NEWS MONITOR (March 13,2002)
1. PLUNDER CASE
Court bias, Arroyo
persecution ;Recites litany of injustice against Estrada, allies
(Malaya, Banner)
Loi
takes up Erap fight, blasts SC, Davide
(Tribune, Banner)
Sen. Luisa Ejercito-Estrada
yesterday shed her image of reticence and assailed President Arroyo, the Supreme
Court and the Sandiganbayan for what she said was the injustice being suffered
by her family.In a privilege speech, she said Supreme Court justices are biased
against her husband because they have been influenced by Cardinal Jaime Sin, who
she said met with at least five SC justices led by Associate Justice Artemio Pa-nganiban
shortly before the SC decided on the constitutionally of the plunder
case.Virginia Davide, wife of Chief Justice Hilario Davide, sup-posedly brokered
the meeting with Sin. LOI: PDI BOOK
SHOWS SC BIAS (Inquirer, Banner) CLAIMING that she had
confirmed of the Supreme Court’s true role in Edsa II from reading "The
Fall of Joseph Estrada," the book by INQUIRER columnist Amando Doronila,
Sen. Luisa "Loi" Ejercito Estrada accused the high tribunal of
prejudging the plunder case against her husband, former President Joseph
Estrada. "The members of the Supreme Court will always rule against my
family, for it has prejudged the cases against us on that sad and shameful day
of Jan. 20, 2001," she said in an emotional privilege speech. Loi
blames Ramos for ‘witchhunt’ (Manila
Times, Page 1) Former first
lady and now Sen. Luisa Ejercito-Estrada accused the government yesterday of
waging a vendetta on deposed president Joseph Estrada and, in a tearful
privilege speech, accused his predecessor, Fidel Ramos, of masterminding the
witch hunt against Estrada kin and allies.
Impeach
raps FOR 15 SC justices
(Inquirer, Page 5 )
AN impeachment complaint against Chief Justice Hilario Davide
Jr. and all the Supreme Court justices was endorsed Tuesday by a lawyer to a
member of the House of Representatives. Lawyer Crispin T. Reyes charged all 15
SC justices of culpable violation of the Constitution when they allegedly
"conspired" to legalize the assumption of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo into
office as President on Jan. 20, 2001.
(Philippine Star, Page 1)
Supreme Court justices remain
unfazed by the personal attacks hurled by jailed former President Joseph Estrada
against Chief Justice Hilario Davide Jr., who he claimed lobbied for his post in
1998 through a businessman crony of himself. "We are not affected, not at
all," Justice Artemio Panganiban told reporters in a chance interview at
the Westin Philippine Plaza, where the Filipino justices were in conference with
their German counterparts...In an exclusive interview with The STAR yesterday,
Estrada explained, "I have nothing against the justice system but the ones
running it." He was contacted at his hospital suite at the Veterans
Memorial Medical Center in Quezon City where he has been detained while
undergoing trial since June last year. ...In her privilege speech at the Senate,
Ejercito maintained that "the members of the Supreme Court, or majority of
it, will always rule against my family, for it has prejudged the cases against
us on that sad and shameful day of Jan. 20, 2001." On that day, Estrada was
forced to leave Malacañang. 2
SC JUSTICES SHRUG OFF ESTRADA ATTACKS (Inquirer, Page 6) TWO
Supreme Court justices on Tuesday told reporters the high tribunal was not
affected by the verbal war that deposed President Joseph Estrada had declared on
it. But the man Estrada has targeted in particular, Chief Justice Hilario Davide,
continued to refuse to make any comment, preferring to concentrate on work
instead. In unscheduled interviews, Associate Justices Sabino de Leon and
Artemio Panganiban said Estrada’s harsh words against Davide and the court had
not compromised their integrity or impaired their ability to render fair
judgments. Palace sees 'theatrics' in
MARCH 15 ERAP trial (Inquirer, Page 1) WHEN the interrupted
plunder trial of deposed President Joseph Estrada resumes on Friday, expect a
show of force from his supporters. "We expect theatrics on March 15,"
presidential spokesperson Rigoberto Tiglao briefed reporters after the Cabinet
oversight committee on internal security met late Tuesday. "Obviously all
of these have been planned and scripted for the March 15 hearing of the
Sandiganbayan." Tiglao was referring in part to the reported mobilization
of Estrada supporters, who are allegedly planning to use the trial's resumption
as a launch pad for a series of mass demonstrations to commemorate the May 1
siege on Malacañang.
