March 25 News

YAHOO NEWS
Ayala Land Inc.: No, 'poor people' aren't banned in

our mall
By Thea Alberto, Yahoo! Southeast Asia | Yahoo Newsroom – Thu, Mar 24, 2011 5:16 PM PHT
(UPDATE 2) Are “poor people” really prohibited in a posh mall in Makati City?
No, Ayala Land said that it's not true.
Earlier, a photo of a signage prohibiting “poor people” in Greenbelt mall circulated in social
networking sites Thursday, drawing the ire of several Filipinos including TV personality Denise
Laurel and singer Kyla.
“This is disgusting,” Laurel said in her @D_Laurel Twitter account, as she retweeted a photo of the
signage that contained this statement:
“This is a private, controlled environment. Poor people and other disturbing realities strictly
prohibited. Thank You!”
The signage also bears what appeared to be a Greenbelt logo and “Ayala Land Corporation.”
Kyla replied to Laurel’s tweet and said: “I saw that picture :( just plain bad. Yeah. I hope that's fake.
Definitely a bad joke...”
Ayala Land denies posting 'fake sign'
Several hours after the photo circulated, Ayala Land, which manages Ayala Malls including
Greenbelt, issued a statement denying that the signage was from their office.
"This is regarding the alleged signage that has been posted today, 24 March 2011, at the Greenbelt
Mall, a photo of which has been circulating online. This signage is not authorized and is not part of
Greenbelt ’s official mall signage," Ayala Land, Inc. said.
“We would like to reassure everyone that Greenbelt is for the enjoyment of the public and the
community it serves,” Ayala Land added.
“The Ayala Malls Management does not tolerate any pranks. We shall be coordinating with the
proper authorities for corresponding actions to be taken,” Ayala Malls added.
Possible motive
Jorge Miguel Marco, head of Corporate Communications of Ayala Land Inc. told Yahoo! Southeast
Asia there were a number of malicious posters around the Greenbelt area but they were "only there
for a short time."
Marco said security guards discovered the posters.
"There were some posters. It was scattered. As far as we know it was put up early morning," Marco
said in a phone interview.
"It was really a hoax," he added.
Marco said investigations are ongoing and they are also determining the motive behind the incident.
He mentioned they already have "some leads."
When asked whether they were looking at competitors as culprits, Marco said: "Let's not speculate as
to who the culprit might be. The investigation is ongoing and we hope to find out more about this."
PEP EXCLUSIVE: Marlene Aguilar challenges QC

judge to a fisticuff; threatens release of "video
exposé"
PEP – Thu, Mar 24, 2011 11:48 AM PHT
Pikon na pikon na si Marlene Aguilar.

Ito ang mariing ipinarating ng nanay ng murder suspect na si Jason Ivler kagabi, March 23, sa isang
phone interview sa PEP (Philippine Entertainment Portal).
Tinawagan ng PEP si Marlene matapos mapabalitang nagwala ito sa hearing para sa murder case ng
kanyang anak noong hapong ding iyon sa Quezon City Regional Trial Court.
Hinamon din ni Marlene si Judge Bayani Vargas ng Branch 219 sa isang suntukan.
Ayon sa balita, nagwala si Marlene sa gitna ng hearing matapos malamang nawala ng korte ang
record ng ballistic test na ginawa sa murder weapon sa naganap na pagpatay kay Renato Ebarle Jr.
noong November 18, 2009.
Si Jason Ivler ang itinuturong salarin sa road-rage murder incident.
Agad na itinigil ni Judge Vargas ang pagdinig dahil sa nangyaring kaguluhan. Pag-aaralan daw ng
hukom kung dapat bang i-cite for contempt si Marlene dahil sa paggawa niya ng eskandalo.
Samantala, naniniwala naman si Senior State Prosecutor Richard Fadullon na dapat ngang patawan
ng parusang contempt si Marlene dahil sa nangyari sa pagdinig.
LOSS OF EVIDENCE. Sa eklusibong panayam ng PEP kay Marlene, sinabi nitong nagalit siya nang
malamang nawala ang isang ebidensiya na magpapatunay umano na walang kasalanan ang kanyang
anak.
Bagamat puno ng emosyon, may reservations pa si Marlene sa pagsasalita, at tila pinipili niya ang
kanyang mga sasabihin sa telepono.
Naniniwala raw kasi siyang sinadyang iwala ang ebidensiya.
Pahayag niya, "Kasi ano, actually I've known for some time, for a long time, but I didn't know who to
trust, I didn't know what to do about the information I had. And, so...
"The murder should be submitted to SOCO, the crime lab ng Crame... The records on SOCO said it
was given Judge Balut, it was received by Judge Balut."
Si Judge Alexander Balut ang unang hukom sa kaso. Nag-inhibit siya noong August 2010, at
napalitan ni Judge Vargas.
Pagpapatuloy ni Marlene, "Between Judge Balut and Judge Vargas, this record disappeared. This is
the most important evidence, okay, that could ever prove Jason's innocence. And it's gone.
"I don't know how much to tell you because this is really DOJ [Department of Justice] stuff. DOJ na
ang nakikialam dito, e. So tinanong si Judge Vargas ng isang mataas na opisyal ng DOJ, sabing
ganun, 'Bakit nawawala ito? Bakit nung napunta sa 'yo, wala na itong record na ito?'
"Sabi naman niya, 'E kasi po, wala na 'yan nung mapunta sa akin.' So, either nawala sa kanya, winala
ni Balut or siya, but, I don't know... Puwede ring magkakakuntsaba sila because the executive judge
should know that this record should be there to begin with.
"This is the most controversial case in so many years. Hindi naman puwedeng basta mawala na lang
yung napakaimportanteng papel ng SOCO."
Nalaman na nawawala ang records nang mag-request umano ang Bureau of Immigration ng mga
kopya ng court records.
"According to our source in NBI, the murder weapon is missing as well. So, yun yung kaninang
pinapalabas ko. Ilabas n'yo yung murder weapon! Ilabas n'yo yung findings ng SOCO! Kasi wala na
dun sa file ni Ivler, e," saad ni Marlene.
Inulit pa ni Marlene na ang nawawalang ebidensiya raw ang mag-aalis ng sala sa kanyang anak.
"Now, yung findings nun was submitted to Judge Balut. Apparently the murder weapon was
registered to an NBI agent. There were two fingerprints found on the gun, none belonging to Jason...
"Kaya kanina, yun yung sinasabi ko sa media kanina, nung nasa court kami, nasaan yung murder
weapon? Alam n'yo ba na yung murder weapon is registered to an NBI agent? There were two
fingerprints; wala si Ivler. Asan na yun? Ilabas na yun? Sabi ko kay Judge Vargas, 'Judge Vargas,
asan na yung murder weapon? Sagutin mo nga!'"
Ipapa-inhibit daw nina Marlene si Judge Vargas sa mga susunod na pagdinig. Naniniwala rin siyang
mapapawalang-sala na si Jason, na nakakulong pa sa ngayon sa Quezon City Jail.
"Kaya nga pinapalabas yung murder weapon. Anong gagawin nila kung walang murder weapon? At
paano nila sasabihing anak ko ang bumaril kung wala namang fingerprints dun sa baril na nakapatay
kay Ebarle, at kung sa NBI din pala yun?" pagdidiin niya.
VIDEO EXPOSE. Bukod sa hamon na pakikipagsuntukan, may dagdag pang banta si Marlene. May
ilalabas daw siyang video kung sakaling ipa-inhibit siya ng korte at ni Judge Vargas.
"Kung ako i-contempt of court niya, maaatake siya sa puso sa ilalim. At baka ilabas ko pelikula niya.
Baka maglabas ako ng pelikula, at maglabas ako ng paper trail. Mga hayop sila!
"Pikon na pikon na ako diyan sa mga 'yan! Isang taon na! Isulat mo, subukan niyang i-contempt of
court ako! Kasi hindi malaking kasalanan yun! Mas malaki kasalanan niya! And I can prove it on
paper, at baka ilabas ko pelikula niya," saad niya.
Nang tanungin naman siya ng PEP kung tungkol saan ang pelikulang ito ay pahapyaw lamang ang
sagot ni Marlene, at tila umiiwas itong ibigay ang detalye.
"Pelikula ng mga judge sa city hall, siguro may mga video yun na kumakalat-kalat... Baka may mga
nakapag-video sa kanila, baka lang, na tumatanggap sila ng pera. Ewan ko kung anong gagawin nila.
Baka lang!" saad niya.
Ngunit matapos ang panayam ay agad namang nagpadala ng dagdag na text message si Marlene.
"Hoy Judge Vargas bago namatay Fiscal Sunio ng DOJ alam mo bang may video syang iniwan at
ikaw ang leading man dun? Saan kaya napunta ang videong yun? Bakit kaya may perang involve
dun?" pahayag ni Marlene sa text.
WITNESS'S ACCOUNT. Isa sa mga taong dumalo sa hearing ang nakapanayam ni Karen
Pagsolingan, na managing editor ng PEP, tungkol sa eksena. Hiniling nito na huwag na lang
pangalanan dahil ongoing pa rin ang hearing.
Aniya, nagsimulang magwala si Marlene noong "nag-oppose" si Senior State Prosecutor Fadullon sa
motion ng abugado ni Ivler na pabalikin na ang kanyang kliyente.
Hindi ito napagbigyan dahil wala namang "written waiver," ayon sa source ng PEP.
Tungkol naman sa tanong ng ina ni Jason na, "Where's the murder weapon?"
Ang pagkakaintindi ng source ng PEP, "May procedure kasi na sinusunod. Start pa lang ng hearing,
at yung first eyewitness pa lang ng prosecutor ang iprinesent."
Na-reset ang hearing sa April 6.
Sinubukan din naming kuhaan ng pahayag si Judge Vargas sa Branch 219, subalit ang sabi ng
nakasagot sa linya, "Hindi kasi nagpapa-interview si judge..."
Bukas ang PEP na agad ilathala ang anumang sagot o komento ng sinumang indibidwal na nabanggit
sa artikulong ito.
Over 60 killed in Myanmar quake
By Hla Hla Htay | AFP News – Fri, Mar 25, 2011 1:09 PM PHT
More than 60 people were killed and 90 injured after a strong earthquake struck Myanmar near its
border with Thailand, an official said Friday, as some affected areas remained cut off.
The earthquake on Thursday, which the US Geological Survey (USGS) measured at magnitude 6.8,
was felt as far away as Bangkok, almost 800 kilometres (500 miles) from the epicentre, Hanoi and
parts of China.
A Myanmar official said dozens of people were killed in areas close to the epicentre and more than
240 buildings had collapsed.
"The death toll has increased to more than 60 now from those areas including Tarlay, Mine Lin and
Tachileik townships," said the official.
"About 90 people were injured from those areas. The officials are still trying to reach some more
affected areas. There are some places we cannot reach yet."
Tremors were felt as far away as Bangkok, almost 800 kilometres (500 miles) from the epicentre,
Hanoi and parts of China.
Just across the border from Tachileik, Thai authorities said a 52-year-old woman was killed in Mae
Sai district after a wall of her house collapsed.
Terrified residents across the region fled their homes, tall buildings swayed and hospitals and
schools were evacuated during the tremors.
The quake struck 90 kilometres (60 miles) north of Chiang Rai and 235 kilometres (150 miles)
north-northeast of Chiang Mai, Thailand's second city and a popular tourist destination. Tall
buildings shuddered in Bangkok during the tremor.
Its epicentre was close to the borders with Thailand and Laos and was just 10 kilometres (six miles)
deep.
Thailand's meteorological department on Friday said it had registered six large aftershocks following
the initial quake.
Chiang Rai governor Somchai Hatayatanti told AFP late Thursday that efforts were made to evacuate
people from tall buildings and he had ordered all patients from Mae Sai District Hospital to be taken
to Chiang Rai.
The shaking was felt throughout China's southwest province of Yunnan, according to state-run China
National Radio, but no casualties or structural collapses had been reported as of Friday morning.
However, the earthquake reportedly caused cracks in some homes and schools in and around the
rugged Xishuangbanna region which borders Myanmar, and fear of aftershocks forced many people
in the area to spend the night outdoors.
Some residents of the Vietnamese capital Hanoi fled their homes in panic when the quake shook the
city.
Nguyen Thi Hong Hanh, 36, who lives on the 10th floor of a highrise, said her husband noticed their
pet fish shaking in their tank.
"We all rushed to the street. All the other people in the apartments also rushed out," she said.
Hanoi felt the tremor at about magnitude 5.0, according to Dinh Quoc Van, deputy head of the
earthquake monitoring department.
The quake comes two weeks after Japan was hit by a monster earthquake, which unleashed a
devastating tsunami that left around 27,000 people dead or missing and triggered a crisis at its
Fukushima nuclear plant.
No tsunami warning was issued after the Myanmar quake as US seismologists said it was too far
inland to generate a devastating wave in the Indian Ocean.
The USGS initially recorded the quake as magnitude 7.0, but later revised it down to 6.8.
OMG, LOL, ♥ added to Oxford English Dictionary

SPOT – Fri, Mar 25, 2011 12:05 PM PHT
The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) has included OMG (Oh My God), LOL (Laugh Out Loud) and
♥ (to love) as "real words worthy of etymological recording," reports The Huffington Post.
In a recent statement, the OED said "OMG" and "LOL" are "found outside of electronic contexts...
where there often seems to be a bit more than simple abbreviation going on."
They added, "The intention is usually to signal an informal, gossipy mode of expression, and perhaps
parody the level of unreflective enthusiasm or overstatement that can sometimes appear in online
discourse, while at the same time marking oneself as an 'insider' au fait with the forms of expression
associated with the latest technology."
The OED also said that they found their first quotation for OMG from a 1917 personal letter and that
LOL dates back to 1960, meaning "little old lady" at the time.
As for ♥, the OED said it may be "the first English usage to develop via the medium of t-shirts and
bumper stickers," reports The Huffington Post. It has "gone on to live an existence in more
traditional genres of literature as a colloquial synonym for 'to love.'"
For more on this story, log on to The Huffington Post.
PHILSTAR NEWS
Gov't won't block food imports from Japan

By Jun Pasaylo (The Philippine Star) Updated March 25, 2011 12:18 PM Comments (10)
Imported seafood from Japan is screened for radiation in Hong Kong Tuesday to make sure the food is safe to eat. China,
Japan's largest trading partner, has ordered testing of imports of Japanese food. (AP)
MANILA, Philippines – Philippine health officials said today that there is still no reason to ban the entry of
food imports from Japan.
In a press briefing before noon today, Health Secretary Enrique Ona allayed fears of radiation contamination
from the imported food products, while assuring the public that they continuously monitor the entry of
foodstuffs from Japan.
Ona said that 243 registered products coming in from Japan will be subjected to random sampling. Workers
from the Philippine National Research Institute will be getting samples from various wet markets and
supermarkets in the country.
“We are monitoring the entry of imported products from Japan on a daily basis,” he said. He also cited that
there is no need for radiation screening from any traveler that came from Japan.
“As of now, Japanese food products are not dangerous,” he pointed out.
The United States is the first nation to block the import of Japanese farm and milk products, especially those
in the Fukushima area, where the ongoing nuclear crisis occurs.
South Korea mulled at blocking the entry of food imports from Japan, also because of possible radiation
contamination.
Australia also ordered the prevention of entry of some Japanese products but cited that the move was
merely “a precautionary measure” and in consistent with the international protocols”.
Singapore has likewise reported of finding low levels of radiation in some vegetable samples from Japan. It
has already stopped imports of milk, meat and related products from the affected area.
Hong Kong has also ordered the ban of food imports from areas near the Fukushina nuclear power plant.
Mainland China, Canada and Russia have all taken the same measures. (With AP)
Binay wants to return to China for 3 Pinoys

