Cebu Philippines News Now

Two repatriation flights dispatched by Philippine Airlines (PAL) to Crete, Greece, arrived within hours of each other Thursday morning carrying a total of 731 Filipinos, including 15 infants.

OWWA: No P10K aid for OFWs repatriated from Libya before Feb. 24

from GMA News.tv

The Overseas Workers Welfare Administration has clarified that overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who were repatriated from Libya before February 24 are not entitled to receive a P10,000 grant from the government.

DFA to Pinoys in Saudi: Stay alert, avoid crowds

from GMA News.tv

Although the political tension in Saudi Arabia will not likely reach a level similar to that in Libya, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Thursday advised some 1.5 million Filipinos there to stay alert and avoid crowds and unnecessary movements.

DFA raises level 2 alert in Yemen

from GMA News.tv

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Thursday has raised to alert level 2 the situation in Yemen and advised some 2,000 Filipinos to "restrict their movements and voluntary depart" due to the "exponential increase" in mass protests there.

Palace welcomes Taiwan's easing of restrictions on OFWs

from GMA News.tv

Malacañang on Thursday welcomed the decision of the Taiwanese government to relax the restrictions it imposed on overseas Filipino workers following a deportation row last month.

Aquino sends Roxas for another meeting with Taiwanese officials

President Benigno Aquino III has asked his emissary, former senator Manuel Roxas II, to go to Taiwan for another round of talks with officials who had invited him for a visit on March 13 to 14, Communications Secretary Ricky Carandang said Thursday.

DTI: Don't panic, supply of basic goods stable

The Department of Trade and Industry on Thursday asked the public not to resort to panic buying as the country has a stable supply of basic goods.

FDA to tighten rules on milk, flour-based products

Balak ngayon ng Food and Drug Administration na maghigpit sa mga gumagawa ng mga milk at flour-based confectionery gaya ng pastillas, yema, polvoron at barquillos. Ito’y para umano masiguro ang kalidad ng mga produkto na kadalasan gawang-bahay lang.

Empty drum explodes; construction worker killed

by cebuweb

AN empty drum that was being pried open with the use of a welding machine exploded and sent its lid flying toward Rene Bangcale.

The lid ripped off the abdomen of the 22-year-old construction worker, who died instantly.

The freak accident happened at a construction site on corners Junquera Extension and

Ramos Street, Cebu City, at 2:45 p.m. yesterday.

Bangcale and another construction worker, Joel Salingay, were at the 21st floor of the building, the Ramos Tower Residences.

They were helping each other remove the lid of the empty drum, which they wanted to fill with water.

‘No tampering done’

by cebuweb

WE DID not tamper with the license plate. Sr. Supt. Patrocinio Comendador, spokesman of Task Force Ellah Joy, yesterday issued the denial and said the accusation against the police was “unfair.”

The police investigating the kidnapping and murder of six-year-old Ellah Joy Pique last Feb. 8 have been accused of changing a letter in the license plate of the Pajero, the sports utility vehicle that the perpetrators allegedly used in the commission of the crime.

Joavan pleads not guilty of malicious mischief, attends hearing on grave threat

by cebuweb

IT WAS another busy day in court for Joavan Fernandez yesterday.

Clad in checkered polo and denim pants, the son of Talisay City Mayor Socrates Fernandez showed up to face, not one, but two cases before the sala of Municipal Trial Court in Cities Judge Mario Manayon.

Manifesto calls for lone district

by cebuweb

MAJORITY of barangay captains in Mandaue City, through a manifesto, are calling on Rep. Luigi Quisumbing (Cebu, 6th district) to file a bill that will convert the city into a lone district.

While he is elated with support, Mandaue City Mayor Jonas Cortes said if Quisumbing won’t file the bill, he will urge Cebu congressmen to file one that will reorganize the districts of the entire Cebu Province.

Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia will meet with the six congressmen of Cebu to discuss the possibility of adding more districts in the province.

Mayor wants 4 lanes back in MC Briones

by cebuweb

CEBU City Mayor Michael Rama instructed the Cebu City Market Authority yesterday to restore the four lanes in M.C. Briones Street near the Carbon Public Market.

The mayor wants to remove all traffic obstruction along the road so it can be easily passable to motorists and pedestrians.

A portion of M.C. Briones St. used to be the relocation site for the affected vendors when Carbon Public Market Unit 2 building was razed by fire over a decade ago.

Rama said the clearing operations in M.C. Briones St. will also enhance the mobility of Carbon Police Station.

Construction firm rushes to beat deadline for Plaza rehab project

by cebuweb

THE renovation of Plaza Independencia is being rushed by the contractor to beat the deadline set by Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama, who wants the park opened to the public by May 1.

Dr. Librado Macaraya of the Cebu City Parks and Playgrounds Commission said Geety Realty and Development Corp. is rushing the rehabilitation work of the plaza to meet the deadline set by Rama.

But he admitted that the contractor is having a hard time finishing the plaza’s makeover by Labor Day due to erratic weather conditions.

Sandiganbayan to tackle forfeiture case here in Cebu

by cebuweb

THE lawyers of former military comptroller Lt. Gen. Jacinto Ligot have two weeks to comment on a motion seizing his assets.

Justice Gregory Ong issued the order yesterday here in Cebu, where the Sandiganbayan 4th Division, which he chairs, will hold the hearings.

“Petitioner has a valid cause of action against… Ligot for acquiring properties and assets during his incumbency as a public official that is manifestly out of proportion to his lawful income,” the motion read.

Aquino: Treat Garcia case like Al Capone's

from ABS-CBNnews.com by abs-cbnNEWS.com

SINGAPORE - President Benigno Aquino III wants all angles pursued in bringing to justice former military comptroller Maj. Gen. Carlos Garcia who is accused of stealing P303 million from the military's coffers.

PNoy to Oban: Reform AFP's financial system

from ABS-CBNnews.com by By Willard Cheng, ABS-CBN News

MANILA, Philippines - President Benigno Aquino III has directed Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Chief of Staff Lt. General Eduardo Oban, Jr. to coordinate closely with the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) and the Department of National Defense (DND) in strengthening financial management systems in the military.

Solons eye new weapon vs Ombudsman

from ABS-CBNnews.com by By RG Cruz, ABS-CBN News

MANILA, Philippines - Congressmen pursuing the impeachment of Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez have found a new weapon they can use against her in the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee report on the plea bargain agreement with former military comptroller Carlos Garcia.

Palace execs: Merci's resignation to spare country of impeachment trauma

from GMA News.tv

Malacañang officials on Thursday said Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez's resignation would spare the country the trauma of going through a painful impeachment process.

Ombudsman says she won't resign from post

from GMA News.tv

Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez on Thursday insisted that she will not quit her post despite the Senate blue ribbon committee's recommendation for her impeachment over the controversial plea bargain deal her office entered into with former military comptroller Carlos Garcia.

Senators still impartial despite impeachment call vs Merci - Gringo

from GMA News.tv

The senators remain impartial despite the Senate blue ribbon committee's recommendation that Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez be impeached, Senator Gregorio Honasan said Thursday.

Kin of 3 Ampatuan victims seek P50M in damages

from GMA News.tv

The families of three journalists slain in the grisly Maguindanao massacre in November 2009 on Thursday told a Quezon City court that they were seeking a total of P50 million in civil liabilities for the death of their loved ones.

Military assaults Abu Sayyaf lair near Zambo City

from GMA News.tv

The military on Thursday pounded a lair of the al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf group off Zamboanga City following information that two of the bandit group's prominent leaders were there, a military spokesman said.

5 killed in bomb blast near Jolo school

(UPDATE 2) At least five people were killed when an improvised explosive device (IED) went off outside an elementary school in Jolo, Sulu around 5:20 p.m. Thursday.

Peso slightly down over news of slow exports

The peso closed 10 centavos lower on Thursday following the release of a report that the country's exports grew by a substantially slower pace in January.

$1: 43.480

Euro 1: 60.3703

BIR optimistic of meeting 2011 revenue goal of P940B

from GMA News.tv

The Bureau of Internal Revenue on Thursday said reforms in the agency will translate into higher collections and enable it to meet this year's revenue target of P940 billion.

FLI to start work later this year

by cebuweb

THE Cebu City Government yesterday received P255.5 million from Filinvest Land Inc. (FLI) for the 10.6-hectare waterfront lots it purchased at the South Road Properties (SRP).

The amount was the third of six installments, and FLI got its third title for the lots on Pond F.

Five titles have been placed on escrow with the Land Bank of the Philippines (LBP) and will be turned over to FLI each time it pays the City.

FLI makes the installment payment every March for six years, as stated in the joint-venture agreement signed by City Hall and FLI officials.

Court junks suspension of proceedings in Lucio Tan wealth case

from ABS-CBNnews.com by abs-cbnNEWS.com

MANILA, Philippines - The Sandiganbayan Fifth Division has dismissed the government’s request to suspend proceedings in a 24-year-old forfeiture case against the assets of businessman Lucio Tan on a claim by government lawyers that Fortune Tobacco Corp. needs to be replaced as defendant after a supposed merger with Philip Morris Philippines Manufacturing Inc.

19 dead, 174 injured in China quake

(UPDATE 2) At least 19 people were killed and 174 others injured in an earthquake that struck a remote area of southwest China near the border with Myanmar on Thursday, a local official said.

Singapore calls for peaceful Spratlys resolution, joint use of resources

For the second time this week, President Aquino raised the territorial dispute over the Spratly islands with a member state of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and elicited a statement supporting the peaceful resolution of the issue.

Rebels fight Gadhafi with heavy weapons, diplomacy

Libya's opposition battled for military and diplomatic advantage against Moammar Gadhafi's embattled regime on Thursday, winning official recognition from France and hitting government forces with heavy weapons on the road to the capital.

Gadhafi son warns east Libya rebels: 'We're coming'

TRIPOLI—Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi's son Seif al-Islam on Thursday issued a warning of "we're coming" and that his forces were advancing towards their bastion of Benghazi in eastern Libya.

Gaddafi would agree to transition talks

from GMA News.tv

LISBON - Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi would agree to talks on the transition of power, Portuguese daily Publico on Thursday quoted a diplomatic source as saying after Foreign Minister Luis Amado met Gaddafi's envoy in Lisbon.

Gadhafi hoarding 'billions' in cash—report

WASHINGTON—Moammar Gadhafi has "tens of billions" of dollars in cash hidden in Tripoli, which allows him to battle an uprising despite an international freeze on Libyan assets, a report said Thursday.

Yemen president vows new constitution within year

from GMA News.tv

SANAA - Yemen President Ali Abdullah Saleh, hoping to defuse increasingly violent protests against his 32-year rule, said on Thursday he would draw up a new constitution to create a parliamentary system of government.

Roach wants Pacman to spend time with family - for now

Fully aware the next eight weeks will be a tough one for boxing superstar Manny Pacquiao, trainer Freddie Roach has one piece of advice for the world's pound-for-pound king.

Donaire unbeatable at 118 lbs

from ABS-CBNnews.com by abs-cbnNEWS.com

MANILA, Philippines – Boxing analyst Al Bernstein believes Nonito “The Filipino Flash” Donaire will remain unbeatable as a bantamweight and could even remain competitive all the way up to the featherweight division.

PNoy snubs steak, eats seafood in observance of Ash Wednesday

from GMA News.tv

President Benigno Simeon Aquino on Wednesday refused to eat steak, one of his favorite foods, and instead ordered a seafood dish in observance of the start of Catholics' Lenten season.

Lift conks out, PNoy uses stairs

Singapore officials apologized to President Noynoy Aquino after an elevator at the Changi Water Reclamation plant conked out, forcing Aquino and some of his Cabinet officials to use the stairs.

Actor with HIV allowed to enter Philippines

The Philippine immigration chief said Thursday he has rescinded an order barring a movie and theater actor who is HIV positive from entering the country, calling it a mistake and violation of the government's international commitments.

Kim Chiu proud to finish high school

by abs-cbnNEWS.com

MANILA, Philippines – Drama princess Kim Chiu did not hide her emotions when she delivered a speech in front of her high school batchmates during their graduation day on Thursday.

Celebs pay respects to Paquito Diaz

Inilibing na noong Huwebes ang beteranong aktor na si Paquito Diaz. Hiling naman ng aktor at dating senador na si Ramon Sevilla Sr., mapahaba pa ang kanyang buhay para muli siyang makapaglingkod.

Guinness: Pinoy could be shortest man ever

Guinness World Records on Thursday bared the name of a 1-foot, 10-inch Filipino from Sindangan, Zamboanga del Norte, as a new contender for the title of the smallest living man.

Four local billionaires in annual Forbes list

FOUR FILIPINOS made it to the latest Forbes billionaire list, which has ballooned to a record 1,210 personalities in the wake of the global economic recovery.

Andrew L. Tan of diversified Alliance Global Group, Inc. and Enrique K. Razon, Jr. who heads International Container Terminal Services, Inc. (ICTSI) made their debuts after stock prices of their companies surged in 2010.

