Thursday, May 19, 2005

Robles told to SHUT UP by AFP

By Ronron
May 18, 2005

A military spokesman on Wednesday told Rex Robles, a member of the executive council of the Reform the Armed Forces Movement, to keep silent if he has nothing good to say about the country.

The reaction came a day after Robles, a retired senior commander of the Philippine military who figured in a successful coup against the government of the later President Ferdinand Marcos in 1986, hinted of a possibility of military intervention if the present government fails to address the prevailing economic and social problems.

“To Commodore Robles: Shut up. You are doing disservice to the Armed Forces and the people whom you once served,” Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Public Information Officer Col. Buenaventura Pascual said in a press briefing in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City.

Robles had raised fresh warnings on Tuesday about the inevitableness for disgruntled military men to link up with political groups to change the present administration unless the present problems are solved.

His statements came over a week since another retired military and government official, Fortunato Abat, threatened to overthrow the Arroyo administration in exchange for his proposed revolutionary government.

Pascual stressed the AFP is “solidly behind President (Gloria Macapagal) Arroyo” and that “there is no such group that will go against the chain of command.”

He just branded Robles’ statements as “a pigment of his imagination.”

“If he has any political ambition, he must join the elections. He might win there,” Pascual said.

The Philippine National Police (PNP), for its part, cleared speculations of a coup d etat following Robles’ pronouncements, saying that it has not received any reports to that effect.

“Those are only allegations and we are always prepared for it,” said PNP Acting Chief Dep. Dir. Gen. Ricardo de Leon./DMS

Tabloid columnist escapes ambush attempt in Valenzuela City

By Ronron
May 18, 2005

A columnist of Metro Manila-based tabloid Bulgar survived an ambush attempt against him Wednesday dawn by unidentified suspects, police said.

Pablo Hernandez III, 41, was on his way home with a companion and was cruising along Rosario St. in Valenzuela City on board a yellow car when he was fired upon at around 3:30 am by two motorcycle-riding men who were trailing them, said Philippine National Police (PNP) spokesman Col. Leopoldo Bataoil.

The car, a Toyota Corona with plate number NMS-287, was being driven by Hernandez’ driver, George Macalla, 32.

The suspects were on board an Enduro motorcycle, colored white and black with unspecified plate number, and were armed with an unknown handgun.

Initial investigation revealed that the suspects, coming from the back of the victims, overtook the car and blocked the latter before shooting Hernandez several times but missed.

The car was hit four times on its hood and wind shield.

Hernandez told Bataoil he was able to fire back using his Ingram pistol, prompting the suspects to withdraw towards the direction of Gen. T. de Leon Road of said city. Hernandez is said to be an authorized gun-carrier.

Police later recovered from the crime scene a spent shell for 9 mm caliber pistol and a ball cap believed to be owned by one of the suspects.

On February 8 of this year, Hernandez also survived an attack by a hired killer, the first attempt against his life.

Police is not yet certain whether or not the attacks were related to Hernandez’ profession but the columnist claimed in a radio interview the attacks were most likely related to his job.

“The PNP assures him (Hernandez) that we will look into the incident… The Valenzuela City Police will be patrolling the vicinity of his residence in Quezon City to ensure the security of Mr. Hernandez,” PNP Acting Chief Dep. Dir. Gen. Ricardo de Leon said at a press conference later in the afternoon at Camp Crame, Quezon City.

The attack on Hernandez came after a publisher-editor in Dingalan, Aurora was shot dead by assailants allegedly hired by the local chief executive there./DMS

Fight vs. loose firearms now a priority by PNP

By Ronron
May 18, 2005

Citing statistics in previous years showing an overwhelming number of unlicensed firearms used in criminal cases, the Philippine National Police (PNP) leadership on Wednesday announced that the fight against loose firearms will already be considered "a priority matter."

PNP Acting Chief Deputy Director General Ricardo De Leon told a press conference in Camp Crame, Quezon City yesterday that the police has stepped up its campaign against loose firearms as it also thinks of ways to account all firearms.

"Out of last year's 1,731 firearms involved in criminal cases, only 12 are licensed while all the rest are unlicensed," de Leon disclosed.

Records showed that from 1993 until 2003, a total of 11,412 unlicensed firearms were used out of the 13,365 firearms used in different criminal cases. Only 1,953 were properly documented.

The PNP admitted that the sudden spate of killings, especially on high profile personalities, may be attributable to the continued proliferation of loose firearms.

In the first quarter of this year, a total of 1,477 reported crime incidents involved the use of 1,893 loose firearms, official police records show.

"We are looking into some options of the ballistics information management system. Since we have not started the program and we are now doing a manual, it has to be computerized," de Leon said.

