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Vol. I No. 45 • ISSN 2094-4098April 19-25, 2010
‘MAGICIANS’ ARE BACK!
JOIN CRUSADE TO CHANGEJUSTICE SYSTEM IN RP
WE seek to establish a justice system whereby it isthe people themselves whoexercise the power to saywho must be arrested and brought to trial and whoexercise the power to judgeif those brought to trial areguilty or not.The power to say whoshould be tried in court isnow exercised by the prose-cutors in the Philippines. Sothat if the one being accusedof rape, murder or corrup-
tion is inuential, which is
most likely, the prosecutorscan easily be intimidatedor bought. BUT if we putthis power in the hands of a Grand Jury, usually com- posing 23 persons selected
by rafe from a voters’ list
and whose names and facesare kept secret, we are fore-closing any opportunity for
the inuential crime doer to
use his power, money and
inuence. The role of thescal shall be limited to the
presentation of evidencein court. The Grand Juryis vested with the power to compel intimidated or bought witnesses to speak up or he will be jailed untilthey agree to speak up by the power of contempt; law en-forcers will be compelled togather evidence or they will be held in jail in contemptuntil they agree to work asdetectives. Now, the power to saywhether an accused is guiltyor not is exercised by one judge in the Philippines;may be of a regional trialcourt or a municipal trialcourt. As we know or hear,the powerful and rich ac-
cused can easily inuence
or buy decisions. BUT if we place this power in the handsof a Trial Jury, a group of 12ordinary persons chosen at
random from the voters’ list
and whose faces and namesare kept secret, we are also
To page 2
Erap’s best hope o redemption
I
S Jinggoy better than Bong, Lapid & Miriam?For all his worth as a son of a disgraced president trying
to fulll a professed dream for the poor masses, reelection
-ist Senator Jinggoy Estrada appears headed to fare better than reelectionists Senators Bong Revilla, Miriam Defen-sor Santiago and Lito Lapid.Does Jinggoy really deserve it?The answer is “yes” for the masses who will vote for him,consisting of his bailiwick why surveys of SWS, TNS and PulseAsia have placed him running for the top three positions alongwith Revilla and Defensor Santiago. Lapid has been placed near the tail although still within the magic 12.The answer, however, raises an eye brow for those who callthemselves “intellectuals.”
Whatsoever is the answer, the only denite answer for now is:
Jinggoy is better that reelectionist Senators Revilla and Lapid interms of noise made in the Senate; and far better that reelectionistSen. Miriam Defensor Santiago in terms of loyalty to a political party and in standing up against Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, thewoman accused of stealing the presidency “not once but twice.”
Survey Results
Recent surveys from the Social Weather Stations (SWS),Pulse Asia and TNS show that reelectionist Senator Jinggoy Es-trada is leading the senatorial race.According to 2,100 respondents of SWS conducted on Feb-
What magic Jinggoy has?
ruary 24 to 28, 54% said they would vote for him and Revilla.But individual ranking shows 51% said they would vote for Revilla, 47% would vote for Jinggoy and 46% would vote for Santiago.Pulse Asia, which took the opinion of 1,800 respondents
on February 21 to 25, also placed Senator Bong Revilla in rst
place with 53.6%, followed by a 52.6% votes for Senator Jing-goy Estrada, and Santiago got 49.4%.TNS Trend Survey conducted on January 28 to February 3,on the other hand, saw Senators Revilla, Defensor-Santiago andJinggoy Estrada heading in the senatorial race.
Relevant Achievements
Senator Jinggoy Estrada, who is the current Senate ProTempore, has actively participated in deliberations on varioushearings and plenary sessions. He also actively participated indifferent Senate investigations especially in connection with thecommittee he handled.He has also delivered 29 privilege speeches on varied is-sues such as the constitutionally-guaranteed rights on freedomof speech, expression and right to public assembly, anomaloustransactions and operations of Philippine Amusement and Gam-ing Corp. (PAGCOR), wiretapping scandal, and abuses of pow-er by the current administration.
Jinggoy led a total of 442 bills and resolutions.
