The people have spoken, loudly and clearly. They have put their trust on Noynoy Aquino.

Now, it’s our turn to say, ala-Bunye: Let’s move on.

(Image from Noynoy Aquino’s Flickr)

The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) said the finances to be raised by the Justice Fund will be used in projects such as:

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• a trauma counseling program for the families and members of local media community
• Mindanao media practitioners’ trainings on risk awareness and safety, election reporting, and reporting on culturally and politically sensitive places
• litigation support
• public awareness campaigns
• documentation of other incidents of harassment and attacks on the press in Mindanao.

Gov. Grace Padaca listens to Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's speech during the International Women's Day celebration on March 6, 2009 at Malacanang's Heroes' Hall. (Edited from original by Edwin Paril/OPS-NIB)

The Commission on Elections has reportedly declared former Gov. Benjamin Dy as winner of the 2007 gubernatorial race in Isabela and ordered Gov. Grace Padaca to immediately vacate the provincial capitol. Comelec announced the decision on the recount petition days after it unseated Bulacan Gov. Joselito Mendoza. Both Padaca and Mendoza are members of the Liberal Party.

The poll body is also expected to decide this week on the electoral protest filed versus Pampanga Gov. Ed Panlilio by an ally of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.  Like Padaca, Panlilio withdrew from the presidential race to support LP standard bearer Noynoy Aquino. We will see if Comelec’s decision in Panlilio’s case will fit the pattern that we are seeing.

Aren’t you amazed at the things that Comelec can do even without Virgilio Garcillano?

We are reposting AGHAM’s urgent appeal for support for the victims of typhoon Pepeng in Cordillera and Central Luzon.

Dear Friends,

In behalf of the affected people of typhoon Pepeng in the Cordilleras and Central Luzon, we humbly appeal for any form of relief assistance from you, your school, office, neighborhood, institution or organization.

We are attaching in this email some photos* which can give a glimpse of what happened to our fellow brethren in Pangasinan and a letter of appeal from the Cordillera People’s Alliance.

As an immediate response, AGHAM, together with CPU, Agham Youth, BAYAN, Kalikasan, the Center for Environmental Concerns and the National Councl of Churches in the Philippines (NCCP) formed a taskforce called BALSA (Bayanihan Alay sa Sambayanan) to campaign for immediate relief and rehabilitation operations.

As such we are opening our respective offices as drop-off centers for any help, in cash or kind, that you can extend.

• CEC – 26 Matulungin St. Brgy. Central, Quezon City (Look for Baby, T#9209099; Nats, T#4343173, open from 9am to 9pm)
• CPU – 4th Floor Victoria 1 Bldg. 1670 Quezon Ave. Quezon City (Look for Mabel at T#4134196, open from 9am to 5pm)
• BALSA – c/o BAYAN, Erythrina Bldg. #1 Maaralin St. corner Matatag St. Brgy Central Quezon City
• NCCP – 879 EDSA Quezon City (Look for Minnie Anne at T#9228141, available to receive goods at any time of the day)

For cash donations, you may deposit at any of the following accounts. Please don’t forget to email us at relief@agham.org for any deposit made.

1. Center for Environmental Concerns Inc. (Account Name)

• US Dollar Account Number: 3640033382
• Phil. Peso Account Number: 3640008876
• Banco de Oro Matalino Branch
• Swift Code: BNORPHMM

2.  National Council of Churches in the Philppines (Account Name)

• US Dollar Account Number: 3054-0162-89
• Phil. Peso Account Number: 3051-0063-04
• Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) West Triangle Branch
• Swift Code: BOPIPHMM

or

3.  AGHAM (Account Name)

• US Dollar Account Number: 262-710388-6
• Phil. Peso Account Number: 262-562522-2
• Philippine National Bank (PNB) Quezon City Circle Branch
• Swift Code: PNBMPHMM

Please visit http://www.cp-union.com/balsa/ for more details.