Without giving an estimated timeframe, de Leon said the PNP will fast-track its schedule of implementing a computerized system for all licensed firearms, including the renewables, "so we'll have a computerized record of the ballistics."

He also encouraged carriers of loose firearms to avail of the government's amnesty until September.

To show the PNP's seriousness in this fight, de Leon reported that from January until May 15 of this year, a total of 817 loose firearms have already been confiscated, quite an "accomplishment" when compared to the 903 recovered in the entire year of 2004./DMS

Wednesday, May 18, 2005

Plane crashes in Rizal, one killed

By Ronron
May 17, 2005

A Bonanza V35 aircraft carrying loads of fish from Palawan crashed Tuesday evening in a mountainous area in Morong, Rizal.

The pilot, Capt. Felimon Mendoza, was instantly killed while the plane was in total wreck, said Rizal Provincial Police Director S/Supt. Leocadio Santiago.

Mendoza's body was said to be crushed.

The eight-seater fixed wing aircraft, with tail number RP C639, showed signs of engine trouble or loss of fuel, said Santiago, based on accounts of local residents who heard the engine conked before plunging into the hilly area of Sitio Agas, Barangay San Guillermo, Morong at around 6:20 pm.

But Air Force spokesman Lt. Col. Restituto Padilla theorized the plane could have crashed due to the severe weather disturbance prevailing at the place of accident.

Heavy rain and thunderstorms hit Rizal, Metro Manila and other neighboring provinces yesterday evening after long weeks of extremely dry season.

Padilla said the rescue team of the Air Force were not even able to land at the crash site last night due to the weather.

The aircraft, owned and operated by Bonanza Air Services, came from Sandoval, Palawan and was bound for Manila.

Yesterday's crash came a day after a Cessna plane ditched into the waters of Ipil, Zamboanga Sibugay, killing two people.

On May 8, four persons were also killed when another aircraft crashed in a hilly portion of Tanauan City, Batangas.

And two weeks earlier, a military chopper crashed in Gabaldon, Nueva Ecija while conducting aerial survey. Nine people died in that accident, including the country's famous seismologist, Dr. Raymundo Punongbayan./DMS

21 downed, one of whom died, in Silay City, Negros Occidental due to alleged food poisoning

By Ronron
May 17, 2005

Twenty-one people were downed, one of whom died, since last weekend in Silay City, Negros Occidental due to alleged food poisoning.

Seven of the victims were only reported yesterday, but no other details were made available to Manila Shimbun during several interview attempts at the city police and Integrated Provincial Hospital (IPH).

Five other victims were also reported last May 15. They were identified in a police report as: Jason Sonio, 11; Pinky Paran, 8; Andreta Paran, one year old and eight months; Faith Salavante, 12; and Ral John Salavante, 10.

The five were allegedly part of the same group that ate the previous day (May 14) two kinds of locally sold fish that were no longer fresh. Police identified the fish as galunggong and lambiyaw.

On that day (May 14), eight persons were sent to the hospital after eating the same set of fish. One of the victims, a nine-year-old boy, died upon arrival at IPH, said police.

IPH Chief Dr. Ma. Estrella Ledesma said the victims were all diagnosed to have suffered "acute gastroenteritis with severe dehydration."

The fish was allegedly brought from an ambulant vendor in Sitio Patag Diutay, Barangay Patag, SilayCity, about 30 kilometers away from the city proper./DMS

Japanese killing suspect confesses

By Ronron
May 17, 2005

Solsona Mayor Joseph de Lara confirmed in a phone interview Tuesday with Manila Shimbun the confession of suspect Rene Gabriel before him last Friday morning about his participation in the killing of Takemoto.

Meanwhile, Mary Jane Takemoto, the victim’s wife, was delighted about the positive development of her husband’s case, especially that it cleared her from being the prime suspect.

Mary Jane, in a phone interview also with Manila Shimbun yesterday, said the identification of the suspects and the arrest of one eased the pain she was carrying in her heart.

“At least, the death of my husband will be given justice already and the accusations against me will be cleared,” she said in Filipino.

But she stressed she is still lonely and sad because said development will not bring her husband back to life.

The suspects, according to Mary Jane, are not known to the Takemoto’s although she already heard their nicknames before.

Mary Jane said she met Gabriel last Monday at the Ilocos Norte Provincial Police Office but they did not exchange words and come near to each other, as advised by the police.

“I was told not to approach him because I might say bad words against him, he might back out from testifying,” she said.

Mary Jane disclosed that Takemoto’s body was already autopsied Wednesday last week by the medico-legal team from the National Bureau of Investigation-Region 1.

