Memories of Bishop Quevedo, Fr.

Favali, et al

The elevation of Bishop Orlando Quevedo on reminds me of the murder of Fr. Fausto Tentorio, which reminds me of the murder of Fr. Tulio Favali, brutally salvaged, on pril !!, !"#$. %O& 'rosecutor Tirso (elasco and human rights lawyers, )reg ndolana, *ol &ubillan, +erlin Bello, Orlando %ano and ,, prosecuted in -idapawan the +anero brothers, et al., who would appear in court, bald, with only a heart. shaped tuft left. /One +anero answered bac0 his mother 1 nagdabog2 his pop shot him to death, and buried him at home sa silong, below the dinner table.3 4very trial date, , would ta0e the ' 5 6788 a.m. Bulilit flight to %avao, and board a bus for two hours to -idapawan, with Bishop Quevedo, as gutsy host who stood up to lost military commands. ',+4 /'ontifical ,nstitute for Foreign +issions3 in 9amboanga answered for my travel e:penses. Fr. )eremiah, the real target in pril !"#$, would drive me around2 nuns would escort me bac0 to %avao late in the day for my flight home. s , played but a cameo role and ;uit after snap polls pre< candidate =ory as0ed me to be her spo0esperson in late pril to %ecember, !"#$, was not along long while around for the conviction of the paramilitary murderers who loo0ed at those serving the people as subversives. , was then in the =abinet. ,ncidentally, Tirso courageous also fought to get >ustice for 4velio &avier, gunned down on February !!, !"#?. )reg became a congressman and yelped when he saw one convicted +anero a free man in the "8@s /+abini member Aessie +allilin said a +anero acted as security of a prominent couple2 hmmm3. *ol was a victim of rec0less driving, li0e my ever.loving wife. But this one@s in tribute to the new outstanding =ardinal who this wee0 said he was surprised over his appointment by 'ope Francis last *unday. , did not even thin0 that this was happening until =ardinal Tagle sent me a message that the 'ope had chosen me to be a cardinal, he said over =hurch.run Badio (eritas. nd , still did not believe it because , was not thin0ing at all about it. *o, that was my feeling of being surprised. )od@s gift always has a surprise and ma0es one humble before )od, he added. The CD.year.old Quevedo is among !" new cardinals named by 'ope Francis from around the world. *i:teen of them, including Quevedo, are under #8 and can enter a conclave to choose a new pope after 'ope Francis dies or resigns.

ceremony to elevate the new cardinals, 0nown as consistory, will be held on February 66. Quevedo will be the first Filipino =ardinal from +indanao and the eighth from the 'hilippines. , pray that , can contribute to the good of the people here in +indanao and to the peace and dialogue being underta0en by the people of various faith in +indanao. , than0 the Aoly Father for recogni<ing the people in +indanao specially the places where there are great problems of peace and to recogni<e also the poor people of the 'hilippines, said Quevedo. side from Quevedo, the only other active Filipino cardinal is Tagle. There are two more Filipinos who are members of the =ollege of =ardinals but they have reached the age of #8 and are now retired. They are Bicardo (idal /#63 and )audencio Bosales /#!3. Ee hail all these great spiritual leaders who have also show the way by deed. , was not surprised to Bishop Quevedo@s well.deserved elevation. Resignation (Disambiguation)

Morir antes de dimitir is *panish for people who cling to their posts and would die first before resigning. is the formal act of giving up or ;uitting one@s office or position. appointed steps down.

resignation

resignation can occur when one elected or

Ehen an employee chooses to leave a position it is considered a resignation, as opposed to termination, which occurs when he involuntarily loses a >ob. Ehether he resigned or was terminated is sometimes debatable. bdication is the e;uivalent of resignation of a reigning monarch or pope, or other holder of a non.political, hereditary or similar position. Boabdil was scolded by his mother, i:a, in !D"6, when in a mountain crag, he loo0ed bac0 at the )ranada he had lost7 Eeep li0e a woman for the loss of a 0ingdom you could not defend as a manF The spot has become 0nown as 4l Gltimo *uspiro del +oro. The 5ast *igh Of The +oor. t home, my late wife, %ulce, put a sign The best +an for the &ob is a Eoman. , considered myself told. 'eace, man. 5lora como mu>er . . . , of which '%, columnist &ohnny +ercado reminded us a few days ago, was O- in !D"6 and even in our youth but may be deemed se:ist today. resignation is a voluntary personal decision to e:it a position, though outside pressure e:ists in many cases. For e:ample, Hi:on resigned from the office of 'resident of the G.*. in !"CD following the Eatergate scandal2 he was almost certain to have been impeached by the G.*. =ongress, given the widespread popular outrage. Besignation can be used politically, as in &uly 688$ when ten cabinet officials resigned in order to put pressure on morir.antes.de.dimitir )+ to step down over allegations of electoral fraud. /, am for +etro.+anila.Eide.and. 'ampanga. rrest for her, and if visitor 4rap would agree, for her to be detained in his place in Tanay.3