(The Philippine Star) Updated March 25, 2011 08:55 AM Comments (65)
MANILA, Philippines - Vice President Jejomar Binay said today that he has already asked permission to
return to China to personally appeal again for the three overseas Filipino workers, who have been scheduled
for execution on March 30.
Binay said that the instruction from President Benigno Aquino III was for the Philippine government to
exhaust all possible means to prevent the execution of Ramon Credo, Elizabeth Batain and Sally Villanueva,
who have been convicted for drug trafficking.
"Nagpaparating tayo kung kailangang pumunta doon uli eh pero wala pang abiso," Binay said in a radio
interview.
He said that according to President Aquino, the government must continue appealing to China up to the last
minute of the scheduled execution of the three Filipinos.
Credo, 42, was convicted for smuggling 4,113 grams of heroin on Dec. 28, 2008, in Xiamen. Villanueva, 32,
was convicted of smuggling 4,110 grams of heroin on Dec, 24 2008, in Xiamen.
Batain, 38, was convicted of smuggling 6,800 grams of heroin on May 24, 2008, in Shenzhen.
Binay said yesterday that he will write the Chinese government a letter, appealing to stay the execution of
the three Filipinos.
He said he will ask China for another review of the Filipinos' cases.
Last February 18, Binay went to China and met with its officials, which resulted to the postponement of the
Filipinos' execution last February 20 and February 21.
The Philippine government, meanwhile, is asking the Chinese government to allow the Filipinos' families to
visit them before the execution.
Binay has asked Filipinos to pray for the Credo, Villanueva and Batain.
Prayer vigils
Migrant workers' rights group Migrante said its members has started simultaneous indoor prayer vigils for
the three Filipinos.
John Monterona, Migrante Middle East regional coordinator, said the prayer vigils begins today up to March
30.
"We are still hoping, though a chance of another postponement of execution is very slim, the three will be
spared and instead a lesser penalty will be considered by the Chinese authority," Monterona said.
He said the case of the three Filipino drug mules and the more than 200 others in death row in China serves
as a wake up call for the Aquino government to exert all efforts to provide decent jobs in the Philippines.
"Unemployment remains a perennial problem, to include the never-ending soaring prices of commodities
and services, and yet government social services and welfare programs for the indigents have diminished--
pushing Filipinos to gamble working abroad," Monterona said.
Not in public
An official of the Department of Foreign Affairs told The Philippine Star that the execution of three Filipinos
will not be done in public.
The official, who asked not to be named, said China’s criminal procedure provides that executions shall be
announced but not held in public.
The law provides that the judicial officer directing the execution shall verify the identity of the convict, ask
him if he has any last words or letters and then deliver him to the executioner, the official added.
After the execution, the court that issued the death sentence shall notify the family of the convict.
The next of kin have two options to dispose of the remains: cremation or its repatriation to the habitual
place of residence, particularly if a foreign national.
"The repatriation may take weeks after the carrying out of the sentence," the official said. (With Dennis
Carcamo)
Ligot under Senate custody for contempt

By Christina Mendez (The Philippine Star) Updated March 25, 2011 12:00 AM Comments (168)
MANILA, Philippines - Former military comptroller Jacinto Ligot was arrested last night and detained at the
Senate following the issuance of an order citing him for contempt.
The Senate cited Ligot and his wife Erlinda for contempt for feigning sickness when they failed to attend
yesterday’s hearings of the Blue Ribbon committee investigating alleged corruption in the military.
The Senate order also cited the couple for using their lawyers to issue excuses “which have turned out to be
a falsity.”
Blue Ribbon committee chairman Sen. Teofisto Guingona III recommended the Ligot couple be cited for
contempt after faking sickness in an apparent attempt to evade the hearing.
Aside from Guingona, those who signed the order were Senate President Pro-Tempore Jinggoy Estrada,
Sens. Gregorio Honasan, Franklin Drilon, Sergio Osmeña, Francis Pangilinan, Juan Miguel Zubiri, Ralph
Recto, Pia Cayetano, and Ramon Revilla Jr.
Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile signed after nine senators had signed the contempt order.
In effect, the former general would be detained until he answers all the questions of the senators regarding
the issue being investigated by the committee.
Ligot was fetched at his residence in Taguig by a team led by retired general Jose Balajadia, the Senate
sergeant-at-arms.
“He (Ligot) did not resist arrest,” Balajadia said.
“Whatever it is, he was pressured to come with us because of the contempt and detention order,” he added.
Ligot underwent a mandatory medical checkup before he was detained in an air-conditioned room with no
windows located at the basement parking area of the Senate offices at the GSIS building in Pasay City.
Guingona explained the committee decided to spare Mrs. Ligot from detention in the Senate for
humanitarian and health reasons.
Enrile said the order of detention against Mrs. Ligot was withheld for humanitarian reasons since she is
suffering from hypertension.
“But Gen. Ligot has no illness as per our doctor (Senate physician Mariano Blancia),” Enrile pointed out.
Enrile directed the Senate’s Office of the Sergeant-At-Arms (OSAA) to immediately place Ligot under
detention “within 24 hours upon receipt of the order.”
“They (OSAA) are going to implement it at once,” he said.
Enrile stressed the arrest of the Ligots should serve as a warning to future resource persons not to disregard
the power of the Senate.
“I will not hesitate to exercise the power of the Senate because I have to maintain the integrity and
responsibility of the Senate as an institution,” he said.
Enrile noted Guingona had been complaining that the couple was absent during the hearing, sending word
that they were sick.
Guingona said the Ligots failed to present any medical certificate as proof to justify their absence.
‘Malingering’
Apart from the Ligot couple, former Armed Forces chief Roy Cimatu, retired Col. Rafael Lleno and former
military accountant Generoso del Castillo were also absent during the hearing.
Cimatu sent a letter informing the committee that he needed to go to the province to attend to his ailing
father, while Lleno had medical consultations, being a kidney transplant patient in Cagayan de Oro.
Del Castillo, on the other hand, claimed he was also sick.
The committee received a letter from Rafael Zialcita, one of the lawyers of the Ligots, saying the couple
were too sick to attend the hearing.
Zialcita stated Mrs. Ligot is “apparently suffering from severe palpitations and acute gastroenteritis” while
the retired general was down with the flu.
“If indeed they are sick, we will accept the manifestation of the lawyer. On the other hand, if they are not,
then I regret that we in the Senate must exercise our coercive power,” Enrile said.
Enrile remarked that he could not allow anybody to ridicule the Senate by going around the rules, using
sickness as an alibi for not attending the hearing.
Enrile then ordered Blancia to check out the Ligots if indeed they are too sick to attend.
“In the course of life, it’s possible that both are sick. It is also possible that they are not, that they are
malingering,” he said.
Blancia led a medical team to check on the Ligots at their residence in Taguig.
Sources said Blancia and a five-man medical team easily spotted the Ligot residence, which had a sign on
the gate that read: “This unit has been closed due to security reasons.”
But when they knocked, somebody from the household let them in.
Blancia said Mrs. Ligot indeed consulted a doctor last Wednesday and was given medical prescription for
diarrhea and palpitations.
When he made a separate examination yesterday, Blancia said Mrs. Ligot’s blood pressure was normal.
“All our examinations were normal,” Blancia said. He described Mrs. Ligot as either anxious or nervous when
he conducted the medical checkup.
“She could have attended,” Blancia later told the senators when Estrada asked him to elaborate.
As for the former general, Blancia said he had no fever when he conducted the medical examination, but
noted his blood pressure was higher than normal.
Blancia also noted Ligot had been complaining of nasal congestion.
“Of the two, Mr. Ligot was more healthy to attend (the hearing). His health condition was better than Mrs.
Ligot, but both could have attended,” Blancia said.
The contempt order was different from the move sought by Estrada to cite the Ligot couple in contempt for
refusing to answer questions from the senators pertaining to their alleged illegal wealth and the travels of
Mrs. Ligot.
The couple repeatedly invoked their right against self-incrimination in refusing to answer questions from
senators during the hearing.
Car as a gift
Even as the couple were absent during the hearing, the senators turned to former budget officer Lt. Col.
George Rabusa, former Armed Forces chief Gen. Diomedio Villanueva, and Col. Cirilo Thomas Donato Jr., the
former comptroller of the Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (ISAFP), questioning
them on when the alleged conversion of funds in the military took place.
Donato belied Rabusa’s allegations that he was privy to the giving out of extra allowances to some selected
military personnel and that he was receiving P300,000 to P500,000 a month while serving as deputy budget
officer.
When Donato was designated as ISAFP comptroller, Rabusa said his former subordinate was instrumental in
the illegal practice of cash conversion at the AFP involving millions of pesos.
At one time during the hearing, Donato also admitted getting a secondhand Honda Civic from Rabusa as a
gift but he did not see anything wrong with it then.
On the other hand, AFP spokesman Brig. Gen. Jose Mabanta Jr. said the military would not pursue any
action against Donato.
Mabanta said they have to gather more information to validate Rabusa’s claims.
“We have to check our data if this is indeed true. As we said, this happened 10 years ago and much of those
discussed do not hold true anymore,” Mabanta said.
“The investigation it is still ongoing. We will be collating all statements and examine what needs to be
done… we will have to wait for it (Senate probe) to be terminated,” he added.
According to Mabanta, it was the first time he heard about the allegations of cash gifts to officers involved in
the conversion of funds. –With Alexis Romero
'Noy statements won't affect Senate judgment on Merci'

By Marvin Sy (The Philippine Star) Updated March 25, 2011 12:00 AM Comments (319)
MANILA, Philippines - Senators will not be swayed by opinions and calls from different sectors, including
Malacañang, for the conviction of Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez when they convene as an impeachment
court on May 9.
Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, who will serve as presiding officer during the impeachment trial, said
the opinions of various sectors about the issue would have no bearing on the decision-making process, as
far as he is concerned.
President Aquino has constantly issued statements supporting the removal of Gutierrez.
“As a citizen of this republic, I am really not happy with the performance of the Ombudsman and her
people,” he said.
Enrile said he understood where the President was

coming from when he issued those statements because he was getting frustrated and wants to do
something.
“They’re free to air their grievances outside,” he said.
Enrile said he expects political alignments to have a bearing on the outcome of the trial.
However, he remained optimistic that his peers would make their decisions based on conscience, he added.
Aquino has four party mates from the Liberal Party in the Senate: Sens. Franklin Drilon, Francis Pangilinan,
Ralph Recto and Teofisto Guingona III.
He also has allies who supported his bid for the presidency: Sens. Sergio Osmeña III and Francis Escudero.
Enrile said it would be a conscience vote when senators decide the fate of Gutierrez.
“Whether you’re a member of the Liberal Party or not, at the end of the day, to use an off-quoted remark,
your guide in making a decision is your conscience,” he said.
“You hear, you read the evidence. You form a judgment that even if it is as clear as day to you, you become
partisan, that is your call. You will be answerable to the people.”
Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano said that he does not mind lobbying as long as it is the masses
involved, not political personalities.
“But here, the people are allowed (to lobby) because of its political yet judicial nature,” he said.
“Be it on Facebook, Twitter or a paid ad in a newspaper, they can even text their opinions and that’s all
welcome.
“That is why what is essential is for the people to have an informed judgment for them to be able to
influence their representatives in the Senate.”
However, he would still look at the evidence as his basis to form a judgment on the case, Cayetano said.
Enrile said the Senators should use the Lenten break to prepare for the impeachment trial.
While some senators would be out of the country, this should not prevent them from preparing for the trial,
he added.
Enrile said the senators who also happen to be lawyers must review the rules of evidence, as well as the
Rules of Court because these would be used during the trial.
Non-lawyers are expected to use their common sense in appreciating the evidence, he added.
Palace: New ombudsman would lead to reforms in gov’t
A new ombudsman replacing Merceditas Gutierrez would lead to reforms in government, Malacañang said
yesterday.
Presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said Gutierrez has no motivation to prosecute officials of the Arroyo
administration.
“Again, we’ve already maintained that the incumbent Ombudsman has been a stumbling block in our reform
efforts,” he said.
Lacierda said the administration has held off filing graft cases against the previous administration because
Gutierrez has been perceived to be biased in favor of Arroyo, who appointed her in November 2005.
“We have not been filing cases against those found to be liable because we believe that it will not serve the
best interest of the government when she (Gutierrez) is there,” he said.
“Our cases will be diminished in substance. Our cases will be reduced to plea bargain.”
Lacierda said replacing Gutierrez, whose seven-year ends in December 2012, will solve the problem.
“We believe that once that particular segment is removed, then we can push through with our efforts on
reform,” he said.
“And that is why the President strongly believes that, and asks the people to support
the impeachment process.”
Lacierda said Aquino believes in the fairness of the senators when they sit as judges during the
impeachment trial of Gutierrez.
“The President also believes in the strength (and) merits of the complaint, that it will stand,” he said.
‘Senators have disqualified themselves as judges’
Senators, particularly members of the Senate Blue Ribbon committee, have disqualified themselves as
judges in the impeachment trial of Gutierrez, a former law professor said yesterday.
Speaking to reporters at a broadcasters’ forum, Allan Paguia, former Ateneo law professor, said Gutierrez
can use the recommendation of the Blue Ribbon committee chairman that she be impeached as defense that
she was denied due process.
By recommending the impeachment of Gutierrez, senators have lost the appearance of “cold neutrality of an
impartial judge,” thus giving her the defense of the noncompliance with due process .
Paguia raised another legal question which he claimed may result in the acquittal of Gutierrez.
Gutierrez merely inherited her tenure of about four years from Simeon Marcelo who has a fixed sever-year
term, which expired November 2009.
“After the said expiration, Merci’s official acts were done without jurisdiction and therefore void from the
very beginning,” he said.
“Hence the current impeachment process appears to be a grand cover-up of her illegal acts by those who,
directly or indirectly, benefited thereof,” he said
Belmonte assures public pending bills to be passed
Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. assured the public yesterday that work on pending bills at the House of
Representatives would not be sidetracked by the looming trial in the Senate of Gutierrez.
The House is on track in approving 23 priority bills set during the recent meeting of the Legislative-Executive
Development Advisory Council (LEDAC) in Malacañang, he added.
“We will continue to work on vital legislation in this House,” he said.
“Even in the Senate, I think they will do so too even if they have a tight schedule.”
The House will go on a month-long break tomorrow after approving nearly 800 bills and resolutions in 66
session days.
Belmonte said the House is in the process of finalizing the lineup of its legal team that would prosecute
Gutierrez.
The House is likely going to tap the services of one or two private lawyers to boost their case, he added.
Officially, only Iloilo Rep. Niel Tupas Jr., Ilocos Norte Rep. Rodolfo Fariñas, and Deputy Speaker and Lorenzo
Tañada III have so far been endorsed to the plenary as members of the prosecution panel.
Belmonte said he declined to appoint the members of the prosecution since the task is not easy and some
might be “reluctant or they have other interests.”
“It’s virtually a full-time job, from my own experience before, I was minority leader that time, I virtually
gave up being a minority leader for the duration of this, so people should be prepared to give their best,” he
said.
Belmonte was part of the prosecution during the impeachment trial of President Joseph Estrada in 2000.
“They (prosecutors) haven’t asked me anything yet, but I would like to give them what is necessary and for
them also to get full-time counsel to help them in preparing their case,” Belmonte said.— With Delon
Porcalla, Perseus Echeminada, Paolo Romero
Execution of Pinoys won't be held in public

