Comelec rethinks manual poll count Sec. Agra now back to fighting ...

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A 6 news The ˜Manila Times TUESDAY April 27, 2010 One dead, thousands homeless in QC slum fire ONE person died and thousands were left homeless when a fire tore through a shanty town in the Philippine capital, authorities said on Monday. Sunday’s blaze, likely started by a faulty power line, raged for more than seven hours and destroyed hundreds of homes in a depressingly familiar scene for the crowded city, where fires regularly engulf densely populated slums. Obet Madarang, an aide to the ■ CHEATED FROM A1 Agra cheated in law school aggravated by the criticisms. On Monday at the flag ceremony of Justice department personnel, he declared: “I stand by that decision and the process I went through to arrive at it . . . I bow neither to political dictates nor to public opinion.” He admitted to being a crybaby but said won’t quit his post. “’Di po ako magbibitiw sa aking posisyon, Wala akong balak atrasan ang mga hamon sa aking opisina . . . .matibay si Al Agra kahit iyakin [I will not resign from my position and I have no intention to back off from the challenges of my office. Al Agra is durable even if he cries],” Agra added. But then this isn’t the first time Agra has had to endure the ire of his fellow men of justice, and closest buddies in law school. Two decades ago, one of his professors at the Ateneo de Manila Law School also got infuriated after discovering that Agra and six of his friends had exactly the same wrong answers in an exam—down to the decimal points. To their teacher, that was hint enough that the students had cheated. “It was a scandal at the time,” said an Ateneo staffer privy to the incident but who declined to be named. “There were about 100 students who took the exam. Agra and his classmates were accused of cheating by their professor who had them investigated.” The case reached the dean’s office and went all the way up to the office of the university president, said the staffer. Agra won’t reply Over the last five days, the PCIJ had tried to get Agra’s side of the issue. On Thursday he told the PCIJ over the phone that he prefers a face-to-face interview early this week. On Friday, via a text message, the PCIJ requested him to fix the date, time and venue of the interview. The PCIJ called again. Agra said he had changed his mind about the face-to-face interview and would now prefer to answer questions via email, with a promise to send his reply by Sunday. The PCIJ sent a reminder text on Monday, and Agra texted back, “will e-mail later today.” At the close of office hours 5 p.m. Monday, Agra had not done so. Two other Ateneo personnel interviewed separately by PCIJ corroborate the staffer’s story. They also say it was the final exam in the Law of Wills and Succession subject under then professor Avelino Sebastian Jr. Sebastian, who has retired from teaching at the Ateneo, in a recent phone interview with the PCIJ neither confirmed nor denied that Agra was among those he had found cheating in his class. Nonetheless, according to one of the Ateneo personnel, the incident happened in 1988 when Agra was on his third year in law school. As a result, Agra had to retake the class, which meant he could not graduate with the rest of his batch. Originally belonging to Batch ’89, he graduated in 1990 and passed the bar the following year. But Agra would redeem himself from his rather unpleasant academic past, establishing himself early in his career as a defender of the defenseless. Unfortunately, said his present critics, he later moved to the other side of the fence and became a defender of a highly unpopular but impeachmentproof president, Gloria Arroyo. In the late 1980s, though, the then young lawyer was earning praise from activists for, among other things, helping found and later heading the non-government organization Saligan ng Alternatibong Lingap Panlegal (Saligan). Saligan is an Ateneo-based alternative lawyers’ group catering to the needs of the poor and marginalized sectors of society. A do-gooder “He was respected as one of the founders of Saligan,” said lawyer Marlon Manuel who had worked with Agra as a law student-intern and later replaced the latter as Saligan’s executive director after 1994. “He was very committed in his work. As an alternative lawyer, he worked for social justice and human rights. Everybody in our group looked up to him.” Efficient s’ya talaga [He is very efficient],” said Saligan lawyer Raissa Jajurie, who began working with Agra when she was still a law student in 1989. “While driving his car he would have a notepad with him, jotting down things that he didn’t want to forget. Kumbaga sa karpintero [Like a carpenter], he was the one who built the house.” Jajurie added: “He jumpstarted the operations of the organization. I would like to think that he was sincere in founding Saligan.” Former education secretary and Liberal Party (LP) general campaign manager