Resignation not always a

epted

)overnment officials may tender their resignations, but they are not always accepted. This could be a gesture of confidence in the official, as with G* 'resident )eorge E. Bush@s refusal of his *ecretary of %efense %onald Bumsfeld@s twice.offered resignation during the bu )hraib prison abuse scandal. Aere, 'Hoy re>ected *ec. ,0ot 'etilla@s resignation but he and his predecessors may had some e:planation to do. Gntil recently, government had shares in +eralco and price hi0es could only benefit it in an obvious conflict.of.interest. For many public figures, primarily departing politicians, resignation is an opportunity to deliver a valedictory speech in which they can e:plain their e:it from office and in many cases deliver a powerful speech which commands much attention. ,n academia, in 688?, Aarvard president 5awrence *ummers resigned after ma0ing the provocative suggestion that the underrepresentation of female academics in math and science could be due to factors other than sheer discrimination, such as personal inclination or innate ability. Our *upreme =ourt ruled that 'resident 4rap had resigned2 he was the last one to 0now /, didFFFIII3. Ae had thought he had temporarily stepped aside, not down. The *= ;uite incredibly relied on a diary /not even 4rap@s3. ,n the G.*., Hi:on wrote a one.sentence letter to the *ecretary of *tate, leading to a regime change. +ay one resign irrevocablyI 'ermit me to doubt. resignation must be accepted lest one open himself to a charge of

abandonment under rt. 6J# of the Bevised 'enal =ode which criminali<es the abandonment of office or position 1 any public officer who, before the acceptance of his resignation, shall abandon his office shall suffer the penalty of arresto mayor. , filed a bill on resignation believing that it is not a matter of right but must be sub>ected to certain grounds and procedures, but did not become law. To whom should a 're< or (eep resignI *upreme =ourt &usticeI +ember of

=ongressI The head and members of a =onstitutional =ommishI /'lease see my *emestral Beport Ho. C dated +arch D, !""!.3 The case of )+ is in the *andiganbayan, which alone can decide her custodial arrangement. 'noy has nothing to do with it. ,f we wanted anything done for 4rap, our legal team went to the *andiganbayan. First %etained in =amp =rame, he was moved to *anta Bosa /where &anet Hapoles is now3, then (eterans +emorial, and finally Besthouse rrest in Tanay, which he can be as0ed to lend to )+ , the beneficiary of the resignation that never was.

The bogus 4dsa @8! was the culmination of the yearlong plot of the rroyos and the generals to ta0e over. +indanao was not part of it and elected 4rap as 're< in 68!8 and last +ay, the nation@s capital also re>ected 4rap@s bogus resignation and elected him as +ayor. !"indi po tayo nag#iisa$

,n this wee0@s ,nt@l Hew Kor0 Times, , read about !3 l.Qaeda@s continuing mischief2 63 the troubles in fghanistan, *yria, G0raine, *outh *udan, =ambodia /huge antigovernment rallyLtens of thousands, li0e our C8.#8T +illion +arch3, Bengha<i, *outh *udan and +e:ico /so near the G*, so far from )od32 J3 a suicide bombing in a rail station in (olvograd, Bussia /0illing at least !$, raising fears for the Einter Olympics si: wee0 away in *ochi32 D3 Eall *t. and =hina@s princelings2 $3 Aenyang =hina@s *mo0ey +ountains2 ?3 the Bangladesh Bana 'la<a Factory comple: collapse last year, 0illing more than !,!882 C3 a trapped ustralian icebrea0er in ntartica, with about C8 people, being rescued in vain thus far by another ussie vessel plus a man;ue =hinese one trying to helpLin disasters, we are one2 #3 a Beirut car bomb 0illing si:2 "3 =hina local government debt rising to MJ trillion2 and !83 the wea0ening yen in benomics /and freed Bussian Tycoon -hodor0ovs0y@s troubles3. On =HH, , saw the flooding in Eestern ,ndonesia dislocating at least !#,888. Ee >ust had a year with problems but it is not as if the 'hilippines alone had them. Ee had Kolanda and the world showed it cared. Ee are family and li0e any family, may , say in paraphrase of =olumbia 5aw *chool %ean Eilliam Earren, that, we must survive our crises, mend the ruptures of our discord and continue to live and function as a unit. Aundreds of *outh -orean soldiers will stay in =ebu for a year to help build or repair schoolhouses2 there@s no tal0 of national sovereignty. Ehat if they had been -anosI +aybe no problem to dynamic %ic0 )ordon and the Bed =ross of =hina, here to help. 5ord 'almerston said a nation has no permanent friends or enemies, only permanent interests. 5et in the +edecins *ans Frontieres and the =hinese doctors in their hospital ship. , don@t hear the 'rofessional Begulation =ommission or the 'hilippine +edical ssociation complaining, which may be as it should be. Ho sense in loo0ing a gift horse in the mouth. Meral o$s %uletide gift& , hope it will settle for lower profits /'!C.$B 0uno in 68!JI3. The rate hi0e timing was rotten. =hristmas and all. %id +eralco factor in and count on the *upreme =ourt /*=3 being on holiday mode, as in past years, if my memory is trueI