His body will be buried tomorrow (Thursday) in the same locality./DMS

Four newly-repaired Navy vessels to be deployed starting today (Wednesday)

By Ronron
May 17, 2005

The Philippine Navy will deploy starting today (Wednesday) four newly-repaired vessels at its different Naval Forces around the country as part of the agency’s 107th anniversary celebration this week.

In a statement released yesterday, Navy Public Information Officer Capt. Geronimo Malabanan said BRP Quezon (Patrol Ship 70) will be sent to Naval Forces West based in Zamboanga City.

BRP Cebu (PS28) and BRP Simeon Castro (Patrol Gunboat 374) will go to the Naval Forces in Southern Luzon, located in Legaspi City, Albay.

And the fourth surface asset, BRP Bagong Lakas (PG 102), will be deployed to the Naval Forces Western Mindanao in Davao City.

Malabanan said the deployment of the four vessels is aimed as sustaining the conduct of the naval and maritime operations of the respective Naval Forces.

The Philippine Navy has a little over a hundred patrol ships and gunboats, according to Malabanan.

A send-off ceremony for the four vessels will be held at 10:30 am today at the Philippine Navy headquarters along Roxas Boulevard in Manila City./DMS

Official says verdict on mutineers not assurance of non-recurrence of military uprisings in the future

By Ronron
May 17, 2005

Any verdict on the more than 300 government soldiers who attempted to grab power from the Arroyo administration on July 27, 2003 does not ensure that the country will be free from future military uprisings.

Thus said UP Professor Carolina Hernandez, a member of the Feliciano Commission that investigated the so-called failed Oakwood Mutiny two years ago and who now serves as Presidential Adviser on the Implementation of the Recommendation of the Feliciano Commission.

“I can not say it will stop because a coup d etat or a coup attempt is a result of many factors… The enforcement of the law to discipline those erring soldiers is only one component of the many factors,” Hernandez told reporters on Tuesday in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City.

The military court last week has sentenced the 184 enlisted personnel of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) who took part in the Oakwood Mutiny to a demotion in their respective ranks, forfeiture of a percentage of their salary and a detention for a year with hard labor as penalty after pleading guilty to three lesser charges.

On the other hand, majority of the officers, excluding the core group headed by Lt. (SG) Antonio Trillanes IV and Capt. Milo Maestrocampo, have sent feelers for a plea bargain, wherein they are expected also to plead guilty to lesser charges in exchange for the dropping of the mutiny charge against them.

Hernandez, in an earlier interview with Manila Shimbun, had welcomed the decision of the AFP tribunal as regards the cases of the EP’s.

“In this case, there are legal processes that are going on both the civilian and the military courts. And you know, the judicial process allows plea bargaining. So, you have to support that kind of approach,” Hernandez said yesterday.

She said that what is important is that the law in this particular case was enforced, “consistent with the recommendation, with the sense of the (Feliciano) Commission that the law has to be enforced.”

But Hernandez is hopeful that with the enforcement of the law on the EP’s, the July 2003 incident will no longer be replicated.

“It (handing down the verdict) is probably one of the important components for deterring future coup attempts but it is not the only one,” she said.

Asked what she thinks is the appropriate punishment for the mutiny leaders, Hernandez replied: “There is a coup d etat law, there is a law prohibiting mutiny. So they (courts) will know what to do. In the case of the Articles of War, there is also a range of penalties for certain violations of certain articles. And I think the General Court Martial will know what to do. So it’s not a good idea if I would be answering that question.”/DMS

Four killed in robbery-slay in Lipa City, Batangas

By Ronron
May 17, 2005

Four persons were killed in a robbery-slay incident early Tuesday morning in Lipa City, Batangas, police said.

According to the Lipa City Police Station, the incident happened at around 4 am when an unidentified male robber barged into the residence of the three slain victims located in Levitown Subdivision, Barangay Marauoy, Lipa City.

The robber was killed later when police responded to the alarm.

The dead victims were identified as Rodoflo Lunar, 62; his alleged live-in partner, Editha Tapalla, 39; and the household helper, Sophia Encernado, 21. They sustained multiple stab wounds, according to police.

It was not yet known if the suspect was able to get anything from the victims’ house but what was certain was that the suspect stabbed the victims to death before fleeing.

The mobile patrol of the Lipa City Police was able to respond promptly because of the alarm raised by the children of Tapalla who escaped the attack. They were identified as Judith, 10, and Dantes, 17.

Police said the suspect was shot dead by the authorities near the victims’ residence when he tried to escape and refused to surrender.

Investigation on the case is still going on as of this writing./DMS