Thank you and we hope to hear from you.

Yours sincerely,
Natalie Pulvinar (0922-8490850, 0917-5827917)
Co-coordinator for Bayanihan Alay sa Sambayanan for the Cordilleras and central Luzon

* gratitude to Adrian Ayalin

“She was the only true queen our people have ever had, and she was queen because we knew she truly held our hearts in the greatness and the gentleness of her own.” – Catalino Arevalo, SJ

Photo from RebelPixel.com

Ignacio Bunye ended his term as press secretary last June 16 with a rendition of his favorite song, “My Way.” But he left an unfinished business.

In June 2005, Bunye “revealed” a supposed plot of the opposition to “destabilize” the Arroyo government. Here’s INQUIRER.net’s account:

Preempting the political opposition, Bunye on June 6, 2005 played two CDs of supposed telephone conversations between Arroyo and then election commissioner Virgilio Garcillano, about an alleged attempt to rig the May 2004 elections, which came to be known as the “Hello Garci” tapes.

Bunye told the nation then that he had evidence that the President’s alleged wiretapped conversation[s] with Garcillano were a fabrication, because the conversation was actually between Arroyo and a certain political aide named “Gary.”

Arroyo subsequently admitted talking to a Comelec commissioner — not to a certain Gary — and apologized to the people for doing so. The middle class and the bishops forgave her, and Bunye’s version of the “Hello Garci” story was never brought up again.

We were unable to write about a number of events including the death of Rep. Crispin Beltran, Comelec Commissioner Romeo Brawner, and actor Rudy Fernandez, the dismissal of Joc-joc Bolante’s appeal for asylum in the US, and the kidnapping of Ces Drilon and her crew. We’ll be back to “regular programming” soon.

This was what Justice Secretary Raul M. Gonzalez reportedly said in reaction to Archbishop Oscar Cruz’s statement that the Arroyo government suffers from “shortages in honesty and integrity plus consequent shortages in credibility and acceptability.”

The archbishop reacted by saying minding him is not good for Gonzalez’ health.

In the past, Gonzalez had also verbally attacked other critics of President Arroyo such the two widows of the anti-Arroyo movement: Susan Roces-Poe and President Corazon Aquino.

Senator Pia Cayetano, reacting to reports that President Arroyo wants to allocate P43.7 billion pesos for food security, computed the total amount of money involved in recent scams:

“We’re talking about P43 billion that the President wants to allocate. I computed the figures involved in the past scams: P750 million for the fertilizer scam, P2.25 [billion] for the swine fund, P3.1 billion for the irrigation fund, that’s already P6 billion that’s questionable. Then the administration will refuse to explain, will refuse to attend hearings, will go to court and have a case that says they will not go to the Senate?” (Senate.gov.ph)

Now, this just came out:

The first one is funny; the second is disturbing.

According to Ibon, 76.8% of respondents to the IBON July 2007 Survey said they thought of themselves as poor. This is an increase from 67.6% in January and 69.3% in the same period last year.

IBON executive editor Rosario Bella Guzman, said the survey results are not surprising considering that there are still insufficient livelihood opportunities in the country.

44.35% of respondents said that there were not enough available jobs/livelihood opportunities in their area, 32.66% said there were none, while 16.94% said there were enough.

The July 2007 IBON survey was conducted nationwide with 1,488 respondents to find out the people’s perception of the economy, their livelihood and income, government performance, and other pressing issues. The latest survey has a margin of error of plus or minus three percent.

But since the the election has passed and we’re now just waiting for the results, our load at work returned to normal. We’re also expecting new Internet connection so we probably blog more often.

Our WordPress has been upgraded to 2.2, and we’ve started to categorize our entries.

We hope you will welcome us back as we continue to comment on local and foreign news and issues.

