Resigning or not? Brillantes to decide Monday

 News
Apr 182013
 
Resigning or not? Brillantes to decide Monday

To leave or not to leave, Elections chairman Sixto Brillantes Jr. will make his decision by Monday. On Thursday, Brillantes, who was extremely disappointed with the recent decisions of the Supreme Court against the Comelec, said he will talk first with his daughters, especially his eldest who is in Connecticut. “I’ll take a break Saturday, Sunday. Konting  meditation, konting pag-iisip tapos I will make a final decision by Monday. I will be talking to some people. I have to talk to my daughters, who are the people behind me. Sila lang naman ang pinaniniwalaan ko,” he told reporters. He said his daughters have been against his taking the post from the start. Brillantes has three daughters. “Matagal na nilang ayaw ako nandito e. Pinagagalitan na nga nila ako noon pa. Seryoso, sabi ko nag-iisip ako na ayoko na. ‘Di ba sinabi ko naman noon pa,’ sabi nung bunso ko, ‘hindi ka naman dapat pumunta na dyan matanda ka na e’,” said Brillantes, 73. It was only his daughter who is abroad whom he has yet to speak with. Asked if he would still pursue his meeting with the President, Brillantes said the schedule given to him was next week. He said he can dispense with the meeting with Aquino since all he wanted to ask from him was the appointment of the two new commissioners. But if the President will ask for him, he will come. Brillantes served as President Aquino’s election lawyer in 2010. He was appointed Comelec chief Read More …

Govt panel identifies Jonas Burgos case as among 'priority' cases for investigation

 News
Apr 182013
 
Govt panel identifies Jonas Burgos case as among 'priority' cases for investigation

The alleged abduction of activist Jonas Burgos was among the 101 “priorities” for investigation identified by an interagency committee tasked by President Benigno Aquino III to monitor cases of extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances in the country. Justice Secretary Leila de Lima, who chairs the committee, said Burgos’ case will be among those to be first investigated and monitored by the panel. “Pinresent na rin sa amin sa interagency ‘yung listahan from the technical working group noong priority cases na dapat tutukan o unahin ang pagtutok sa pag-iimbestiga. Meron na po kaming initial list of priority cases for both extralegal killings and enforced disappearance,” De Lima said at a press briefing Thursday at the military headquarters in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City. The justice secretary, however, refused to identify other priority cases, saying the list still has yet to be finalized. Armed Forces chief Gen. Emmanuel Bautista and Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin, both members of the interagency panel created through Administrative Order 35, were also among those who approved the initial list of priority cases during the committee’s meeting on Thursday morning. The Court of Appeals recently implicated a Philippine Army officer, Maj. Harry Baliaga, as responsible for the kidnapping of Burgos. Last Friday, the Supreme Court ordered the military leadership to disclose the whereabouts of the military personnel linked to the case. Burgos, a political activist and son of the late press freedom advocate Jose Burgos, was abducted in a restaurant at the Ever Gotesco Mall along Commonwealth Avenue in Read More …

South African woman caught with 2 kg of shabu charged

 News
Apr 182013
 
South African woman caught with 2 kg of shabu charged

By Erika Sauler Philippine Daily Inquirer 3:14 pm | Thursday, April 18th, 2013 MANILA, Philippines—A South African woman, who was arrested last week by agents of the National Bureau of Investigation, was charged in a Manila regional trial court with illegal transport of more than two kilograms of “shabu” (methamphetamine hydrochloride). The NBI Reaction, Arrest and Interdiction Division filed the complaint against Caroline Mmantoa Obijiofor, 50, a resident of the Republic of South Africa, after 940 grams of yellowish crystalline substance and 1.295 kg of white crystalline substance found in her possession tested positive for the dangerous substance. Agents of the NBI-RAID Anti-Illegal Drugs Task Force acted on intelligence information that Obijiofor would be entering the country on April 10 to transport illegal drugs to another African national. Upon confirming her arrival through a flight manifest, NBI agents followed Obijiofor from the airport to a hotel in Malate, Manila, where a room was reserved and paid for by another person. As the events matched the received information, an NBI agent introduced himself to Obijiofor and asked if the brown traveling bag she was carrying was hers. She said the clothes were hers but the luggage was provided by a group of men in Abedian, Africa. Obijiofor agreed to a search after canine dogs sniffed the bag and indicated the presence of illegal drugs. Two rectangular boxes containing the crystalline substances wrapped in plastic and blue carbon paper were found in the bag. Obijiofor was arrested and charged with violation of Read More …