=hief &ustice /=&3 +eilou *ereno /in her *econd dolescence, on the basis of a pi: , saw the other day in the Bulletin3 and =o. deserve 0udos for thwarting an insensitive and un.=hristian scheme by )rinches stealing our season of grace and goodwill. The *= of my youth wor0ed hard even between =hristmas and Hew Kear2 of such ethic , was reminded when our petition /the second, after that filed by may pal and fellow Bedan, Bep. Heri =olmenares N =o3 got for consumers a ;uic0 si:ty.day reprieve. , have been as0ed to help argue later this month. , said Ho as my days as an oral advocate are behind me. ,f insanely insisted upon, , will as0 Bod %omingo, Helson 5oyola, Hards de (era or Buben Fruto to be ready to wal0 over me, after , faint and fallLand carry on. ,ndeed, even savvy and 0nowledgeable 'ete ,lagan /not a lawyer3 of petitioner Hasecore can do the >ob. /The team met for hours on Bi<al %ay in Bod@s office and many gaps in my rate.ma0ing education in *an Beda 5aw O*pan0y 'ere< in TranspoP and Aarvard O%ere0 Bo0 in 4conomic BegulationP were filled2 we@ll meet again after we get the answers to the petitions.3 )overnment, in arguable conflict, is said to own !J percent of +eralco, so government, +(' and -a Oscar Beyes, may , genuflect and plead, 'lease say po it ain@t so and let the good or better times roll. 4ven if to some mini.dinosaur li0e me the times that are would never be as good as the times that were. Ehen +acoy inflicted martial law, one good thing that ensued was the disappearance of the society page. ,t has long been bac0 with a vengeance. Eill the publicity help ma0e a marriage wor0I ,t may not necessarily follow. But, this time, , may be alone in a society cra<y about mobile phone pi:es and selfies. But a +ichigan university agrees with me on selfie. *ee +anila Bulletin, &anuary !, 68!8J, p. $, col. !, and p. !, col. for =& +eilou@s pi:. The 'inoy@s -oda0ia hilig or vice has been worsened by the ubi;uitous mobile phones camera capability. Aow much time do we spendQwaste in pi:.ta0ingI

'he law on arrests and ustody

To arrest is to ta0e someone in custody or not allow him to move on his own. By action or words, the arrester restrains the arrestee from moving anywhere beyond the former@s control. ,t may not be done without a warrant, as a rule.

Our resourceful law enforcers came up with an invitation, particularly on the prodding of the ruling class or royalty. +aaring po ba silang maanyayahanI ,t is an invite not to be refused if e:tended by armed, and maybe burly, policemenLeven if politely, sweetly and smilingly e:tended. -eeping the %asmariRas security guards in l@affaire Binay invited for hours, may have arguably amounted to custodial investigation, which may not be done without a warrant. To prevent such irregularity probably was the intent of +abini stalwart Bobby TaRada when he authored Bepublic ct CDJ#, in our time in the *enate, which says in part7 s used in this ct, Scustodial investigation@ shall include the practice of issuing an invitation@ to a person who is investigated in connection with an offense he is suspected to have committed . . . (ood manners and right ondu t Ehat offenseI The si0yu, who could be impertinent, might have committed lese ma>esteI (eep &o>obama Binay is another stellar +abini stalwart who , am sure has appropriately informed or educated his non.lawyer children and their police escorts about the debatable law, and noblesse oblige. Ealang dugong bughaw sa +a0ati. )anito tayo dito. / nd we do have '% Hos. "$C and !6!? ma0ing Tdonations@ of streets, etc. to the local government unit Scompulsory.@ poor 5)G may refuse cu< it may not be able to maintain the donated space. wealthy developer may donate

claiming it has the wherewithal to so maintain, as is the case in its gated, secured, plutocratic enclaves. ,ndeed Ehen +ayora 4lenita Binay had public transport use %asma, , sued +a0ati, mooted when +a0ati lifted its challenged order. The only legal wor0 , do for %asma now, with 4ddie Aernande< and Helson 5oyola, is trying to get Hapocor and +eralco relocate its pylons carrying 6J8,888 volts from within a few meters of what the residents now call =ancer *t.3 , am sure all concerned have learned lessons from the %asma incident, B CDJ#, the '%s, etc., with which not even lawyers may be familiar with, and )ood +anners and Bight =onduct. But, spoiled public officials and coddled si0yu in such enclaves at times cross the line. But, time to move on to other more important issues. , can see +abini uniting vigorously behind &o>obama if *en. Bongbong +arcos mounts a credible run for the presidency in 68!?, when it will be probably be in fact too soon for him. Today, though, he has not been seen in

