Maniolas

Drugs, cash, appliances found in drug lords’ den inside NBP. Members of the PNP Special Action Force haul away three safes seized from inside a kubol of a drug lord inside the New Bilibid Prison maximum compound in Muntinlupa City on Monday, December 15. Justice Secretary Leila de Lima, along with a company of fully-armed SAF, made a surprise inspection of the jail facility. John Consulta The surprise inspection at the New Bilibid Prisons on Monday was meant to help the government’s cause against the “significant” contribution of convicted and incarcerated drug traffickers to the trade of narcotics at large. “Ang greater reason [why we did this] is that para ma-completely incapacitate sila from further transacting sa drugs,” De Lima said in an interview over GMA News TV’s Baltanghali. “[A] significant portion ng narcotics industry sa Philippines ay nate-trace sa mga inmates sa loob,” she added. De Lima led the surprise inspection, conducted with at least 100 agents from the National Bureau of Investigation, Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, and the Philippine National Police.  The operation was about two to three months in the making, she said. Surprising finds Authorities found kilos of shabu and other drug paraphernalia during the raid, along with a list of what authorities believe to be drug transactions that happened within prison. But the inspection further yielded surprising finds, including items and facilities that are said to be used only in luxury condominiums. In his reports, GMA News’ John Consulta said that among the items discovered Read More …

Detained Senator Jinggoy Estrada has asked the Sandiganbayan Fifth Division for a Christmas and New Year’s furlough, but the chances of its being granted are slim to none. “The requested days for furlough are indubitably the only days in the year where family traditions of being together are of no question. Premises considered, it is respectfully prayed of the honourable court to allow the accused a furlough on the days and time, under escort and security conditions at accused’s expense,” Estrada wrote in his December 12 motion that was made public Monday. However, division clerk of court Ma. Teresa S. Pabulayan said the motion will not be heard, since the justices of the division have asked to be removed from the case. Earlier Monday, Justices of the Sandiganbayan Fifth Division recused themselves from Estrada’s trial “for personal reasons.” In a one-page document submitted to Sandiganbayan Presiding Justice Amparo Cabotaje-Tang, Justices Roland Jurado, Alexander Gesmundo and Ma. Theresa Dolores Estoesta requested to be relieved of handling Estrada’s case. “May we request for our recusal in the above indicated criminal cases for personal reasons,” the three justices wrote. Estrada is facing graft and plunder charges for allegedly channeling millions of pesos of his pork barrel allocations to bogus NGOs owned by businesswoman Janet Lim Napoles, in exchange for kickbacks. The Fifth Division is currently hearing his bail petition. He is currently detained at the Philippine National Police custodial center in Camp Crame. In his motion for furlough, Estrada detailed family traditions and asked the court Read More …

Despite the problems they faced this year, nearly nine out of 10 Filipinos or 88 percent will face the coming New Year with hope, according to a new survey by pollster Pulse Asia. In its survey conducted Nov. 14 to 20, Pulse Asia said this was the “predominant sentiment in every geographic area and socio-economic class.” Only one percent will face the coming year “without hope” while 11 percent are ambivalent, it added. A breakdown of the 88 percent of those facing 2015 with hope includes 86 percent in Metro Manila, 91 percent in Luzon, 89 percent in Visayas and 84 percent in Mindanao. Such a sentiment is prevalent among 90 percent of Class ABC, 89 percent of Class D and 84 percent of Class E. Those facing 2015 “without hope” include one percent in all geographical areas and almost all socio-economic classes—with zero percent of Class ABC having such a sentiment. Christmas 2014 On the other hand, the survey also showed more than half or 52 percent of Filipinos expect their Christmas celebration to be “no different” from 2013. However, it said more Filipinos see a more prosperous Christmas celebration for their families this year than last year. It said this is the majority sentiment in Metro Manila (51 percent), Mindanao (51 percent), and the rest of Luzon (55 percent) and in Classes D and E (53 and 51 percent respectively). Visayans (46 percent) and those in Class ABC (44 percent) share this view or even expect a more Read More …

The head of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines over the weekend pushed for efforts by the state and society to thwart human trafficking, even as he echoed Pope Francis’ concern on the scourge. CBCP president and Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas said it is a Christian duty to do everything to prevent anyone from being trafficked, and to make sure those who fell into the trap are set free. “As serious a duty this is of individual Christians, even more serious it is the duty of the State and society,” he said in a pastoral letter dated Dec. 14. But he also called on Christians as well to make all efforts to “free human traffickers from the motives and attractions of their illicit trade and to draw them back to genuinely good and beneficial pursuits.” “To drown evil in an abundance of good and convert the wrongdoer into a source of good is the ultimate triumph we should aim for in this fight,” he added. Villegas lamented there could be about 150,000 Filipinos among some 30 million presently enslaved. He added about 800,000 children, women and men are trafficked across international borders around the world every year. He said trafficking is a form of modern-day slavery, “not less dehumanizing and cruel than any old form of slavery.” With trafficking, he said men and women are exploited physically, sexually, psychologically, morally, and spiritually for the traffickers’ material gain. Echoing Pope Francis’ thoughts on the issue, Villegas said it is a Read More …