To page 3 To page 2
THE virtual acquittal of twomajor suspects in the Novem- ber 23, 2009 massacre thatkilled 57, including 32 jour-nalists, in Maguindanao has
given esh to the months of
speculations of whitewash— and increased the fears of no-proclamation or no-count plot and military junta being
oated.
The speculations and fears are that the powerful menof the Ampatuan clan would eventually be set free throughschemes by the “Goddess of Greed, Envy and Deceit.”
The esh found its meaning when suspended Autono
-mous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) Gov. Zaldyand his cousin, Mamapasano town Mayor Akmad Ampatu-an, were ordered by Acting Justice Secretary Alberto Agra
to be dropped from the multiple murder case led by the
government prosecutors in relation to the said massacre.It is recalled that all the top honchos of the Ampatuan clan— including former Maguindanao Gov. Datu Andal Sr., Zaldy, Ak-mad and Andal Jr.—were among the 197 charged with multiplemurder.But the order of Agra may virtually allow Zaldy to resumein his powerful position as the governor of the Muslim Regionand Akmad as mayor of Mamasapano town in Maguindanao,
considering the deafening silence of the Ofce of the President
on the order of Agra that has caused outrage among the peopleand the inherent weakness of the present justice system.
Adding meat to the esh is Agra’s arrogance to stick to his
decision to free the two Ampatuans even if the bases are ali- bis that even if doctrinally deemed the weakest defense against
positive identication yet substantiated by weak evidence.
While it is true that the order of Agra may still be challenged by means of a motion for reconsideration by the private lawyersof the families of the victims and while the said order is yetsubject to the wisdom of the court because the latter alreadyhas acquired jurisdiction over the case, this act of Agra only betrayed that there is that ugly intention to free some leaders of the Ampatuans, particularly Zaldy and Akmad.In this case, Agra saw an opportunity that among the Am- patuans only Zaldy and Akmad stand the best chance of gettingfreed because there were circumstances that show they were notin the scene of the massacre.
While the justications used by Agra to free Zaldy are toodifcult to understand, the intentions are easy to see: to use
them to operate the vote-manufacturing machines in their na-tive province of Maguindanao.To make those vote-rigging machines operate, it is a neces-sity that any Ampatuan leader must be released for they are theonly ones who can make those devices work magic.It is safe to assume that without any Ampatuan actually pres-
By TONY FIGUEROA
To page 2
Gen. Pureza hope of Cavite
By RONALDO B. HERICO
THE storied Cavite is a land
where some of the country’s
heroes were born. Can it nowlive up to its past by politi-cians who would be lucky to
get its people’s mandate.
It is doubted so. But thereis hope.One who is being said bymany Caviteños as a hope for Cavite to shine once more asthe leading sanctuary of he-roes is retired General Roger Pureza, running under Lakas-Kampi.That is although there aregubernatorial candidates tospeak of.The candidates for Gov-
ernor of Cavite are: (1) Boni
-facio Balberan “Ber” Ber Ado (Independent); (2) Den-cito Presa “Osboy” Campaña(Liberal Party); (3) MelencioJr. Loyola “Jun” De Sagun(Partido ng Masang Pilipino);(4) Ma. Gloria Mahilum “Glo-ria” Lebato (Independent); (5)Juanito Victor Jr. Catibayan“Jonvic” Remulla (Naciona-lista Party); (6) Angelita Mon-zon “Lita” Tagle (KilusangBagong Lipunan).On the other hand, the oth-er vice-gubernatorial candi-
dates are: (1) Domingo Buen
“Kim” Alegre (Independent);(2) Bernard Michael Ignacio“Bimbo” Bautista (Naciona-ent in Maguindanao on the day of election
April 19-25, 2010
2
Publisher:
RONALDO E. RENTA
Editorial:
TOTO CAUSING RONALD B. HERICO
Editor-In-Chief Associate Editor
Disclaimer:
All news articles and opinions expressed by the writers are entirely
their own and do not reect the opinion of the publisher, the manage
-ment or the editor of this publication.
All Rights Reserved:
No part of this publication may be copied or reproduced nor trans-lated in any language or form for commercial purposes without prior written permission from the publisher and its writers or columnists.