Some observations in connection with the latest SWS survey:

• Kiko Pangilinan benefitted from the publicity generated by his then unclear status in the so-called Genuine Opposition. And of course, he is Sharon Cuneta’s husband. (I can’t help wondering if James Yap–if he decides to run for the Senate–will also rank high because of Kris Aquino.)
• Alan Peter Cayetano is on the fourth place. The publicity generated by the First Gentleman’s attacks on him must have helped.
• Francis Escudero is on the 6th-7th place. If only he were able to get Bamboo as endorser…
• Michael Defensor is on the 15th place. Does this mean Boy Abunda isn’t an effective campaign ad director?
• Migs Zubiri ranked 17th. I thought Boom Tarat Tarat could land him a Senate post!
• Richard Gomez and Cesar Montano are outside the Magic 12. It seems like the people prefer to see them in the movies than in the Senate.
• Prospero Pichay and Antonio Trillanes IV are both in the 22 to 24th place. And to think you see Pichay’s face almost every ten minutes on TV! Partida pa yan because Trillanes is in prison.

SWS SURVEY ON SENATORIAL PREFFERENCES, FEBRUARY 2007

1. Francis Pangilinan (Liberal Party) – 56%
2. Loren Legarda (Nationalist People’s Party-GO) – 54%
3. Manuel Villar Jr. (Nacionalista Party) – 52%,
4-5. Alan Peter Cayetano (Nacionalista Party)
4-5. Panfilo Lacson (United Opposition) – 43%
6-7. Francis Escudero (Nationalist People’s Party-GO) – 37%.
6-7. Ralph Recto (Lakas-CMD) – 37%
8. Vicente Sotto III (Nationalist People’s Party-TU) – 31%
9-10. John Osmeña (United Opposition)
9 -10. Benigno Aquino III (Liberal Party) – 30%
11. Gregorio Honasan (Independent) – 29%.
12. Joker Arroyo (Kabalikat ng Malayang Pilipino) – 28%
13. Edgardo Angara (Laban.ng Demokratikong Pilipino) – 27%
14. Aquilino L. Pimentel (Partido ng Demokratikong Pilipino) -26%
15. Michael Defensor (TU) -21%
16. Sonia Roco (GO) – 19%
17. Juan Miguel Zubiri (TU) – 18%
18-19. Cesar Montano (TU) – 15%
18-19. Richard Gomez (Ind.) – 15%
20. Vicente Magsaysay (TU) – 14%
21. Anna Dominique Coseteng (GO) – 13%
22-24. Prospero Pichay Jr. (TU) – 12%
22-24. Antonio Trillanes (GO) – 12%
22-24. Teresa A. Oreta (TU) – 12%
25. Luis Singson (TU) – 7%

Bagauaya may have to stay in jail overnight if the police refuse or fail to process Bagauya’s papers for her to post bail before the end of the business hours.

Bagauaya was arrested on a P100-million libel case filed by Ilocos Sur Governor Luis “Chavit” Singson, a senatorial candidate in the May elections and a close ally of President Arroyo.

Newsbreak managing editor Glenda Gloria said she and Newsbreak editor-in-chief Marites Vitug, who are also charged by Singon, were themselves almost arrested on Wednesday by policemen who were waiting outside the Newsbreak office.

Gloria and Vitug, who were scheduled to attend a forum sponsored by Newsbreak on Wednesday afternoon, managed to convince the policemen to let them after promising to post bail Thursday morning.

Gloria said the case stems from an article published last year titled, “The Second Gentleman.”

Vitug and Gloria are among Newsbreak editors also accused of libel by presidential spouse Jose Miguel Arroyo, who has filed multiple suits against at least 46 journalists.

The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP), which launched a signature campaign last year to protest the libel charges filed by First Gentleman Mike Arroyo against 46 journalists, denounced the arrest.

Rowena Paraan, NUJP secretary-general, said “the incident demonstrates the vulnerability of journalists to harassment by politicians who can afford to throw away money for the enormous filing fees simply to threaten media.”

