Arroyo leaving Saturday for Singapore, Equatorial Guinea

By Juliet Labog-Javellana
Inquirer
Last updated 09:47pm (Mla time) 06/22/2007

MANILA, Philippines — President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is leaving Saturday afternoon for a three-day visit to Singapore after which she will fly to Equatorial Guinea for a 12-hour visit.

 

According to Malacañang’s protocol office, Arroyo will be the first Philippine president to visit the tiny Central African nation that is the third-largest oil producer in sub-Saharan Africa. She will be reciprocating the state visit of Equatorial Guinea President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo to the Philippines on May 19-22 last year.

 

The President and members of her delegation had to be vaccinated against yellow fever, Hepatitis A & B and malaria for the trip, according to Presidential Security Group chief Brigadier General Romeo Prestoza. She will stay in Equatorial Guinea for only 12 hours.

 

Arroyo will leave at 2:55 p.m. on a commercial flight of Philippine Airlines for Singapore where she will address the two-day World Economic Forum (WEF) on East Asia. The forum will discuss the new generation of East Asian multinationals and the impact of cross-border investment, and the durability of East Asia’s growth in the face of emerging global risks.

 

The President, who is this year’s chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), attended the WEF in Davos, Switzerland in January this year. There, she cited the emergence of the ASEAN community as a formidable economic bloc.

 

Arroyo will make a state visit to the island-state after the WEF. She will meet with Singapore President S.R. Nathan who visited the Philippines last February.

 

The President’s visit to Singapore aims to further accelerate the economic relations between the two countries and to invite more Singaporean investments to the Philippines, according to a Malacañang statement.

 

As outgoing ASEAN chair, the President will also discuss the regional bloc’s agenda with Nathan, the incoming chair of the 10-member grouping.

 

As in other foreign trips, the President will take the time to meet with the Filipino community in Singapore.

 

On June 26, the President will leave Singapore on a chartered PAL flight for Equatorial Guinea.

 

“This is very significant because Equatorial Guinea is a major producer of oil, even bigger than Brunei as far as oil production is concerned. It’s also an important visit because we have quite a number of expatriates there, about 2,500,” Bunye said.

 

Bunye said a major joint venture agreement will be sealed during the visit between the Philippine National Oil Company and its counterpart for PNOC to acquire a major stake in oil drilling in Equatorial Guinea.

 

Though one of the smallest countries in Africa, Equatorial Guinea has 1.28 billion barrels of offshore oil reserves. But the country lacks technical and professional experience in offshore drilling and this is where the Philippines is offering to come in.

 

During his state visit last year, Obiang invited Arroyo to visit his nation.

 

Vaccination and blood tests are strictly required for those joining the President’s trip and some of the support staff failed to qualify for the trip.

 

Bunye said he could not join the trip because he missed the inoculation period required for the vaccine shots, which is 10 days before the trip.

 

Malacañang also discouraged the media from joining the trip because of the difficulty in acquiring visas, which have to be secured in Madrid.

 

Arroyo is scheduled to arrive in Equatorial Guinea at 7 a.m. on June 26 and will be out of there by 9 p.m. She is expected to be back in Manila on June 27.

(UPDATE 2) DoJ drops coup case vs Honasan

By Tetch Torres
INQUIRER.net
Last updated 09:11pm (Mla time) 06/22/2007

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Justice (DoJ) has dismissed the coup d’etat charge against Senator-elect Gregorio Honasan for lack of evidence, according to Secretary Raul Gonzalez.

 

At the same time, Gonzalez ordered the Makati City prosecutor to withdraw the criminal complaint filed against Honasan before regional trial court Judge Oscar Pimentel of Branch 148.

 

“The City Prosecutor of Makati is directed to cause withdrawal of the Information for violation of Article 134-A of the Revised Penal Code against respondent Senator and report the action taken within 10 days from receipt hereof,” Gonzalez said in a 19-page resolution dismissing Honasan’s coup d’etat case.

 

Gonzalez said the evidence against Honasan was not enough to prove that he allegedly masterminded the shortlived mutiny in July 2003 by some 300 junior officers and soldiers who called themselves the Magdalo group when they laid siege to the posh Oakwood Apartments in Makati.