By Pia Lee-Brago (The Philippine Star) Updated March 25, 2011 12:00 AM Comments (43)
MANILA, Philippines - The execution of three Filipinos sentenced to death for drug trafficking in China will
not be done in public, a senior official of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said yesterday.
All three sentences will be carried out on March 30.
The official, who asked not to be named, said China’s criminal procedure provides that executions shall be
announced but not held in public.
The law provides that the judicial officer directing the execution shall verify the identity of the convict, ask
him if he has any last words or letters and then deliver him to the executioner, the official added.
After the execution, the court that issued the death sentence shall notify the family of the convict.
The next of kin have two options to dispose of the remains: cremation or its repatriation to the habitual
place of residence, particularly if a foreign national.
“The repatriation may take weeks after the carrying out of the sentence,” the official said.
The DFA said on Wednesday that the death penalty on the three Filipinos will be carried out on March 30.
In a statement, the DFA said the Fujian People’s Court and Guangdong High People’s Court have informed
the Philippine Consulates General in Xiamen and Guangzhou of the date when the death sentence would be
carried out on Ramon Credo, Elizabeth Batain and Sally Villanueva.
DFA spokesman Eduardo Malaya said that the notification to the Philippine government on Tuesday of the
execution date was through a diplomatic note.
Credo, 42, was convicted for smuggling 4,113 grams of heroin on Dec. 28, 2008, in Xiamen. Villanueva, 32,
was convicted of smuggling 4,110 grams of heroin on Dec, 24 2008, in Xiamen.
Batain, 38, was convicted of smuggling 6,800 grams of heroin on May 24, 2008, in Shenzhen.
The executions of the three Filipinos were originally scheduled on Feb. 21 and 22, but were stayed as a
result of the humanitarian visit to Beijing of Vice President Jejomar Binay on Feb. 18.
During Binay’s visit, the Philippines conveyed that it “respects Chinese law and the (final) verdict of the
Supreme People’s Court” on the cases.
Binay will again appeal for a stay of execution
Binay will make another appeal to China to stay the execution of the three Filipinos.
During a visit to the Vitas Tenement in Tondo, Binay said he still does not know if he needs to go back to
China.
He would write the Chinese government a letter of appeal, he added.

Binay has asked the nation to pray for the three.
“First of all, I would like to pray for our countrymen that miracles can happen,” he said in Tagalog.
“As long as our countrymen have not been executed… we would like to ask for leniency to the three
accused.”
Binay had also asked China for a review of the cases of the three.
“Of course we respect their law,” he said.
“But we are appealing (to the China government) to review again these cases. We also appeal to our
countrymen to sympathize with them and their families.”
Binay said he and President Aquino were together last Wednesday in Cagayan de Oro and discussed the
issue of the execution of the three Filipinos.
Envoy asks for understanding
Chinese Ambassador Liu Jianchao has asked the Filipino people and the government yesterday to
“understand” that the execution of the three Filipinos must be carried out in accordance with Chinese law.
“This is something that has to happen in accordance with the Chinese law so we hope to have the
understanding from the Philippine public and also the Philippine government with regard to this,” he said.
Liu was at Fort Bonifacio in Taguig to attend the unveiling of the scale model of the Grand Hyatt Hotel.
Speaking to reporters, Liu said he had yet to receive Binay’s letter, but that they were aware that Aquino
and Binay had been working very hard to convey the message and concern of the Philippines.
“Within the limit of the Chinese law we’ll try our best to accommodate, now you know that the date has
been set for the penalty and I want to reiterate that the Chinese people take very friendly approach towards
our Filipino friends.
“So the case itself is rather unfortunate which has to happen in accordance with the law, but I don’t want it
to be affecting our bilateral relations which came to be in the interest of our two countries.”
Liu assured Filipinos that the Chinese government would do everything so the families of the three Filipinos
would be able to visit them before the execution.
“And also we hope that everything will be smoothened out in the end,” he said.
Presidential Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma said Aquino had sent a letter to the Chinese
government two months after he assumed office and followed it up on several occasions, aside from sending
Binay, to spare the three from execution.
Speaking over state-owned radio dzRB, Coloma said the government did not give up easily and would
continue to seek relief, only that the legal system of a sovereign country like China must be respected.
The DFA was seeking “humane consideration” by allowing the families of the three convicts to visit them
before the execution, he added.
Liu said they were still working on the state visit of Aquino after Chinese President Hu Jintao had issued a
formal invitation.
“We hope he’ll be in China as soon as possible because we really want to take this chance as perfect
opportunity to strengthen our bilateral relations,” he said.
Asked about the prisoner exchange treaty being negotiated between China and the Philippines, Liu said he
could not see anything being concluded soon.
“There have been some initiatives from the Philippine side but this is a complicated issue because we have
some kind of differences in our legal systems,” he said. — With Sandy Araneta, Aurea Calica
Poll: VP is most trusted official
By Helen Flores (The Philippine Star) Updated March 25, 2011 12:00 AM Comments (73)
MANILA, Philippines - The latest survey of Pulse Asia released yesterday showed that more Filipinos trust
Vice President Jejomar Binay than President Aquino.
Binay emerged as the most appreciated (83 percent) and most trusted (81 percent) national government
official in Pulse Asia’s March 2011 “Ulat ng Bayan” national survey.
Aquino, on the other hand, received a 74 percent approval rating and 75 percent trust rating.
The non-commissioned poll conducted from Feb. 24 to March 6 used face-to-face interviews of 1,200 adults
aged 18 years old and above.
Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile obtained 60 percent approval rating and 56 percent trust rating.
Half of Filipino adults said they are satisfied with the work done by Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. (50
percent) while about the same percentages either trust him (43 percent) or cannot say if they trust or
distrust him (39 percent).
Chief Justice Renato Corona’s rating showed that a big plurality is undecided on his performance (43
percent) and trustworthiness (44 percent).
Corona also received the highest disapproval and distrust ratings at 24 percent and 27 percent, respectively,
Pulse Asia said.
Aquino and Binay registered single-digit disapproval ratings of seven percent and three percent,
respectively, and distrust ratings of six percent and three percent, respectively.
Pulse Asia said public indecision is most pronounced toward the performance and trustworthiness of
Belmonte (37 percent and 39 percent, respectively) and Corona (43 percent and 44 percent, respectively).
“Filipinos are least ambivalent toward the performance and trustworthiness of President Aquino (18 percent
and 20 percent, respectively) and Binay (14 percent and 15 percent, respectively),” it said.
Across geographic areas, practically all of the country’s top national government officials, except Corona,
enjoy majority approval ratings in Metro Manila (56 percent to 79 percent) and the rest of Luzon (52 percent
to 82 percent), Pulse Asia said.
Aquino, Binay and Enrile posted majority approval ratings in the Visayas (55 percent to 83 percent) and in
Mindanao (65 percent to 86 percent).
With regard to public trust, most of those in the rest of Luzon (55 percent to 80 percent), the Visayas (57
percent to 84 percent) and Mindanao (58 percent to 75 percent) expressed trust in Aquino, Binay and Enrile.
The country’s top three officials as well as Belmonte obtained majority trust ratings (52 percent to 78
percent) from Metro Manilans.
Corona failed to secure a majority rating – both approval and trust – in any of the country’s geographic
areas, the pollster said.
The survey found majorities in all socio-economic classes approve of the work done by Aquino (69 percent
to 80 percent), Binay (76 percent to 86 percent) and Enrile (58 percent to 61 percent).
Belmonte also achieved majority approval ratings in Classes ABC and D (51 percent to 54 percent).
On the other hand, majority trust ratings are obtained by Aquino (71 percent to 78 percent), Binay (76
percent to 84 percent) and Enrile (56 percent to 57 percent) in all socio-economic groupings.
“Again, Corona was unable to score any majority approval or trust rating across socio-economic classes,”
Pulse Asia said.
Pulse Asia said between October 2010 and March 2011, the performance and trust ratings of the country’s
top national government officials remained basically unchanged at the national level and across geographic
areas and socio-economic classes.
At the national level, the only notable change in the ratings – in terms of both performance and trust – of
the top five national government officials is the increase in the level of public distrust in the Chief Justice
(+7 percentage points).
Likewise, across geographic areas, it is also Corona who experienced significant changes in his ratings as his
disapproval ratings increased in Metro Manila (+13 percentage points) and the Visayas (+14 percentage
points) while his distrust ratings rose in Metro Manila (+13 percentage points).
“Across socio-economic groupings, no marked movements in performance and trust ratings may be noted
between October 2010 and March 2011,” Pulse Asia said.
The survey has a plus or minus three percentage points error margin at the 95 percent confidence level.
Pulse Asia said when the survey was taken, one of the issues was the government effort to save three
Filipinos facing execution in China for drug trafficking.
Binay’s visit to China had prompted officials there to defer the execution of the three convicted drug mules.
The Chinese government, however, announced that the execution of the three Filipinos by lethal injection
would push through on March 30.
Palace welcomes survey results
“We’re certainly happy with it (Pulse Asia survey) because he (Binay) is part of the administration, he’s part
of the team of the President. We’re certainly happy for the Vice President that his numbers are high,” said
presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda.
Lacierda belongs to the supposed Balay faction in the Cabinet of Mr. Aquino, the opposite of Binay’s faction,
which is the Samar group. Lacierda is identified with the Liberal Party camp of former Sen. Manuel Roxas II,
who lost to Binay in the May 2010 elections.
Binay said the government can only perform well with President Aquino’s good policy directions and good
leadership.
“I am grateful for the support and trust of the people. And I am grateful for the trust given by the
President,” Binay said.
He cited that the country is presently beset by many problems.
“We are beset by many challenges, and by working together, we can overcome these challenges and help
our President move the country forward,” Binay said.
Belmonte also expressed elation yesterday over his improving public approval and trust ratings but said
what is important to him is the image of the House of Representatives.
He told reporters that his numbers are “slightly higher” than those of the House.
However, he said as his ratings improve further, so would those of the chamber he leads.
He said the improving numbers are a testament to the collective accomplishments of House members.
Meanwhile, Supreme Court spokesman Midas Marquez said yesterday Corona doesn’t mind having the
lowest public approval ratings among the five top officials of the country.
Marquez said the result of the recent Pulse Asia survey insofar as the Chief Justice is concerned was not a
surprise.
“Chief justices historically do not fare well in popular surveys,” he said in a statement. With Jess Diaz,
Delon Porcalla, Aurea Calica, Edu Punay
Palace tosses Marcos burial issue to Binay

By Delon Porcalla (The Philippine Star) Updated March 25, 2011 12:00 AM Comments (73)
MANILA, Philippines - A Malacañang official insisted yesterday that it would be up to Vice President Jejomar
Binay to decide whether to heed the call of 193 members of the House of Representatives to give the late
strongman Ferdinand Marcos a hero’s burial.
“We will leave that to the Vice President to study the matter, and with respect to the resolution authored by
Congressman (Salvador) Escudero,” said presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda.
Escudero served as agriculture minister of Marcos until his ouster.
Escudero’s son, Sen. Francis Escudero, is a close ally of President Aquino.
“It is up to Vice President Binay and his committee to make the decision after their study and also the
resolution they (congressmen) made,” he said, in light of President Aquino’s decision to inhibit himself from
the issue.
“The President already mentioned why he would like to desist from making a decision on that. In fact, he
has already commissioned and asked the Vice President to make a stand, and formed a committee to study
that proposal,” Lacierda added.
“Allowing the burial of Ferdinand Marcos at the Libingan ng mga Bayani will not only be an acknowledgment
of the way he led a life as a Filipino patriot, but it will also be a magnanimous act of reconciliation,” a portion
of the resolution read.
Among the House members who signed the resolution were the late strongman’s wife, former first lady and
now Ilocos Norte Rep. Imelda Marcos, and her nephew, Leyte Rep. Ferdinand Martin Romualdez.
Former President and Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and her sons – Ang Galing Pinoy party-list
Rep. Juan Miguel Arroyo and Camarines Sur Rep. Diosdado Arroyo – also signed the resolution.
Celebrity lawmakers Cavite Rep. Lani Mercado-Revilla, wife of Sen. Ramon Revilla Jr., and Leyte Rep. Lucy
Torres-Gomez, wife of actor Richard Gomez, were also signatories to the resolution.
Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. did not sign Escudero’s resolution.

