The 31-year-old southpaw was with trainer Freddie Roach, strength and conditioning coach Alex Ariza, along with a host of others who make up the bloated manifesto of 141 people that boarded the 170-seater Miami Air International Boeing 737 from Los Angeles to Forth Worth Alliance airport.

A throng of media men from both print and broadcast endured the biting cold as they await the reigning champion to disembark from the aircraft bearing an image of the Pacman.

Once Pacquiao touched ground in the state where former U.S President Kennedy was killed, he only vowed for one thing.

“I am going to put on a great show for the fight fans,” he said without giving specifics if there will be a knockout or not in Saturday’s (Sunday in Manila) main event.

It was the first time Pacquiao rode a chartered flight for an upcoming fight. His last six fights were held in Las Vegas, where his team frequently travels in a convoy of vehicles, or in the customized Pacquiao bus that has become the norm the last two years since meeting Oscar De La Hoya.

“This is much better because we all get to travel together,” said Pacquiao smiling, unmindful of the stunned reaction by Top Rank officials upon seeing the big number of people who are part of the champion’s entourage.

After the short media interviews, Pacquiao was quickly escorted at a waiting Navigator and, followed by three buses – one of which again bore images of him – drove off for the 35-minute travel to the Gaylord Texan Hotel and Convention Center, where he was met by Top Rank Promotions’ chairman Bob Arum.

After dinner, Pacquiao retreated to his sixth floor suite as he is scheduled to do roadwork early Tuesday morning.

By afternoon, the world’s top pound-for-pound king will hold his own public workout at the hotel’s basement.

Clottey held his own media workout Monday afternoon, a day upon arriving here from his training camp in Florida.

Pacquiao closed out his seven-week training camp at the WildCard gym in Los Angeles earlier, going three rounds with sparmate Ray Beltran a few hours before departing for Texas.

In all, the seven-time world champion sparred 142 rounds since coming over to the U.S. middle of January.

The General Santos City native was actually asking for more when his round of mitts with Roach was over.

The four-time trainer of the year declined his prized wards’ request.

“Take a rest. Dress up. We’re leaving for Dallas,” Roach reminded Pacquiao.

But the transfer of authentication services will begin earlier on March 4.

“On said dates, all new consular and passport applications shall be filed at the new location,” the DFA said.

The new 7,000-square meter, four-story building, which is a few blocks away from the DFA main building, is part of the ongoing modernization program undertaken by Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo to further improve the DFA’s frontline services on passport and visa issuances and documents authentication.

“It is part of our dream for the Filipino people to have a world-class passport and consular services. We have done it through the Machine Readable Passport (MRP) and the ePassport, and now the dream is complete with the new DFA-OCA building,” he said.

To ensure quick, comfortable service, the DFA advised passport applicants to check the passport requirements andsecure an online appointment at the DFA website (consular tab), or to call the consular help-line number (02-556-0000) or DFA telephone number (02-834-4000).

Applications may also be filed with the DFA’s 19 Regional Consular and satellite offices.

LTFRB officials are expected to act on the petition of the Philippine National Taxi Operators’ Association (PNTOA) asking for a P10 increase in the existing P30 flagdown rate for the first 500 meters of travel.

The group has requested for the fare increase due to the rising cost of fuel and vehicle maintenance.

Aside from the P10 hike in the flagdown rate, PNTOA also asked for an additional P1 to the present P2.50 rate for every succeeding 300 meters and two minutes waiting time.

Representatives of the National Council for Commuters’ Protection (NCCCP), a consumer welfare advocacy group, are also expected to attend the fare hike hearing to come up with “material evidence” that taxi operators are losing money.

The LTFRB granted a fare increase to taxis in September 2004.

The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines said Wilfredo “Boy” Mayor, 55, succumbed to gunshot wounds before doctors at the San Juan de Dios Hospital could treat him.

“Mayor, together with Alan Castro, his son-in-law and driver, and Rommel Mayor, a nephew, were on board a blue Volvo car on their way to BF Homes in Parañaque when the incident happened at about 4:30 a.m.,” the CBCP said in its Web site.

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The CBCP, quoting police reports, said two men on a motorcycle fired at the victims along Manila International Airport Road.

Mayor was hit in the head and body, while Castro was in critical condition at the San Juan de Dios Hospital. Rommel, who was riding at the back, was unhurt.

Mayor had testified before Senate hearings in 2005 that Mr. Arroyo and some other government officials received money from jueteng, a popular but illegal numbers game. The First Gentleman had denied the allegation.

Mayor and self-confessed jueteng bagwoman Sandra Cam confessed their involvements in the multi-billion peso racket but have become advocates of an anti-gambling group founded by retired Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Oscar Cruz. - KBK, GMANews.TV



In a statement, Ilocos Norte Rep. Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. asked Noynoy, a consistent leader in presidential preference surveys, not to make the elder Ferdinand Marcos’ burial a “personal” issue so “the nation can move forward.”

