DOCSLIB.ORG

Duterte Revokes Trillanes Amnesty; Court Orders His Arrest

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Duterte Revokes Trillanes Amnesty; Court Orders His Arrest 17 POLITICAL Duterte revokes Trillanes amnesty; court orders his arrest Senator Antonio Trillanes IV is facing his previously dismissed rebellion and coup d’état charges again after President Rodrigo Duterte revoked the amnesty granted to him in 2011. Beyond the arrest of the senator, the crisis could have far more reaching consequences to those who were previously granted amnesty. wo charges against Nacionalista Party Sen. Trillanes, a staunch critic of Pres. Duterte, have been revived in separate Regional Trial Courts (RTC) after the President Trevoked his amnesty through the issuance of Proclamation No. (PN) 572, s. 2018. The proclamation declares the amnesty granted to the senator void ab initio (void from the very beginning) after he allegedly failed to comply with the minimum prerequisites needed to qualify for amnesty – filing of an Official Amnesty Application Form and admission of guilt. In 2010, Former Pres. Benigno Aquino III, through PN 75, granted amnesty to officers and personnel of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), the Philippine National Police (PNP), and their supporters, in connection with the 2003 Oakwood Mutiny, 2006 Marines Stand-Off, and the 2007 Manila Peninsula Incident. Based on the news the 2007 Manila Peninsula Siege. Sen. Trillanes temporarily reports during that period, Sen. Trillanes, a former Navy avoided jail after posting bail worth P200,000. Notably, Judge Lieutenant, filed his amnesty application on January 5, 2011. Alameda is the same judge who previously dismissed these Although PN 572 was released publicly through the Manila charges against the senator way back in 2011 in pursuant to Times on September 4 while the President was in the middle of Mr. Aquino’s amnesty proclamation. In reopening the case, his state visit in Israel and Jordan, the document has already Judge Alameda explained that Sen. Trillanes failed to convince been signed since August 31. Following the release of the the court that he complied with the minimum requirements proclamation, the Department of Justice (DOJ) filed separate for the amnesty as he was not able to present an original, motions in 2 RTCs to issue a warrant of arrest and hold departure duplicate or even a photocopy of the application form. order against Sen. Trillanes over rebellion and coup charges. Meanwhile, another court, Makati RTC Branch 148 Last September 25, the Makati RTC Branch 150 headed presided by Judge Andres Soriano deferred its decision to grant by Judge Elmo Alameda granted the motion of the DOJ, an arrest warrant and hold departure order on Sen. Trillanes. thereby reviving the senator’s rebellion case stemming from This is in connection with the coup d’état charges against Proclamation No. 572 declares the amnesty granted to Sen. Trillanes void ab initio after he allegedly failed to comply with the minimum prerequisites needed to qualify for amnesty. Philippine ANALYST POLITICAL September 2018 18 POLITICAL The Department of Justice filed separate motions in 2 RTCs to issue a warrant of arrest and hold departure order against Sen. Trillanes over rebellion and coup de ‘tat charges. The Makati RTC Branch 148 ordered the arrest of Sen. Trillanes but a bail was paid while the Makati RTC Branch 150 deferred the ruling and scheduled a hearing on October 5. the senator regarding his participation in the 2003 Oakwood on Civil Service and Government Reorganization, headed by Mutiny. A hearing is scheduled on October 5. Unlike rebellion Sen. Trillanes, to conduct an inquiry in aid of legislation on the charges, however, coup d’état is a non-bailable offense. alleged conflict of interest of Sol. Gen. Calida2 Coincidentally, PN 572 was published on the first day of the scheduled Initially, PN 572 ordered law enforcement agencies to arrest congressional hearing on this issue. Sen. Trillanes. However, no arrest occurred as the senator stayed inside the Senate building to seek protection after Apart from this, the Senate minority also filed SR 887 to Senate President Vicente Sotto declared that no arrests will investigate the “fraudulent and erroneous” basis of PN 572. occur within the premises to preserve the chamber’s dignity. The senators described the proclamation as an abuse of presidential powers since it was issued despite photo and video His legal team then filed a petition to the Supreme Court evidence showing that Sen. Trillanes fulfilled the minimum (SC) to issue a temporary restraining order (TRO) against requirements for an amnesty grant. the enforcement of PN 572 to block any impending arrest. However, the SC denied their plea based on Pres. Duterte’s Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque stood by their commitment that Sen. Trillanes will not be arrested without claims that Sen. Trillanes never filed for amnesty and that he a warrant issued by a trial court. Furthermore, the SC gave never admitted guilt, something that the Makati RTC Branch leeway to the RTCs to decide about the legality of PN 572. 