After a 20-year reign that ended in February 1986, Marcos died while in exile in Hawaii in 1989. His remains
were brought home in 1993 and preserved in his hometown of Batac, Ilocos Norte where he still lies in an
air-conditioned mausoleum.
In late February, Aquino said he has asked Binay to take charge of the request of the late dictator’s son Sen.
Bongbong Marcos to have his late father and namesake buried at the Libingan ng mga Bayani.
“He (Binay) will give it a fair hearing and he will tell me the result of the study. He has a strong opinion
about the matter,” Aquino told Palace reporters in a chance interview at Rizal High School in Pasig City.
“I’ve talked to the Vice President and I asked him if he could be the one to decide on the case,” Aquino
narrated, admitting any decision he made was likely to be seen as biased.
The President, being the only son of Marcos’ political rival the late Sen. Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino and the late
President Corazon Aquino, said his personal stand has not changed, which only meant that the late dictator
should not be accorded that privilege, owing to what transpired in the country’s history.
Marcos ordered the detention of the President’s father during martial law and he was assassinated upon his
return to the country on Aug. 21, 1983.
Binay’s media relations officer Joey Salgado said the Vice President would consult with different political
parties and non-government organizations in the country regarding the proposed hero’s burial for Marcos.
Deputy Speaker Lorenzo Tañada III, meanwhile, urged the 193 House members to rethink their proposal to
give Marcos a hero’s burial at the Libingan ng mga Bayani.
He said he refused to sign a resolution seeking the Libingan burial for the late president, saying he
considered supporting the measure “a treachery to the real heroes of our nation and the spirit of EDSA.”
Tañada said he does not consider the late president, who declared martial law in 1972, as a hero.
“He was responsible for the worst period in our history. Placing a dictator among the dignified ranks of the
heroes and martyrs who gave their lives for the freedom of this nation would be doing them a great
disservice,” he said.
“I don’t know about my colleagues in Congress, but I do not bestow the title of ‘hero’ that lightly or
carelessly,” he said.
He added that the resolution could not have come at a worst time in view of the recent celebration of the
25th anniversary of EDSA and the awards of compensation to victims of human rights abuses during the
Marcos regime.
“What kind of message are we sending the victims if we file this resolution right after we recognize the
validity of their complaints against that awful regime? What are we trying to say to everyone who was in
EDSA and who continues to cherish the spirit of people power?” he asked.
“Allowing the autocrat to be called a hero is to belittle the real heroes of our nation… We remember Marcos’
life as a cautionary tale, not a hero’s epic,” he stressed. – With Jess Diaz, Jose Rodel Clapano
Ping's Senate office reactivated

By Marvin Sy (The Philippine Star) Updated March 25, 2011 12:00 AM Comments (85)
MANILA, Philippines - Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile has ordered the reactivation of the office of Sen.
Panfilo Lacson in anticipation of his return to the Senate.
Enrile issued the order a few days after the Court of Appeals affirmed the ruling quashing the warrant of
arrest against Lacson.
The Senate committee on ethics and privileges, on the other hand, said it would start hearing the complaint
against Lacson when Congress resumes session on May 9.
Enrile said he received a request from the staff of Lacson to reopen the senator’s office, five months after he
ordered its closure.
Last October, Enrile ordered the closure of Lacson’s office after the Commission on Audit (COA) started
questioning the releases made by the office even without the signature or approval of the senator.
Lacson went into hiding in January last year after he was included among the accused in the November 2000
murders of publicist Salvador Dacer and his driver Emmanuel Corbito.
Along with the closure order made by Enrile was a directive to the Senate secretary to temporarily absorb
the staff of Lacson while waiting for the return of their boss.
“I do not know when he would come but there was a request from his staff. So I assume that he is about
ready to come back. I’m going to talk to the secretary today to let the staff reopen the office of Sen.
Lacson,” Enrile said.
Enrile said the request was made yesterday morning and a certain Roy Sinfuego, whom he described as a
newspaperman, served as a conduit.
Lacson’s absence since January last year led to the filing of a complaint by the Volunteers Against Crime and
Corruption (VACC) before the Senate committee on ethics and privileges.
The VACC accused Lacson of “grossly unethical, immoral and illegal acts, which directly affect the
reputation, prestige and integrity of the Senate as an institution.”
The VACC said Lacson’s failure to submit himself to the proper authorities after the warrant of arrest was
issued against him and his decision to flee the country to evade arrest set a bad example to the people and
taints the prestige of the Senate.
The group also argued that Lacson’s failure to attend the sessions of the Senate effectively deprived the
people of representation in the Senate and constituted dereliction of duty.
The ethics committee did not act immediately on the complaint and it was only yesterday that Sen. Alan
Peter Cayetano, chairman of the committee, held a meeting to discuss the rules of procedure for its
hearings.
During yesterday’s meeting, it was decided that the rules would be calendared for approval on May 9 when
the Senate resumes session after the Lenten break.
Cayetano said he would immediately conduct hearings on the complaint against Lacson and another
complaint that he declined to disclose.
Information coming from the Senate revealed the second complaint was against Sens. Miriam Defensor-
Santiago, Antonio Trillanes IV and Senate President Pro-Tempore Jinggoy Estrada over their treatment of
the late former Defense secretary Angelo Reyes during a hearing of the Senate Blue Ribbon committee.
Cayetano said he had no choice but to conduct the hearings since it would not be fair for the Senate to be
holding public officials accountable, through its processes such as convening as an impeachment court, and
not its own members accountable on allegations of wrongdoing.
He said the hearings would be held Thursdays or Fridays during the 15-day period between the convening of
the impeachment court on May 9 to the actual start of the trial.
Cayetano said the hearings would be held even without Lacson being present, but he gave assurance that
his colleague would be treated fairly.
Noy to reappoint 6 bypassed Cabinet members

MANILA, Philippines - The six Cabinet members whose confirmations were deemed bypassed after the
Commission on Appointments (CA) went on Lenten break will most likely be re-appointed, Malacañang said
yesterday.
Presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said President Aquino has confidence in Justice Secretary Leila de
Lima, Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario, Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima, Agrarian Reform
Secretary Virgilio de los Reyes, Social Welfare Secretary Corazon Soliman, and National Economic and
Development Authority Director General Cayetano Paderanga.
“He has not voiced any concern (about any of them),” he said.
OSG asks Sandigan justice to inhibit from Garcia case

By Michael Punongbayan (The Philippine Star) Updated March 25, 2011 12:00 AM Comments (4)
MANILA, Philippines - The Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) yesterday filed a motion asking
Sandiganbayan presiding justice Edilberto Sandoval to inhibit himself from the plunder case of former
military comptroller Carlos Garcia because of conflict of interest.
In the 14-page motion, Solicitor General Jose Anselmo Cadiz and seven other government lawyers said
Sandoval’s son, lawyer Rex Reynaldo Sandoval, is working at the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) with
rank of Assistant Special Prosecutor 1.
Cadiz said Sandoval’s integrity as a magistrate will be questioned for having first-degree consanguinity with
a lawyer of the OSP.
The OSG represents the government in civil and criminal cases on appeal. The OSP, on the other hand,
represents the people in cases filed with the Sandiganbayan.
Cadiz said the decision to ask the elder Sandoval to inhibit himself from the case was not reached easily but
was considered necessary because the decision on Garcia’s case will have an historical impact on the
country.
“Even the slightest doubt and suspicion as to the deliberative process of the judiciary should not be
allowed,” the motion read. “It appears that though no fault of his own, the Honorable Presiding Justice
Sandoval has been placed at a crossroad. One path leads to upholding the institution of justice by purging it
of any hint of bias and prejudice. The other leads to the erosion of the people’s faith in the very same
institution.”
The Sandiganbayan second division has been handling the Garcia plunder case since 2005 with Sandoval,
Associate Justice Samuel Martires, and Associate Justice Teresita Diaz-Baldos as magistrates.
Last December, Garcia, originally charged with plunder for allegedly amassing P303 million in unexplained
wealth, was allowed to plead guilty to lesser offenses of direct bribery and facilitating money laundering
after a plea bargaining agreement which allows the government to recover some P135 million of his ill-
gotten assets.
Lawyers of the OSP said they entered into a deal with Garcia to recover part of his ill-gotten wealth and
secure conviction despite the weak case against him filed by former ombudsman Simeon Marcelo and former
special prosecutor Dennis Villa-Ignacio six years ago.
Believing the plea bargain deal is disadvantageous to the government, the OSG has filed a motion for
intervention seeking to nullify the agreement.
The Sandiganbayan is yet to resolve the motion.
The OSG’s latest move seeking Sandoval’s inhibition from the case is expected to delay the Sandiganbayan
ruling determining the validity of the plea bargain agreement.
Phl cancels sending of rescue team to Japan

By Alexis Romero (The Philippine Star) Updated March 25, 2011 12:00 AM Comments (32)
MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine government has cancelled the deployment of its search and rescue
team to Japan and will instead donate relief goods to the quake-hit country.
National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) executive director Benito Ramos said
P1.3-million worth of relief goods from the social welfare department will be flown to Japan today via a
commercial flight.
“The relief items they requested will be brought to Japan via Philippine Airlines for free. These consist of
food and non-food items,” Ramos said in a press briefing in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City yesterday.
Ramos declined to state the reasons that prompted the government to scrap the sending of a rescue team
to quake-hit areas.
“The rescue team will no longer be sent to Japan. The Department of Foreign Affairs can answer that. I did
not ask why,” he said.
Ramos had previously said many countries have already sent their respective search and rescue teamsto
Japan.
He said he is not sure if another batch of relief goods would be sent to Tokyo.
“We are ready. It’s not me who will decide on that but DFA (Department of Foreign Affairs) and Malacañang.
We will follow their orders,” the NDRRMC official said.
The relief packages will be sent to Tokyo and distributed by a six-man team led by Col. Danilo Estropia.
Ramos said the six-man advanced party went to Japan last week and belied speculations that Japan refused
to accept the Philippines’ offer of assistance.
He said they are not slighted by Japan’s decision not to give its go-signal to the rescue team.
“If they refused our assistance, then they should not have accepted our relief items. What is important is we
offered help,” Ramos said.
The NDRRMC initially formed a 46-man search and rescue contingent composed of representatives from the
Army’s 51st engineering brigade, Bureau of Fire Protection, Makati Urban Search and Rescue team, and the
Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority and Pasig search and rescue teams.
The team was supposed to be transported by the Philippine Air Force’s lone C-130 cargo plane.
Last Tuesday, Ramos said the rescue team has been downsized to 18 to accommodate relief goods donated
by the Department of Social Welfare and Development, the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration and
the private sector.
He said the downsizing of the team will allow the C-130 to carry the relief goods which include biscuits,
canned goods, bottled water, coffee, sleeping bags, eggs and vitamins.
Ramos said various private groups and individuals have expressed interest to send their donations to
the earthquake victims.
Latest reports said the death toll from the 9.0-magnitude earthquake that hit parts of Japan last March 11
has exceeded 9,000.
Go easy on moves to impeach SC justices, Belmonte tells
colleagues
By Paolo Romero (The Philippine Star) Updated March 25, 2011 12:00 AM Comments (46)
MANILA, Philippines - With the looming impeachment trial in the Senate of Ombudsman Merceditas
Gutierrez, Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. wants the House of Representatives to go easy on moves to
impeach Supreme Court (SC) justices.
Belmonte said the chamber must focus its attention on the trial of Gutierrez, who was impeached for
betrayal of public trust, as well as the other pressing concerns of the nation, such as rising consumer prices.
“All of us are free to pursue everything, but I personally would say let’s go easy on the impeachment,
particularly of the Supreme Court justice at this time, and let’s concentrate on what we have now,”
Belmonte said in a news conference.
“We should not cross that Rubicon now. What I’m saying is now let’s stop talking about it,” he said.
The Speaker was commenting on the repeated threats of Ilocos Norte Rep. Rodolfo Fariñas to have at least
eight SC justices impeached for various alleged offenses, including purportedly curbing the power of the
House to initiate impeachment proceedings.
Fariñas went as far as calling on the public to provide his office evidence to use against the magistrates.
Pending in the House justice committee is the impeachment complaint against SC Associate Justice Mariano
del Castillo for alleged plagiarism.
Belmonte said the “groundswell of support” for the impeachment of Gutierrez should not be wasted by
focusing on the prosecution of the SC justices.
He pointed out that Fariñas would be busy since he would be one of the prosecutors in the trial in the
Senate.
“I think the fact that there was a huge groundswell of support behind the impeachment should make us feel
stronger at one point, but (we should) also feel that’s enough of a caution, without actually bearing down on
anybody, that’s my personal view,” he said.
He said the House is not a “bully” to impeachable officials but was just exercising its duties under the
Constitution.
Faultline risk worries Palace

MANILA, Philippines - Malacañang expressed concern over reports that the presidential palace might not be
safe from an earthquake and has directed the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to verify
the integrity of the buildings in the compound.
“We had a meeting with DPWH Secretary (Rogelio) Singson. We asked him to check our buildings. Certainly,
we will look into the safety and sturdiness of the structures,” presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said
yesterday. Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) research specialist Jane
Punongbayan had reported that the Palace, including Bahay Pangarap across the Pasig River that is the
residence of President Aquino, is not safe in the event of an earthquake.
The expert warned that the Palace grounds might sink in cases of a devastating tremor.
“I think we really need an earthquake drill, including media people at the New Executive Building. We will be
asking the authorities,” said Lacierda.
The Malacañang compound was flooded when typhoon “Ondoy” struck in September 2009 and the Pasig
River overflowed, submerging portions of the presidential compound and damaged several vehicles,
including the black Mercedes Benz that is used as the presidential car.
Lacierda said that major structures in the country are strong enough to withstand earthquakes because of a
very good building code adopted by the government.
“We’ve asked reputable persons and authorities on structures and they were one in saying that our new
building code is very good. It has engineering solutions to the problems. It’s well-crafted,” he said.
Malacañang said there is a need to reassess the quake readiness of the country to prepare the people in
responding to such a disaster and to know the structural integrity of major structures.
Jonas Burgos' disappearance: Army officer's ex-superiors

told: Be ready for any probe
By Alexis Romero (The Philippine Star) Updated March 25, 2011 12:00 AM Comments (4)
MANILA, Philippines - Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief Gen. Eduardo Oban Jr. has ordered the
former superiors of Maj. Harry Baliaga Jr., who was tagged in the disappearance of activist Jonas Burgos, to
make themselves available for any investigation.
AFP spokesman Brig. Gen. Jose Mabanta Jr. said they will provide legal assistance to Baliaga and other
soldiers who will be slapped with charges in connection will the Burgos case.
“All personnel involved (in the Burgos case) other than Baliaga (were ordered to) prepare for any
eventuality,” he said in a press briefing yesterday.
Asked if Oban’s order covers Baliaga’s superiors when Burgos was seized, Mabanta said, “It is for everyone
who may be called (to face investigations).”
“There is only one person being pinpointed. Maybe others will be called. There is also a command
responsibility issue here,” he added.
Baliaga was part of the Army’s 56th Infantry Battalion in Bulacan when Burgos was kidnapped by armed
men on April 28, 2007. Previous reports said the 56th IB was headed by Lt. Col. Noel Clement when Burgos
went missing.
Mabanta declined to comment on criticisms that Baliaga may just be a scapegoat to shield ranking officers
involved in the crime.
“I have not seen the facts. That is up for the courts to decide. I think what is important here is we now have
a name (of a suspect),” Mabanta said, referring to Baliaga.
He said the military may tap private lawyers to assist soldiers who may be accused of snatching Burgos.
“We will still provide him (Baliaga) legal assistance… We are thinking of outsourcing these legal
requirements,” Mabanta said, adding that such a move is part of their standard operating procedures.
“Remember he is only accused (of the crime). Let’s not jump to conclusions. If he is guilty, there is a
procedure. We have to wait for it,” he said.
Burgos was seized by armed men in 2007 and was dragged to a Toyota Revo van whose license plate was
traced to another vehicle earlier impounded by the military in Bulacan.
The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) has urged the Supreme Court (SC) to hold the military liable for
Burgos’ disappearance.
In a report it submitted to the SC last March 15, the CHR identified Baliaga, then an Army lieutenant, as
among the armed men who kidnapped Burgos inside the Ever Gotesco Mall on Commonwealth Avenue in
Quezon City.
The CHR report relied on the statements of two eyewitnesses who were said to be at the restaurant where
Burgos was seized.
The CHR recommended the filing of cases of kidnapping/enforced disappearance and/or arbitrary detention
against Baliaga.
Baliaga has been relieved of his tasks as member of the Special Forces and staff member of the Philippine
Military Academy to allow him to face investigations.
Military officials have said that they do not tolerate torture or any form of abuse against anyone, including
enemies of the state.
Abus lower ransom demand for trader

