Tortured times SHE SAYS Dinah S. Ventura 08/23/2010

Tortured times

SHE SAYS Dinah S. Ventura 08/23/2010 Monsters of the highway causing hundreds of deaths and injuries... Buses falling off cliffs and snuffing one innocent life after another... Shootouts and bloody encounters that end up with alleged suspects dead, forever silenced... Police torture in the city, where the video of a naked man writhing in agony as he is trussed up, hit and his private parts tied draws a collective gasp from a nation that had begun to imagine itself immune to pain and suffering. But no one can be immune in these tortured times. Human errors causing untold tragedy, human negligence resulting in unexpected calamities, and plain inhumanity, such as those that are often just whispered about or never see the light of day – these are the true reasons there continues to be misery and disaster in the world we love to call “modern.” Following the release of a disturbing footage taken inside what appears to be the police community precinct in Asuncion, Tondo, a place described in the news as “crime-infested” and “plebeian,” government and concerned human rights bodies are adamant that action be taken to address the issue of human rights violations in our time. To date, 11 police officers including the main suspect, Asuncion PCP chief Senior Insp. Joselito Binayu, are being held by the authorities while investigations are done to “get to the bottom of the matter,” as some of these uniformed individuals are wont to tell media. According to reports, government has created “at least three separate bodies” to investigate that one video where a man suspected as a petty thief is seen in the hands of a torturer while others of his ilk watched. Now involved in this affair are the National Police Commission (Napolcom), the Philippine National Police (PNP), the Department Interior and Local Government (DILG) and the Commission on Human Rights (CHR).... MORE Source:  The Daily Tribune URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20100823com7.html

COMMENTARY EDITORIAL Hiding does not do Lacson good FRONTLINE Whither Lacson’s future? focus Mystery surrounds Mubarak Jr. ‘presidency bid’ DIE HARD III Was Ninoy’s death a US operation? focus Millions lack shelter after Pakistan floods HE SAYS Mamang Pulis SHE SAYS Tortured times

Senate plans to cut Noynoy’s intel funds By Angie M. Rosales 08/23/2010

WIDESPREAD ABUSE OF CONFIDENTIAL BUDGET Senate plans to cut Noynoy’s intel funds By Angie M. Rosales 08/23/2010 The Senate plans to drastically trim the allocations for intelligence funds in next year’s national budget, that runs in billions of pesos, including a possible reduction in confidential funds allocated yearly for the Office of the President after an ongoing Senate inquiry found that the use of the funds was mostly abused.  Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile said only government offices or agencies obviously needing it will be provided with intelligence funds and the reduction of these will not spare even the Office of the President which is given yearly an average of P500 million appropriation in the budget as “intelligence funds.” “I will talk to the finance committee chairman. They can arrange it,” Enrile said, on the matter concerning the slashing of the item in the budget intended for the Office of the President. The Senate is currently inquiring into the reported excessive salaries and allowances given to certain executives in government-owned and controlled corporations (GOCCs) where some of them exploit the use of intelligence funds to justify huge compensations. Such was the case of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) where its administrator, according to a Commission on Audit (CoA) report, was allotted with P5 million intelligence funds..... MORE Source:  The Daily Tribune URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20100823hed1.html

HEADLINES Senate plans to cut Noynoy’s intel funds Noynoy’s allies finding ways to realign poll budget to pork Poll execs in folder scam fight suspension order Economic execs doubt Ombudsman on anti-graft bid Deadly NPA attack could derail talks — gov’t Lacson sets conditions on coming out of hiding

Noynoy’s allies finding ways to realign poll budget to pork By Gerry Baldo and Benjamin B. Pulta 08/23/2010

