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Month: January 2012

The Global Call to Action Against Cancer

Will the Philippines respond and Move As One?

By Cecilia Llave,MD.

Cecilia Llave
Traditional view holds that infectious diseases cause more deaths than cancer does. Recent findings have shown this to be false.

Researchers Colin D. Mathers and DejanLoncar, in a study funded by the World Health Organization and published in 2006, have found that it is cancer, not infectious diseases, that has been killing more people worldwide.

They observed that in 2002, infectious diseases – HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria – altogether killed 5.3 million people. Cancer, however, well exceeded this, accounting for some 7.2 million deaths worldwide.

The number of cancer cases, moreover, is growing. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) noted that from 12.9 million worldwide in 2009, cancer cases in 2020 will reach 16.8 million – an enormous number of ill people that surpasses the entire population of Metro Manila by some 5 million more.

In the Philippines 82,468 people were diagnosed with cancer in 2010, according to the Philippine Cancer Facts and Estimates. That does not include Filipinos who had previously been diagnosed of the disease. During the same year, according to the estimate, nearly 52,000 Filipinos died due to the disease.

Protektado pa rin ng DOJ si Mancao

Habang ang atensyun ng madla ay nasa impeachment trial ni Chief Justice, may nangyayari sa Department of Justice.

Noong Huwebes, nang ina-nunsyo ni Justice Secretary Leila de Lima na itinalaga niya si Regional Prosecutor Nonnatus Caesar Rojas bilang officer-in-charge ng National Bureau of Investigation, kapalit ni Magtanggol Gatdula, ang pinatalsik ni Pangulong Aquino na hepe ng NBI, pumunta kaagad si dating Police Officer Cezar Mancao kay De Lima.

Sabi ng aming source, naka-confine daw sa isang kuwarto sa itaas ng NBI building si Mancao.

Si dating Police Senior Superintendent Michael Ray Aquino ay nakakulong sa NBI rin ngunit nasa ibaba naman.

Hindi na hinintay ni Mancao na arestuhin siya. Halatang tiwalang-tiwala si Mancao kay De Lima.

Unexplained or ill-gotten?

The prosecution’s clumsy preparation of the Articles of Impeachment against Chief Justice Renato Corona has caught up with them.

Last Wednesday, the impeachment court trying Chief Justice Renato Corona decided to reject the prosecution’s request to present evidence in relation to the alleged ill-gotten wealth of Chief Justice Renato Corona.

Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, acting as the impeachment court’s president officer, said:”This impeachment court has arrived at a decision in that caucus that this court will allow the introduction of evidence and impeachment on article 2 paragraph 2.2 and 2.3 but not the introduction of evidence of paragraph 2.4. And so parties must be guided accordingly,” Enrile said.

Pangmatagalan na impeachment trial

Thanks to yahoo.ph for photo

May basehan ang pag-alala ni Sen. Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan sa sinabi ng prosecution na sobra isang daan daw ang bilang ng witnesses na kanilang i-presenta sa impeachment trial ni Chief Justice Renato Corona.

Sabi ni Pangilinan, na miyembro ng Liberal Party at ka-alyado ng administrasyong Aquino, “Kung seryoso sila (ang prosecution) na ipresenta ang lahat na witness, matatagalan itong trial.”

Sabi ni Pangilinan, sa unang dalawang linggo ng impeachment trial, anim na witnesses na ang naisalang sa witness stand. “Kung ganito ang takbo ng trial, aabutin ng sampung buwan ang isang daan na witnesses.”
Prosecution witnesses lang yan. May sariling witnesses rin ang defense.

May matutunan tayo sa buhay ni Iggy Arroyo

Thanks to the Inquirer for photo.
Nakakalungkot ang pagkamatay ni Rep. Ignacio “Iggy” Arroyo (fifth district, Negros Occidental), ang nakakabatang kapatid ni Mike Arroyo na asawa ni Gloria Arroyo.

Ayun sa balita, ang kanyang kasama sa buhay ngayon na si Grace Ibuna lang ang kanyang kasama sa ospital sa London nang binawian siya ng buhay.

Nang pumutok ang isyu tungkol sa pagbenta ni Mike Arroyo sa Philippine National Police ng gamit na helicopter sa presyo ng bago, ininterbyu si Iggy sa TV at doon nalaman na nasa London pala siya at nagpapagamot dahil sa sakit sa atay (cirrhosis of the liver). Payat nga siya.

May kuneksyun ba ang kaso ni Gatdula at Mancao?

Gatdula and De Lima
Nagkataon lang kaya o may kuneksyun ang pagtanggal kay Director Magtanggol Gatdula ng National Bureau of Investigation sa kanyang pwesto at ang desisyun ng Manila Regional Trial Court (Branch 18) na manatili ang dating opisyal ng pulis na si Cezar Mancao II bilang akusado sa kaso ng pagpatay sa publicist na si Salvador “Bubby” Dacer at ang kanyang driver na si Emmanuel Corbito?
Mancao accompanied by then NBI Director Nestor Mantaring
Marami sa mga reporter na nagtatrabaho sa Japanese media ang nagtataka kung bakit pinatulan ni Justice secretary Leila de Lima ang paratang ng Haponesang si Noriyo Ohara na kinidnap daw siya at kinikilan ng mga ahente ng NBI kasama si Gatdula.

Alam daw kasi ng mga opisyal ng Japanese Embassy na may kuneksyun ni Ohara sa mga hindi kanais-nais na mga grupo sa Hapon at hindi malaman kung alin sa mga sinasabi niya ay totoo. Noong taon 2009 pa raw dito sa Pilipinas ngunit noong Oktubre 29, 2011 siya hinuli ng mga ahente ng NBI sa Pangasinan sa bahay ng ‘handler’ niya dito.

Itong handler niya, kilala ang isang media man na may kuneksyun sa mga taga DOJ.

Gatdula axed as NBI Director

President Aquino said he has lost trust on NBI Director Magtanggol Gatdula. He is president and he has every right to fire anybody whom he no longer trusts.

But there must be competent way to do it.

After the Department of Justice implicated NBI Director Magtanggol Gatdula in kidnapping and extortion, here comes the DOJ Undersecretary Francisco Baraan saying they didn’t make any conclusion.

Take a look at the letter Justice Secretary Leila de Lima sent to the Ombudsman. She can’t decide who she is sending the letter to.

Please click on photo to view it enlarged

‘Beyond my competence’

Kris Aquino's competence

The quote for this week should be: “It’s not within my competence.”

That was what Supreme Court Clerk of Court Enriquita Vidal told the Senate-turned-impeachment court when she was still in a dilemma whether to comply with the trial court’s order to produce the Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Networth of Chief Justice Renato Corona.

A variation of it, “It’s not within the competence of the witness,” was former Associate Justice Serafin Cuevas’ constant protest when prosecution lawyers would ask records custodians-witnesses to comment on the veracity of the contents of the documents that they were merely told to bring to the impeachment court.

Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda also said, “It is not within my competence.”