Tacloban to give 0in +ayor lfredo a shoulder to cry on. But it is good he has filed a Besolution to loo0 into rec0less driving /a widower.ma0er in my case3. ,f 'Hoy finally creates the human rights compensation board under B !8J?# signed into law last February 6$, in the first ;uarter of 68!D and it ta0es awhile for it to come up with ,mplementing Bules and Begulations the distribution of '!8B will only wind up by 68!$.!?, a negative factor in Bongbong@s campaign, a never.again /F3 reminder to voters of +acoy@s 0leptocratic 0a0istocracy condemned by the world for its gross human rights violations. This '!8.billion bonan<a in the 68!J statute has nothing to do with the much smaller sum being distributed once more by Bob *wift, Bod %omingo and Buben Fruto. The first tranche two years ago was from a recovery from crony &.K. =ampos, the second from (ilma Bautista, one of the Eoman Fridays of ,melda, who we wish well in her current hospital suffering. Ee are on record as favoring house or +etro +anila arrest for )+ . )ive her a wider cage in which to roam. 4rap had rest house arrest after being initially humiliated in an ordinary =amp =rame detention cell. +isery see0s company as , deal with draining health issues myself. 'Hoy has nothing to do with the custody of suspects, accused or felons. The courts, everything. The court can decide where an arrestee may be detained. iling and ageing detainees may be ordered by them to be confined >ust about anywhere. Ho law , am aware of says an arrestee or accused must be detained in our inhuman local >ails with conditions that conduce to turning human beings into brutes. Brutes , am reminded of with the report that bus firms may not use the *0yway because of punitive steps ta0en against one of them for transporting a number to the 'romised 5and. Hot a =hristmassy thought and sentiment. +ay we all have a fine 68!J ending and a great 68!D start. Eith less to:ic *abong &ournalism.

'hrillahs in Manila

On the ta: e:emption proposed for +anny 'ac;uiao /and other winning athletes3, had he been a model citi<en, the e:emption bill might have had an underdog@s chance. But, the =ongressman is competing as top Aouse absentee and has started his own dynasty in +indanao /elected wife and losing brotherOIP in government3. )ood, *pea0er *onny Belmonte disfavors this invidious e:emption discrimination in favor of an arguable ta: cheat. nd what will he do with his savings anywayI

Gnless truly reformed, would he be on a usual bingeI Finance his vices, womani<ing, losing in casinos and coc0pits, funding the lavish parties of his mother /imported %,s from +anila and costume changes3 at a time of great want, etc.I +anny turned J$ this wee0, a rather perilous age for one who indicated that he would ta0e out Bios in two rounds or so but the latter carried the fight to the last teng. Bemember, +anny, first your legs go, then your refle:es, then your friends. +anny@s ta: woes are far from over with Bob rum, a Aarvard 5aw cum laude, saying the ,B* papers are on their way from the G.*. By snail mailI -im Aenares says the B,B started raising ;uestions more than two years ago. 'ac;uiao =anadian adviser +i0e -onc< now says with more candor that a compromise with the ta:man is being wor0ed out on e:emptions to reduce +anny@s liability. *o what@s the real dealI *ettlement may be the way to go. Ta: e:emption for +anny may spur more of the young to go into the +anly rt of +odified +urder /Bill +c)eehan3 and ris0 >oining &oshua )arcia, the high school student in an athletic meet declared first as brain dead and then very, very dead. +aybe +anny can visit the reportedly financially strapped )arcias with a generous cash gift. Brain damage Aow much damage has +anny@s brain sufferedI Ho one 0nows but any hard blow to the head must sha0e it. Ee don@t want anyone shuffling and stuttering li0e +uhammad li, he of the outstanding physi;ue when he started. +anny may or may not have a longer unscheduled siesta in his ne:t fight. For an even bigger bout, a 68!J.!D reprise of the !"C$ near.death Thrilla in +anila between 'retty Boy li and *mo0in@ &oe Fra<ier, covered by *mo0in@ &oe =antada and refereed by *onny 'adilla. The un.elected *upreme =ourt /*=3 may 0noc0 out the elected Aouse in that the latter may not continue to ignore the son of a &ustice as the one to represent +arindu;ue 1 as a grave abuse of discretion /) %3. This is one area where a new =onstitution should clarify the situation. , have always agreed with =hief &ustice Berting =oncepcion that ) % should apply only to a martial law situation, e.g., the military refusing to release a successful habeas corpus petitioner unless +acoy recalled his arrest order / rrest *earch and *ei<ure Order O **OP, 'residential =ommitment Order O'=OP, or 'reventive %etention ction O'% P. *hoc0ingly, the *= ruled self.servingly that it could decide where a petrochemical plant should be located, or prevent the sale of +anila Aotel to aliens, who own and run our better hotel chains. *= may also mean *ecretive =ourt. '.%. Ho. !"D" of !"#D created the &udiciary %evelopment Fund /&%F3. The money stripped from the hides of plaintiffs goes to where collected for the benefit of local personnel and for local infrastructure.