150 seems to agree with. But in an apparent contradiction, Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary Delfin Sen. Trillanes attributed the revocation of his amnesty Lorenzana admitted that Sol. Gen. Calida called him to get to Solicitor General Jose Calida, who is currently under access to the supposed missing amnesty application of Sen. investigation over the P358 million worth of government Trillanes without any reasons before PN 572 was issued. A contracts that his family’s security firm, Vigilant Investigative staff of Sol. Gen Calida was then sent to look for the document. and Security Agency, Inc. (VISAI), won since 20161. Months before PN 572 was issued, the Senate minority group filed 2 The Senate minority group is composed of Sen. Trillanes, Liberal Party Senators Franklin Drilon, Senate Resolution (SR) 760 urging the Senate Committee Francis Pangilinan, Bam Aquino, Leila De Lima, and Akbayan Party Senator Risa Hontiveros. 1 According to Senate Resolution 760, Solicitor General Jose Calida still owns 60% of the VISAI as of September 2016, some 2 months after he assumed office. His wife and 3 children owned the remaining 40% of the shares at 10% each. Sen. Trillanes attributed the revocation of his amnesty to Solicitor General Jose Calida. Philippine ANALYST POLITICAL September 2018 POLITICAL 19 In an apparent contradiction, DND Secretary Delfin Lorenzana admitted that Solicitor General Jose Calida called him to get access to the supposed missing amnesty application of Sen. Trillanes. Sen. Trillanes is the 2nd senator under the Duterte administration to be ordered arrested. As it stands, Sen. Trillanes is the second senator under Lastly, as former Solicitor General Florin Hilbay explained, the Duterte administration to be arrested. The first one was the government has also “placed on the line” the integrity of Liberal Party Sen. Leila De Lima who was incarcerated in the entire amnesty program and of the peace process since February 2017 over the alleged proliferation of drugs in the anyone who has received amnesty before could be put in New Bilibid Prison during her time as DOJ Secretary. Notably, the same predicament as the case of Sen. Trillanes. This the 2 senators are also the fiercest critics of Pres. Duterte also includes the rebel groups who will avail of the amnesty including his allies and policies such as the war on drugs. program as part of the implementation of the Bangsamoro Organic Law. Before being put to jail, Sen. De Lima, as then head of the Committee on Justice, led the Senate investigation on the alleged extra-judicial killings under the war on drugs campaign. September 2018 Approval and Trust Ratings of She was then stripped off the committee chairmanship and Top Gov’t Officials then scrutinized in a congressional hearing for the alleged charges against her. On the other hand, Sen. Trillanes initiated President Rodrigo Duterte’s approval and trust ratings several investigations on the alleged corrupt and drug-related sharply declined in September 2018. This is according to the activities of Pres. Duterte’s allies including his son and former latest results of Pulse Asia Research, Inc’s ‘Ulat ng Bayan’ Davao City Vice Mayor Paolo Duterte. national survey about the performance and trust ratings of How this issue will play out for Sen. Trillanes now rests on top government officials and key government institutions in the decision of the RTCs, particularly of Branch 148 where the the country. non-bailable offense of coup d’état is being sought to revive. The survey showed that public approval rating of Pres. His term as senator is also about to end in mid-2019, as he is Duterte fell by 13 percentage points to 75% this September not eligible for re-election after maximizing 2 terms. from 88% last June, a personal record low since assuming the But beyond the arrest of the senator, the nullification of presidency in June 2016 (see table on Historical Approval and his amnesty could have far more reaching consequences to Trust Ratings of Duterte). His disapproval scores also rose by the public. The first one concerns data privacy of individuals. 7 points to 10%. Notably, the decrease in approval scores was Data Privacy Lawyer Cecilia Soria explained that under these reflected across all socio-economic classes and geographic circumstances where a document was accessed without location including in Mindanao, his bailiwick. lawful basis as Sec. Lorenzana disclosed, the DND might Among areas, the biggest decline was recorded in Luzon have “remiss in its duties to safeguard the personal data of at 17 points (resulting to 66%), followed by National Capital data subjects.” The same can happen with all the private Region (NCR) at 11 points (75%), Mindanao at 9 points (90%), documents of individuals who transact with the government. and Visayas at 6 points (83%). Double-digit decreases were also felt across classes led by Class D at 13 points (74%), then in Cl a s s ABC at 12 p o int s (72%), a n d Cl a s s E at 10 p o int s (81%).
