Archive for the ‘news’ Category
NEWS
Escudero fears ‘automated cheating’ in 2010
By Roy Gersalia
Inquirer Southern Luzon
First Posted 18:51:00 04/19/2009
Filed Under: Elections, Eleksyon 2010
SORSOGON CITY, Philippines — Senator Francis Escudero raised fears that the Commission on Elections (Comelec) would end up wasting the P11.3-billion budget for the planned computerization of elections in 2010 since it had not fully explained how it would use the funds.
Escudero, who is being touted as a contender for the presidential race in 2010, said here on Thursday that the Comelec has not given the public a clear picture of how the next elections would be held.
“It may be vulnerable. The automated elections may possibly become automated cheating,” he said.
The Bicolano senator also said he got information from the Comelec that data related to the process of counting the votes would first be transmitted to the United States via Internet before the results could get back to the Philippines.
He said this route could be vulnerable to cheating.
Asked if he would really run for president, Escudero was his usual coy self and said he would first study the political climate and focus first on serving the people as senator.
Escudero will turn 40 in October. Under the Constitution, a presidential candidate must be at least 40 years old.
“I am not saying I won’t [run], I’m not saying I will. All I am saying is that the decision will have to be made when I’m fully qualified,” Escudero added.
NEWS
Wife of slain Sorsogon peasant leader killed
By Roy Gersalia
Inquirer Southern Luzon
First Posted 12:28:00 04/01/2009
SORSOGON CITY, Philippines–Governor Sally Lee has condemned the killing of the wife of peasant leader Willy Jerus of the Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP), whose killing two years ago has yet to be solved.
Lee issued a statement promising to closely monitor the investigation of the killing of Edelina “Eden” Jerus, 37, and ensure justice for the victim.
Two unidentified motorcycle-riding gunmen shot Eden dead Tuesday at 10:45 a.m., as she was providing home-cooked food in her residence at San Juan Roro, Sorsogon City.
Eden, a member of Hustisya (Victims of Arroyo Regime United for Justice), suffered four gunshot wounds and was declared dead on arrival at the Sorsogon Doctors Hospital.
She left behind two sons, aged 10 and 8 years who reportedly watched over their bloodied mother when the gunmen fled, according to neighbors.
Eden’s husband Willy was killed on April 16, 2007.
NEWS
Army overruns rebel camp in Sorsogon
By Roy Gersalia
Inquirer Southern Luzon
First Posted 16:43:00 03/31/2009
Filed Under: Armed conflict, Military, Police
SORSOGON CITY, Philippines–Joint police and Army troopers seized a camp of the New People’s Army rebels early Monday morning in Castilla town in Sorsogon, an Army spokesman said Tuesday.
Captain Razeleigh Bansawan, civil military operations officer of the 901st Infantry Brigade, said members of the 3rd Scout Rangers Brigade and the 508th Police Provincial Mobile Group, overran the camp located in Sitio Kawa-kawa, Barangay (Village) Bonga in Castilla town.
Three nipa huts stood in the camp, which yielded an ammunition box of an M-16 rifle and eight rifle grenades, said Bansawan.
When the rebels learned government forces were nearing the camp, they fled southbound toward Magallanes town using a motorized boat, added Bansawan.
Col. Ariel Bernardo, Commander of the 901st IB, said the successful operation is part of their intensified campaign against the communist rebels in Sorsogon province.
NEWS
Army denies US role
Gov’t troops encounter NPA rebels in Sorsogon
SORSOGON CITY, Philippines—(UPDATE) A firefight lasting 30 minutes ensued between government troops and communist rebels in Bulacao village in Gubat town in Sorsogon, an Army official confirmed Thursday.
The firefight between the 3rd Scout Rangers Battalion and the New People’s Army rebels started at around 6 a.m., said Col. Ariel Bernardo, commander of the 901st Infantry Brigade.
Col. Arnulfo Pajarillo, who led the 3rd Scout Ranger troops, said they were conducting combat patrol when they chanced upon a group of around 30 communist rebels in one of the hills in Bulacao.