“My father is long dead. My only wish is that he will be given a decent burial,” said Bongbong, a senatorial candidate running with the Nacionalista Party (NP) ticket of Senator Manuel Villar Jr., who is Noynoy’s closest rival.

Noynoy’s father, the martyred senator Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr., was Marcos’ political archrival. Noynoy’s mother Corazon took over the presidency in 1986 when the dictator was ousted in February 1986 by a popular uprising centered on the now-famous thoroughfare, EDSA.

On Tuesday, amid public reminiscences of the 1986 EDSA uprising, Noynoy maintained his opposition to Marcos’s burial at the Libingan ng mga Bayani in Taguig City.

[See: Noynoy's camp says Marcos has no place among heroes]

Bongbong said: “I just hope that Noynoy will remove anger from his heart. We need genuine reconciliation so the nation can move forward. Huwag na niya kaming personalin (He shouldn’t take this personally against us).”

The Ilocos congressman said his father, a soldier in World War II, deserves to be buried at the Libingan ng mga Bayani (Cemetery of Heroes), which was established as the final resting place of distinguished Filipino soldiers and veterans, as well as heroes and martyrs. Two Philippine presidents are buried there.

Noynoy’s camp, however, said “genuine reconciliation” could only be achieved if the Marcos family owns up to the abuses committed during the late dictator’s two-decade rule.

“Have they at any instance admitted their wrongdoing or asked forgiveness from the Filipino people? If they want genuine reconciliation, where is the ‘I am sorry’ spiel?” said Edwin Lacierda, Noynoy’s spokesperson, in a text message to GMANews.TV.

“If they continue to be in denial, how could the Marcoses ask for reconciliation? We cannot let the Filipino people forget the excesses of the Marcos dictatorship!” Lacierda said.

Marcos declared martial law in September 1972, invoking the need to quell rebellion and “save the Republic” as well as to “reform society.”

Ruling by decree as commander in chief of the Armed Forces, he curtailed press freedom and other civil liberties, closed down Congress and independent media firms, and ordered the arrest of opposition leaders and militant activists, including Ninoy, his staunchest critic.

Three years after he was ousted, Marcos died in exile in Hawaii at age 72, due to complications from kidney ailments often associated with lupus erythematosus. His body was refused entry to the Philippines, so his wife Imelda kept him in a refrigerated mausoleum in Oahu.

Years after his death, the Philippine government allowed Marcos’ remains to return to his homeland, but blocked his burial at the Libingan ng mga Bayani. His body is now in a refrigerated crypt in the Marcos family mausoleum in the village cemetery in Batac, Ilocos Norte province.

Deputy presidential spokesperson Charito Planas said Mrs. Arroyo would consider the proposal of Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez, a member of the opposition, to call a special session of Congress and declare a state of emergency in Mindanao.

Planas said the President would study the proposal, but stressed that Energy Secretary Angelo Reyes was already looking into the situation and finding ways to address it.

Planas also echoed the statement made by the President’s son, Pampanga Rep. Juan Miguel Arroyo, that the grant of special powers should only be considered “as a last resort.”

“The suggestion of Congressman Rodriguez was very good considering that he is with the opposition,” Planas said. “Let us allow the President to decide if she would accept that offer to grant her emergency powers.”

Planas emphasized that the government is on top of the situation and assured the public that the Luzon and Visayas regions would not suffer the same problems as Mindanao.

Crossing party lines

Rodriguez’s proposal was met with enthusiasm by Mrs. Arroyo’s allies at the House of Representatives.

“I support the move to grant President Arroyo emergency powers to solve the energy crisis and the energy need for the election automation,” said Deputy Speaker for Mindanao Simeon Datumanong, backing up the suggestion of Rodriguez to hold a special session for both houses of Congress in order to solve the energy crisis.

The 440-megawatt predicted power shortage for the month of May is one compelling reason for the special session.

National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) systems director Carlito Claudio told the House committee on energy Thursday that Mindanao may face a shortfall of four megawatts on May 10.

The other day, Reyes said the power crisis is real and not part of a scenario-building ploy of the administration to disrupt the May elections.

He, however, gave assurance that the administration would see to it that there would be uninterrupted power supply for the country’s first automated polls in May.

He said the consensus among Mindanao leaders is the immediate acquisition of power barges as a short-term measure. The country relied on power barges during the power crisis in the 1990s.

Zamboanga del Sur Rep. Antonio Cerilles, chairman of the House special committee on land use, said the special emergency powers will help the President undertake immediate and necessary measures to effectively address the energy problem.

Cerilles said it is also high time that government seriously consider the use of nuclear energy, which he described as clean, cheap and sustainable. “Nuclear energy should seriously be considered especially by local government units which want to host it,” he said.

“The energy crisis in Mindanao justifies a need for Congress to hold a special session to grant emergency powers to the President. Such powers will help her act with dispatch to ensure implementation of vital measures to solve the energy crisis,” said Cebu City Rep. Antonio Cuenco.

