Environmentalists protest against Aboitiz Coal Power Plant in Davao

Hundreds of environmentalists occupy the entrance of Davao City’s Sanggunihang Panglunsod Building as the councilors meet on a special session on Monday to overturn Mayor Sara Duterte’s veto on the land reclassification ordinance that will materialize the proposed establishment of the 300-megawatt coal-fired power plant in the city. .... MORE

Source:  Bulatlat.com

URL: http://bulatlat.com/main/2011/12/15/environmentalists-protest-against-aboitiz-coal-power-plant-in-davao/

Noche Buena traditions through generations Timpla't Tikim By SOL VANZI

Noche Buena traditions through generations

Timpla't Tikim

By SOL VANZI

MANILA, Philippines — Filipino Noche Buena traditions have evolved through the years, just as the country underwent socio-political changes in the various eras since the start of the 20th century, when the Philippines went through peacetime (before WWII), wartime (the Japanese occupation), liberation (the Commonwealth era under the Americans), independence (1946-1972), martial law, EDSA1 and EDSA2..... MORE

Source:  MB.com

URL: http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/345700/noche-buena-traditions-through-generations

Tracking-all-the-way: NORAD keeps Santa under surveillance

Tracking-all-the-way: NORAD keeps Santa under surveillance

As Santa is once again moving along his annual route around the globe, the penetrating eye of NORAD is tracking his every move. And with Big Brother watching, Old Saint Nick cannot afford to let things slide and leave some good kid without a present.

­During the holidays, the North American Aerospace Defense Command's mission is to make sure Christmas comes with all the trimmings. The operation began on 2am EST on December 24, and the tracking crew will stay on high alert until 3am Mountain Time on December 25..... MORE

Source:  RT.com

URL: http://rt.com/news/norad-santa-route-tracking-605/

Strange natural phenomena observed in North Korea after Kim Jong-il's death

23.12.2011

 

Strange natural phenomena have been seen in North Korea after the death of the country's leader Kim Jong Il, reports state news agency KCNA.

In the morning of December 17, ice cracked with a loud noise at Lake Cheongju, located in the crater of Baekdu mountain. The mountain is sacred to the Koreans: this is the place, where, according to legend, the would-be leader was born. According to the group of researchers studying the "heavenly lake", the sound of the cracking ice sheets surpassed all of the sounds that had emanated from the mountains before...... MORE

Source:  Pravda.ru

URL: http://english.pravda.ru/hotspots/conflicts/23-12-2011/120066-kim_jong_il_north_korea-0/

Naval thrills: Iran flexes muscles at world’s key oil transit channel

Naval thrills: Iran flexes muscles at world’s key oil transit channel

Iran is starting ten-day naval exercises in one of the world’s busiest oil passageways – the Strait of Hormuz. These actions have raised fears that the Strait might shut down, disrupting oil transit worldwide.

­The exercises, dubbed “Velayat-e 90”, will take place over a wide area from the Strait of Hormuz to the Gulf of Aden and will involve new ground-to-sea missile systems and different classes of submarines, such as the Tareq and the Ghander..... MORE

Source:  RT.com

URL: http://rt.com/news/terrorism-credit-cards-government-613/

Cash is trash: Big American Brother gives hints on how to spot citizen terrorists (w/ Video)

Cash is trash: Big American Brother gives hints on how to spot citizen terrorists

Do you own flashlights? Or pay with cash instead of a credit card? And do grocery shopping for the week? I do. You probably do – and guess what, according to the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI, that could make both of us terrorists.

Recently, a Department of Homeland Security video has been making its way around the Internet; it tells people in no mixed terms that “paying cash is suspicious and weird.” In an assertive, yet calm voice, the narrator tells viewers that, “if a patron appears nervous or anxious, or insists on paying cash, contact security personnel. This IS suspicious behavior.”.... MORE

Source:  RT.com

URL: http://rt.com/news/terrorism-credit-cards-government-613/

DA acts to stop rice bug infestation in Northern Samar

DA acts to stop rice bug infestation in Northern Samar

December 25, 2011, 5:54pm

NORTHERN SAMAR, Philippines (PIA) – The Department of Agriculture (DA) is rushing to implement immediate and extensive measures to mitigate the proliferation of rice black bugs (RBBs) in Northern Samar, a problematic situation with potentials to cause widespread damage to crops in the province.

Agriculture Secretary Proceso J. Alcala has issued the instruction earlier to DA-Region 8 director Antonio Gerundio, after the latter reported that 17 out of 24 municipalities in the province were RBB-affected..... MORE

Source:  MB.com

URL: http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/346015/da-acts-stop-rice-bug-infestation-northern-samar

Pope laments Christmas consumerism and glitter

Pope laments Christmas consumerism and glitter

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Benedict XVI decried the increasing commercialization of Christmas as he celebrated Christmas Eve Mass  Saturday night, urging the faithful to look beyond the holiday’s “superficial glitter” to discover its true meaning.


Benedict presided over the service in a packed St. Peter’s Basilica, kicking off an intense two weeks of Christmas-related public appearances that will test the 84-year-old Pontiff’s stamina amid signs that fatigue is starting to slow him down..... MORE

Source:  MB.com

URL: http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/346015/da-acts-stop-rice-bug-infestation-northern-samar

PATULOY…

PATULOY…
Ni Sonny Mallari
Bulatlat.com
I
Kinakalawang na ang antigong makinilya sa ilalim ng teheras…
Nababalot na rin ng lumot ang gasgas na pluma sa ibabaw ng maalikabok na lamesa…
Nanginginig na rin ang kamay at daliri sa bawat pagtipa ng letra…
Pero patuloy pa ring nakatangan sa bote ng tinta…
Na ngayon ay binubukalan ng malapot na dugo mula sa mga kakosang itinumba.

II
Walang patid ang pagtagas ng mapulang dugo sa keyboard na ngayon ay patuloy na binabalot ng lagim…
Habang ang mga bayarang demonyo at kanilang mga patron ay patuloy rin sa kanilang walang awang pagkitil…
Pero hindi nila kayang supilin at itumba ang buong hanay…
May mga mabubuwal sa dilim ng gabi at tirik na araw…
May mga mawawala at maglalahong walang hanggan…
May mga mabubusalan at kakadenahan…
Pero patuloy na may aawit at tutula ng paglaya gapusin man sila ng tinik at tanikala..... MORE

Source:  RT.com

URL: http://bulatlat.com/main/2011/12/02/patuloy%E2%80%A6/

Not a merry Christmas for Americans, Europeans

Not a merry Christmas for Americans, Europeans

As the Christmas and New Year holidays approach, the air of economic uncertainty dampens the traditionally anticipated spirit of merriment and hope among the people in the United States and Europe.

Why? The financial and economic measures requiring more austerity instead of more spending, adopted by both the US and European Union leaders after laborious negotiations, fall short of what are needed to break the recession since 2008 in these industrialized states.