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Philippine Election ; PDF Copied from The
    Senatorial Candidates’ Matrices Philippine Election 2010 Name: Nereus “Neric” O. Acosta Jr. Political Party: Liberal Party Agenda Public Service Professional Record Four Pillar Platform: Environment Representative, 1st District of Bukidnon – 1998-2001, 2001-2004, Livelihood 2004-2007 Justice Provincial Board Member, Bukidnon – 1995-1998 Peace Project Director, Bukidnon Integrated Network of Home Industries, Inc. (BINHI) – 1995 seek more decentralization of power and resources to local Staff Researcher, Committee on International Economic Policy of communities and governments (with corresponding performance Representative Ramon Bagatsing – 1989 audits and accountability mechanisms) Academician, Political Scientist greater fiscal discipline in the management and utilization of resources (budget reform, bureaucratic streamlining for prioritization and improved efficiencies) more effective delivery of basic services by agencies of government. Website: www.nericacosta2010.com TRACK RECORD On Asset Reform and CARPER -supports the claims of the Sumilao farmers to their right to the land under the agrarian reform program -was Project Director of BINHI, a rural development NGO, specifically its project on Grameen Banking or microcredit and livelihood assistance programs for poor women in the Bukidnon countryside called the On Social Services and Safety Barangay Unified Livelihood Investments through Grameen Banking or BULIG Nets -to date, the BULIG project has grown to serve over 7,000 women in 150 barangays or villages in Bukidnon,
    [Show full text]
  • Civilian Control Over the Military in East Asia
    Civilian Control over the Military in East Asia Aurel Croissant Ruprecht-Karls-Universität, Heidelberg September 2011 EAI Fellows Program Working Paper Series No. 31 Knowledge-Net for a Better World The East Asia Institute(EAI) is a nonprofit and independent research organization in Korea, founded in May 2002. The EAI strives to transform East Asia into a society of nations based on liberal democracy, market economy, open society, and peace. The EAI takes no institutional position on policy issues and has no affiliation with the Korean government. All statements of fact and expressions of opinion contained in its publications are the sole responsibility of the author or authors. is a registered trademark. © Copyright 2011 EAI This electronic publication of EAI intellectual property is provided for non-commercial use only, as long as it is unaltered and complete. Copies may not be duplicated for commercial purposes. Unauthorized posting of EAI documents to a non-EAI website is prohibited. EAI documents are protected under copyright law. The East Asia Institute 909 Sampoong B/D, 310-68 Euljiro 4-ga Jung-gu, Seoul 100-786 Republic of Korea Tel. 82 2 2277 1683 Fax 82 2 2277 1684 EAI Fellows Program Working Paper No. 31 Civilian Control over the Military in East Asia1 Aurel Croissant Ruprecht-Karls-Universität, Heidelberg September 2011 Abstract In recent decades, several nations in East Asia have transitioned from authoritarian rule to democracy. The emerging democracies in the region, however, do not converge on a single pattern of civil-military relations as the analysis of failed institutionalization of civilian control in Thailand, the prolonged crisis of civil– military relations in the Philippines, the conditional subordination of the military under civilian authority in Indonesia and the emergence of civilian supremacy in South Korea in this article demonstrates.