“Our national interest is at stake here so we must help the President deal with the energy problem with utmost urgency through the granting of emergency powers,” said Cuenco, chairman of the foreign affairs committee.

“But the energy crisis has been projected. It’s time for government to act with urgency to resolve it. Giving the chief executive emergency powers will certainly equip her with the necessary powers to effectively deal with it,” said Bulacan Rep. Reylina Nicolas, vice chairperson of the committee on trade and industry.

Critical Mindanao

Officials of NGCP – an attached agency of the Department of Energy – posed no objection to the proposal of Rodriguez and said it was up to Congress to extend such powers to the chief executive.

“We’re going to ask Malacañang to declare a state of emergency and call for a special session (regarding this power crisis). We are all suffering in Mindanao. Twelve (12) million votes will not be counted because of this problem,” Rodriguez said in his motion, which was lauded by Ilocos Norte Rep. Roquito Ablan, an administration stalwart.

Claudio told the committee that there will be no power outages in Luzon and Visayas on election day, but vote-rich Mindanao would be “critical” due to a four-megawatt power shortage in the region on the same day, or two to three-hour blackouts.

He said the lack of power is borne out of Mindanao’s “full dependence” on hydro plants generated by the Agus complex and worsened by the El Niño.

He, however, said that this deficiency will be covered by the 50-megawatt power that may be provided by the embedded generators of private individuals – whom Reyes is currently courting – and 30 megawatt from Iligan diesel.

“If all the additional megawatts are available, then there will be no power shortage in Mindanao,” he said. The total required power needed to quell power outages is 140 megawatts for the whole of Mindanao for the whole month of May.

No need for emergency powers

However, the idea of giving the President emergency powers did not sit well with Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay.

Binay, president of the United Opposition (UNO) and running mate of former President Joseph Estrada, said Arroyo is already armed with enough powers to address the crisis.

“If powers to be granted to her will allow her to create enough rain to fill Mindanao’s hydroelectric dams, then I am for it. If it will serve as an amulet that will give her superpowers to drive away El Niño, then let her have it. With 52 percent of Mindanao’s energy requirements sourced from drought-hit dams, then the solution lies in having more downpours in order to raise the water level in these dams. If this is the solution, then the purported presidential emergency powers are as effective as a rain dance,” Binay said.

He said if the powers mulled for Mrs. Arroyo would merely empower her to enter into supply contracts with small power generator providers, “then such authority is already lodged with the Secretary of Energy.”

Section 71 of the Epira Law allows the National Power Corp. (Napocor), chaired by the Energy secretary, to generate, operate, lease power to consumers and the private sector. Epira refers to the Electric Power Industry Reform Act of 2001.

“Clearly, you don’t need presidential emergency powers to invoke this. If a flotilla of power barges will be contracted to shore up Mindanao’s power reserves, then their commissioning does not depend on the grant of extraordinary powers to the President. There are enough rules governing this type of procurement,” Binay said.

He said cushioning the impact of the rotating blackouts on communities and industries in Mindanao “can be effected by Mrs. Arroyo without resorting to legislative grant of additional powers to her.”

“If mitigation will be in the form of spending, then there is the presidential contingent fund in the budget which she can tap. In fact, she can divert allocations in the budget to programs that will help victims and businesses affected by the power outages,” Binay said.

The opposition leader also recommended the emergency purchase of standby power generators for Mindanao hospitals.

“You can purchase one without the need for presidential emergency powers,” Binay said.

If it is invoked, Binay said red tape in government transactions cannot be used in justifying the grant of emergency powers to Mrs. Arroyo.

Conditioning the mind

But two senatorial candidates are looking at a more sinister plot behind the projected power crisis.

During yesterday’s “No Holds Barred” forum at the National Press Club (NPC), Ilocos Norte Rep. Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. and Gilbert Remulla hinted that the present administration might be conditioning the minds of the public that power outages may happen during the elections.

Marcos also raised doubts about the looming water and energy crises.

“Is this deliberate as they are planning to do some maneuverings during elections?” he asked.

He added that the possible power crisis being floated by the government would raise doubts as to the plans of the Arroyo government during elections.

Remulla also aired the same concern but expressed hope that the blackout will not last for more 12 hours since the standby battery to be used by the Commission on Elections (Comelec) for the automated machines would last for only 12 hours.

“But it is also good that they said there could be a brownout during elections,” said Remulla, noting that this could serve as a warning to everyone to watch over their votes.

Marcos said the rotating blackouts being experienced in several parts of the country could develop into a full-blown power crisis if not handled properly.

He said the government agencies tasked to provide solutions to these blackouts should think out of the box.

“The situation will serve as a litmus test of the sincerity of the government in implementing full automation in the forthcoming polls,” Marcos added. “You cannot help but wonder about the timing of it all.” – Delon Porcalla, Ding Cervantes, Jaime Laude, Jose Rodel Clapano, Sandy Araneta

“In an instant case, the respondent has not presented sufficient proof that would establish his ties to Ormoc City. The absence of such ties indicates his lack of intention to stay permanently in the said locality,” read the Comelec’s First Division resolution.