Florencio “Butch” Abad.” who is also among Saligan’s founders, described the young Agra as “one of the idealistic lawyers that we had.” “He worked pro bono for poor people who could not afford legal expenses for their cases,” said Abad. But while labor law was one of Agra’s early interests, he would branch out to local governance and election laws. These led him to dealing with influential politicians who sought lawyers specializing in these legal fields. Eventually, Agra would wind up doing what his colleagues in alternative lawyering would consider highly objectionable. During the Estrada administration, Agra got involved in local governance work and had then Mayor Jose “Jinggoy” Estrada of San Juan City, who was also national president of the League of Municipalities of the Philippines, as his client. In 2004, Agra became the election lawyer of the K-4 coalition made up of the then ruling party Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats, Liberal Party, Nationalist People’s Coalition and the Nacionalista Party. The coalition pushed for the presidential candidacy of Gloria Arroyo, who by then had occupied Malacañang for three years. Many doubted President Arroyo’s 2004 poll victory because of lingering allegations of widespread fraud as a result of the highly publicized “Hello, Garci” wiretapping scandal in 2005. Switched to Gloria side Subsequent events would finally bring Agra to President Arroyo’s turf. Following then LP president Franklin Drilon’s 2005 call for President Arroyo to resign over allegations of massive cheating in the 2004 polls, a faction of the party led by Mrs. Arroyo’s ally, Lito Atienza, broke away from Drilon’s group and elected Atienza as the faction’s new president. The Drilon and Atienza factions became locked up in a legal battle that began at the Commission on Elections (Comelec) and ended up at the Supreme Court. In mayor of Quezon City where the fire occurred, said one person was confirmed to have died, while four others were injured. He said 2,600 families, equating to about 15,000 people, had lost their homes at Tatalon and were now in desperate need of relief assistance in sprawling Metro Manila’s most populous city. “We have enough food but we are lacking drinking water and portable toilets,” Madarang told Agence France-Presse as a huge line of people queued up for assistance close to the charred remains of their houses. One woman who lost her home, May Llegue, 28, said survivors appreciated the food but were worried about many other necessities that the government had yet to provide. “We are happy with the food. But NOTE: This NTP was supposed to be published last Saturday, April 24, 2010 and was not published due to an error by The Manila Times. March 2006, Agra agreed to become the legal counsel of Drilon’s group. Yet after a few days, Agra withdrew from the case without explaining his decision, according to Drilon’s camp. “I remember [Agra] telling us that he had decided to help us dahil prinsipyo na ang pinag-uusapan dito [because we are talking about principle here],” said LP Director General Jose Luis Martin “Chito” Gascon. “We filed the case at the Comelec on March 3, Friday, then he withdrew Monday. GMA [Gloria Macapagal Arroyo] got to him over the weekend.” While Agra supposedly kept mum about his reasons for leaving Drilon’s group, some of those privy to what had happened believe his decision had something to do with his then 14-year-old daughter, who at the time was already a globetrotting champion tennis player. “He [Agra] is a family man,” a politician said. “His life revolves around his daughter. I think he was afraid that his daughter who was then getting some support or scholarship from the government would be affected if [he did not] withdraw from defending Drilon’s LP.” Another politician seconds this and said: “He really wanted his daughter to excel. He was afraid that his daughter might lose support if he goes against the government.” Tennis fanatic, too Agra is a known tennis fanatic who fully supports his daughter’s dream of becoming a world-class athlete. “We look at this as a family project which requires a commitment from each and every one of us. We talk regularly, and assess [my daughter’s] progress on a regular basis,” Agra told writer Stephanie Coyiuto of The Philippine Star in August 2006, when asked about how he was supporting his daughter’s tennis career. Agra is president of the Futures Tennis Scholarship Foundation Inc. that was established in June 2001, documents obtained by the PCIJ from the Securities and Exchange Commission showed. Agra’s wife, Evangeline, is the foundation’s treasurer. The other officers and trustees are Liza Go; Luisito Hipolito; Victoriano Naluz Jr.; Domingo Feliciano; and Remegio Flores. The foundation holds office at the Medical Plaza in San Miguel Avenue, Pasig City. In its 2001 to 2003 progress report, the foundation said its goal is “to promote the development of the sport of tennis by providing assistance and support to