In fact, Nobel Prize economist Paul Krugman, who with like-minded colleagues had called for bigger state spending to create jobs and bolster growth, this week bluntly wrote: “It’s time to start calling the current situation what it is: a depression.”

True, the 1930s Great Depression is not being fully reprised. “But that’s cold comfort,” Krugman argues. “Unemployment in both America and Europe remains disastrously high.”.... MORE

Source:  Bulatlat.com

URL: http://bulatlat.com/main/2011/12/22/not-a-merry-christmas-for-americans-europeans/

Pentagon under 24/7 DARPA surveillance

Pentagon under 24/7 DARPA surveillance

The Pentagon will soon be prying through the personal correspondence and computer files of US military personnel, thanks to a $9-million program that will put soldiers’ private emails under Uncle Sam’s microscope.

Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, or DARPA, has awarded the grant to five institutions led by Georgia Tech to help develop a system of spying on solderis’ Internet and computer habits, a multi-million dollar investment that they say will serve as a preemptive measure to make sure “insider threats” can’t materialize in the military..... MORE

Source:  RT.com

URL: http://rt.com/usa/news/pentagon-darpa-prodigal-email-537/

'For fair elections': Tens of thousands at Moscow biggest protest (VIDEO, PHOTOS)

'For fair elections': Tens of thousands at Moscow biggest protest (VIDEO, PHOTOS)

Just two weeks after the Russian capital saw its biggest opposition rally in nearly twenty years, Russians unhappy with the results of the December 4 parliamentary elections have gathered once again.

But this time, it's in even bigger numbers, with the hopes that their collective voice will be heard. They are coming together to protest against vote fraud – and to demand a new ballot..... MORE
Source:  RT.com

URL: http://rt.com/news/russia-elections-fraud-protests-543/

Nike sneakers frenzy as US police resort to pepper spray and arrests

Nike sneakers frenzy as US police resort to pepper spray and arrests 

A new brand of Nike basketball shoes has triggered shopping madness across the US complete with fights, arrests and even pepper spraying. It’s nothing new, though - “sneaker wars” involving mugging and even killing have broken out in the past.

­Fights erupted in queues across the nation for the new version Air Jordan XI Retro Concords, which went on sale at midnight on Friday. Thousands of people had been waiting in the cold for hours to grab the sneakers for $180. The sneakers are already on sale on eBay for more than $500..... MORE
Source:  RT.com

URL: http://rt.com/news/nike-us-sneakers-frenzy-591/

'Bayanihan' thrives in North Cotabato December 24, 2011, 9:32pm

'Bayanihan' thrives in North Cotabato

December 24, 2011, 9:32pm

COTABATO CITY (PNA) — An alliance of municipalities in North Cotabato's first district has intensified its "bayanihan" spirit and implemented infrastructure projects in underdeveloped villages.

The PALMA+PB — which stands for the initials letters of the towns of Pigcawayan, Aleosan, Libungan, Midsayap and Alamada plus Pikit and Banisilan — has pulled its resources and equipment to implement road development projects in 17 villages of Midsayap.....MORE

Source:  MB.com

URL: http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/345984/bayanihan-thrives-north-cotabato

Skip fireworks, donate money saved

Skip fireworks, donate money saved

By ELLALYN B. DE VERA

December 24, 2011, 3:21pm

MANILA, Philippines — An environment and health group on Saturday urged Filipinos to celebrate the holidays without firecrackers and fireworks, and instead channel the money saved to support disaster relief and rehabilitation work in storm-hit areas in the Visayas and Mindanao.

The Eco-Waste Coalition reiterated its call for “Iwas PapuToxic” as President Benigno S. Aquino III urged the people to let the thousands of grieving families devastated by Storm “Sendong” “feel they are not alone.”.... MORE

Source:  MB.com

URL: http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/345933/skip-fireworks-donate-money-saved

Peterson eyed as Pacquiao foe

Peterson eyed as Pacquiao foe

By NICK GIONGCO

December 24, 2011, 7:01pm

MANILA, Philippines — The short list of possible Manny Pacquiao opponents is starting to get longer.
Add the name of Lamont Peterson to the handful of guys drooling over the prospects of facing the Filipino superstar in mid-2012.

Even Pacquiao trainer Freddie Roach likes the idea of seeing Pacquiao face off with Peterson, who just recently upset touted British hero Amir Khan..... MORE

Source:  MB.com

URL: http://mb.com.ph/articles/345944/peterson-eyed-pacquiao-foe

Useful idiot’s autocratic mission DIE HARD III Herman Tiu Laurel 12/23/2011

Useful idiot’s autocratic mission

DIE HARD III

Herman Tiu Laurel

12/23/2011
BS Aquino III had wanted to impeach the Supreme Court (SC) Chief Justice (CJ) as far back as January, our informant tells us. Now, even the Senate President faces an ouster plot by a Liberal Party that wants to consolidate its hold on the upper chamber, with the last phase of the plan getting the Vice- President “boiled” in the proverbial “hot water.”

Eight demonstrably lame charges were raised against the CJ, such as his alleged “biased” decisions — despite the fact that SC decisions are collectively arrived at. What is indisputable is that this CJ ouster move would allow BS Aquino and his cohorts to appoint one of their own to the top post, such as (alleged Machiavellian) Justice Antonio Carpio of “The Firm” or Ma. Lourdes Sereno, a demonstrably biased magistrate for the ruling powers.

Our source, very high up in politics, was told in a visit to Malacañang last January — long before the Palace and its previous occupant figured in a “hold departure” imbroglio — that the maximum goal was to oust nine more SC justices. Why would Malacañang want this if the problem, as it is being made to appear, is simply the CJ (along with perhaps two of his associates)?

It should be clear by now that there is a bigger agenda to this impeachment: The replacement of as many sitting justices with BS Aquino’s appointees. Hence, the goal is full control of the SC, with justices beholden and compliant to the Executive. After this, there will be full control of the Senate; and an autocracy without a vice- president would soon follow.

Who could have thought of this? Like many of us, my informant does not think that either BS Aquino or his lieutenant is bright enough to conceive of such a plan. We are, of course, no stranger to PeNoy’s fecklessness throughout his stints in the House and the Senate; in his election campaign; and, now, his know-nothing, do-nothing presidency.

It is apparent that Renato Corona was speaking with more than just propaganda (or even Hacienda Luisita) in mind when he accused BSA III of fomenting a “dictatorship” — though I think by the time the VP is immobilized, the term “autocracy” would be more accurate. So, who could be so skillfully coaxing PeNoy into this direction and why?

Knowing the history of authoritarianism (of both President Marcos and Cory Aquino), we can only conclude that it is no one else but the US State Department.

Marcos kept Ambassador Henry Byroade on martial law plans, even as he had the brains to plan and carry it out all by himself. Cory, meanwhile, had her “revolution” and “revolutionary government” thanks to the US. BSA III’s candidacy was also conceived and run for him by the same forces that backed his mother. Kristie Kenney, the US envoy at that time, even appeared on national TV saying, “I wear Yellow,” in the run-up to the polls.