“Having no substantial ties to Ormoc City, it can hardly be expected from him to be cognizant and sensitive to the needs of the locality. This defeats the spirit of representation. This is the very evil which the residency requirement sought to avoid,” the resolution continued.

The Comelec’s First Division also noted the following: that Gomez and his wife, Lucy Torres-Gomez, continue to practice their profession in Manila; that he is still doing business in Manila; and that he and his family continue to stay at their house on Colgate St., East Greenhills in Mandaluyong City.

Gomez, according to the Commission, also failed to prove that he has already abandoned his Manila residence despite being a registered voter in Ormoc City.

It was last December when Buenaventura Juntilla, a former barangay chairman in Ormoc, filed the disqualification case against Gomez, saying he is not a bona fide resident of Ormoc.

Under the Local Government Code, local candidates must be able to meet the one-year residency requirement in order to be qualified to run in a constituency.

Ivler entered the plea during his arraignment at the Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 76 presided by Judge Alexander Balut.

Present at the proceedings were Ivler’s mother Marlene Aguilar and stepfather Stephen Pollard.

Members of the Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption (VACC) also joined the Ebarle family during the arraignment.

The prosecution intended to have Ivler transferred to a regular detention cell, but Dr. Romeo Abery of the Quirino Memorial Medical Center said the murder suspect remains unfit for incarceration at the Quezon City jail.

“The wound is still open. As of now he still has sutures on the abdomen. Still needs medical (assistance),” the doctor said. “He could not sit down for a long time.”

Ivler was lying down on a stretcher during the duration of his arraignment.

The suspect will remain under NBI custody at the QMMC, pending a discharge order from the hospital, Balut said.

In the meantime, Ivler’s camp said they were satisfied that the suspect won’t be transferred to a regular cell yet due to his health condition. “It will only inflict unnecessary pain on the accused. That’s persecution,” defense lawyer Alex Medina said.

Balut also set the preliminary conference on Ivler’s case on February 25 and 26, and the pre-trial on March 2.

On the other hand, Ebarle Jr.’s kin said they want a private doctor to examine Ivler, pointing out that 21 days of confinement should be enough for him to recuperate.

“We will file a motion asking the court to allow our own doctor [to examine Ivler], so that the doctor can give an opinion whether he [Ivler] should be transferred to a regular detention cell or not,” said prosecution lawyer Romeo Alcantara in an ambush interview with reporters.

Governor Alvaro Antonio said the provincial government had no choice but to declare a state of calamity since efforts by the Department of Agriculture (DA) to lessen the impact of the phenomenon have not been enough. (read more for video)

“We cannot wait anymore for the DA’s move. We need to swiftly act on the problem” he told GMANews.TV in an interview.

Cloud seeding operations subsidized by the DA have been unsuccessful due to absence of clouds in the past days.

The provincial board passed the resolution Monday morning.

Antonio said farmers had lost about P300 million worth of palay (rice grains) and P600 million of corn products in January.

“We have started experiencing rain less days since December of last year. If this goes on until the end of June then we will have a very serious rice problem in areas where we supply the bulk of our produce,” he said.

Cagayan is the foremost producer of corn and second only to Isabela as the biggest rice producer in the country. The province supplies most of the rice requirements of Region I, Metro Manila, and Regions 4a and 4b. It provides 25 percent of the country’s rice needs.

Region II is the worst hit by the El Niño phenomenon with thousands of hectares of agricultural lands already damaged by the extended dry spell.

Isabela had declared a state of calamity last week.

Meanwhile, Antonio assured the public that they are doing everything to help soften the impact of El Nino on farmers. “We will purchase more water pumps and if the need arises, we will even subsidize fuel to farmers from seriously affected areas.”

Based on the promulgation issued by the Comelec en banc, Chiongbian will be allowed to vie for a congressional seat representing Sarangani.

Pacquiao’s local political party, People’s Champ Movement (PCM), earlier lodged a petition to bar Chiongbian from running in Sarangani since he is not a resident of the province. It also alleged that Chiongbian gave false information in his election papers.

Chiongbian is a top executive of Eastern Shipping Lines and comes from an influential and wealthy family.

The businessman is the youngest brother of incumbent Sarangani Rep. Erwin Chiongbian. Their mother, Priscilla Chiongbian, is a former provincial governor.

The Chiongbian family earlier said that they do not think Pacquiao’s popularity in boxing would be enough to bring him to victory in the May 10 polls.

Pacquiao lost to Darlene Antonino-Custodio in 2007 in their battle to represent the first district of South Cotabato province. It was Pacquiao’s first foray into local politics.

The Antoninos are a powerful family in South Cotabato.

Pacquiao party flops in survey

Meanwhile, The Pwersa ng Bayaning Atleta (PBA) party-list group reportedly led by Pacquiao, kicked off its campaign by launching a motorcade around Manila, Makati and Quezon City.