Retired SC justice who leaked draft ruling can practice law anew

 News
Apr 182013
 
Retired SC justice who leaked draft ruling can practice law anew

Despite being suspended in 2009 for leaking a draft court ruling, 74-year-old retired Supreme Court Justice Ruben Reyes can once more practice law. In an en banc session in Baguio City last Tuesday, the 15 magistrates decided to give back to Reyes his license in the Bar and allowed him to engage anew in private law practice. “SC lifts suspension on law practice previously imposed on retired SC Justice Ruben Reyes for, among others, humanitarian reasons,” said SC spokesman and Public Information Office chief Theodore Te on Thursday. However, Te clarified that the disqualification for government employment and teaching “still remains.” The court said Reyes still cannot give government lectures on Mandatory Continuing Legal Education (MCLE) and the Philippine Judicial Academy (Philja). Still being barred from government service, the court clarified that Reyes can only practice law in private corporations. In August 2009, Reyes was found guilty of leaking a draft SC resolution which he penned in the disqualification case against Negros Oriental Rep. Jocelyn Limkaichong filed by businessman Louis Biraogo, Olivia Paras, and Renald Villando. The election protest – questioning Limkaichong’s citizenship – was entertained but was allegedly supposed to have been dismissed by the Supreme Court en banc after 14 justices, minus then-SC chief Reynato Puno, signed a draft decision for it. The draft ruling, however, was leaked while it was not yet being promulgated.  An SC investigating committee, chaired by then-Senior Associate Justice Leonardo Quisumbing, probed the incident and found out that it was Reyes himself who Read More …

Over 25,000 pass teacher licensure exams — PRC

 News
Apr 182013
 
Over 25,000 pass teacher licensure exams — PRC

The Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) on Thursday announced that 10,310 elementary teachers out of 37,117 examinees (27.78 percent) and 15,223 secondary teachers out of 38,433 examinees (39.61 percent) passed the Licensure Examination for Teachers (L.E.T.) given last March 10 all over the Philippines and Hong Kong. [Click here for list of L.E.T. – Elementary passers] [Click here for list of L.E.T. – Secondary passers] The results of examination with respect to 33 examinees, however, were withheld pending final determination of their liabilities under the rules and regulations governing licensure examination.    Registration for the issuance of Professional Identification Card and Certificate of Registration will start on April 29, 2013, the PRC said. The dates and venues for the oathtaking ceremonies of the new successful examinees in the said examination will be announced later, the commission added. — KBK, GMA News

Donaire: “He’s no Manny Pacquiao”

 News
Apr 172013
 
Donaire: “He’s no Manny Pacquiao”

By Elton Lugay INQUIRER.net US Bureau 7:47 am | Thursday, April 18th, 2013 Dethroned Donaire talks to the press. Photo by Elton Lugay NEW YORK CITY–Nonito Donaire, also known as the Filipino Flash, said he did his best. He lost his WBO super bantamweight title to Guillermo Rigondeaux in a decision on April 14. “I thought that he wasn’t better than me,” he told Inquirer.net. “I did my best. I thought I should have done something different but I didn’t.” But Donaire’s “best” was not good enough for judge Jon Stewart and others on the panel, who decided in favor of his Cuban opponent. The Donaire-Rigondeaux match had turned the legendary Radio City Music Hall–known for its Christmas musicals with the Rockettes’ shiny dancing legs–into an arena for brutal boxing and its loud, rowdy fans. In a quieter post-fight moment, Donaire reflected on his loss. Teenage singer Tiffany Viray of New York performed the Philippine National Anthem before the Donaire-Rigondeaux fight. Photo by Elton Lugay “I wanted to give an exciting fight for everybody, but you know he (Rigondeaux) was really a good fighter, so he deserves a congratulations from the judges,” Donaire conceded. Filipino boxing aficionados had mixed feelings about Donaire’s disappointing performance. Bartender Daphne Yao said Donaire is “no Manny Pacquiao.” “He’s not hungry enough, not poor enough, not flawed enough,” she said. Stony Brook University student Adrian del Rosario said Rigondeaux was a “bad match” for Nonito. “I won’t say Rigo is a better fighter, but it’s Read More …

Chinese poachers could face 20 years over pangolins

 News
Apr 172013
 
Chinese poachers could face 20 years over pangolins

Agence France-Presse 6:02 am | Thursday, April 18th, 2013 Members of the Philippine Coast Guard hold a frozen pangolin, or scaly anteater, on board a Chinese vessel that ran aground off Tubbataha coral reef in this April 13, 2013, photo released by the Philippine Coast Guard in Manila. AP PHOTO/PHILIPPINE COAST GUARD MANILA, Philippines—Twelve suspected Chinese poachers could face up to 20 years in prison for possession of hundreds of dead pangolins, or scaly anteaters, Philippine wildlife authorities said Wednesday. The boat carrying the 12 Chinese men ran aground on Tubbataha marine park, a UNESCO World Heritage-listed coral reef near Palawan, last week. “We are preparing a case. We are still compiling supporting documents (but) it carries a heavy penalty of 12 to 20 years’ imprisonment,” Adelina Villena, environment officer of the province of Palawan, told AFP. Mere possession of the threatened species is basis for criminal charges, regardless of where the pangolins were obtained, said Villena. All eight species of the insect-eating mammals are protected by international law. Two—the Malaysian and Chinese pangolins—are on the International Union of Conservation of Nature’s “red list” of endangered species. Prosecutors have already charged the men with illegal poaching and with corruption for attempting to bribe Filipino officials. The Philippine coast guard said Monday it had found hundreds of frozen pangolins, individually wrapped in plastic and hidden in sacks in the cargo hold of a Chinese boat. Pangolins are widely hunted in parts of Asia for their meat, skin and scales and in Read More …