They joined mainstays Henry Sy and Lucio Tan whose fortunes were both estimated to have risen by over a third to $5.8 billion and $2.3 billion, respectively, as of February 2011.

Mexican telco mogul Carlos Slim Helu, whose net worth was valued at $74 billion, continued to top the Forbes list, coming ahead of Bill Gates and Warren Buffet.

Rounding out the top 10 list were: fashion house owner Bernard Arnault, Larry Ellision of Oracle, steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal, Amancio Ortega of the apparel brand Zara, Brazilian mining and oil tycoon Eike Batista, Mukesh Ambani who runs petrochemical businesses and Christy Walton of Walmart.

The Philippines’ richest man, mall magnate Mr. Sy, moved up the rankings to become the 173rd wealthiest in the world.

Lucio Tan -- the taipan behind the country’s largest cigarette maker, second largest beer brewer, and Philippine Airline, among other interests -- similarly rose 70 spots to 512th.

Andrew Tan was in 540th with a net worth of $2.2 billion after Alliance Global -- the holding company for his real estate, food and beverage and gaming businesses -- enjoyed a tripling in value on the stock exchange in 2010.

He had first figured on Forbes Asia magazine’s Philippine Rich List in 2007 when his net worth reportedly grew to $1.1 billion from $480 million.

"Andrew Tan holds a lot of equity in many companies. And the stock market continues to perform beyond or within expectations," Astro C. del Castillo, managing director of brokerage firm First Grade Holdings, Inc., said in a telephone interview.

Mr. Razon, worth $1.1 billion, was 1,057th.

The value of Mr. Razon’s ICTSI more than doubled in the Philippine Stock Exchange in 2010, the same year he pocketed profits from the sale of a stake in National Grid Corp. of the Philippines to Mr. Sy.

"Mr. Razon continued to invest heavily not just domestically but also outside the country and 2010 was the start of the recovery," Mr. del Castillio explained.

More Filipino tycoons, he added, are sure to make the billionaires list as many here have sizeable assets, he added without elaborating.

Jaime Zobel de Ayala, who figured as the fourth richest Filipino worth $1.4 billion according to Forbes Asia’s separate ranking last year, was not in the global list.

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March 10, 2011 Major News Stories (dyab-cebu.bokkyo@blogger.com)

2011-03-09T13:17:00.001-08:00

March 10, 2011 Major News Stories

Gov't mulls oil subsidies amid Arab unrest

by Agence France-Presse

MANILA, Philippines - The government said Wednesday it may offer subsidies for certain petroleum products as unrest in the Middle East and North Africa causes prices at the pump to surge.

Transport sector needs 'relief fund,' says Energy Dept.

Because of worries over rising oil prices, the Energy Department is urging the Finance Department to create a “relief fund" for the transport sector.

In a statement issued Wednesday, the Energy Department said it is in talks with the Finance Department to create plans on how to “provide relief" to public utility vehicles.

Energy Secretary Jose Rene Almendras said the relief fund could be derived from the imposition of windfall taxes, or those levied against certain industries that experience above-average profits.

He said that if the proceeds from windfall tax reach around P2 billion, the amount should be given “as a direct discount to the public transport groups rather than give it as tax rebate to everybody since the transport sector badly needs it."

Still, whatever resources the government could find should be plowed back to the transport sector, Almendras pointed out.

Recto asks gov't to slash VAT on fuel

Senator Ralph Recto said the government should either reduce the value-added tax (VAT) on oil products or subsidize a fuel price rollback for public utility vehicles (PUVs) to help cushion the effect of recent price hikes.

Recto said the government can push pump prices downward by sacrificing its revenues from the VAT imposed on oil products, noting that its VAT revenues also go up as fuel prices increase.

In a statement, he said the government can also use its VAT revenues to subsidize a price rollback in diesel used by PUVs in order to ease the burden on commuters.

"Diesel should be restored to its pre-Libya level to provide relief to the commuting masses and ease pressure on fare rate and prices of basic commodities," said the senator.

Recto, who is also chairman of the Senate committee on ways and means, suggested that the government subsidize half of the rollback’s cost while oil firms shoulder the other half.

"Would the government and oil companies be also willing to sacrifice?" he said.

Senator Franklin Drilon, chairman of the Senate finance committee, said he was open to Recto's proposal but said that it would need legislation. "I am open to it... let's hear it if we want to," he said in a separate interview on Wednesday.

Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile and Senate Majority Floor Leader Vicente "Tito" Sotto III were likewise open to the idea but said that the matter warrants an extensive study before being implemented.

"We could have suggestions of our own which might not be possible or might not even be acceptable to the players," Sotto said on Wednesday.

Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri had also earlier filed Senate Bill 2672, which seeks to restore VAT exemptions on sales of electricity, petroleum, and petroleum products.

"Every peso raked in by government is an additional burden shouldered by the consumer especially in times of rising oil prices," Zubiri said in his explanatory note.

In an interview on Wednesday, Zubiri said that with the said VAT exemptions, he expects consumers to save as much as P1 per kilowatt hour due to lower power rates and P5 to P6 per liter due to lower fuel prices.

During Recto’s earlier senatorial stint, he was a co-author of the controversial expanded VAT. His role was later repeatedly criticized by political opponents as well as the transport sector. (See: Recto defends EVAT in Osmeña country)

On the other hand, when Recto was Socioeconomic Planning secretary under then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, he had repeatedly alleged that oil firms were overpricing their products, even clashing several times with the late Angelo Reyes, then Energy secretary, over oil pricing policy.

Reyes, who was himself being criticized as an apologist of the oil firms, slammed Recto's position as mere grandstanding. (See: DOE chief defends oil price hikes, hits Recto for grandstanding)

LPGMA says price increase looms in March

Still reeling from the latest round of fuel price hikes, consumers are facing another price hike, this time on liquefied petroleum gas (LPG).

The LPG Marketers Association (LPGMA) said the price hike, to come within this month, will likely be at P1 per kilo or P11 per 11-kilo tank.

LPGMA party-list Rep. Arnel Ty said this is due to an increase in world contract prices of LPG, radio dzBB's Allan Gatus reported.

At present, prices of products sold by the LPGMA stand at P620 per 11-kilo tank.

On Tuesday, oil firms imposed another round of price hikes by P1.50 per liter, kerosene by P1.25 per liter, and premium gas by P1 per liter.

Vietnam tapped to supply NFA’s rice import share

from ABS-CBNnews.com by By Eliza J. Diaz, BusinessWorld

MANILA, Philippines - Rice importation plans for the year will involve the National Food Authority (NFA) undertaking a government-to-government deal with Vietnam while the private sector will have the liberty to seek shipments from other Southeast Asian suppliers, a Cabinet official said Mar. 9.

Gov't urged to avert looming food crisis

by By Ryan Chua, ABS-CBN News

MANILA, Philippines - Warning of social unrest similar to those in the Middle East and North Africa, Sen. Edgardo Angara has called on government to act swiftly to avert a looming food crisis.

Joavan leaves bail papers behind

by cebuweb

JOAVAN Fernandez yesterday posted a P100,000 surety bond for his temporary liberty in connection with a robbery case a store attendant filed against him last year.

But before he could secure his release papers from the Regional Trial Court Branch 18,

Joavan hurriedly left the Palace of Justice after members of the media arrived to cover him past 1 p.m. yesterday.

Joavan, accompanied by a bondsman, went to the Palace of Justice and posted bail past 1 p.m. They went to the sala of Judge Gilbert Moises on the third floor to process his release paper.

Judge orders return of Pajero to owner

REGIONAL Trial Court Judge Meinrado Paredes ordered the return of the Pajero, said to have been used in the kidnapping and murder of Ellah Joy Pique, to its owner.

He also ordered that the other items seized by the Criminal Invesigation and Detection Group (CIDG), such as the universal service cables (USB) and a blood-stained bedsheet, be kept by the court.

Kept by the court are hair strands, LAN (local area network) cord, bed sheet with suspected traces of bloodstains, Nintendo DS game cartridge, universal service bus (USB) and card reader, video camera with accessories and tapes, rug, sex toys, a blanket (Batman) from a stockroom with suspected traces of bloodstains, empty porn compact discs (CD) covers and assorted CDs, SD card, a portion of bed/mattress with suspected traces of bloodstains, a waiver and assorted identification cards and a passport, a bed sheet with suspected traces of bloodstains, and two stones.

Paredes had granted the motion to retain custody of the seized items, particularly the Pajero (LMJ 382). He had the rest of the items retrieved at the house of a woman in Barangay Inayagan in Naga City last week, turned over to the court.

Since the electronic devices have been submitted to Camp Crame for analysis, Paredes

said, he would like these items brought back to Cebu and turned over to the court.

According to the search warrant, the woman, whom police are not naming until charges have been filed, may be the companion of the male foreigner behind the abduction and killing of Pique.

Pique, six, was reportedly taken past 4 p.m. in Barangay Calajo-an, Minglanilla by a Filipina and a Caucasian man last Feb. 8. The girl’s body was found at the foot of a cliff in nearby Balili town the next morning.

On the reported tampering of the vehicle’s plate number, the letter “M” was allegedly altered to make it appear as letter “H”, Bebot Bautista Lalikan said.

Lalikan is the sister of the owner of the seized Pajero.

Lalikan accused the operatives of tampering with the plate number themselves.

In an interview over radio dyLA, Lalikan said they have no reason to tamper with it.

She said that when the CIDG operatives seized the vehicle, the plate number did not

bear scratches or tampering.

When Lalikan and their legal counsel went to the CIDG7 headquarters inside the Camp Sotero Cabahug on Gorordo Ave. to check on the vehicle, they were surprised to see the

tampered plate number.

She said her sister is not a permanent resident of Cebu.

Lalikan said her sister arrived in Cebu from Singapore last Feb. 3.

The sister went to Palawan last Feb. 5 to celebrate her birthday together with her foreigner boyfriend.

She and her boyfriend went back to Cebu the following day.

Lalikan said her sister and the boyfriend were supposed to leave for Singapore last Feb. 7, but failed to do so because they did not catch the plane on time.

They rebooked their flights and flew to Singapore last month.

In the same dyLA radio report, Inayagan Barangay Captain Narciso Tablate said he did not see any scratch or noted any tampered portion in the letters of the plate number.

He, however, said he can no longer remember the vehicle’s plate number.

Senior Supt. Patrocinio Comendador Jr., Task Force Ellah Joy spokesperson, denied the allegation.

He said the police authority “will answer those issues head-on in the proper time.”

He said the task force is waiting for the results of the verification and confirmation of the material evidence, particularly the electronics devices, submitted to Camp Crame for analysis. Six witnesses, two of them minors, have signed affidavits against the culprits, the police official said.

At 10 a.m. yesterday, Comendador met with Ligaya and Renante, Pique’s parents, to brief them about the development of the investigation.

The parents, however, refused to issue any statement to the media.

Dumpit wants out of city jail

by cebuweb

THE lawyer of jailed police officer Adonis Dumpit yesterday filed an urgent motion to have him transferred to a “safer” prison facility.

Pedro Leslie Salva asked Regional Trial Court Branch 6 Judge Ester Veloso to grant their pleading “in the highest interest of justice and fair play.”

Ecleo can’t leave country: judge

by cebuweb

DINAGAT Island Rep. Ruben Ecleo Jr. is not allowed to leave the country.

Judge Soliver Peras yesterday ordered the issuance of a hold-departure order (HDO) against the embattled lawmaker.

Peras, presiding judge of the Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 10, said the hold order may be lifted only if Ecleo can prove that his trip abroad is of “utmost importance” and related to the treatment of his heart ailment.

Ecleo lawyer blasts Sandiganbayan

MANILA, Philippines – The lawyer of Dinagat Islands Rep. Ruben Ecleo, Jr. criticized the Sandiganbayan First Division on Wednesday for denying a motion to lift an arrest warrant issued against the lawmaker.

Atty. Jose Ventura Aspiras said in a press statement that Ecleo’s conviction on three graft charges by the Sandiganbayan is not final as the lawmaker has a third petition pending before the Supreme Court.

“In fact, in our latest motion at the Sandiganbayan, we presented a certification from the clerk of court of the Supreme Court, Third Division, stating that Ecleo’s petition for review of the decision convicting him and his motion for reconsideration are pending consideration by the Court,” he said.

Elcleo, the “supreme master” of the Philippine Benevolent Missionaries Association (PBMA), and 2 others were convicted in 3 graft cases in connection with fraudulent fund disbursements for construction projects in San Jose, Surigao del Norte between 1991 and 1994 during his stint as town mayor.

“The Sandiganbayan would realize that the factual basis for its arrest order,” Aspiras said, citing his client’s motion for reconsideration.

“The Sandiganbayan’s refusal to lift the warrant for Ecleo’s arrest leaves us no choice but to seek succor from the Supreme Court. We believe that Congressman Ecleo should be accorded, like every other citizen, due process. Only when questions on the sufficiency of the evidence to convict him and whether or not evidence consistent with his innocence were appreciated at all, should a person be committed to prison to serve sentence,” he added.