 

Gonzalez said the evidence submitted by the Philippine National Police-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP-CIDG) had failed to show any participation on the part of Honasan.

 

“He was not shown to have taken or swiftly attacked the Oakwood Premier Hotel for the purpose of seizing government power. He was not with the group of Magdalo officers who occupied the hotel. As respondents have shown he arrived at Oakwood Premier Hotel together with Senators Rodolfo Biazon and [Vicente] Tito Sotto and then DENR [Department of Environment and Natural Resources] Secretary Michael Defensor to persuade the mutineers to calm down,” Gonzalez said.

 

“This is the conclusion that we have reached, Mr. Honasan had no participation whatsoever in the Oakwood incident” Gonzalez said.

 

Gonzalez said Honasan’s participation could have been indirect since the mutineers had claimed that they had used the proposed National Recovery Program (NRP) of the former military officer as their guide in staging the uprising.

 

“His defense was that it [NRP] was part of his platform of government and therefore there was nothing illegal about that…He prepared a scenario, how he wants to achieve the NRP, that is not illegal,” the justice chief said.

 

“The evidence is not hearsay but the evidence is not sufficient to prove that there is an overt act of rebellion that can be attributed to Honasan,” Gonzalez said.

 

Gonzalez said that in order to be able to prosecute Honasan for coup d’etat, the evidence must not center on the general discussion of so many topics under the senator’s NRP.

 

“Direct causal relationships are not sufficiently established. Respondent senator’s NRP, his speeches and statements espousing that the use of violence in the overthrow of government appear to be necessary are acts covered by the free speech clause,” Gonzalez said.

 

Gonzalez said they were confident that the Makati court would admit the withdrawal of the case against Honasan because he had not yet been arraigned.

 

Honasan had asked the court to order a reinvestigation, claiming that his right to due process was violated by the DoJ when it filed the case without allowing him to submit his counter-affidavit. The court granted his motion.

 

The DoJ reinvestigated but decided to refile his case before the court, prompting Honasan to file a petition for review with Gonzalez.

 

As an Army colonel, Honasan had led several failed coup attempts under the administration of then president Corazon Aquino, was jailed and granted amnesty by Aquino’s successor, then president Fidel Ramos.

 

In 1986, Honasan and fellow military officers who had sought reforms in the armed forces supported Ramos, then military vice chief of staff, and former defense secretary Juan Ponce Enrile to oust dictator Ferdinand Marcos and install Aquino as president in a military-backed popular uprising that had come to be known as the “people power” revolt.

DENR chief orders Victorias Milling shut for ‘pollution’

By Carla Gomez
Visayas Bureau
Last updated 04:36pm (Mla time) 06/22/2007

BACOLOD CITY, Philippines — Environment Secretary Angelo Reyes has ordered Victorias Milling Co. (VMC) in Victorias City, 34 kilometers north of here, to cease operations until it corrects alleged environmental violations.

 

In the cease and desist order he issued, Reyes also directed VMC to shoulder the cost of rehabilitating the Malihao River in Victorias City. The rehabilitation would include dredging, flushing of the accumulated wastes and aeration of the river system.

 

VMC president Abelardo Bugay said on Friday that the company has started to address the matter to ensure the mill would be ready for the milling season, expected to start in the first week of September.

 

Department of Environment and Natural Resources provincial officer Livino Duran served Reyes’ order, dated June 7, on VMC on Thursday.

 

Reyes said he issued the order in response to a complaint of Canetown Subdivision residents regarding fly ash fallout allegedly coming from the smoke stacks of the company’s plant.

 

The DENR also received complaints of foul odor and water pollution in Malihao River.

 

Reyes noted that the VMC discharges caused the pungent odor in the river and significantly contributed to the pollution load of the river system.

 

In his order, Reyes directed VMC to cease and desist from operating its “pollution-causing” equipment until the firm prevents or abates pollution within allowable DENR standards.

 

No temporary lifting order will be issued unless the VMC complies with the requirements, especially “the institution of physical improvements for its water treatment facilities as well as its fugitive particulate emissions,” he said.