“It is a sad irony that a country that prides itself of having the ‘freest’ media in Asia has journalists being harassed by government officials themselves for simply doing their job,” she said.

Jose Torres Jr., NUJP chairman, said: “The use of an outdated libel law to harass media, coupled with the killings and threats against journalists, point to a deteriorating press freedom situation.” –NUJP

It’s election season once again. It’s good that the so-called Genuine Opposition finally dropped Kiko Pangilinan from its slate. Why force Kiko to join their group when he appears reluctant to be identified with them?

Let him run as independent, and his real stance will be noted.

Those words are written on the front page of the Department of labor and Employment website.

Then, we hear on the news that the labor secretary will ask the President to veto the wage hike bill.

Weird.

Arraignment set for Newsbreak editors

Editors of Newsbreak will be arraigned on January 10, Wednesday, 8:30 a.m. at the Regional Trial Court, Branch 6, Manila City Hall.

Six Newsbreak editors were charged with libel in November last year as a result of a story on the First Gentleman Jose Miguel “Mike” Arroyo the fortnightly news magazine published in December 2003. Scheduled to be arraigned are Marites Danguilan Vitug, editor in chief; Glenda M. Gloria, managing editor; Ricky Carandang, former business editor; R.E. Otico and Jose Dalisay Jr., editorial consultants; and Booma Cruz, former contributing editor.

The resolution dated Nov. 13, 2006 and penned by Fredy Gomez, assistant city prosecutor (Manila), said that we, the accused, “meant and intended to convey false and malicious insinuations” against the First Gentleman, “imputed… a crime…” and therefore our story was “highly libelous and offensive and derogatory to the good name, character and reputation…of the First Gentleman.”

The resolution further said that the article was “solely prepared, written, and published by the accused for no other purpose than to impeach and besmirch” Mr. Arroyo.

Statement by Newsbreak:

First Gentleman Redefines Libel

We are deeply concerned that the First Gentleman, Mike Arroyo, is not using this libel suit to seek legitimate redress. Rather he is redefining libel, a clear affront to the Philippine press.

As we know, the test of libel is the presence of malice. But Mr. Arroyo disregards this basic tenet and recklessly uses libel to intimidate and silence the press. The message we’re getting is this: anything that hints of criticism of the First Gentleman or is considered unfavorable coverage of his activities is “libelous.”

In effect, he hinders the public’s right to information on matters of public concern.

Moreover, Mr. Arroyo misunderstands the role of the press. Never in the course of our work do we write “solely to besmirch” the reputation of a person. Our foremost duty is to inform readers on issues that are vital to public interest. Mr. Arroyo is only one among many public figures we have written about.

We want to stress that we have chosen to be journalists because we are convinced of the value of a free and responsible press in a democracy, which is to promote transparency and accountability in society, serve as government watchdog, and keep the citizenry informed so that they can participate actively in public life.

We believe in independent journalism whereby journalists report without fear or favor and keep the public interest at heart. The professionalism which has characterized our work, independently of each other, and together at Newsbreak, is the same professionalism that we have used in reporting on public figures.

Marites Danguilan Vitug
Editor in Chief
Newsbreak

Background

The story referred to is a short “Inside Track” item (Dec. 8, 2003) following our cover story on the Arroyos’ undeclared properties in San Francisco, California (November 10, 2003). We said that in the course of our research on the California properties, we got leads from reliable sources about two houses, the addresses of which we provided, allegedly owned by Mr. Arroyo. We said that we searched the ownership and acquisition details of these properties but these yielded names that could not be linked to the First Gentleman. We said that our sources told us that the one who supposedly acquired the properties for Mr. Arroyo was a male relative of his who’s into real estate business in California.

The article was very transparent: we said these were leads and that we pursued them and stated our findings. Our cover story on the Arroyos’ undeclared properties in San Francisco provides proper context to this follow-up article.