(Malaya, Page 1)
Estrada
rejects anew court’s 3 IBP lawyers
(Tribune, Page )
Former President Joseph Estrada
yesterday formally declined the Sandiganbayan's appointment of three private
lawyers as his counsels de officio, saying no lawyer could save him from what he
said was "definite" conviction by the court.In separate letters to
Mario Ongkiko, Rodolfo Jimenez and Irene Jurado, Estrada said the issue is
"not the availability of lawyers, but the availability of a fair and
impartial trial by the Supreme Court and the Sandiganbayan."
(Manila Times, BAnner)
Former San Juan mayor Jinggoy Estrada has, like his father,
given up hope on getting a fair trial. Monday
night, Jinggoy decided to dismiss the three lawyers representing him in cases
before the Sandiganbayan Special Division.
.....At the House of
Representatives, one of the congressmen who have withdrawn support for a
resolution asking the Sandiganbayan to allow Estrada to leave for his operation
in the United States yesterday said Estrada should spare Supreme Court Chief
Justice Hilario Davide Jr. from his mudslinging tactics because he was the one
who appointed him in the first place. Davao City Rep. Prospero Nograles at the
same time criticized Estrada for making irresponsible remarks that would
ultimately undermine the credibility of the entire judicial system. Nograles
said even if influential personalities like business tycoon Lucio Tan lobbied
for Davide’s appointment, Estrada had the option to reject it and appoint
someone else whose integrity he perceives as unquestionable.
(Today, Page 1)
“Keep your cool.” This was the
unsolicited advice given yesterday by the chairman of the House Committee on
Justice to both President Arroyo and deposed President Joseph Estrada in the
wake of Estrada’s continued tirade against the judiciary and the
administration as a whole….Lakas Rep. Prospero Nograles Jr. of Davao City took
Estrada to task for draggaing the name of Supreme Court Chief Justice Hilario
Davide in his mudslinging tactics.
COPS
ALERTED ON ERAP’S TRIAL
(Today, Page 2)
In anticpation of trouble that may
be created by supporters of deposed President Joseph Estrada during the
resumption of his trial on Friday,
the national police will deploy a much bigger number of policemen at the vicinity
of the Sandiganbayan building in Quezon City.
2. COMELEC
(Philippine Star, Page 6 )
CA BARES BENIPAYO’S SEX LIFE
(Manila Standard, Banner)
President Arroyo was urged
yesterday to recall the appointments of Commission on Elections Chairman Alfredo
Benipayo and two other commissioners who are feuding with their four colleagues.
In making the appeal, Rep. Prospero Nograles (Lakas, Davao City) said the
Comelec will "remain in paralysis and future elections will be
jeopardized" for as long as the two camps are squabbling. "They are
like water and oil. One group can never get along well with the other. So the
best and quickest solutions to this hullabaloo is to get rid of one of the
warring groups," he said. GLORIA
asked to name new Comelec chair (Inquirer, Page 4) ANOTHER
congressman on Tuesday urged President Macapagal-Arroyo to withdraw the
nomination of Commission on Elections Chair Alfredo Benipayo, whose appointment
has been bypassed by the congressional Commission on Appointments. The CA's
committee on national defense yesterday endorsed for plenary voting Wednesday
the promotion of controversial Brig. Gen. Romeo Dominguez who was alleged to
have received part of Abu Sayyaf ransom money in Basilan last year. "How
can we expect the Comelec to focus on their mandate if they are also squabbling
on the side?" said Davao City Rep. Prospero Nograles. Nograles said it was
"about time" the President withdrew the appointment of Benipayo and
other commissioners who have yet to be confirmed.