Later on, as PeNoy was in his first few months in office, one of his executives kept asking one of the Yellow veterans this question: “Has the US Embassy talked to you?”

When the executive no longer sought him for guidance, this Yellow veteran (who remains anonymous for now upon his request) then asked him about this and was told that the Palace was already in close touch with the Embassy.

Yes, the US State Department does micro-manage, especially when it’s a matter of national security — like when it micro-managed the transition from Marcos to Cory with the frenzied trips of Philip Habib and Stephen Solarz, or the earlier “snap election” TV interview with Nightline host, etc.

Marcos planned martial law from 1966 to the moment it was declared in 1972. While BSA III didn’t plan his mother’s death or his run for the highest seat, he did “win” after a confounded automated election system, which coincidentally used US-based Dominion Voting Systems software that faced many issues in New York’s elections.

With the gamut of social and economic challenges left unaddressed, BSA III curiously gives priority to his government’s conflict with the SC, as well as a foiled Senate shake-up. Amid this faltering governance, US State Department officials, namely, Hillary Clinton, seem to be more concerned with buttressing PeNoy’s “machismo” exertions on the South China Sea and “upgrading” Philippine naval assets with “junk” Hamilton cutters.

Last Nov. 17, Barack Obama declared before the Australian Parliament that the US will now “shift from the war on terrorism to economic and security challenges in the Asia-Pacific region,” as he deployed 2,500 US Marines to that country. Indonesia warned that such a ove will only spark tension and mistrust, on top of “irritating” China. It was then no accident that President Hu Jin Tao called on the Chinese Navy weeks later to “prepare for combat.”

All this is happening under a simmering new “cold war,” with Russia on the European front and us in the Pacific theater.

On Dec. 12, the little gun-loving PeNoy addressed the new Armed Forces chief “to shift the military’s focus from defending the country from internal threats to defending it from external (ones), particularly intruders… since the government’s separate peace negotiations with communist rebels and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) are moving forward.”

I have always wondered why communist leader JoMa Sison went to the Netherlands, and not Cuba or China, for exile; or why Ninoy coddled and Cory released him. Now, he is rumored to be coming home to sanctify another Aquino in order to cap off the political consolidation.

With the many rebellions supposedly ending, with the MILF soon happy with its territories (having permanent US bases), and with BSA III as their unifying leader, what could be the end game? Is it to unite the nation in a “holy war” against the intruder in the now dubbed West Philippine Sea; is it to nettle and consternate the enemy of the US while inviting devastation the way the Philippines did in World War II? Useful idiots all indeed!

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

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20111223com5.html

Indefinite detention and torture act arrives at White House

Indefinite detention and torture act arrives at White House

Legislation that will let President Obama and future leaders of America detain and torture Americans indefinitely has made it to the White House, where it is expected to be soon signed into law by the commander-in-chief.

The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012, of NDAA FY2012, was overwhelmingly approved by the House and Senate earlier this month. While the legislation indeed had its critics, the act was inexplicably missed by the mainstream media, who neglected to inform Americans of the dangerous blows to constitutional rights that will become a reality under the law..... MORE

Source:  RT.com

URL: http://rt.com/usa/news/torture-act-white-house-461/

Pentagon gets the go-ahead for offensive cyberwars

Pentagon gets the go-ahead for offensive cyberwars

Within the 680 pages of the Congress-approved National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012 are a lot of provisions that the American public might be peeved over if they could comb through all the contents.


In addition of establishing the ability for the president to detain and torture his own citizens indefinitely is also a tiny clump of text which will provide for the commander-in-chief to, once and for all, legally attack the enemies of America over the Internet..... MORE

Source:  RT.com

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/

Syria blames Al Qaeda for Damascus suicide blasts (w/ Video)

Syria blames Al Qaeda for Damascus suicide blasts

Two suicide car bombs apparently aimed at state security facilities rocked the Syrian capital on Friday leaving at least 40 dead and 100 wounded. The government dubbed the attacks “terrorist operations with involvement by al-Qaeda.”

RT’s Sara Firth, who has just returned from Damascus, says reports suggest the attacks might have been launched by an increasingly well-armed section of the opposition­.

Syrian officials took the Arab League observer group to the scene of the explosions in order to demonstrate that the violence in the country is, as they see it, the work of organized terrorist groups..... MORE\

Source:  RT.com

URL: http://rt.com/news/us-soldiers-suicide-combat-487/

US war woe: Suicide kills more soldiers than combat (w/ Video)

 US war woe: Suicide kills more soldiers than combat

When guns fall silent and ceasefires are agreed, wars live on in the minds of the men and women who fought them. And a killer still stalks them, more deadly than the enemies they once faced.

­Being in a conflict environment is killing US soldiers. But surprisingly, the biggest killers are not enemy combatants.

For the second year in row, more US soldiers killed themselves than were killed in combat. In 2010, 468 soldiers took their own lives, compared to 462 killed in fighting..... MORE

Source:  RT.com

URL: http://rt.com/news/us-soldiers-suicide-combat-487/

Urban poor slams Aquino veto of debt cap in 2012 budget

Urban poor slams Aquino veto of debt cap in 2012 budget

By INA ALLECO R. SILVERIO
Bulatlat.com
The country’s urban poor have one more reason to consider President Benigno an enemy of the poor: he vetoed a provision inserted by the House of Representatives into the 2012 national budget that would have forced the government to put a limit on borrowing funds from foreign sources. The removed provision would also have placed more stringent boundaries on spending for infrastructure and other government projects.

In reports, Budget Secretary Florencio Abad announced that Aquino used his executive prerogative to veto the imposition of a ceiling on public sector indebtedness. Aquino removed the provision before he signed the 2012 budget law December 15.

The said provision reads, “the total indebtedness of the national government and any of its agencies, offices, GOCCs, which carry the sovereign guaranty of the Republic of the Philippines, shall not exceed 60 percent of the latest GDP (gross domestic product).”

It further stated that any borrowing in excess of the ceiling requires prior consent from Congress.

Next year’s budget assumed a fiscal deficit of P286 billion ($6.65 billion) or 2.6 percent of the GDP. This is lower than 2011′s fiscal gap target of P300 billion ($6.97 billion) or 3 percent of GDP.

Abad justified the veto by saying that the public sector debt as of 2010 already stood at 73.3 percent of GDP which is beyond the 60-percent debt cap provision. He also said that the government will continue to utilize unspent funds from the 2011 budget that were originally intended for infrastructure-related projects that did not push through because of various considerations.

