13 OCTOBER 2018

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6 NEWS Saturday, 13 October 2018 Daily Tribune No arrest order yet as court wraps up From page 1 City Regional Trial Court Branch 148 wrapped up proceedings on the motion filed by the Department of Justice (DoJ) seeking Trillanes’ arrest. The Makati court said it now considers the DoJ motion submitted for resolution, according to RTC Branch 148 Judge Andres Soriano. In a four-page order dated 11 October, Soriano admitted all of the evidence Trillanes offered, except printouts of the official Facebook page of the Department of National Defense (DND) and a “throwback picture” of his, since these were not duly authenticated and never identified by defense witnesses in court. The rest of the evidence, which include Trillanes’ certificate of amnesty, the affidavits of four defense witnesses and a printed photo of the senator’s application for amnesty, were admitted even as the court noted the DoJ’s objections. “…The factual issues as specified in the order dated 28 September 2018 and the issue on the ‘legality’ of Proclamation 572 based on the pleadings/motions filed by the parties – as they may bear upon the prosecution’s Urgent Ex-Parte Motion for Issuance of Hold Departure Order and Issuance of Alias Warrant of Arrest against Antonio Trillanes IV are now considered submitted for resolution,” Soriano said in his order. Proclamation 572 revoked the amnesty which former President Benigno Aquino granted to Trillanes which effectively revived the rebellion and coup d’etat charges on him as a result of three military uprisings against former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. The court order also noted of the 17 exhibits or evidence submitted by the camp of Trillanes, the court has not admitted Exhibits 9 and 12 because they were not duly authenticated, presented and identified by any witness in court. “Exhibit 9” is a printout of the official Facebook page of the DND while “Exhibit 12” is a printout of Trillanes’ throwback picture swearing in to the amnesty application he has submitted. Soriano admitted all of the evidence Trillanes offered, except printouts of the official Facebook page of the Department of National Defense and a “throwback picture.” On the other hand, other evidence submitted by Trillanes’ camp have been admitted and will be considered in determining whether the court will grant the DoJ’s request. Proof admitted Among the admitted evidence were Trillanes’ certificate of amnesty, the affidavits of Col. Josefa Berbigal, Honorio Azcueta, Dominador Rull and Emmanuel Tirador. Berbigal is the head of Ad Hoc Amnesty Committee Secretariat that received the amnesty application while Azcueta is a former undersecretary of the Department of National Defense and head of the ad hoc committee. Rull and Tirador were present when Trillanes submitted his amnesty application form and submitted photographs as proof. The court also recognized Exhibit 4 which is a printed photograph of Trillanes’ application for amnesty. The court said it is admitted despite objection from the DoJ because it is part of Rull’s testimony. The court said “this is without prejudice to the determination of its probative value in due course.” “If they are thereafter found relevant or competent; on the other hand, their admission, if they turn out later to be irrelevant or incompetent, can easily be remedied by completely discarding them or ignoring them,” the court added. 5 days for rejoinder State prosecutors were also given five days by the Makati Regional Trial Court Branch 150 to file their rejoinder on the reply of Trillanes’ camp. Presiding Judge Elmo Alameda’s order was in response to the manifestation of prosecutors opposition to the motion for reconsideration of Trillanes against the issuance of the arrest warrant and hold departure order in connection with the revocation of his amnesty. Among the evidence prosecutors challenged in the case was the original copy of the affidavit of Berbigal dated 20 September 2018. The prosecution panel said they object to the purpose of the document because “Col. Berbigal failed to substantiate during her testimony on 5 October 2018 her statements in her affidavit that accused Trillanes admitted his guilt to the offenses subject of the amnesty.” “Instead, during her cross examination, she testified that accused Trillanes only admitted guilt to the incidents but not the offenses for which he is being charged,” the prosecution said. Berbigal’s statement that the application for amnesty was in order, complete and in compliance with all the requirements of Proclamation 75 is “misleading.” The prosecution said during her testimony, Berbigal could not confirm this allegation by presenting the original, duplicate or photocopy of the application. It added she had no authority to conclude that Trillanes complied with all the requirements of Proclamation 75 which granted the amnesty, explaining that as mere head of the secretariat, she was not the approving authority to determine who among the applicants were qualified. The DoJ said Berbigal had “no authority to administer oath to accused Trillanes because DND Department Order 323 specifically provides for a notary public to be assigned to the secretariat who will duly administer the oath of the amnesty applicants.” They further objected