 

But Bugay said the water in the Malihao River became stagnant and emitted foul odor due to the minimal flow of water brought about by El Niño.

 

To address this VMC, which is under financial rehabilitation, extended three suction pipes to hasten the flow of water into the Malihao, Bugay said. On top of this, VMC is committed to putting up a cooling tower to address the water pollution, he said.

 

VMC is also committed to install wet gas scrubbers in its six chimneys to prevent air pollution, Bugay said. Each scrubbers costs P30 million.

 

The Securities and Exchange has already approved the purchase of one scrubber and the construction of a P64-million cooling tower, he said.

 

Bugay said they are undertaking repairs at the mill and expressed confidence the company’s measures would convince the DENR to lift the cease-and-desist order before the milling season starts.

Truck leaking chemical worries Batangas residents

By Marlon Ramos
Southern Luzon Bureau
Last updated 06:03pm (Mla time) 06/22/2007

TANAUAN CITY, Philippines — Residents here were alarmed after a tanker carrying liters of liquid nitrogen fell on its side along the Southern Tagalog Arterial Road (STAR) Tollway in the village of Sambat in this city early Friday morning.

 

As of this posting, a crane has been sent to Kilometer 65 of the tollway to remove the tanker which has been leaking its chemical contents since the accident happened at around 3 a.m.

 

The head tractor carrying the tanker was towed away from the area.

 

Alarmed residents near the area immediately sought the help of the local authorities to clean up the spill, fearing the chemical might endanger their health.

 

“We might be poisoned by the fumes, especially the children. Our crops and farm animals could also be affected,” a farmer told the Philippine Daily Inquirer, parent company of INQUIRER.net.

 

Superintendent Francisco Rodriguez, Tanauan police chief, allayed the fear of the locals as he assured the public that liquid nitrogen is not toxic to people and animals.

 

“I have been told that this chemical is even used as preservatives in canned goods. Definitely, this would not cause harm to the people here,” he said.

 

He said he also deployed a team to help tollway personnel in managing the traffic in the area.

Rodriguez said the tanker’s pivot pin, which was connected on a head tractor driven by Nomer Bernal, suddenly got detached as the capsule-like tanker slid into a canal on the roadside while it was traversing a curved portion of the STAR Tollway.

 

He said Bernal and his helper, Rene Tan, were both unhurt in the accident.

 

He said they were still investigating what caused the accident.

 

The driver could have fallen asleep as the truck was passing through the slippery and curved part of the highway, he said.

 

Rodriguez said they also noticed that the tires of the truck were already worn out.

 

“The company officials are also puzzled by this accident. They told us that they always check that the tanker’s pivot pin is correctly connected on the truck,” he said.

 

The tanker, owned by Ingasco Incorporated, had just come from its plant in the village of Banay Banay in Lipa City and was on its way to deliver liquid nitrogen to a company in Laguna Techno Park in Canlubang, Calamba City, Rodriguez said.

Ex-vice mayor, nephews charged for ambush on judge

By Tetch Torres
INQUIRER.net
Last updated 09:45pm (Mla time) 06/22/2007

MANILA, Philippines — The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) has filed murder and frustrated murder charges against a former town vice mayor and two of his nephews and several other persons for a 2005 ambush that wounded a judge and killed his driver in Cagayan Valley.

NBI Director Nestor Mantaring said the charges against former Buguey vice mayor Loreto Alipio and brothers Army Corporal Edgar and Police Officer 1 Jofel Alipio were filed before the Department of Justice.

 

The brothers were the alleged gunmen who shot and wounded Judge Nathaniel Pattugalan, 60 and killed his driver, Alfredo Dela Cruz, 37, as they were headed home to Centro Sur Camalaniugan, Cagayan Valley.

 

The suspect’s vehicle, a Pajero with license plate RBV-292, was traced by the Land Transportation Office (LTO) to the then vice mayor Alipio.

According to NBI-Special Task Force head agent Arnel Dalumpines, witnesses Nerlo Maret and Calixto Baret were onboard a truck when they saw the Pajero and, a few minutes later, saw the judge asking for help.

 

Pattugalan and Dela Cruz were rushed to the health center in Baggao, Cagayan for treatment.