A budget obedient to the World Bank’s neo-liberal policies Malacanang’s reasoning, however, did not cut any ice with the Kalipunan ng Damayang Mahihirap (Kadamay). The group’s secretary-general Gloria Arellano said Aquino’s veto of the borrowing and spending limit provision is “A sign of the Aquino administration’s blind obedience to the neo-liberal policies and its thrust to continue borrowing from the World Bank (WB) and other multileral finance institutions.”.... MORE

Source:  Bulatlat.com

URL: http://bulatlat.com/main/2011/12/21/urban-poor-slams-aquino-veto-of-debt-cap-in-2012-budget/

Defense dep’t admits AFP ‘constricting’ plan exists By Mario J. Mallari 12/23/2011

Defense dep’t admits AFP ‘constricting’ plan exists

By Mario J. Mallari 12/23/2011

The Department of National Defense yesterday admitted the existence of the Defense Planning Guidance (DPG) but clarified that such is not meant to “constrict” the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP). Instead, the DND said, it is designed to synchronize and integrate military operations down at the area command level.
Interviewed by The Tribune, DND spokesman Peter Paul Galvez stressed that the DPG remains a plan and is still being studied under the “collaborative efforts” of the DND and the AFP.

“This is for planning purposes, it’s still under assessment. These are not final, these are just plans depending on the security assessment,” Galvez told The Tribune..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20111223hed2.html

Palparan surfaces, admits he’s in hiding, blasts DoJ 12/23/2011

Palparan surfaces, admits he’s in hiding, blasts DoJ

12/23/2011
Fugitive retired Gen. Jovito Palparan admitted yesterday that he was in hiding over a decision which he blamed on Justice Secretary Leila de Lima who Palparan claimed as being biased against him in connection with a twin abduction cases on which a warrant of arrest by Malolos Regional Trial Court (RTC) was issued against him.

In a message sent to a local radio, Palparan admitted that he was in hiding after the court ordered his arrest for kidnapping and illegal detention charges on two University of the Philippines students who until now have yet to surface.

“Yes, I am missing because she (De Lima) is messing up with my case,” Palparan said..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20111223hed3.html

IBP execs don’t know the law—Noy By Virgilio J. Bugaoisan and Benjamin B. Pulta 12/23/2011

CJ’S SPOUSE CRIES FOUL OVER REVIVED HARASSMENT RAPS

IBP execs don’t know the law—Noy

By Virgilio J. Bugaoisan and Benjamin B. Pulta 12/23/2011
Rattled by the support the legal community, more specifically, the Integrated Bar of the Philippines, for Supreme Court (SC) Chief Justice (CJ) Renato Corona, President Aquino, through his confrontational spokesman, yesterday slammed the IBP and its executives, virtually saying that the members of the lawyers’ group are legal ignoramuses and that the spokesman, who is also a lawyer, is the expert, not only in legal matters, but also the expert in interpreting the Constitution.

At the same time, both Aquino and his alter ego in the Justice department appear to have conspired against the CJ and his spouse, by suddenly reviving a year and a half old complaint filed against her, while the propaganda machine of the House prosecutors went on overdrive, charging that the CJ has been putting the pressure on private lawyers to desist from helping the congressmen-prosecutors’ in their impeachment case against Corona..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20111223hed1.html

Palace defends Hataman’s ARMM OIC appointment By Virgilio J. Bugaoisan 12/23/2011

Palace defends Hataman’s ARMM OIC appointment

By Virgilio J. Bugaoisan 12/23/2011

Malacañang on Thursday defended the appointment of Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao officer-in-charge Mujiv Hataman and dismissed the position of election lawyer Romeo Macalintal that this cannot take effect because the Supreme Court (SC) has yet to come up with a final ruling on the suspension of the ARMM polls and the appointment of OICs.

In a press briefing, presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said the SC has already lifted the temporary restraining order (TRO) on the appointment of ARMM OICs and even Court Administrator Midas Marquez has declared that there is no more any legal obstacle on Hataman’s appointment..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/nation/20111223nat1.html

9 killed, scores hurt in vehicular mishaps By Gina Peralta-Elorde 12/23/2011

9 killed, scores hurt in vehicular mishaps

By Gina Peralta-Elorde 12/23/2011

At least nine people were killed while undetermined numbers were reported injured in two separate vehicular accidents in Antipolo City and C-5 Taguig yesterday, police reports said.

Eight were confirmed dead in Antipolo and undetermined numbers were wounded when a truck slammed into a row of houses along Barangay Mambugan in Sumulong Highway.

Report said the truck’s brake malfunctioned causing to slam on the houses and undetermined numbers of people were hit, most of them were children who were pinned under the truck..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/nation/20111223nat3.html

LRT, MRT will operate on Christmas Day 12/23/2011

LRT, MRT will operate on Christmas Day

12/23/2011
Patrons of the Light Rail Transit Authority can still avail themselves of the Light Rail Transit and Metro Rail Transit (LRT/MRT) systems on Christmas Day, the LRT administration said yesterday.

In a statement, LRTA spokesman Hernando Cabrera said both rail systems will operate on Christmas Day, a Sunday, using the regular weekend schedule.

“Merong LRT at MRT operation on Dec. 25. For LRT, regular weekend schedule ang ipatutupad sa Dec. 25,” Cabrera said on his Twitter account..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/metro/20111223met3.html

Solon asks gov’t to block planned hike in water rates

By Charlie V. Manalo 12/23/2011

Bagong Henerasyon Rep. Bernadette Herrera-Dy yesterday asked the government to block the planned hike in water rates that could provide a gloomy start for 2012.

Describing the water rate increase as both unconscionable and unjustified, Herrera-Dy said Maynilad Water Services Inc. and Manila Water Corp. should not be allowed to “impose their will” on the public until they have justified the numerous unwarranted service adjustments in the past.

“We expect the two water concessionaires to cite contractual provisions to justify what appears to be an insatiable thirst for profit. But can we expect government, including the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System, to cite moral and legal justifications to quench the water consumers’ thirst for fairness?” Herrera-Dy said in a statement as she stressed that public interest requires government to step into the controversy..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/metro/20111223met1.html

Heroes of Filipino migrant workers honored

Heroes of Filipino migrant workers honored

By RONALYN V. OLEA
Bulatlat.com
MANILA – Then pastor of the United Methodist Church English Speaking (MCES) in Wanchai, Hong Kong, Bishop Solito Toquero witnessed the many hardships overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) faced in Hong Kong.

“There was one domestic helper who suffered a nervous breakdown. We brought her to the psychiatric ward of the hospital. Another was a victim of rape. We filed a case against the Chinese lawyer who was eventually detained, with the support of various churches,” Bishop Toquero said. “There were many detained migrant workers, not only Filipinos but also Indonesians. We campaigned for their release– Iraqis, Africans and citizens of other nations–who were imprisoned without reason.”
Along with his late wife Alegria, Bishop Toquero administered the Methodist Shelter for terminated and distressed domestic workers. From 1996 to 2001, he was also active in the prison ministry for migrant workers.
The good bishop is one of the recipients of the first ever Gawad Migrante, an award given by the Migrante International, a global organization of OFWs, to those who devoted their lives in championing the rights of Filipino migrants, especially the neglected and the abused.