PBA party-list nominees Mark Sambar and Miles Roces explained that their group is working to give sports and athletes a stronger voice in Congress since several relevant bills and proposals for the benefit of athletes and Philippine sports in general remain pending or ignored.

However, the party-list failed to make it in the latest Pulse Asia survey on the party-list polls.

The top 9 party-list groups likely to win seats, according to the survey conducted January 22-26, are Bayan Muna, 1-Aangat Pilipino, Anak Pawis, Gabriela, Akbayan, Ahon Pinoy, Aangat Tayo, Anak Mindanao, Abono.

ABS chief executive Tom Choi said in a statement that the company would beef up its workforce by over 50 percent in two years and train staff for the transfer of the control operations to the Subic center from the southern part of Hong Kong.

“In short, an $800 million worth of satellite equipment will be controlled in our operating center in Subic,” Choi said.

The Subic center, he said, would control five of the company’s satellites—ABS 1, ABS 1-A, ABS 2, ABS 5 and ABS 6.

The satellites serve the firm’s markets in Asia-Pacific, Russia, Africa and the Atlantic. ABS recently acquired Mabuhay Satellite Corp. of the Philippines, which operated the Agila-2 satellite, now renamed ABS-5.

Choi said ABS would invest over $5 million for training and additional infrastructure in its ground facility in Subic, adding that the firm would hire a minimum of 20 new employees this year.

“The investment will include new control equipment, new software, big antennas and satellite control equipment that will all be located in our Subic control center,” he said.

Choi added the company would spend an additional $300 million for another satellite to replace Agila 2 in preparation for its retirement in five years.

“Our investments in the Philippines will be long term,” he said.

ABS, whose control operations are in Hong Kong, said its main clients in the Philippines are telecommunication and broadcasting firms, including Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co., Bayan Telecommunications Inc., GMA Network Inc. and ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corp.

ABS in November signed an agreement for the purchase of Mabuhay Satellite’s business.

“ABS will maintain all of Mabuhay’s operations in the Philippines and the staff will be integrated with the ABS team,” Choi said.

He said revenues from the Philippines would account for 15 percent to 20 percent of the total after the merger.

Sen. Gregorio “Gringo” Honasan, the soldier turned politician who had been a fugitive from the law on several occasions in the past, offered this advice to Sen. Panfilo Lacson yesterday, urging his embattled colleague to use his training as a former military officer and police official.

Honasan advised Lacson to “pray hard” and master the art of disguise if he does not want the long arm of the law to catch up with him.

“Persevere. Pray hard,” Honasan remarked when asked what tips he could give Lacson, his former classmate at the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) and colleague at the Senate who is now in hiding abroad.

“First, I empathize with him. I have been there before,” said Honasan who, as a young Army colonel, had been implicated in several coup attempts against three presidents since 1986.

Honasan first gained fame when he played a role in the ouster of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos in the 1986 people power revolution.

The following year, Honasan led a failed coup against the late President Corazon Aquino, hiding out in the metropolis for several months before he was caught.

He then escaped from a prison ship, was arrested again in 1988 and led another coup attempt in 1989.

He was pardoned by former President Fidel Ramos and elected senator in 1995.

After having been re-elected senator in 2003, Honasan was again implicated in the failed power grab against President Arroyo during the Oakwood mutiny led by now detained Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV.

The government had a difficult time locating Honasan in the past because of the senator’s expertise in disguise and deception.

Honasan was later caught disguised as a Hindu businessman, wearing a turban and the traditional Indian costume. The senator was nabbed when he injured his foot trying to jump from the roof of a two-story house.

Honasan, in an interview with reporters in Tarlac City during the 9th National Convention of the Philippine Guardians Brotherhood Inc. (PGBI), said Lacson should now maximize what he had learned as a former intelligence officer.

In hiding, Honasan said Lacson should “maximize costumes” and practice “goodwill” with people he meets as he tries to elude authorities.

Honasan joked that Lacson should put on a red wig, which he used when he went into hiding in 2003.

“Ako ang sinusuot ko noon ay pula (I wore red wigs then),” Honasan said in jest.

Honasan gave the unsolicited advice to Lacson, his “mistah” at the PMA.

A warrant of arrest was issued against Lacson last Friday, accusing the senator in the murders of publicist Salvador “Bubby” Dacer and driver Emmanuel Corbito in November 2000.

Lacson served as chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP) and concurrent chief of the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Task Force, the same unit accused of carrying out the murders of Dacer and Corbito.

Sen. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino does not come to the presidential race with clean hands, as they have been bloodied by two massacres: The Hacienda Luisita massacre of the striking farmers and the “massacre” of the original Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTex) project, shepherding its overprice while he and his family benefited from the project.

Rep. Crispin “Boying” Remulla, a critic of Aquino, bared at a press conference yesterday that two separate committees of both the Senate and the House established the fact that Noynoy Aquino used his influence as a legislator and served as the proponent of the SCTex project which directly benefited his family’s Hacienda Luisita in Tarlac.

