Maniolas

The Philippine National Police (PNP) has recently been in the “cutting edge” of controversy following the involvement of its personnel, including its head, General Alan Purisima, in illegal activities ranging from kidnappings, gun-for-hire, hold-ups and bribery. General Purisima, reportedly a close friend of President Noynoy, is facing graft, plunder and indirect bribery charges filed this week by the Coalition of Filipino Consumers (CFC) at the Office of the Ombudsman. It was reported by the CFC that Purisima grossly undervalued his 2013 SALN in regard to his Nueva Ecija “mansion” property that he and his wife own. The PNP chief listed the value of the property at P3.7 million. However, CFC claimed that the property is easily worth from P30 to P40 million. On top of this, Purisima is also facing graft charges in connection with the alleged anomalous P100 million contract with a courier service for the delivery of firearms licenses. Philippine National Police (PNP) Director General Alan Purisima during the 34th Association of Southeast Asian Nations Chiefs of Police (ASEANAPOL) Conference at the Luzon Ballroom of the Sofitel Philippine Plaza in Roxas Boulevard, Pasay City on Tuesday (May 13, 2014). (MNS photo) CFC also said that General Purisima committed  an act of indirect bribery when he admitted that the money he used for the renovation of his official residence in Camp Crame  came from his friends, patrons and brother masons. Corruption in the Philippines is so pervasive that almost, if not all top government officials are all “on the Read More …

Makati Mayor Jejomar Erwin Binay seen here with a guest at Noypitz Bar & Grill in Glendale, California in 2011 during a fundraising concert organized by members of Filipino-American media for typhoon Sendong victims. Photo: Benny Uy MANILA (Mabuhay) – Don’t force the Senate committee to order your arrest. This was the statement made Thursday by Senator Alan Peter Cayetano as he said that Makati Mayor Jejomar Erwin Binay Jr.’s move questioning the authority of the Senate blue ribbon subcommittee to summon him has no legal basis. “I’m waiting for them and hoping magpaliwanag sila. We’ll give them an opportunity pero kung hindi, mapipilitan sigurong umabot na ang committee ay umorder ng arrest nila,” Cayetano told reporters before the start of the hearing. Binay snubbed the hearing, as did his secretary Beng Baloloy, who also submitted a letter questioning the jurisdictional authority of the committee. Finance officer Gerry Limlingan, on the other hand, was nowhere to be found. “Lahat ng pwedeng i-subpoena at hindi sinunod ang subpoena, ang proseso dun, bibigyan sila ng prosesong ipaliwanag tapos pwede na silang ipaaresto. Kapangyarihan ito ng Kongreso. ‘Pag binalewala ito ng isang tao, baka balewalain na ito ng ibang mga tao,” Cayetano said. Vice President Jejomar Binay was invited to the hearing but he also did not attend, citing a full schedule. Cayetano said they will not order the Vice President’s arrest despite his absence in respect to his position. “Pero walang dahilan na ang city mayor kahit sabihing Binay ang apelyido niya Read More …

CELEBRATING THE SENATE’S 97th ANNIVERSARY. Senate President Franklin M. Drilon addresses Senate officials and employees during the Senate’s flag raising ceremony Monday, October 21. Drilon took the opportunity to thank everyone for what he calls a “selfless act” in deciding to forego plans to celebrate the annual Christmas Party in favor of donating the funds to the victims of recent calamities that struck Visayas and Mindanao. The Senate, which is also celebrating its 97th Anniversary, has also decided to allocate the budget for the anniversary to the victims of the recent 7.2 magnitude earthquake that hit Bohol and Cebu. (MNS photo) MANILA (Mabuhay) – Senate President Franklin Drilon on Wednesday said debates on the reimposition of death penalty should start to determine if it would really address rising crime incidents. “Sa aking tingin, pwede pa natin yang pagdebatehan. Hinihimok nga ng aking kasama na si Sen. Tito Sotto na i-report at pagdebatehan sa Senado ang pagbabalik sa death penalty,” Drilon said in a radio interview. On Tuesday, Sotto, Senate acting minority leader, renewed calls for the reimposition of the death penalty following the killing of actress Cherry Pie Picache’s mother. Sotto believed the suspect could have been under the influence of drugs. The bill Sotto filed for the purpose of reimposing capital punishment is still pending before the Senate committee on constitutional amendments, revision of codes and laws as well as the justice and human rights committee. The death penalty was abolished in 2006. Drilon said what should be looked Read More …

Flood victims are evacuated in rescue boats after their homes were swamped by heavy flooding in Marikina, Metro Manila September 19, 2014. Heavy rain in the Philippine capital, Manila, caused flooding in many areas on Friday, shutting schools, government offices and financial markets as a tropical storm made landfall to the north. Thousands of residents in low-lying areas were moved to higher ground, officials said, as flood waters rose quickly after the equivalent of half a month’s usual rain fell in six hours. (MNS photo) MANILA (Mabuhay) – The Department of Justice (DOJ) threw its support on the proposal in the House of Representatives to create a special metropolitan political subdivision in the National Capital Region. House Bill No. 712, authored by Caloocan Rep. Edgar Erice, proposes the creation of the Metropolitan Manila Regional Administration (MMRA), a new political unit of government that has a supramunicipal council authority to enact ordinances and regulations for the welfare of NCR residents. “This department supports the passage of aforesaid bill into law… and manifests no constitutional or legal objection to the enactment of the aforesaid bill into law,” said Justice Secretary Leila de Lima in a legal opinion. De Lima stressed that under Section 11, Article X (Local Government) of the 1987 Constitution, Congress is allowed to create special metropolitan political subdivisions, subject to a plebiscite as set forth in Section 10 of the same Article. De Lima clarified that component cities and municipalities under the MMRA will still retain their basic autonomy Read More …

Senator Bong Revilla, shown in photo on his way to be detained on plunder and graft charges, said his lawyer, Sal Panelo, only talked about the rats and roaches in his cell in jest. Revilla’s lawyer has said the senator’s family saw rats “as big as cats” inside the senator’s cell. (MNS photo) MANILA, Sept 25 (Mabuhay) – The Sandiganbayan First Division has upheld its decision to suspend Senator Ramon Bong Revilla Jr. and his former staff Richard Cambe for 90 days over the plunder and graft charges they are facing in connection with the alleged P10-billion pork barrel scam. In a 17-page resolution on Wednesday, the graft court junked the motion of reconsideration filed by Revilla’s camp, saying it found no basis to change its decision. In the same ruling, it also denied the senator’s prayer to suspend proceedings and upheld the existence of probable cause against him and Cambe. “In the present cases, the validity of the Informations against accused Revilla and Cambe has been established. (T)he Court, then and now, has pronounced that there is probable case to indict the accused-movants with plunder and violation of the anti-graft law,” the Sandiganbayan said. The anti-graft court ordered the suspension last August 4, as Revilla and Cambe face plunder and graft charges over the alleged pork barrel scam. Revilla, one of the three senators detained over the pork barrel scam, is accused of receiving P224.5 million in kickbacks from 2006 to 2010 from alleged mastermind, Janet Lim-Napoles. He surrendered Read More …