to the testimony of Azcueta, noting that the latter “failed to substantiate his claim that he caused the strict compliance with all the requirements set forth by Proclamation 75 and DND Circular 1.” The panel also objected to the affidavit of Rull branding it as “selfserving and contains baseless and biased statements, the witness being the executive assistant of accused Trillanes,” and had “no authority to determine whether the alleged application form was properly filled up by accused Trillanes.” Likewise, objected to by the prosecution was the affidavit of Tirador, a co-accused of Trillanes in the case. The DoJ also opposed Trillanes’ counsels’ presentation of a blank application form for amnesty, citing that “a mere blank application form cannot prove the existence of a duly filled up application form.” The form, the prosecution said, “cannot prove admission of guilt by the accused Trillanes… because the same document requires the submission or attachment of a separate narration of facts of his involvement/participation in the offenses by which he is charged.” ‘Trapo’ is not a rug From page 1 do anything, including dirty tricks to get elected,” the word’s inclusion in the OED solidifies its derogatory meaning as “a traditional politician.” The OED traces the origin of the word trapo to the contraction of the words “traditional” and “politician” in the 1980s with influence from the Tagalog and Spanish word for rug (trapo) as like the trapo, which is usually dirty after being used in wiping dirty surfaces, the trapo or traditional politicians in the Philippines were regarded as “dirty” for using dirty tactics for political gains. The addition lately of trapo in the English lexicon, together with bongga or stylish and the food-related words bagoong, bihon, calamansi, carinderia, ensaimada, palay, panciteria, sorbetes and turon, should not be a cause for concern for Filipino writers if they mistakenly use the OED’s trapo to refer to the rug. Traditional politicians in the Philippines won’t really mind as they are thick-faced to feel slighted by such description. From page 1 ‘Land titling system collapsed’ From page 1 So far, the Blue Ribbon Committee has established that P255.55 million had been paid to bogus claimants in General Santos City. Gordon particularly cited the failure of the Land Registration Authority (LRA) and the Registry of Deeds to perform their mandate – leading to billions of taxpayers’ money lost to organized syndicates. “The cost of governance becomes very expensive. And we cannot rely on titles that are supposed to be protected by the LRA, protected by the Register of Deeds, protected by the Department of Public Works and Highways. The whole system collapsed,” Gordon said. “Why? It collapsed because of money. Because all are bribing,” he added. He tagged Nelson Ti, said to be a close friend of former President Aquino’s brother-in-law Eldon Cruz, as the financier of their group but curiously no arrest order has yet been issued. Locsin takes over DFA helm “If my Tito Chito Ayala trusted him implicitly; how can I not. Still UN work is like sharpening a blade every day,” Locsin also said. Cayetano will seek a congressional seat in Taguig City during next year mid-term elections. A veteran journalist and a lawmaker, Locsin said as DFA chief he would still be interacting with the UN where his team has pushed Duterte’s independent foreign policy during its tenure. “I will have a direct hand until the First-hand witness Roberto Catapang Jr., the government witness in the P8.7-billion RRoW scam, seconded Gordon’s pronouncement, claiming he personally had transacted with the agencies regarding fraudulent claims. Feverish building Frantic construction is under way next to the historic Araneta Coliseum as the landscape in Cubao, Quezon City rapidly changes with the economic uptrend ROMAN PROSPERO No worry Outgoing Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano is all smiles as he bids farewell to Department of Foreign Affairs employees who he knows will be left in good hands to successor Teddy Boy Locsin. Cayetano will seek a congressional seat as Taguig City representative. AL PADILLA architecture of sovereign independence in all matters of state that my team started to erect is remitted. Talent that doesn’t exist outside DFA will complete it,” Locsin said. The President indirectly confirmed the offer to Locsin as he jokingly asked Special Assistant to the President Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go to call Locsin and ask if he can announce his name to the media which he already called out. Prior to becoming an ambassador, Locsin was an ABS-CBN journalist, lawmaker and newspaper publisher and also served as Makati representative from 2001 to 2010. No bed of roses Catching some sleep is difficult in a tattered hammock above a stenching pile of garbage and the burning heat of the sun. ROMAN PROSPERO Catapang confessed to be part of the syndicate involved in the RRoW scam. He is currently under the government’s Witness Protection Program. Gordon stressed the need to “overhaul” the government agencies tasked to safeguard land titles to prevent scams similar to that in General Santos City from happening again. Last Wednesday, Gordon said former LRA Administrator Eulalio Diaz was liable for not acting on the “doubts” of ex-Public Works