Noynoy’s allies finding ways to realign poll budget to pork

By Gerry Baldo and Benjamin B. Pulta 08/23/2010 Allies of President Aquino in the House of Repre-sentatives are finding ways to postpone the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections in October this year and channel funds allotted for it to their pork barrel. According to Camarines Sur Rep. Luis Villafuerte, there is a legal remedy to realign the P3.3-billion budget allotted for the barangay elections to basic social services and infrastructure development. “We will have a separate enabling law, which we will consider concurrently with the posponement of barangay elections. That is the remedy,” Villafuerte, a former member of the Lakas-Kampi-CMD, said. He added many lawmakers are inclined to support the move that he would be filing in Congress with the support of several other lawmakers, 22 of whom have already filed separate proposals to postpone the barangay polls..... MORE Source:  The Daily Tribune URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20100823hed2.html

HEADLINES Senate plans to cut Noynoy’s intel funds Noynoy’s allies finding ways to realign poll budget to pork Poll execs in folder scam fight suspension order Economic execs doubt Ombudsman on anti-graft bid Deadly NPA attack could derail talks — gov’t Lacson sets conditions on coming out of hiding

Poll execs in folder scam fight suspension order By Benjamin B. Pulta 08/23/2010

Poll execs in folder scam fight suspension order

By Benjamin B. Pulta 08/23/2010 Commission on Elections (Comelec) officials allegedlly behind the orchestration of supply contracts for overpriced Ballot Secrecy Folders (BSF) during last May’s elections are asking the Court of Appeals (CA) for a restraining order to stop the Office of the Ombudsman from implementing the suspension order against them. In a petition before the appellate court, suspended Comelec Bids and Awards Committee chairman lawyer Maria Lea Alarkon and BAC members Allen Francis Abaya, Maria Norina Casingal, Martin Niedo Antonio Santella urged that a temporary restraining order be issued against Ombudsman Maria Merceditas Navarro-Gutierrez. They claimed that the anti-graft office committed grave abuse of discretion amounting to lack or excess of jurisdiction when it issued the suspension order against them for a period of six months without the benefit of hearing or giving them a chance to file counter-affidavits. “The petitioners were deprived of their right to due process. There is insufficient evidence to conclude that the evidence of guilt as against the petitioners is strong as the bases for the conclusion are nothing but bare allegations alleged in the complaint. There is no showing that the petitioners’ continued stay might prejudice the case against them,” the complainants noted.... MORE Source:  The Daily Tribune URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20100823hed3.htm

HEADLINES Senate plans to cut Noynoy’s intel funds Noynoy’s allies finding ways to realign poll budget to pork Poll execs in folder scam fight suspension order Economic execs doubt Ombudsman on anti-graft bid Deadly NPA attack could derail talks — gov’t Lacson sets conditions on coming out of hiding

Economic execs doubt Ombudsman on anti-graft bid 08/23/2010

Economic execs doubt Ombudsman on anti-graft bid

08/23/2010 The economic managers of President Aquino had turned to blaming Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez in answering questions about the failure thus far of the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) to file tax cases against government officials under the Revenue Integrity Protection Service (RIPS) program. Finance Secretary Cesar V. Purisima said that he needed to meet the Ombudsman to get assurance on making anti-graft cases on government officials to prosper.  Purisima said he had set a meeting with Gutierrez within the week to discuss a series of graft complaints against government officials that he did not name. Trade groups are com-plaining that the lack of a show of determination to stop corruption in government through the prosecution of officials suspected of committing graft is among the reasons for the Philippines to be considered an unfriendly place to do business.  Purisima recently told businessmen, analysts, entreprenuers and policy makers that the Ombudsman, under Gutierrez, is an important component to the fight against graft but whose coopera-tion the govern-ment is not 100 percent certain. The Ombudsman’s role surfaced after businessmen asked him for updates on the RIPS program and why it was not as visible as similar programs targeted against smugglers and tax evaders, for example. .... MORE Source:  The Daily Tribune URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20100823hed4.html

HEADLINES Senate plans to cut Noynoy’s intel funds Noynoy’s allies finding ways to realign poll budget to pork Poll execs in folder scam fight suspension order Economic execs doubt Ombudsman on anti-graft bid Deadly NPA attack could derail talks — gov’t Lacson sets conditions on coming out of hiding