CA panel finds ‘smoking guns’ against Comelec chief (Tribune,
Page 1 ) What could prove most damaging to Commission on Elections (Comelec)
Chairman Alfredo Benipayo, particularly to his chances of being confirmed by the
Commission on Appointments (CA), are in the hands of the powerful bicameral
body. The CA’s appointments review and reinvestigation service had stumbled
upon alleged “immoralities” committed in the past by Benipayo, including his
supposed extra-marital affairs with a former subordinate, a former beauty
queen-turned politician and a former student during his teaching days at his
alma mater, the University of Santo Tomas (UST) in Manila....Davao City Rep.
Prospero Nograles asked that the President immediately consider withdrawing the
nomination of Benipayo and two other Comelec officials — Commissioners
Resurreccion Borra and Florentino Tuason Jr.
CA uncovers more dirt vs Benipayo (Manila Times, PAge 1) A background check by the Commission on Appointments on
Commission on Elections Chairman Alfredo Benipayo has uncovered what it called
“alleged romantic liaisons,” a revelation that could further jeopardize his
chances of getting confirmed....Nograles urged President Arroyo to withdraw the
nomination not only of Benipayo but other poll officials yet to be confirmed by
the CA. Nograles said his
call was brought about by the present feud among factions in the Comelec. “The
case in Comelec is like water and oil. One
group can never go along well with another so the best and quickest solution to
this hullabaloo is to get rid one of the squalling groups,” he said.
Soldiers,
backed by US planes, clash with Abus
(Philippine Star, Banner)
ZAMBOANGA CITY — Government
troops, aided by US P-3C Orion spy planes and Gnat unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs),
clashed with Abu Sayyaf gunmen in the jungles of Basilan yesterday, allowing
soldiers to test newly acquired skills from their American trainers. According
to the Armed Forces Southern Command (Southcom), the encounter occurred in Sitio
Magpantay, Barangay Mamboring in Tuburan town at around 6 a.m. as elements of
the 18th Infantry Battalion were pursuing gunmen who are still holding hostage a
Filipino nurse and an American missionary couple.
(Philippines Star, Page 1)
The defense committee of the
Commission on Appointments endorsed yesterday the promotion of controversial
Brig. Gen. Romeo Dominguez to major general. Dominguez, who was at the center of
controversy following allegations that his aide carried an attaché case filled
with crisp P1,000 bills at the height of the military operations against the Abu
Sayyaf in Lamitan, Basilan in June last year, breezed through the confirmation
hearing.
(Inquirer, Page 1 )
WASHINGTON – In thanking the
nations which make up the anti-terrorism global coalition, US President George
W. Bush singled out President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, the only one he mentioned
by name. In the middle of his 20-minute speech delivered on Monday on the
sixth-month anniversary of the Sept.11 attacks in the United States, Bush said:
"We stand with President Arroyo, who is courageously opposing the threat of
terror."
(Malaya, Page 1)
ZAMBOANGA CITY - US military
commanders in Basilan and Zamboanga are reportedly peeved by a local television
footage which showed an aerial photo of an Abu Sayyaf camp in the jungles of
Basilan taken by a US spy plane, a senior military official said on
Tuesday."Not only were they alarmed, the Americans are angry because this
would compromise US and RP efforts to spring the hostages safely from the hands
of the terrorists," the official requesting that he not be named, said. RP
base for Taiwan defense? (Manila Times, Page 1)
ZAMBOANGA CITY — Extremist Islamic groups may be the overt target, but
a study commissioned by the US military indicates that plans for building a
“small US base,” here and in Luzon, also involve the “defense of Taiwan”
in case of a standoff with the Chinese mainland government. Ban
on foreign military bases not absolute –DFA (Manila Times, Page 1 )
The constitutional ban against a
military basing arrangement with a foreign power is not absolute, the Visiting
Forces Agreement Commission said yesterday. The Constitution allows fo-reign
military to permanently station troops in the country as long as Congress
concurs with the decision and a bilateral treaty covers the arrangement, VFACom
Director Jaime Yambao said.
