December 2011 - Filipino-American Community of South Puget Sound

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6 News Drilon: Corona voted in favor of arroyo in all 19 cases brought before the Supreme Court "The current score is 19-0. Chief Justice Renato Corona consistently voted in favor of former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo in all 19 cases brought before the Supreme Court. He never voted against her." This was how Senator Franklin Drilon described the "judicial record" of the incumbent Chief Justice which he noted "was untarnished by a negative vote against the ex-president." Drilon then gave Senate reporters of the list of the 19 cases. In a statement, Drilon reiterated his appeal for Corona to inhibit himself from deliberations on the cases involving the former president to avoid doubts on the impartiality and objectivity of the Supreme Court. "I reiterate my call for Corona's inhibition in cases involving former President Arroyo because the Chief Justice's consistent voting pattern in all 19 cases involving the Arroyo government's controversial policies have created doubts in the public's mind about his impartiality," Drilon said. "All his decisions are all for Gloria. His own record shows that he favors Arroyo. Even if Chief Justice Corona's votes in the 19 cases are based on merit, what is important here is how people perceive him," Drilon said, noting that Corona's voluntary inhibition would "go a long way in maintaining the credibili- Media continue to seek justice for Maguindanao massacre victims MARKING the second year of the Maguindanao massacre, journalists pledged to resist any attempt to trample a person’s right to life and free expression. In a pledge recited following a candle lighting ceremony led by relatives of some of the 58 victims of the Nov. 23, 2009 massacre in Ampatuan town in Maguindanao, 32 of them journalists and media workers, journalists promised to the best of their ability to obtain justice not only for the victims of the Maguindanao massacre but also victims of extra-judicial killing. “Ako, bilang mamamahayag, ay nangangakong gagawin ang kahat ng makakaya para makamit ang hustisya, hindi lamang para sa mga biktima sa Ampatuan, Maguindanao kundi lahat ng mga biktima ng pamamaslang. “Isusulong ang isang pama- ty of the Supreme Court especially in cases involving Arroyo." To drive home his point, Drilon gave media a list of 19 cases in which Corona voted in favor of Arroyo. The cases are: 1) Corona concurred in the Dec. 7, 2011 SC ruling declaring President Noynoy Aquino's order creating the Truth Commission unconstitutional. 2) Corona concurred in the Oct. 10 2010 SC decision stopping the Aquino administration from revoking the appointment of alleged midnight appointees made by Arroyo. 3) Corona concurred in the April 7 2010 SC ruling denying the petition of then Sen. Noynoy Aquino and upholding Republic Act 9716 creating the First and Second Districts of Camarines Sur. 4) Corona concurred in the SC decision reversing its previous decision ordering the Sandiganbayan to proceed with the trial of former Rep. Benjamin "Kokoy" Romualdez, whose son is a known ally of Arroyo. 5) Corona concurred in the mahayag na nagtataguyod ng interest ng mamamayan, pamamahayag na lumalaan st nagtatanggol sa karapatang mabuhay at kalayaan sa pamamahayag.” Speakers lamented the slow pace of the trial of the tragedy that earned for the Philippine the ignominous tag of the second most dangerous place for journalists in the world, next only to Sen. Franklin Drilon Feb. 11, 2009 SC decision upholding the validity of the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) between the Philippines and the United States and ordering the transfer of US serviceman and rape convict Daniel Smith to a Philippine detention facility. 6) Corona dissented in the SC October 14, 2008 SC decision declaring the Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain (MOA-AD) entered into by President Arroyo's peace negotiators with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) as "contrary to law and the Constitution." 7) Corona concurred with the July 16, 2008 SC decision declaring that communications in the Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement signed by President Arroyo and former Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi on September 9, 2006 were covered by executive privilege and not subject to public disclosure. 