Palma hears side of altar boys; ‘erring’ priest fails to show up

by cebuweb

CEBU Archbishop Jose Palma met with the eight acolytes from Barangay Sta. Rosa in Olango Island, who claimed they were pushed and punched by the priest of St. Augustine Parish.

The prelate talked with them for an hour at his office yesterday morning. They were accompanied by a coordinator and a sacristan adviser.

Palma, who is on his second month in office, is expected to raise the issue during the Board of Consultors’ meeting today.

The group accused Fr. Leopoldo Palacio Jr. of hitting them when they arrived late for mass last Sunday.

DOJ chief irate over Stradcom dispute

MANILA, Philippines - Justice Secretary Leila de Lima slammed one of two warring factions in Stradcom Corporation, the sole information technology (IT) service provider of the Land Transportation Office (LTO), for accusing the Department of Justice (DOJ) fact-finding panel that looked into the December 9, 2010 Stradcom facility takeover in Quezon City of bias.

The group of Bonifacio Sumbilla, which is figuring in an intra-corporate row against the group of Cezar Quiambao, accused the panel, headed by Undersecretary Francisco Baraan III, of favoring Quiambao's group when it "refused to address the prejudicial question of who has legal, controlling stocks in Stradcom."

The Sumbilla group alleged the panel of coming up with "presumptive findings based on erroneous and baseless claims of ownership by Quiambao."

"It is lamentable that, instead of reacting or responding fairly and responsibly on the report of Stradcom takeover, one of the factions involved would rather cast aspersions on the impartiality of the committee, especially Usec. Baraan. I'd like to put it on record that I am standing by the integrity of the committee and the committee chair," de Lima said.

The justice chief, who endorsed the fact-finding report in full to Transportation and Communications Secretary Jose de Jesus and President Benigno Aquino III, maintained that the panel did not touch on the intra-corporate dispute between the Sumbilla and Quiambao groups, but only looked into the accountability of LTO officials for allowing the takeover to happen.

The takeover incident caused LTO operations nationwide to be paralyzed for at least 6 hours.

"There's no way for them to side with either of the groups or factions involved in the controversy, the legal issue, the intra-corporate controversy, was not the concern of the committee. That was not the issue at all because, in the first place, the DOJ or the committee does not have the jurisdiction to resolve that controversy," de Lima said.

"The issue was purely factual: what did Asec. (Virginia) Torres or any other LTO official do or not do to address the takeover? That's the core factual issue. Second, do the evidence show that she or other LTO officials were involved in that takeover?" she added.

The panel's recommendations included the dismissal from service of LTO chief Torres and the filing of administrative charges against her for "actions and inactions" which showed her alleged leanings towards the Sumbilla group.

De Lima said Torres was "less than truthful" when she claimed she was not accorded due process in the fact-finding probe.

"She appeared, she was questioned. When she appeared, she was submitting to the jurisdiction of the committee and then later ayaw na niya and she was saying i-terminate na ang proceedings. So there was due process," de Lima said.

"Nalulungkot lang ako na may nagpapalaki ng issue na ito and instead of articulating their sentiments fairly, they go out to discredit. And of course, I will not allow that. Kaya ako nagsasalita dahil hindi ko gusto na tinitira nila yung committee members instead of addressing the issues," she said.

The DOJ fact-finding report's recommendations will be acted upon by Secretary de Jesus, the LTO being an attached agency of the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC).

After two-year ‘delay,’ trial of 1 of the lamppost cases to start

THE Sandiganbayan will finally begin the trial of one of the three remaining criminal cases lodged against 21 people over the lamppost scam, nearly two years after this was reinvestigated and re-filed.

The prosecution will present evidence in Manila on April 27-28, said the justices of the anti-graft court’s 4th division, chaired by Justice Gregory Ong, yesterday.

The prosecution, represented by the Manila-based Office of the Special Prosecutor, an agency attached to the Office of the Ombudsman, and the respondents have already submitted their pre-trial briefs.

Respondents

The respondents include former Mandaue City mayor now Provincial Board Member Thadeo Ouano, engineers from Mandaue City and some officials of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).

The Sandiganbayan is set to issue a pre-trial order that will map which issues will be admitted by the parties and which need to be threshed out during the trial.

The case deals with the purchase of 89 allegedly overpriced lampposts from the Fabmik Construction and Equipment Supply Company Inc. in 2006 and their installation along Mandaue City’s WO Seno, CD Seno, Plaridel and J. Briones Streets.

The purchase and installation cost P19,980,000 even though, according to a Commission on Audit (COA) canvass, the 89 lampposts were only worth P13,934,547, based on the price of similar park lamps.

Violation

Impleaded in the case are Ouano; Mandaue City Engineers Hidelisa Latonio, Gregorio Omo, Mario Gerolaga, Aflredo Sanchez Jr., Rosalina Denque, and DPWH officials Robert Lala, Marlina Alvizo, Pureza Fernandez, Cresencio Bago-lor, Agustinito Hermoso, Luis Galang, Restituto Diano, Teresa Bernido, Ayaon Manggis, Marilyn Ojeda; and Fabmik president Isabelo Braza.

Although it was the DPWH that awarded the contract to Fabmik, it was the Mandaue City engineers who allegedly prepared the program of works and estimates, which detailed the costs.

Ouano approved it.

The case is one of four cases re-filed by the Office of the Ombudsman-Visayas as a result of its investigation of the lamppost scam.

The revived indictments are all for violation of Section 3(e) of Republic Act 3019, also known as the Anti-graft and Corrupt Practices Act. The section penalizes the act of entering into contracts grossly disadvantageous to the government.

Impleaded in some of the cases are Ouano; the Mandaue City engineers; Braza; then Lapu-Lapu City mayor Arturo Radaza and his engineers, Julito Cuizon, Fernando Tagaan, Jr. and Rogelio Veloso; and Gerardo Surla of Gampik Construction.

Dismissed

The DPWH officials are impleaded in all.

One of the four cases that only impleaded DPWH officials and a contractor has been dismissed.

It corresponded to the supply, installation, testing and commissioning of LED bulbs, traffic signal lanterns and other traffic control devices, plus 240 decorative lampposts in Lapu-Lapu City at a cost of P35,634,401.25.

The amount, based on the complaint against them, was in excess of the anti-graft office’s computation of P23,004,804.26.

Visayas’ bet for PCL: Margot

by cebuweb

CEBU City Councilor Margot Osmeña could be the bet of the Visayas delegation in the Philippine Councilors’ League (PCL) election today.

Councilor Edgardo Labella said he is determined to nominate Osmeña to run for PCL president against Parañaque City Councilor Alma Moreno.

Labella believes Osme-ña, who is on her first term as councilor of the south district, will be a good candidate because she can earn the support of the councilors with her achievements, especially those from Cebuano-speaking areas of the country.

Ex-village official faces graft raps on gas misuse

by cebuweb

TWO months after the resolution finding cause to charge him in court was released, a criminal case was filed against a Cebu City village chief who allegedly used government fuel for his private vehicle several times in 2002.

The falsification case against re-elected Kamput-haw Barangay Captain Lorenzo Basamot will be raffled to a trial court this week, while the issuance of a warrant of arrest and his arraignment will follow. Bail was set at P24,000.

Gov't lifts Bahrain deployment ban

Puwede na ulit tumulak papuntang Bahrain ang mga manggagawang Pilipino. Ito’y dahil Ibinaba na ng gobyerno ng Pilipinas ang alert level sa Bahrain sa pagkahupa na ang tensyong pulitikal doon. Ayon pa sa Philippine Overseas Employment Administration, aabot sa isanlibo ang bakanteng trabaho ngayon sa Bahrain. Sa ibang bansa naman gaya ng Libya at Yemen, patuloy pa rin ang deployment ban.

302 more Filipinos leave Libya

Another 302 Filipino migrant workers exited Libya on Wednesday, bringing to nearly 14,000 the total number of Philippine nationals who have been evacuated from the rebellion-torn country.

DFA on watch for unrest, 'Day of Rage' in Saudi

from GMA News.tv

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said it is now monitoring signs of unrest in Saudi Arabia, including the "Day of Rage" scheduled on Friday in the monarchic state, for any possible adverse effect on some 1.2 million Filipinos there.

Teener tells ordeal in escape from Libya

by abs-cbnNEWS.com

A 14-year-old boy was among 15 Filipino teenagers recently repatriated from strife-torn Libya. Francius Aguilar said he was alone when he fled Libya. Aguilar said he suffered physical abuse from Libyan police during his solo journey.

Solons: Training fees on volunteer nurses violate law

from GMA News.tv

Lawmakers on Wednesday described as "illegal" the imposition of fees on volunteer nurses, saying that such treatment makes trainees "worse than slaves."

Drilon cites CA's failure to check corrupt generals

by By Ryan Chua, ABS-CBN News

MANILA – Senator Franklin Drilon wants a review of the rules of the bicameral Commission on Appointments (CA), which he said has apparently failed to thoroughly check the track record of former military officials now accused of corruption.

Garcias ask DOJ to reverse tax evasion ruling

from ABS-CBNnews.com by By Ina Reformina, ABS-CBN News

MANILA, Philippines - Former Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) comptroller Carlos Garcia and his wife, Clarita, are asking the Department of Justice (DOJ) to reverse a review resolution that recommended the filing of charges against them for tax evasion in violation of the National Internal Revenue Code of 1997.

Convince 16 senators to convict Ombudsman is next job, solon says

After the justice committee of the House of Representatives found probable cause to impeach Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez for betrayal of public trust, the committee’s next task would be to make sure that the Senate would convict her based on the “strong and sufficient evidence” it would present during the trial.

Merci impeachment is about 'an obstable to judicial reforms' - Palace

The move to impeach Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez is about her being “an obstacle to judicial reforms," not about former President and now Pampanga Second District Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, Malacañang said Wednesday.

“Let me clarify, this is not about GMA (Gloria Macapagal Arroyo)," presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda told Palace reporters.

“This is about clearing all the landmines. This is the promise of the President. Remember, when we came to office, there were plenty of landmines, he said, referring to perceived obstacles in the Aquino administration’s pursuit of its anti-graft and corruption initiatives.

“There were so many corrupt acts which were not resolved," he added.

The presidential spokesperson explained that Malacañang is anxious about the possibility of cases filed with the anti-graft court being “diluted" as in the case of former military comptroller Maj. Gen. Carlos Garcia.

“A case (like Garcia’s) which seemed to be so strong has been so diluted that it was reduced to a plea bargain," Lacierda said.

“What we want to file before the Office of the Ombudsman is a strong case that will go forward to be prosecuted successfully. We have the apprehension that a case that we will be filing before the incumbent Ombudsman will be diluted and diminished in substance," he said.

Corrupt acts uncovered

The Aquino administration has uncovered plenty of corrupt acts “and we are going to file the necessary cases against those pertinent officials but with an Ombudsman which, we believe, will carry out the mandate of that particular office," according to President Aquino’s spokesperson.

No law was violated when the House justice committee approved for plenary vote the impeachment complaints against Gutierrez, Lacierda maintained.

“Binigyan po ng House si Ombudsman Gutierrez more than five months. They were given an SQA (status quo ante), they were given enough time to study, they were given enough time to anticipate the possibility that the decision would be adverse to them. They failed to prepare for that decision. Now, they’re claiming that there’s lack of due process," he said.

“Certainly, there was no violation of the due process – both substantive and procedural due process – to Ombudsman Gutierrez," he added.

Impeachment is a political process with legal requirements that the House committee followed to the letter, according to the Malacañang spokesperson. “This is truly a political process with legal requirements and that both have been subscribed to, both have been complied with by the House. To say that binastos ang legalities dito ay hindi po totoo."

Ombudsman eyes malversation case vs Aquino ally Padaca

The Office of the Ombudsman has recommended the filing of malversation charges against former Isabela Gov. Maria Gracia Cielo Padaca, an official of President Aquino’s Liberal Party, and three other officials.

SC justice to court spokesman: Don't misinform public

It's the Supreme Court spokesman's word against the first-hand accounts of two magistrates.

Another Supreme Court justice has accused spokesman Jose Midas Marquez of misinforming the public by saying that the magistrates received copies of Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez's petition before voting to suspend a congressional panel's impeachment proceedings against her last September.

In a two-page, strongly-worded press statement, Associate Justice Ma. Lourdes Sereno said Marquez's account was not based on first-hand knowledge and that it was only Marquez who contradicted her account and that of Associate Justice Antonio Carpio.

Sereno and Carpio had revealed that in the SC's en banc (full court) session last September 14, their colleagues — without having read Gutierrez's petition filed a day earlier — voted to issue a status quo ante order to prevent the House of Representatives' justice panel from hearing the two impeachment complaints against Gutierrez.

The stay order was lifted in February this year.

But Marquez, citing information given to him by Clerk of Court Enriquetta Vidal, said that the justices received copies of the petition before they ruled on it during the Sept. 14 en banc session.