Secretary Rogelio Singson. “When you can no longer rely on one of the most important pillars of business and property ownership — the title, the Torrens title, if you cannot rely on that then nobody’s going to come in and invest here, our commercial transactions would all be affected, people cannot pass on their property by way of sale or by way of inheritance,” Gordon said. Syndicate within gov’t “I am convinced that the payment scam is perpetrated with the connivance of unscrupulous individuals from different agencies that have a role in RRoW payment,” he added. Gordon has called on the Office of the Ombudsman and the Department of Justice to conduct lifestyle checks on personalities involved in the released of the P255.55 million RRoW claims in General Santos City. Apart from the bogus titles, the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee has already established that the locations of the land supposedly covered by the titles paid for the RRoW project were not in the actual road project and the sizes were much smaller. System collapsed because of money. Because all are bribing. Worse, at least one of the nine parcels of lands supposedly covered by the RRoW was actually accessed under the name of DPWH but P29,998,000 was paid to the bogus claimant named Ramon I. Ballesterso. Gordon vowed to continue the inquiry until all the personalities implicated, particularly Ti, show up or arrested. He and Sen. Manny Pacquiao have tasked the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and the Philippine National Police to locate and bring Ti to the Senate. The NBI has so far charged more than 40 personalities involved in the P8.7 billion RRoW in General Santos City. Locsin was also speechwriter and press secretary of then President Corazon Aquino after the People Power Revolution against the Marcos dictatorship. Duterte appointed Locsin as envoy to the UN in 2016. Faeldon to BuCor Deputy administrator of the Office of Civil Defense and former Bureau of Custom Chief Nicanor Faeldon will also move to the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor), Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra disclosed yesterday The appointment of Faeldon came on the heels of the filing of certificate of candidacy of BuCor chief Ronald “Bato” de la Rosa. De la Rosa is seeking a Senate post and has already joined the PDP party of President Rodrigo Duterte. Mr. Duterte will still talk to presidential spokesman Harry Roque as he remains undecided about seeking a Senate seat. “The President has chosen Nicanor E. Faeldon to replace Ronald ‘Bato’ de la Rosa as director general of the Bureau of Corrections,” Guevarra said. He added he interposed no objections to the proposed appointment of Faeldon. Faeldon though will seek the favorable endorsement of the Civil Service Commission as part of the requirements under the Bureau of Corrections Act of 2013. Prior to his appointment at the Office of Civil Defense, Faeldon was the former chief of Customs but resigned due to the controversy over the P6.4-billion shabu shipment that passed through the BoC. He tendered his resignation thrice before Duterte accepted his resignation. Guevarra said he designated lawyer Jose Mari Ronaldo Ledesma as officer-in-charge-Associate Commissioner at the Bureau of Immigration (BI) and Atty. Grifton Medina as acting chief, ports operations division. Medina will replace Mark Red Marinas, who will run as mayor of Muntinlupa City against incumbent Mayor Jaime Fresnedi who is seeking third and last term as mayor of the city in the far south of Metro Manila. Rody to talk to Harry Mr. Duterte also revealed he will still talk with presidential spokesman Harry Roque as he remains undecided about seeking a Senate seat in the 2019 mid-term elections. “The flight was smooth. When we were talking about Harry, I became dizzy… I told Bong (Special Assistant to the President Christopher Lawrence Go) where would we go from here,” said Duterte during his arrival interview in Davao City from Bali, Indonesia, where the Chief Executive attended the ASEAN Leaders’ Gathering. “I’ll just talk to him. Better. Will he run or not? He should decide before 2021. Much longer space to make the choice with finality,” the President added. Roque is currently in China for a private engagement and will return to the Philippines on Monday, 15 October, two days before the deadline for the filing of certificates of candidacy for the upcoming polls. The President earlier had said Roque was free to go if he wanted to resign after being kept out of the loop as regards the Chief Executive’s checkup at Cardinal Santos Medical Center last week, adding Roque said he wanted to resign after he was put in a bad light with the media when he said the President only took the day off on 3 October and stayed at Bahay Pangarap inside Malacañang complex. Duterte then appointed Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Salvador Panelo as his spokesman in place of Roque. “This is what happened… I hope I would not offend Harry. He said he will run for senator, so I said yes and, automatically, I thought of replacing him with Sal (Salvador Panelo). Well, if you want it then I’ll scout for another legal adviser,” Duterte said. “Then the next day he said he will not run, then the next day he said he will, but then Bong (Go) said he will not run.”