its beneficiaries particularly outstanding junior tennis players.” It also “provides assistance to underprivileged, deserving and promising tennis players as well as extend support to coaches and tennis professionals” and “undertakes programs and projects for grassroots development and formation of players for international competition.” The foundation’s financial statements showed that from 2002 to 2006, its “cash donation and contribution income” amounted to P5.88 million, including P1.141 million in 2002; P1.444 million in 2003; P2.111 million in 2004; P690,000 in 2005; and P489,250 in 2006. Donors galore Among the corporate donors listed in the foundation’s 2001 to 2003 progress report were the government-controlled Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor); the International Container Terminal Services Inc. (ICTSI) of President Arroyo ally Enrique Razon Jr.; the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co.; Smart Communications; and San Miguel Corp. The foundation has launched “special projects and entered into partnership arrangements with corporate sponsors,” according to the organization’s progress report. Among these was a Memorandum of Agreement with Mandaluyong City that provided the foundation with funds “sourced from the Philippine Development Assistance Fund earmarked by the Office of Senator Francis Pangilinan.” In July 2006, Agra’s daughter won the International Junior Champ prize in the Girls Double Event Tennis Competition in Egypt. The following month, she paid President Arroyo a courtesy call in Malacañang. what we need is bedding because there are many children who have no place to sleep. And we need medical assistance for the elderly,” she said. Madarang said illegal power lines that slum dwellers typically set up were the likely cause of the fire. “A lot of people are illegally tapping the power lines. That was also believed to have been the cause of the last fire here six years ago,” he said. Nearly four million people in Metro Manila, about 35 percent of By then, Agra was serving as President Arroyo’s lawyer during the impeachment proceedings at the House of Representatives. In the same the city’s population, live in slums, according to the United Nations. Fires often rip through them, but the resilient slum dwellers are known to rebuild their homes and lives nearly as quickly as they are destroyed. On Monday, vegetable dealer Melinda Resti, 49, had already reopened her store even though the rest of her building had been consumed by the blaze. “The whole second floor and the back of the store were lost. We barely have a roof. But the storefront wasn’t year, Agra also stood as legal counsel of Sigaw ng Bayan, a group identified with the administration that led the call for Charter change (Cha-cha) through a people’s initiative and took their petition to the Supreme Court. Manuel, then among the lawyers opposing Cha-cha, recalled that during the oral argument at the Supreme Court, he found his group and Agra on opposite sides. “I remember Butch [Abad] jokingly telling Al before the hearing at the Supreme Court that he should sit with us and not at the opposite side,” said Manuel. Conflict of interest In March 2007, President Arroyo appointed Agra as head of the Office of the Government Corporate Counsel, and then later as chief regulator of the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System, a post that he relinquished in June 2008 because of allegations of conflict of interest. Since 1993, Agra has served as a professor at the Ateneo Law School handling classes on the 1991 Local Government Code, Law on Public/Government Corporations, Administrative Law, and Law on Public Officers. In January 2010, Agra assumed the post of Solicitor General and became concurrent acting Justice secretary in March. Sitting on an interim basis in the eightman Judicial and Bar Council (JBC), Agra was the body’s only member who did not support its opposition to the Supreme Court’s ruling that allows President Arroyo to appoint a new chief justice despite the ban on midnight appointments during her final three months in office. Agra even filed a separate comment that asked the High Court to fill up all vacancies in the Judiciary during her final months in Malacañang. Only this month, Manuel’s Alternative Lawyers Group, a coalition of 17 alternative lawyers’ organizations and which Agra also helped organize, sought the acting Justice secretary’s inhibition from the JBC’s deliberations on the nominees for the next chief justice. Manuel said that Agra’s participation would compromise the JBC’s independence because as Solicitor General, Agra has also consistently defended the government’s position on President Arroyo’s authority to appoint a new chief justice. Also, this month, Agra issued a resolution exonerating suspended Gov. Zaldy Ampatuan of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) and Mayor Akmad Ampatuan Sr. of Mamasapano, Maguindanao of their involvement in the November 23 massacre