8) Corona concurred with the March 25, 2009 SC decision stating that then Social Security Relatives-of-journalists-and-media-workerskilled-in-Maguindanao-massacre Iraq. The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines said to date, 103 of the 196 suspects remain at large and only two of the principal suspects have been arraigned. The case remains snagged on hearings on petitions for bail of the accused. A member of the International Factfinding Mission who visited the massacre site in 2009 said they joined the Filipinos last year in asking for justice for the victims from Gloria Arroyo. “We are doing the same to this new government because nothing has happened so far.” University of the Philippines students carried the streamer that said, “Duguan ang matuwid na daan (The straight path is spalttered with blood)”, apparently in reference to the Aquino administration’s slogan of “tuwid na daan.” � System Chairman Romulo Neri was not liable for contempt for not appearing in the Senate hearings of the NBN-ZTE scandal because his testimony was covered by executive privilege. 9) Corona dissented in the February 15, 2008 SC decision declaring that the wiretapped conversation between then presidential candidate Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and Commission on Elections Commissioner Virgilio Garcellano Jr. was not prohibited from broadcast. 10) Corona dissented in the May 3, 2006 SC decision declaring Arroyo's Presidential Proclamation 1017 which placed the country under a state of national emergency in March 2006 as "partly constitutional, partly unconstitutional," 11) Corona dissented in the October 25, 2006 SC decision dismissing the petition of the pro- Arroyo Sigaw ng Bayan to allow a people's initiative to amend the 1987 Constitution due to failure to comply with Constitutional requirements of conducting a people's initiative. 12) Corona concurred in the Aug. 15, 2006 SC decision declaring as valid President Arroyo's gag order that prohibited executive and military officials from appearing before congressional investigations without the president's consent. The case was filed by then Marines General Francisco Gudani. December 2011 http://pinoyreporter.com 13) Corona concurred in the April 20, 2006 SC decision upholding the controversial gag order known as Executive Order 464 which allowed Malacanang and other executive officials to invoke executive privilege in refusing to testify in congressional investigations. 14) Corona concurred with the April 19, 2006 SC cases declaring a valid President Arroyo's Executive Order 420 involving the establishment of a national identification card policy. 15) Corona concurred in the December 13, 2005 SC decision declaring that President Arroyo can make appointments "in an acting capacity" without seeking confirmation from the Commission on Appointments. 16) Corona concurred in the October 18, 2005 SC decision declaring Republic Act 9337, also known as the VAT Reform Act, as constitutional. 17) Corona dissented in the March 2, 2004 SC ruling dismissing petitions to disqualify then presidential aspirant Fernando Poe Jr. on the ground that he was not a natural born citizen. 18) Corona concurred with the Feb. 3, 2004 SC decision declaring that President Arroyo did not exceed her powers in issuing Proclamation number 427, 435 and General Order No. 4 declaring a state of rebellion during the so-called Oakwood Mutiny. 19) Corona dissented in the January 13, 2004 SC decision voiding the contract entered into by the Commission on Elections with the Mega-Pacific firm for not undergoing the required public bidding. gloria arroyo arrested for electoral sabotage FORMER President Gloria Arroyo is now under arrest for The information filed states that on or before May 14, 2007, the unbailable crime of electoral Arroyo, Ampatuan, and Bedol sabotage. “conspiring, confederating, and The warrant of arrest, issued willfully helping one another in by Judge Jesus Mupas of the Pa- order to ensure a ’12-0’ victory for say City Regional Trial Court, the candidates of ‘Team Unity’ did was served at 6:30 p.m. Friday by then and there willfully, feloni- members of the Philippine Naously and unlawfully tamper the tional Police seven hours after the Provincial Certificates of Canvass Commission on Elections filed of Votes” in Maguindanao. electoral sabotage charges in con- The information said this was nection with the 2007 elections done after a meeting in Mala- against Arroyo, former Maguincanang by the three a few days danao governor Andal Ampatuan before election where Arroyo Sr. and former Comelec election personally instructed Ampatuan to ensure a “12-0” victory form candidates of Team Unity. Ampatuan, in turn, the Information further stated, instructed Bedol , then the chairman of the GMA's arrest goes viral online Provincial Board of Canvassers in Maguindanao, to tamper the provincial certificate of canvass supervisor Lintang Bedol before (PCOC), statement of votes by the Pasay City RTC. municipality (SOVM) , summary Comelec Spokesman James of the statement of vote (SSOV). Jimenez said charges against for- Electoral sabotage is punishmer Comelec Chair Benjamin able by life imprisonment. Abalos and Capt. Peter Reyes The arrest warrant was served of the Intelligence Service of the at the St Luke’s Hospital where Armed Forces of the Philippines Arroyo is confined. She had un- will be filed on Monday. dergone three surgeries related to Arroyo’s husband, Mike Ar- hypothyroidism. royo, was investigated in connec- Justice Secretary de Lima said tion with fraud in the same elec- President Aquino said they will tion but was dropped from the not oppose if the courts decides charge sheet for insufficiency of on hospital or house arrest for Ar- evidence. royo. �
News December 2011 7 http://pinoyreporter.com VP Binay presses for the return of Balangiga bells Vice President Jejomar Binay expressed hope that the US Congress would allow the return of Balangiga Bells to the Philippines after American soldiers seized the bells from a local church as a war trophy in the aftermath of the Balangiga massacre in Samar during the Philippine-American War in 1901. Binay sent a letter last Oct. 5 to US Ambassador to Manila Harry Thomas urging the envoy to assist in the recovery of the two Balangiga Bells that are presently enshrined at Warren Air Force Base in Cheyenne, Wyoming. “Through the years there have been dialogues between independent bodies; and the governments of the two nations, in hopes of arriving at an equitable solution to the issue,” Binay said in his letter to Thomas. Binay said there is a pending resolution in US Congress seeking the return to the Philippines of the bells. He said the return of the bells had only been delayed by the opposition of former Wyoming governor David Freudenthal and an amendment to the US National Defense Authorization Act that bars "the return hacienda Luisita farmers rejoice but still vigilant over SC decision Felix Nacpil Jr., 39, along with some 40 farm workers, left Hacienda Luisita early morning to get a copy of the Supreme Court (SC) decision, Nov. 24. On board two jeepneys, they arrived at the SC at around 9 a.m.They waited until noon to get hold of a 56-page resolution penned by Associate Justice Presbitero Velasco on the motion for reconsideration filed by their group Alyansa ng Magbubukid sa Hacienda Luisita (Ambala). Voting 14-0, the high court granted their petition and unanimously ordered the distribution of 4,916 hectares of Hacienda Luisita lands to the original 4,296 original farmworker beneficiaries (FWBs). It modified its July 5, 2011 ruling ordering the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) to hold a referendum to let the Luisita farmers choose between owning shares of stocks in Hacienda Luisita Inc. or getting portions of the more than 6,000-hectare estate. While farm worker-beneficiaries hailed the decision as an initial victory, they remain vigilant to the possible maneuvers of the Cojuangco-Aquino clan who has control over the sugar estate. “We are not relaxing. They are still in power. They can reclaim the land from us in whatever way. We cannot trust them. From the start, we know how clever they are,” Nacpil, acting chairman of the Ambala, said, referring to the Cojuangco-Aquinos. Nacpil’s apprehension is with- of veterans' memorial objects to foreign nations without specific authorization in law." Binay said that he is optimistic that the US lawmakers would support the Philippine claim to the return of the bells. In 1957, Jesuit historian Fa- ther Horacio de la Costa requested the 13th Air Force in San Francisco, California to repatriate the bells. The Balangiga Historical Society through the National Historical Institute and the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) initiated formal government efforts in reacquiring the Balangiga Bells in 1989. The US government refused to return the bells arguing that the bells are the property of the US government. The story of the bells could be traces back to the American involvement in the Philippines, which began with the Spanish- American War in 1898. After the defeat of Spain, the US took over By ronaLYn V. oLea / Bulatlat.com out basis. He said the land should have been distributed to them in 1967 if only the Cojuangcos complied with the conditions set by the Central Bank the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) when they acquired loans to purchase the land. “They did not comply and five decades have passed since,” he said. Nacpil’s father, Felix Sr., 70, grew old as a farm worker. He, too, at the age of 14, started working on the sugar plantation. Long overdue For Rodel Mesa, 52, the SC decision is “the fruit of their long, arduous struggle of more than five decades.” Mesa, Ambala spokesman and secretary general of Unyon ng Manggagawa sa Agrikultura (Uma), said if the high court issued its resolution much earlier, the November 16, 2004 massacre that claimed that lives of seven farm workers would not have taken place. “We