Bishop Toquero, now co-chairman of the Ecumenical Bishops’ Forum and vice chairman of the National Council of Churches in the Philippines (NCCP), humbly received the award, saying: “I am surprised. I don’t think I already deserve this.”

When he was assigned as a resident bishop of the UMC- Manila Episcopal Area in 2001, Bishop Toquero initiated the ministry program for migrants. Even as he retired as a bishop in 2009, he has continued to support the activities of OFWs.

In her opening speech, Connie Bragas-Regalado, chairwoman of Migrante Sectoral Party, said they looked back at history and searched for the most deserving individuals and organizations. The awarding ceremony on Dec. 13 was part of the Migrante International’s 15th anniversary celebration.

Trailblazers 

The Migrante International found it appropriate to give posthumous awards to the pioneers of the Filipino migrant workers movement as early as the 1930s.

First to be recognized was Carlos Bulosan, author of the book America is in the Heart.
Born to a peasant family in Binalonan, Pangasinan, Bulosan grew up in poverty. To augment the family’s income, he decided to work in the United States. He arrived in Seattle in July 1930 at the age of 17, without money and at that time, could not speak English.

Migrante International chairman Garry Martinez and secretary general Gina Esguerra confer the posthumous award to Carlos Bulosan.(Photo by Ronalyn V. Olea / bulatlat.com)

Bulosan worked on the farm, in hotels and factories and experienced discrimination and difficulties. He joined unions, eventually becoming a union leader. When he got sick, he wrote his famous book, exposing the hardships and struggles of Filipinos and other migrant workers in the US. He died of bronchopneumonia on Sept. 11, 1956.
One of his descendants, Elizabeth Domaoal-Basanes, received the award.

Leaders of the 1965 Delano grape strike Larry Itliong and Philip Vera Cruz were also awarded the Gawad Migrante.

Itliong and Vera Cruz mobilized thousands of Filipino farm workers in Delano, California, then the lowest-paid workers. Eventually, Mexican-Americans joined, resulting in the formation of the United Farm Workers of America in August 1966. The strike lasted until 1970 and paved the way for a collective bargaining agreement with the table-grape growers, representing more than 10,000 farm workers.

Itliong served as assistant director of Agricultural Workers Organizing Committee, precursor of the UFW. Later, he became its national boycott coordinator. After the strike, Itliong served as president of the Filipino American Political Alliance, the first national political organization of Filipino-Americans in the US.
Itliong died in 1977 at the age of 63. In Carlson, California, Larry Itliong Day is celebrated every 25th of October, his birthday.

Tony Doroni of the National Alliance for Filipino Concerns (Nafcon-USA) accepted the award. Doroni met Vera Cruz in the 1990s in California. “As an organizer, I look up to Vera Cruz as my model,” he said.
Another union leader, Pedro Calosa, was also given the posthumous award. He led strikes of Filipinos in the plantations in Hawaii in 1924. After the strike, he was deported back to the Philippines. By 1929, he started organizing the Ilocano Colorum of peasants. He led the Tayug Uprising on January 11, 1931 against feudal exploitation. He was killed by state forces in 1967..... MORE

Source:  Bulatlat.com

URL: http://bulatlat.com/main/2011/12/22/heroes-of-filipino-migrant-workers-honored/

'US trajectory on Syria ‘a self-generating path to war' (w/ Video)

'US trajectory on Syria ‘a self-generating path to war'

Washington has once again slammed the Syrian regime, warning of new international measures unless it withdraws security forces from the streets. But a US-based political cartoonist says human rights are merely a cover for America’s real intentions.

­“I think we are going to look at the usual trajectory of ramping up the sanctions, trying to deny diplomatic recognition and cutting off all economic activity between Syria and US allies in the region,” Ted Rall told RT. “These things almost have a logical ramping up that you see in one crisis after the other. It’s almost like it’s a self-generating path to a future war, and it becomes even more pronounced at a time when the United States is winding down its involvement in Iraq.”.... MORE

Source: RT.com

URL: http://rt.com/news/syria-usa-war-rights-407/

Anti-SOPA activists find ways to keep the Internet free

Anti-SOPA activists find ways to keep the Internet free

As Americans ready for a legislation that will impose a government-sanctioned firewall over the Internet, the elite computer-literate hacktivists attacking the law are finding ways to circumvent the passing of SOPA.

If the House and Senate have their way, the Stop Online Privacy Act, or SOPA, will leave Capitol Hill soon and seemingly cloak the Internet with Congress-created blockades that will shun every user of the World Wide Web from a whole slew of content, including music, videos and, in a nutshell, knowledge. Under the legislation, violation will yield massive fines and imprisonment — all for such action as uploading videos to YouTube. While the legislation is being delivered as a way to deal with copyright infringement and piracy on the Web, the law itself will severely cut down the free-flow of information online and would make something as simple as singing karaoke a crime if the footage ever finds an audience on the Web.... MORE

Source:  RT.com

URL: http://rt.com/usa/news/internet-sopa-pipa-anonymous-377/

Inequality in modern-day America is worse than Ancient Rome

Inequality in modern-day America is worse than Ancient Rome

The 99 percent has found an ally 2,500 years in the past. It just so happens that it’s with those that found themselves in the Ancient Roman plebian and slave classes.

According to research done recently by historians Walter Schiedel and Steven Friesen, cited by Per Square Mile's Tim De Chant, the income inequality gap in modern day America is far greater than the separation within the societies during the days of Julius Caesar. During the Ancient Roman Republic, says the duo’s study published in Per Square Mile, the top one percent controlled 16 percent of society’s wealth. If you fire up the Delorean and go from the Diocletian Empire to twenty-first century USA, you’ll see that things are a little more uneven. Today, that one percent on top controls 40 percent of the country’s wealth..... MORE

Source:  RT.com

URL: http://rt.com/usa/news/inequality-ancient-percent-empire-287/

Outbreak: Man-made super-flu formula to be published?

Outbreak: Man-made super-flu formula to be published?

A man-made virus that could wipe out half humanity has been deemed a terrorist threat. And while the scientists behind the Frankenstein-flu hoped their research would help find a cure, critics fear they have developed the ultimate bio-weapon.

When virologist Ron Fouchier and his team of scientists first "mutated the hell out of” the H5N1 bird flu virus and presented their findings this past September, fear spread like contagion across the Internet.

But it is not just panic-prone bloggers who are up in arms about the latest virus..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://rt.com/news/super-flu-terrorist-threat-251/

Christmas (Part II) VIEWPOINTS Archbishop Oscar V. Cruz 12/22/2011

Christmas (Part II)

VIEWPOINTS

Archbishop Oscar V. Cruz

12/22/2011
Christmas does not only forward sublime truths but also bear practical realities. It is not only a propitious occasion for a big celebration but also a reason for serious reflection. This is not meant to take away the usual joys and delights brought about by Christmas — especially among the Filipinos. This is simply intended to call attention to the deeper significance of certain Christmas practices usually taken for granted by a good number of people — well meaning though they are.