of 57 people in Maguindanao. Agra’s resolution triggered protests not only among families of the victims of the Maguindanao massacre, but also among state prosecutors who are now asking their superior to “revisit” his resolution. “Otherwise, we dishonor the primary reason for which our institution exists and its very name: the Department of Justice,” said Chief State Prosecutor Claro Arellano. Disappointed friends Meanwhile, his former Saligan colleagues can’t help but get disappointed with the acts and pronouncements of someone who was once their mentor. “I don’t have any ideas about what had happened to him,” said Manuel. “He used to be one of us.” “I feel sad and perplexed,” said Jajurie. “Four months na lang siya sa posisyon niya, di naman siya magtutuloy beyond June 2010 [He will only be at his post for four months; he won’t be there beyond June 2010]. Why did he have to do that?” Yet those who see Agra as being a “fall guy” of sorts in his decision to exonerate two of the Ampatuans in the massacre discern a similarity with the role he ended up playing in the law school exam scandal. While all seven friends were accused of cheating, it was only Agra who bore the brunt of the group’s supposed wrongdoing. “Sa totoo lang, nakakaawa si Agra [The truth is, Agra was pitiful],” said one of the Ateneo personnel interviewed by PCIJ. “All of them cheated but it was only Agra who admitted the wrongdoing. Because he had no influence at the time, he became the sacrificial lamb.” The Ateneo insider said that most, if not all, of Agra’s six friends who were absolved of cheating, had money or influence or both, which got them off the hook. One was even a senator’s son. Agra, himself from a relatively well-off family, actually didn’t voluntarily admit that he was guilty of cheating, said the insider. “There were just two of them left who were then still being investigated,” recounted the Ateneo staffer. “There [had to] be someone penalized [for the cheating] or else the school’s disciplinary system would collapse or it would look like it was the professor who accused them who was the real problem.” “Thus the two were told that one of them must admit to cheating or both of them will fail,” said the staffer. “It was only Agra who admitted to cheating, thus he flunked the subject.” burned,” she said. Nearby, Mila Balanza, 53, kept a sharp watch over the remains of her food store, saying she feared some people would take advantage of the fire to take over her space. “I hardly have anything left. Even the few items in my store were looted,” she said. “But I will not leave, no matter what happens. I will be back. I already bought some cheap lumber so I can quickly start the rebuilding.” AFP ■ FIGHTING FROM A1 In fighting mood two members of the influential Amptuan clan of their criminal liabilities in the Maguindanao mass murder. Speaking before officials and employees of the Department of Justice after flag-raising, Agra announced that he neither would inhibit himself from the review of his controversial resolution nor create a panel of prosecutors to review it as he earlier announced. Instead, he said that he would exercise his prerogative as Justice chief to review the case and would come up with a final ruling this week on a motion for reconsideration (MR) that had been filed by counsels of the families of the Maguindanao massacre’s 57 victims. “It is my intention to release the resolution of the MR this week. Political timing, as has been suggested, plays no part in my strict schedule. Those who know me know that delay is not my style,” Agra added. He said that he would consult prosecutors involved and take their opinions and observations under advisement, and give their recommendations utmost weight and consideration. Support for Agra Most of those who attended the morning program wore white as an expression of continued support for Agra, also the concurrent Solicitor General. Agra, who was unaware of his subordinates’ move to surprise him by coming out in full force during the flag-raising, thanked them for standing by him. “Di po ako magbibitiw sa aking posisyon, Wala akong balak atrasan ang mga hamon sa aking opisina . . . matibay si Al Agra kahit iyakin [I will not resign from my position and I have no intention to back off from the challenges of my office. Al Agra is durable even if he cries],” he said. Pending this week’s release of a new resolution addressing the motion for reconsideration of the aggrieved parties, Agra added, he would no longer make any public pronouncement and would instead devote his time to consulting the concerned prosecutors on the motion, and dealing with other pending cases at the Justice department. He disclosed that when he was appointed acting Justice secretary more than a month ago, there were some 9,000 pending cases, a number of them dating back to the 1990s. Agra said that he wants to cut this backlog by half by the time he steps aside as Justice chief when the Arroyo administration ends on June 30. On