Pattugalan was later reassigned to Quezon City Municipal Trial Court Branch 35 but was killed in another ambush last January 19 at the corner of Elliptical Road and Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City.

Dalumpines said they are looking at the possibility the second ambush was related to the first attack in Cagayan Valley.

Arroyo orders probe into Subic fuel smuggling

By Ansbert Joaquin
Central Luzon Desk
Last updated 08:50pm (Mla time) 06/22/2007

SUBIC BAY FREEPORT, Philippines — President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has ordered officials of the Bureau of Customs and other anti-smuggling units of the government to go after smuggling syndicates following reports that at least 51 million liters of fuel — gasoline and diesel — have been unaccounted for in this freeport.

 

“I am instructing the customs and other anti-smuggling task forces to crack down on those involved in what has just been reported to me these past few days unliquidated 51 million liters of fuel here in Subic,” Arroyo said during her visit here on Friday.

 

The President inaugurated the Subic-Cawag-Balaybay Road that will connect the shipyard of the Hanjin Heavy Industries and Construction Co. Ltd. (HHIC) here to a community of farmers and fishermen.

“We are undertaking a strong and steady effort to curb graft and corruption …We do not tolerate smuggling in Subic or anywhere else,” she said.

 

“Let us make our economy more business-friendly–friendly to legitimate businesses and unfriendly to crooked businessmen.”

 

Armand Arreza, Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority administrator, confirmed that 51 million liters of fuel remained unliquidated by an oil trading firm based here.

 

But he declined to name the firm, saying the SBMA is reviewing the transactions of the nine oil trading firms doing business at the freeport. With reports from Tonette Orejas, Inquirer Central Luzon

Fishermen spurn oil explorers’ payment offer

By Jhunnex Napallacan, Kit Bagaipo
Inquirer
Last updated 04:21am (Mla time) 06/22/2007

CEBU CITY—Fishermen protesting an ongoing oil exploration at the Bohol-Cebu Strait rejected offers to compensate them for income loss as a result of the exploration and instead sought a court order to stop it.

 

Tagbilaran City Mayor Dan Lim and 30 leaders of nongovernment organizations (NGOs), fishermen’s groups and local government units filed a petition at the Bohol Regional Trial Court to stop the oil exploration in the area.

 

The project cordoned off an area with a 15-km radius, preventing access to fishing grounds.

 

The petition was addressed to Allan Arranguez, Department of Environment and Natural Resources acting regional director; Energy Secretary Rafael Lotilla; and Rufino Bomasang, chair of NorAsian Energy Ltd., the firm that is conducting the exploration.

 

The complainants said conducting seismic surveys in the strait will bring “irreparable harm” to marine life, citing previous studies.

 

They said documents explaining the project failed to mention its effects on fishing grounds in the area.

 

The process requires the use of machines that send out loud noise under the sea. The complainants said some fish species in the area could be harmed by noise of less than 100 decibels.

 

They said the project proponents also failed to secure first an environmental impact statement that was needed before such an exploration could begin.

 

The NorAsian and DoE, the complainants said, also failed to hold consultations with fishermen and other groups near the project site.

 

Lawyer Raul Barbarona, president of the Bohol Alliance of Non-Government Organizations (Ba-ngon), said a court order from Bohol would stop the exploration even in the Cebu side.

 

Bohol Gov. Erico Aumentado has formed a group to study the effects of the seismic survey on marine life and compute compensation for the fishermen, but Barbarona said the process would take too long.

 

Barbarona said 4,000 to 5,000 fishermen from the towns of Loon, Maribojoc, Cortes, Dauis, Panglao and Tagbilaran City have yet to be compensated for loss of income.

 

In Cebu, some fishermen have received compensation of P7,000 (for those from Argao) and P8,000 (for those from Sibonga town).

 

Fishermen from the towns of Dalaguete, Alcoy and Bolhoon have yet to receive any compensation.

 

The militant fishermen’s group, Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya (Pamalakaya), warned that a shortage in fish could occur as a result of the seismic survey in the Visayan Seas.