Sereno said the "problem" created by Marquez's contradiction of her and Carpio's narration of facts prompted her to issue a press statement. Independent news organization Newsbreak had the first crack on Sereno's statement.

"When a Supreme Court official who has nothing to do with the distribution of case documents contradicts... narrations of facts based on personal knowledge made by two sitting justices in their judicial opinions, there is a serious problem. This statement has been necessitated precisely because of that problem. The public must not be misinformed,' said Sereno.

Marquez, however, declined to comment on Sereno's statement.

"With all due respect and in deference to Justice Sereno, may I be excused from further reacting? After all, I have already said everything there is to say regarding the issue," Marquez said in a text message to GMA News Online.

Velasco's synopsis

Sereno also said that even if a one-page synopsis of Gutierrez's petition was provided by Associate Justice Presbitero Velasco Jr. on the morning of Sept. 14 , the Supreme Court justices should have still been given ample time to study Gutierrez's 60-page petition.

"The basis of the objection of the justices was that the justices had the right and duty to read the petition in the context of what the petition was purportedly asking for—the issuance of a restraining order against the House of Representatives in the exercise of its power of impeachment," said Sereno.

Velasco was supposedly assigned to handle Gutierrez's petition, but he later inhibited himself from the court proceedings because his son, Marinduque Rep. Lord Allan Velasco, is part of the House justice committee.

No undue haste, no cover-up

Last week, Newsbreak reported the alleged haste of SC justices in voting for the issuance of the stay order suspending the House justice panel's impeachment proceedings against the besieged Ombudsman.

An SC delivery receipt furnished to Newsbreak would show that five justices received their copies of Gutierrez's petition only on Sept. 15, a day after the en banc session when the status quo ante order was issued.

If based on the delivery receipt, it can be concluded that three of the five justices — Associate Justices Presbitero Velasco Jr., Lucas Bersamin, and Jose Perez — voted to issue the stay order without having read the petition.

But Marquez had earlier questioned the reliability of the delivery receipt.

“It was indicated there that Justice Velasco received a copy of the petition on September 15. But when the petition was filed on September 13, it was immediately raffled and was assigned to Justice Velasco, who was even able to write his synopsis of the petition," said Marquez.

League of Cities asks SC to declare 16 cityhood laws unconstitutional

The League of Cities of the Philippines (LCP) on Wednesday asked the Supreme Court to reinstate its Nov. 18, 2008, decision declaring as unconstitutional the 16 cityhood laws converting municipalities into cities.

House panel OKs compensation for Marcos-era victims

A committee at the House of Representatives has approved a measure allowing the release of some P10 billion to the victims of human rights violations during the presidency of the late President Ferdinand Marcos.

The House committee on human rights passed on Monday a substitute bill providing compensation to Marcos-era victims, with the money culled from the P10 billion acquired by the government from the late strongman’s alleged ill-gotten wealth.

“This is not simply about compensation. This is a symbol of retribution from the human rights violations committed towards freedom-loving Filipinos," said Deputy Speaker Rep. Lorenzo Tañada III, one of the authors of the bill, in a statement Wednesday.

The bill, once signed into law, will provide for the immediate release of 80 percent of the amount for Marcos-era human rights victims who have already secured a favorable judgment from any court.

Under the bill, the remaining 20 percent of the amount shall be given to victims whose cases have not been ruled by any court.

A Compensation Board shall also be created to determine the amount each beneficiary will receive.

Before passing the bill, the committee also shortened the period of application for claims from one year to six months.

Last week, a total of $7.5 million was released to the victims after US District Court Judge Manuel Real approved the distribution of the amount as a settlement between the complainants and the corporation that handles the land properties of the Marcoses in the United States.

Each claimant received $1,000 (over P43,000) from the amount, which was supposedly part of the Marcos clan’s ill-gotten wealth in the US.

The bill, which has yet to be numbered, will now be submitted to the plenary for discussions and another round of voting. If the chamber approves it, it will be submitted to the Senate for consideration. The Senate can either pass its own version of the bill or adopt the bill passed by the House.

After this, the bicameral conference committee will be convened to reconcile the respective versions of the House and Senate. Once the bicameral committee approves the bill, it will be returned to the House and Senate for ratification. It will then be submitted to Malacañang for the signature of the President.

Three more Oakwood mutineers seek amnesty

Three military officers involved in the short-lived Oakwood mutiny almost eight years ago have applied for the amnesty offered by President Benigno Aquino III last year.

Capt. Alvin Ebreo and First Lt. Cleo Dongga-as filed their application before the Department of National Defense (DND) Amnesty Committee last Monday, while Capt. John Baloloy submitted his papers on March 2.

The three were among the nine officers pardoned by then President and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. There are now four officers, previously pardoned by Arroyo, who have applied for the Aquino amnesty, the first being Capt. John Andres who applied last in January.

To date, 247 soldiers and police officers – detained for taking part in three attempts to overthrow the Arroyo government – have applied for amnesty.

Over 150 applications have already been approved by Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin since Jan. 3, including those of Oakwood mutiny leaders Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV and Capt. Gary Alejano.

In 2008, Arroyo pardoned nine Oakwood mutineers after pleading guilty to the charge of staging a coup d'état before a Makati City court and apologizing for it.

The others pardoned by Arroyo were captains Gerardo Gambala, Milo Maestrecampo, and Laurence Luis Somera, First Lt. Florentino Somera, and Second Lt. Bryan Yasay.

Individuals are pardoned only after conviction, while an amnesty may be given either before or after a conviction. An amnesty obliterates all legal bearings of the crime, while a pardon relieves a person of the burden of the crime.

DOJ denies soldiers' bid to transfer murder case probe to Leyte

The Department of Justice (DoJ) on Wednesday denied the motion filed by 38 soldiers to transfer the venue of the preliminary investigation (PI) on the Leonardo Co murder case to Leyte.

Crisis management, media relations lessons for police cadets

by By Arnell Ozaeta, ABS-CBN News Southern Tagalog

LAGUNA, Philippines - The Philippine National Police Academy (PNPA) plans to include special courses on crisis management and media relations for the training of its cadets to familiarize and prepare future police commanders in dealing with crises and media coverage.

Philippines, US to hold military exercises in April

The Philippines and the United States will again hold large-scale bilateral military exercises next month in various military camps involving about 8,000 troops from both sides, according to the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

Cimatu still special envoy–DFA

At least on paper, former Armed Forces Chief Roy Cimatu is still special envoy and chair of the Presidential Middle East Preparedness Committee (PMEPC), created in 2002 by former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

Former military chief named immigration boss

(UPDATE) President Benigno Aquino III on Wednesday named retired General Ricarco David chief of the Bureau of Immigration, two days after he stepped down as Armed Forces chief of staff.

Taiwan relaxes rules for OFW visa applications

from GMA News.tv

Viewing personnel changes at the Bureau of Immigration (BI) as a show of "regret," Taiwan on Wednesday made a reciprocal gesture by announcing that it has relaxed visa requirements for applying Filipino workers.

$1: 43.380

from philstar.com - Forex & Stocks

$1: 43.380

Euro 1: 60.3199

BIR’s Annual Information Return unconstitutional—lawmaker

The House of Representatives will ask Bureau of Internal Revenue Commissioner Kim Henares to justify the mandatory filing of a report on a private individual’s assets, liabilities and networth, which lawmakers claimed would be unconstitutional and unlawful.

BIR chief says individual taxpayers not required to file SALN

Bureau of Internal Revenue Commissioner Kim Henares on Wednesday clarified that private individuals are not required to file a Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALN) contrary to newspaper reports.

Lotto operator 2010 income surges 63% on higher sales

by abs-cbnNEWS.com

MANILA, Philippines - Lotto operator Pacific Online Systems Corp. posted a consolidated net income of P430 million in 2010, up 63% year on year, due to higher lotto and instant scratch ticket sales.

Philippines least preferred by Japanese firms

from ABS-CBNnews.com by By Jessica Anne D. Hermosa, BusinessWorld

MANILA, Philippines - The country remains the least preferred site in Southeast Asia for Japanese investment, a survey showed, at a time when firms from the Asian powerhouse are increasingly relocating from their homeland and from China.

OPEC sees no need to meet, crude supply ample - delegate

from GMA News.tv

LONDON - OPEC sees no need at present to hold an emergency meeting to discuss raising its oil output, because supply is adequate, an OPEC delegate said on Wednesday, following informal consultations among members.

Squatters occupy Gadhafi son's London mansion

LONDON—Demonstrators occupied the London mansion belonging to Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi's son Seif al-Islam on Wednesday, saying it belonged to the Libyan people.

FACTBOX: Protests in the Mideast, North Africa

March 9 (Reuters) – Here are details of some of the protests against authoritarian leaders which have deposed the presidents of Tunisia and Egypt and shaken the Arab world:

LIBYA

-- Forces loyal to Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi entered the main square of Zawiyah on Wednesday, rebel and resident sources said. Zawiyah had been seen as a rebel stronghold in the uprising which erupted against Gaddafi last month.

-- Rebels captured Ras Lanuf last week and began pushing down the strategic coastal road towards Sirte, Gaddafi's home town. But they were beaten back.

-- Libya has tipped into a political vacuum since the uprising against Gaddafi erupted on Feb. 17.

YEMEN

-- President Ali Abdullah Saleh is resisting the popular clamor for his removal that has convulsed Yemen since protesters toppled Egypt's Hosni Mubarak four weeks ago, but the odds are stacking up against him.

-- Opposition supporters vowed on Wednesday not to abandon their protests in the face of violence after one man was killed on Tuesday when policemen and security agents fired on a group setting up tents in front of Sanaa University – an area that has become the focal point of the civil unrest. At least 65 people were wounded demonstrating for an end to Saleh's 32-year-old rule.

-- Weeks of clashes across the country between government loyalists and protesters have killed up to 30 people.

-- Saleh has pledged to step down in 2013 and reform parliamentary election laws.

BAHRAIN

-- Bahrain's crown prince warned all sides on March 7 against escalating a standoff with disgruntled majority Shi'ites seeking an elected government in the Gulf Arab kingdom, asking for patience ahead of a national dialogue, which has not yet started.

-- Tensions turned to clashes between Sunni and Shi'ite Muslims in Bahrain on March 3, the first direct confrontation between the two communities since last month's large scale protests.

-- Seven people died last month in a security response to protests by Shi'ites who have long complained of discrimination in Bahrain, a close U.S. and Saudi ally.

IRAQ

-- Hundreds of Iraqis protested against their government on March 7 in a "Day of Regret" on the anniversary of an election that resulted in a second term for Shi'ite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki.

-- Iraq has been swept by protests in recent weeks but, unlike uprisings across the Arab world, the Iraqi demonstrators have focused on complaints about basic services and corruption rather than trying to oust their elected government.

-- Eight years after the U.S.-led invasion which ousted Sunni dictator Saddam Hussein, development remains slow and Iraqis complain of shortages of food, water, power and jobs.

SAUDI ARABIA

-- Shi'ite protesters have taken to the streets in small numbers in eastern Saudi Arabia this month, with further rallies called for March 11.

-- Dialogue, not protest, is the best way to bring about change in Saudi Arabia, Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal said on Wednesday. Saudi Arabia's huge oil wealth has provided a high standard of living compared to many neighbors, and it was thought to be immune from spreading unrest, but the rumblings of discontent from the Shi'ite minority have alarmed Riyadh.

OMAN

-- Oman carried out its third government reshuffle in a month on March 7, in the latest of a string of concessions aimed at appeasing protesters demanding jobs and political reforms in the Gulf Arab sultanate.

-- Sultan Qaboos bin Said had earlier promised 50,000 new jobs and other benefits to ward off unrest and sacked some long-serving ministers.

-- Dozens of protesters staging a sit-in for a ninth day in front of the Shoura Council, a quasi-parliamentary advisory body, cheered the news of the reshuffle.

KUWAIT

-- Several hundred Kuwaitis demonstrated on Tuesday for a change of prime minister and demanded more political freedoms. Protesters gathered in a car park they named "The Square of Change" and called for Sheikh Nasser al-Mohammad al-Sabah, a member of the ruling family, to leave.

EGYPT

-- President Hosni Mubarak stepped down on Feb. 11 following 18 days of mass protests centered around Cairo's Tahrir Square. Demonstrators have continued to stage protests to ensure that the new military rulers carry out promises of reform.

-- Egypt's new prime minister, Essam Sharaf, visited Tahrir Square on March 4, where he told thousands of protesters that he will work to meet their demands, and saluted "martyrs" of the revolution. Sharaf was appointed the day before to replace Ahmed Shafiq, a former air force officer named to the premiership by Mubarak before he stepped down.

-- Egypt will hold a referendum on reforms to its constitution on March 19, the government said.

TUNISIA

-- A Tunisian court ruled on Wednesday that the party of former President Zine Al-Abidine Ben Ali be dissolved, triggering street celebrations as one of the last vestiges of the ousted leader's era was dismantled.

-- Ben Ali was toppled by mass protests on Jan. 14 after 23 years of autocratic rule and fled to Saudi Arabia.

