Archive for September, 2010

Aquino scores in transparency

One good thing that can be said of the almost three-month old Aquino presidency is transparency. Sometimes, too transparent to a fault but openness is still better than keeping people in the dark. Aquino bungled big-time the Aug. 23 hostage crisis, wasted a lot of time trying to justify the bungling before finally doing something [...]

September 24, 2010  Tags: ,   Posted in: Benigno Aquino III, Foreign Affairs, Peace and Order  15 Comments

IIRC recommendations: only Lim cited for criminal sanction

Following are the recommendations of the Incident Investigation and Review Committee that investigated the Aug. 23 hostage tragedy. This was withheld when President Aquino released the fact-finding part of the report. The recommendations are being reviewed by the presidential legal panel headed by Executive Secretary Jojo Ochoa and Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Eduardo de Mesa. [...]

September 23, 2010  Tags:   Posted in: Peace and Order, Philippine National Police  23 Comments

Mayor Lim: miserably unrepentant

Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim has become a pathetic figure – a far cry from the anti-crime crusading character that earned for him the compliment “Dirty Harry”, the alias of the fictional character of San Francisco policeman, Harold Francis Callahan, played in several films by Clint Eastwood. IIRC recommended harshest sanction on Lim In recommending administrative [...]

September 22, 2010  Tags: ,   Posted in: Peace and Order, Philippine National Police  50 Comments

Showbiz ang hearing ng jueteng

Tungkol sana sa report ng Incident Investigation and Review Committee (IIRC) ang aking kolum ngayong araw at sinimulan ko na habang ako ay nagmu-monitor sa TV ng hearing sa Senado ng imbestigasyon sa jueteng. Aba, biglang narinig ko ang pangalan ni Gretchen Barretto . Mas interesante ito, sabi ko. Actually, hindi sangkot si Gretchen sa [...]

September 21, 2010  Tags: ,   Posted in: Peace and Order, Philippine National Police  29 Comments

Cruz names Puno and Versoza as jueteng coddlers

From ABS-CBN online Retired Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Oscar Cruz on Tuesday named Department of the Interior and Local Government Undersecretary Rico Puno and retired Philippine National Police chief Jesus Verzosa as the two Aquino officials who are receiving monthly jueteng payola. Puno, however, immediately denied the accusation and said his name is being smeared because he [...]

September 21, 2010   Posted in: Peace and Order, Philippine National Police  39 Comments

RP faces new tensions with China over Spratly

by Tessa Jamandre VERA Files EVEN before the diplomatic tension created by the Aug. 23 hostage crisis has subsided, President Beningo Aquino III will have to deal with another strain on the country’s relationship with China: the dormant yet sensitive issue of the contested Spratly Islands. The Spratlys dispute will be high on the agenda [...]

September 21, 2010  Tags: ,   Posted in: Foreign Affairs  25 Comments

Aquino orders review of IIRC recommendations

The IIRC report: http://www.gov.ph/2010/09/17/first-report-of-the-iirc-on-the-rizal-park-hostage-taking-incident/ or http://www.scribd.com/doc/37763943/20100917-IIRC-Report President Aquino today said he has ordered the review of the recommendations of the Incident Investigation and Review Committee (IIRC) to sanction 12 persons and three networks over the Aug. 23 hostage tragedy. Statement of the Foreign Ministry of China, Sept. 21, 2010 On 20 September 2010, the Chinese [...]

September 20, 2010  Tags: ,   Posted in: Benigno Aquino III, Peace and Order, Philippine National Police  105 Comments

Abby Tan: profile in courage

Here’s a video of Abby prepared by John Silva: files.me.com/jsilva79/jazq9h Last Saturday, I woke up to find a message from Maan Hontiveros that our friend Abby K.S. Tan passed away at 1:09 a.m. at St Luke’s Hospital in Bonifacio Global City. She said cremation is at 10 a.m. the same day at Heritage Park. When [...]

September 20, 2010  Tags:   Posted in: Health, Malaya  8 Comments

Coast guard trains ‘aspins’ to sniff bombs

by Khrysta Imperial Rara Vera Files Every day at 6:30 a.m., Pacman goes to his training area for a 30-minute run. Egged on by his trainer, he goes through his morning routine with the focus and determination of a top-seeded athlete. But this Pacman doesn’t spar with his coach. This Pacman chases his trainer around [...]

September 20, 2010  Tags: ,   Posted in: Vera Files  8 Comments

Makataong media para sa ina ni George Francis

Sana naman respetuhin ng media karapatan ng ina ni George Francis, ang sanggol na iniwan sa basurahan sa Gulf Air nong isang linggo, sa “privacy” o pag-iisa habang inaayos niya ang kanyang buhay. Sana naman sundin ng media ang paki-usap ng Department of Social Welfare and Development na huwag siya at ang kanyang pamilya pagpiyestahan. [...]

September 19, 2010  Tags:   Posted in: Labor  17 Comments