    [Show full text]
  • PR Move to Attract More Capital and Investment
    BUSINESS | Page 1 SPORT | Page 1 Djokovic wins US Open, equals QSE off ers German Sampras’ fi rms new promising opportunities mark published in QATAR since 1978 TUESDAY Vol. XXXIX No. 10938 September 11, 2018 Moharram 1, 1440 AH GULF TIMES www. gulf-times.com 2 Riyals Qatar, US review ties PR move to Our Say attract more capital and By Faisal Abdulhameed al-Mudahka Editor-in-Chief investment O Cardholders will enjoy health, The root of His Highness the Deputy Amir Sheikh Abdullah bin Hamad al-Thani met at his off ice at the Amiri Diwan yesterday with the President of US Chamber of Commerce Thomas Donohue and US businessmen delegation, who called on the Deputy Amir education benefits to greet him on their visit to the country. During the meeting, they reviewed the strong relations between Qatar and the US terrorism and discussed ways to boost and develop them in various fields especially economic partnership and trade exchange, in he initiative to grant permanent and investment purposes in accord- light of the Qatar-US Business Council. They also exchanged views on future joint projects which will benefit both countries residency to non-Qatari indi- ance with stipulations. and their people. Tviduals will help increase invest- The cardholder may leave the coun- still exists ments and attract more capital, con- try and return to it during the period of tributing to further economic growth its validity without obtaining any con- In a a series of co-ordinated at- in the country, while the State can also sent or permit.
    [Show full text]
  • 'Sin' Tax Bill up for Crucial Vote
    Headline ‘Sin’ tax bill up for crucial vote MediaTitle Manila Standard Philippines (www.thestandard.com.ph) Date 03 Jun 2019 Section NEWS Order Rank 6 Language English Journalist N/A Frequency Daily ‘Sin’ tax bill up for crucial vote Advocates of a law raising taxes on cigarettes worried that heavy lobbying by tobacco companies over the weekend could affect the vote in the Senate Monday. Former Philhealth director Anthony Leachon and UP College of Medicine faculty member Antonio Dans said a failure of the bill to pass muster would deprive the government’s Universal Health Care program of funding. “Definitely, the lobbying can affect how our senators will behave... how they will vote,” said Leachon, also chairman of the Council of Past Presidents of the Philippine College of Physicians. But Leachon and Dans said they remained confident that senators who supported the sin tax law in 2012 would support the new round of increases on cigarette taxes. These were Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon, Senators Panfilo Lacson, Francis Pangilinan, Antonio Trillanes IV and re-elected Senator Aquilino Pimentel III. They are also hopeful that the incumbent senators who voted against the increase in the excise taxes on cigarettes in 2012—Senate President Vicente Sotto III, Senate Pro Tempore Ralph Rectp and outgoing Senators Francis Escudero and Gregorio Honasan—would have a change of heart. While Pimentel, who ran in the last midterm elections, supported the increase in tobacco taxes in 2012, he did not sign Senator Juan Edgardo Angara’s committee report, saying the bill should be properly scrutinized as it might result in the death of the tobacco industry.
    [Show full text]
  • Policy Briefing
    Policy Briefing Asia Briefing N°83 Jakarta/Brussels, 23 October 2008 The Philippines: The Collapse of Peace in Mindanao Once the injunction was granted, the president and her I. OVERVIEW advisers announced the dissolution of the government negotiating team and stated they would not sign the On 14 October 2008 the Supreme Court of the Philip- MOA in any form. Instead they would consult directly pines declared a draft agreement between the Moro with affected communities and implied they would Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the Philippines only resume negotiations if the MILF first disarmed. government unconstitutional, effectively ending any hope of peacefully resolving the 30-year conflict in In the past when talks broke down, as they did many Mindanao while President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo times, negotiations always picked up from where they remains in office. The Memorandum of Agreement on left off, in part because the subjects being discussed Ancestral Domain (MOA-AD or MOA), the culmination were not particularly controversial or critical details of eleven years’ negotiation, was originally scheduled were not spelled out. This time the collapse, followed to have been signed in Kuala Lumpur on 5 August. At by a scathing Supreme Court ruling calling the MOA the last minute, in response to petitions from local offi- the product of a capricious and despotic process, will cials who said they had not been consulted about the be much harder to reverse. contents, the court issued a temporary restraining order, preventing the signing. That injunction in turn led to While the army pursues military operations against renewed fighting that by mid-October had displaced three “renegade” MILF commanders – Ameril Umbra some 390,000.