-- An election has been called on July 24 to choose a national assembly that will rewrite the constitution. Ben Ali's feared secret police services, a domestic spy agency notorious for human rights abuses, have been dismantled.

21 US priests named in sex report are suspended

The Philadelphia archdiocese suspended 21 Roman Catholic priests Tuesday who were named as child molestation suspects in a scathing grand jury report last month, a move that comes more than eight years after US bishops pledged swift action to keep potential abusers away from young people.

Donaire eyes fight vs 'super champ'

MANILA, Philippines – Newly crowned bantamweight king Nonito Donaire said he is ready to take on other bantamweight champions in an effort to unify the crowns.

Among his possible opponents are World Boxing Association (WBA) super world bantamweight champion Anselmo Moreno of Panama and WBA “regular” bantamweight champion Koki Kameda of Japan.

He is also eyeing a possible fight against the winner between International Boxing Federation (IBF) titlist Joseph Agbeko of Ghana and Abner Mares of Mexico.

Filipino boxer eyes Miranda’s WBO crown

MANILA, Philippines—Reigning WBO flyweight champion Julio Cesar Miranda is currently the target of a Filipino fighter, whose manager is confident he can seal a matchup for his ward.

Former two-time world light flyweight champion Brian Viloria should be next in line for Miranda in a mandatory title fight, said Gary Gittelsohn, the Filipino-American’s manager.

Jaca faces Gonzales in Talisay

by cebuweb

FORMER world-title challenger Jimrex Jaca continues his comeback and will face a former title contender in the Night of Gladiators this Saturday in Talisay City.

The 27-year-old Jaca, 32-6-3 with 17 knockouts, will face William Gonzalez in the main event.

PBA: Gilas hang tough to beat Express, 102-99

from GMA News.tv

For the second straight time, Pilipinas-Smart Gilas walked the tightrope before getting past Air21 Express, 102-99, in the PBA Commissioner's Cup Wednesday night at the Astrodome.

Wednesday Thriller: Aces survive Beermen, 96-94

from GMA News.tv

After a tough loss, Alaska promptly bounced back in the PBA Commissioner's Cup by surviving a resilient San Miguel side, 96-94, at the Astrodome late Wednesday night.

Azkals' training not affected by Japan quake

Hindi naapektuhan ng malakas na lindol sa Japan ang Philippine football team Azkals. Ayon sa team manager nilang si Dan Palami, hindi nila naramdaman ang lindol sa Gotemba City sa may paanan ng Mt. Fuji kung saan sila nag-eensayo. Nagkaroon pa ang Azkals ng practice drill noong Miyerkules, kalaban ang isang Japanese university team.

Google Docs makes it easy to create, store and share online documents, spreadsheets and presentations.

March 9, 2011 Major News Stories (dyab-cebu.bokkyo@blogger.com)

2011-03-08T13:28:00.001-08:00

March 9, 2011 Major News Stories

Oil extends declines; Asian stocks remain under pressure

from GMA News.tv

SINGAPORE - Oil prices fell more than $1 a barrel on Tuesday, pulling away from two-and-a-half year highs, but Asian stocks remained under pressure as investors worried higher energy prices could stunt the global economic recovery.

Gov't studying oil tax cuts

from ABS-CBNnews.com by abs-cbnNEWS.com

MANILA, Philippines - The government is studying proposals, among them, the scrapping the value-added tax (VAT) on oil, to cushion the impact of rising fuel prices on consumers, Finance Undersecretary Gil Beltran said.

Seaoil resurrects prepaid gas card; price locked at P52 a liter

Seaoil Philippines Inc., the independent retailer of petroleum products, is bringing back its prepaid fuel card that locks gasoline at P52 a liter for two months as a hedge against price spikes.

“Since the price has been fixed, cardholders will have an easier time budgeting their fuel expenses as they will be insulated from further spikes in gasoline costs during the promo period," Seaoil president and CEO Glenn Yu said in a statement Tuesday.

The Price Lock Prepaid Fuel Card is denominated in 20-liter issues at P1,040 per card from March 9 to May 15.

In case fuel prices are rolled back within the card’s validity period, clients can still buy P1,040 worth of gasoline at current pump prices. If the current pump drops to P50 per liter, the cardholder can buy up to 20.8 liters of gasoline.

The Seaoil prepaid gas card may be used only in Metro Manila and Rizal province. The company first launched its prepaid card at the height of global economic crisis in 2008 when world crude prices spiked to more than $140 per barrel.

Indonesia assures PHL access to crude supply

from GMA News.tv

Indonesian President Bambang Yudhoyono on Tuesday assured President Benigno Aquino III that Jakarta will share its crude supply should the situation in the Middle East and North Africa disrupt the flow of oil to importing countries like the Philippines.

LTFRB says operators can use 2008 approval to charge 35 centavos more

BUS passengers in the province will have to shell out a few more pesos starting next week, when bus operators start implementing the fare matrix approved by the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) in 2008 yet.

Citing the rising cost of fuel and maintenance of buses, operators of buses and mini buses said yesterday that they can no longer keep the bus fares at the present rate.

The fare for the first five kilometers will still be at P8.50 but instead of the present rate of P1 per succeeding kilometer, passengers will have to pay P1.35 starting this Tuesday.

LTFRB 7 Regional Director Ahmed Cuizon said the operators who already secured the fare matrix in 2008 can start collecting the new fare rates immediately, without any need to file another petition for a fare hike.

“The rates were already approved by LTFRB in 2008, that’s why they can implement it anytime. But I’m requesting them to give the passengers a few days’ notice so they won’t be taken by surprise. So even if they have the certification, I hope they won’t impose it now, let’s give consideration to the passengers,” Cuizon said.

High time

In a meeting with Cuizon and representatives of the Land Transportation Office (LTO) 7 yesterday, some 40 members of the Cebu Province Bus Operators Association (CPBOA) and Cebu South Mini Bus Operators’ Association (CSMBOA) agreed that it’s high time to impose the increased fare rates.

Julie Flores, president of CSMBOA, said the current fare rates were implemented when diesel was sold for only P38 per liter in 2008. Diesel now costs P49.38 per liter.

“We hope makasabot sad ang riding public because if we don’t implement this now, ang mga sakyanan walay tarong maintenance and mu-break down. Wala man mi nibunal ug pataas sa plitehan, igo-igo ra gyud ang among gipangayo na mukita ra sad ang mga drivers (We hope passengers will understand. We are not asking for a big increase, just enough for the drivers to make a living),” he told reporters after the meeting.

Flores lamented that with the current rates and the rising fuel prices, drivers can only earn at least P100 or P500 at the most a day.

LTFRB approved the increased fare rates in September 2008 but with the intervention of Gov. Gwen Garcia, bus operators suspended its implementation in consideration of the riding public.

Competition

In yesterday’s meeting, Cuizon advised the operators to inform the governor of their plans before they implement it.

Bus operators are worried, though, that their operations will suffer if they increase fare rates while their competitors keep their fares as is.

Although Ceres Bus Lines is a member of their association, it is not a party to their agreement yesterday.

CSMBOA has 34 members with some 150 mini buses while CPBOA has some 20 members with around 300 buses plying their routes in the province.

For his part, LTO 7 Enforcement Division Chief Macario Getaruelas assured the bus operators that they will apprehend bus operators and confiscate the license of bus drivers who undercharge bus passengers.

A complaint, however, will first have to be filed before their office.

“Sa part of law enforcement, if there is a complaint on undercharging and it’s supported with documents, including the bus tickets, we can apprehend them anytime but there has to be a complaint,” Getaruelas told the operators.

Aquino to meet with food officials to avert crisis

President Benigno Aquino III has set a meeting next week with government officials concerned with ensuring the country’s food security.

No food crisis, Palace says

from Business by By Niña Corpuz, ABS-CBN News

MANILA, Philippines – President Benigno Aquino III will meet with top officials of the National Food Authority (NFA), the Department of Agriculture (DA), and the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) next week upon his arrival from Indonesia and Singapore to discuss the country's food situation in light of rising cost of fuel.

Philippines could buy 200,000T rice in March

from Business by Reuters

MANILA, Philippines - The country's state grain agency said on Tuesday it was looking to import 200,000 tons of rice as soon as this month amid concerns unseasonally wet weather could lower the domestic harvest.

No word yet on overtime pay for Libya OFWs

MANILA, Philippines - Two of the biggest employment agencies deploying overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) to Libya said Tuesday that they are uncertain if the overtime pay of the OFWs will be given because records will be hard to trace after their offices were ransacked by rebel forces.

"Sa computation, baka di pa maisali overtime kasi magulo ang mga records, but then gagawan naming ng paraan yan para maibigay sa kanila," said Wilfredo Undang, company representative of Lavalin & Asiakonstruct company.

Mayang Monteclaros, assistant manager of YWA human resources, meanwhile, said they haven't discussed about unpaid salaries and overtime pay since they are busy with the repatriation process.

However, she assured OFWs that they will be a priority once re-hiring for job openings in other countries will be available.

"Wala pa nadi-discuss. Initially, binigay sa amin ng mga clients na the candidates will be transferred to another site," she revealed.

As of 8 p.m on Tuesday, a total of 5,923 OFWs have landed at the NAIA Terminal 1.

This is a far cry from the total 26,000 Filipinos who were either working or living in Libya.

Thousands more are expected to arrive in the next few days. Some will be on board a government-chartered flight from Greece via Philippine Airlines that is scheduled to arrive midnight on Wednesday.

The problem that OFWs face now is their grim financial situation after losing their jobs in Libya.

"Apat anak ko, mga elementary pa. Masakit, pangarap ko matapos anak ko. Sinira lang nila pero hindi hadlang ito para mangibang bansa pero hindi na sa Libya,” said Richie Espinosa.

Butch Dungo, another OFW from Libya, said "bumagsak aming mga pangarap sa buhay, tatlong buwan pa na-hold na salary doon.”

Providing assistance to OFWs from Libya

from ABS-CBNnews.com by By Caroline Howard, ANC

MANILA, Philippines - An estimated 4,568 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) have been repatriated from Libya since February 26, amid growing tensions in the Middle East nation.

Repatriated OFWs from Libya grateful to fellow Pinoys' help

from ABS-CBNnews.com by abs-cbnNEWS.com

MANILA, Philippines - A total of 943 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) have arrived in the country from strife-torn Libya in the last 24 hours.

US embassy organizes local jobs fair for Filipinos —DoLE

The Department of Labor and Employment on Tuesday said that United States-based companies in the Philippines would gather next week for a three-day job fair, offer 6,600 local opportunities to job seekers, especially displaced overseas Filipino workers from Libya and other countries.

Store attendant withdraws case v. mayor’s son

CEBU CITY -- A victim raises a complaint but later withdraws it. A father defends his son. The case is eventually dismissed.

This has become a familiar cycle whenever a complaint is made against Joavan Fernandez, a son of Talisay City Mayor Socrates Fernandez.

This time around, Raymond Paran, a 19-year-old clubhouse attendant of the Vista Grande Subdivision, decided to let go of the robbery case he filed against Joavan.

Mayor Fernandez, in a radio dyAB interview, confirmed Paran signed an affidavit of desistance but could not say when. He also said the young man signed the affidavit voluntarily and wanted to settle the case.

Judge Gilbert Moises received Tuesday a one-page affidavit of desistance signed by Paran and an “extremely urgent ex-parte motion to dismiss” the case.

In it, the clubhouse attendant said he and Joavan “amicably settled the problem” and that what happened between them last December 15, 2010 was a “product of a misunderstanding.”

“My decision (to withdraw the case) has risen simply because I have no interest in it,” the affidavit said.

Judge Moises, who presides over the Regional Trial Court Branch 18, said he will order the Office of the Talisay City Prosecutor to comment on Paran’s motion. It will be heard on March 16.

City Prosecutor Marshall Rubia said Paran’s absence will affect the case against the mayor’s son, but assured he will have the note authenticated.

The robbery case may push through without a complainant, but will depend on what evidence the prosecution can present.

Paran had accused the mayor’s son of firing a shot at him because he failed to immediately take the latter’s order of softdrinks at the clubhouse last December.

He was not hurt, though, as the gun was allegedly fired away from his direction.

The robbery complaint stemmed from Joavan’s allegedly taking the two one-liter bottles of drinks with him.

Senior Insp. Errol Francis de Veyra, acting Talisay City police chief, Tuesday confirmed that Paran left his job last Friday night.

He left behind an unsigned handwritten note stating he was no longer interested in pursuing the case because of threats, which he did elaborate on.

SPO1 Elmer Saladas, Talisay City Police Station desk officer, said the letter mentioned Joavan’s name.

It said: “Hinaut unta nga makasabot mo...tulo ka adlaw nga wa ko makatug kay patyon ni Joavan kung mopadayon sa akong kaso, sige na man gud ari Joavan (Please understand. I have not slept for three days because Joavan might kill me if I proceed with the case. He has been coming here often).”

It was addressed to a certain “Ma’am Shan” and “Ma’am Girlie.”