“The congressional hearings elicited the fact that Noynoy used his influence as a legislator not only to push the SCTex project, but specifically also the interconnection of Hacienda Luisita to it, at a stupendous cost to government and taxpayers.

“The net effect of Noynoy’s machination is that from its original cost of P18.7 billion in 1999, the SCTex project cost was adjusted from P18.7 billion in 2003, to P21 billion in 2004 and, by the time it got finished, the cost ballooned to a whopping P32.808 billion, or double the original price.”

At that time, the Aquinos, mother and son, were staunch allies and defenders of President Arroyo.

“Noynoy made sure he was present in most meetings related to the construction of SCTex. To add insult to injury and to show their disdain for the congressional committees investigating the SCTex scandal, Noynoy and the Cojuangcos ordered Luisita’s security men to bar congressmen from conducting an ocular inspection of the HLI road interchange.”

“The government funded the P170-M project, but it could not even have its representatives visit the site. Such was the arrogance of the Cojuangcos.He said that Noynoy’s meddling in the project caused its original route to be diverted to pass through Luisita unnecessarily and without any other motive but to serve the interest of the Cojuangcos.

As Remulla likened the Hacienda Luisita interchange of the SCTex project to that of the bloody Mendiola and the Hacienda farmers’ massacres, he accused Aquino of “having blood in his hands” for his complicity in the twin massacres, adding another charge that he and his family’s five-decade long and often violent oppression of farmers in the Cojuangco-owned Hacienda Luisita in Tarlac, blaming these on their greed for power and money.

In a press briefing, Remulla said that contrary to belief that the Luisita Massacre was triggered by the heated tension between the Hacienda Luisita Inc. (HLI) management and the farm workers after the latter went into strike in November 2004, the killing was actually an incident just waiting to happen.

“Nothing happens by mere circumstance. Nothing happens by mere incidence,” said Remulla. “After the value of the Hacienda shot up with the construction of the Luisita interchange of the SCTex, the massacre became inevitable and was just waiting to happen as the Cojuangco-Aquinos became more desperate not to let go of their property now valued at billions of pesos.”

Remulla also chided Noynoy over his long-standing silence on the Luisita Massacre. “As a senator and as a three-term congressman, Noynoy had not raised a howl, not even a whimper, when seven farmers demanding the return of their land from the Cojuangcos were murdered right at the gate of Luisita on Nov. 16, 2004. Noynoy should put to memory the names of these farmers because it was their blood which had been sacrificed at the altar of his family’s greed.”

Remulla added that Noynoy will also be haunted by the spate of extra-judicial killings that followed the Luisita massacre, killings which the Cavite solon were as ghastly as the Mendiola Massacre of 1987 under the presidency of Noynoyfs late mother Cory Aquino.

“If you would look at the history of Hacienda Luisita, the Cojuangco patriarch acquired the property in 1957 from a loan from the GSIS with the assurance that the property would be distributed to the farmworkers after 10 years. But four years later, the late Sen. Ninoy Aquino borrowed money to have the Hacienda modernized. that early, it was very evident they (Aquino-Cojuangcos) didn’t want to distribute the property to the farmworkers,” said Remulla.

“How about President (Cory) Aquino’s men withdrawing in 1989 the case filed by government in 1980 to force the Cojuangcos to return Luisita to its rightful owners, the farmers?”

Remulla said the list of “crimes against people” pinned on both the Aquinos and Cojuangcos goes on and on.

“There’s the stock distribution option (SDO) which was used by the Cory administration to exempt Luisita from land reform. This SDO is at the very root of the farmers’ fight against Noynoy’s family.”

After Cory Aquino assumed power in 1986, Remulla said she made sure the more than 6,000 hectares would not be subjected to agrarian reform when she issued a proclamation giving options to big landholders to submit their property to stock distribution option (SDO).

The late president also withdrew the government’s case against HLI which would have subjected the Hacienda to agrarian reform then.

In 2005, the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) rescinded the SDO saying it was against the interest of the farmers. This was further upheld by the Presidential Agrarian Reform Commission (PARC), which ordered HLI to immediately distribute the property to the farmer-beneficiaries.

However, the Cojuangco-Aquino controlled HLI was able to acquire a temporary restraining order (TRO) from the Supreme Court (SC).

“At a very conservative estimate, Hacienda Luisita is now worth P60 billion. And that is enough reason the Cojuangco-Aquinos would resort to everything even violence just so that Hacienda Luisita would not be subjected to agrarian reform,” said Remulla.

“Didn’t Senator Noynoy abstain from the Senate voting on the CARP Extension with Reforms (CARPER) because it excluded SDO?”

Remulla said he dubbed the SCTex scandal as a ‘massacre’ figuratively and literally because it involves slowly murdering the farmers of Luisita by paying them starvation wages, limiting their workdays and the area of the land they till.