Basilan, a
‘Little Colombia’?;Abu Sayyaf now into illegal drugs trade
(Manila Times, Page 2)
MALUSO, Basilan — This small
coastal town in the heartland of Islamic extremism is now a major transit point
for illegal drug shipments from the Golden Triangle, civilian and police
officials have told The Manila Times.
Foreign
donors pledge $2.8-B in development assistance to RP
(Philippine Star, Page 4)
CLARK FIELD, Pampanga – Foreign
aid donors pledged yesterday some $2.8 billion in aid to the Philippines at the
end of a two-day meeting with government officials, a World Bank official said.
The commitments came after the government promised to make better use of its
official development assistance (ODA) following criticism by foreign donors of
wasting aid grants.
(Philippine Star, Page 1 )
More than 500,000 government
employees will get a salary raise under a proposed compensation package prepared
by 12 senators. As proposed, civil servants will get a wage hike based on their
length of service. Joint Resolution No. 8 was filed by Senators Edgardo Angara,
Luisa Ejercito, Teresa Aquino-Oreta, Gregorio Honasan, Robert Jaworski, Panfilo
Lacson, Blas Ople, Sergio Osmeña III, Aquilino Pimentel Jr., Vicente Sotto III,
Rodolfo Biazon and Juan Flavier.
(Philippine Star, Page 1 )
President Arroyo earned a plus 87
percent "sincerity rating" for her administration’s campaign against
graft and corruption. This was based on the results of the "corruption
survey" conducted by the Social Weather Stations (SWS) from September to
December last year as compared to the year-ago figure during the Estrada
administration.
(Philippine Star, Page 1 )
More than 250,000 Filipino children
are at risk from serious diseases like polio and tuberculosis after a state
immunization program faltered last year, a government survey shows. Full
immunization coverage for some two million infants aged 12-23 months dropped to
61.3 percent last year compared to 65.2 percent in 2000, Carmelita Ericta,
administrator of the National Statistics Office (NSO), said.
Holy Wednesday a
non-working holiday for government workers
(Philippine Star, Page 2 )
Government workers will get an
extra day of rest and reflection this coming Holy Week as President Arroyo has
declared Holy Wednesday, March 27, as a special non-working day for the public
sector. Black Saturday, March 30, however, was declared a non-working holiday
for both the public and private sectors. Mrs. Arroyo had earlier declared Holy
Wednesday and Black Saturday as special non-working days in both private and
government offices nationwide.
It’s
official: CA bypasses Hehe
(Philippine Star, Page 3 )
The committee on environment and
natural resources of the Commission on Appointments formalized yesterday what
was previously expected, the bypassing of the ad interim appointment of
Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Heherson Alvarez III. The committee,
presided over by Rep. Jurdin Jesus Romualdo, vice chairman, in the absence of
Sen. Ramon Magsaysay Jr., the chairman, adjourned without any recommendation on
Alvarez’s appointment for lack of material time. Congress goes on recess
tomorrow and under CA rules, all unconfirmed appointees are deemed bypassed.
President Arroyo must reappoint Alvarez before the CA could resume its
confirmation hearings. The President had earlier declared that she would
reappoint Alvarez and the other unconfirmed Cabinet member, Transportation and
Communications Secretary Pantaleon Alvarez.
(PHilippine Star, Page 3 )
The National Food Authority (NFA)
and the Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) are now back under the wing of the
Department of Agriculture (DA). The STAR got a copy yesterday of Executive Order
No. 81 which President Arroyo signed Monday to immediately return the NFA and
PCA to the DA as attached agencies. Last year, Mrs. Arroyo detached the two
agencies from the DA and placed them under the Office of the President (OP).