    [Show full text]
  • Duterte Seeks Martial Law Extension to Fight Communist Rebels
    STEALING FREE NEWSPAPER IS STILL A CRIME ! AB 2612, PLESCIA CRIME PH credit rating up WEEKLY ISSUE 70 CITIES IN 11 STATES ONLINE Vol. IX Issue 453 1028 Mission Street, 2/F, San Francisco, CA 94103 Tel. (415) 593-5955 or (650) 278-0692 December 14 - 20, 2017 Body cams, ‘not God,’ to hold dirty Duterte seeks martial law extension cops accountable By Macon Araneta FilAm Star Correspondent PH NEWS | A3 to fight communist rebels Sen. Win Gatchalian said it is Full SSS benefits for By Daniel Llanto | FilAm Star Correspondent “absolutely absurd” to suggest that the fear of divine retribution in the after- Pinoys in Germany, Sweden An extension of martial law in life would be more effective than body Mindanao for one more year no longer cameras in holding dirty cops account- stands to reason since the military has able for their crimes here on Earth. long demolished the Islamic State- Gatchalian, an ally of President linked Maute terrorists. But President Rodrigo Duterte, was reacting strongly Duterte cited communist rebels as to the statement of Philippine National justification for another year-long Police (PNP) Drug Enforcement Group extension. (DEG) Director Chief Superintendent The threat posed by the New Joseph Adnol, who was quoted by re- People’s Army (NPA) was the chief rea- porters as saying: “For me, there really PH NEWS | A3 son cited by Duterte in his request for is no need for a body cam, our camera Congress to extend martial law in Min- as policemen is God, ‘yun ang pinaka- Why PH has slowest, danao by one more year.
    [Show full text]
  • Former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo Acquitted of Plunder: a Case of Justice Catering to Political Power in the Philippines?
    Former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo Acquitted of Plunder: A Case of Justice Catering to Political Power in the Philippines? By Rappler Region: South-East Asia Asia-Pacific Research, July 20, 2016 Theme: Justice, Society Rappler 19 June 2016 The presidential administration of former Philippine president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo was marked by corruption, fraud, misuse of public funds, and utter disregard for constitutionalism and the rule of law. She has been widely accused of murder, kidnapping, plundering, and cheating. The US Embassy in Manila was even informed in 2005 by corporate accounting firm SGV founder Washington Sycip that her husband, José Miguel Arroyo, was one of the most corrupt figures in the Philippines, according to US diplomat cables that were leaked in 2011. The Arroyo Administration also arbitrarily and unlawfully arrested her political opponents while it used national security measures and the language of law and order as pretexts to suppress her opponents and Filipinos and Filipinas seeking justice. The Hello Garci scandal that emerged in 2005 merely served to prove that the 2004 Philippine general-election’s were rigged by Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and her political associates. After the scandal, Arroyo would admit that the audio evidence produced about her election rigging was authentic, but nothing happened to her. Her government argued on the basis of procedural law that since the key evidence against Arroyo was a phone conversation that was recorded without her consent that it could not be used while her political party and coalition prevented her impeachment and justice from ever taking place through legislative means by blocking any action against her by using their majority vote in the Congress of the Philippines.