Romnick Padinas, a co-worker, told the police that Paran boarded a red vehicle when he left the clubhouse last Friday night, March 4, past 11 p.m.

Paran’s affidavit was dated March 3.

Accompanied by officials from the Vista Grande Homeowners’ Association (VGHA), Padinas went to the police to report the incident the next day.

The same letter mentioned that Paran signed a piece of paper in exchange for P4,000 for his safety and for his father, who needed money.

“Tungod sa akong kahadlok, nipirma na lang ko (I was afraid, so I signed it),” it read.

In the note, Paran also asked for forgiveness from the VGHA, saying he took P1,100 from the clubhouse store.

Talisay City Assistant Prosecutor Jenelyn Forrosuelo earlier recommended the filing of a robbery case against Joavan. She recommended P100,000 as bail.

The prosecutor, however, found no basis to charge Joavan with possession of dangerous drugs or paraphernalia.

In his affidavit of desistance, Paran requested the city prosecutor to withdraw the robbery complaint “with finality.”

It said he was not “requested, offered any consideration, or threatened, forced, coerced and intimidated” to withdraw the case.

Olango priest ‘settles matter’ with altar boy

THE Archdiocese of Cebu should investigate the physical abuse complaint raised by an altar boy against a priest, said a church official.

An investigation should be conducted by the archdiocesan officials who are direct superiors of the priest involved, said Msgr. Esteban Binghay, a Canon lawyer.

“We have to check, give the priest (Fr. Leopoldo Palacio Jr.) advice,” he said.

He was referring to the complaint of a 15-year-old acolyte (altar boy) of St. Augustine Parish in Barangay Sta. Rosa, Olango Island, Lapu-Lapu City that Palacio hit him when he arrived late for mass last Sunday.

In an interview, Fr. Palacio told Sun.Star Cebu the case was settled yesterday.

Palacio initially declined to issue a statement, but later said there was a meeting held at the Department of Social Welfare and Development in Lapu-Lapu City where the issue was discussed.

“Settled na. Ok ra siya, ok ra pud ko. Closed na ang kaso (We’re both fine now. Case closed),” he said in a phone interview.

Binghay said a priest facing an investigation cannot just be transferred to another parish. There is a process that has to be followed, he said.

“We do not punish, tell the priest to leave. Unless the people ask that he be transferred. Who will the priest serve?” he said.

“In order to be very sure, there should be an official verification of the incident. The child should also be investigated,” he said.

Binghay said Palacio was assigned in Barangay Tuyan, Naga City three years ago, where he also encountered problems with a family there.

“There was a misunderstanding with the family. They got mad because he said a mass for the dead hurriedly,” said Binghay.

“He was not able to explain his side properly at that time. But everything was settled after that. He (Palacio) was tired after coming down from the mountain where he also said mass,” Binghay said.

Barangay Sta. Rosa Captain Barulio Inoc told Sun.Star Cebu the acolyte is his neighbor, and that he is not familiar with the incident.

But he expressed doubts if the acolyte would return to work at the parish after the incident.

Inoc said the boy attended a school activity that day, which was the reason he was late for mass.

DNA TEST FOR BLOODSTAINS; Where’s owner of Pajero with tampered license plate?

Is this the vehicle used in the abduction of 6-year-old Ellah Joy Pique?

Samples of a suspected bloodstain in the back compartment of a blue Mitsubishi Pajero seized last Friday by police from a private residence in barangay Inayagan, Naga City, in south Cebu, were sent to Manila for a DNA test, a police official said yesterday.

The results will hopefully give a clue whether Ellah Joy's last ride before she was killed was in that luxury vehicle.

The Pajero was parked in a house whose owner is a “female companion” of a male foreigner who is abroad, based on a police deposition to the court.

is withholding the name of the woman, who was not around when police agents served a search warrant.

The foreigner was not identified by the police but their two witnesses described seeing a foreign male about 6 feet tall get out of the Pajero in a cliff atop Sayaw Beach in Barili town towards midnight last Feb. 8, which is the day Ellah Joy was abducted.

The two witnesses, in a joint affidavit said they saw the foreigner “pull out something from the rear portion of the vehicle—a white rolled object, seemingy the size of an ordinary sack—and placed it on top of the cemented dike beside the road. A few seconds after, the white object was dumped off the cliff.”

Their account coincides with the Feb. 9 discovery of Ellah Joy's naked body below the cliff, wrapped in a white sheet and stuffed in a sack with rocks to weigh down the bulk.

Inside the Pajero, which was impounded in Camp Sotero Cabahug, staff peered into the tinted windows and saw in the back compartment what looked like dark smudges near a stereo soundbox amid cluttered tools and plastic bags.

Senior Supt. Patrocinio Comendador Jr., spokesman of the Task Force Ellah Joy, said bloodstains found in the vehicle will be later matched with blood specimens to be taken from the victim’s parents. He would not specify where the bloodstains were found.

He told reporters the confiscated Pajero was one of the evidence found in the residence in barangay Inayagan, Naga City, aside from computer devices such as a USB, video camera and other computer parts.

In applying for the search warrant last March 4 from Executive Judge Meinrado Paredes of Regional Trial Court, police said they were looking for a Pajero with plate number LHJ 382, a digital camera and computer storage devices, a foam mattress, bedsheets, blankets, computer sets and printers, receipts, water bills, electric bills, fax machinese, telephone wires, photos and other materials and pysicial evidence related to the crime.

A close look at the license plate of the seized Pajero showed scratch marks made in the letters making the prefix appear “LHJ” where the original letter “M” was altered. (See closeup photo.)

“This evidence could help our investigation,” said Comendador, but he wouldn’t say more.

The search was based on the search warrant issued by Regional Trial Court (RTC) executive Judge Meindrado Paredes.

Comendador refused to name the subjects of the search warrant or whether the suspects had already left Cebu.

Police sources said the male foreigner was a British national.

Inside the Pajero, a sticker of the flag of Great Britain appears inside the passenger door.

Police were forced to get back on the trail of Ellah Joy’s killers after prosecutors on Feb. 28 dismissed criminal charges against Norwegian computer engineer Sven-Erik Berger and his fiancée Kareen Esdrelon, a Cebuana nurse, whom police kept in custody for over two weeks as their main suspects.

The kidnapping with homicide charges were thrown out for “insufficiency of evidence,” which police submitted based mainly on the positive identification of three children, Ellah Joy’s classmates, and the couple’s similarity to cartographic sketches of the abductors, described as a Caucasian male and and a slim Filipina with long hair.

This time, Comendador said the police have several “adult witnesses” to support their investigation.

Meanwhile 1st District Rep. Eduardo Gullas urged the people to take due care in their sleuthing and track down the real culprits.

Photos shown to new witnesses

THE police have “more or less established some motive and means” behind the death of Ellah Joy Pique, said Senior Supt. Patrocinio Comendador.

“We have substantial reason to believe our investigation is on the right track,” he said yesterday, exactly a month since the abduction outside a public school in Minglanilla town.

Comendador, spokesperson of a task force on the case, told reporters the police found pictures of a Caucasian man and a Filipina inside the house in Naga where a sports utility vehicle (SUV) was earlier picked up.

Investigators went to Minglanilla last Monday afternoon to show the photos to witnesses. The police placed the pictures beside other images, which Comendador said is the proper procedure in identifying suspects.

He declined to give details, while the police are waiting for the affidavits to be subscribed by the witnesses.

“We are establishing the presence of the two personalities that we are after…and they were in Minglanilla just seconds before the abduction,” he said.

The task force will tap the Bureau of Immigration and Philippine Center for Transnational Crime for the foreigner’s background.

Comendador said they have a witness whose testimony is circumstantial, but this person was at the scene shortly before the kidnapping.

“We have witnesses during the abduction, just minutes before and after the abduction (of Ellah Joy Pique),” he said.

Two witnesses, according to a GMA 7 report, issued a joint affidavit last Friday. They saw the dark blue Pajero in Barangay Sayaw, Barili the night before Ellah Joy was found dead at the bottom of a cliff in the area last Feb. 9.

The witnesses, who came from their friend’s birthday party in Barangay Mantayapan, were going home when they saw the vehicle stop near a beach resort. Then they saw a Caucasian man disembark and begin to take something from the back of the vehicle. But he stopped when he noticed them.

When they were about 50 to 70 meters away, they saw the foreigner carry a sack with something inside it and place it on top of a road barrier. Then he pushed it down.

One of the witnesses, a woman, said she remembered the Pajero’s license plate: LHJ-382.

The police recovered a Pajero in Naga City last Friday night, with license plate LMJ-382. The letter “M” had been tampered to make it appear like an “H.”

Comendador said they will not use the three children who identified Sven Erik Berger and Karen Esdrelon as the ones who allegedly abducted Ellah Joy in Minglanilla.

“For the time being, we are using other witnesses in order not to contaminate the statements and not to give the defense later a chance to make loopholes in our case,” he said.

The task force also got DNA samples before Ellah Joy was buried.

The task force will meet again today to discuss their investigation.

“We are expanding our investigation, we are expanding our imagination in solving and in building up the case,” said Comendador.

Interviewed separately, Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia said she is satisfied with how the task force is doing its job and said she regularly receives updates.

She declined to discuss these updates with reporters.

“I only interfere when the police are not doing their work, and when they already know some information and yet they withhold it,” said Garcia.

Former Cebu Provincial Police Office director Erson Digal resigned his position recently, after the governor said she has lost trust in him because he withheld information from here on the Pique case.

These days, the governor said she is confident the police are doing their work more carefully and providing just enough information for the public to understand they are doing their job.

Councilor worries about safety of Dumpit at detention facility

WORRIED about SPO1 Adonis Dumpit’s safety in the Cebu City Jail, a city councilor said the policeman should not be detained there.

Councilor Augustus Pe Jr. said he already apprised the jail warden of the possible danger Dumpit would be facing inside the detention facility, and asked him not to take the situation for granted.

Pe, chairman of the City Council committee on public order and safety, said the situation of Dumpit and the threat to his life should not be taken for granted because criminals whom he sent to jail might get back at him while he’s detained there.

“It’s a security problem having him there. If we can only find another place outside the city jail, then that will be better because we all know that he has sent a lot of criminals to jail, that’s why he’s not safe there. But there’s nothing we can do, it’s a court order, we’ll just have to follow the legal process,” Pe told Sun.Star Cebu.

Irregularities

Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama, on the other hand, warned the jail warden against committing irregularities.

“Do what you believe you are allowed by law to do. If you go beyond, and it will be proven to be special treatment, you should only be reminded of the wardens who were kicked out,” said Rama.

But the mayor said Dumpit could not be regarded as an ordinary prisoner.

There is a rule for those prisoners and jail officials know what to do, said Rama. He added that the scenario would be worse if a detainee would become a victim of a crime inside the City Jail.

The family of a minor who was allegedly shot by Dumpit rejoiced at the court order putting Dumpit in jail.

“For the first time in six years, I don’t have to constantly look over my shoulder and see if somebody is following me,” said Janeth Badana in Cebuano.

Murder

Dumpit is facing a murder charge for the death of Badana’s son Ronron Go. The court allowed him to be detained at the detention cell of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG).

However, Regional Trial Court Judge Ester Veloso ordered Dumpit imprisoned at the city jail after Badana took photos of Dumpit outside the CIDG 7 detention cell.

Badana said prosecution witnesses are also relieved by Dumpit’s transfer. She added that those who testified against Dumpit in the case have been removed from the witness protection program.

After learning about the court order on Dumpit’s transfer, Pe said he advised the City Jail warden to be alert.

“He (warden) told me he’s aware of the security risks and that he’s implementing security measures to keep him (Dumpit) safe. SPO1 Dumpit was placed in an isolation cell and was assigned his own guard,” the councilor said.

Transfer

But deputy city jail warden Dennis Aliño they are planning to transfer Dumpit to another Bureau of Jail and Management Penology 7 facility, considering the policeman is a “high-risk” prisoner.

Dumpit was placed in the Reception and Diagnostic Center, which was repainted last week, said SJOI Edgardo del Rosario. It has a bathroom with running water.

The facility, del Rosario said, is where they conduct briefings about the jail’s policies to the new prisoners. It was also used as the prisoners’ livelihood center before.

Dumpit was not put right away into his cell when he arrived Monday afternoon. He stayed at the City Jail’s office until evening, del Rosario said.

The policeman has a pending motion for bail.

Bail

Judge Veloso had denied an earlier motion so defense lawyer Pedro Leslie Salva lodged another last December.

Salva, in the motion, stated that Dumpit was merely performing his job when the shooting took place.

Cebu City Police Office deputy chief Pablo Labra II, who took the witness stand last month, supported the argument.

He said it was he who gave the order to pursue the suspects of two robbery incidents on Dec. 14, 2004, the day Go was shot.

On his first night at the City Jail, Dumpit received a cup of rice and fried fish as his ration and slept on a flat sheet of wood.

Asked what he would do, he said: “Hagok gihapon. Kaginhawa pa ko diri (I slept well. I can still breathe here).”