, wonder how much has been collected by +anila since !"#D as such &%F. ,ts courthouse is a disgrace and some casuals would tell me years ago they were paid but a few thousands monthly. , have as0ed my studes to see0 the answer on the &%F from the =ommission on udit, +anila courts /Begional and +etropolitan Trial =ourt 4:ecutive &udges3, the offices of the *upreme =ourt /*=3 =hief &ustice or *po0esman Teddy Te, and the =ourt of ppeals 'residing &ustice 1 and get a mid.term passing grade on which to build. *po0esman Teddy should tell us when the *= started going online on the &%F /so secretive this *= would even give rulings only to parties or their counsel as ==B 5aw and , found out to our grief in one case we dueled in before settling3. *ecret decrees *en. Tanny TaRada, be *armiento and +abini 0noc0ed off in pril !"#$ even via a +acoy *= but where do we ta0e the *=I There is no secrecy on aid to Tacloban, whose Thrillah was between *ec. +ar Bo:as and +ayor lfredo Bomualde< that went viral. Ehen there is a computer hit, , would only ta0e it to mean somebody has read and reacted to some development but may not, without more, indicate concurrence, dissent or what.not. Aappy AolidaysF nd that includes )+ who should be put on house or +etro +anila arrest. lso, &anet Hapoles, who should not be mi:ed with common detainees lest she grab some gun and be sent to the 'romised 5and 1 where 'eter O@Toole and &oan Fontaine are now, a better world 1 the possible hope and dream of some por0 abusers. %ead people tell no tales. 'eter thrilled us in 5awrence of rabia and &oan, in Bebecca /5ast night, , dreamt , went to +anderley again. . . .3. nd now 68!J +iss ,nt@l Bea Bose proves that when they made )emma =ru<, they did not throw away the mold. Eotta thrillah.

Revilla dares Aquino: Tell the truth, Boy Tango

)B*% '+,(*.) Revilla alls -resident +.uino /Boy 'ango/ for supposedly refusing to answer his laims about the se ret impea hment meetings, and using Benhur 0uy to a use his father of involvement in the por1 barrel s am. File photo by +le2 ,uevaespa3a45enate -R6B

M+,60+, -hilippines 7 8at h out for the se.uel of 96to Ba +ng Daang Matuwid&:

5enator Ramon 9Bong: Revilla ;r said he will deliver a se ond privilege spee h ne2t wee1 after -resident Benigno +.uino 666 denied as1ing him to onvi t former <hief ;usti e Renato <orona.

+t the same time, the senator referred to the -resident as /Boy 'ango,/ a sar asti stress on his silen e on what really transpired during their se ret meeting with 6nterior 5e retary Manuel Ro2as 66 in =>?=.

Bakit siya nandoon in the first place, tapos hinahayaan niyang si Secretary Mar magsalita about the impeachment? Ano siya tango lang nang tango? Ano siya si Boy Tango? Ang punto lang natin dito, maging totoo lang tayo.

(8hy was he there in the first pla e and now @ust leave 5e retary Mar to e2plain about the impea hment& 8hat is he doing @ust nodding& 6s he Mr ,od& *ur only point here is let$s be honest.)

Revilla earlier derisively alled Ro2as /Boy -i 1#up/ be ause he was the one who fet hed Revilla and drove him to the -resident)s residen e for the meeting.

Manipulating key witness?

'he a tor#turned#senator said he will deliver a privilege spee h again after prin ipal whistleblower Benhur 0uy alleged that his father, former 5enator Ramon Revilla 5r, was also involved in the por1 barrel s am. (RA+D Rappler)s report on the wealth of the old man Revilla)

;usti e 5e retary 0eila de 0ima said the ,ational Bureau of 6nvestigation (,B6) will study the possibility of filing a omplaint against Revilla)s father if 0uy is willing to e2e ute a sworn statement. 5he said she will as1 the ,B6 if 0uy mentioned the allegation before.

6n an interview on 8ednesday, ;anuary ==, Revilla a a usation.

used Mala a3ang of /manipulating: 0uy to ma1e the

9 akikita natin sinususian nila ano ang gustong sabihin ng !histleblo!er,: Revilla said. 9"i na nila ginalang ang aking ama na matanda na, maysakit, naka#!heelchair. akakalungkot. $ala talaga silang puso.:

(8e see they are really ontrolling what the whistleblowers will say. 'hey have no respe t for my father who is old, si 1ly and wheel hair#bound. 6t$s sad. 'hey have no heart.)

Revilla said +.uino and the -ala e resorted to impli ating his father to over up the allegations he made in his privilege spee h on Monday.

'he senator had said +.uino spe ifi ally as1ed him to onvi t <orona during a se ret meeting in Mala a3ang, a harge the -resident denied. +.uino said he only met with Revilla and B other senatorsto as1 them to vote based on the merits of the ase.

Revilla responded, 9%"i ba siya kinikilabutan sa sinasabi niyang !ala siyang sinabi sa akin? Bilib na sana ako sa kanya, inamin niyang hinarap niya ang mga senador.:

(6sn$t he getting goosebumps with what he)s saying that he didn$t tell me anything& 6 was almost impressed with him for admitting he met with senators.)

Revilla fa es a plunder omplaint for allegedly siphoning off his -riority Development +ssistan e Fund (-D+F) to non#governmental organiCations of alleged s am mastermind ;anet 0im ,apoles in e2 hange for -==D.E? million in 1i 1ba 1s.