By Roel Pareño (The Philippine Star) Updated March 25, 2011 12:00 AM Comments (1)
ZAMBOANGA CITY , Philippines – Abu Sayyaf militants have lowered their ransom demand for the release of
a Filipino-Chinese businessman they have held captive for more than three months in the jungles of Basilan.
Basilan Vice Gov. Al-Rasheed Sakalahul, who chairs the crisis management committee, said the Abu Sayyaf
group led by Puruji Indama decided to lower the ransom for businessman Largio de los Santos to P1 million
two weeks ago after the victim’s relatives said they could not raise the P5 million demanded from them.
De los Santos, owner of Fonts Restaurant and Farmland Mountain Resort, was seized last Dec. 16 in Isabela
City, Basilan.
Davao cops' errand boy kills inmate

By Edith Regalado (The Philippine Star) Updated March 25, 2011 12:00 AM Comments (1)
DAVAO CITY, Philippines – An errand boy shot dead an inmate right inside the detention cell of the police
station in Bansalan, Davao del Sur yesterday morning.
Senior Superintendent Ronald de la Rosa, Davao del Sur police director, said the suspect, Gibsam
Fernandez, shot Restituto Malait with the service pistol of SPO2 Florante Mancera.
Mancera, the officer-on-duty at the police station then, left his caliber .45 pistol on a table in the radio room
as he was taking his breakfast, De la Rosa said.
De la Rosa said Fernandez and Malait reportedly had an altercation prior to the shooting. Fernandez escaped
after the incident.
Fiscal to spend 9 years in jail for direct bribery

By Michael Punongbayan (The Philippine Star) Updated March 25, 2011 12:00 AM Comments (3)
MANILA, Philippines - The Sandiganbayan yesterday found a public prosecutor guilty of direct bribery and
sentenced him to a maximum of nine years in jail for asking money from a respondent in a string of estafa
cases that he was handling, on Valentine’s Day six years ago.
The anti-graft court’s Fourth Division also ordered Dagupan City assistant prosecutor Joselito Barrozo to pay
a fine of P60,000.
In a 30-page ruling, the Sandiganbayan said lawyers of the Office of the Ombudsman were able to prove
that Barrozo demanded and received P20,000 from one Jennie Valeriano on Feb. 14, 2005.
Barrozo was arrested in an entrapment operation at the parking area of the Dagupan City Justice Hall by
National Bureau of Investigation agents after Valeriano sought their help.
Records show that Valeriano was the respondent in several cases of estafa and bouncing checks pending
before Barrozo’s office.
Barrozo dismissed the estafa cases and demanded money from Valeriano for resolving the cases in her
favor.
4.3 quake jolts parts of Northern Luzon

By Helen Flores (The Philippine Star) Updated March 25, 2011 12:00 AM Comments (1)
MANILA, Philippines - A magnitude 4.3 earthquake rocked parts of northern Luzon before dawn yesterday
but did not cause any damage or injury, government seismologists said.
Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) director Renato Solidum said the tremor struck
at around 1:37 a.m. with its epicenter traced at 31 kilometers northeast of Bontoc, Mt. Province.
It was felt at Intensity 3 in the Kalinga towns of Tabuk, Lubuagan and Tinglayan.
The quake, which had a depth of 26 kilometers, was tectonic in origin. Tectonic pertains to the movement of
the earth’s crust.
Phivolcs said no damage or aftershock was expected from the quake.
SC remands FPIC kalikasan suit to CA

By Edu Punay and Mike Frialde (The Philippine Star) Updated March 25, 2011 12:00 AM Comments (1)
MANILA, Philippines - The Supreme Court (SC) remanded to the Court of Appeals (CA) yesterday a writ
of kalikasan case filed by residents in Makati City affected by a leak in a fuel pipeline operated by the First
Philippine Industrial Corp. (FPIC).
During yesterday’s preliminary conference on the writ of kalikasan issued by the SC in November last year,
Associate Justice Presbitero Velasco Jr., who was assigned by the High Court to preside over the conference,
also ordered an ocular inspection of the pipeline to verify reports that two more leaks were found in the
117-kilometer pipeline that was ordered temporarily shut down by the court.
FPIC president Tony Mabasa said their firm has been complying with the writ, working double time to clean
up the basement of the West Tower Condominium in Bangkal and hauling water contaminated by the leak
from the company’s pipeline every day.
The SC said it remanded the case to the CA, which may accept evidence in the case. The petitioners filed the
case directly with the SC, which does not evaluate evidence — a function done by lower courts.
The writ of kalikasan is a remedy formulated by the High Court under the watch of former Chief Justice
Reynato Puno to better protect the rights of the citizens to a balanced and healthful ecology.
In a related development, West Tower residents filed a P2.2-billion civil case for damages before the Makati
City prosecutor’s office against FPIC; its mother firm, First Gen Corp.; and two oil firms over what they claim
is the slow repair of the pipeline and cleanup of the contaminated water that has flooded four basements of
the condominium.
“Before it was just one basement that was flooded. Now four basements are flooded. The condominium is no
longer safe for residents to return to,” Lorna Kapunan, who represents the residents, said.
She said that last Monday, “West Tower residents were forced to evacuate their homes due to real danger of
explosion from increased volumes of gasoline found in their basement and the deadly vapors emanating
therefrom.”
Kapunan also said FPIC has not declared a deadline for the completion of the cleanup. She also belied the
FPIC’s claim that it was ready to accept custody of the West Tower Condominium after the residents had
surrendered it to them and declared the condominium building as condemned.
“They (FPIC) said the West Tower residents are not cooperating with them so the residents surrendered the
condominium building to them. Now, we received a letter from FPIC saying they are only prepared to take
over the flooded basements but not the entire building,” she said.
FPIC eyes on-site water treatment
Mabasa said they are also set to install in the next three weeks an on-site treatment facility that will meet
the effluent or water quality standards of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).
“FPIC and our contractors have been steadily working on hauling out the contaminated water in the condo
and will soon be able to treat the water on-site in an environmentally compliant manner. Our goal is to be
able to tell West Tower residents that they can go back to their homes assured of the safety of their
property and health,” Mabasa said.
Three reputable waste treatment firms were contracted by the company to haul and transport the
wastewater to their respective treatment, storage and disposal facilities.
He reported to the SC that nine or more lorry trucks arrive daily at the condominium where workers haul
and transport wastewater from the condo’s basement.
Mabasa admitted that they were not immediately able to work on the rehabilitation of the building since the
condominium association would not accept its offer to do the clean up and treatment of the wastewater
accumulating at their basements because they already have a contractor.
It was only after the condominium’s contractor did not pass the DENR effluent or water quality standards
and subsequently issued a cease-and-desist (CDO) order by the government regulator in February this year
that FPIC was able to secure formal arrangements to proceed with the basement’s clean up, he added.
As for the environmental remediation or cleanup of the Bangkal area, FPIC – through its contractor,
CH2MHill, an internationally recognized environmental remediation company – has drilled six product
recovery wells and is currently adding more wells in the Bangkal area.
According to CH2MHill, the design for the multi-phase extraction system is being finalized in the United
States. This system will be the more permanent solution to the cleanup of Bangkal, the firm said.
Woman radio host gunned down

By Jerry Botial and Pete Laude (The Philippine Star) Updated March 25, 2011 12:00 AM Comments (14)
Marlina Flores Somera was the second journalist murdered in the Philippines this year, after provincial broadcaster and
environmental crusader Gerardo Ortega was killed in Palawan in January.
| Zoom
MANILA, Philippines - A woman broadcaster was shot dead while on her way to work yesterday morning in
Malabon City.
Radio station dzME said anchorwoman Marlina Flores Somera, 45-year-old married mother of three, hosted
a public service show. “The broadcaster’s relatives believe a land dispute was the motive behind the crime,”
the station said on its website but did not elaborate.
The station said Somera’s radio show focused on helping poor members of society, and did not deal in the
kind of political commentary that frequently got other journalists in the country killed.
National Police District (NPD) crime laboratory chief Superintendent Filemon Porciuncula said Somera was
shot in the back of the head, with the bullet going out her left eye.
NPD director Chief Superintendent Edgardo Ladao has created Task Force Somera, headed by Malabon
police intelligence head Chief Inspector Ferdinand Balgoa, to focus on the case.
Police Officer 2 Jerry de la Torre said Somera had just attended an urban poor meeting at the Malabon City
Hall and gone home before reporting to the radio station.
Family members said at around 9:35 a.m., Somera was on her way to the station in time for her 10:30 a.m.
public service program “Arangkada 1530” when she was shot.
Witness Elizabeth Villa, 57, Somera’s aunt, described the broadcaster’s killer as about a man 5’2” tall, with a
round face, wearing a white jacket with yellow stripes and denim pants.
Villa told The STAR she first saw the gunman at around 6:45 a.m. across the street from their compound as
she was hanging laundry out to dry. She said the gunman walked in and out of their compound several
times and chatted with some residents.
After noticing he had been there for hours, Villa asked the man what he was doing there. The man said he
was on an errand.
Villa said she used to walk Somera out to the street and wait until she gets a ride to work. Yesterday, the
victim walked out alone. Villa later heard a gunshot that sent her running downstairs, and she saw her niece
lying on the pavement.
She said she saw two other men – apparently lookouts – run out of a nearby eatery and flee with the
gunman, who boarded a passing passenger jeepney. Other witnesses said one of the lookouts was a woman.
Another witness, who requested anonymity, said the gunman was seen having a meal at the eatery two
days before he killed Somera.
Land dispute
Police investigators said the motive for Somera’s murder may be a brewing land dispute involving feuding
homeowners on Silonian street in Barangay Maysilo, with one group, the Silonian Homeowners Association
(SHA), headed by the victim and another group, the Kapitabahayan at Samahan sa Maysilo (Kasama), led
by Emma Nuqui.
Witnesses said the two groups are both claiming ownership of a 4.2-hectare National Housing Authority
property in Barangay Maysilo that was reportedly awarded in 2008.
The feud came to a head as the two groups met in a hearing Monday at the Malabon regional trial court on a
petition for temporary restraining order by Nuqui’s group to stop the SHA from implementing several
projects, including one for a road and drainage system and a multi-purpose hall.
SHA auditor Monina Paalala told The STAR Nuqui’s group had no legitimate claim to the property. During
Monday’s hearing, SHA lawyers demanded that Kasama first present documents proving their rightful
ownership of the land they are occupying. – With Cecille Suerte Felipe, AP
C-5 Road, 3 Taguig barangays prone to liquefaction

By Aie Balagtas See (The Philippine Star) Updated March 25, 2011 12:00 AM Comments (2)
MANILA, Philippines - A segment of C-5 Road that runs through Taguig is among the areas that may
crumble during an earthquake due to a phenomenon called liquefaction, a city official said yesterday.
According to city rescue chief Ronald Galicia, C-5 Road cuts through Barangay Fort Bonifacio, which is one of
the city’s three villages that lie along the Marikina West Valley fault line.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) defined liquefaction as the process by
which wet sediment starts to behave like liquid. It occurs because of the increased pore pressure and
reduced effective stress between solid particles generated by the presence of liquid. It is often caused by
severe shaking, especially that associated with earthquakes.
Aside from Fort Bonifacio, the “populated” barangays of Cignal and Pinagsama are also threatened by
liquefaction because they lie in “clay-loam” soil and situated near Laguna de Bay, Galicia said.
Galicia said they could not yet pinpoint all areas prone to liquefaction because their information technology
personnel are still identifying them, based on a map given by Phivolcs, but they are already planning to
conduct seminars on disaster risk reduction.
He said he gave the proposal last Tuesday and is just awaiting the go signal and the fund. Once the proposal
is approved, he said the rescue team can start the seminars next week.
”Right now our priority is the awareness of the people because... We cannot do anything with the roads
anymore they’re already there,” Galicia told The STAR in an interview in his office.
He added that the city government, through a P105-million calamity fund, has already purchased various
rescue equipment that it will need to respond to various disasters like fire, floods, and earthquake.
Aside from Taguig, coastal areas in the cities of Marikina, Pasig, Caloocan, Malabon, Navotas, Marikina,
Muntinlupa, Pasay, Las Piñas and the municipality of Pateros are also prone to liquefaction.
Baby stolen as ma relieves herself

By Nestor Etolle (The Philippine Star) Updated March 25, 2011 12:00 AM Comments (3)
MANILA, Philippines - A newborn girl was stolen by a woman who befriended the baby’s mother while the
latter used a public toilet at a bus terminal in Sampaloc, Manila Wednesday night.
House helper Marjorie Angoy, 37, said she had just been released from the Ospital ng Maynila, where she
gave birth, and was on her way to the province when she met the woman at the RCJ Bus terminal.
Angoy said the woman, who introduced herself as Melon Adaranas, befriended her while she was waiting for
a bus. She asked Adaranas to hold her baby while she used the toilet. When she returned, the woman had
left, taking her baby with her.
Police are looking into reports that a syndicate is behind the abduction and sale of babies in Metro Manila
and the provinces.
Pro-RH lawmakers agree to tone down bill

MANILA, Philippines - Proponents of the Reproductive Health (RH) bill in the House of Representatives have
agreed to remove some of the contentious provisions to speed up the approval of the controversial measure.
On the other hand, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines said yesterday that they would have
no problem with President Aquino, who supports the passage of an RH bill, attending a pro-life prayer rally
at the Quirino Grandstand in Rizal Park today.
The Archdiocese of Manila said one of the highlights of the program is the symbolic tearing of the RH bill.
The AOM said traffic will be rerouted starting at 9 a.m. while parts of Roxas Boulevard will be closed starting
at 2 p.m. today.
House Minority Leader and Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman, one of the main authors of House Bill 4244, wrote to
Biliran Rep. Rogelio Espina, chairman of the House committee on population and family relations, on March
15 informing him of some amendments to the measure “in order to preclude misconceptions and protracted
debates.”
The chamber resumed plenary debates on the RH bill Wednesday but the discussions are expected to be
protracted with at least 50 lawmaker signing up for interpellations. Congress will go on a break starting
tomorrow and will resume sessions on May 9.
Lagman listed six amendments to the bill being debated in plenary, including deleting a phrase in Section 13
of the measure that states that local government units should “give priority to family planning work” and
replace it with just “help implement this Act.”
The proponents also agreed to add a final provision to Section 16 on mandatory age-appropriate
reproductive health and sexuality education, which shall read: “Parents shall exercise the option of not
allowing their minor children to attend classes pertaining to Reproductive Health and Sexuality Education.”
Section 20 on ideal family size “should be deleted in its entirety considering that the norm on ideal family
size is neither mandatory nor punitive. Its total deletion will preclude further misinformation and
misrepresentation as to the import of the provision,” Lagman said.
“Moreover, its deletion will also underscore freedom of informed choice,” he said.
The proponents also deleted Section 21 on employers’ responsibilities on reproductive health in its entirety,
considering that this provision is a restatement and amplification of the existing Article 134 of the Labor
Code.
“This deletion would obviate further objections and debates,” Lagman said.
He said Section 28 (e) on prohibited acts, which read as: “Any person who maliciously engages in
disinformation about the intent and provisions of this Act” should be deleted in its entirety in order to afford
widest latitude to freedom of expression within the limits of existing penal statutes. – Paolo Romero,
Evelyn Macairan
NHA gives Vitas residents 30 days to leave