Yesterday morning, the be-medalled police officer turned murder suspect ate a breakfast consisting of egg, beef loaf, dried fish and a cup of rice.

“Kanindot diri kay naay extra rice (It’s nice here; I get extra rice),” he said.

He has a black bag containing blankets and his clothes. He also brought along with him soap, alcohol, coffee in sachets, and two bottles of mineral water.

Dumpit said he will wait for when the court will render its decision on his case.

To fight boredom, Dumpit is requesting for books and other reading materials. He said he wants to read Tagalog love stories.

Charge Danao chief cop: CPPO

FOR allegedly making up proof against suspected drug pushers, the police chief of Danao City was recommended to be charged with an administrative case.

The legal department of the Cebu Provincial Police Office (CPPO) suggested to the Police Regional Office (PRO) 7 that Danao City Police Station Chief Eddie Recamara be charged with conduct unbecoming of a police officer and less grave neglect of duty.

Insp. Julius Ompad, legal department chief, said Senior Supt. Louie Oppus, CPPO’s officer-in-charge, signed his recommendation letter against Recamara and PO1 Frederick Gomez, PO3 Pedro Borinaga, and SPO1 Allan Muñoz.

Ompad said he saw probable cause in the complaint filed by Danao City Prosecutor Jose Dionesio Kyamko against Recamara and company.

Kyamko filed a complaint against Recamara at the Provincial Investigation and Detective Management Branch (PIDMB) of the CPPO last Feb. 25. He alleged that Recamara made up evidence against detainee Rowena Lavador, a suspected drug pusher.

He said one of his staff, Paulino Barriga, was also forced to sign an inventory receipt, which will be used in the filing of a drug pushing case against Lavador.

Kyamko further alleged that Recamara’s group presented as proof pictures used in cases previously filed in court.

Recamara denied Kyamko’s allegations.

Kyamko and Recamara reportedly argued last Feb. 23 inside the prosecutor’s office after the latter accused Kyamko of acting like a “defense counsel” of Lavador, 42.

Lavador, in an earlier report, was arrested last Feb. 18 at 10:30 p.m. in Barangay Poblacion, Danao City on the strength of a search warrant issued by Regional Trial Court Branch 28 Judge Marilyn Yap.

The argument occurred after Recamara allegedly got mad when a prosecutor’s clerk did not sign a new inventory receipt, which included the drug selling case against Lavador.

Recamara said he sent PO1 Frederick Gomez and PO3 Pedro Borinaga last Feb. 23 to the Danao City Prosecutor’s Office to file drug selling and possession cases against Lavador.

Kyamko, according to Recamara, refused to accept the drug selling case, which is non-bailable, because it lacked Barriga’s signature. But Kyamko accepted the bailable drug possession case.

The sale and possession of dangerous drugs violate Sections 5 and 11 of Republic Act 9165, or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002. Under this law, the sale of dangerous drugs is punishable by life imprisonment, as well as a fine ranging from P500,000 to P10 million.

Barriga’s signature is not essential to the case, Recamara said.

“No inventory receipt was needed for the inquest (proceeding),” Recamara said in a phone interview.

He said a prosecutor’s manual issued by the Department of Justice on 2008 stated that in filing a drug case, only the laboratory examination result, photocopy of the buy-bust money and affidavit of the poseur buyer are needed.

Recamara said he will file his counter-affidavit once he receives the letter.

Ingles’ waiver of LGU stipend ‘struck’ P-Noy

by cebuweb

JUDGE Gabriel Ingles said President Benigno Aquino III found “peculiar” his application for associate justice of the Court of Appeals (CA).

Ingles said a source informed him that Aquino was impressed with his decision to waive his monthly stipend from local government units (LGU) to maintain judicial independence.

The source, whom Ingles refused to name, told him this was the main reason the President confirmed his appointment to the CA post.

“Secondly, I don’t have political endorsements,” Ingles told Sun. Star Cebu in an interview yesterday.

City to rid signs of politicians’ pics

by cebuweb

THE Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) has reminded the Cebu City Government to ban the names, initials and photos of government officials from billboards and signs of government programs, projects and properties.

DILG sent a memorandum circular to Mayor Michael Rama to act on the directive of President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III that prohibits the practice.

The mayor said that since he assumed office last year, he has never engaged in such a practice in all City-funded projects and programs.

Cortes’ ally Boholst resigns as City Hall administrator

MAYOR Jonas Cortes yesterday accepted the resignation of his closest ally, Briccio Boholst, as Mandaue City administrator.

Boholst submitted his resignation letter last Feb. 23 yet. He did not say why he resigned. Both he and Cortes are mum on the incident.

The mayor designated lawyer Ernesto Maringuran, assistant city administrator, to act as officer-in-charge (OIC).

The mayor announced Boholst’s resignation in last Monday’s flag ceremony, but the resignation letter furnished to reporters was dated Feb. 23.

The mayor did not give any reason for accepting the resignation of his closest adviser.

Boholst, who had been the city administrator since the mayor’s first day in office in 2007, refused to issue any statement, saying he is yet to talk to the mayor.

Accepted

Boholst acknowledged receiving Cortes’ letter accepting his resignation yesterday.

Cortes declined to comment on the matter.

“It has been a pleasure working for a change in the way things had been run in the city in the past years. I am very grateful for the opportunity to serve the city. It

had been such an enjoyable three years and seven months,” Boholst said in the letter.

“Please let me know if I can be of assistance during the transition,” Boholst’s letter to the mayor stated in closing.

There were reports that Boholst resignation was not his first, as the lawyer was one of those who filed his resignation in the early part of Cortes’ first term, for unknown reasons.

The mayor did not accept Boholst’s resignation then.

Ally

Last December, there were reports that Boholst would file his resignation.

The former chapter president of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines, Boholst was a known Cortes ally.

When Cortes ran against the son of the incumbent mayor, Jonkie Ouano, Boholst filed a petition questioning Ouano’s citizenship. Cortes eventually won.

Boholst was also remembered when he nearly traded blows with another lawyer, Gonzalo Malig-on, the chief of staff of Cortes’s political rival Nerissa Soon-Ruiz.

The heated confrontation escalated when the legislator brought DPWH personnel and ordered them to repair the newly cemented R. Colina St. in Barangay Ibabao-Estancia.

Cortes won against Ruiz in May 2010.

House justice committee indicts Ombudsman Gutierrez

Voting 39 to 9 with 1 abstention for the first complaint and 39 to 6 with 1 abstention for the second complaint, the House Justice Committee ruled that there is probable cause for the impeachment of Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez. With the vote, the committee, chaired by Congressman Niel Tupas Jr., now sends the impeachment complaint against the Ombudsman to the plenary for approval. The voting took place even as some lawmakers appealed to their colleagues not to rush the proceedings and adhere to due process.

House forms initial list of solons to form prosecution panel in impeach trial

MANILA, Philippines – Confident of Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez’s impeachment, the House of Representatives has formed an initial list of lawmakers who would act as prosecutors in the looming trial in the Senate.

Iloilo Representative Niel Tupas Jr., the chairman of the justice committee that conducted the impeachment hearings, named the following lawmakers as among the members of the prosecution team: Deputy Speaker Lorenzo Tanada III, Deputy Speaker Raul Daza, Ilocos Norte Representative Rodolfo Farinas, Cavite Representative Elpidio Barzaga Jr., Oriental Mindoro Representative Reynaldo Umali, and partylist Representatives Arlene “Kaka” Bag-ao of Akbayan and Neri Colmenares of Bayan Muna.

Tupas said he would also be part of the team and was willing to head it if nominated.

The list will be submitted to Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. for formal nomination at the plenary Tuesday afternoon.

Tupas said the House would have an 11-member prosecution team that would defend the impeachment complaint in the Senate.

Tupas said the seven lawmakers would also craft the committee report containing the Articles of Impeachment to be submitted in the plenary March 14.

He said he hoped that plenary debates on the committee report would begin on March 15.

Earlier in the day, the justice committee found probable cause to remove Gutierrez from her post for betrayal of public trust based on six allegations contained in two separate impeachment complaints.

The allegations were for Gutierrez’s alleged low conviction rate of the cases pending before her office, her inaction on the alleged murder case of Navy Ensign Philip Pestano, and her failure to prosecute officials involved in the botched national broadband network agreement with Chinese firm ZTE Corporation.

The second complaint was filed over Gutierrez’s “failure and omission to act promptly . . . on the anomalous disbursement of funds and other anomalous transactions” in the case of the P729-million fertilizer fund scam, the Commission on Elections contract with MegaPacific Corp., and the case of the generals who stashed away thousands of euros in Russia.

House body votes to bring impeach case vs Ombudsman to plenary

MANILA, Philippines—Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez was dealt heavy blows on Tuesday—the expected overwhelming vote of the House of Representatives’ justice committee to forward the impeachment case against her for plenary voting, and the Supreme Court’s dismissal of her appeal to stop the impeachment proceedings.

“It is a triumph of the people at this stage, an initial victory for the people in exercising their sovereign power to remove an accountable officer through impeachment,” Iloilo Rep. Niel Tupas Jr., chair of the justice committee, told the Philippine Daily Inquirer in an interview after the hearing.

House Minority Leader Edcel Lagman and other Gutierrez defenders said the impeachment process was not merely a political exercise but should also be grounded on evidence, like a court trial, but still lost the vote.

The voting was preceded by a four-hour debate on whether impeachment was a mere numbers game and whether Gutierrez had been given due process by the justice committee, with the pros outnumbering the antis by more than 6 to 1.

Gutierrez and her lawyer were not present. But they submitted two letters to the committee on Tuesday and on March 4 to deny the charges, accompanied by what Lagman described as “two-foot-high documents.”

The committee voted 39-9, with Lagman abstaining, in finding probable cause to impeach Gutierrez based on the complaint filed by a group led by former Akbayan Rep. Risa Hontiveros.

In that complaint, Gutierrez was cited for her “unconscionably low” conviction rate in cases including the graft charges filed against Arroyo and her husband on their involvement in the $329-million NBN-ZTE deal and the suspicious death of Ensign Philip Pestaño. (Ilocos Rep. Rodolfo Farinas, the committee vice chair, said his “yes” vote did not cover the Pestaño case because he felt the Ombudsman had acted on it.)

The committee voted 39-6, again with Lagman abstaining, on the impeachment complaint filed by a group led by Bagong Alyansang Makabayan’s Renato Reyes, which assailed the Ombudsman for her purported inaction on the P728-million fertilizer fund scam, the “euro generals” scandal, and the Mega Pacific eSolutions contract with the Commission on Elections which the Supreme Court had voided.

Tupas said he expected the committee to submit its report and articles of impeachment on March 14, with the plenary debate expected to start by March 15 or 16.

He told reporters in a press conference after the hearing that he expected the impeachment case to be approved by March 22 or 23.

In an interview, Tupas said he was pleased with the result of the voting as it affirmed the people’s belief in public accountability.

He said the high court’s decision dismissing Gutierrez’s motion for reconsideration at the time when the committee was about to vote on the finding of probable cause was timely.

“In effect, the Supreme Court is sending the message that it is supporting the process and is recognizing the people’s power of impeachment through Congress,” he said.

In a press conference, Supreme Court spokesperson Jose Midas Marquez said the justices’ vote rejecting Gutierrez’s appeal was the same—7-5-2—as when they dismissed her petition on Feb. 15.

“That means that the House can proceed with its impeachment proceedings against Ombudsman Gutierrez. Jurisprudence tells us that second motions for reconsideration are prohibited pleadings,” Marquez said.

Those who voted against Gutierrez’s petition and also denied her appeal were Senior Associate Justices Conchita Carpio-Morales and Antonio Carpio and Associate Justices Antonio Eduardo Nachura, Martin Villarama, Jose Mendoza, Roberto Abad and Maria Lourdes Sereno (President Aquino’s lone appointee to the high court).

Those who dissented were Chief Justice Renato Corona and Associate Justices Teresita Leonardo-de Castro, Arturo Brion, Diosdado Peralta and Lucas Bersamin.

Associate Justices Jose Perez and Mariano del Castillo partially concurred with the majority. Associate Justice Presbitero Velasco Jr. inhibited because his son, Marinduque Rep. Lord Allan Velasco, is a member of the House justice committee.

Gutierrez had argued that the justice committee violated the constitutional provision that only one impeachment proceeding may be filed against a public official in a year.

Marquez said the high court denied her appeal based on the ground cited when her petition was rejected—that the two impeachment complaints were referred to the House justice committee at the same time, thus constituting one proceeding.

In defending Gutierrez, Lagman said the Ombudsman was being singled out to serve as an example of the government’s anti-corruption efforts.

He also said Gutierrez was denied due process with the justice committee rushing to impeach her after members of the ruling Liberal Party received a pep talk from President Aquino.

“The critical imperativeness of due process must not be sacrificed to imprudent haste or partisan importuning. Impeachment of a respondent at all costs is not the raison d’être for redeeming a campaign promise,” Lagman said.

He also said the majority members could not have digested the documents filed by Gutierrez after getting them only late Monday afternoon.