Daan na angin ang dulo

Revilla also responded to +.uino$s barb during the groundbrea1ing of the 51yway 5tage B on 8ednesday. +.uino too1 a swipe at Revilla while hailing the pro@e t.

+.uino said, 9&indi pinanday ng pantasya, at mas lalong hindi ga!a#ga!a na parang eksena sa isang pelikula ' totoo at kongkretong mga proyekto ang hatid ng ating tu!id at mabuting pamamahala para sa kapakanan ng sambayanang (ilipino.:

(6t was not fabri ated by fantasy nor is it made up li1e a s ene in a movie 7 it)s a real and on rete pro@e t that is brought by our honest and good government for the benefit of the Filipino people.)

Revilla lashed ba 1F 9Anong tu!id na daan ang sinasabi niya? "aan na bangin ang dulo&: (8hat straight and narrow path is he tal1ing about& + path with a ravine at the end&)

Manindigan tayo sa tama, sagutin niya ang dapat niyang sagutin at sasagutin ko rin ang dapat kong sagutin. Ang amin nasa korte na. Ang kanya, sagutin niya ng tama. &u!ag kung anu#ano sinasabi niya.

("e should stand for what is right, answer what he needs to address, and 6 will answer what 6 need to address. *ur ase is in the ourts. +s for him, he should answer the allegations and not say all these things.)

)5* "A+R'0A55.) 5enator Bong Revilla says it is heartless for Mala a3ang and 0uy to drag his father into the por1 barrel s am. File photo by +le2 ,uevaespa3a45enate -R6B

! have to ask dad

+fter his privilege spee h, Revilla had said that it was a huge relief to air his side (binunutan ng tinik sa lalamunan). %et he said the new allegations against his father worsened his ordeal.

*n 8ednesday, the (hilippine "aily )n*uirer .uoted 0uy as saying that the GH#year#old former senator and a tor also give his -D+F to ,apoles ,(*s between =>>B and =>>D.

9(arang tinarakan na naman nila ako ng sibat. Binalik uli nila,: Revilla ;r said. (6t$s as if they stabbed me again. 'hey brought ba 1 the pain.)

Revilla .uestioned the timing of 0uy$s allegations against his father. "e said his lawyers are studying possible legal a tion against 0uy.

Bakit ngayon lang niya sinabi iyan. $hy only no!? )nin+ol+e na ang anak ko, si Bryan, pati ang father ko, baka ang susunod niyan apo ko na, he retorted.

(8hy is he saying that only now& 8hy only now& 'hey already involved my son Bryan, now my father. 8ho is ne2t, my grand hild&)

Rappler earlier reported that the senator$s eldest son 0eonard Bryan Bautista o#owned a business with ,apoles$ son, ;ames <hristopher ,apoles, and her nephew Ronald 0im ;r. 5enator Revilla though said the business was a 9legal underta1ing: and des ribed the story as 9mali ious.:

For all his lamentations, Revilla said he will have to as1 his father if the allegations are true. "e said Revilla 5r did not mention anything about the issue to him.

,asi -di naman maglalakas ng loob -yun kung may nilagay siyang pondo kay

apoles. Bakit maglalakas siya ng loob

sabihin sa akin, .Anak magsalita ka na. )paglaban mo ang katotohanan% kung meron siyang tinatago? Bakit niya sasabihin sa akin -yun?

("e would not have the heart to tell me to tell the truth if he gave funds to ,apoles. 8hy will he say, !5on, fight for the truth$ if he is hiding something& 8hy would he tell me that&)

Revilla said he as1ed his household members to stage a 9news bla 1out: so his father will not 1now about the )n*uirer report. "e said he would go to his father after leading the prayer during the 5enate session.

+s1ed what he will say in his se ond spee h, Revilla said, 95urprise.:

No significant progress in PHL on human rights as media killings surge HRW By + B- +4BG4U *, )+ Hews&anuary 6J, 68!D 67!#am Re"o##end H

'agsF media 0illings /Gpdated 67DD p.m.3 The ;uino administration has failed to ma0e any Vsignificant progressV last year to address impunity, even as !6 media practitioners were 0illed in 68!J, according to a ??C.page annual report by international group Auman Bights Eatch.

ABE reviewed human rights practices in more than "8 countries for 68!J.

,n its report on the human rights situation in the 'hilippines, the ABE ac0nowledged among others the enactment of Bepublic ct Ho. !8J?!, which protects the rights of !." million domestic wor0ers.

+eanwhile, some !.$ million overseas Filipino wor0ers are e:pected to get protection when the 'hilippines ratified last year the ,nternational 5abor Organi<ation@s %omestic Eor0ers =onvention Ho. !#".

VThe ;uino administration, however, has not made significant progress on its pledge to e:pedite the investigation and prosecution OofP e:tra>udicial 0illings, torture, and enforced disappearances, among other serious violations of human rights,V the ABE said.

ccording to the group, !6 >ournalists were 0illed in 68!J, bringing the total number of members of the media 0illed to 6? since 'resident Benigno ;uino ,,, assumed office in &une 68!8.