Bernardo said the rebels withdrew after the clash and the Army troops were in hot pursuit.
He said the clash had no casualties, but he has yet to confirm if there were rebels who were hurt.
Asked to confirm a reported participation of US soldiers in the encounter, Capt. Razaleigh Bansawan, spokesperson of the 901st Infantry Brigade, said it was only a disinformation tactic by the communists and their supporters to discredit the government and the forthcoming Balikatan mission in Sorsogon.
He said the US troops were only here for humanitarian mission to help the Bicolanos.
The joint US-RP Balikatan exercises here will start on April 1 with engineering brigade and medical mission groups already in place.
Militant groups have been staging protest actions for weeks, denouncing the joint military exercises, while the communist guerrillas issued statements against the Balikatan, which they alleged to be laying the groundwork for military operations.
NEWS
Chiz-Jinggoy team seen in 2010 polls
By Roy Gersalia
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 23:52:00 03/26/2009
Filed Under: Eleksyon 2010, Elections, Regional authorities
SORSOGON CITY, Philippines – A team-up of opposition senators Francis Escudero and Jinggoy Estrada for the presidential and vice presidential race in the 2010 elections is in order, said a political analyst here.
The analyst relied on Estrada’s message on Tuesday night during the commencement exercises of the Sorsogon State College at its main campus here where the lawmaker was the guest speaker.
In his message, Estrada said he was following the footsteps of his father, former president Joseph Ejercito Estrada – as he was also an actor, a mayor and also has a mustache – as a possible candidate for vice president these coming elections before going to bid for the presidency.
He said he was open to the possibility of a team-up with Escudero as his president for the 2010 elections as, he said, both of them are stalwarts of the opposition party and good friends.
His comment of a possible tandem with Escudero drew applause from the audience.
Escudero is a native of Sorsogon and is believed to have a wide following, especially among the youth.
Joey Gois, a local political analyst here, said the tandem of the opposition senators, who also both have good records as legislators, would possibly defeat other candidates even from the administration.
“The idea of a team-up is most welcomed by the Sorsoganons as they are both with good credentials plus they have the popularity needed to win in the elections,” said Gois.
“Their chemistry, especially at this time that most Filipinos are dismayed with the administration of President Arroyo, would, I think, nail the administration candidates,” Gois said.
He also said that not only Sorsoganons should rally behind Escudero, but all Bicolanos as well, as the senator might not only become the first Bicolano president but the one who would also serve the people well.
The 39-year-old Escudero has reportedly not decided yet on the matter, saying it was too early and he has more work to do at the Senate.
He, however, said he was open to any possibility.
NEWS
2 dead as boat capsizes off Sorsogon town
Inquirer
SORSOGON CITY, Philippines – Two teenagers drowned while two of their companions survived when a small fishing boat capsized Wednesday afternoon, police said Thursday.
The fatalities are Albert Tabuso, 17 and Eric Deniega, 18, both residents of Estanza, Legazpi City and the survivors are Mark Raymund Baylon, 18 and Noli Dayro, 19, said Chief Inspector Dennis de Leon.
De Leon, in a phone interview, said the four were supposed to go to a wedding feast of a friend in a nearby village around 1:30 p.m. in Barangay (village) Poblacion, Castilla town Wednesday when big waves overturned the boat.
“It was unfortunate for the two fellows because they did not know how to swim. Their two other companions were unable to save them because of the strong current and big waves,” De Leon said.
Upon being informed of the incident, the police immediately conducted a rescue operation but it took about three hours to recover the two bodies due to rough seas.
All four teenagers were immediately brought to the M. Vicente Memorial Hospital in Barangay Cumadcad but Tabuso and Deniega were declared dead on arrival.
De Leon said the survivors have been discharged from the hospital.
Families of the victims claimed the bodies at about 6 p.m. Wednesday, De Leon said.
NEWS
Survey results show ‘Chiz’ 2nd
By Roy Gersalia
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 22:55:00 03/11/2009
Filed Under: Eleksyon 2010, Regional authorities
SORSOGON CITY, Philippines – Results of a survey that showed Sen. Francis “Chiz” Escudero ranking second among several possible presidential candidates was welcome news to his supporters in Sorsogon, Escudero’s home province.