Deadly NPA attack could derail talks — gov’t 08/23/2010

Deadly NPA attack could derail talks — gov’t

08/23/2010 The government yesterday condemned a communist rebel attack that killed eight policemen and a local village official and said the incident could derail planned resumption of peace talks. The attack by the New People’s Army (NPA) in Northern Samar last Saturday has weakened confidence in the prospects of a negotiated settlement between the rebels and the government, President Aquino’s chief peace adviser Teresita Deles said. “Such attacks by the NPA undermine the aspirations of our people for peace and make the way forward more difficult,” Deles told reporters. The NPA is the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines which has been waging a Maoist inspired rebellion since 1969 in what is among Asia’s longest-running communist insurgencies. The rebels on Saturday allegedly murdered a local official in Samar and then killed eight police officers sent to the area to investigate the incident. “The attack by the NPA on police officers on a law enforcement mission in Northern Samar yesterday (Saturday) is condemnable,” Deles said.... MORE Source:  The Daily Tribune URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20100823hed5.html

HEADLINES Senate plans to cut Noynoy’s intel funds Noynoy’s allies finding ways to realign poll budget to pork Poll execs in folder scam fight suspension order Economic execs doubt Ombudsman on anti-graft bid Deadly NPA attack could derail talks — gov’t Lacson sets conditions on coming out of hiding

Lacson sets conditions on coming out of hiding By Angie M. Rosales 08/23/2010

Lacson sets conditions on coming out of hiding

By Angie M. Rosales 08/23/2010 Fugitive Sen. Panfilo Lacson wanted that he be placed on “house arrest” instead of going straight to jail and that the Aquino administration reopen investigations into the double-murder case involving the 2000 slaying of publicist Salvador Dacer and his driver Emmanuel Corbito as conditions for his surfacing. Lacson is willing to come out from hiding but does not want to go to jail, his son said yesterday as his family appealed to President Aquino to have a standing arrest warrant on him suspended and call for the reinvestigation of the Dacer-Corbito double murder case. Ronald Jay Lacson, the senator’s son and office chief staff, said they made the request to the administration “so he can safely go home.” Lacson issued the surrender feeler a day after the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) recalled his passports. While the senator is very eager to face his accusers, the younger Lacson emphasized that this father does not want to be incarcerated, even for a short moment, for a crime he did not commit. “He never considered going to jail, even for a minute, as an option,” he said. The camp of Police Superintendent Cezar Mancao, meanwhile, indicated that it approves of a house arrest on Lacson to bring him out of hiding and for him to face the charges filed against him by the families of Dacer and Corbito..... MORE Source:  The Daily Tribune URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20100823hed6.html

HEADLINES Senate plans to cut Noynoy’s intel funds Noynoy’s allies finding ways to realign poll budget to pork Poll execs in folder scam fight suspension order Economic execs doubt Ombudsman on anti-graft bid Deadly NPA attack could derail talks — gov’t Lacson sets conditions on coming out of hiding

A nightmare that never went away EDITORIAL 08/22/2010

A nightmare that never went away

EDITORIAL Click to enlarge 08/22/2010 Former Sen. Ninoy Aquino’s assassination was the epitome of an unresolved grisly case in which the government is suspected to have been involved in or its resources abused by its officials. Of the cases that needed closure, this one tops them all. Noynoy and the Aquino family members can be forgiven in saying that the assassination case on their father is considered a closed book, as far as they are concerned, for the incident 27 years ago may bring back painful memories. As far as the family is concerned, said a presidential sister, they anyway know who killed her father. If so, why haven’t they brought this knowledge out, especially since their mother was in the presidential office for over six years and had her intelligence network at her disposal? No proof? Mere speculation? But that is, however, where the presidential mettle on Noynoy is tested in divorcing his or his family’s personal feelings with that of a national necessity. One of the failures, or that which many Filipinos consider as failure, of the administration of his mother, Cory Aquino, was its inability to render a clearer picture on the assassination case from the one presented by the 1985 Agrava Commission that pinned the murder at the airport on former Chief of Staff Lt. Gen Fabian Ver and 26 other individuals..... MORE Source:  The Daily Tribune URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20100822com1.html