Lagman argued that contrary to the claim made by the majority, the impeachment case was “akin to prosecutorial and adjudicatory proceedings” because the rules of criminal procedure were adopted.

“I raise these points in order to impress on the leadership and membership of the committee on justice not to jettison the immutable tenet of due process,” he said.

But Fariñas said the committee had extended all accommodations available to Gutierrez even if she had repeatedly mocked the impeachment hearings as a “moro-moro” (farce).

Northern Samar Rep. Raul Daza said Gutierrez invoked due process only when it was convenient for her.

Isabela Rep. Georgidi Aggabao, who was deputized by South Cotabato Rep. Daisy Fuentes, said that even if the charges were “gratuitously granted as true,” they could not be considered impeachable offenses.

“The decision of the committee was arbitrary and I predict the case will face very rough sailing at the Senate,” Aggabao added.

While the 83 members of the Liberal Party have agreed to vote as one in the plenary voting, the Nationalist People’s Coalition has allowed its 40 members to vote according to their conscience, according to Valenzuela Rep. Rex Gatchalian.

The justice committee pared down the first complaint, saying most of the cases could not be used as basis for impeachment, such as Hontiveros’ arrest at a women’s rally, and retained the three charges in the second complaint.

Tupas said the two complaints would now be consolidated under the articles of impeachment on the ground of betrayal of public trust, and would carry only six—three each from the two complaints—of the original 10 allegations.

“We will arrange the order accordingly as will be discussed in the plenary,” Deputy Speaker Lorenzo Tañada III said. “We decided that we will look more at the strength of each ground and we feel that these are the strongest grounds that we can present in the Senate to prove that Ombudsman Gutierrez has to be impeached.”

Tupas said the committee’s work was over.

“As far as the committee on justice is concerned, we’ve already concluded our constitutional duty. We have voted and found the existence of probable cause on the complaints against Merceditas Gutierrez for betrayal of public trust,” he said.

At the press conference, Tupas named seven lawyer-members of the committee who would help him draft the committee report and the articles of impeachment—Daza, Tañada, Fariñas, Oriental Mindoro Rep. Reynaldo Umali, Cavite Rep. Elpidio Barzaga Jr., Bayan Muna Rep. Neri Colmenares, and Akbayan Rep. Kaka Bag-ao.

He said he would recommend to Speaker Feliciano Belmonte that the seven also be named to the 11-member panel that would prosecute the impeachment complaint in the Senate should the House plenary affirm the committee report.

At the hearing, Marikina Rep. Miro Quimbo, one of four senior committee members who have charges pending at the office of the Ombudsman, lamented what he claimed was an irresponsible attack on their reputation by Gutierrez’s allies.

Quimbo said he was “disheartened” by the release of their names on Monday by Salvador Panelo, lawyer and spokesperson of Gutierrez, instead of presenting evidence on behalf of his client.

“I am led to think that the revelations by the Ombudsman’s counsel on pending cases before the Ombudsman is but a veiled threat designed to cow members not to vote in favor of impeachment,” said Quimbo, a deputy majority leader and vice chair of the committee.

“I find it suspicious that he mentions that more than 50 percent of members of Congress have cases being investigated by the Ombudsman, but he only reveals to the media the names of the top four officers of the justice committee. I find this highly suspicious, especially considering that it was done on the eve of today’s voting,” he said.

Quimbo later delivered a privilege speech on the matter at the plenary session in the afternoon.

The other three committee members with pending charges before the Ombudsman are Tupas, Fariñas and Umali.

Ombudsman resigned to face impeach raps

With the Supreme Court dismissing her appeal, Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez said Tuesday that she had no recourse other than to face the impeachment case filed against her.

Ombudsman camp confident of fair Senate trial

Unlike the House of Representatives, the camp of Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez sees the Senate as a venue that can give the embattled official her day in court.

Senators: We are ready for impeachment trial

from GMA News.tv

(Updated 7:03 p.m.) The Senate is all set to take on the impeachment complaint against Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez once it is elevated by the House of Representatives to the chamber, senators said on Tuesday.

Estrada to Gutierrez: Fight on if you’re innocent

“If you believe you’re innocent, fight on.” Embattled Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez on Tuesday got this piece of unsolicited advice from former President Joseph Estrada, who himself had gone through an abbreviated impeachment trial that led to his ouster a decade ago.

Palace: Next Ombudsman will not be beholden to Aquino

from GMA News.tv

Malacañang on Tuesday assured the public that the next Ombudsman - if ever Congress succeeds in ousting current Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez - will not be beholden to President Benigno Aquino III, the appointing authority.

Palace won't side with FSGO on 'glass mansion'

by By Niña Corpuz, ABS-CBN News

MANILA, Philippines – Malacañan is supporting Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr. over an issue involving the ownership of a 2-storey glass and concrete house in a gated subdivision in Quezon City.

Task force clears LTO chief Torres on car registration mess

from GMA News.tv

An inter-agency task force probing the supposed collusion between government officials and car-theft syndicates has cleared Land Transportation Office chief Virginia Torres of possible involvement in the allegations.

Senate wants to summon bank officials

from ABS-CBNnews.com by By Ryan Chua, ABS-CBN News

MANILA, Philippines - Senators on Tuesday said they want to invite representatives of several banks where former military officials accused of corruption deposited and withdrew huge sums of money.

Jinggoy wants CAAP probed for corruption

from GMA News.tv

The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) should be probed amid allegations of corruption within the agency, Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Estrada said Tuesday.

Mayors to protest SC flip-flop on cityhood case

from ABS-CBNnews.com by By Jorge Cariño, ABS-CBN News

City mayors all over the country are bracing for a big fight in the Supreme Court when they file Wednesday their motion for reconsideration against the High Court's decision allowing the conversion of sixteen municipalities into new cities.

Cityhood ruling weakens cities' social services

from philstar.com - Breaking News by By Jun Pasaylo

With more than half of the country’s population dwelling in cities, the League of Cities of the Philippines said the delivery of social services will be severely affected in the cityhood bid of 16 towns.

SC spokesman hit over remarks on Aquino's SC appointees

from GMA News.tv

Malacañang on Tuesday took offense on the statement uttered by Supreme Court spokesman Midas Marquez that President Benigno Aquino III's appointees at the high tribunal will be loyal to him.

SC admonishes UP law dean, professors on plagiarism case

The Supreme Court on Tuesday admonished University of the Philippines (UP) College of Law Dean Marvic Leonen for leading its faculty to join the call for Supreme Court Associate Justice Mariano Del Castillo to resign over the issue of plagiarism.

Phl considers NDF as political organization, not a terrorist group

from philstar.com - Breaking News

The government considers the leftist National Democratic Front (NDF) as a political organization and not as a terrorist group, a senior official said today.

'Rido' displaces hundreds in Maguindanao

from ABS-CBNnews.com by abs-cbnNEWS.com

MANILA, Philippines - Hundreds of civilians were displaced due to skirmishes between Moro Islamic Liberation Front rebels and members of the kidnap-for-ransom group Pentagon in the outskirts of Maguindanao, an Army spokesman said Tuesday.

Flor Contemplacion's sons get life for peddling drugs

A Laguna court has found the three sons of executed overseas Filipino worker Flor Contemplacion guilty of drug peddling and sentenced them to life imprisonment.

In a 14-page decision issued last week, Judge Agripino Morga of the San Pablo City Regional Trial Court Branch 32 convicted Sandrex Contemplacion, 37; and twins Jon-Jon and Joel, 30, for violation of Section 5 of Republic Act 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Act of 2002.

House OKs additional burial aid for war vets

The House of Representatives has approved a measure giving an additional P10,000 for each Filipino war veteran’s burial assistance.

The lower chamber on Monday passed House Bill 229, which increases the amount given to the family of a deceased war veteran from P10,000 to P20,000.

Women make noise to 'wake up' PNoy on International Women's Day

from GMA News.tv

Women from all walks of life made their voices heard in celebration of International Women's Day on its 100th year on Tuesday.

Sexual harassment panels mulled versus online abuse

from GMA News.tv

Colleges and universities have been urged to consider installing committees on decorum and investigation to provide immediate relief to students who are possible victims of sexual harassment online.

Senate OKs on 2nd reading bill decriminalizing vagrancy

The Senate has approved on second reading a bill that would strike out vagrancy from the country’s code of crimes.

Senate Bill No. 2367 seeks to repeal provisions of Article 202 of the Revised Penal Code which seeks to punish vagrants and prostitutes with arresto menor (imprisonment from one to 30 days) or a fine not exceeding P200.

In case of recidivism, vagrants are punished by arresto mayor in its medium period (imprisonment from two months to four months) to prision correccional in its minimum period (imprisonment from six years to two years and four months) or a fine ranging from P200 to P2,000, or both, depending on the court.

But Senator Francis Escudero, who authored the bill, said there was a need to repeal the law because it has become a "common excuse" for law enforcers to detail, arrest, or bring to the police station any person they don't have no sufficient reasons to arrest.

"We see it all the time in the news, when authorities round up people and no definite charges can be made,vagrancy comes in handy. Cases of this nature have already piled up in our justice system," he said in his sponsorship speech on Monday.

In stressing the importance of his bill, Escudero in Janaury cited the case involving a 30-year-old vendor who claimed she was raped by PO3 Antonio Bautista Jr. inside the headquarters of the Manila Police District following her arrest for supposedly being a vagrant.

Bautista has since surrendered and is undergoing investigation for the incident.

Vagrants

Under Article 202 of the Revised Penal Code, vagrants are defined as:

any person having no apparent means of subsistence, who has the physical ability to work and who neglects to apply himself or herself to some lawful calling;

any person found loitering about public or semi-public buildings or places or trampling or wandering about the country or the streets without visible means of support;

any idle or dissolute person who ledges in houses of ill fame; ruffians or pimps and those who habitually associate with prostitutes; and

any person who, not being included in the provisions of other articles of this Code, shall be found loitering in any inhabited or uninhabited place belonging to another without any lawful or justifiable purpose.

If SB 2367 is passed into law, all pending vagrancy cases shall be dismissed and all persons serving sentence for violating the vagrancy law shall immediately be released.

Escudero had filed a similar bill during the 14th Congress. The measure was approved by the Senate on third and final reading but was not passed into law.

DOJ chief seeks replacement of Immigration's intelligence head

To boost the government's efforts against trafficking, Justice Secretary Leila de Lima on Tuesday said she is seeking the replacement of the Bureau of Immigration's intelligence division head.

At a news briefing, De Lima said she is not satisfied with the performance of BI intelligence head Faizal Hussin.

Peso slightly down against US dollar due to oil-price concerns

The peso led declines of Asian currencies on Tuesday as lingering concerns over rising oil prices dampened sentiment for emerging markets in the region.

$1: 43.465

$1: 43.465 (P43.30)

Euro 1: 60.5704

PAL operations to continue despite workers’ notice of strike

Philippine Airlines (PAL) is assuring its passengers that the unresolved labor issues plaguing the flag carrier would not have any effect on its operations.

Casinos proposed to be covered under anti-laundering law

Claiming that casinos are used as “conduits” in money-laundering operations, the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) now wants them to be covered under the law.

Libya rebels reject talks on Gaddafi exit

BENGHAZI, Libya, March 8 (Reuters) - Rebels fighting to overthrow Muammar Gaddafi have rejected an offer from the Libyan leader to negotiate his exit even as they battled to hang on to early gains in the insurrection.

A million Libyans need aid as UK, France seek no-fly zone

from ABS-CBNnews.com by By Mohammed Abbas, Reuters

RAS LANUF, Libya - Britain and France said they were seeking U.N. authorization for a no-fly zone over Libya, as Muammar Gaddafi's warplanes counter-attacked against rebels and aid officials said a million people were in need.

China cool to Libya no-fly zone proposal

from GMA News.tv

BEIJING, March 8 (Reuters) - Any United Nations-authorized action against Libya must ensure it helps the country return to stability as soon as possible, China said on Tuesday in response to British and French proposals for a no-fly zone.

UN rights chief voices fears for Arab women's rights

from ABS-CBNnews.com by Reuters

GENEVA, Switzerland - United Nations human rights chief Navi Pillay appealed on Monday to new governments in Egypt and Tunisia to ensure that full women's rights were enshrined in new constitutions in both countries.

Spratlys tensions to be raised at Asean-East Asia meeting—Indonesia

Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has expressed his country’s hope that the Spratlys dispute in the South China sea does not become "an area of open conflict."

Phl, Indonesia boost cooperation to paralyze terror network

from philstar.com - Breaking News

The Philippine and Indonesian governments on Tuesday pledged to step up cooperation to paralyze terrorist networks in the region, the leaders of the two countries said here.

Roach arrives in Manila, prepares for Pacquiao training

from ABS-CBNnews.com by abs-cbnNEWS.com

MANILA, Philippines – Boxing coach Freddie Roach returned to the Philippines on Tuesday to whip Manny Pacquiao back into tip-top shape in time for the Filipino champion’s May 7 fight against Shane Mosley.

Azkals say training in Japan going well