MANILA, Philippines - The National Housing Authority has given more than 570 families 30 days to leave the
condemned Vitas tenement in Tondo, Manila, Vice President Jejomar Binay said yesterday.
Binay said the tenement, condemned in 1994, may not withstand a strong earthquake. As chairman of the
Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council, Binay said the government has prepared a relocation
site for the residents at Towerville VI in Gaya-gaya, San Jose del Monte, Bulacan.
He said 80 families have volunteered to transfer to the relocation site before the end of March. – Jose Rodel
Clapano, Sandy Araneta
EDITORIAL - True grit
If you want to breed torturers, start them young. In the Armed Forces of the Philippines, initiation into the
ways of inhumanity starts during hazing rites for plebes in the Philippine Military Academy. Those who do
not belong to the AFP officer corps get their own violent initiation. Or at least this is the picture that has
emerged from a 14-minute video uploaded on the Internet, showing members of the Army’s 9th Infantry
Division undergoing what AFP officials have described as a training exercise.
The video showed soldiers beating young trainees with ropes and sticks. Loud screams could be heard. The
video was uploaded on Youtube about a month after the AFP launched a probe into another video, circulated
on Facebook, showing Marines kicking four civilians who were blindfolded and whose hands were tied behind
their backs. The venue was a coconut grove.
Military officials said the video uploaded on Youtube was taken in 2008 and was part of an “escape and
evasion” training exercise in the Bicol Region. Such exercises have been stopped, AFP officials said, adding
that the video was uploaded by a group known as a communist front. If this is true, the nation should thank
the rebels for it. A military that resorts to torture for any purpose cannot hope to win any war. Some short-
term objectives may be achieved, but such tactics will not lead to lasting victories. It could even aggravate
insurgencies, as new soldiers who are tortured by their superior officers could take out their suffering on
future captives.
The Aquino administration should make sure the AFP is telling the truth when it says such brutal activities
have been discontinued. There can’t be a sane explanation for senseless brutality. If that violent training
was supposed to prepare men for the rigors of combat, the AFP must be told that courage, not inhuman
behavior, will get soldiers through the toughest challenges in conflict zones. True grit does not come from
giving full rein to one’s inner beast. In fact inflicting harm on the defenseless smacks of cowardice.
Arroyo visit to Merci shows 'dark politics'

GOTCHA By Jarius Bondoc (The Philippine Star) Updated March 25, 2011 12:00 AMComments
(35)
No doubt Philippine authorities erred big in the Luneta hostage taking by a disgruntled ex-cop last August.
Crowd control arrived too late to cordon off interlopers; negotiators were rusty, SWAT rescuers ill equipped,
and command chains broken. To begin with, bus-hijacking Officer Rolando Mendoza had a service pistol that
superiors should have retrieved when he was discharged seven months earlier. On that fateful day no patrol
squad accosted him brandishing an assault rifle and two grenades in civvies at Manila’s tourist district. In
the aftermath, officials blamed each other for the bungling that partly caused the killing of eight tourists
from Hong Kong. Busy finger pointing, all forgot to pin liability on Mendoza, from whose estate the victims
could claim indemnity. For all that they must answer to the Filipino and Hong Kong people.
But Hong Kong jurists are totally wrong in adding another fault to the long litany — that Manila officials had
ignored Mendoza’s demands. The criticism is cockeyed. Even the jurists, had anyone gone berserk in their
isle, would not have given in to terroristic orders. Unless, of course, they are inviting more maniacs to
strike.
In a hostaging, trained negotiators come in mainly to look after the needs and ensure the safety of victims.
In the process, they gauge the situation on the ground and wear down the hostage-taker into releasing the
captives unharmed. They may grant harmless wishes, like snacks or blankets if these jibe with the hostages’
wellbeing. Or for a concession, say, giving up weapons or elderly captives. But main demands always are
disregarded, or delayed till breakpoint. Non-negotiable are three types. One, ransom. Two, dangerous, like
Mendoza’s condition of rearming his alleged accomplice-brother, a suspended cop. Three, illegal, like
reinstating him outright to the service, in spite of extortion cases.
The Hong Kong jurists know this. But they chose, like typical Philippine officials, to play to the gallery. It’s
such behavior that makes Southeast Asians admire, by contrast, the Japanese. In the wake of Japan’s
earthquake-tsunami-radiation whammies, two things stand out. There are no fake victims fighting for relief
goods, no pols grandstanding about their supposed generosity.
* * *
“Dark politics,” Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez shrieked the day after the House of Reps impeached her
by a crushing vote of 212-46. She didn’t say, though, that her chief backer Rep. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo
had visited her hours before in the cover of dark. It had to be scooped by the giant ABS-CBNNews network.
Gutierrez’s lawyer was forced to admit the tryst, which they tried at first to deny. Too many neighbors had
seen Arroyo arrive and enter Gutierrez’s house in Sta. Ana, Manila, at around 2 a.m. Wednesday. Security
escort vans had caused a commotion out in the street. It was pointless to belie the event, so Gutierrez’s
camp took to belittling it. “It’s hard to put meaning to a visit by a former President who is now a
congresswoman,” the lawyer stammered.
Still the hypocrisy showed. If it’s the 212-majority impeaching her, Gutierrez cries partisanship and violation
of due process. But if it’s her 46 voting out of loyalty, she calls it principled. And if the head of the 46 comes
secretly to meet, it’s innocent. Unmentioned is Arroyo’s brazen buying of anti-impeachment congressional
votes with P500,000 in gift bags, three years in a row as President. Forgotten is her withholding of pork
barrel from the few stubborn oppositionists, in contrast to today’s 46 who got their pork and ate it too in
voting for Gutierrez.
However Gutierrez’s camp obfuscates, the truth remains. People know that she has been playing blind to
scams by Arroyo and minions — precisely why she was impeached. They remember that her lawyer also
represents an Arroyo ally whom Gutierrez had refused to charge for a P1.3-billion anomaly.
Quoting a political analyst, ABS-CBN News notes that Arroyo’s dark visit is another nick to Gutierrez’s
beaten image. (See www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/03/23/11/did-gloria-arroyo-visit-merci-after-impeach-
vote.) Public impression plays a big role in the political process of impeachment, Prof. Edmund Tayao said. It
doesn’t help Gutierrez to be seen with the very personalities associated with her impeachable offenses.
* * *
For the past five or so years, dozens of news reports have depicted assassins escaping invariably by “riding
tandem on motorcycles.” The most recent was the killing of two aides of Batangas Gov. Vilma Santos, again
by gunmen on a getaway motorbike. But judging from its silence, the National Police has not devised a
strategy against the modus operandi.
For months a retired detective who survived such an ambush has been calling on the brass to act once and
for all. Knowing the ins and outs of the force, Wally Sombero says that if they put their heads to it,
intelligence and field units can neutralize guns-for-hire. Otherwise, politicians, retired police and military
officers, and journalists will continue to be targets.
* * *
Doomed
COMMONSENSE By Marichu A. Villanueva (The Philippine Star) Updated March 25, 2011 12:00
AM Comments (6)
There is really hardly nothing more left that Philippine government officials could do to stop the execution of
three overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) caught in China where trafficking illegal drugs is a capital offense.
The three OFWs doomed to face the death sentence are Ramon Credo, Elizabeth Batain and Sally Villanueva.
They were convicted of trafficking illegal drugs and their death sentence was affirmed by the highest judicial
authorities in China. This is the consequence of their felonious acts and no matter what justifications our
Philippine officials presented to plead for their lives apparently did not change at all the decision.
But the presidential adviser on OFWs, Vice President Jejomar Binay, is not throwing in the towel yet. This,
the Vice President declared clearly after receiving the official notification about the execution of the three
convicted Filipino drug mules. Beyond reasons, the Vice President is calling for prayer power for a “miracle”
as the only hope left for the three OFWs, two of whom are women.
The hurriedly organized trip to Beijing last month of Binay, as official emissary of President Benigno
“Noynoy” Aquino III, enabled him to secure a reprieve for the three OFWs on death row. It was, however, a
short-lived success.
Following a visit to Beijing last Feb. 18 by Vice President Binay to appeal the cases of the three convicts for
humanitarian reasons, their executions that were originally set last Feb. 20-21 were postponed. Binay
officially conveyed the formal request by President Aquino to the Chinese government to spare the three
Filipinos from death sentence and reduce their penalty instead to life imprisonment. Unfortunately though,
the request was turned down.
As it appears now, no amount of high-level diplomatic appeals would change the death verdict of the
Chinese courts on the cases of the three OFWs. Unlike our Philippine Embassy officials in China and in the
Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) headed by acting Secretary Alberto del Rosario, Vice President Binay is
not giving up the fight yet although the execution is set five days from now.
Binay disclosed that he would send another letter to appeal for leniency for the three OFWs. He could not
say for now though if he needs to fly anew to Beijing to beg for mercy for them.
I just hope the Vice President made this statement yesterday not while ecstatic over the latest results of the
Pulse Asia survey showing him as the most trusted and most appreciated government official under the new
administration.
Binay reiterated that our country respects the laws of China and will abide by whatever final verdict that
may be handed down on the cases of the three Filipinos. To his credit, the Vice President is realistic enough
to admit it would take a “miracle” to undo the fate that awaits the three OFWs, instead of giving false hopes
for their families and loved ones.
We cannot, and we should not, begrudge the Chinese justice system for the court verdict on the three
Filipino drug mules. They were found guilty of violating the laws of that country and therefore must face the
consequences of their own actions.
As announced by the DFA the other day, the three Filipinos sentenced to death for drug trafficking will be
executed all on the same day on March 30. Executions in China are usually carried out by firing squad but
are done behind prison walls and not open to public viewing.
The three were arrested separately in 2008 carrying packages containing several kilograms of heroin. Their
respective appeals for review were also separately dismissed and their death sentence handed down on
various dates in 2009.
Credo was convicted for smuggling 4,113 grams of heroin on Dec. 28, 2008 in Xiamen. Villanueva was
convicted for smuggling 4,110 grams of heroin on Dec. 24, 2008 also in Xiamen. Batain, meanwhile, was
convicted for smuggling 6,800 grams of heroin on May 24, 2008 in Shenzhen. Under Chinese laws,
smuggling mere 50 grams of heroin or any illegal drug is punishable by death.
Ilocos Sur Congressman Ronald Singson now appears luckier when he was caught in Hong Kong with just
6.67 grams of cocaine. As a result of a plea bargaining agreement with Hong Kong prosecutors, the judge
sentenced the congressman to 18 months in jail after he pleaded guilty to drug use while the trafficking
charges against him were dropped.
At the outset, even President Aquino himself conceded to the difficulty of securing the stay of execution for
the three OFWs as it involved a very high crime like trafficking of illegal drugs. International trafficking of
illegal drugs, as President Aquino rightly pointed out, is a worldwide problem that the Philippines, like China,
has been trying to address with mailed fist policy.
But what begs to be answered is why there have been so many reported arrests of Chinese nationals here in
the Philippines who were caught involved in the manufacture and distribution of kilos and kilos of shabu
clandestinely produced here. But amid reports of these arrests, we have not heard of any of these Chinese
nationals being convicted of at least illegal possession of shabu, the so-called “poor man’s cocaine.”
It reminded me of very telling statistics on the conviction of drug cases cited by Senate Majority Leader
Vicente “Tito” Sotto III last month during the Senate public hearing on the questioned plea bargaining
agreement of former Gen. Carlos Garcia. Sotto, who previously served as chairman of the Dangerous Drugs
Board, noted with concern that the prosecution of illegal drug cases in the Philippines has a very low batting
average of conviction.
Because of this, Sotto revealed, 75 percent of illegal drug cases were being dismissed for very damning
reasons from lost evidence to missing witnesses. Sotto raised the issue of a possible amendment to existing
laws to allow plea bargaining agreement in illegal drug cases if only to secure the conviction of big-time drug
traffickers.
With the plea bargaining agreement badly discredited by the plunder case of Garcia, prosecution of illegal
drug cases in the Philippines is doomed.
'The Detroit of Southeast Asia'

CTALK By Cito Beltran (The Philippine Star) Updated March 25, 2011 12:00 AMComments
(18)
BANGKOK, Thailand — As Filipino motoring journalists converge in Bangkok for the annual Bangkok Motor
Show, it is difficult to ignore the sense of loss or resentment that Pinoy gear heads feel about our country’s
failure to attract major automotive companies to set up production plants in the Philippines.
As many of us criss-cross around Thailand, most if not all become painfully aware of the fact that Thailand is
now officially the “Detroit of Southeast Asia”.
Just saying it, leaves a bad taste in the mouth of those who still remembers a time when cars and engines
were “made in the Philippines”. Like Manny Pacquiao’s seven division titles in world boxing, the title of
“Detroit of Southeast Asia” should be hanging in some industrial zone in the Philippines.
Instead, it is in Thailand where practically all of the major automotive and utility brands either have a
regional headquarters or at the very least a vehicle production center.
It was not very long ago when the Philippines had a chance to compete against Thailand in efforts to woo
the major brands and possibly be the regional hub for vehicle production in Southeast Asia. As the oldest car
culture in the region, we actually had the upper hand since all the major brands were already based in
Manila and had established production facilities even if at a smaller scale.
We imagined ourselves to be at the forefront of Asian motoring and automotive awareness because of our
pro-American and US influenced automotive market as well as highways. We were way ahead of the pack in
consuming American made cars as well as major Japanese brands.
Unfortunately when our ASEAN neighbors developed, they started to covet the car manufacturers and began
to woo them in earnest, the Philippines thought nothing of it. We were so self-assured in our imagined
“advantage” of being the only English speaking country in the area.
Government officials wrongly assumed that foreign companies would be “hinayang” or reluctant to waste
their structural investments and historical ties in the Philippines. So slowly but surely, Thailand, Indonesia,
and Malaysia lured bits and pieces of the Philippine advantage.
Like a cheated wife living in self-denial, we continued to believe that our long time partners from the US and
Japan would always come home to their first love and bring home the bacon of profits and investments.
Our government officials in past administrations failed in choosing not to recognize the allure and serious
threat that Thailand was making by offering extremely competitive incentives to car manufacturers.
Rather than counter the temptations from Thailand, our government officials acted like a betrayed spouse
and gave the car manufacturers a “take it or leave it”.
They chose to ignore the benefits for job generation, technology and skills transfer, export potential for
parts, as well as image building as a stable and desirable location for global corporate investors, or did they?
Like typical landlords, they focused on the “rent” which came in the form of various taxes. In the absence of
a serious development program of national interest, decisions were based mostly on how to protect certain
business interests of private groups and how to continue to collect revenues.
Even today, as President Noynoy seriously attempts to woo ASEAN businessmen and corporate investors, he
will discover if he chooses to investigate, that much of government’s policies, trade agreements, etc. were
crafted and enacted to protect only a few companies and families and the Republic of the Philippines.
Prior to any formal or official data, I would tend to think that government “earns” more from many
businesses, than the business itself.
Consider the fact that businessmen or corporations have to plow in millions or billions of pesos in a business
venture. That alone costs money. Then they have to set up the business, hire people, purchase goods or
materials, manufacture the end product and then bring the product to the market or to consumers.
Every step of the way, businesses take on both risk and financial responsibility. The government on the
other hand collects income at every step and immediately profits before the business even sells their
produce.
Whether it is fuel, travel, automotive, electricity, telecommunications, banking and insurance, the
government immediately makes the profit, collects the money most of which is either spent well or stolen.
That is where the mistake lies. The government can only spend the money but can’t really invest it in real
terms that would create more jobs, stimulate expenditure, thus stimulating the economy and production.
The business of government continues but not much else.
P-Noy should get the NEDA to research how much of every peso that government collects, actually goes into
“renewable” income, or how much is spent for every job created? What is the “life expectancy” of such jobs
compared to those provided for in the private sector?
Perhaps it is time to re-engineer government philosophy and policy away from merely making money via
taxation.
Like Thailand and other countries, it might be a more sound policy to incentivize and encourage people to
put up shop, create jobs, stimulate buying power, etc.
At this stage, it would be next to impossible to regain the title we lost by default. As an island, the cost of
logistics to bring in raw materials and ship out finished automotive products would be irrational.
However, there is another “boat” that we should not miss. Many car manufacturers are now considering the
strategy of spreading out their parts supply chain after the earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan and
seriously disrupted global production.
This could be OUR ticket if government chooses not to tax the hell out of it once again.
Open skies: Selling out to foreign airlines?