COMMENTARY EDITORIAL A nightmare that never went away FRONTLINE Useless peace talks FEATURE Suspense as Britain bids to save silent Hitchcock thrillers BLURBAL THRUSTS Are you serious? C.R.O.S.S.R.O.A.D.S Moving forward focus Brotherhood TV series angers Egypt Islamists VIEWPOINTS Sex Education — 2/7

Useless peace talks FRONTLINE Ninez Cacho-Olivares 08/22/2010

Useless peace talks

FRONTLINE Ninez Cacho-Olivares 08/22/2010 All this talk about achieving peace in Mindanao through a peace accord that may even entail a constitutional change is certainly not going to end up in peace and it is best to drop all the pretence of government trying to forge an agreement with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). I really cannot see any justification in a nation changing its Constitution to simply give what the Moro rebels want — and what they want is to establish an independent Islamic state in Mindanao, which incidentally is what the US government, as well as the European Union members and even Malaysia, along with the Islamic world, want, since natural resources can be had by these foreign devils, as they want them, without any interference from the Philippine government and the judiciary. So why would any Filipino — outside of these Moro rebels — want to cut up the Republic and give away, if not the whole of Mindanao, then the bulk of Mindanao and even Palawan, to the MILF, to achieve peace in that region? But the government peace negotiator now claims that the MILF has dropped the idea of a peace pact along the unconstitutional Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain lines, saying that what is on offer is an expanded autonomy. But if such were the offer, what need then is there for a constitutional change?.... MORE Source:  The Daily Tribune URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20100822com2.html

COMMENTARY EDITORIAL A nightmare that never went away FRONTLINE Useless peace talks FEATURE Suspense as Britain bids to save silent Hitchcock thrillers BLURBAL THRUSTS Are you serious? C.R.O.S.S.R.O.A.D.S Moving forward focus Brotherhood TV series angers Egypt Islamists VIEWPOINTS Sex Education — 2/7

Suspense as Britain bids to save silent Hitchcock thrillers FEATURE 08/22/2010

Suspense as Britain bids to save silent Hitchcock thrillers

FEATURE 08/22/2010 BERKHAMSTED — Examining buckled film reels under a microscope, technicians pore over each precious original frame of Alfred Hitchcock’s early movies as Britain bids to salvage the master’s magic. The delicate nitrate reel — brown, brittle and shrunken — is handled with extreme care as they scrutinize the opening credits of the 1927 film The Lodger for every minuscule scratch, blotch and speck. The British Film Institute is undertaking a mammoth project to restore Hitchcock’s silent movies to their former glory. In a painstaking process, they are cleaning up and restoring his first films, creating a perfect-as-possible digital version to thrill audiences again. The BFI reckons viewers will be stunned by their clarity. Hitchcock is renowned as one of the greatest ever movie directors, thanks to masterpieces such as Vertigo (1958), Psycho (1960) and The Birds (1963). Long before his Hollywood career though, the Londoner made his name in British silent cinema, with cleverly-crafted black-and-white tales of suspense and mystery, honing the trademarks cherished in later classics. However, those fragile 1920s analog film reels will only deteriorate further and the BFI wants to revive them in digital form before it is too late.... MORE Source:  The Daily Tribune URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20100822com3.html

COMMENTARY EDITORIAL A nightmare that never went away FRONTLINE Useless peace talks FEATURE Suspense as Britain bids to save silent Hitchcock thrillers BLURBAL THRUSTS Are you serious? C.R.O.S.S.R.O.A.D.S Moving forward focus Brotherhood TV series angers Egypt Islamists VIEWPOINTS Sex Education — 2/7

Are you serious? BLURBAL THRUSTS Louie Logarta 08/22/2010

Are you serious?