    [Show full text]
  • Motion for Reconsideration
    REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES SUPREME COURT MANILA EN BANC REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES, REPRESENTED BY SOLICITOR GENERAL JOSE C. CALIDA, Petitioner, – versus – CHIEF JUSTICE MARIA LOURDES P.A. G.R. No. SERENO, 237428 For: Quo Warranto Respondent. Senators LEILA M. DE LIMA and ANTONIO “SONNY” F. TRILLANES IV, Movant-Intervenors. x-------------------------------------------------------------------x MOTION FOR RECONSIDERATION Movant-intervenors, Senators LEILA M. DE LIMA and ANTONIO “SONNY” F. TRILLANES IV, through undersigned counsel, respectfully state that: 1. On 29 May 2018, Movant-intervenors, in such capacity, requested and obtained a copy of the Decision of the Supreme Court dated 11 May 2018, by which eight members of the Court voted to grant the Petition for Quo Warranto, resulting in the ouster of Chief Justice Maria Lourdes P.A. Sereno. 2. The Supreme Court’s majority decision, penned by Justice Tijam, ruled that: 2.1. There are no grounds to grant the motion for inhibition filed by respondent Chief Justice Sereno; 2.2. Impeachment is not an exclusive means for the removal of an impeachable public official; MOTION FOR RECONSIDERATION Republic of the Philippines v. Sereno G.R. No. 237428 Page 2 of 25 2.3. The instant Petition for Quo Warranto could proceed independently and simultaneously with an impeachment; 2.4. The Supreme Court’s taking cognizance of the Petition for Quo Warranto is not violative of the doctrine of separation of powers; 2.5. The Petition is not dismissable on the Ground of Prescription, as “[p]rescription does not lie against the State”; and 2.6. The Petitioner sufficiently proved that Respondent violated the SALN Law, and such failure amounts to proof of lack of integrity of the Respondent to be considered, much less nominated appointed, as Chief Justice by the Judicial and Bar Council and the President of Republic, respectively.
    [Show full text]
  • The Role of Indicators in Policy Formulation: the Case of Maternal and Child Health Care Policy in the Philippines
    A Service of Leibniz-Informationszentrum econstor Wirtschaft Leibniz Information Centre Make Your Publications Visible. zbw for Economics Cuenca, Janet S. Working Paper The role of indicators in policy formulation: The case of maternal and child health care policy in the Philippines PIDS Discussion Paper Series, No. 2016-33 Provided in Cooperation with: Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS), Philippines Suggested Citation: Cuenca, Janet S. (2016) : The role of indicators in policy formulation: The case of maternal and child health care policy in the Philippines, PIDS Discussion Paper Series, No. 2016-33, Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS), Quezon City This Version is available at: http://hdl.handle.net/10419/173554 Standard-Nutzungsbedingungen: Terms of use: Die Dokumente auf EconStor dürfen zu eigenen wissenschaftlichen Documents in EconStor may be saved and copied for your Zwecken und zum Privatgebrauch gespeichert und kopiert werden. personal and scholarly purposes. Sie dürfen die Dokumente nicht für öffentliche oder kommerzielle You are not to copy documents for public or commercial Zwecke vervielfältigen, öffentlich ausstellen, öffentlich zugänglich purposes, to exhibit the documents publicly, to make them machen, vertreiben oder anderweitig nutzen. publicly available on the internet, or to distribute or otherwise use the documents in public. Sofern die Verfasser die Dokumente unter Open-Content-Lizenzen (insbesondere CC-Lizenzen) zur Verfügung gestellt haben sollten, If the documents have been made available under an Open gelten abweichend von diesen Nutzungsbedingungen die in der dort Content Licence (especially Creative Commons Licences), you genannten Lizenz gewährten Nutzungsrechte. may exercise further usage rights as specified in the indicated licence. www.econstor.eu Philippine Institute for Development Studies Surian sa mga Pag-aaral Pangkaunlaran ng Pilipinas The Role of Indicators in Policy Formulation: The Case of Maternal and Child Health Care Policy in the Philippines Janet S.
    [Show full text]
  • Qatar Deploys Hi-Tech Vessels for Maritime Safety, Security
    BUSINESS | Page 1 SPORT | Page 1 US fi rms see Qatar as gateway A dazzling decade of to Gulf and Mideast region Asian men’s football published in QATAR since 1978 TUESDAY Vol. XXXX No. 11413 December 31, 2019 Jumada I 5, 1441 AH GULF TIMES www. gulf-times.com 2 Riyals In brief QATAR | Offi cial Qatar deploys Amir sends message to Austrian president His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani sent yesterday hi-tech vessels a written message to Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen, pertaining to bilateral ties and means to bolster them. Qatar’s ambassador to Austria and Permanent for maritime Representative to the UN and International Organisations in Vienna, Sultan bin Salmeen al-Mansouri, delivered the message yesterday during a meeting with Austrian safety, security President’s Adviser for International Aff airs Bettina Kirnbauer. atar has launched a vessel to following up on the navigational aid ARAB WORLD | Crisis monitoring project, which system and detecting any marine pol- Iraq warns US ties at Qseeks not only to enhance mar- lution and reporting it to the bodies stake aft er strikes itime security but also preserve marine concerned. environment. The monitoring vessels, to be de- Iraq’s government warned yesterday The project, launched from the ployed on Qatari waters and ports, that its relations with the United Pearl-Qatar, comes within the frame- would support the security and safety States were at risk after deadly work of the Ministry of Transport and of maritime navigation and the protec- American air strikes against a pro- Communication’s (MoTC) eff ort to de- tion of marine environment.