The survey, made from Feb. 2-15, showed Escudero with a rating of 17 percent, just two percent behind leader Vice President Noli de Castro, with a rating of 19 percent in a survey that had a margin of error of minus or plus 3 percent.
Third in the survey was former President Joseph Estrada with a rating of 16 percent; followed by Sen. Manuel Villar with a rating of 15 percent; and Sen. Loren Legarda with 12 percent.
Sen. Mar Roxas was sixth with 8 percent; Sen. Panfilo Lacson, 6 percent; Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay, 2 percent; and Metro Manila Development Authority Chair Bayani Fernando, 1 percent.
The camp of Escudero said it was a welcome development that could help the 39-year-old senator decide whether or not to throw his hat into the political ring for the highest position in the land.
Salvador Mendoza, a known ally of Escudero, said he was happy with the results of the survey.
“Maybe if his supporters increase, Chiz will become the next president,” he said, adding that Escudero might also become the first Bicolano president.
Escudero has not yet announced his candidacy but has already been ranked among the top presidential candidates for 2010 along with De Castro, Roxas, Legarda and Villar.
His website, www.chizescudero.com, said Escudero studied at the University of the Philippines from kindergarten to college where he took up law.
After passing the Bar in 1994, Escudero took a Masters degree in International and Comparative Law at Georgetown University in 1996.
NEWS
NPA admits raid on Sorsogon mayor’s home
Inquirer Southern Luzon Bureau
First Posted 15:34:00 02/09/2009
Filed Under: Armed conflict, Local authorities
SORSOGON CITY, Philippines — The Celso Minguez Command of the New People’s Army (NPA) in this province on Monday owned up to the Feb. 3 raid on the home of Mayor Helen de Castro of Bulan town.
In an e-mailed statement, NPA spokesman Samuel Guerrero said the raidwas meant to warn elected officials suspected of maintaining weapons caches and private armies, especially with next year’s elections drawing near.
Police said the rebels only seized a shotgun and an “air-soft gun” from the security guards at De Castro’s house.
Between 10 to 20 guerrillas stormed the house of de Castro, holding her son, Bulan Councilor Guillermo de Castro Jr., at gunpoint.
The mayor and her husband, Guillermo Sr., a former town mayor, were not in the house when the raid happened.
Elements of the 509th Police Provincial Mobile Group and the Bulan police engaged the raiders in a 15-minute gunfight before the rebels fled.
NEWS
Recalls sex abuse cases
Gabriela nixes RP-US Balikatan
By Roy Gersalia and Ephraim Aguilar
Filed Under: Military, Defense, Protest
LEGAZPI CITY, Philippines—The women party-list Gabriela has joined other groups in opposing the staging of joint military exercises between the Philippines and the US in the Bicol region this April, fearing a full return of US military basing in the country and the culture of sexual abuse that once prevailed in Subic and Clark decades ago.
Going over records, Jenelyn Nagrampa, secretary general of Bikolana Gabriela, recalled their group filed 97 cases of rape and sexual assault against American soldiers in Clark and Subic, in which 15 of the victims were children.
She said this was before 1990 when the US bases in the country were closed down.
Nagrampa added that when the US military bases were in the country, more than 3,000 cases of abuse of women and children were filed by other sectors and individuals against US servicemen in Clark Air Field from 1980 to 1988.
“Sadly, justice was not served to any of the victims. None of the cases have been resolved. Others have not even been reported,” she said.
“The public should be reminded that there was more than just one Nicole,” she added.
Nicole was the victim in the much-publicized Subic rape case in 2005, wherein US Marine Daniel Smith was convicted while three others were acquitted. Smith is detained at the United Estates Embassy as he asked the Philippine Court of Appeals to review his case.
The Subic rape case is considered a landmark case, being the first case of a conviction among over 3,000 cases filed against US service members in the Philippines.