Youth vote’ puts new graduate to town council

By Niña Catherine Calleja
Southern Luzon Bureau
Last updated 08:11am (Mla time) 06/21/2007

NAGCARLAN, Laguna — JC Lucido, 22, took an accountancy course in college and graduated with honors in March. But instead of applying for a job in a private company, he ran for councilor of Nagcarlan town in Laguna and won.

 

Proclaimed on May 17, Lucido placed second among the eight winning councilors.

 

It was the “youth vote” that swept him to victory in Nagcarlan, about 100 kilometers south of Manila. He had 7,676 votes from a voters’ turnout of 29,282 on May 14.

 

“The youth really moved for me,” Lucido admitted. His votes came almost equally from all the barangays.

 

Lucido said he knew the young people wanted to participate in the elections because during his campaigns and meetings, they were attending and listening attentively.

 

“It is good to feel that many people trust you,” he said.

 

Lucido said working for a public office was an extension of his extracurricular activities in school and in the community. It was just a wider scale of governance, he said.

 

Some of the incumbent councilors had asked Lucido to run in October last year.

 

“I had no plan to run. I told them I was graduating and I planned to work with the private sector afterwards,” he said.

 

But the councilors were persistent. “They told me the municipal government needed my idealism,” he said. For five years now, Lucido has been part of the council, having been elected president of the Sangguniang Kabataan.

 

“During those times, I (did not cling) to anyone, even to our mayor. Whenever we were in session, I (sided) with who I thought was right,” he said.

 

He said he was convinced to run because of his desire to serve.

 

Lucido headed the committee on appropriations. All budget and proposed programs of the council passed its scrutiny, he said.

 

“It was a difficult job. The councilors said I did it well so I knew I am capable of being a councilor,” he said.

 

Lucido said he spent about P50,000 for campaign materials, such as tarpaulins and banners. His strategy was to woo the votes of the youth and the women.

 

“Many people perceived a politician as someone who could give away money and material things,” he said.

 

Although some people felt bad when their request was denied, they tried hard not to shell out money.

 

“I still believe that the majority of the electorate is educated and discerning,” Lucido said.

 

In the past administration, Lucido saw a number of ordinances passed but not implemented. This may have reflected a misunderstanding between the mayor and the council members, he said.

 

He cited the ordinance on solid waste management that was never enforced.

 

One of the programs he wanted to introduce was a scholarship program for out-of-school youths in Nagcarlan.

 

Lucido also planned to create a youth development council in which youths, aside from the SK members, could actively participate in local governance. The council will include representatives from out-of-school youths in villages, he said.

Like shooting the bearer of bad news

By Ramon Tulfo
Inquirer
Last updated 07:34am (Mla time) 06/21/2007

There was no need for Armed Forces Chief of Staff Gen. Hermogenes Esperon to deny a report supposedly made by a retired US Marine officer that American troops were conducting combat operations against the Abu Sayyaf.

 

The famous (or infamous) ex-Lt. Col. Oliver North never said US troops were fighting the Moro bandits, so why was there a need to issue a denial?

 

People who deny vehemently could be lying.

 

It was very clear what North said about what the US troops were doing: “The ‘job’ for less than 160 US Special Operations personnel here at what they call ‘Advanced Operating Base 150’ is to ‘advise and assist’ the Filipinos in their fight against the ASG.

 

“For these Americans, who are from the most elite units in the US military and used to doing the fighting themselves, this is a very tough mission.”

 

This means that the Americans are not directly involved in combat.

 

The American troops find it “very tough” to just advise their Filipino counterparts because they’re “used to doing the fighting themselves.”

 

The Philippine Constitution prohibits foreign troops fighting on our soil.

 

Anyway, what’s wrong if the Americans shoot back when they’re being shot at by the Abu Sayyaf while they are with Filipino troops during a combat mission?

 

It would be stupid and cowardly for the US troops to just cringe in the bush while Filipino soldiers, who have been ambushed by the Moro bandits, are shooting back.

 

* * *
Officials of the Manila Water and Maynilad Water Services should be ashamed of themselves, ganging up on a woman who said the water coming out of their faucets is filthy.

 

Pinky Tobiano, owner of Qualibet Testing Services, came under fire from the two water agencies after her firm found that Metro Manila residents could be bathing and drinking water contaminated with bacteria and fecal matter.