BLURBAL THRUSTS Louie Logarta 08/22/2010 The drive to rid the Bureau of Immigration’s Cebu unit may have hit a sandbar due to certain powerful politicians, supposedly allies of President Noynoy Aquino, who are interfering with the mopping up operations initiated by the new leadership in the person of officer-in-charge Roy Ledesma. While the clean-up drive in Manila has already shifted to high gear, the situation pertaining in Cebu City still has to achieve lift-off with the incessant meddling of personages identified with the political parties that helped Aquino get elected to the presidency who are said to be blocking the top-to-bottom revamp that Ledesma wants to implement. Just last week, Ledesma, with the go-signal from his boss Justice Secretary Leila de Lima, sacked 39 BI employees and suspended 23 others as part of the ongoing purge he was tasked to implement to rid the BI of corrupt and inept people. This move comes exactly a month after the head of the BI-Airport Operations Division Ferdinand Sampol, as well as his right hand man, Ninoy Aquino International Airport intelligence chief Jun Berberabe were canned when they were implicated by various non-government organizations (the Blas Ople Center for one) in alleged human trafficking activities..... MORE Source:  The Daily Tribune URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20100822com4.html

COMMENTARY EDITORIAL A nightmare that never went away FRONTLINE Useless peace talks FEATURE Suspense as Britain bids to save silent Hitchcock thrillers BLURBAL THRUSTS Are you serious? C.R.O.S.S.R.O.A.D.S Moving forward focus Brotherhood TV series angers Egypt Islamists VIEWPOINTS Sex Education — 2/7

Moving forward C.R.O.S.S.R.O.A.D.S Jonathan De la Cruz 08/22/2010

Moving forward

C.R.O.S.S.R.O.A.D.S Jonathan De la Cruz 08/22/2010 It is good that President Aquino’s elder sisters, Ma. Elena “Ballsy” Cruz and Ma. Aurora “Pinky” Abellada have publicly stated that they all want to move on and let history and the courts, if any case remains pending, make the final judgment on the murder of their martyred father — the late Sen. Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr. In particular, they said they have no intention of prolonging the decades old search for the brains behind the assassination, noting that by their and, obviously, our people’s reckoning they have already achieved justice. In a recent interview with our friend Booma Cruz of Vera Files a day or two before quietly commemorating their father’s 27th death anniversary yesterday, P-Noy’s eldest sisters said it was time to move on. “For me, that’s so long ago,” “Pinky” Abellada was quoted as having said: “We know who did it. many of them are dead; let’s move forward. I don’t know if human rights advocates will get angry, but for me, you cannot hold these ill feelings for long because in the end it’s you who will suffer..” This sentiment was echoed by Ballsy Cruz who advised “For me, it’s over. As far as I’m concerned, it is a closed book already because we already know who is behind it. I mean, I’ve made up my mind insofar as who planned it..” We still have to get P-Noy’s view on the matter but judging from his vow to pursue his “father’s way of peace” which he articulated yesterday I have reason to believe he will go along with his sisters. Recalling that fateful day of his father’s assassination, P-Noy noted that his first reaction was to “exact revenge” but changed his mind when he saw the public outpouring of grief during his father’s funeral.... MORE Source:  The Daily Tribune URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20100822com5.html

COMMENTARY EDITORIAL A nightmare that never went away FRONTLINE Useless peace talks FEATURE Suspense as Britain bids to save silent Hitchcock thrillers BLURBAL THRUSTS Are you serious? C.R.O.S.S.R.O.A.D.S Moving forward focus Brotherhood TV series angers Egypt Islamists VIEWPOINTS Sex Education — 2/7