SHOOTING STRAIGHT By Bobit S. Avila (The Philippine Star) Updated March 25, 2011 12:00
AM Comments (1)
The big news we just got is that finally after so many years of endless debates by the pros and the cons in
the aviation industry, Pres. Benigno “P-Noy” Aquino III signed what is known as its “Pocket Open Skies”
policy when he signed two Executive Orders, first EO No. 29 authorizing the Civil Aeronautics Board
(CAB) “To pursue a more aggressive International Civil Aviation Liberalization Policy” which allows
“Unlimited third and fourth freedom rights to foreign air carriers operating at the Diosdado Macapagal
International Airport (DMIA) and Subic Bay International Airport (SBIA).”
The other Executive Order was EO No. 28 which in effect breaks in two the CAB negotiating panel, where the
two flag carriers in this country lost its chairs in the negotiating panel and were relegated to “observer”
status. Now we ask, whatever happened to protecting the interest of Filipino businessmen? This EO sounds
like someone in the Aquino administration is now lawyering for foreign carriers?
I confess that I was once an advocate for Open Skies policy during the time when Tita Cory was President,
when the Philippines was the darling of the world, having rid of the Marcos dictatorship through a peaceful
revolt called the EDSA revolt. Back then, investments were pouring into the Philippines and Cebu was
experiencing our tourism boom, which in those days was stymied by the number of seats that Philippine
Airlines (PAL) had. Hence we believed that our tourism industry was limited to what PAL could offer and
embracing an Open Skies policy would have allowed foreign airlines to fly tourists to the Philippines and
increase our tourism growth.
Alas, we went into a decade-long debate on the issue whether or not we should adopt an Open Skies policy.
It’s been 25 years since and now under the administration of Tita Cory’s son, P-Noy, he has finally signed a
compromise policy called “Pocket Open Skies”. But if you ask me… it just took this country too long to take
advantage of an Open Skies policy when the opportunity was presented to us right before our eyes.
Today world aviation has changed dramatically, where major air carriers were forced to merge into alliances
in order to save on costs and in fact the bigger challenge they face comes from those budget airlines. Here
in the Philippines, our national flag carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL) now has a strong competitor in Cebu
Pacific (CEB) which is considered a budget airline and did not exist 25 years ago, which boasts to have
overtaken PAL as the largest carrier in this country.
PAL itself is barely surviving thanks to a labor union that continues to rock the plane (not the boat) in these
very precarious of times with strike notices, especially when the world economy has not yet recovered from
the global financial crisis of 2009. The latest from PAL is that, it needs a loan of $150 million to finance its
capital expenditures. Now don’t you think that a Filipino owned airline must have some kind of support from
our government?
Meanwhile, Cebu Pacific has asked the Aquino government to “modify” this Pocket Open Skies policy simply
because a place like Hong Kong limits Philippine carriers to only 2,500 seat flights per week. Hence Open
Skies would allow them unlimited flights to the Philippines while limiting our local airlines to a few seats per
week. This is why Cebu Pacific would like to see some kind of reciprocity with other airlines, lest they take
the opportunity to use this Pocket Open Skies policy to kill their Filipino competitors!
With the Middle East literally burning from the unrest of pro-democracy protests, with Japan in shambles,
thanks to the earthquake and that devastating tsunami that damaged the reactors of the Fukushima nuclear
plant, I doubt if world economy would recover in the year 2011.
So let’s ask ourselves… is it the right time to adopt a Pocket Open Skies policy? I don’t think so! How can
foreign airlines fly to the Philippines even if they want to when we are still under Category 2 status by the
US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)? Even more intriguing is the fact that the CAB already allowed
foreign carriers to fly to the Philippines through Mactan or Davao in a reciprocity arrangement, yet they
hardly used their entitlements? So where are we going wrong?
Call it coincidence that our Tourism Secretary Alberto “Bertie” Lim was once the vice-chairman for the so-
called “Freedom to Fly Coalition” which is truth was a lobby group by foreign countries. On May 22, 2000
barely two months when my talkshow “Straight from the Sky” started I even had a very healthy discussion
on this very issue. If our Tourism Secretary truly wants foreign airlines to come to our country, then he
should start with those airlines that were given entitlements by the CAB like Gulf Air that once flew to Cebu,
but stopped. I reckon that it wasn’t commercially viable endeavor. So we don’t really need a Pocket Open
Skies anymore.
***
BREAKING NEWS
6 Chinese poachers nabbed in Palawan - report

By Dennis Carcamo (philstar.com) Updated March 25, 2011 09:47 AM Comments (1)
MANILA, Philippines - Six suspected Chinese poachers have been apprehended by authorities off the coast of
Ramos Island in Palawan, a radio report today said.
Members of the Marine Landing Battalion 12, Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources and Department of
Environment and Natural Resources nabbed the six fishermen, who are reportedly from mainland China,
while poaching off the coast of Ramos Island which is the northern part of Balacac town, the report said.
The report added that authorities seized the suspects' 11-foot speedboat, several UHF handheld radios, and
fishnets used to catch turtles and the native "pawikan."
The Chinese fishermen are now in the custody of the local police in Balabac.
6.8-magnitude quake strikes NE Myanmar; 1 dead
(philstar.com) Updated March 25, 2011 09:56 AM Comments (0)
YANGON, Myanmar (AP) - A powerful earthquake struck northeastern Myanmar on Thursday night, killing
one woman and shaking buildings as far away as Bangkok. No tsunami was generated.
Homes and at least one bridge were damaged in several villages along Myanmar's borders with Thailand and
Laos, according to residents who spoke to an aid agency.
There were also reports of minor damage in northern Thailand, where a woman died when a brick wall
collapsed on her, police Capt. Weerapon Samranjai said. Cracks spread in the foundations of some buildings
in the province surrounding the city of Chiang Rai, about 55 miles (90 kilometers) from the epicenter. The
spires fell off two pagodas.
"The tremor was so strong, and things fell down from the shelves. It was very scary, and we all ran out to
the streets," said a 25-year old woman who runs a mini-mart in Tachileik, a Myanmar town near the border.
As is common in the country, she spoke on condition of anonymity because authorities discourage talking to
the media.
It was difficult to get a comprehensive picture of damage in the country's remote northeast, where
communications, even at the best of time, are sketchy. The military-run government also tightly controls
information.
The hilly region could see landslides of rock and mud shaken loose in the quake, said Jenny MacIntyre, a
communications manager with World Vision, who spoke with representatives from the aid agency who were
near the epicenter in Myanmar.
The 6.8-magnitude quake was just six miles (10 kilometers) deep, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
At that strength and depth, it said 600,000 people could feel shaking anywhere from strong to violent. It
added that since buildings in the area are considered vulnerable, damage could be widespread.
Buildings swayed hundreds of miles (kilometers) away, including in the Thai capital, Hanoi, Vietnam, and the
Myanmar city of Mandalay.
"People living in high-rise buildings felt the tremor, and we are still on the streets. We are afraid to go back
into the house," said a 34-year-old woman from Mandalay, who also spoke on condition of anonymity.
Max Jones, an Australian resident of Bangkok, was in his 27th-floor apartment when his building started
shaking so hard he had to grab the walls to keep from falling.
"It was bloody scary, I can tell you," he said. Jones said he could see people running in the streets.
The quake was followed by two smaller aftershocks, 4.8 and 5.4 in magnitude.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said the quake was located too far inland to create a destructive wave.
Hearing next week good for Ligot, says lawyer

(philstar.com) Updated March 25, 2011 10:32 AM Comments (0)
MANILA, Philippines - A Senate hearing next week may be the only early way out of detention for former
military comptroller Jacinto Ligot, his lawyer said today.
Lawyer Rafael Zialcita said he has yet to meet with other lawyers to discuss if there's a legal option to free
Ligot from Senate detention.
Ligot was taken into the Senate's custody after an order citing him for contempt. The Senate released the
order after the Ligot was found lying about his real health condition.
Ligot skipped Thursday's Senate Blue-Ribbon Committee hearing on military corruption, claiming he was
down with the flu. However, when checked by Senate doctors, it turned out that he was in good physical
health.
His wife, Erlinda, was also cited for contempt, but was not detained for humanitarian reasons since she is
suffering from hypertension.
"Wala pa kaming action plan. Magmi-meeting ang mga abogado at pag-uusapan ang mga options namin,"
Zialcita said. "Kung mag-file kami ng legal action, sana mapagbigyan."
Zialcita added that he is hoping that Senator Teofisto Guingona III, chairman of the blue-ribbon committee,
would be able to convince other senators to conduct hearings next week.
He said if another hearing is scheduled for next week, his client may be able to get out of detention earlier
than expected.
"Si Senator Guingona raw nagtatawag ng hearing next week, which is good for us at least hindi magtatagal
[ang detention]," he said.
The lawyer said that according to the Senate, Ligot will be released only after he has agreed to answer the
senators' questions about his questionable property.
Zialcita said he was informed that the committee has prepared questions that cannot be refused by the
Ligots by invoking their rights against self incrimination.
"Sana mabigyan kami ng advance copy para alam namin ang sasagutin," the lawyer said, adding that they
would have to submit to the committee, which has the authority to decide when it is appropriate to invoke
the right against self incrimination during hearings.
Targets deep within Libya hit; fewer US jets used

(philstar.com) Updated March 25, 2011 12:40 PM Comments (0)
BENGHAZI, Libya (AP) - French fighter jets hit aircraft and a crossroads military base deep inside Libya on
Thursday as the U.S. reduced its combat role in the international operation that is working to thwart
Moammar Gadhafi's forces by land, sea and air.
Explosions could be heard in Tripoli, the Libyan capital, before daybreak Friday, apparently from air strikes.
Libya's air force has been effectively neutralized, and the government has taken part of its fight to the
airwaves. State television aired pictures of bodies it said were victims of air strikes, but a U.S. intelligence
report bolstered rebel claims that Gadhafi's forces had simply taken bodies from a morgue.
International military support for the rebels is not open-ended: France set a timeframe on the international
action at days or weeks — not months.
The possibility of a looming deadline raised pressure on rebel forces. So does a U.N. arms embargo that
keeps both Gadhafi and his outgunned opposition from getting more weapons. The rebels were so strapped
Thursday that they handed out sneakers — and not guns — at one of their checkpoints.
"We are facing cannons, T-72 and T-92 tanks, so what do we need? We need anti-tank weapons, things like
that," said Col. Ahmed Omar Bani, a military spokesman told reporters in Benghazi, the de facto rebel
capital. "We are preparing our army now. Before there was no army, from now there is an idea to prepare a
new army with new armaments and new morals."
The Gadhafi regime appeared equally hard-pressed, asking international forces to spare its broadcast and
communications infrastructure.
"Communications, whether by phones or other uses, are civilian and for the good of the Libyan nation to
help us provide information, knowledge and coordinate everyday life. If these civilian targets are hit, it will
make life harder for millions of civilians around Libya," Moussa Ibrahim, a government spokesman, told
reporters in Tripoli.
Representatives for the regime and rebels were expected to attend an African Union meeting in Addis
Ababa, Ethiopia, on Friday, according to U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who described it as a part of
an effort to reach a cease-fire and political solution.
The U.S. has been trying to give up the lead role in the operation against Gadhafi's forces, and NATO agreed
late Thursday to assume one element of it — control of the no-fly zone.
The U.S.-led coalition will still supervise attacks on targets on the ground, though fewer U.S. planes were
used in air strikes Thursday.
"Nearly all, some 75 percent of the combat air patrol missions in support of the no-fly zone, are now being
executed by our coalition partners," Navy Vice Adm. William Gortney, told reporters at the Pentagon. Other
countries were handling less than 10 percent of such missions, he said.
The U.S. will continue to fly combat missions as needed, but its role will mainly be in support missions such
as refueling allied planes and providing aerial surveillance of Libya, Gortney said.
French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe said the international action would last days or possibly weeks, but not
months. But he told RTL radio that in addition to protecting civilians, the mission "is also about putting
Gadhafi's opponents, who are fighting for democracy and freedom, in a situation of taking back the
advantage."
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said the United Arab Emirates would deploy 12 planes for the
coalition effort. Clinton thanked the U.A.E. for becoming the second Arab country after Qatar to send planes.
Qatar is expected to start flying air patrols over Libya by this weekend.
Libyan state television showed blackened and mangled bodies that it said were victims of airstrikes in
Tripoli. Rebels have accused Gadhafi's forces of taking bodies from the morgue and pretending they were
civilian casualties.
A U.S. intelligence report on Monday, the day after coalition missiles attacked Gadhafi's Bab al-Aziziya
compound in the capital, said that a senior Gadhafi aide was told to take bodies from a morgue and place
them at the scene of the bomb damage, to be displayed for visiting journalists. A senior U.S. defense official
revealed the contents of the intelligence report on condition of anonymity because it was classified secret.
The French strikes hit a base about 155 miles (250 kilometers) south of the Libyan coastline, as well as a
Libyan combat plane that had just landed outside the strategic city of Misrata, France's military said.
Briefing reporters in Tripoli late Thursday, Libyan Deputy Foreign Minister Khaled Kaim said no Libyan planes
have been in the air since the no-fly zone was declared. He said a plane might have been destroyed in an
allied attack on an air base.
Kaim said earlier that the "military compound at Juffra" was among the targets hit. Juffra is one of at least
two air bases deep in Libya's interior, on main routes that lead from neighboring countries in the Sahara
region that have been suppliers of arms and fighters for the Gadhafi regime.
The town of Sabha, about 385 miles (620 kilometers) south of Tripoli, has another air base and international
airport and is a major transit point for the ethnic Tuareg fighters from Mali and Niger who have fought for
Gadhafi for the past two decades. Malian officials say hundreds of Tuareg men have left to fight in Libya
against the recent uprising.
Abdel-Rahman Barkuli, a Libyan in exile originally from Sabha, said communications with his family there
were abruptly cut on Wednesday night and heavy security is preventing residents from moving in or out.
He said residents in Sabha reported air strikes before dawn: two targeted radars and one targeted a military
camp. The air strikes apparently bypassed a mountain facility that stores ammunition and heavy weaponry
for the Gadhafi regime.
"Thank God they didn't bomb the mountain because it would be a disaster" for the civilians living nearby, he
said.
Barkuli said members of two anti-Gadhafi tribes in the city were rounded up early in the protests that began
Feb. 15. "No one knows anything about their whereabouts," he said.
U.N. human rights experts said hundreds of people have disappeared in Libya over the past few months,
and said there were fears that those who vanished were taken to secret locations to be tortured or
executed.
The disappeared were "mainly people who called for demonstrations and who opposed publicly the regime,"
one of the independent experts, Olivier de Frouville, told The Associated Press.
Luis Moreno-Ocampo, the International Criminal Court's prosecutor, said he was "100 percent" certain that
his investigation into attacks on Libyan protesters will lead to crimes against humanity charges against the
Gadhafi regime.
NATO sailors, meanwhile, were prepared to board any suspect ships that don't voluntarily submit to
inspections to enforce the U.N. embargo. Vice Adm. Rinaldo Veri, the commander of the NATO naval
blockade, said the effort was "closing the main front door" to weapons and mercenaries for Gadhafi.
"If they should find resistance, the use of force is necessary," he said, noting that the Security Council had
mandated all means necessary to enforce the embargo.
The U.N. Security Council authorized the embargo and no-fly zone to protect Libyan civilians after Gadhafi
launched attacks against anti-government protesters who demanded that he step down after 42 years in
power. But rebel advances have foundered, and the two sides have been at stalemate in key cities such as
Misrata and Ajdabiya, the gateway to the opposition's eastern stronghold.
Ajdabiya has been under siege for more than a week, with the rebels holding the city center but facing
relentless shelling from government troops positioned on the outskirts.
Mohammed Ali, 56, who was among people fleeing Thursday, drove out with his family. "They've cut
everything — the electricity, the water. It's getting worse and worse inside."
Late Thursday, a rebel fighter, Ahmed al-Zwei, called the AP and claimed that rebel forces were advancing in
Ajdabiya, and government forces were negotiating their surrender. His account could not be verified.
SKorea will punish 10 diplomats over China scandal

