NEWS MONITOR ( March 15,2002)
1. PLUNDER CASE
WILL POLICE CARRY ERAP TO COURT?
(Inquirer, Banner)
The question is whether Estrada
will be bodily carried to the Sandiganbayan if he refuses to attend the
resumption of his trial Friday. Ombudsman Aniano Desierto said Thursday
"his (Estrada's) physical presence is very important" because the
court would not be able to proceed with the arraignment in his absence. "He
has to attend the proceedings because he will be asked to enter a plea of guilty
or not guilty to the perjury complaint," Desierto said. What
will Erap do at trial? (Manila Times, Banner) Will
Joseph Estrada fight off attempts by police to bring him before the
Sandiganbayan Special Division today? Or will he attend but refuse to take part
in the proceedings as an act of defiance to the authority of the court?
Authorities admitted yesterday they have no inkling of what the ousted president
plans to do. Estrada is scheduled to be arraigned on perjury charges stemming
from accusations that he doctored his Statements of Assets and Liabilities and
Net Worth in 1998.
(Philippine Star, Page 8)
There will be no scripted
performance when former President Estrada is presented today at the
Sandiganbayan even as the Philippine National Police (PNP) warned that it will
do what it takes to ensure the orderly resumption of trial at the anti-graft
court. PNP chief Director General Leandro Mendoza has placed under heightened
alert the entire National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO), including the
Civil Disturbance Management and the Tactical Battalion from the PNP national
headquarters. A PNP official also warned the former president that the law
enforcers will implement the request of the Sandiganbayan to bodily produce him
to face court trial.
Gov't lawyers
reject Estrada assignment ;Says mandate is limited to serving poor
(Malaya, BAnner)
PAO
lawyers manifest withdrawal
(Tribune, Page 1)
Former President Joseph Estrada
will appear before the Sandiganbayan Special Division this morning for his
arraignment in the second perjury charge even as his legal representation
remains uncertain.Four lawyers from the Public Attorneys Office (PAO) appointed
by the court as counsels de oficio for the former leader submitted a five-page
manifestation late yesterday informing the Sandiganbayan that they are declining
the designation on the ground that it comes in conflict with the mandate of
their office.PAO lawyers Arturo Temanil, Joefferson Toribio, Melita Lauron and
Silvestre Mosing said Estrada is not entitled to free legal assistance as he
does not qualify as an indigent litigant.Lawyer
seeks proceedings’ postponement (Manila Times, Page 1)
There is a chance today’s arraignment of deposed president Joseph
Estrada on perjury charges before the Sandiganbayan may not push through. Mario
Ongkiko, one of several court-appointed lawyers of Estrada, said yesterday he
would most likely ask for a suspension of the proceedings because the new
defense team has to go over the 12 volumes 6,000-page records of the case.
NONOY BACKS HOUSE ARREST FOR
ESTRADA
(Inquirer, Page 1)
THE SON and namesake of the late
Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino Jr., whose murder in 1983 triggered People
Power I, has spoken out in favor of house arrest for Joseph Estrada. "Maybe
they should consider putting him under house arrest as a courtesy to a former
president," Tarlac Representative Benigno Aquino III told the INQUIRER
Thursday. Aquino said this would defuse tension, soothe Estrada's die-hard
supporters, and show President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo as a compassionate
leader.
SC
justices warned: Heed resign demand;THREAT OF NEW UPRISING MAY FOLLOW IF
UNHEEDED
(Tribune, Banner)
(Malaya, Page 1)
Supreme Court Chief Justice Hilario
Davide Jr. and Associate Justices Antonio Carpio and Artemio Panganiban should
heed the resignation call made by ousted President Estrada. Failure on their
part to listen to the call may lead to a new wave of people uprising against
them and government, due to the public’s rapid loss of confidence in the
judicial system. Opposition Sen. Gregorio Honasan yesterday said the possibility
of a new wave of people uprising due to the latest controversy surrounding the
SC is not remote as criticisms raised by Estrada are slowing evolving into
serious issues. ERAP'S DEMAND
NOT IMPOSSIBLE – HONASAN (Inquirer, Page 2) THE CALL for
Chief Justice Hilario Davide to resign "is not an impossible demand under
our democracy." This was the contention of opposition Sen. Gregorio Honasan
to the call made by former President Joseph Estrada for Davide and Associate
Justices Artemio Panganiban and Antonio Carpio to step down for allegedly
orchestrating his ouster in January last year. "We have institutionalized
people power and if this is not given (vent) through the normal mechanisms, then
the people will express their will (in the streets)," Honasan said in a
press conference.