“SCTex is a massacre as horrible as the Luisita, Mendiola and Maguindanao killings because it also involves the raiding of public funds, a kind of murder that is most foul. How can Noynoy claim he is against corruption when he cannot even stand up to his powerful uncles and the shadowy members of Kamag-anak Incorporated?

“How can Noynoy brush aside the fact that the Cojuangco-controlled HLI and Tadeco made a killing of P83 million as right-of-way payment for the SCTEX project that affected Luisita? What distorted sense of justice does Noynoy posses when out of the P83 million, each of the Luisita farmers received a measly One Peso as share from the proceeds of the sale?”

Further, Remulla asked: “How come Noynoy is so quiet on the misuse of P170 million of taxpayers’ money to build the SCTex interchange linking Luisita, when it serves no other purpose than to serve the businesses of the Cojuangcos?”

The Cavite solon emphasized that before Noynoy promises to lift Filipinos from poverty, he “should first confront his elders for giving Luisita farmers starvation wages, which in 2003 stood at P18 a day for seasonal workers and P9 a day for casuals, after deductions.

“Noynoy is also answerable for his family’s move to reclassify 3,290 out of Luisita’s 4,915 hectares from agricultural to commercial, industrial and residential, which the Sangguniang Bayan of Tarlac approved in 1995 during the tenure as governor of Margarita “Tingting” Cojuangco, his aunt,

A master plan commissioned in 1998 by Luisita Realty Corp., a subsidiary of Jose Cojuangco & Sons, showed that the Cojuangcos’ long-term intention is to convert the hacienda into a business and residential hub, with no areas left for agricultural.

“Since Noynoy is so enamored with the purported legacy of his family, he should dig a little deeper to unearth their long-closeted skeletons,” said Remulla.

“But if he cannot control his family, the decision of his family on this very unpopular issue hounding them, then he has no right to run for public office which would give him control over the entire nation!”

Remulla said that as chairman of the congressional committee that investigated in 2005 the SCTex scandal, he personally knows the falsity of Noynoy’s claim that the P83M paid them for the SCTex road right of way was above board.

“The zonal valuation for farm land in Tarlac was only P8 per square meter, yet Noynoy’s family was paid P100 per square meter. Noynoy says the price was approved by the BCDA as per the valuation of the Development Bank of the Philippines. But who is Noynoy fooling? The BCDA approved a DBP valuation which, to start, was based on a BCDA recommendation. There was clearly collusion in this highway robbery.”

On top of this, HLI, or the Cojuangcos at least, also benefitted immensely from the P170-million road interchange which was built at government’s expense. The interchange, which has three ramps instead of just one if (which should be the case), all but made apparent that it was meant to serve the industrial estates of the Cojuangcos in the converted hacienda, he pointed out.

The overpricing was confirmed by no less than the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) during a congressional hearing.

Dickson Laude of St. Scholastic’s College of Health Science in Tacloban ranked third, with 87 percent, followed by Sarah Beth Bendoy of First Asia Institute of Technology and Humanities and Cyrel Alexandra Diolazo of Arellano University Manila in fourth place, both with 86.60 percent.

Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila graduate Cliff Richard Bermudez, Katrina Isabel Doromal and Rio Michelle Renomeron shared the top five slot at 86.40 percent.

Greatsky Castuciano, Jobilee Foronda, Donald Paloma and Karla Andrea Yap landed in the sixth place with 86.20 percent, while Chastine Jambalos, Felina Joyce Posadas, Perla Santiago, Camille Asistio and Dennis Michael Zequerra shared the seventh spot at 86 percent.

In 8th place were Joanna Marie Alvaro, Karen Cheng, Krizzia Mae de Guzman, Richard Domondon, Angelo Galvan, Lilia Piramide, Robert Rena, Vyklyn Testa and Cornelio Villanueva, with 85.80 percent.

Ninth placers were Sheila Casano, Krystle Din, John Stephen Humiwat, Woodrose Charm Kwan, Nerissa Layag, Kristin Angeli Legislador, Myrtle Shekinah Lopez, Susanne Joie Mano, Manelee Mijares, Juan Alfred Norte and Garlene Rebollos, with 85.60 percent.

In the 10th place were Joanna Iris Avena, Erwin Garces, Steve Oliver Coo, Stephen Albert de Castro, Princess Camille de Guzman, Felamie Anne Ducotan, Mary Kristine Labanta, Giselle Dawn Mamaril, Samuel John Saludez, Angelo John Tacuban and Maria Cecilia Tejedor, with 85.40 percent.

November 2009 Nursing Board Exam Results – www.PinoyRN.co.nr

Other links:

- Cebu Dancing Inmates dance Michael Jackson’s This is it.

Manila Mayor Alfredo S. Lim and Sen. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III led the unveiling of the 15-foot monument of the late President Corazon C. Aquino on her 77th birth anniversary Monday at the corner of Roxas Boulevard and P. Burgos Drive across the historic Manila Hotel.

Republic Cultural Heritage awardee Eduardo De Los Santos Castrillo, who was personally commissioned by Lim for the project, sculpted the bronze statue of the much-loved leader.

