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The people’s fury

Published by Ellen on February 15, 2009

Never mind Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile and Sen. Miriam Santiago. We know them to be allies of Gloria Arroyo (or whoever will serve their interest).

But it was painful to see Sen. Aquilino Pimentel, who fought the Marcos tyranny and was a victim of electoral cheating, spouting the same line as Enrile and Santiago putting the pressure on the World Bank, which exposed the rigging of bids in the public works it finances, instead of Finance Secretary Gary Teves and Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez who, by their non-action, protected Gloria Arroyo, Mike Arroyo and other crooks named in the WB report.

I texted Sen. Pimentel telling him of my disappointment about his role in last Thursday’s Senate hearing and this was his reply:

“Sorry, dear Ellen, for creating the misimpression. That’s the last I’d do: protect GMA and company.

Continue readingThe people’s fury

Palitan ang liderato sa Senado

Published by Ellen on February 14, 2009

Dapat siguro palitan na ang liderato sa Senado.Mukha ngang naisahan ng Malacañang sina Senador Ping Lacson, Mar Roxas, Jamby Madrigal nang tinanggal nila si Senate President Manny Villar at ipinalit si Senador Juan Ponce Enrile.

Para kasi makuha ang suporta ng mga kaalyado ni Gloria Arroyo sa pagtanggal kay Villar, pumayag sina Lacson na ibigay ang mga mahalagang committee sa mga kaalyado ni Arroyo. At nakikisama sila sa kanila.

Akala kasi nina Lacson na dahil itong sina Enrile at Santiago ay makasarili, kapag mabaho na si Arroyo, bibitawan nila. Hindi nila naiisip na kaya ni Arroyo magbigay ng hindi kayang ibigay ng iba para sa mga katulad nina Enrile at Santiago.

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Binaligtad na

Published by Ellen on February 11, 2009

Pare-pareho ang istilo nitong mga sangkot sa Alabang Boys na kontrobersiya. Kapag naipit binabaligtad ang totoo.

Di ba si John Resado ang prosecutor na nagkaroon ng P1.6 milyon sa araw na pinadismis niya ang kaso laban kina Richard Brodett, Joseph Tecson at Jorge Joseph ay gumawa ng kwento na sinubukan daw siyang suhulan ni Atty. Alvaro Lazaro ng Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency?

Ngayon ito namang sina Brodett sinabi sa independent (kuno) fact-finding committee na nagi-imbistiga sa napabalitang suhulan ng mga Alabang Boys ng mga prosecutors na hindi raw buy-bust operation ang nangyari noong Sptiembre 2008 nag nahuli sila.

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SC orders Smith placed under RP custody

Published by Ellen on February 11, 2009

Constitutionality of VFA affirmed

by Tetch Torres
Inquirer.net, Agence France-Presse

The Supreme Court has ruled that custody over convicted rapist Lance Corporal Daniel Smith should be transferred from US to Philippine authorities and ordered the Department of Foreign Affairs to negotiate the move.

While affirming the constitutionality of the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) that governs the military exercises between the two countries, the high court said the subsequent accord which Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo and US Ambassador to the Philippines Kristie Kenney signed and which granted the US custody over Smith was “in violation of the VFA.”

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Election stimulus

Published by Ellen on February 10, 2009

At a forum sponsored by the Catholic Media Network and the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines at Ilustrado yesterday Bertie Lim, executive director of the Makati Business Club and Vince Lazatin of the Transparency and Accountability Network expressed concern that despite the damning revelations in the World Bank report, corruption in the Arroyo government is not expected to diminish.

Lim said the public should be vigilant over how the Arroyo government spends the P330 billion stimulus package to alleviate the effects of the global financial crisis on Filipinos.

Lim took note that elections are 15 months away and politicians are known to be brazen in their fund raising for that exercise. In fact, in the investigation that World Bank conducted on the road projects that it was financing, a portion of the report stated, “The winner paid off politicians for election campaign funds.”

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Kabit-kabit na sabit

Published by Ellen on February 9, 2009

Sa hearing kahapon tungkol sa pagbagsak ng mga Legacy banks na pag-aari ni Celso de los Angeles na malapit kay Vice President Noli de Castro at House Speaker Prospero Nograles, inalam ni Rep. Rufus Rodriguez kung sino ang mga judges na nag-isyu ng temporary restraining order sa Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas sa kanilang imbestigasyon.

Pinangalanan si Lina Valenzuela ng Manila Regional Trial Court. Ganun din ang tatlong Court of Appeals justices na nagpatibay ng desisyon ni Valenzuela. Sila ay sina Justice Apolinario Bruselas, Jr., Bienvenido Reyes at Mariflor Punzalan Castillo.

Dahil sa kanilang TRO sa imbestigasyon ng BSP na ipinalabas noong Mayo 2008 at napabale wala lamang nang labas rin ng TRO sa kanilang TRO ang Supreme Court noong Nobiembre 2008, nakaloko pa ang mga bangko sa ilalim ng Legacy ng libo-libong depositors at nakakuha ng halagang P1.3 bilyon.

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The evils of drug abuse

Published by Ellen on February 8, 2009

Update: Rep. Roilo Golez raises questions on “independent” panel investigating Alabang Boys bribery case.

Please see under comments section.

I got a letter from a province mate, Restituto Tapacal, about the gang-rape and murder of a high school student which he said, “sent chills and shock to the peace loving people of Antique.”

Tapacal said the victim, a daughter of a prominent family in Antique was riding on a motorcycle with her boyfriend along the road in barangay Dalila early evening when a group of men hit them with a wooden club. “The boyfriend lost consciousness and the men grabbed the girl and brought her to ‘kampo”, an area adjacent to the police headquarters. The men took turns in raping her.”

While they were doing their evil acts, the girl’s cellphone rang. It was the girl’s mother asking where she was. One of the rapists even mocked the mother, telling her of what they were doing to her daughter, Tapacal related.

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Halatang-halata naman si Miriam

Published by Ellen on February 7, 2009

Related reports from Inquirer:

Update, Feb. 9,2009: Mike need not show up – Miriam


Senate won’t summon Mike Arroyo

Sa asal nina Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile at Sen. Miriam Santiago sa report ng World Bank tungkol sa kurakutan sa public works, napa-isip ako kung nakakabuti nga ba sa taumbayan ang pagtanggal kay Sen. Manny Villar bilang senate president na siyang nagbigay daan para ang mga senador na kaalyado ni Gloria Arroyo ngayon ang may kontrol ng pagpatakbo ng Senado.

Katulad nitong si Santiago, chairperson ng committee on economics na siyang nag-iimbistiga ng kurakutan sa DPWH base sa report ng World Bank na nag blacklist ng ilang construction company kabilang na ang E.C. Luna Corp, China Road and Bridge Corp ; China State Construction Corp, China Wu Yi Corp ; China Geo-Engineering Corp, Cavite Ideal International Construction and Development Corp. at CM Pancho Construction Inc. Halatang-halata naman na gustong protektahan ni Santiago ang mag-asawang Arroyo.

Kunwari nanggalaiti siya kina Public Works Secretary Hermogenes Ebdane at kay Eduardo de Luna, ang may-ari ng isang construction company na blacklisted ng World Bank. Ngunit nang binasa ni Senador Ping Lacson kay de Luna ang mga miting niya kay Mike Arroyo, hindi siya masyadong intresado. Half-day lang ang ginawa niyang hearing. Bitin tuloy.

Continue readingHalatang-halata naman si Miriam