Needless to say, Christmas being a most profound event with likewise most serious implications, quasi interminable as well as unfathomable facts can be readily invoked and pondered about in conjunction therewith..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20111222com6.html

DND chief’s plan to ‘constrict’ AFP bared By Charlie V. Manalo and Michaela P. del Callar 12/22/2011

MAJOR COMMANDS TO BE ABOLISHED AS NOY GOES ON SPRATLY’S WARPATH

DND chief’s plan to ‘constrict’ AFP bared

By Charlie V. Manalo and Michaela P. del Callar 12/22/2011

House Assistant Majority Leader and Davao City Rep. Karlo Alexei Nograles yesterday bared that the Department of National Defense (DND) is on the verge of an organizational experiment that will constrict the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) by abolishing many of its major commands, including its key civil military operations components.

President Aquino, at the same time, appears to be gearing up for war over the Spratlys, as the Philippines will be seeking a squadron or 12 F-16fighter jets from the United States.

Nograles said the DND should restudy this plan as this is absolutely counter-productive and runs counter AFP Internal Peace and Security Plan (IPSP) ‘Bayanihan’ which is the core of the Aquino administration’s reform program for the AFP..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20111222hed1.html

Palparan eludes arrest; gov’t orders manhunt By Benjamin B. Pulta and Virgilio J. Bugaoisan 12/22/2011

Palparan eludes arrest; gov’t orders manhunt

By Benjamin B. Pulta and Virgilio J. Bugaoisan 12/22/2011

With the police returning empty-handed after seeking to arrest retired Maj. Gen. Jovito Palparan in his residence, Justice Secretary Leila de Lima ordered a manhunt for Palparan and one of his men who remain at large in connection with the pending criminal charges against them for the abduction of two student-activists.

Speaking to newsmen, De Lima said “efforts to locate Palparan and (retired M/Sgt. Rizal) Hilario are thus far unsuccessful, hence I directed the NBI arresting team led by Region 3 chief Ric Diaz in coordination with PNP-CIDG to conduct manhunt operations against them.”.... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20111222hed4.html

Disease fears grow as ‘Sendong’ toll tops 1,000 12/22/2011

Disease fears grow as ‘Sendong’ toll tops 1,000

12/22/2011
Thousands of flood victims are at risk of water-borne diseases and infections, officials yesterday warned as the death toll rose above a thousand.

More than 44,000 people who have lost their homes and belongings are living in makeshift relief centers five days after tropical storm “Sendong” brought heavy rains, flash floods and overflowing rivers that swept whole coastal villages away in Mindanao, and officials fear the sites are potential breeding grounds for epidemics.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) put the death toll at 1,026 as more bodies were recovered yesterday in Lanao del Norte and Cagayan de Oro City in Northern Mindanao and warned it could climb further as victims swept out to sea began washing ashore, with some cadavers turning up nearly a hundred kilometers away..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20111222hed6.html

Noynoy brags on AFP reforms but fails to admonish PN’s profligate spending By Virgilio J. Bugaoisan 12/22/2011 President Aquino went on a bragging spree about the alleged reforms that he has instituted in the Armed Forces of Philippines but failed to censure Philippine Navy Flag Officer in Command Vice Admiral Alexander Pama for wasting government funds for a lavish Christmas Party at the posh Manila Hotel. Speaking during the 76th AFP Day at the AFP General Headquarters Grandstand in Camp Aguinaldo Quezon City, Aquino bandied about his “government’s unwavering support to the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) not only in terms of equipment modernization but also in providing their much-deserved benefits to buttress their efforts in defending the country and the Filipino people.”

Noynoy brags on AFP reforms but fails to admonish PN’s profligate spending

By Virgilio J. Bugaoisan 12/22/2011
President Aquino went on a bragging spree about the alleged reforms that he has instituted in the Armed Forces of Philippines but failed to censure Philippine Navy Flag Officer in Command Vice Admiral Alexander Pama for wasting government funds for a lavish Christmas Party at the posh Manila Hotel.

Speaking during the 76th AFP Day at the AFP General Headquarters Grandstand in Camp Aguinaldo Quezon City, Aquino bandied about his “government’s unwavering support to the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) not only in terms of equipment modernization but also in providing their much-deserved benefits to buttress their efforts in defending the country and the Filipino people.”.... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/nation/20111222nat3.html

Anakbayan youth group blames gov’t for Mindanao tragedy 12/22/2011

Anakbayan youth group blames gov’t for Mindanao tragedy

12/22/2011
The national youth group Anakbayan condemned President Aquino administration for its direct hand in the massive floods in Northern Mindanao which has taken the lives of thousand Filipinos.

The group also condemned in Aquino’s last Tuesday speech in Cagayan de Oro city for blaming the tragedy on the victims themselves in his effort to cool down the growing public outrage against his administration.

“We reiterate that it is the Aquino regime which is to be blamed for the tragedy. First, because Noynoy himself removed the funding for disaster preparedness in the 2011 national budget. Not a single centavo of the P5 billion ‘Calamity Fund’ went to Northern Mindanao or any other part in the country for that matter to do about natural disasters. Second, because he continued to allow massive ‘legal’ logging and mining to wreak havoc the environment. These are some of the causes for the denudation of our forests and mountains, which in turn lessens the capacity of our soil to absorb rainwater,” the group said..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/nation/20111222nat2.html

Customs authorities at NAIA on alert vs ‘bird flu’ virus By Conrado Ching 12/22/2011

Customs authorities at NAIA on alert vs ‘bird flu’ virus

By Conrado Ching 12/22/2011

Customs authorities at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport was ordered to closely monitor all arriving passengers from the former Crown Colony to prevent the entry of avian flu virus into the country following the announcement of Hong Kong authorities that they found a dead chicken at the city’s main wholesale market positive for the “bird flu” virus.

Deputy Collector for Passenger Services Thess Roque ordered all the Customs examiners at NAIA to be vigilant and inspect all belongings of incoming passengers, including cargoes arriving from Hong Kong and intercept all poultry products..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/metro/20111222met1.html

EcoWaste coalition calls for ‘Simpleng Pasko’ By Jason Faustino 12/22/2011

EcoWaste coalition calls for ‘Simpleng Pasko’

By Jason Faustino 12/22/2011

A citizens’ environmental watchdog yesterday gathered at Plaza Miranda in front of the Minor Basilica of the Black Nazarene in Quiapo, Manila to urge the public to celebrate Christmas sans extravagance and wastefulness in deference to the grave humanitarian crisis unfolding in Northern Mindanao.

The EcoWaste Coalition lighted candles and called for “Simpleng Pasko” (Simple Christmas) amid the heartrending devastation left by tropical storm “Sendong” in Mindanao that took the lives of over 1,000 people and left thousands mourning and homeless..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/metro/20111222met5.html

Groups hit Aquino gov’t's wrong priorities for disaster wrought by Typhoon Sendong

Groups hit Aquino gov’t's wrong priorities for disaster wrought by Typhoon Sendong

In his veto message on the 2011 national budget, President Aquino said the P5 billion calamity fund should be mainly used by the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) for “actual calamities” and not for “preparation of relocation sites/facilities, and training personnel engaged in direct disaster.”

