ISN’T it ironic that while former president Joseph Estrada is being tried for allegedly receiving kickbacks from illegal numbers game "jueteng," the person who grabbed the presidency from him is restoring jueteng under another name? The Small Town Lottery (STL) being pushed by the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office and Malacañang is the same dog with a different collar.
Not only that Neal, pero hindi ba nagalit rin ang simbahan at civil society kay erap for trying to legalize jueteng and calling it Bingo 2-ball?
Here's some info on Bingo 2-ball:
On the surface, Singson's charges against the President and Ang appear to stem from differences over the numbers games in the country. Ang claimed Singson was resisting the government's efforts to legalize jueteng through the introduction of the "Bingo two-ball" game last August. Ang further claimed Singson wanted to continue the illegal numbers game because he got more money from jueteng.
.....Singson admitted that he opposed "Bingo two-ball" because Ang gave the franchise to operate the numbers game to his political enemies--his younger brother and his cousin. He claimed his authority as governor was undermined when Ang gave the "Bingo two-ball" franchise to his political rivals.
And this too from PCIJ:
Ang's proposal to legalize masiao in the Visayas coincided with the President's approval of Ang's Bingo-2 Ball, which Pagcor and Ang say was aimed at eradicating jueteng, the illegal numbers game that is rampant mainly on Luzon.
Bingo-2 Ball is very similar to jueteng except that the former will be under the strict supervision of Pagcor, according to Ang's plan. Ang's Power Management and Consultancy Inc. will get 23 percent from the daily earnings from Bingo-2 Ball, based on an agreement with Pagcor.
Full backing
Bingo2 was allowed to operate for close to a month—without any written contract with Pagcor - until Singson's jueteng exposé. Pagcor says Bingo 2 generated P43 million from its September 18 to 30 trial run.
So where's the outrage now on the STL?
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Devious Cha cha moves by Arroyo people assailed.
PARTY-LIST congressmen of the Laban ng Masa sa Kongreso yesterday assailed Malacañang for spearheading a "silent, sinister, illegal and unconstitutional" people’s initiative mode in amending the Constitution.
In a statement, Akbayan Representatives Loretta Ann Rosales, Mario Aguja and Risa Hontiveros-Baraquel along with Anak Mindanao Rep. Mujiv Hataman and Partido ng Manggagawa Rep. Rene Magtubo said the campaign is "being done surreptitiously, in careful details and with blatant use of government resources and machinery."
"It proves once again that faced with a daunting opposition to Cha-cha in the Senate, the government is willing to mangle the law and contort the Constitution in order to push their agenda," it said.
Ellen Tordesillas has more.
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Conrad de Quiros on Courage:
Last Thursday, a reporter asked me if I wasn't afraid about doing something like mounting the concert that we had at Sunken Garden in the University of the Philippines in Quezon City. I said, of course, I am, I have mouths to feed, too. But that is what courage is, overcoming fear to do what you have to do. The way I saw it, I said, it was just a choice between two things. I could be arrested and brought to prison where at least I could be free in mind even if I were not free in body. Where at least I could have the satisfaction of knowing my integrity and dignity and freedom are intact even as my body is shackled and subjected to various indignities. Or I could live in the bigger prison outside whose watchtowers grow taller and whose searchlights become more blinding each day that I am silent, where I can be free only in body but not in mind. Where I can be miserable in the knowledge that I am bequeathing a world to my kids where there is no air and sunlight and nourishment, spiritually if not physically.
The choice is a no-brainer.
House allies, DFA will not file case vs. Garcillano
Former poll commissioner Virgilio “Garci” Garcillano won’t be brought to court or even penalized by the majority in the House of Representatives, despite proof presented by the central bank that he not only committed perjury before the House, but had also manufactured a fake passport, as he had allegedly manufactured fake cretificates of canvass for President Arroyo, to ensure her victory in the 2004 polls.
The President’s House allies aren’t lifting a finger to get the courtroom rolling against Garcillano while the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), which earlier helped in stonewalling the wiretapped Hello Garci probe, now claims it is ready to file charges against Garcillano for presenting a fake passport but subject to conditions, such as claiming that it would wait for the House to file a case, which the House is not inclined to do.