Brotherhood TV series angers Egypt Islamists focus 08/22/2010

Brotherhood TV series angers Egypt Islamists

focus 08/22/2010 CAIRO — A television series being broadcast throughout the Muslim month of Ramadan has drawn the ire of Egypt’s Islamist opposition, who view it as additional pressure ahead of a November parliamentary election. The Group focuses on the Muslim Brotherhood, one of the most influential Islamist movements in the world. Critics say the pro-government leanings of scriptwriter Waheed Hamed are blatant, and that the timing of the series, just three months before the election, is no coincidence. The son of the Brotherhood’s founder Hassan al-Banna, who was assassinated in 1949, plans to sue. His father, who founded the group in 1928, has not yet been depicted in the series, but it is not expected to be a reverent portrayal. Indeed the group, which controls a fifth of parliament in Cairo and eschews violence, is portrayed in the series as an organisation of cynical, violent Islamists. And in a departure from human rights reports that allege torture is routine in Egypt, The Group features only abuse-free prisons and courteous interrogations..... MORE Source:  The Daily Tribune URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20100822com6.html

COMMENTARY EDITORIAL A nightmare that never went away FRONTLINE Useless peace talks FEATURE Suspense as Britain bids to save silent Hitchcock thrillers BLURBAL THRUSTS Are you serious? C.R.O.S.S.R.O.A.D.S Moving forward focus Brotherhood TV series angers Egypt Islamists VIEWPOINTS Sex Education — 2/7

Sex Education — 2/7 VIEWPOINTS Archbishop Oscar V. Cruz 08/22/2010

Sex Education — 2/7

VIEWPOINTS Archbishop Oscar V. Cruz 08/22/2010 Lest it remains unsaid and unclear, there is but one over-all conclusion that is objectively definite and defined: “Sex Education” under any other impressive name and technical or legal expression equals birth control. This is definitely neither the deduction of a paranoid mind nor the judgment of hallucinating individual. Unless they themselves are sadly ignorant of the truth, then those leading and directing the well funded and concerted effort to propagate the over-arching preoccupation of over-population in one form or another, will have to say and admit that the camouflage of “Sex Education” and other more refined expressions, are in effect anti-population in their ultimate finality and goal. The key question that not only cries for but demands a credible if not factual answer, goes like this: What on earth would make Europe and North America in particular, willingly, continuously and even generously, shell out more and more funds to finance such a anti-natalist — meaning birth control and population control — plan, program and projects? Furthermore, why would such particular sections of the world spend so much money for such insidious purpose — more specifically in Asia — when they themselves are still suffering from depression?.... MORE Source:  The Daily Tribune URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20100822com7.html

COMMENTARY EDITORIAL A nightmare that never went away FRONTLINE Useless peace talks FEATURE Suspense as Britain bids to save silent Hitchcock thrillers BLURBAL THRUSTS Are you serious? C.R.O.S.S.R.O.A.D.S Moving forward focus Brotherhood TV series angers Egypt Islamists VIEWPOINTS Sex Education — 2/7

DFA voids passports of fugitive senator By Danessa Rivera 08/22/2010

GOV’T SAYS LACSON GIVEN ALL CHANCES TO REFUTE CANCELLATION BID DFA voids passports of fugitive senator By Danessa Rivera 08/22/2010 Fugitive Sen. Panfilo Lacson has been rendered stateless yesterday after the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) yesterday revoked his regular and diplomatic passports in a bid of the government to flush him out of hiding as a result of an arrest warrant issued on him as prime suspect in the double murder of publicist Salvador “Bubby” Dacer and his driver Emmanuel Corbito. The DFA said it took the move of canceling Lacson’s travel papers after exhaustive efforts to get the side of the senator on the request of the Department of Justice (DoJ), a court order, and the petition of the families of his alleged victims to have his passports revoked. Lacson has not responded to the DFA request, leaving the agency with no recourse but to go ahead with the cancellation. Justice Secretary Leila de Lima noted that without a proper passport, Lacson could easily be deported back to the Philippines by authorities of any country he happens to be in.  Lacson left the country last Jan. 5 before the Manila Regional Trial Court (RTC) resolved his pending motion for judicial determination of probable cause.  There are speculations, however, that Lacson had long returned and is in hiding in the country. The voiding of Lacson’s passports was based on the July 23 order of Branch 18 of the Manila RTC “to take the proper steps…in accordance with law,” and the written requests from the DoJ and the families of the victims of Lacson’s alleged crimes.... MORE Source:  The Daily Tribune URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20100822hed1.html