(Malaya, Page 1)
The PNP, vowing not to allow
anarchy, stepped up security measures yesterday, a day before former President
Joseph Estrada's arraignment on a second charge of perjury.Hundreds of anti-riot
troops will be deployed to secure the Sandiganbayan and Estrada's route from the
Veterans Memorial Medical Center, Chief Supt. Cresencio Maralit said.The
People's Movement Against Poverty said it will mobilize at least 500 supporters
and vowed to keep the rally peaceful
(Philippine Star, Page 1)
Several friends of ousted President Joseph Estrada are being
investigated for contributing hundreds of millions of pesos to the mysterious
Jose Velarde account which prosecutors claim belongs to the disgraced leader.
Ombudsman Aniano Desierto told The STAR that his prosecutors are in the process
of questioning Estrada’s friends and asking them to explain their
contributions. He said they are trying to strengthen the evidence already in the
hands of prosecutors proving that the ousted president is Jose Velarde and that
he owned the Velarde account in Equitable PCIBank which at one time held P3.23
billion.
(Philippine Star, Page 2)
The Department of Justice (DOJ) has
slapped a temporary travel ban on former presidential crony Dante Tan and seven
of his co-accused in the BW Resources stock manipulation scandal, Justice
Secretary Hernando Perez said yesterday. Tan, however, has yet to return to the
Philippines after leaving for Hong Kong last year. Perez told reporters in a
briefing that Tan, a crony of jailed former President Joseph Estrada, and the
seven others, who have been charged before a Pasig City regional trial court,
were included in the watch list of the Bureau of Immigration.
Erap pal charged anew in BW
scandal (Inquirer, Page 3) THE JUSTICE Department has
charged anew businessman Dante Tan, a close friend of former President Joseph
Estrada, and seven others in connection with the country's biggest insider
trading scandal involving BW Resources Corp. Justice Secretary Hernando Perez
said four separate cases of violation of the Revised Securities Act were filed
with the Pasig City Regional Trial Court on Monday. Besides Tan, Perez indicted
Eduardo Lim Jr., Jimmy Juan, Mario Juan, Hermogenes Laddaran, Raul de Castro and
Federico Galang of A.T. De Castro Securities Corp., and Eduardo Co of Aurora
Securities Inc.
DOJ AGAIN SEEKS TRANSFER OF TRIAL
VENUE
(Philippine Star, Page 8)
Owing to costly security, Justice
Secretary Henrnando Perez said yesterday the government is contemplating on
asking the Sandiganbayan to transfer the venue of the plunder trail of former
President Joseph Estrada from Quezon City to Sta. Rosa.
2. BALIKATAN EXERCISES/ABU SAYYAF/
MILF/ AL-QAEDA
(Philippine Star, Banner)
President Arroyo will ask Congress
to immediately pass an anti-terrorism law to bolster the war against terrorist
groups like the Abu Sayyaf in Mindanao. National Security Adviser Roilo Golez
said there is at present no law that could support the government’s campaign
against local and foreign terrorists. In a statement from Bangkok, Thailand,
Golez said Malacañang is considering the anti-terrorism bills filed by Senators
Robert Barbers, Panfilo Lacson and Rodolfo Biazon, and Ilocos Norte Rep. Imee
Marcos.
MILITARY PRESSURE FORCING ABUS TO
FLEE BASILAN-- AFP
(Inquirer, Page 1)
Abus
feel military pressure, flee Basilan
(Philippine Star, Page 1)
CONTINUING military pressure has
forced many Abu Sayyaf bandits to seek sanctuary outside Basilan, leading to a
"series of arrests," the deputy chief of the Southern Command said
Thursday. "The heat is on them so they are getting out of Basilan province
and most of them are finding their way to Zamboanga City," Brig. Gen.
Rodolfo Diaz said at a news briefing. Recent arrests of the kidnappers in areas
outside Basilan showed that the bandits were trying to flee the military
dragnet, he added.
TIGLAO FRIENDS DENY RANSOM PAYMENT
LINK
(Inquirer, Page 1)
A "LONGTIME acquaintance"
of presidential spokesperson Rigoberto Tiglao on Thursday strongly denied
facilitating ransom payments to the Abu Sayyaf, as a controversial police
intelligence report has claimed. "I categorically deny the contents of that
intelligence report, those that pertain to me, because it never happened,"
Stefani "Stef" Saño told the INQUIRER. Saño and George Baviera,
another person mentioned in the report, are both acknowledged friends of Tiglao,
with their association dating back to their activist days during the Marcos
dictatorship. ...The incoming Press Secretary blamed Sen. Panfilo Lacson, a
former chief of the Philippine National Police, for spreading the rumor. He said
Lacson dragged his name into the alleged ransom payoffs when he exposed the
senator's attempt last December to negotiate ransom for American hostages Martin
and Gracia Burnham.