(Philippine Star, Page 5 )
Two weeks after passing a tougher dangerous drugs act that
lowered the amount of drug possession needed to qualify for capital punishment,
most of the senators now want the death penalty law repealed. Senate Bill 2060
filed by Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel Jr. and signed by 14 other
senators as co-sponsors, seeks to abolish the death penalty.
(Philippine Star, Page 5 )
The Anti-Money Laundering Law and
its newly approved implementing rules cover bank deposits of P4 million and
above, Rep. Jaime Lopez (Lakas, Manila) clarified yesterday. Lopez, who chairs
the banking committee, made the clarification in response to queries raised by
opposition congressmen led by Minority Leader Carlos Padilla (LDP, Nueva Vizcaya).
Cory-anointed
governor gets 18 years, 8 months for misusing P1.2 million
(Tribune, Page 1)
A former governor of Tarlac
province in Central Luzon known to be closely linked to former President Corazon
“Cory” Aquino Jr. has been sentenced to a maximum of nearly 19 years in
prison for misuse of public funds. Mariano Un Ocampo III and his co-accused,
Andres Flores, were each meted last Friday a minimum of 10 years and one day to
a maximum of 18 years and eight months in jail by the anti-graft court
Sandiganbayan for misusing P1.2 million.
(Tribune, Page 1 )
Junior and middle-ranking military
officers yesterday urged President Arroyo to appoint senior officers with a
longer stay in the service instead of tapping and then extending the term of
retiring officials. The military officers, who declined to be identified, said
tapping a senior officer with more than year remaining in his military career
will help the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) improve through various
programs.
(Inquirer, Page7 )
BUSINESS tycoon Henry Sy Sr. was
charged Tuesday with plunder at the Ombudsman's office for allegedly defrauding
the government of some 5.7 billion pesos in taxes in 1994. Danilo Lihaylihay,
who claims to be the leader of the Confidential Revenue Informers Association of
the Philippines, filed the taxpayer's suit as a private complainant. The suit,
which included another SM Group executive and three former officials of the
Bureau of Internal Revenue involved the alleged transfer of five parcels of land
from Shoemart Inc. to SM Prime Holdings in 1994 in order to avoid capital gains
taxes.
(Tribune, Page 1 )
Retired Bureau of Customs (BoC)
chief Titus Villanueva faces possible arrest if he would not yield himself to
the Senate to answer charges of alleged corrupt practices involving on alleged
multibillion-peso anomalous transactions during his one-year incumbency in the
agency. Administration Sen. Robert Barbers is planning to initiate the move
after Villanueva became a no-show in yesterday’s initial day of investigation
in the case against him by the Senate blue ribbon committee.
(Inquirer, Page2 )
ILOILO CITY -- Senate President
Franklin Drilon may remain as head of the 24-member Senate by year-end if Sen.
Renato Cayetano fails to muster enough support for his ascendancy. He said he
will remain as Senate president until Cayetano or any other senator will have
the 13 votes. "I am honoring my part of the bargain but this is not a
property that I can bequeath. I am just one vote. Senator Cayetano should get
the support of 12 other senators," Drilon said.
(manila Times, Page 1 )
The Department of Education
yesterday suspended its nationwide milk-feeding program after spoiled chocolate
milk poisoned at least 250 public school students in Pampanga on Monday.
Dr. Thelma Santos, DepEd-School Health and Nutrition Center chief, said
the agency program would remain suspended while the agency looks into the
incident.
(Inquirer, Page 4 )
THE SEARCH for the successor of
Director General Leandro Mendoza as chief of the Philippine National Police has
narrowed down to a few senior officers. Mendoza is scheduled to retire in
September, six months after his 56th birthday, but two of his prospective
successors will also be retiring by them.