MAGDIWANGPUBLICATIONS
He was the principal spon-sor in Republic Act 9347,strengthening and increasingthe number of commissionersof National Labor and Rela-tions Commission (NLRC) tospeed up resolution of labor cases; RA 9422, giving more power and strength to thePhilippine Overseas Employ-ment Administration (POEA)to give more protection to
worker’s right to organize
unions; RA 9547, strengthen-ing and expanding the pro-gram for employing students;and RA 10022, increasing thestandard of protection andwelfare for migrant workersand their families, and for OFWs in distress.He caused the approval, in
third and nal reading, of the
proposal to increase the ben-
ets and protection to house
maids.He principally authoredRA 9507 giving houses loan-ers the right to restructureloans and condonation for
those who led to pay hous
-ing loans due to poverty.On the other hand, Re-
villa’s accomplishments as
senator are not clearly visiblecompared to the movies andtelevision shows produced atthe time he is a senator.
As to ofcial Senate func
-tion, Bong was only seen par-ticipating in the memorableinvestigation into the sexscandal involving Dr. HaydenKho and Katrina Halili.
Bong’s best participation here
is the privileged speech he de-livered condemning Kho. Nevertheless, records
show that Bong led a total
of 42 bills and resolutions andall of these were still pending before Senate committees asof writing.Senator Miriam, for her part, has the most number of privilege speeches made, be-ing an orator and a debater.
She led a total 704 bills and
co-authored 25 others.Lapid, for his part, has been rumored to be infrequentin the Senate deliberationsand debates. This author hasyet to hear him deliver a sear-ing privilege speech.Surprisingly, however, areading on his website showsthat Lapid authored and co-authored 398 bills and resolu-tions, 47 of them have already been adopted by the Senateand 28 were passed into law.
Loyalty to Parties
In terms of being a loyalto parties, Senator JinggoyEstrada has remained loyal toPartido ng Masang Pilipino,founded by his father. Jinggoyconsistently opposed the Glo-ria Arroyo Administration.Revilla, for his part, is con-sistent as an ally of the currentadministration.Lapid is as loyal to Arroyo being his fellow native of Pampanga.Defensor Santiago, for her
part, has been ip-opping.
First, she was in the block of the opposition. When the lateFernando Poe Jr. dropped her in favor of Loren Legarda to be his running mate, Defensor Santiago swung to Arroyo.
Educational Attainment
In terms of educational background, nothing can beatDefensor Santiago among thesenatorial candidates.She graduated with a de-gree of Bachelor of Arts inPolitical Science and Bachelor of Laws (cum laude) from theUniversity of the Philippines-Diliman.
She nished her Master of
Law course at the Universityof Michigan, USA in 1975and doctor of law from thesame university.
In terms of noise
In terms of who are themost actively seen by the public to be performing their
What magic Jinggoy has?
LOOKING FOR VICTIMS? -- This backhoe did not bury victims but was a part o the equipments tasked to fnish the Northrail portion linking Sangandaan in Caloocan and Bulacan. PHOTO BY NICK GALINO
From page 1To page 7
there would be no operatorswho can operate the fraudmachines that caused the lateFernando Poe Jr. to get zerovotes in several towns thereand caused the Gloria candi-dates in the 2007 elections towin 12-0 in the said province.
The fraud machines’
works were also clearly seenfrom the fact that Chavit Sing-son landed in the lower top 12of the senatorial votes in hishome province of Ilocos Sur,was declared the topnotcher in Maguindanao and a loser in all other Ilocano provincesand all other areas.Of course, nothing is big-ger than the fears of eventualwhitewash of the massacrecase on the part of the familiesof the 57 victims. Lucky yet,
they still ght and hope for justice even as the country’s
justice system is actually ontrial in the eyes of the public.In any case, it is almostthrough that the fears andspeculations now have fearsand faces.
There could have been no worryif the Jury System were in place
If only the Jury System of justice were in place today, thetrial of the Ampatuans couldhave already been completed by now.