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea says 10 former and current diplomats posted at its Shanghai
consulate will be punished after an investigation found some diplomats had "inappropriate relationships"
with a Chinese woman.
The Foreign Ministry said Friday it will quickly and sternly deal with those involved.
The investigation released by the prime minister's office says some of the diplomats issued visas to Chinese
citizens without properly reviewing applications.
Documents with phone numbers for high-ranking South Korean officials also were leaked but are not
considered state secrets.
South Korea started investigating two weeks ago after receiving a tip.
China finds radiation on ship arriving from Japan

BEIJING (AP) — China said an abnormal level of radiation was detected on a Japanese merchant vessel
when it arrived at a port in eastern China.
The General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine said on its website Friday the
radiation was found on the Mol Presence when it arrived at Xiamen port on Monday.
The ship belongs to Japanese transport company Mitsui O.S.K. Lines and left Tokyo on March 17.
The Chinese watchdog's statement did not give further information about the exact levels of radiation, the
ship crew or cargo.
A nuclear power plant in northeast Japan has been leaking small amounts of radiation since being damaged
in the March 11 earthquake and tsunami.
(UPDATE 2) Strong quake in Myanmar kills more than 60

YANGON, Myanmar (AP) - A strong earthquake that toppled homes in northeastern Myanmar has killed
more than 60 people, and there were fears Friday the toll would mount as conditions in more remote areas
became known.
The Thursday night quake, measured at a magnitude 6.8 by the U.S. Geological Survey, was centered just
north of the town Tachileik in the mountains along the Thai border, but was felt hundreds of miles
(kilometers) away in the Thai capital Bangkok and Vietnamese capital Hanoi.
Myanmar state radio announced Friday that 65 people had been killed and 111 injured in the quake, but was
updating the total frequently. It said that 244 houses, 14 Buddhist monasteries and nine government
buildings were damaged.
An official from the U.N.'s World Food Program said there were many casualties and serious damage in Mong
Lin village, five miles (eight kilometers) from Tachileik. State radio said 29 were killed there and 16 injured.
The state-run New Light of Myanmar newspaper reported that 15 houses collapsed in the town of Tarlay,
where state radio said 11 were killed and 29 injured. Another U.N. official said a small hospital there was
partially damaged as well as a bridge, making it difficult to access the town.
The newspaper said another two people were killed in Tachileik, including a 4-year-old boy. It said six
people were injured in the town, which is just across the border from Mae Sai in Thailand's Chiang Rai
province.
In Mae Sai, one woman was killed when a wall fell on her, according to Thai police, but damage was
otherwise minimal.
The second U.N. official said medicine would be sent to the affected areas as soon as possible along with an
assessment team in cooperation with the Myanmar Red Cross Society.
Both U.N. officials spoke on condition of anonymity because Myanmar's government frowns on giving
unauthorized information to the media.
Most of rural Myanmar, one of Asia's poorest countries, is underdeveloped, with poor communications and
other infrastructure, and minimal rescue and relief capacity. The country's military government is also
usually reluctant to release information about disasters because it is already sensitive to any criticism.
The government tightly controls information, and in 2008 delayed reporting on — and asking for help with —
devastating Cyclone Nargis, which killed 130,000 people. The junta was widely criticized for what were
called inadequate preparations and a slow response to the disaster.
Somchai Hatayatanti, the governor of Chiang Rai province, said dozens of people suffered minor injuries on
the Thai side of the border. Cracks were found in buildings in downtown Chiang Rai city, about 55 miles (90
kilometers) from the epicenter, including a provincial hospital and city hall. The tops of the spires fell off
from at least two Buddhist temples.
As a precaution for aftershocks, a relief center was being set up Friday in Mae Sai.
"We are worried that the area might be hit with stronger quakes. There was another quake at 7 a.m. this
morning," said Somsri Meethong of the Mae Sai District office, referring to an aftershock. "I had to run again
like last night. What we have seen on TV about Japan added to our fear."
Japan nuke plant reactor core may be breached

TOKYO (AP) — Japanese nuclear safety officials said they suspect that the reactor core at one unit of the
troubled Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant may have breached. That raises the possibility of more
severe radioactive contamination to the environment.
Hidehiko Nishiyama, a spokesman for the nuclear safety agency, said Friday that "something at the reactor
may have been damaged" in Unit 3 of the six-unit plant.
He said "our data suggest the reactor retains certain containment functions," an implication that the damage
may have occurred in the reactor's core, but that it was limited.
Officials say the damage could instead have happened in other equipment, including piping or the spent fuel
pool.
The plant was damaged in the March 11 earthquake and tsunami.
Gunmen kill 8 in attack on minibus in Pakistan

PARACHINAR, Pakistan (AP) — Gunmen attacked a minibus carrying mostly Shiite Muslims and killed eight
people on Friday in a stretch of northwestern Pakistan that has seen a recent peace deal between rival Sunni
and Shiite tribes, a government official said.
The gunmen who carried out the ambush in the Bagan area of the Kurram tribal region also kidnapped 18
people from the bus, said Javid Khan, a local administrator. The attack was the latest blow to the peace
deal, which was meant to end a four-year conflict that cost hundreds of lives, but has failed to extinguish
violence in the area.
The bus was attacked as it was traveling on the main road that runs through Kurram that connects the main
town in the region, Parachinar, with Peshawar, the capital of nearby Khyber Pakhtunwkha province, said
Khan.
Violence had kept the road closed until the peace deal was struck in February.
Five people were wounded in the attack, said Khan. The bus was mostly carrying people from the Toori
tribe, one of the main Shiite tribes that struck the peace deal, he said.
A similar attack killed nine people in mid-March who were traveling on the road from Parachinar, a Shiite-
dominated town.
It is unclear how the Shiite tribes will respond following Friday's incident and whether the peace deal will be
scrapped.
Tribesmen in Kurram have reported that the Haqqani network — a fiercely independent branch of the
Afghan Taliban and a major enemy of U.S. and NATO forces — had helped cut the deal with the Shiites so it
could use Kurram as a staging ground for fighting in Afghanistan.
The Taliban, who adhere to a hard-line interpretation of Sunni Islam, have at times exploited sectarian and
tribal feuds to spread their influence along the Pakistan-Afghan border.
Over 100 villagers suffer lead poisoning in China

BEIJING (AP) — A state news agency says more than 100 villagers in eastern China have been poisoned by
lead emissions from a battery plant built in a residential area.
The official Xinhua News Agency cited health and environmental authorities in Zhejiang province as saying
Friday that tests showed that 139 people from three villages in Taizhou city had elevated lead levels. The
sickened included 35 children.
The report says three villagers had lead levels three times the limit considered safe for humans. But none of
the 501 villagers tested required hospitalization.
China is the world's largest producer and consumer of lead, a key component in lead-acid batteries needed
for the growing number of vehicles in the country. New cases of lead poisoning regularly occur.
Philippines to send relief goods to Japan

MANILA, Philippines (Xinhua) - The Philippine government has donated 10.11 tons of relief goods to Japan,
in line with the government's commitment to assist in the ongoing humanitarian efforts.
The relief goods will be sent to Japan through flag carrier Philippine Airlines, which will leave the country
tonight.
In addition to the relief supplies, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said that it is ready to send
humanitarian assistance personnel from the local National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council-
member agencies to assist the country 's recovery.
The DFA will also intensify its efforts to locate some 4,600 Filipinos who under threat from the nuclear
emergency at the damaged nuclear plants in Fukushima.
French military chief says airforce destroys Gaddafi's

artillery
PARIS (Xinhua) – The Chief of French general staff Edouard Guillaud said Friday that a French warplane
has destroyed an artillery battery of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi's forces before Friday sunrise.
According to local media, the French military leader said the strike was conducted on Thursday overnight
when the artillery was bombing Ajdabia, Libya's eastern town, where fights between Gaddafi's forces and
the rebels are reportedly continuing.
This was the latest damage to Gaddafi's troops since the coalition strikes was launched shortly after the
Paris summit closed on March 19.
"Libyan air space is under control," Guillaud told local radio France Info, adding a Libyan plane was also
destroyed on ground during Thursday operation.
A Rafale jet attacked the Libyan plane after chased the target to an air base at Misrata, some 200 km east
of Libyan capital Tripoli.
So far, French forces had destroyed "facilities extremely important," including ammunition depots,
maintenance facilities, and also a command center.
Reemphasizing the effort to avoid civilian casualties, the French military chief said they would "do the best"
and once again excluded the possibility to deploy ground forces into Libya, which is clearly prohibited by the
UN resolution 1973.
Meanwhile, Guillaud said he hoped the coalition operation in Libya to last in "weeks" rather than months.
Declining to fix a term for the military operation, he said a solution to Libya should be "political."
Proposed by France, London is going to hold the first political steering meeting expected to group foreign
ministers from involved coalition states to discuss next steps in Libya.
Japan PM apologizes for damage from nuclear plant

TOKYO (AP) — Japan's prime minister has apologized to farmers and business owners affected by the
crippled nuclear power plant that is emitting radiation after being damaged by an earthquake and tsunami
two weeks ago.
In a televised address Friday evening, Naoto Kan also thanked the utility workers, firefighters and military
personnel for "risking their lives" in efforts to desperately trying to cool the overheated reators at the
Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant.
Radiation from the plant has been found in vegetables and water.
END

March 25 News

Enviado por

Dados do documento

Descrição original:

Título original

Direitos autorais

Formatos disponíveis

Compartilhar este documento

Compartilhar ou incorporar documento

Opções de compartilhamento

Você considera este documento útil?

Este conteúdo é inapropriado?

Direitos autorais:

Formatos disponíveis

March 25 News

Enviado por

Direitos autorais:

Formatos disponíveis

YAHOO NEWS

Ayala Land Inc.: No, 'poor people' aren't banned in

No, Ayala Land said that it's not true.

Ayala Land denies posting 'fake sign'

Marco said security guards discovered the posters.

"It was really a hoax," he added.

PEP EXCLUSIVE: Marlene Aguilar challenges QC

Pikon na pikon na si Marlene Aguilar.

OMG, LOL, ♥ added to Oxford English Dictionary

Gov't won't block food imports from Japan

Binay wants to return to China for 3 Pinoys

Ligot under Senate custody for contempt

“He (Ligot) did not resist arrest,” Balajadia said.

“They (OSAA) are going to implement it at once,” he said.

Del Castillo, on the other hand, claimed he was also sick.

'Noy statements won't affect Senate judgment on Merci'

Enrile said he understood where the President was

“They’re free to air their grievances outside,” he said.

Palace: New ombudsman would lead to reforms in gov’t

‘Senators have disqualified themselves as judges’

Belmonte assures public pending bills to be passed

“We will continue to work on vital legislation in this House,” he said.

Execution of Pinoys won't be held in public

All three sentences will be carried out on March 30.

Binay will again appeal for a stay of execution

He would write the Chinese government a letter of appeal, he added.

“Of course we respect their law,” he said.

Envoy asks for understanding

Palace welcomes survey results

He cited that the country is presently beset by many problems.

Palace tosses Marcos burial issue to Binay

Escudero served as agriculture minister of Marcos until his ouster.

Escudero’s son, Sen. Francis Escudero, is a close ally of President Aquino.

Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. did not sign Escudero’s resolution.

Ping's Senate office reactivated

Noy to reappoint 6 bypassed Cabinet members

OSG asks Sandigan justice to inhibit from Garcia case

The Sandiganbayan is yet to resolve the motion.

Phl cancels sending of rescue team to Japan

Faultline risk worries Palace

Jonas Burgos' disappearance: Army officer's ex-superiors

Abus lower ransom demand for trader

Davao cops' errand boy kills inmate

Fiscal to spend 9 years in jail for direct bribery

4.3 quake jolts parts of Northern Luzon

Phivolcs said no damage or aftershock was expected from the quake.

SC remands FPIC kalikasan suit to CA

FPIC eyes on-site water treatment

Woman radio host gunned down

C-5 Road, 3 Taguig barangays prone to liquefaction

Baby stolen as ma relieves herself

Pro-RH lawmakers agree to tone down bill

NHA gives Vitas residents 30 days to leave

Arroyo visit to Merci shows 'dark politics'

'The Detroit of Southeast Asia'

Open skies: Selling out to foreign airlines?

6 Chinese poachers nabbed in Palawan - report

Hearing next week good for Ligot, says lawyer

Targets deep within Libya hit; fewer US jets used

SKorea will punish 10 diplomats over China scandal

China finds radiation on ship arriving from Japan

(UPDATE 2) Strong quake in Myanmar kills more than 60