HEADLINES DFA voids passports of fugitive senator Gen. Angue’s ordeal price for not toeing line — Palace 8 cops, one village exec killed in rebel ambush RP lands a poor 63rd on best countries list Palace: Overlapping of functions by Senate, truth body over ‘Garci’ probe not a problem Bb. Pilipinas titlist, 2

Gen. Angue’s ordeal price for not toeing line — Palace 08/22/2010 By Aytch S. de la Cruz

Gen. Angue’s ordeal price for not toeing line — Palace

08/22/2010 By Aytch S. de la Cruz Controversial Rear Adm. Feliciano Angue being placed in a floating status was just the price he had to pay for not toeing the military line, Malacañang indicated yesterday as it welcomed Angue’s handling by the brass of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and their current investigation on his supposed insubordination. Angue had incurred the wrath of his superiors after giving interviews on supposed generals playing politics in the military that spanned from the 2004 elections cheating to the recent meeting of military officers with President Aquino when he was still campaigning for the presidency before the May 10 elections.  Angue’s outburst before the media at how political partisanship in the military institution flourished under the current administration took another toll on him because, apart from being demoted, his transfer to the Naval Forces at Western Mindanao was reportedly held in abeyance pending the results of the ongoing investigation on his perceived violation of the AFP’s Code of Ethics and Articles of War. Secretary Ramon Carandang of the Presidential Communications Development and Strategic Planning Office said it is only proper for the AFP brass to sanction Angue for his grave misconduct as an official given the several warnings they had served him which he just ignored.... MORE Source:  The Daily Tribune URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20100822hed2.html

HEADLINES DFA voids passports of fugitive senator Gen. Angue’s ordeal price for not toeing line — Palace 8 cops, one village exec killed in rebel ambush RP lands a poor 63rd on best countries list Palace: Overlapping of functions by Senate, truth body over ‘Garci’ probe not a problem Bb. Pilipinas titlist, 2

8 cops, one village exec killed in rebel ambush 08/22/2010

8 cops, one village exec killed in rebel ambush

08/22/2010 Communist guerrillas killed eight policemen and a village official in coordinated attacks in Northern Samar province yesterday, the police commander for the region said. New People’s Army (NPA) gunmen murdered a village official at his home at dawn and then ambushed a police patrol sent to investigate the killing, Eastern Visayas regional police director Chief Supt. Arnold Revilla said. The rebels set off a roadside bomb as the patrol approached Councilor Rolando de Guia home in Barangay Imelda in Catarman town around 5:30 a.m. then raked it with gunfire, Revilla told reporters by telephone. Reports said around 8:30 a.m., elements from the local police were able to get near the crime scene, which was a kilometer away from the town proper and could only be reached by negotiating a dirt road. But the responding police team, led by deputy police head Senior Supt. Necasio San Antonio, was attacked by around 40 suspected communist rebels, some 500 meters away from De Guia’s house. “The patrol car was directly hit by the landmines. It was a total wreck and it burned down,” Revilla said..... MORE Source:  The Daily Tribune URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20100822hed3.html

HEADLINES DFA voids passports of fugitive senator Gen. Angue’s ordeal price for not toeing line — Palace 8 cops, one village exec killed in rebel ambush RP lands a poor 63rd on best countries list Palace: Overlapping of functions by Senate, truth body over ‘Garci’ probe not a problem Bb. Pilipinas titlist, 2