Ursua and other lawyers of Subic rape case victim Nicole is questioning the Arroyo administration’s decision to surrender custody of convicted rapist Daniel Smith to the United States.

Ursua is unfazed by Apostol’s threat.

“It’s his right. I won’t dignify his statements. He should also charge former Senators Jovito Salonga and Wigberto Tañada. I’ll be in good company,” GMANews.tv quoted her as saying.

Around 800 political killings have been recorded in the Philippines, and the current administration could not even be made responsible for failing to prevent such crimes. Of course, Arroyo cannot be impeached because she controls the House of Representatives, and her administration is very “careful” in dealing with the Marcos and Estrada cases. Maybe the families of the victims must wait until 2010. That is, if Arroyo’s maneuvers to stay in power will not succeed.

Meanwhile, human-rights group Amnesty International said Saddam’s rushed execution is “simply wrong.”

” It signifies justice denied for countless victims who endured unspeakable suffering during his regime, and now have been denied their right to see justice served. It is a failed opportunity to establish the rule of law in Iraq, and raises concerns that egregious flaws during Hussein’s trial proceedings will now set a strong precedent against a fair and independent judiciary. It will doubtless have a devastating impact on other related trials, as the key witness who could most compellingly shed light on the chain of command will have been silenced. Finally, Amnesty International opposes the death penalty, regardless of method, in all cases, and regards it as the ultimate, irreversible human rights abuse, ” Larry Cox, Executive Director of Amnesty International, was quoted as saying by Aljazeera.com.

The United Nations opposed the death penalty against Hussein, saying his trial violated the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. Upon hearing the new of the execution, UN’s senior envoy to Iraq reiterated UN’s opposition to capital punishment.

“The United Nations stands firmly against impunity, and understands the desire for justice felt by the many Iraqis,” UN Special Representative Ashraf Qazi said through a spokesman.

“Based on the principle of respect for the right to life, however, the United Nations remains opposed to capital punishment, even in the case of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide,” he added.

Interviewed by GMA-7′s Saksi, US Embassy spokesman Matthew Lussenhop could not explain how the transfer took place, and he just repeatedly said that it was a move by the Philippine government to comply with the Visiting Forces Agreement.

Atty. Evalyn Ursua, rape victim Nicole’s lawyer, said the transfer could not have been authorized by a Philippine court. She vowed to file charges against government officials who authorized such “criminal act.”

We could only surmise that the move was made possible through the efforts of the Palace. Looks like the executive is not content with having most of the members of the legislative’s lower chamber in its pocket; it now wants to snatch the judiciary’s powers, too.

I’m not done with Christmas shopping yet. Some of the gifts I’ll be giving out to friends and co-workers are things that I’ll “create”. It’s hard to think of what to give to my family, though.

My teenaged cousin, for example, is graduating in high school next year. I don’t know if it is okay to just give her two or three cheap prom dresses so she could just select that one that she will wear in case her school decides to hold a graduation party. (Our barangay high school stopped holding the junior-senior prom during my time, and I’m not sure if they’re having it again now). Or shall I just give her books or make up kits?

I still have this weekend to decide on such things. If deciding on gifts to give is difficult, shopping the weekend before Christmas must be worse.

But even as the Church-organized prayer rally was going on at Luneta last Sunday, Rep. Mat Defensor, a pro-Gloria and pro-Cha-cha congressman, was being interviewed on ABS-CBN News Channel about the prospects of Cha-cha under the Arroyo regime. On Monday, news reports quoted Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita as saying that the administration has not really given up on Cha-cha.

Arroyo issued a statement yesterday, saying Cha-cha is “is a platform commitment of the administration that will be pursued with urgency and fervor.” This confirms the bishops’ suspicions that Arroyo issued the December 14 statement only to discourage people from joining the Luneta rally.

