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Villar orders arrest of Bolante

Breaking news:

Senate President Manuel Villar has ordered the arrest of former Undersecretary Jocelyn “Joc-joc” Bolante upon his arrival at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport. He is expected to arrive tomorrow late evening, Northwest Airlines flight 71.

Villar’s statement:

I issued an instruction to Gen. Jose Balajadia Jr., the Senate Sergeant-at-Arms, to implement the arrest warrant issued by the Senate in December 2005 against former Agriculture Usec. Jocelyn “Joc-Joc” Bolante for the failure to attend the public hearings of the Committees on Agriculture and Food and Accountability of Public Officers and Investigations (Blue Ribbon) on the P728 million Fertlizer Fund Scam.

The arrest order, which I signed as vice chairman of the Agriculture Committee, is still valid. To argue that the citation for contempt or arrest order approved by the Senate had lapsed automatically with the adjournment sine die of the 13th Congress would result in an absurd situation where a person held in contempt would just ignore and evade the Senate order until the adjournment of the session.

Personnel from the Office of the Sergeant-at-Arms will be dispatched at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal I. They have a specific instruction to arrest Bolante on sight and bring him to the Senate.

Government ignores legal issues, pushes Diwalwal projects

By Ellen Tordesillas and Chit Estella
Vera Files

Government is pushing through with plans to parcel out the controversial gold rush site in Diwalwal, Compostela Valley province to various foreign mining companies, despite the tangle of unresolved legal issues that are threatening to fuel a potentially explosive situation.

On Oct. 14, government accepted letters of intent from mining firms to develop the Upper Ulip-Paraiso portion of Diwalwal consisting of 1,600 hectares. On top of this, there is an existing Memorandum of Understanding between the government and the Chinese firm Zhongxing Technology Equipment (ZTE) to explore and mine a still undisclosed part of Diwalwal

Rotarian to Rotarian

Please find in comments the statement of Prof. Harry Roque on Bolante’s return. .

When former Agriculture Secretary Jocelyn “Joc-Joc” comes back this week, he will have the rare opportunity to help in the cause of truth, justice and democracy in the country.

He can take up the challenge and tell the truth how he executed the crime of stealing from the poor farmers at least P728 million alloted to buy fertilizer and using the money to underwrite the vote buying and cheating of Gloria Arroyo in the 2004 elections. By doing so, he will help in cleansing the system of corrupt elements. He would be doing the Filipino people great service.

Or he can continue hiding in the darkness of the crime. In so doing, he will always be living in fear because as long as he is there, he will always be a threat to the masterminds and their accomplices.

Paano kung kumanta si De la Paz?

Sa hearing tungkol sa Euro generals na isinagawa ng Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs na pinangungunahan ni Sen. Miriam Santiago, maraming binanggit na batas at order ni Gloria Arroyo na nilabag raw ng Philippine National Police sa kanilang delegasyon sa Interpol conference sa Russia.

Isa na doon ang order ni Arroyo na tigilan na ang pagaaral, training of pagdalo sa mga conference sa ibang bansa maliban lamang kung ito ay hindi gastos ng pamahalaan.

Sa 77th Interpol conference sa Russia 17 ang dumalo galing sa Pilipinas. Tatlo galing sa Bureu of Immigration, lima galing sa National Bureau of Investigation, at siyam ang galing sa PNP. Gastos lahat ng sambayanang Pilipino.

Yano’s “no action”

Last Monday, Trial Judge Advocate Col. Feliciano Loy told the court martial trying the 28 officers accused of mutiny in connection with the February 2006 alleged plan to withdraw support from Gloria Arroyo following the revelation of the “Hello Garci” tapes, that had AFP Chief of Staff Alexander Yano approved their recommendation, the accused would have been very happy.

That was unusual because as head of the prosecution panel, it’s Loy’s job to make life difficult for the accused. And he performed that job well in the almost three years of trying the case, which is now in the pre-trial stage. The minor cases of conduct unbecoming of an officer and gentleman and conduct prejudicial to good order and military discipline have been dropped after two years without arraignment of the accused.

But it turned out that beneath Loy’s belligerent demeanor is a desire to correct injustice brought on the officers who only did what they have sworn to do as a soldier.

Dolyar ang tinitingnan

Sa Taiwan, si Nemecia Armia, 39 -na-taong gulang na titser, ay naghihintay sa bilangguan ng kanyang kamatayan.

Si Armia ay nahatulan ng kamatayan sa pamamagitan ng baril noong Sept. 12, 2007 sa salang pagpatay sa isang Chiu Maiyun sa pamamagitan ng pagsaksak. Itinanggi ni Armia na siya ang pumatay. Na frame up lang daw siya kahit na inamin niyang ginamit niya ang ATM ng biktima sa pag-withdraw ng cash at may knalaman siya sa pagtapon ng katawan.

Sabi niya ang pumatay talaga ay nangangalang Mr. Chang at Mr. Wu. Tinakot daw sila ng kanyang boyfriend na si David Fillion kaya sinunod ang kanilang utos na magwithdraw sa ATM gamit ang card ng namatay at ang pagtapon ng katawan noon. Wal;ong buwan pagtapos nangyari ang krimen, bumalis sa Amerika ang boyfriend ni Armia at nagpakamatay.

De la Paz says sorry for “lapse”

by Raymond Africa
Malaya

Former comptroller Director Eliseo dela Paz arrived yesterday from Moscow, saying he will take full responsibility for failing to declare 107,000 euros (around P6.9 million) to Russian customs authorities.

Dela Paz offered no excuses.

“I regret having been remiss in my obligations as a departing visitor in Russia in inadvertently failing to report to airport authorities the amount of cash in my possession at that time,” he said.

Dela Paz clarified the money “was the cash advance for the use of the PNP delegation to the 77th Interpol General Assembly in Saint Petersburg.”

Nasilaw ang Ombudsman sa Cebu lamppost

Nagpapatawa itong Ombudsman.

Imbestigahan daw nila itong mga Euro generals lalo pa si Gen. Eliseo de la Paz na nahulihan sa Moscow na may dalang 105,000 euros (P6.9 million), lampas sa limit na pwedeng dalhin (mga 7,300 euros o $10,000) palabas ng bawat taong umaalis papuntang ibang bayan.

Sabi ni Assistant Ombudsman Mark Jalandoni, aalamin daw nila kung pera ng gobyerno o sariling pera ni De la Paz. Kung sarili raw pera ni De la Paz, imbestigahan raw kung saan galing ang ganyang napakalaking pera.

Prosecution recommends dropping of mutiny charges

Col. Ariel Querubin Col. Januario Caringal

Col. Orlando de Leon Col. Armando Bañez

by Victor Reyes

THE chief prosecutor in the court martial of 28 military officers implicated in the supposed plan to overthrow the Arroyo government in February 2006 yesterday said he has recommended to AFP chief Gen. Alexander Yano the dropping of the mutiny charges against almost half of the accused.

At the resumption of the trial against the officers, chief prosecutor Col. Jose Feliciano Loy however said Yano did not approve or deny the recommendation. He did not say when he made the recommendation or exactly how many officers he recommended for “nolle prosequi.”

“I made a lengthy communication to the convening authority (Yano). Had the convening authority approved it, the charges against half of the accused would have been withdrawn at this point. But the recommendation was returned without action,” said Loy.