April 16, Agra issued a resolution directing government prosecutors to go ahead on the multiple-murder case against the Ampatuans—led by former Gov. Andal Ampatuan Jr. of Maguindanao and his son, Mayor Andal Jr. of Datu Unsay—for the November 23, 2009 massacre. But the same resolution ordered the prosecutor of Maguindanao to remove from the charge sheet the names of Zaldy Ampatuan and his cousin, Akmad Ampatuan Sr. ■ SUPPORTERS FROM A1 Lakas members Teodoro because they feel that he has a very slim chance of winning the race to Malacañang on May 10. He made the statement a day after attending a political rally organized by his supporters here during which Teodoro in a speech described Mayor Rodrigo Duterte and Vice Mayor Inday Sarah Duterte-Zimmerman as good leaders. The Dutertes are political rivals of Nograles. According to the lawmaker, Teodoro’s support for Duterte means nothing where Davao politics or the next month’s balloting is concerned. Teodoro’s campaign spokesman Mike Toledo said that the recognition of Teodoro of the Dutertes during the rally should not be taken as a form of endorsement. On defections from Lakas-Kampi CMD, Toledo said that it would be better for those who do not believe in the vision of the administration party to leave. Teodoro, he added, would rather have a solid base of supporters than “pseudo supporters.” The word war started when Nograles threatened to bolt the administration party a few weeks ago. The House Speaker remained a member of the ruling coalition but allegedly was supporting Nacionalista Party (NP) standard-bearer Sen. Manuel “Manny” Villar Jr. Meanwhile, Toledo blasted a supposedly steppedup demolition drive against Teodoro with only more than two weeks away before the country’s next leader is chosen. Part of the drive, he said, was that a vote-rigging operation would deliver to the administration bet some 10 million votes on May 10. Another was that the Precinct Count Optical Scan (PCOS) machines for use in next month’s voting have been pre-programmed also in Teodoro’s favor. “While our first reaction was to laugh them [allegations] off, we are now concerned that some groups could be peddling such wild tales to shrewdly condition the mind of the public about the supposedly large-scale electoral fraud to justify their respective candidates’ imminent loss to Gibo in the presidential race,” Toledo said.
Architect takes Cabinet post as SCAD chairman MEXICO, Pampanga: President Gloria Arroyo has appointed architect Nestor Mangio as Cabinet secretary of the reorganized Subic-Clark Alliance for Development (SCAD). Executive Order (EO) 876, signed on March 10, 2010, President Arroyo designated Mangio, the former chairman of the Clark International Airport Corp. (CIAC), to the new post. SCAD chairman, former Vice Mayor Edgardo Pamintuan is running for Angeles City mayor against Blue Boy Nepomuceno. CIAC operates and manages the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport (DMIA), which was envisioned by President Arroyo as the country’s premier international gateway. The SCAD chairman was appointed by the president from among the members of the board composed of chairmen or administrators of various government-owned and controlled corporations—the Bases Conversion and Development Council (BCDA), Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority, Clark Development Corp. (CDC), Philippine Northrail Corp. and CIAC. The name of the body was also changed from the former Subic-Clark Alliance for Development Council. EO 876 amended EO 504, which created Subic-Clark Area Development Council and defined its powers and authority, and the most recent EO 733, which reorganized the SCADC. As chairman of CIAC, Mangio has been instrumental in various development projects implemented by at the DMIA that has made the airport a preferred international gateway in the country. Mangio has served as National President of the United Architects of the Philippines from 1994 to 1996. As an architect and urban and environmental planner, he has designed several projects and completed numerous residential, commercial, institutional and developments in Manila, Pampanga, Baguio, the Visayas, Mindanao and abroad. His expertise as an architect and urban planner was tapped by the government when he was appointed and had served as Director of the BCDA and CDC from 1995 to 1998 prior to his appointment as CIAC chairman. As a businessman, he runs and manages his own companies as president and chairman of the board of the following companies: NS Mangio Construction and Development Corp.; NS Mangio and Associates; Central Country Estate Inc.; The Lakeshore Marketing, Corp.; Hotel Gracelane Corp.; and Nobleman Properties Inc. MARK ROXAS The Manila Times theregions TUESDAY A 7 April 27, 2010 No power failure on May 10 – Lagdameo BY JEFFERSON ANTIPORDA REPORTER DAVAO CITY: Rep. Anton Lagdameo of Davao del Norte, expressed optimism that the power crisis currently being experienced in Mindanao would soon be over