By INA ALLECO SILVERIO
Bulatlat.com
The President was partying while Cagayan de Oro and Iligan homes were sinking.

This was the accusation leveled by Kabataan Party-list in the immediate aftermath of typhoon Sendong which killed hundreds and rendering thousands more homeless in Cagayan de Oro and Iligan. The group said President Benigno Aquino III was “partying” as the typhoon wrought its damage.

Late on Saturday night, December 17, actress and television host Valerie Concepcion tweeted about performing in a Malacañang party where President Aquino allegedly laughed at her jokes and enjoyed her performance.

“Done w/ work.. Tnx for having me.. It was nice to see Pres. P-Noy laughing at my jokes & enjoying my performance..ü #Malacañang #PSGNight,” Concepcion tweeted.

The twitter post, which quickly spread across various social networking sites, generated criticism against Aquino who was accused of being insensitive for partying as thousands of Filipinos in Mindanao were locked in a life and death struggle against rising flood waters.

Athena Gardon, deputy secretary general of Kabataan Party-list, said that as head of state, Aquino should have been at forefront of efforts to aid Northern Mindanao and that the least he could have done is to forego the party..... MORE

Source:  Bulatlat.com

URL: http://bulatlat.com/main/2011/12/21/groups-hit-aquino-govts-wrong-priorities-for-disaster-wrought-by-typhoon-sendong/

Mothers of the disappeared call for people’s manhunt vs Palparan

Mothers of the disappeared call for people’s manhunt vs Palparan

 
“We call on the Filipino people to help us prosecute Palparan for the crimes he did to our children and to other victims of enforced disappearances.” – Mrs. Concepcion Empeño, mother of missing UP student Karen.
By RONALYN V. OLEA
Bulatlat.com

MANILA – The mothers of the two missing University of the Philippines (UP) students called on the public to participate in the people’s manhunt against retired Gen. Jovito Palparan Jr.

Palparan, then commander of the 7th Infantry Division of the Philippine Army, was implicated in the abduction of Karen Empeño and Sherlyn Cadapan on June 26, 2006 in Hagonoy, Bulacan. On Monday, the Bulacan Regional Trial Court Branch 14 issued a warrant of arrest against Palparan and three other military men. This came days after the Department of Justice (DOJ) issued a resolution finding probable cause in charges of kidnapping filed by the mothers of the victims.

Palparan and one of his men, Master Sergeant Rizal Hilario, remain at large. Two of the accused, Col. Felipe Anotado and Staff Sergeant Edgar Osorio have surrendered to the authorities.

“We call on the Filipino people to help us prosecute Palparan for the crimes he did to our children and to other victims of enforced disappearances,” Mrs. Concepcion Empeño, mother of Karen, said in a press conference this morning.
Mrs. Erlinda Cadapan, mother of Sherlyn, issued the same appeal. “To all our compatriots, to all citizens, we now know who the human rights violators are. We ask your help, if civilian arrest is not possible, please report to the authorities the whereabouts of Palparan,” Mrs. Cadapan said.
Four days after the DOJ resolution, Palparan tried leaving the country for Singapore but was prevented by immigration officials.

Also speaking at the press conference, Mrs. Edita Burgos, mother of another missing activist Jonas Burgos and chairwoman of Desaparecidos, hailed the person who called the attention of immigration officials to prevent Palparan from leaving.

Mrs. Concepcion Empeño (left) and Mrs. Erlinda Cadapan, mothers of the missing UP students, call on the public to help them bring Gen. Jovito Palparan to justice.(Photo by Ronalyn V. Olea / bulatlat.com)

“This is a good example of how we could win, if only we help one another. Let us get involved. Let us help. We have to do what is right…,” Mrs. Burgos, also convener of End Impunity Alliance, said. “If we do nothing, we side with evil. We will sin by omission. We cannot do this alone. We need more help and prayers.”

Mrs. Burgos said if only those who witnessed the abduction of his son on April 28, 2007 interfered, Jonas would not have been disappeared. “Now is your chance to help. If you see this face, or if you have any information about this person, please call 4342837 or text me at 09177476131 and tell us where we can find Palparan,” Mrs. Burgos said.....MORE

Source:  Bulatlat.com

URL: http://bulatlat.com/main/2011/12/21/mothers-of-the-disappeared-call-for-people%E2%80%99s-manhunt-vs-palparan/

In Libya, death and disappearance still stalk the land (w/ Video)

In Libya, death and disappearance still stalk the land

People are vanishing in broad daylight in Libya, as the country’s new rulers continue to settle accounts with their opponents. Widespread insecurity means the families of the kidnapped can do no more than hope that their loved ones are still alive.

­Libya’s conflict is over, and the man who stood in the way of Western-style democracy is dead. Yet atrocities against Muammar Gaddafi’s loyalists continue. The images emerging from Libya are disturbing.

Against this distressing background, Russia is demanding a probe into civilian casualties in Libya caused by NATO bombings..... MORE

Source:  RT.com
 
URL: http://rt.com/news/libya-militia-murder-loyalists-303/

Manning trial a prelude to Assange’s extradition to US?

Manning trial a prelude to Assange’s extradition to US?

Military officials have introduced evidence into the pre-trial hearing against alleged WikiLeaks contributor Bradley Manning with the whistleblower site’s mastermind Julian Assange.

While a tie between the two would allow the prosecution to pursue Private First Class Manning’s alleged suspected involvement in sending Assange top-secret military files, it could finally give the US a reason to extradite the WikiLeaks’s runner to the States.

American authorities have long attempted to tackle Assange for his role in WikiLeaks, a website that the US government insists has aided the enemy by publishing files that would otherwise be left for only a few Army intelligence personnel to see.... MORE

Source:  RT.com

URL: http://rt.com/usa/news/manning-us-assange-wikileaks-297/

New riot shields will suffocate protesters with sound waves

New riot shields will suffocate protesters with sound wavesTRatg

Law enforcement can already beat protesters with batons, spray subversive chemicals into their eyeballs, shoot rubber bullets at a speed of around 100 yards-per-second and blast deafening sound bursts.

Why, then, shouldn’t they be stop a person from breathing?

That’s the very question that Raytheon, the defense contractor and missile manufacturer that’s long-time pals with the Pentagon, seems to think it can answer with one new piece of protester-proof riot gear..... MORE
Source:  RT.com

URL: http://rt.com/usa/news/raytheon-riot-sound-shield-295/

CIA won’t disclose involvement in OWS crackdowns

CIA won’t disclose involvement in OWS crackdowns

With demonstrators suspecting governmental assistance in the crackdowns clobbering Occupy Wall Street encampments, the CIA is trying to distance itself from divulging any incriminating evidence regarding their role in the raids.