 

QualiBet is a private company that tests the quality of water, food and cosmetics.

 

Tobiano, a chemist, said tests were conducted for walk-in clients for three months.

 

The results of the study were scary.

 

Bacteria and fecal matter in the Metro’s water can cause gastrointestinal problems and skin diseases, if the results of the study were to be used as the basis.

 

The only way to purify water from the faucet is to boil it.

 

Instead of getting angry, Manila Water and Maynilad Water Services should take steps to clean up the water coming from their faucets.

 

If they want to belie the results of QualiBet study, they should hire another private testing firm to do a second study and show the results to the public.

 

The two water agencies should be ashamed of themselves for using a big TV network in hitting QualiBet and its owner.
Hey guys, are fair play and chivalry not in your vocabulary?

 

* * *

 

If President Macapagal-Arroyo does not revoke her order giving the Department of Justice complete control over the Bureau of Immigration, newly appointed Commissioner Marcelino Libanan might as well resign.

 

Libanan, a former Eastern Samar congressman and a lawyer, will become useless at the immigration bureau since he can’t deport undesirable foreigners and reshuffle personnel.

 

The immigration bureau will then be run by advisers close to Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez.

Alleged shabu dens raided

By Tina Santos, Allison Lopez, Kristine L. Alave
Inquirer
Last updated 03:42am (Mla time) 06/22/2007

MANILA, Philippines – More than a hundred persons were arrested by Manila policemen during a raid yesterday morning of suspected drug dens in historic Intramuros.

 

Outgoing Manila Mayor Lito Atienza praised the policemen for the raid, but added they should not stop with the arrests.

 

Members of the Manila Police District’s Anti-Illegal Drugs (DAID) Unit and Special Weapons and Tactics swooped down around 10:30 a.m. on a suspected shabu tiangge (market) in Barangay 654, Zone 69, Legazpi Street, Intramuros.

 

Chief Insp. Eliazar Mata, team leader, said the area, known as Banana Island, had been under police surveillance following complaints that illegal drugs, particularly methamphetamine hydrochloride or shabu, were sold openly in the area. Complainants included school authorities, who said the majority of the buyers were students in nearby schools.
The Eastern Police District (EPD) is verifying reports that the tiangge is part of the network of suspected drug lord Amin Imam Boratong, who is detained at the National Bureau of Investigation for allegedly operating a shabu market in Pasig City.

 

The alleged shabu tiangge, composed of some 70 shanties, was located near the back of Colegio de San Juan de Letran and Lyceum University.

 

“This area is considered a one-stop shop for shabu users,” Mata said. Most of the shanties, he said, were used for pot sessions.

 

During the raid, police said they seized several sachets of shabu and drug paraphernalia.

 

SWAT operatives in full battle gear searched some 50 houses believed to be used by drug dealers. Four of those arrested, identified only by their aliases, were main targets of the raid, police said.

 

DAID chief Supt. Roderick Mariano said barangay officials apparently knew of the drug operation. “Nagbubulag-bulagan lang sila, baka kumikita kasi,” he said. Mariano added the police would conduct further investigation to identify the illegal operation’s “protector.” He said they were told the tiangge had been operating for five to six years now.

 

Mariano said the area was under surveillance and that they conducted test buys for at least two weeks.

 

A former barangay official, who requested anonymity, claimed they had long reported illegal activities in the area “but the police refused to act on them. Many policemen allegedly also serve as protectors of the shabu dens.”

 

Police said those arrested could face charges for maintaining or visiting a drug den, drug pushing and using the illegal substances.

 

“There should be no letdown in this campaign,” said Atienza. “This should not be done from time to time only.”

 

The mayor held school officials responsible for being unaware of illegal activities that could have involved some of their students.

 

Chief Supt. Luizo Ticman, EPD director, said that they would help the Manila police to eradicate the drug menace, especially if they find out that the Intramuros tiangge was in any way associated with the Pasig shabu den.

 

Ticman said they received intelligence reports earlier that said Boratong had a distribution network in Manila.

 

In yesterday’s hearing of the Boratong case, defense lawyers alleged that Samer Palao, the government’s main witness, owned the shabu mart, not Boratong.