and that power interruption will not hound the first automated polls on May 10. Lagdameo said power supply in the island is slowly returning back to normal because of the power generators put up private power firms Slay try suspect in Cagayan falls POLICE in Cagayan Valley believed that they had solved the recent slay try of a politician after they were able to pounced on the suspect, reports reaching Camp Crame Monday said. In his report to Philippine National Police Chief Dir. Gen. Jesus Verzosa, Cagayan Valley Regional Director Chief Supt. Roberto Damian identified the suspect as Medicines for barangay Dwight Doca, who was surprised in his residence at Lanna Village, Solana by Cagayan police’s provincial intelligence section. Armed with arrest warrant issued by Judge Marcelino Wagas of the Branch 25 of the Regional Trial Court of Tabuk, Kalinga, Doca did not make a fight and turn himself peacefully to the authorities. Recovered by arresting officers in and also the occasional rainfall that started filling up rivers which would help hydroelectric plants to resume normal operations. “I don’t think we have to worry there would be any brownout on election day. Power producers here in Mindanao have assured us they are working overtime to ensure there would be no brownout on election day.” Lagdameo added. The lawmaker also noted that the power outages being experienced in some parts of Mindanao President Gloria Arroyo turns over assorted medicines for the Botica ng Barangay to Barangay Chairman Antonio Baliling of Fatima, during the launching of "Vaccine Against A(H1N1) for the Health Workers” at the Municipality of Kalawit, Zamboanga del Norte on Monday. Looking on are Gov. Rolando Yebes and Secretary Esperanza Cabral of the Department of Health. his possession were a .45-caliber pistol and several live bullets. Damian said Roca was implicated in the April 21 foiled ambush against Edgar Palatao, who is running for councilor in Solana. The suspect is undergoing intense questioning of his alleged involvement in the slay try against Palattao and now in the custody of the Cagayan police. SAMMY MARTIN in the past few days is mainly because of maintenance work being done on one of the power plants in Cagayan de Oro City. Aside from a 24-hour monitoring of the powerplants, Lagdameo said power producers are also doing regular maintenance work to their plants in order for them to run all the plants at full capacity on election day. Lagdameo, husband of actress Dawn Zulueta and a stalwart of the Lakas-Kampi Christian Muslim Democrats, is one of the 17 local officials in Davao that vowed to support former Defense Secretary Gilbert “Gibo” Teodoro Jr.’s presidential bid. In an earlier interview the lawmaker promised to work hard to ensure the victory of Teodoro citing volunteerism that is now hugely backing their standard-bearer. “I fully support the continued run of Gibo for the presidency despite all obstacles being faced [by him],” said Lagdameo who is running unopposed in the city’s second district. Unidentified kidnappers free Zamboanga trader ZAMBOANGA CITY: Kidnappers have freed a Filipino trader after two weeks in captivity in the southern Philippines. The victim, Nena Toremocha, was released over the weekend in Lanao del Norte province where her family fetched her. No group claimed responsibility for the kidnapping. Police confirmed the release, but security officials would not say if ransom was paid to the kidnappers, who were believed to be rogue members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, the country’s largest Muslim rebel group fighting for independence in the restive region of Mindanao. The 62-year old seaweed trader was kidnapped April 12 by gunmen in the town of Olutanga in Zamboanga Sibugay province. AL JACINTO ‘Tuyo’ recipes showcased in drying contest in Bataan BALANGA, City, Bataan: Fried dried fish or tuyo with soft fried eggs and tomatoes may be good enough for breakfast for some but how about trying other recipes and you may have some surprises for your taste buds. Ordinary housewives in fishing villages in the City of Balanga on Monday showcased five of their recipes with tuyo as main ingredient during the tuyo cooking and drying/laying contests at the Plaza Mayor de Balanga. These were Tuyo Bataan/Bicol Express, Tuyo Omelette, Tuyo Kaldereta, Sweet and Sour Spicy Tuyo and Tuyo Con Chile Express. “Masarap,” said many who tried the recipes. Can you imagine tuyo as palaman sa tinapay? [sandwhich filling] “Balanga tuyo is famous in Bataan, in the country and in some parts of the world because its delicious and different from others that we should be proud of,” said Mayor Joet Garcia before the contests. The mayor and his wife, Isabel, enjoyed tasting the different tuyo recipes. The provincial office of the Department of Trade and Industry led by Provincial Director Yay Lasam has included dried fish under the One Town One Product program of government. Sweet and sour spicy tuyo bagged the first price of P5,000 