The Partnership for Civil Justice (PCJF), a Washington DC-based civil rights group, filed a Freedom of Information Act request last month to see what role, if any, the CIA has had in the brutal raids of OWS encampments that have left thousands jailed and droves of demonstrators beaten, in some instances ending up in intensive care. Now after reviewing the request to publically release any information, the Agency is scoffing at the PCJF, who in turn is calling this “a classic case of CIA-double speak” used to hide its involvement..... MORE

Source:  RT.com

URL: http://rt.com/usa/news/cia-occupy-foia-ows-291/

Preemptive strike C.R.O.S.S.R.O.A.D.S Jonathan De la Cruz 12/21/2011

Preemptive strike

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

Jonathan De la Cruz

12/21/2011
Before we lambast P-Noy and other key officials responsible for government’s seeming unpreparedness and lack of coordination bordering on nonchalance before, during and after the worst flooding which visited Mindanao and parts of the Visayas some days back, we would like to call on all people of goodwill to lend a helping hand for the fast and immediate relief of thousands of our countrymen in Cagayan de Oro, Iligan, Dumaguete and other areas devastated by Typhoon “Sendong.” We cannot overemphasize the fact that we need all hands on deck in these critical times.

Any help, especially of the most basic things such as food, water, clothes, medicines, blankets, body bags and the like would be more than appreciated. The devastation is such that the local governments cannot simply cope with the situation. So, before things get even worse or out of hand there should be a concerted effort to stabilize matters fast..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20111221com4.html

UN to Noy: Address root causes of tragedy By Michaela P. del Callar 12/21/2011

BISHOPS, SOLON HOLD AQUINO, OFFICIALS ACCOUNTABLE FOR CRIMINAL NEGLECT

UN to Noy: Address root causes of tragedy

By Michaela P. del Callar 12/21/2011

Lessons should be learned from such a tragedy that struck northern Mindanao and immediate steps must be taken to improve disaster mangement practices to avoid a repeat of such a massive tragedy, the United Nations said yesterday.

Catholic bishops as well as a congressman also said that government officials responsible should be held liable for such a tragedy as tropical storm “Sendong” that as of the latest count has claimed 1,000 lives and still counting.

The Philippines should learn from the recent tragedy where at least 1,000 people were feared to have been killed and the leadership should take immediate steps to improve its disaster management practices to prevent another catastrophe of such magnitude, the UN said yesterday..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20111221hed1.html

Bulacan RTC issues arrest warrant against Palparan 12/21/2011

Bulacan RTC issues arrest warrant against Palparan

12/21/2011
A Malolos, Bulacan regional trial court has ordered the arrest of embattled former Army Maj. Gen. Jovito Palparan and three of his men in connection with the abduction of two University of the Philippines (UP) student activists, five years ago.

The arrest warrants were issued by Malolos City, Bulacan RTC Branch 14 Judge Teodora Gonzales against Palparan, Army Staff Sergeant Edgardo Osorio, Lt. Col. Felipe Anotado of the 25th Infantry Battalion (IB) and retired M/Sgt. Rizal Hilario of the 24th IB.

Palparan and his men were charged last week with two counts of kidnapping and serious illegal detention before the sala of Judge Gonzales for the disappearance of Sherlyn Cadapan and Karen Empeo..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20111221hed3.html

3 days, 1,000 rotting bodies after, Noy visits crisis area By Virgilio J. Bugaoisan 12/21/2011

3 days, 1,000 rotting bodies after, Noy visits crisis area

By Virgilio J. Bugaoisan 12/21/2011
It took three days and more than 1,000 lost lives discovered before President Aquino was able to make it to the areas ravaged by tropical storm “Sendong” and it looks like he is also taking his sweet time before actually signing a proclamation declaring a state of national calamity to ensure the swift delivery of government aid and reconstruction effort.

Although Aquino has announced that he will declare a state of national calamity in areas in the Visayas and Mindanao, it appeared that he did so as a mere reaction to the devastation and the human agony that he witnessed upon setting foot in Cagayan de Oro City, one of the areas that saw the wrath of Sendong.

“We will be declaring a state of national calamity…we will be assisting not only Cagayan de Oro, Iligan City but also Negros Oriental and Iloilo,” Aquino said at a press briefing in Cagayan de Oro City..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20111221hed2.html

Disaster council braces for flash floods, landslides 12/21/2011

Disaster council braces for flash floods, landslides

12/21/2011
The Regional Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (RDRRMC) region 2 has alerted all local disaster council to brace for any eventuality, especially flash floods and landslides caused by the continuous downpour of heavy rains in the region.

Council Chairman Norma Talosig advised all provincial, municipal and barangay disaster risk reduction management councils to prepare all the necessary equipment, food and non-food items for the evacuees..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/nation/20111221nat3.html

Party-list expels solon member for reneging on term-sharing pact By Charlie V. Manalo 12/21/2011

Party-list expels solon member for reneging on term-sharing pact

By Charlie V. Manalo 12/21/2011

A party-list group has dropped from its membership rolls its representative in the Lower House after reneging on a term-sharing agreement with the group’s second nominee.

In its letter to House Speaker Feliciano “Sonny” Belmonte dated Dec. 15, Ating Koop Party-list bared that the central committee of the nationwide cooperatives movement is replacing Rep. Isidro Lico with Roberto Mascarina, the group’s second nominee.

“This is pursuant to a Resolution adopted by the party expelling Mr. Isidro Lico from the party and directing Mr. Roberto Mascarina to assume the position vacated by Mr. Lico as the party representative in Congress,” Ating Koop secretary general Romeo Candazo stated in their letter..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/nation/20111221nat1.html

Businessman’s killer sentenced to 12 years, 1 day in prison 12/21/2011

Businessman’s killer sentenced to 12 years, 1 day in prison

12/21/2011
A man has been found guilty by a Quezon City trial court judge for shooting dead a businessman and injuring a police officer six years ago.

At the same time, Edgar Aldamar was ordered to pay the family of Christian Lomugdang P50,000 for actual damages and another P50,000 for moral damages for the victim’s death.

In a three-page order, QC Regional Trial Court’s Branch 221 Assisting Judge Genie Gapas-Agbada sentenced Aldamar to a prison term of six years and one day to 12 years and one day for homicide..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/metro/20111221met3.html

Caloocan gov’t, local police join forces to stop sale of ’crackers By Arlie O. Calalo 12/21/2011

Caloocan gov’t, local police join forces to stop sale of ’crackers

By Arlie O. Calalo 12/21/2011

The Caloocan City government and the local police have joined forces in a bid to stop the peddling and use of illegal firecrackers which pose a serious threat to residents, especially the youth.

In a directive, Mayor Enrico “Recom” Echiverri specifically ordered city police chief Senior Supt. Jude Wilson Santos to take the necessary measures to ensure the full implementation of the campaign.

The mayor’s order was based on the Department of Health’s nationwide effort to reduce the number of firecracker victims, particularly during the upcoming Christmas and New Year revelry..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/metro/20111221met4.html