Nagrampa said Gabriela would file a resolution in the House of Representatives urging the government to ban US troops from coming to Bicol.
The annual joint military exercises, which Philippine Army officials said would include humanitarian projects, would be staged in three Bicol provinces — Albay, Masbate, and Sorsogon–in April.
She added that if Balikatan would push through in Bicol, it might increase cases of women abuse, prostitution, and spread of sexually transmitted diseases.
Earlier, Bishop Lucilo Quiambao of the Diocese of Legazpi expressed opposition to the coming of the US troops in Bicol, saying it might affect the moral condition of the people, especially women.
Nagrampa said that aside from the resolution to be filed in Congress, Gabriela would also step up its awareness campaign among women in areas covered by the exercises.
Tessa Lopez, spokesperson of Bayan-Bikol (Bagong Alyansang Makabayan, New Patriotic Alliance), said a massive rally has been scheduled for January 22 expected to coincide with the reported arrival of US Ambassador Kristy Kenney to Bicol.
“This is to show the urgency and seriousness of our call against Balikatan and the long-debated Visiting Forces Agreement,” she added.
A Sorsogon-wide group named “Sorsoganon United Movement Against Balikatan at Para sa Kapayapaan” or “Sumaba ka” (Speak out) was launched over the weekend to seek a stop to the planned Balikatan exercises in the Bicol region.
The group joined other people’s organizations, human rights advocates, and the Catholic Church in Legazpi City, which already took a position opposed to the exercises, said Jocelyn Bisuna, spokesperson of the region-wide alliance called Ban Balikatan.
“We hope that other formations like these will be formed at the soonest time possible in other Bicol provinces so that we can show the US troops that we do not want them here and we have not forgotten our history,” added Bisuna.
NEWS
Alliance formed in Sorsogon
More sectors speaking out vs Balikatan exercises
SORSOGON CITY– More and more sectors are now voicing out their opposition against the planned Balikatan exercises in the Bicol region. Now, a Sorsogon-wide group named Sorsoganon United Movement Against Balikatan at Para sa Kapayapaan or “Sumaba ka” (Speak out) is launched Saturday to demand a stop to the exercises.
Prof. Jocelyn Bisuna, spokesperson of the region-wide alliance BAN BALIKATAN, said “Aside from people’s organizations and human rights advocates, Sen. Francis Escudero and the Catholic Church in Legazpi City have already taken their position that is to oppose the said exercises.
Escudero pointed out the ‘hidden agenda’ that may be behind the Balikatan exercises and expressed fear that it may be used to interfere with Philippine affairs. He, however, did mot elaborate on the alleged “hidden agenda”.
“Meanwhile Bishop Lucilo Quiambao voiced out his view that the Balikatan will just be a bane to Bicolanos because civilians will be the ones caught in the crossfire when US troops are engaged in armed encounters. He also said “that prostitution would increase with the presence of US troops and the morality of our youth will be endangered,” said Bisuna.
“It is good that more and more people and organizations are now coming out and standing up against Balikatan 09. It is even better now that an alliance like SUMABA KA has been formed to carry out the campaign against this new type of invasion,” Bisuna said.
“We hope that other formations like these will be formed at the soonest time possible in other Bicol provinces so that we can show the US troops that we do not want them here and we have not forgotten our history,” added Bisuna.
The convenors of SUMABA KA are Fr. Rene Mabute, Sorsogon State College(SSC) President Dr. Antonio Fuentes, Pastor Lemuel Igdanes (UCCP), Atty.Joven Laura, Mr. Lito Bonifacio, Mrs. Elisea Bonifacio (Baptist), Mrs. Jenny Decano, SSC Student Council President Jayboy Evano, Joey Goiz, Red Lasay, Noel Gepulle (KADAMAY), Enrique Ermino (LFS), Mark Rosas (KARATULA), Eduardo Ferreras (PORTA), Reynaldo Hababag (BAYAN), Jing Francisco, Teodoro Escanilla (KARAPATAN), Constantino Jerus (KMP) and Lisa Dugan (UMASA SORSOGON BAY) .
