Following are scenes from today’s preliminary investigation of 51 persons, both military and civilian, accused of rebellion against Arroyo’s bogus presidency.
MGen. Renato Miranda. To his left, partly hidden is Col. Ariel Querubin
Six policemen yesterday came to the Malacañang Press Working Area to arrest Mia Gonzales, Malacañang reporter of Business Mirror and contributing reporter of Newsbreak.
The arrest was in connection with the libel suit against Gonzales filed by Mike Arroyo for an article Mia wrote in Newsbreak in June 2004 which mentioned the perception that Mike Arroyo is crooked and influences official decisions as problems facing Gloria Arroyo in her new term as president.
The strange thing about the warrant of arrest was, the respondents never received a resolution on the case. Newsbreak editor-in-chief Maritess Vitug said, “We deplore the shortcut of the judicial process.”
Gonzales did not report for work yesterday. Vitug said Gonzales will post bail tomorrow.
Sideswept by Atong Ang’s high-powered arrival last Friday was the testimony of the owner of the printing press that printed some of the official election returns that the ERs inside the ballot boxes in Congress are fake.
Robert Payongayong, manager of Ernest Printing, made the explosive revelation at the hearing of the Presidential Electoral Tribunal of the election protest of Loren Legarda, vice presidential candidate of the opposition Koalisyon ng Nagkaisang Pilipino against the proclaimed winner, Noli de Castro of the administration’s Koalisyon ng Karapatan at Karanasan sa Kinabukasan.
Payongayong said the ERs being kept under guard in Congress are “fake” but those submitted by the Commission on Elections and the National Movement for Free Elections were “genuine”.
Today, the Department of Justice will start the preliminary investigation on military officers and civilians accused of rebellion in connection with the February 24, 2006 activities.
The hearings will be at 10 a.m at the DOJ Multi-purpose building.
Among those accused are 21 military officers, two police officers, six retired military officers, 21 civilians and several John Does.
Included in the list are Brig. Gen. Renato Miranda; Brig. Gen. Danilo Lim; Col. Ariel Querubin; Col. Orlando de Leon; Col. Januario Caringal; Ct. Col. Armando Bañez; Lt. Col. Custodio Parcon; Lt. Col. Achilles Segumalian.
Also included amoing the accused are former Sen. Gregorio “Gringo” Honasan , and former UP President Franciso Nemenzo, whom they erroneously listed as “Prudencio ‘Dodong’ Nemenzo” apparently mixing him up with former president of the Polytechnic of the Philippines, Nemensio Prudente.
Nemenzo issued the following biting statement on today’s investigation:
I just opened my email and I got this message from a Daniel Perez with e-mail address: danie11aperez80@yahoo.com Mr. Perez’ message: What kind of death…
Halatang ni-nerbyus si Charlie “Atong” sa kanyang pagbalik sa Pilipinas noong Biyernes. Nakapusas siya, naka bullet-proof vest at guwardiyado ng mga armadong kalakihan.
Sa interview sinabi ni Atong na nagsisi raw siya na nakihalo siya sa pulitika na siyang sinisisi niya sa kanyang kinalalagyan ngayon. Paano yun ay pulitika rin ang paggamit sa kanya nina Gloria Arroyo at Ilocos Sur Governor Chavit Singson para idiin si dating Pangulong Estrada.
Ang away nina Erap, Chavit at Atong ay parang Mafia war o away ng mga gangster.
The Philippine Daily Inquirer reported today that Col. Januario Caringal, former deputy commander of the 2nd Marine Brigade, is in a critical condition after falling ill while in detention at Fort San Felipe in Cavite City.
Marine Spokesman Ariel Caculitan said Caringal was rushed to the Armed Forces of the Philippines Medical Center (former V. Luna Hospital ) in Quezon City on Nov. 3 and transferred to the hospital’s intensive care unit on Nov. 6. Doctors found him to be suffering from acute hepatitis B and hypertension.
Caringal with five other marine officers namely Col. Ariel Querubin, Col. Orlando de Leon, Lt. Col. Armando Bañez ,Lt. Col. Custodio Parcon, and Lt. Col. Achilles Segumalian were transferred to Fort San Felipe from the Marine Custodial Center in Fort Bonifacio past midnight of Oct. 29 upon orders of AFP Chief of Staff Hermogenes Esperon who cited intelligence reports of a plan to spring Querubin from prison.
This is lawyer Harry Roque’s report on the trial of former Agriculture Undersecretary Jocelyn “Joc-Joc” Bolante:
As expected, Joc-Joc Bolante filled the Chicago Immigration Courtroom with falsehood and lies. While he initially reiterated matters which he mentioned in his affidavit when he was apprehended in LA, such as, that he had a valid US visa and that he did not get any of the two letters sent to him by the US emvbassy in Manila about his visa revocation; he nonetheless submitted that he was a victim of political persecution on the part of the Philipine Senate.
In all power struggles, there are behind- the-scene tales of corruption and sex scandals.
Sometime last week of October, a young cabinet member of Gloria Arroyo met with an opposition senator with explosive information about the love affair of another senior cabinet official and a female member of the Consultative Commission formed by Gloria Arroyo to recommend revisions to be made in the Constitution.
The information from the cabinet member allegedly contained details of what had been talked about in coffee shops and passed around in text messages. In fact, a short item came out in www.uniffors.com, the blog of the underground group of foreign service employees, last Sept. 27, 2006.
Ang isa sa dahilan kung bakit nanatili si Gloria Arroyo sa Malacañang kahit marami ang galit sa kanya ay dahil palpak naman ang oposisyon. Lalo na itong si dating Pangulong Joseph Estrada.
Noong isang linggo, nagpalabas ang kanyang abogado na si Rufus Rodriguez ng listahan mga senatorial candidates na susuportahan ni Estrada sa eleksyon sa Mayo 2007. Kasama doon sa listahan niya sina Manny Villar, Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan at Ralph Recto.
Hindi pa naman nakalimutan ng madla na si Villar ang nag-short cut ng impeachment process laban kay Estrada noong 2000 nang siya ay speaker ng House of Representatives.