucial role in their transfer to more permanent storage in the brain’s “hard drive,” the neocortex..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20110125com3.html

The blame game NO HOLDS BARRED Armida Siguion-Reyna 01/25/2011

The blame game

NO HOLDS BARRED

Armida Siguion-Reyna

01/25/2011
And this is how it’s played: A group of people get together, analyze what’s going on, realize there’s something wrong and that the fault could get traced to them, so before that happens they point an accusing finger at others, in order to free themselves of whatever responsibility.

For instance, the Department of Justice says the New People’s Army killed botanist Leonard Co, farmer Julius Borromeo and forest guard Sofronio Cortez, November last year in Leyte. The DoJ likewise accused the Lopez-owned Energy Development Corp. (EDC) with “reckless imprudence” for failing to inform its three employees that they were to work in a known communist work area. Sinisi ang lahat, puwera lang ang military.

That Co and his group were caught in crossfire his scientist friends’ investigation hotly contests. The trees, they point out even in Facebook, are mute witnesses, as the bullets that hit them were from the side of the military. But whatever story the trees have to tell seem to bear no impact on the side DoJ investigators assistant state prosecutor Diosdado Solidum Jr., Bryan Cacha and NBI lawyer Romulo Asis have taken in their report: “The military or state forces could not be charged with criminal acts because their activities in the area were due to a legitimate military action.”

Kung baga, kahit na sino pa ang bumaril, hindi na mahalaga. Basta, “The military or state forces could not be charged with criminal acts…”.... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20110125com4.html

Profiting from fear AN OUTSIDERS VIEW Ken Fuller 01/25/2011

Profiting from fear

AN OUTSIDERS VIEW

Ken Fuller

01/25/2011
In cyberspace, there’s a document by one Porter Stansberry that in the course of over 12,000 words claims that, due to its crushing mountain of debt, the USA is about to implode, with soaring inflation, unemployment, riots and martial law. So what is this document? Essay? Scientific paper? No. It is, quite simply, an advertisement.

Although of US origin – where according to one source it was e-mailed to one million addresses last December – it is now doing the rounds in the Philippines. Recipients should be extremely wary of its arguments and claims.

Its author founded Stansberry & Associates Investment Research in 1999. This, he claims, “has become one of the largest and most recognized investment research companies in the world, serving hundreds of thousands of subscribers in more than 120 countries.” This is a claim that might bear careful examination, but this task is beyond me.

In making one of his claims (that even if Americans were taxed at the rate of 100 percent it would be insufficient to balance the federal budget) Stansberry cites the National Inflation Association. According to Mary Rice of Moneyblog, the NIA “is a group that encourages fears and worry about possible inflation in order to sell gold and silver.” Rice tells us that Fox’s Glenn Beck has also been known to cite NIA figures, and that he’s a promoter of a gold and silver dealer listed on the NIA Web site. Stansberry, as we will see, also promotes gold and silver.... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20110125com5.html

Prada latest label to target booming China market focus 01/25/2011

Prada latest label to target booming China market

focus

01/25/2011
BEIJING — Miuccia Prada has already won plaudits for her spring/summer 2011 collection — simply-cut dresses and suits in a quirky mix of stripes and solids, with bold splashes of orange, violet and electric blue.

But by displaying the clothes on a runway in Beijing on Saturday evening, her first catwalk show outside Europe, and adding a few looks from her spring menswear line, the Italian designer signalled her focus on China’s huge market.

Actresses Gong Li and Maggie Cheung added a bit of high-wattage star power to the show at the Central Academy of Fine Arts museum — a surefire way to maximize local media coverage and get the Prada message to the masses.

China is the world’s fastest-growing market for luxury goods and is forecast to be the world’s top buyer of such products — cosmetics, handbags, watches, shoes and clothes — by 2015, according to consultancy PriceWaterhouseCoopers..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20110125com6.html

Death penalty Here we go again VIEWPOINTS Archbishop Oscar V. Cruz 01/25/2011

Death penalty Here we go again

VIEWPOINTS

Archbishop Oscar V. Cruz

01/25/2011
There are more and more criminals in the country. There are more and more heinous crimes committed. There is more and more fear in the streets, in the community. Murders are ordinary events. Rapes are no longer big news. Hence, there is much anger among the people as there is a signal preoccupation among the legislators of the land.

Conclusion: After it was legislated, and after it was subsequently abolished, here we go again: There is loud clamor for the reinstitution of death penalty. Understandable but not acceptable.

This is not to say that the said reaction among the Filipinos and some members of the Legislative department is not pursuant to psychological and/or emotional factors. Yet, it remains unreasonable. There seems to be big cash and/or kind such as ransoms, cars, vendettas and other benefits. In this country, crime does pay particularly in no less than three counts.

First, there is the Legislative department itself that has been making more and more laws in the course of time, changing these in the course of time, if not actually abolishing them also in the course of time. It would not be an easy task to know or to keep track of what and how many laws the said department has enacted, derogated and/or abrogated in the past several decades and counting. By the way, the laws in the order of nature are but 10 which has been in fact even reduced into but Two – Love of God. Love of neighbor – in the order of grace. Yet, even these but Ten Commandments or simply Two Mandates are by and large ignored by humanity in general for centuries and counting..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20110125com7.html