The body count of Filipino >ournalists spea0s volumes for the wide gap between the ;uino government@s rhetoric in addressing rights problems and the reality on the ground, said 'helim -ine, deputy sia ABE director.

'olice have arrested suspects in only si: of the 6? cases of media 0illings. Of these cases, the government has only secured convictions in two cases only, the ABE said.

These two cases involved the 0illings of 'alawan.based radio commentator and environmentalist )erardo V)erryV Ortega on &anuary 6D, 68!!, and >ournalist Bowell 4ndrinal on February !!, 688D. *till, in those two cases, the masterminds remained at large, the group added.

The ;uino administration has said all the right things about ending abuses in the 'hilippines, but what@s missing is the political will to translate those promises into action, -ine said.

-ala e disagrees

+alacaRang, however, said the ;uino administration has made several efforts to address impunity in the country.

V ng dire0tiba po sa Ogovernment agenciesP ay pag.ibayuhin iyong pagsisiyasat at paghahanap sa mga gumawa ng mga 0rimeng ito, dahil hindi naman po natin mapapahintulutan iyong paggawa ng 0arahasan laban sa mga >ournalists, at laban sa mga nagtatrabaho bilang mga peryodista and in the e:ercise of freedom of e:pression and freedom of the press,V 'residential =ommunications Operations Office head Aerminio V*onnyV =oloma &r. said during a press briefing on Thursday.

mong the steps they have ta0en, he said, are the changes in the rules of court which will hasten litigation.

Ae said the 'hilippine Hational 'olice and other law enforcement agencies have also committed to arrest those responsible for media 0illings.

=oloma added that 'resident Benigno ;uino ,,, has also issued a directive to authorities to address the proliferation of loose firearms in the country.

VHahagi ito doon sa continuing efforts to stem the tide of violence against >ournalists and against persons in general,V he said.

"R8 ites govt lash with M,0F, Maguindanao massa re

The rights group also said the *eptember 68!J armed clash between government forces and members of the +oro Hational 5iberation Front had resulted in violations of international law by both sides, including the use of human shields by rebels.

The group also claimed spea0ing with detainees in government custody, including children, who said they were either tortured or ill.treated while being held.

The group also observed that 0illings by death s;uads in urban centers including +etro +anila, %avao =ity, and 9amboanga =ity remained a Vserious problemV in 68!J.

VEhile there has been a notable decline in e:tra>udicial 0illings under the ;uino administration, they remain a serious problem and rarely result in a prosecution,V the ABE said.

The report also highlighted the Vgrowing impatienceV of families of victims of the Hovember 6J, 688" +aguindanao massacre over the four.year murder trial.

ABE, however, ac0nowledged that the ;uino administration still made progress in Vone of the countryWs most emblematic cases of impunityVLthe surrender in October of rmy +a>. Aarry Baliaga &r, a prime suspect in the enforced disappearance of political activist &onas Burgos in 688C.

Ehile also lauding the creation of a so.called VsuperbodyV to e:pedite the investigation of e:tralegal 0illings, the ABE claimed that the body has remained inactive during much of 68!J.

The group also mentioned the high courtWs suspension of the Besponsible 'arenthood and Beproductive Aealth ct, as well as the territorial rift between =hina and the 'hilippines over disputed territory in the *outh =hina *ea.

Alleged ri"e s#uggler ad#its using du##ies

)<**- F6,+,<6AR.) 5enate +gri ulture <ommittee <hairperson <ynthia Iillar gets Davidson Bangayan (leftmost) to admit that he was a finan ier of farmers) ooperatives in what Iillar alled an illegal s heme to import ri e. Rappler photo

M+,60+, -hilippines 7 'he man a

used of being a top ri e smuggler admitted to using farmers$ ooperatives to

import ri e, a pra ti e that senators said is illegal.

6n a 5enate hearing on ri e smuggling on 8ednesday, ;anuary ==, businessman Davidson Bangayan admitted to transa ting with a ertain 8illy 5y, whom past 5enate witnesses have identified as a bro1er dealing with ooperatives. Bangayan is suspe ted of being the same person as notorious ri e smuggler David 'an.

8hile Bangayan did not all the ooperatives his 9dummies,: agri ulture ommittee hairperson 5enator <ynthia Iillar e2plained that in the s heme, finan iers and bro1ers tap farmers$ ooperatives and groups as 9fronts: to se ure ri e importation permits. 'he ommittee first un overed the s heme in the ?Eth <ongress.

Jsing information from the past 5enate investigation, Iillar got Bangayan to admit finan ing farmers$ ooperatives. "e also admitted his ties with persons and ompanies that the ooperatives lin1ed to the s heme.

96 entered into a @oint venture with some ooperatives and farmers groups,: Bangayan said. 96t$s an industry pra ti e. 6n =>?=, they opened Kthe Minimum + @oin. 6t is open to all.: ess Iolume programL to all willing, eligible parti ipants. ,ormally, the oops

%et Iillar said she found the set#up illegal.

9%ou give permits for farmer ooperatives to benefit. 6t$s not supposed to be given to other people. 'he mere fa t is that they gave these to others. +nd then when there are violations, it$s the farmers$ oops that get sued. 'he one who really benefits from importation goes s ot free. 'hat is wrong,: Iillar said in an interview after the hearing.