(Tribune, Page 1)
Opposition Sen. Sergio Osmeña III
yesterday slammed the military and police hierarchy, singling out Defense
Secretary Angelo Reyes for concealing a report from the public on alleged
backchanneling ransom negotiations by two reported Palace emissaries.This
despite recommendations made by the special intelligence task force of the
Philippine National Police (PNP) to take appropriate legal action against the
emissaries.Osmeña III, reacting to intelligence reports surrounding the payment
of ransom by Abu Sayyaf kidnap victims from Dos Palmas resort in Palawan through
associates of presidential spokesman Rigoberto Tiglao, castigated the military
for playing dumb.
(Philippine Star, Page 6)
DAVAO CITY–Peace negotiators of
the government and Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) might change the format
of the peace talks to make them more effective. Presidential Assistant for
Mindanao Jesus Dureza told The STAR yesterday the two panels have been
considering "other possibilities" to speed up the peace process and
reach a "final settlement" to the decades-old secessionist problem in
Mindanao. "We are looking at the possibility of doing away with the formal
talks and we will be doing more back-channeling," he said.
(Manila Times, Page 1)
DOS PALMAS, Palawan — Troops
stationed in the Western Command have been instructed to engage kidnappers
should a hostage situation recur here. Westcom chief, Maj. Gen. Manuel Carranza
Jr. said troops were given the directive to “paralyze” any vessel carrying
kidnappers and their hostages.
(manila Times, Page 1)
PHILIPPINE and US authorities are
planning to expand the controversial Balikatan joint exercises to include other
foreign forces. This is after barely getting Congress to approve the necessity
of holding war games in Mindanao, and despite military concerns that the new
plans overstep the bilateral nature of the Mutual Defense Treaty.
(Manila Times, Page 1)
ZAMBOANGA CITY — Unmanned US
aerial vehicles started Wednesday night to hunt down Abu Sayyaf rebels and their
hostages in Basilan, a ranking military officer of Southern Command told The
Manila Times. The drones taking off from the Edwin Andrews Air Base hours under
the cover of the night and in almost complete silence.
(Manila Times, Page 1)
COTABATO — Philippine government
and Muslim rebel panels opened new talks on Wednesday to try to avoid renewed
fighting amid allegations linking local Islamic guerrillas with Osama bin
Laden’s al-Qaida network. The two parties signed a joined communiqué, urging
the Organization of Islamic Conference to conduct an investigation. The talk,
held at the Estosan Garden Hotel here involved senior Philippine army officers
and field commanders of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, the country’s
biggest Islamic rebel group.
3. COMELEC
(Philippine Star, Page 1)
A member of the consortium that won
the bidding for a multibillion-peso poll computerization project yesterday
belied reports that it was behind moves to discredit Commission on Elections (Comelec)
Chairman Alfredo Benipayo. Photokina Marketing Corp., in a strongly worded
statement, said Benipayo’s accusations against them were "vicious and
baseless." This developed as four commissioners of the poll body once again
refused to attend their twice-a-week en banc meeting allegedly due to the harsh
remarks made by Benipayo about them the other day.
BENIPAYO: NO BITTERNESS
(Inquirer, Page 4)
"NO bitterness, no
resentment," was all embattled Commission on Elections chair Alfredo
Benipayo could say even as President Macapagal-Arroyo, who appointed him as
Comelec chair, hinted that she could drop him to settle the perpetual row in the
poll body. Benipayo, however, reiterated that he and his two allied
commissioners Resurreccion Borra and Florentino Tuason Jr. would not resign
unless the Commission on Appointments finally decides to reject their
confirmation or if Malacañang bluntly asks them to step down. Benipayo
ready to accept any decision of Arroyo, CA(Tribune, Page 1)“No bitterness on my part.”This was
the response given by Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman Alfredo
Benipayo to a statement earlier given by Senate President Franklin Drilon to
President Arroyo for her to rethink the reappointment of the poll body chief.In
an interview, Benipayo said he will not be hurt or bear the President a grudge
should she decide to appoint his replacement as chairman of the Comelec.“If
I'm not reappointed that would be fine because that's the prerogative of the
President,” Benipayo said. No end in
sight to Benipayo's agony (Malaya, Page 2) The Commission on
Appointments will look into Commission on Elections Chairman Alfredo Benipayo's
"moral fitness" to lead the poll agency, including his alleged
extra-marital relationships.Sen. Edgardo Angara said such allegations, if proven
true, will weigh heavily on the decision of 25-member on confirming
Benipayo.Benipayo was said to have had extra-marital affairs with Supreme Court
deputy administrator Zenaida Elepano and former Manila councilor and movie
actress Star Querubin.
4. OTHER TOP STORIES
(Manila Times, Page 1)
The House of Representatives
approved yesterday on second and final reading the Dangerous Drugs Act of 2001,
which metes out capital punishment on law enforcers who plant evidence to secure
an arrest. House Bill 4433 would effectively repeal Republic Act 6425, the
present anti-drugs law. It was passed during a marathon hearing of the chamber,
which started 9 p.m. Wednesday and lasted until 3 a.m. yesterday.