plus certificate of recognition, followed by Tuyo Con Chile Express and Tuyo Bataan Express with P3,000 and P2,000 cash price, respectively. Kilos and kilos of fresh tunsoy in banyeras were laid for drying on elevated bamboo platforms along the major streets of Balanga adjacent to the Saint Joseph Cathedral, the Plaza mayor de Balanga, the city hall and commercial district. ERNIE B. ESCONDE ‘Peacekeepers’ in hot pursuit of armed groups in Masbate LEGAZPI CITY: The newly deployed members of the former United Nations (UN) peacekeepers who are now augmented to the Special Task Force (STF) Masbate is now massively pursuing over the partisan armed group employed by various politicians in Masbate. The Philippine Army in Bicol led by Maj. Gen. Ruperto Pabustan, commanding general of the Army’s Ninth Infantry Division deployed a week ago some 250 army soldiers formerly members of the 10th UN peacekeepers in Haiti to help out the Task Force Masbate to chase the political armed groups terrorizing the hapless community in the far-flung areas of “Marlboro country” in the Philippines. Army Major Harold Cabunoc, regional information officer of the Army’s regional command told The Manila Times that a week after the deployment of former UN peacekeepers they’re able to seized four suspected members of the partisan armed group (PAG) in Barangay Naocondiot, Placer Masbate. The former UN peacekeepers are among the combined elements of the STF Masbate which was sent to check and run after the reported presence of gun-toting gunmen in the countryside. Cabunoc identified the arrested persons as follows: Ronald Santianes, Dennis Salvador, Ardito Gailan and Sonny Espinosa. They are currently detained in Masbate Provincial Police Office as criminal cases are filed against them. The STF Masbate has confiscated 10 high-powered firearms and 77 low-powered firearms from 98 arrested PAG members as of today. The suspects surrendered upon seeing that they were surrounded by heavily armed soldiers. One caliber .357 Smith and Wesson Revolver and copies of official ballots for the upcoming elections were recovered from the suspects. The task force was augmented with additional forces after the deployment of a 250-men strong battalion of former UN peacekeepers on April 16. The newly deployed soldiers are already assigned to the different municipalities in the island province of Masbate where election-related violent incidents had been taking place even before the campaign period and getting intense as election draws near. The Commission on Election (Comelec) in Bicol placed the island province of Masbate as consistent election “hotspot” since time immemorial as partisan politics remain unresolved as bigtime political players employed and maintained its goons. As this developed, the Special Task Force Masbate is strongly guarding the 724 Precinct Count Optical Scan (PCOS) machines that arrived at the Masbate City from the Comelec. Lawyer Zacarias Zaragoza, regional director of Comelec-Bicol, said during the Comelec Joint Consultative Conference that over 4,000 PCOS machines are now ready for distribution in clustered precincts voting center in various towns and cities throughout the six provinces of Bicol. Zaragoza said the PCOS machines would be ready for testing on May 8 and 9 respectively to ensure that no failure of the machine operation would happen during the May 10 elections. He asked the Department of Education to make available all public school classrooms for the PCOS machine testing on the scheduled date. The police and military were also directed to closely coordinate with the local Comelec and the Board of Election Inspectors concerning the guarding of the machines and the security aspects during the testing course and the actual election procedures during the May 10 elections. RHAYDZ B. BARCIA Blast hits Sarangani governor’s convoy ZAMBOANGA CITY: An improvised bomb exploded Monday at a convoy carrying a provincial governor in the southern Philippines. The bomb exploded between the car of Gov. Miguel Rene Dominguez of Sarangani and his aides while traveling to the town of Glan on his way to meet former Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro Jr. who is now running in next month’s presidential polls. It was unclear who planted the bomb, but Dominguez said he was not hurt in the explosion. “I am okay,” he said. The blast occurred hours after security forces arrested four people for carrying illegal weapons in the town, whose Mayor Enrique Yap was the target of an assassination attempt. The four men—Jimmy Mier, Alfredo Macabayao, Fredie Mendes and Ronald Elorde— were arrested after they flagged down Yap’s vehicle. The mayor sped off after seeing the armed men and sought police help. Police and military seized an M16 rifle and a .45-caliber pistol from the men who were in two vans during a chase. It was unknown whether the four suspects are followers of rival candidates or not. AL JACINTO
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