would not have experienced hunger,” he said. When President Corazon Cojuangco-Aquino assumed the presidency, the Hacienda Luisita was placed under the stock distribution option (SDO), a nonland transfer scheme allowed under the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law (CARL). Instead of land, stocks were distributed. The SDO, however, has failed to improve the lives of farm workers. With only one day of work per week and receiving a measly P9.50 ($0.22), farm workers staged a strike in November 2004. “When we launched the strike in 2004, we were only demanding for a salary increase and additional days of work but these were not granted. They were the ones who taught us how to fight,” Nacpil said. In December 2005, the Presidential Agrarian Reform Council (PARC) ordered the revocation of the stock distribution plan (SDP) for its alleged failure to fulfill the CARL’s thrust of social justice. HLI challenged this before the SC, saying the PARC has no authority to cancel the plan. In February 2006, the SC issued a temporary restraining order (TRO) which prevented the PARC from ordering the land distribution. In its recent decision, the SC pointed out that “control over agricultural lands must always be in the hands of the farmers.” It further said that allowing the 6,296 beneficiaries to remain stockholders would never allow them to “gain control given the present proportion of shareholdings.” Anakpawis Rep. Rafael Mariano called the SC decision as “an important initial step to justice and the farmers’ struggle for genuine agrarian reform.” “We congratulate and salute the farm workers of Hacienda Luisita. For without them, without their militant, collective and U.S. soldiers who survived a Filipino ambush in 1901 pose with a church bell used to signal the attack. The American military still holds this bell and two others despite protests (Photo: Brown, Fred R. 1909. History of the Ninth U.S. Infantry, 1799–1909. Chicago: R.R. Donnelley & Sons Co.) the country. An insurrection followed, which lasted more than three years and cost the lives of 4,200 US troops and some 20,000 Filipino combatants. The most infamous incident of the war occurred on Sept. 28, 1901, in the town of Balangiga, located some 400 miles southeast of Manila on the island of Samar. The church bells in Balangiga were reportedly used to signal a surprise attack by Filipino rebels on an American garrison in the town. The attack left more than 50 US soldiers dead and led to American reprisals. American troops torched several Catholic churches in the area and seized the Bells of Balangiga as trophies of war. � unwavering stand to fight for land distribution, we could not have reached this stage of the struggle. If we may call this victory, then, this victory rightly belongs to them,” Jobert Pahilga, executive director of Sentro para sa Tunay na Repormang Agraryo (Sentra), counsel of the Ambala, said. The high court also directed the Hacienda Luisita Incorporated (HLI) to pay the 6,296 farm workers a total of P1.3 billion for the sale of the following portions of Hacienda Luisita: - P500 million ($11.45 mil- Bishop opposes renaming of eDSa to ‘Cory aquino avenue’ Catholic bishop has found A “unnecessary” the proposal to rename Epifanio delos Santos Avenue (EDSA) to "Cory Aquino Avenue". Besides, according to Cubao Bishop Honesto Ongtioco, there are already some statues named after the mother of President Benigno Aquino III, including his father, the late and former Senator Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Sr. “It’s not necessary. We have statues of Cory and Ninoy in Luneta and in other places,” said Ongtioco. “The international airport is even named after Ninoy.” The bishop was reacting to a House Bill 5422 filed by Bohol Rep. Rene Relampagos that seeks to rename EDSA from Caloocan City to Pasay City, after the President Corazon Aquino. EDSA had been the site two people power revolts that toppled the Marcos and Estrada administration. “One cannot think of the 1986 EDSA Revolution without thinking of former President Corazon Aquino,” said Relampagos. The measure is now pending with the committee on public works and highways of the House of Representatives. [CBCPNews] lion) received by the HLI for the sale of 200 hectares out of the 500 hectares covered by an August 14, 1996 conversion order; - P750 million ($17.17 million) received by the HLI’s subsidiary, Centennary Holdings, Inc. for the sale of the remaining 300 hectares from the 500-hectare land; and - P80.51 million ($1.84 million) paid by the government for the sale of the 80.51-hectare lot used for the construction of the SCTEX road network. �
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December 2011 - Filipino-American Community of South Puget Sound

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