(Tribune, Page 1)
Alleged destabilization plans being
plotted even by some allies of the administration were bolstered yesterday after
a senator who had previous links to the military confirmed ongoing high-tension
power play in the government, particularly among the ranks of uniformed
personnel.Opposition Sen. Gregorio Honasan validated the supposed worsening
conflict among ranking officials in the government even as he berated President
Arroyo for allegedly pre-empting the “secret” report published by the
Tribune last Wednesday without adequate basis.But the senator would not divulge
the details that may be connected with the alleged destabilization plot and
supposed wiretapping activities of the Philippine National Police (PNP) which
included some members of the media and the political opposition.“There is a
power play going on now. I am not aware of the other details. This is a simple
case of powers flexing their muscle,” he told reporters in an interview.
(Inquirer, Page 5)
IT'S 68, for and 62 against the death penalty so far. Pro and
anti-death penalty congressmen are now moving to consolidate their forces for
their respective positions. Anti-death penalty congressmen gathered the
signatures Wednesday night of 62 of their colleagues in support of pending bills
in the House calling for the abolition of the death penalty law. This was
against the 68 signatures now obtained by pro-death penalty congressmen led by
the group of Bukidnon Rep. Juan Miguel Zubiri in support of his House resolution
seeking for the full implementation of the death penalty law.
(Philippine Star, Page 1)
Sen. Gregorio Honasan sought
yesterday an investigation into the controversial P390-billion garbage disposal
deal between the government and Jancom Environmental Corp. Honasan said the
contract grossly violates landmark environmental laws that were enacted only
recently, notably the Clean Air Act and the Ecological Solid Waste Management
Act. He described as "unacceptable" the P600 fee Metro Manila
households would supposedly pay for garbage collection since this is even higher
than what households pay for their water consumption.
(Philippine Star, Page 3)
Senators belonging to the majority
coalition gave assurance yesterday that the coalition is solidly behind the
term-sharing agreement between Senate President Franklin Drilon and Sen. Rene
Cayetano. The assurance came following the publication of a report datelined
Iloilo quoting Drilon as saying that Cayetano should have the backing of at
least 13 senators before he takes over the Senate post next year. Sen. Juan
Flavier clarified that Drilon had no intention of staying on as Senate president
for the full three-year term.
( Philippine Star, Page 2)
The House of Representatives
approved yesterday morning a tougher anti-illegal drug bill that lawmakers hope
could arrest the spread of the drug menace. The approval of the measure capped a
marathon session that started on Wednesday afternoon. Speaker Jose de Venecia
Jr. made sure that his chamber passed urgent bills before Congress went on its
Lenten break which started yesterday. The tougher anti-illegal drug bill was
sponsored by Cebu City Rep. Antonio Cuenco, who chairs the House special
committee on illegal drugs.
MANILA ORPHAN LEAD 138 PMA
GRADUATES THIS YEAR
(Inquirer, Page 1)
FORT DEL PILAR, Baguio City – A
24-year-old cadet from Sta. Cruz, Manila, who lost his father when he was a boy,
topped this year's 138 graduates of the Philippine Military Academy here. Cadet
First Class Charlie Domingo Jr., who was raised by his grandmother after his
father died, will graduate on March 24 valedictorian of the 2002 Class Banyuhay.
He will join the Philippine Navy. Based on an unofficial list, Cadet First Class
Jean Alia Robles of Baliuag, Bulacan, is the lone female cadet among the top 10
PMA graduates this year. She is ranked 10th. Nine other female cadets are also
graduating this year.
Cabo won't
snitch on jueteng 'lord'
(Tribune Special Report, Page 1)
CLARK FIELD, Pampanga —
Self-confessed jueteng area manager (cabo) Ruben Marin Jr. is not interested in
cooperating with any government agency, particularly those seeking to use him as
a witness against his former employer, suspected jueteng lord Melchor Caliuag,
alias Ngongo, of San Fernando City, the capital of this province.Pampanga is the
hometown of President Arroyo.In an exclusive interview, Marin, known as JR in
the illegal numbers game circuit, recently told the Tribune that he and his
family are planning to leave the country as soon as possible “to avoid
becoming a pawn for any vaudeville act by our politicians.”
(Manila Times, Page 1)
From now on, different police
a.gencies will handle different kidnapping cases, based on the ethnic roots of
the victims, a ranking police official said yesterday. Under the new
implementing guidelines drawn by Malacañang, the National Anti-Kidnapping Task
Force will concentrate on cases involving Tsinoys or Filipinos of Chinese
descent, the official said.