The newly unveiled monument — which stands a few meters from the statue of her late husband, Ninoy — shows the much-loved leader in the outfit she wore when she addressed the US Congress in 1986. The statue conveys the very essence of what the late president fought for. It shows her right hand raised in the Laban sign with her left hand holding the 1987 Constitution.

After receiving a posthumous award in honor of the former president, Senator Aquino spoke to express his gratitude to the city government of Manila for honoring his mother’s memory.

At the end of his message, Aquino underscored the vital role of the premier city in shaping the direction of the entire country. “Where goes Manila, so goes the nation,” he said.

Among those who attended the simple rites were Dr. Emilio T. Yap, chairman of the Manila Bulletin Publishing Corp., former Sen. Franklin Drillon, Rep. Peping Cojuango, Butch Aquino, the present ambassador to Chile Baby Puyat-Reyes, former justice Adolf Azcuna, former Manila Mayor Mel Lopez, National Historical Institute Chairman Ambeth Ocampo, Gemma Cruz-Araneta of the Manila Historical and Heritage Commission, Christopher Carrion and Margie Juico of the Spirit of EDSA Foundation, Department of Education Manila Superintendent Dr. Ponciano Menguito, and Manila city officials and students.

Meanwhile, the daughters of Mrs. Aquino also celebrated their mother’s 77th birth anniversary at the Manila Memorial Park in Paranaque City.

Pinky Aquino-Abellada, Ballsy Aquino-Cruz and Viel Aquino-Dee prayed the rosary at the grave of their mother beside that of the late Sen. Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr.

After saying their prayers, Pinky talked to reporters, telling them that while Mrs. Aquino’s friends and supporters wore yellow ribbons, yellow rubber ballers, yellow shirts, and yellow watches to celebrate the occasion, she preferred to wear the former President’s golden watch, saying the jewelry makes her “a bit closer” to her beloved mother.

The UK Embassy said it wants the British passport to remain trusted as a secure document, and to make it hard to forge or obtain through fraud, an article on its website said.

“The British passport is trusted as a secure document the world over. We want to keep it that way so that British travellers continue to enjoy the convenience and benefits of a travel document which is known to be difficult to forge or obtain fraudulently,” the website quotes British Consul Joanne Finnamore-Crorkin as saying. “Limiting the number of locations where passports are printed will reduce the risk of them falling into the wrong hands.”

Teams specialized in passport examination, fraud detection, and secure document technology will run the new processing centers, the article said

The embassy also said the changes intend to help the UK government deliver a more streamlined, efficient, and secure system and to control costs of new passports.

British nationals in the Philippines will be required to submit their applications to the British Embassy Manila.

This application will be forwarded to the British Consulate Hong Kong.

Once the new passport is ready, it will be sent directly to the applicant in the Philippines.

“There will though be a charge for the courier fee,” said Finnamore-Crorkin.

Since passport applications will be processed at the regional Passport Processing Centers, applicants will need to allow extra time for their applications to be sent to and from the Processing Center, the embassy said.

However, the UK government will still aim to issue at least 90 percent of all straightforward passports applications within 10 working days of receipt of the correct documents and fee, “although this will exclude the time taken for delivery of the new passport.”

However, the UK Embassy in Manila said it will continue to issue travel documents for applicants who need to travel in case of emergency.

“Isang malungkot na balita. Kaninang 11:51 ng umaga ang ating kalihim Sec. Remonde ay binawian ng buhay (I have sad news. Remonde died),”Press Undersecretary for Operations Romeo Junia said on dzBB radio.

Junia said there was no official word on what caused Remonde’s death. He said there may have to be an autopsy, although it will be a decision made by the family.

Remonde, 51, was found unconscious in the bathroom of his home in Bel-Air Village, Makati.

Junio said Remonde’s personal staff brought him to the hospital.

He added Remonde’s wife in Cebu had been informed and would be on her way to Manila at the first available flight Tuesday afternoon.

He said Remonde had shown no sign of physical illness before his death.

“Kagabi we were working late at the office, we had a late dinner and routine work at the office. We stayed until 9 p.m. There was no sign he was under any kind of physical condition that was threatening,” he said.

Junio also said Remonde had been used to a heavy workload.

He also said it was not likely Remonde’s trip to Cebu last weekend to attend the Sinulog festival caused his death, saying Remonde had been attending the festivities yearly.

Remonde assumed the post of Press Secretary in February 2009.

Alerted by the helper, agents of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) kept the house in Blue Ridge, Quezon City under surveillance, even as Aguilar-Pollard insisted that the allged gunman the NBI was looking for, her son Jason Aguilar Ivler, might have already fled to Hawaii.

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In my opinion, Jushua Clottey should’ve beaten Miguel Cotto in his last fight- except that he didn’t. Not that he wasn’t capable of doing so, it was more of his inability to muster enough heart and will for him to steal the victory in the ‘money’ rounds.