    [Show full text]
  • Bishops Join Mutineers Urging Withdrawal of President
    Bishops join mutineers urging withdrawal of president MAKATI CITY, Philippines – Two bishops joined accused mutineers at a hotel calling for the “withdrawal of support” for President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. Bishop Antonio Tobias of Novaliches and retired Bishop Julio Labayen of Infanta stayed with former military officials at the hotel until late afternoon, when troops moved in and arrested some of the participants, including at least one of the bishops. “I am here to keep the peace, to ensure there is no violence,” Bishop Tobias told the Asian church news agency UCA News, insisting that he “did not know” of any plan for the group to walk out of a trial and march to the hotel. Sen. Antonio Trillanes, Brigadier Gen. Danilo Lim and several other military officers walked out of the Makati City trial court around 11 a.m. Nov. 29 during a hearing on their alleged role in a mutiny against Arroyo in 2003. Makati City is located in metropolitan Manila. As he left the court, Lim read a statement calling on people in the military and public service to withdraw their support for Arroyo and her “illegal and immoral” government. Earlier, Trillanes was on the radio asking the public to join his group in stopping “corruption and abuses” by Arroyo. He said his group would stay in Makati “to force” Arroyo “to step down from office.” Some of the people in court put red bands around their arms and marched with Trillanes and Lim to the hotel. Some marchers carrying guns said they were with the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
    [Show full text]
  • Senate Committee Chairmanships of the 17Th Congress
    PHILIPPINES Senate committee chairmanships of the 17th Congress 1. Accounts – Panfilo Lacson 2. Agrarian Reform – Alan Peter Cayetano 3. Agriculture and Food – Francis Pangilinan 4. Banks, Financial Institutions, and Currencies – Francis Escudero 5. Blue Ribbon – Richard “Dick” Gordon 6. Civil Service and Government Reorganization – Antonio Trillanes IV 7. Climate Change – Loren Legarda 8. Constitutional Amendments and Revision of Codes and Laws – Franklin Drilon 9. Cooperatives – Juan Miguel Zubiri 10. Cultural communities – Nancy Binay 11. Economic Affairs – Sherwin Gatchalian 12. Education – Paolo Benigno “Bam” Aquino IV 13. Electoral Reforms and People’s Participation – Leila De Lima 14. Energy – Sherwin Gatchalian 15. Environment and Natural Resources – Cynthia Villar 16. Ethics and Privileges – Vicente Sotto III 17.`Finance – Loren Legarda 18. Foreign Relations – Alan Peter Cayetano Games and Amusement – Panfilo Lacson Government Corporations and Public Enterprises – Richard Gordon Health and Demography – Risa Hontiveros Justice and Human Rights – Leila De Lima Labor, Employment & Human Resources Development – Joel Villanueva Local Government – Juan Edgardo Angara National Defense and Security – Gregorio Honasan Peace, Unification, and Reconciliation – Gregorio Honasan Public Information and Mass Media – Grace Poe Public Services – Grace Poe Public Order and Dangerous Drugs – Panfilo Lacson Public Works – Manny Pacquiao Rules – Vicente “Tito” Sotto III Science and Technology – Paolo Benigno “Bam” Aquino IV Social Justice, Welfare and Rural Development – Cynthia Villar Sports – Manny Pacquiao Tourism – Nancy Binay Trade and Commerce – Juan Miguel Zubiri Urban Planning, Housing and Resettlement – JV Ejercito Ways and Means – Juan Edgardo “Sonny” Angara Women, Children, Family Relations and Gender Equality – Risa Hontiveros Youth – Joel Villanueva .
    [Show full text]