Emulate Margaret Thatcher, Santiago urges fellow politicians

 News
Apr 172013
 
Emulate Margaret Thatcher, Santiago urges fellow politicians

By Cynthia D. Balana Philippine Daily Inquirer 5:07 am | Thursday, April 18th, 2013 Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO MANILA, Philippines—The present crop of political leaders should emulate the integrity, competence and efficiency of Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, the first woman prime minister of the United Kingdom, who died recently, Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago said. Santiago said the influence of Thatcher, called the Iron Lady of the ’80s, on world politics will remain indelible in political history. She identified Thatcher, who was buried Wednesday, as one of her role models, together with Cleopatra and Marie Curie. “She was a nonpareil political genius,” the senator said. Santiago recounted to the Inquirer how she met Thatcher in Manila in 1994 after Santiago lost the 1992 presidential election to Fidel V. Ramos. Epitome of forcefulness and conviction “She was amazing. Lady Thatcher had obviously read up on me. She called me ‘Miriam’ and in effect taught me that in politics I should be thorough, passionate for change, tenacious and fueled by determination,” she said. “Thatcher was the epitome of forcefulness and conviction. Like a student, I was so happy to listen to her,” the senator recalled. Santiago said that when Thatcher came to Manila, she had lost weight but was still sharp as ever. She described her British idol as a person of few words, a “disciplined mass of kinetic energy,” both intellectual and physical. “I sensed that she did not suffer fools gladly,” Santiago said. Santiago said that at the time, she Read More …

Philippines, US end ‘Balikatan’ war games

 News
Apr 172013
 
Philippines, US end ‘Balikatan’ war games

By Nikko Dizon Philippine Daily Inquirer 4:54 am | Thursday, April 18th, 2013 US Marines from Company B, 1st Battalion Landing Team, 5th Marines, 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit and their Philippine counterparts storm a beach to simulate a combat rubber boat raid in the culmination of their 12-day joint military exercise dubbed Balikatan 2013 between the Philippines and the United States Monday, April 15, 2013, at the Philippine marine base, in Ternate, Cavite. The annual joint military exercise ended Wednesday. AP PHOTO/BULLIT MARQUEZ MANILA, Pilippines—The Philippines and the United States ended their 29th Balikatan joint military exercises on Wednesday, and immediately set about planning next year’s event, raising the possibility of inviting Japan and Australia to make it a multilateral exercise. Brian Goldbeck, the US deputy chief of mission here, described the recently concluded exercise as the “most ambitious intellectual exchanges in the history of Balikatan.” “This year’s exercise featured a medical symposium, an aviation forum, a senior enlisted forum, a chaplain forum and a search-and-rescue forum,” Goldbeck said in his remarks. He underscored the Balikatan activities that went beyond the traditional military exercises like the building of classrooms that can withstand typhoons and floods. He noted that most of the residents in areas where the engagement was held said all they wanted was for their children to have a good education. “So many of the families that our service members met in Zambales echoed the same concerns. They just want their children to be able to go to school. Read More …

PNP chief Purisima off to Interpol conference in France

 News
Apr 152013
 
PNP chief Purisima off to Interpol conference in France

By Jamie Elona INQUIRER.net 7:12 pm | Monday, April 15th, 2013 MANILA, Philippines—Philippine National Police chief, Director General Alan Purisima, left the country Monday to represent the Philippines in an annual conference of the Interpol in France that seeks to strengthen member countries in dealing with new crime challenges. Joining Purisima to attend the 9thannual heads of Interpol national central bureaus (NCBs) in Lyon, France from April 17 to 19 are Police Director Napoleon Estilles, PNP director for Plans, and Superintendent Lorenzo Eleazar of the Office of the Chief PNP. Philippine National Police Director General Alan Purisima. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO The three-man PNP delegation will also attend the group discussions of regional NCBs on specific topics from a regional perspective. “It is a great honor for me to represent the country in this annual meeting among Interpol-member countries,” Purisima said. The PNP is the NCB of the Interpol in the Philippines. In his absence, Purisima designated his 2nd in command, Deputy Director General Rommel Heredia, PNP deputy chief for Administration, as officer-in-charge.

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