RP lands a poor 63rd on best countries list 08/22/2010

RP lands a poor 63rd on best countries list

08/22/2010 Out of 100 countries, the Philippines ranked a poor 63rd in a Newsweek magazine study of the world’s best countries in terms of health, education, economy and politics. In Asia, the country was the third to the bottom in the Newsweek ranking in its latest edition. Newsweek said the ranking, its first-ever, was made to “answer a question that is at once simple and incredibly complex—if you were born today, which country would provide you the very best opportunity to live a healthy, safe, reasonably prosperous, and upwardly mobile life?” Based on the Newsweek study, the Philippines achieved its best ranking on the education category at 46th with a literacy rate of 92.7 percent and 15.5 years of average schooling. The Philippines ranked 58th on the political environment, 64th on economic dynamism, 75th on the quality of life, and 66th on the health category. Finland was the world’s best country based on the Newsweek study followed by Switzerland, Sweden, Australia and Luxembourg.... MORE Source:  The Daily Tribune URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20100822hed4.html

HEADLINES DFA voids passports of fugitive senator Gen. Angue’s ordeal price for not toeing line — Palace 8 cops, one village exec killed in rebel ambush RP lands a poor 63rd on best countries list Palace: Overlapping of functions by Senate, truth body over ‘Garci’ probe not a problem Bb. Pilipinas titlist

Palace: Overlapping of functions by Senate, truth body over ‘Garci’ probe not a problem 08/22/2010

Palace: Overlapping of functions by Senate, truth body over ‘Garci’ probe not a problem

08/22/2010 Malacañang yesterday said it is amenable to Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano’s suggestion for the Truth Commission to prioritize the resolution of the “Hello Garci” vote-rigging controversy before other matters when it finally gets to work. Secretary Ramon “Ricky” Carandang of the Presidential Communications Development and Strategic Planning Office also does not see anything wrong if the upper chamber would like to reopen its own investigation on the matter amid questions in the possible overlapping of functions by the Senate and the Truth Commission.  “I suppose (the functions) might overlap a little because we formed the Truth Commission to investigate these alleged anomalies (by the Arroyo administration) over the last nine years. Senator Cayetano’s suggestion to investigate the Hello Garci is probably included in the incidents (that will be probed) over the last nine years,” Carandang said over the state-run radio dzRB..... MORE Source:  The Daily Tribune URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20100822hed5.html

HEADLINES DFA voids passports of fugitive senator Gen. Angue’s ordeal price for not toeing line — Palace 8 cops, one village exec killed in rebel ambush RP lands a poor 63rd on best countries list Palace: Overlapping of functions by Senate, truth body over ‘Garci’ probe not a problem Bb. Pilipinas titlist, 2

Bb. Pilipinas titlist, 2 Bb. Pilipinas titlist, 2 08/22/2010

Bb. Pilipinas titlist, 2 Bb. Pilipinas titlist, 2

08/22/2010 A Binibining Pilipinas titlist and two other persons died while a fourth occupant is still in critical condition when the van they were riding collided head-on with a passenger bus in Camarines Sur yesterday morning. Maj. Harold Cabunoc, Philippine Army’s 9th Infantry Division spokesman, said the accident took place around 11:45 a.m. in Barangay Pawili in Bula, Camarines Sur. The fatalities were identified as Melody Gersbach, a Filipino- German national and Bb. Pilipinas International 2009; Dodong Ramos, the driver, and Alden Orense, make-up artist of the beauty titlist. Initial reports showed that Gersbach and her companions were on board a Toyota Innova en route to Naga City when it collided with a Guevarra Bus Line driven by Wilson Pontillas.... MORE Source:  The Daily Tribune URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20100822hed6.html

HEADLINES DFA voids passports of fugitive senator Gen. Angue’s ordeal price for not toeing line — Palace 8 cops, one village exec killed in rebel ambush RP lands a poor 63rd on best countries list Palace: Overlapping of functions by Senate, truth body over ‘Garci’ probe not a problem Bb. Pilipinas titlist, 2