Bishop Oscar Cruz earlier doubted Arroyo’s statement, citing her track record of lying. In December 2002, when her popularity ratings were very low, she vowed not to run in the 2004 elections. This made her look good in the eyes of many Filipinos, and even earned her a Filipino of the Year award from the Philippine Daily Inquirer. She eventually ran, and won–allegedly with the help of Commission on Elections Commissioner Virgilio Garcillano.

During Christmas and other occasions, people come up with their own wish lists. If I would create one, it would be filled with books, DVDs, and gadgets.

Maybe I should also include some clothes. I noticed that I’ve been wearing almost the same set of shirts every week. If I had enough money, I would buy two pairs of shoes, a dozen shirts, and around three pairs of pants. (I don’t know if the Seven Jeans brand is available locally, but is described in an online catalog as an “unbeatable icon of stylish jeans for the sophisticated, sexy individual” and is supposedly “a part of celebrity wardrobes.”)

How about you, what’s on your wish list or to buy list?

Click here.

If you are considering having a nose job, you should check out drdayan.com. It is the website of Dr. Steven H. Dayan, a plastic surgeon who performs rhinoplasty in Chicago. The site has a section called “Frequently Asked Rhinoplasty Questions”.

The FAQs range from the simple “What is rhinoplasty?” to advanced concerns such as “Can I drive myself home after my rhinoplasty procedure?”

Like other related sites, the drdayan.com also has a photo gallery.

When I was still an Internet newbie, I had a pen pal–or e-mail pal–in San Diego California. She is a daughter of Filipinos who migrated to the States. We met through a fan website. In one of our e-mail conversations, the topic of driving came up. I was surprised to learn that she was already driving. Here’s a part of the e-mail I sent her:

you [were] talking, err writing about driving? me, i don’t drive and i don’t have a car. is it easy? i mean, aren’t you afraid to cruise down the highway with all the other vehicles in front and behind you? i think its terrible. my uncle has a passenger jeepney in our province and he wants me to learn how to drive. i want to give it a try although i’m kind of unsure of my self when it comes to driving. as i’ve told you, it’s so difficult for mr to keep myself balanced on a bike. what more if it’ a car or jeep?

But that’s almost 10 years ago. Now, I want to learn how to drive–if my deteriorating vision would allow it. Who knows, maybe Oriah and I could visit my California-based penpal and we would check out some San Diego used cars there.

11th journalist killed this year
Nueva Ecija broadcaster slain in front of broadcaster-wife

A broadcaster and former newspaper columnist in Nueva Ecija was shot and killed by two men while visiting his farm in Barangay (village) Sta. Arcadia, Cabanatuan City on Thursday.

Police said Ponciano Grande, 53, died instantly from five bullet wounds, reported INQ7.net. His death brings to 11 the number of journalists killed this year; and to 47 the number of journalists killed since President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo assumed presidency in 2001.

Grande, a member of the Nueva Ecija Press Club, used to write a column for the local weeklies The Recorder and Nueva Ecija Times. His colleagues said Grande stopped writing columns in 2002. Other sources told NUJP that Grande at the time of his murder was hosting together with his wife, Annie Liwag-Grande, a radio program aired over radio station dwJJ.

Grande’s wife was reportedly several meters from him when gunmen attacked.

Liwag-Grande said she left her husband in front of their jeepney along a road in Sitio Romantico to visit some neighbors there. A few minutes later, she heard gunshots and discovered that her husband was shot.

She said the gunmen, who were armed with a .45 cal. pistol, chased her but they did not harm her. She told policemen that the gunmen appeared to be in their teens.

(Media Safety Office)

Toronto rhinoplasty expert Dr. David Ellis is listed on Microsoft Small Business Center.

His page says: “Aesthetic facial surgery expert Dr. David Ellis specializes in helping patients acheive their desired look. With care and extraordinary skill this Toronto plastic surgeon provides facial surgery patients with a renewed sense of beauty and self-image.”

Also in the page are his clinic address, as well as the services he offer.