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Army leadership blasts media on AFP corruption reports By Mario J. Mallari and Angie M. Rosales 02/12/2011

Saturday, February 12, 2011

Army leadership blasts media on AFP corruption reports

By Mario J. Mallari and Angie M. Rosales 02/12/2011
It didn’t take long for the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) leadership to bare its fangs and bear down on their bete noire, the media criticial of the massive corruption in the military.

Stung by what it called media reports on the corruption probe as “misleading,” the Philippine Army lectured the media for them to be “circumspect” as it claimed media reporting on the ongoing investigations of the alleged massive corruption in the military during the time of former AFP Chief of Staff and Defense Secretary Angelo Reyes is being made to appear that the corruption in the AFP is still ongoing, when it claimed that corruption in the military no longer exists.

Army spokesman Col. Antonio Parlade noted that several articles published recently are leaving the impression that the alleged corruption activities are still continuing in the military establishment.

“Our question then is, why do we make it appear that the practice is ongoing?” asked Parlade, as he pointed out that the subject of the various investigations happened years ago and that reforms had already been implemented to address the matter..... MORE

SourceThe Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20110212hed1.html

FSGO: Corruption killed Angie Reyes 02/12/2011

FSGO: Corruption killed Angie Reyes

02/12/2011
Former Armed Forces of the Philippines Chief of Staff Gen. Angelo Reyes, who was linked to the corruption in the military during the Senate blue ribbon investigation, based on the testimony of retired budget officer of the AFP in the comptroller’s office, retired Col. George Rabusa that, as chief of staff, he had received send-off money amounting to P50 million upon his retirement, was killed by massive corruption.

And his suicide would be meaningless if it fails to impact on the soldiery and the entire nation and fails too in leading the cleansing of the AFP.

This was the gist of the latest statement issued by a group of former senior Cabinet officials who have formed a group and called themselves the Former Senior Government Officials (FSGO).

In the statement issued to media, FSGO said Reyes’ suicide after he was implicated in military corruption will be without honor if it has no impact on the welfare of the nation, the AFP and the government..... MORE

SourceThe Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20110212hed2.html

Egypts army supports Mubarak; protesters mass 02/12/2011

Egypts army supports Mubarak; protesters mass

02/12/2011
The Egyptian army threw its weight behind President Hosni Mubarak yesterday while protesters gathered outside the presidential palace in Cairo demanding the immediate overthrow of the beleaguered leader.

Three Egyptian officers also shed their weapons and uniforms and joined hundreds of thousands of protesters.

Egyptian state television interrupted programming to read out “communique number two” by the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, headed by Defense Minister Hussein Tantawi.

The army said it would guarantee free and fair elections and vowed to lift the much-criticized emergency law, without specifying a date..... MORE

SourceThe Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20110212hed3.html

Palace, DND move to calm Aussie worry on AFP graft By Aytch S. de la Cruz and Mario J. Mallari 02/12/2011

Palace, DND move to calm Aussie worry on AFP graft

By Aytch S. de la Cruz and Mario J. Mallari 02/12/2011

Malacañang and the Department of Defense yesterday allayed concerns raised by the Australian government recently over the graft issues that incriminated erstwhile military chiefs in the alleged irregularities that figured in handling the funds intended for the programs of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).

Deputy presidential spokesman Abigail Valte said the Palace is of the same opinion as Australian Ambassador Rod Smith who is hoping that proper accountability of funds will be strictly observed under the Aquino administration.

The Australian government’s apprehensions over the endemic culture of corruption in the military stemmed from the recent exposés made by former AFP budget officer and retired Col. George Rabusa on the so-called “pabaon” or parting gift system in the military where retiring officials get to pocket millions collected from saved or unsaved funds.

Valte also assured that reforms in the military as well as other institutions have already been undertaken..... MORE

SourceThe Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20110212hed4.html

3rd batch of OFWs to leave Cairo Sunday By Michaela P. del Callar 02/12/2011

3rd batch of OFWs to leave Cairo Sunday

By Michaela P. del Callar 02/12/2011

A third batch of 36 Filipinos who availed themselves of voluntary repatriation will depart Cairo on Sunday noon and will arrive in Manila from Dubai on Monday afternoon, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) yesterday said.

Arriving from Cairo are 30 women, three men and three minors. They sought assistance from the government to be moved out of Egypt in light of the ongoing protest actions in the Middle East state, which are said to have detoriated after President Hosni Mubarak refused to leave and instead handed over power to his vice president.

Since last week, a total of 58 Filipinos have returned home from Egypt out ofmore than 6,000 Filipino residents there..... MORE

SourceThe Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20110212hed5.html

DoJ stands by deportation, leaves custody issue to Taiwan, China 02/12/2011

DoJ stands by deportation, leaves custody issue to Taiwan, China

02/12/2011
Justice Secretary Leila de Lima yesterday insisted the government did not do anything wrong in ordering the deport-ation to mainland China of 14 Taiwanese facing criminal charges for fraud, citing outstanding warrants from the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol).

“According to the BI (Bureau of Immigration), they (Taiwanese) were given several chances to produce original passports, they never did,” the Justice chief said, adding “they were frisked and searched and asked to produce travel documents like passports but they failed to produce them. Nothing at all about their identification so they were turned over to the Bureau of Immigration.”

De Lima underscored that a standing agreement between Beijing and Taipei can best resolve the question of who should have custody.

“As far as custody and prosecution (of deported Taiwanese) are concerned, the Philippines is not part of that so they (China and Taiwan) should settle it among themselves,” she told reporters in a chance interview..... MORE

SourceThe Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20110212hed6.html

EO standardizes pay and perks of GOCC, GFI executives 02/12/2011

EO standardizes pay and perks of GOCC, GFI executives

02/12/2011
Malacañang has issued an executive order (EO) standardizing the salaries and bonuses of executives in government-owned and -controlled corporations (GOCCs) and government financial institutions (GFIs) to strengthen control over compensation levels.

President Aquino signed EO 24 on Thursday to address “deep concerns on the excessive and unreasonable pay and perks received by board members and trustees of GOCCs and GFIs” that had unnecessarily depleted government funds and caused demoralization within the bureaucracy.

“This EO will serve as a stop-gap measure to rein in excessive pay for GOCC board of directors and trustees until a law is passed mandating such,” Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr. said yesterday.

According to Ochoa, one such measure is Senate Bill 2640 or the proposed GOCC Governance Act of 2011 put forward by Sen. Franklin Drilon, which is now pending in Congress..... MORE

SourceThe Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/nation/20110212nat2.html

Angie Reyes comes home to the AFP By Mario J. Mallari 02/12/2011

Angie Reyes comes home to the AFP

By Mario J. Mallari 02/12/2011

Top defense and military officials yesterday welcomed the remains of former Armed Forces of the Philippines Chief of Staff and Defense Secretary Angelo Reyes with solemn battalion-sized arrival honors at the AFP General Headquarters in Camp Aguinaldo, his last stop before his final resting place at the Libingan ng mga Bayani on Sunday.

AFP Vice Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Reynaldo Mapagu, AFP Deputy Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eduardo Oban and Department of National Defense Undersecretary Samuel Bagasin led the AFP and the DND party who welcomed the bereaved family of Reyes.

Mapagu was among the nine pall bearers, who were all star-rank and formally received the flag-draped casket of Reyes in front of the St. Ignatius Cathedral before high noon yesterday.

The solemn arrival honors drew Reyes’ widow, Teresita, and her five sons to tears..... MORE

SourceThe Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/nation/20110212nat10.html

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