‘MAGICIANS’ ARE BACK
foreclosing any opportunityfor the decision to be bought
or inuenced. Here, ordinary
persons are tasked only toknow what is true and what isfalse; the application of lawsshall be the duty of the judgewho is learned in law.The fact that we are fore-closing opportunities for tam- pering with justice, we aresure that the abusive and cor-rupt shall learn to toe the lineand observe the rule of law.
The vision here iswe see everybody to be“PATAS SA BATAS.”
With jury, all laws can now be implemented. If we havelaws against discrimination by one tribe against another,or by Christians against Mus-lims, or by the rich againstthe poor, we can say that re- bellions (by NPA and MILF)will die because the root thatis discrimination is being at-tacked by the Jury System.With all corruption lawsassured of implementation,
the usually corrupt ofcials
will be compelled to stop
stealing people’s money. The
swindlers will stop becausethey know the long arm of thelaw will surely reach them.Businessmen will dealfairly with the consumers be-cause the assurance of imple-mentation of the laws keepsthem at bay.
Sign up at http://philjury.
ning.com.
From page 1
JOIN CRUSADE TO CHANGEJUSTICE SYSTEM IN RP
From page 1
The beleaguered Justice Secretary Alberto Agra
In the history of the jurytrial, simple cases last for oneweek and a little bit more for complicated cases. In the caseof OJ Simpson on the murder of his wife, the trial lasted for
ve (5) weeks.
The USA started its JurySystem in Philadelphia about222 years ago when they wereconfronted with the extreme problem caused by discrimi-nation between the Whitesand the Blacks.Discrimination alonecaused the extremist Whitesto be arrogant to respect thehuman rights of the Blacksthat crimes of inhuman kill-ings occurred every now andthen. But the consistency of the Jury System to be quick in giving justice and rigid in
being not inuenced by any
powers that be has diminishedfor 200 years or so, leading
the USA to elect its rst Black
President in the person of Bar-rack Hussein Obama. As such,crimes of inhumanity quickly became a thing of the past incivilized societies where the justice system is jury.
Obscene and political
For pundits, the return of the “magicians,” in referenceto the electoral manipulationsthe Ampatuans did in 2004which led to the landslidevictory of President GloriaMacapagal-Arroyo and her slate, translates to fraudulentelections.The dropping of thecharges have been blamed byanti-Palace detractors and theopposition to the interferenceof Justice Secretary Agra “for bypassing state prosecutorsand derailing the prosecution process in his unilateral deci-sion to drop murder chargesagainst two members of theAmpatuan clan.”But the government pros-ecutors, in a statement, urgedthe justice secretary to revisithis resolution absolving thetwo Ampatuans, saying they“earnestly and respectfullyrequest Acting Secretary Agrato revisit his resolution. Other-wise, we dishonor the primaryreason for which our institu-
tion exists and its very name:
the Department of Justice.”But Agra is unmoved. In
reply, he said: “I stand by my
decision. I stand by my ap- preciation of the records of the case…It also pains me tocome out with a contrary po-
sition but as an ofcer of the
Court I have to be objective inappreciating the evidence.”The Justice department isunder the Executive Branch.
Under the qualied political
agency theory, all the actionsof the Justice Secretary aredeemed acts of the Presidentunless the latter revokes the
former’s actions.
The suspicion that the Ar-royo dispensation has a handin the exoneration has angeredthe civil society sectors. Thosewho are most outraged are theMangudadatus and the mem- bers of the press that the latter staged a protest rally in frontof the Justice department.The Palace, though, re-acted aggressively by callingthe protests as “obscene” and“campaign politics.”“No less than the sensitiv-
ities of the victims’ bereaved
families,” deputy presidentialspokesman Gary Olivar said,“should not be raked up in this
trafc affair.”
Although the duo has beendropped from the murder case, their actual release re-mains un-acted upon pendingthe resolution of the motion
for reconsideration being led
by various sectors.
‘Magicians are back’
But what worries political parties not allied with the ad-ministration is the possibilitythat the Ampatuan clout, al-though clipped on account of the detention of the clan mem-
To page 7
April 19-25, 2010
3
TOTO C. CAUSING
Auditor, NPC
Dear NPC member,
Our strength is heart,Our language is truth,Our soul is liberty,Our treasure is honor.