Iillar added that she was not aware this was already an 9industry pra ti e.: 5he said it would be up to the @usti e department to determine its legality and prose ute those involved.

During the hearing, Bangayan said his business is trading metal and agri ultural produ ts, in luding ri e.

Bangayan admitted that he employed 5y on a per#pro@e t basis.

Iillar said, 96f we tra e 8illy 5y, a witness in the last investigation pinpointed him as a bro1er of 5tar raft 7 that is the importer that was aught in Davao.:

'he senator was referring to 5tar raft 6nternational 'rading <orporation, a ma@or ri e importer whose shipments were put on hold in Davao <ity for la 1 of an import permit.

Iillar got Bangayan to admit the addresses of his ompanies, whi h mat hed with those in the in orporation papers of businesses that witnesses lin1ed to him.

Bangayan$s lawyer, Benito 5alaCar, also admitted that he is ounsel for 5tar raft.

'his prompted 5enate Ma@ority 0eader +lan -eter <ayetano to say, 9%ou an see where this is going. 'here are too many oin iden es, so we$re he 1ing.:

Iillar on ludedF 98e established the relationship between ri e importation and Davidson Bangayan. 'hat$s the intent of this ommittee. 8hether he is David 'an or Davidson Bangayan is important to the Department of ;usti e.:

)<*MA *,.) 5enate Minority 0eader ;uan -on e Anrile tells David Bangayan he is lying, saying there are do uments proving the businessman is the ri e smuggler David 'an. -hoto by ;oe +raCas45enate -R6B

$nrile to Bangayan: %oure lying

Aarly on in the hearing, Bangayan de lared, 9My name is Davidson Bangayan. 6$m not David 'an.:

%et ;usti e 5e retary 0eila de 0ima presented ourt do uments that she said bolstered the laim of the ,ational Bureau of 6nvestigation (,B6) that Bangayan is David 'an.

De 0ima said the do uments were from a libel ase Bangayan filed against ;esus +rranCa, hairman of the Federation of -hilippine 6ndustries (F-6). 'he @usti e hief said that in his affidavit and atta hment, Bangayan referred to himself as 9a1a David 'an.:

96n the affidavits they e2e uted, witnesses said David Bangayan is David 'an, also 1nown as D'. 'hey said D' pays the fees re.uired by the ,ational Food +uthority, and shoulders the airfare and a ooperatives during bidding,: De 0ima added. ommodation of representatives of

96n e2 hange for the benefits from 'an, the ooperatives allow D' to use them as fronts in bidding Keven ifL D' has the dis retion in the sale and distribution of ri e,: she added.

5enate Minority 0eader ;uan -on e Anrile is also onvin ed that Bangayan is 'an, saying he 1new about the libel ase the businessman filed against +rranCa. Anrile also handed over do uments about Bangayan to Iillar.

Anrile told BangayanF 9*h ome on, nagsisinungaling ka dito eh/ Sabihin mo na ang totoo kundi makukulong ka. "ere are your names and your ompanies.: (%ou are lying. 'ell the truth or you will be detained.)

Anrile also ited a omplaint that the F-6 re eived from a 5ingaporean firm against a ompany of David 'an for supposedly failing to fulfill a ontra t to supply s rap metal.

Anrile told BangayanF 9%ou)re involved in an arbitration ase in 5ingapore. )"i ka p!ede magsinungaling. )kukulong ka ni 0ee Muan %ew.: (%ou annot lie. 0ee Muan %ew will put you in @ail.)

+rranCa also testified that Bangayan sued him for libel after he mentioned the businessman$s name in the media in relation to the 5ingaporean ase.

96n the ase, no one refuted that David 'an and David Bangayan are one and the same. 6t$s only this time he is denying. 6 have nothing against the person. 6 am doing this only as a itiCen and president of the federation to prote t the interest of the industry,: he said.

&enators want to invite Duterte

6n the hearing, Bangayan admitted to having a fertiliCer business in Davao <ity but denied that his family is from there. +s1ed about details of his shipments and warehouse in Davao, Bangayan said he will have to he 1 his re ords first.

5enator (ra e -oe re.uested the ommittee to invite Davao <ity Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, who is tra 1ing down alias David 'an in Davao. Duterte had threatened to 1ill smugglers in the ity.

Iillar said the ommittee is open to issuing an invitation to Duterte. 5he said the ommittee will ontinue its probe into the other smugglers named by witnesses.

5enator ;I A@er ito vowed to file a bill lassifying ri e smuggling as e onomi sabotage.

A@er ito said it is not only David 'an who is behind ri e smuggling, omparing him to alleged por1 barrel s am mastermind ;anet 0im ,apoles.

-"i ako nani!alang mag#isa lang si Bangayan. ,ayo ang nadidiin, parang apoles ng smuggling.: (6 don$t believe Bangayan is the only one doing this. %ou)re @ust the one under fire, the ,apoles of smuggling.) 'Rappler("o#