Maniolas

In a bid to deter vote-buying, the Comelec is asking lawmakers to pass a law that will impose a money ban for a specific period prior to Election Day.   “It is a measure that intends to curb the practice of vote-buying by prohibiting the unjustifiable withdrawal of certain sums of money or the actual possession of certain amounts of cash in the period immediately preceding Election Day,” Comelec Spokesperson James Jimenez told reporters on Sunday. Also, he said: “This is a Comelec initiative… We hope to bring it up for consideration so that the legislature can craft a law that will achieve the same thing, perhaps operate along the same line.” In 2013, the poll body moved to impose a money ban. But the Supreme Court junked Comelec Resolution No. 9688 that would have prohibited the withdrawal of over P100,000 per day as well as the transport of more than P500,000 during the span of six days until Election Day. “It was declared unconstitutional simply because of the absence of legislation yet for it. It can be cured simply by someone crafting legislation. The SC has already said that it needs a law. Being declared unconstitutional does not mean legislation cannot be passed for that,” he added. Jimenez assured the coordination of the commission with the legislators in coming up with a proposed measure. “Our resolution is already a matter of public records. We believe it will be a good starting point (for lawmakers)… And if we get invited for a working Read More …

Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman sits inside a federal police helicopter at a navy hanger in Mexico City, Saturday, Feb. 22, 2014. A senior U.S. law enforcement official said Saturday, that Guzman, the head of Mexicoís Sinaloa Cartel, was captured alive overnight in the beach resort town of Mazatlan. Guzman faces multiple federal drug trafficking indictments in the U.S. and is on the Drug Enforcement Administration’s most-wanted list. AP It was nighttime in May of 1990, in the heyday of the cocaine boom across America. Twenty Mexican federal police officers and a handful of U.S. Customs agents, acting on a tip, descended on a stucco home on the edge of Agua Prieta, Mexico — a stone’s throw from Arizona. “Policia,” they yelled, guns drawn, before busting down the front door. The house was empty but looked lived in, with dishes in the kitchen and toys in the backyard. The officers moved quickly to a spacious game room, complete with a bar and a pool table, set atop a 10-by-10 foot concrete panel on the floor. An informant had told them that what they were looking for was under the pool table. With a jackhammer, the officers went to work. Then, a stroke of luck: One of them turned the knob of a faucet and suddenly the floor and the pool table rose into the air — like a hydraulic lift in an auto shop. A metal staircase led down to a stunning discovery: Beneath the house, connecting to a warehouse in Read More …