I noticed na Teddyboy Locsin is back to being an Arroyo ally. Sad.
read this too:
Sen. Sergio Osmeña III yesterday also bared the existence of a manifest where Garcillano’s name appears on a flight from Johannesberg, South Africa. It also showed that the poll commissioner took the flight en route to a Middle East country destination and to Singapore on his way home.
“As expected, Garci was caught lying and such was a blatant display because he did it before the lower house (during a hearing). Obviously, his entire testimony now is put into question.
“If you lie in one thing, under the law, if you lie in one, you lie in all. So when he said he did not leave the Philippines, did not travel, did not talk to Gloria (Arroyo), did not engage in vote-padding and shaving...that’s all in doubt now,” Osmeña said....
Lacson said he is holding off any plans to file charges as well against Criminal Investigation and Detection Group- National Capital Region (CIDG-NCR) chief Senior Supt. Asher Dolina whom he identified as the alleged culprit in the manufacture of the tampered passport, due to lack of credible evidence and witnesses at this time.
“If evidence so warrants, later on (we will file charges) not now because we have no sufficient evidence (to pin Dolina down) unless we secure the deposition of the person who witnessed his delivery of passport (to the doosteps of Garcillano),” Lacson said.
Lacson also bared he has information that a Bureau of Immigration (BI) officer is involved in the tampering of passport as well.
At the same time, Lacson warned the Palace against toying with the idea again ensuring that Garcillano becomes scarce from public’s eye.
Osmeña, in emphasizing the need to take immediate action, noted the negative image this creates before the international community. “That’s (tampering of passport) one of the most-watched regulation today in the world because of the 9-11 (incident). All the Americans are going to be upse that we have fake passports running around this country.”
buking ka, garci. and word to sen. osmena.
btw, here's some old info on Asher Dolina back in dec. 16 2005:
The conspiracy to cover up the alleged cheating in the 2004 presidential elections has gone a notch higher, threat-ening to protect President Arroyo at the expense of Philippine-Singapore relations.
Opposition Sen. Panfilo Lacson yesterday made this claim after receiving information that Senior Supt. Asher Dolina, who was implicated in the reported illegal raid of handwriting expert Segundo Tabayoyong last August, was behind the purported manufacture of "clean" passports of former Commission on Elections (Comelec) Commissioner Virgilio "Garci" Garcillano to back up claims that he never left the country during the five-month period he had been reported missing.
By doing so, Lacson said Dolina may have unwittingly exposed a high-level conspiracy to cover up the cheating in last year's presidential elections at the expense of the country's diplomatic relations with the government of Singapore that had issued a note verbale attesting to the entry of Garcillano to the city-state last July 14 before proceeding to London.
Reliable informants of Lacson claimed Dolina was behind the alleged fabricated passports of Garcillano showing he did not have any foreign travels since 1996.
"Our sources identified the culprit as Dolina. The passport was made to conform with Garcillano's statement that he never left. We're still investigating how he did it," Lacson said.
Dolina, head of the Metro Manila division of the Philippine National Police-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG), happened to be the same person involved, along with several others, in the controversial San Mateo raid last Aug. 17.
The incident involved the questioned entry into the residence in San Mateo, Rizal, where Tabayoyong, a former ranking National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) official and considered as a handwriting expert, was staying.
The police seized from Tabayoyong's rented apartment alleged tampered election returns (ERs) and certificates of canvass (CoC).
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Bystander comments about his experience with Sassy Lawyer.
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-- Fil-Ams, alarmed about threats to RP democracy, urge Bush to act
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Randy David on military's role under arroyo admin:
In the same forum, titled "The role of the military in a troubled democracy," UP professor Randy David said President Arroyo has succeeded in turning the military’s institution weakness into her strength.
He said Arroyo’s call for Armed Forces to remain apolitical means they should not interfere or grab power.
But, he said, she uses the military for her own selfish interest.