For emphasis, this statement is reiterated in Tagalog, as fol-
lows:
Ang aming lakas ay puso,Ang aming salita ay katotohanan,Ang aming kaluluwa ay kalayaan,Ang aming kayamanan ay dangal.
Thus we in KONSENSYA NG MEDIA speak as we come toyou, member of National Press Club, to present the candidatesof KONSENSYA NG MEDIA for the May 2, 2010 election of our organization.
THE THINGS WE INTEND TO DO CAN ONLY BE DONE IF YOU VOTE US STRAIGHT!
What we will do:
1. To establish NPC Institute of Journalism where journalistswho are undergraduates and children of members can study for free, better than giving P5,000 per semester to a few scholarsthe NPC can afford;2. To work for the delisting of members who have no compe-tence to be a journalist, photo-journalist, columnist and broad-cast reporter and commentator;3. To activate the ethics committee to try all those suspected
of having violated the Journalist’s Code of Ethics adopted by
the NPC as its bible of journalism;4. To give special privileges to all LIFETIME MEMBERSand SENIOR JOURNALISTS;5. To work for
welfare benets for
all members of theClub;6. To continue to
ght for justice for all journalists slain in the line of duty, es
- pecially the 32 who were brutally killed in the Ampatuan mas-sacre;
7. To continue the ght to decriminalize libel;
8. To stop at all cost the RIGHT OF REPLY BILL being pro- posed in the Congress;9. To conduct more journalism seminars to journalists inMetro Manila and provinces, as well as students in high schooland colleges;10. To conduct regular roundtable discussions where all jour-nalists share their experiences and knowledge with each other and to publish the outputs of these endeavors; and11. To continue to defend the NPC Building and Land from
the cases led by the GSIS to grab them from the journalists;
12. To give assistance to journalists facing libel cases andmake representations for them;13. To outreach to and forge bond with all community jour-nalists across the country, NUJP, PPI, PAPI and othe press or-ganizations; and14. To continue international ties and exchange programs
with Asean, Asian and other international journalists’ organi
-zations, including Reporters Without Borders (Reporters SansFrontiers).
SUPPORT YOUR CONSCIENCE, SUPPORT THE NPC.CANDIDATES of KONSENSYA NG MEDIA
JERRY S. YAP -- President
(
Hataw
publisher, columnist)
TOTO CAUSING – Vice-President
(
Dyaryo Magdalo
editor-in-chief,
Hataw
&
Police Files
columnist, responsible in defending NPC against battery of
lawyers of GSIS, led petition for NPC that led the Supreme
Court issue Circular 08-2008 ordering all courts NOT TO JAIL journalists convicted of libel, won the case of NPC in CHR on
handcufng of 50 media men in Manila Pen siege)
LOUIE T. LOGARTA -- Secretary
(
The Daily Tribune
,
Police Files
columnist)
AMOR VIRATA -- Treasurer
(
People’s Lider
publisher, Remate reporter)
BENJIE HODREAL – Auditor
(
Kritiko
and
Airport Star
publisher-columnistand United Broadcasting Network)
WILMA YAMZON
(
Star Group
, formerly
Bulletin
senior editor)
DENNIS IÑIGO
(
Bulletin-Balita
Sports Editor)
PERCY LAPID
(
Hataw
,
Police Files
,
DWIZ
commentator)
JOEY G. VENANCIO
(
Police Files
,
X-Files
publisher, columnist)
AYA YUPANGCO
(
DWIZ
reporter and commentator)
MINA NAVARRO
(
Balita
reporter)
JERRY CARUAL
(Chief of Malacanang Press Photographers)
BOYET MUNAR
(
People’s Tonight
,
Unang Hirit
,
Remate
,
X-Files
)
THONY ARCENAL
(
Police Files
provincial reporter,representing Central and Northern Luzon)
JOEL SY EGCO
(
Remate
,
Hataw
and
Police Files
columnist,incumbent Quezon City Press Corps president)
DIRECTORS
KUNSENSYA NG MEDIA
(A letter from TOTO CAUSING)
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