Saturday, 13 October 2018 Daily Tribune NATION 7 Ex-Cadiz mayor sentenced for illegal dismissals The Court said the reorganization made by Valera “was used as a tool to circumvent the law and to violate the security of tenure of the private complainants for political reasons By Hananeel Bordey Sandiganbayan Fifth Division found Eduardo Valera, former mayor of Cadiz City, Negros Occidental, guilty of firing 166 city government employees two decades ago. In a decision promulgated on 8 October 2018, the anti-graft court sentenced Valera to “indeterminate” imprisonment of three years and one day as minimum, and five years as maximum for violating Section 4 of Republic Act 6656. The court found that the reorganization Valera implemented resulted in the termination of 166 employees of the city government, but then 101 new employees replaced them. ECC suspension lifted on compliant Boracay biz A few weeks before the reopening of Boracay, Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu ordered the lifting of the environmental compliance certificates (ECC) suspension on some businesses on the island. Through Memorandum Circular 2018-14 dated 5 October, Cimatu greenlighted the Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) in Region 6 to lift the suspension on the ECC issued to “complying” hotels and other establishments on the island. “In view of the upcoming opening of the Boracay Island on 26 October 2018, after its closure for six months, the EMB Regional Office 6 is hereby authorized to lift the suspension of ECCs of all complying hotels and establishments on said island,” Cimatu said in the memo addressed to the regional directors of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and EMB in Western Visayas. In July, Cimatu issued a directive suspending the ECC of all business establishments in Boracay pending a thorough review of their compliance with existing local and national law. In July, Cimatu issued a directive suspending the ECC of all business establishments in Boracay pending a thorough review of their compliance with existing local and national law. A committee was created composed of representatives from the DENR, EMB and Mines and Geosciences Bureau to review the compliance of these establishments with their respective ECC. Moreover, in the current memo, Cimatu ordered the committee to continuously monitor all Boracay establishments on their compliance with existing ECC and environmental management plans. “Likewise, the EMB Regional Office 6 shall continue to monitor establishments despite such lifting of suspension of their respective ECC and monitor all establishments issued with Certificates of Non-Coverage (CNC) to ensure their compliance with environmental laws and assure that no violation against the same is committed,” he added. Under the Environmental Impact Assessment System, ECC are issued to projects that pose potential risks or impact on the environment. A project proponent is required to secure an ECC before starting operations. CNC, on the other hand, are issued to proposed projects that are unlikely to cause adverse environmental impacts. Kuhlin Ceslie Gacula This fact alone, Sandiganbayan explained, will support that the reorganization made by Valera “was used as a tool to circumvent the law and to violate the security of tenure of the private complainants for political reasons.” Valera also failed to reinstate the private complainants despite the directives sent by the Civil Service Commission and denial of the motion for reconsideration. “Although there was no direct evidence presented by the prosecution of the attendance of bad faith, the same can be deduced from the fact that the number of new hires is a large The Senate minority bloc yesterday called for an inquiry over the alarming incidents of murders in Metro Cebu. Senate Resolution 915, which says “they are gravely concerned about the killings that were said to be part of the government’s all-out war against drugs,” has been filed. Sponsored by Senate Minority Floor Leader Franklin Drilon, Senators Francis Pangilinan, Paolo Aquino IV, Risa Hontiveros, Antonio Trillanes IV and Leila de Lima, they said “the allegations that police officers themselves are behind some of the killings are highly disturbing.” The opposition senators expressed chunk out of the total number of terminated employees,” the Court said. Moreover, Sandiganbayan added the defense never denied that the new employees were hired after said reorganization and that after the termination, some employees were appointed to higher positions in the staffing pattern. Valera also failed to reinstate the private complainants despite the directives sent by the Civil Service Commission and denial of the motion for reconsideration. “These acts of the accused former mayor taint the reorganization with bad faith and highlights his political plan to bring in new employees under his administration, notwithstanding violating the right of the private complainants,” the Court said. Sandiganbayan added Valera’s blatant refusal to reinstate the terminated employees lasted until the end of his term, hence depriving the employees of their rights. Clean hands Students of Andres Bonifacio Elementary School on Leveriza, Pasay City join the cause for health and hygiene by the UNICEF which has been an active supporter of the Global Handwashing Day since it was first celebrated in 2008. Probe sought for Cebu killings The opposition senators expressed alarm over killings in country, especially in Metro Cebu. BOB DUNGO JR. alarm over killings in country, especially in Metro Cebu where several of the suspected drug personalities were killed in police operations. “The recurring narrative of nanlaban (they fought back) or suspects having resisted arrest, has been serving as a wrongful justification for fatalities during the conduct of police operations to curtail proliferation of illegal drugs,” the opposition senators stated. Police Regional Office-7 Director Chief Supt. Debold Sinas refused to comment on the issue, saying they will “wait for instructions from the national police headquarters.” At least 42 killings have been recorded in Metro Cebu in the last two weeks. The figure includes those who died during police operations and those killed by unidentified perpetrators. Rico Mirasol Osmeña Ormoc hosts teachers fete In celebration of the National Teachers’ Day (NTD) and World Teachers’ Day (WTD), the Department of Education (DepEd), in coordination with the local government of Ormoc City, gathered and paid tribute to thousands of teachers in attendance at the Ormoc City Superdome. Anchored on the theme “Gurong Pilipino: Turo Mo, Kinabukasan Ko,” the celebration aimed to honor teachers for their positive influence on Filipino learners and to build the image of teaching as an attractive and fulfilling profession. “I am very happy and honored to be with all of you this morning as we celebrate and pay tribute to teachers. We are celebrating not just a Philippine event. We are celebrating a global event where we recognize the contributions of teachers all over the world, to society and to humanity,” DepEd Secretary Leonor Magtolis Briones said. In his video message, President Rodrigo Roa Duterte greeted and thanked teachers for their significant role in every Filipino learner’s life. “To all the Filipino teachers, may your commitment imbue the knowledge of all the ideals of our country as you spread hope for a better life for every Filipino, and the Filipinos to come. Happy Teachers’ Day. May you continue to inspire and enhance knowledge and deep understanding of the Filipino youth and students. Mabuhay kayong lahat,” Duterte said. FEC Valera said the reorganization was authored and passed by the Sangguniang Panlungsod and that the recommendation for appointment to positions in the new staffing pattern was made by the Placement Committee. However, the Court was not convinced of Valera’s defense, explaining that “the violation of the Civil Service Rules was actually committed by no less than the mayor as he was the one who deprived the private complainants of the right of first refusal or the vested right to reappointment in the positions in the new staffing pattern of the city government of Cadiz.” The former mayor was obliged to pay a fine of P10,000 and will suffer life-long disqualification in holding public office. The decision was penned by Associate Justice Maria Theresa Mendoza-Arcega, concurred in by Fifth Division Chairman and Associate Justice Rafael Lagos and Associate Justice MaryAnn Corpus-Mañalac. Mandaue political clans unite vs exec By Rico Mirasol Osmeña In what is considered a history-making move, political clans in Mandaue City united for the first time to oust the present administration of Mayor Luigi Quisumbing. The current mayor is noted for not being born in the city but migrated there because of his grandfather. Meanwhile, known political families in Mandaue are the Corteses, Ouanos, Soons, Cabahugs, Sanchezes and Senos. Political clans in Mandaue City united for the first time to oust the present administration of Mayor Luigi Quisumbing. At a press conference yesterday initiated by the Kaabag and Anak sa Mandaue organizations, it was announced that Rep. (sixth district, Cebu) and three-term mayor Jonas Cortes will run against his former ally, Quisumbing The congressman made the pronouncement with former City Councilor Emmarie “Lolypop” Ouano-Dizon and former Rep. and Provincial Board member Nerissa Soon-Ruiz. Ouano-Dizon ran against Quisumbing in the 2016 mayoralty race. Cortes then supported Quisumbing instead of the city councilor. In his message, the Cebu congressman said he was challenged to regain city hall as the people of Mandaue encouraged him to do so. “The people of Mandaue live in fear and basic services have been forgotten,” he said. Cortes also criticized Quisumbing for terminating the services of “job order” employees who have been working since the late Mandaue City Mayor Alfredo “Pedong” Ouano.
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13 OCTOBER 2018

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