President Arroyo is accused of rigging the May 2004 elections to ensure her victory. The names of four generals were mentioned by former election commissioner Virgilio Garcillano in the "Hello Garci" wiretapped conversations between him and Arroyo during the 2004 election period.
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JB Baylon says the noose is tightening on all the corrupt politicians
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Ninez, on Chavit's inconsistencies:
Ridiculous it was, coming from Chavit Singson, to tell the media after Erap’s testimony before the court, that the detained leader’s testimony was full of inconsistencies and lies, when it can be proved, as it already has been proved, that it was Chavit who was caught lying under oath.
It can hardly be denied, as this is part of the court records, that Singson’s claim of having given Erap in his Polk Street home, P130 million in four boxes whose measurements were provided by Chavit and his accomplices who are also into the perjury game, was an impossibility, given the fact that this was tested in the central bank, with the BSP coming up with the money, in P1,000 bills placed in the measured box and concluded that less than P80 million could have fitted into four boxes. And that’s on the supposition that all the bills were of P1,000 denomination, which the BSP pointed out, was not probable at the time, as this should have been a mix of P500 and P1,000 bills, given the big amount of P130 million.
Add to the fact that Chavit’s tale of Atong Ang having driven the car they were riding right into the Polk driveway while Chavit watched from a street corner was all shot and full of lies. It has also been proved, during a physical reenactment with the justices present, that it was an impossibility as from that given distance, it was too far for anyone to view the car being driven into the driveway. Besides, being the President and in his home, as pointed out by Erap, the PSG would not allow any visitor’s car to get into that small driveway and block the presidential car.
In brief, there was never any delivery of the P130 million as claimed by Chavit and the Commission on Audit report will show it was Chavit who funneled that money and took it, which was why he flew to San Francisco to ask Erap to transfer CoA auditor Agustin Chan to another area, as Chan was getting to the truth of the tobacco tax money diversion. He paid for this with his life as Chan was peppered with bullets on his way to Ilocos Sur from Baguio, while following up the plunder in billions, as alleged, of Singson and his officials. The pattern of diverting the tax fund was established long before Erap became President. Chavit has been doing this for so long.
This is the reason Chavit turned against Erap, as the detained leader refused to do what Chavit asked.
It is Chavit’s testimony that is full of inconsistencies. Still, he knows he will get away with this, since he is being protected by Gloria Arroyo.
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Ernie Maceda always has lots of stuff:
Plunderwatch chairman, Dr. Carol Araullo, boycotted the Erap testimony at the Sandiganbayan because the trial is now “hostaged” by political realities...Special prosecutor Dennis Villa-Ignacio said Erap said nothing new. But this is the first time he has testified. Legally, everything he said is new...Erap’s teenaged son, Jake (with Laarni Enriquez) attended the trial, dressed in a barong “to give support to my father.” Son Jude was there, too...The Special Division trying Erap has undergone several changes with Justice Badoy, Ilarde, Chico Nazario and Sandoval having been replaced...Lawyer Rufus Rodriguez was at the Sandiganbayan hearing...The Sandiganbayan trial was momentarily stopped when they had to change microphones. Justice de Castro also admitted they had no Tagalog stenographer. The clerk translating Erap’s testimony from Tagalog into English was corrected many times. Pitiful!...Sen. Loi Estrada was in stylish St. John green suit. Erap called Jackie “my favorite daughter.” Jackie, dressed in white, blushed. The Sandiganbayan security people were efficient but respectful...At one point Justices Villaruz and Peralta reprimanded Villa-Ignacio for raising objections on minor matters which will not hurt his case...Sen. Ping Lacson said on TV that his predecessor at PNP, Director General Roberto Lastimoso, received P5 million a month in jueteng payola from Chavit Singson. So why didn’t he charge them?...CHR Commissioner Wilhelm Soriano has turned out to be an excellent constitutional officer. It takes a lot of courage to recommend murder charges against the powerful Angelo Reyes and Gen. Arturo Lomibao...The two-month expanded value-added tax target of P4.47 billion has not been met. Only P2.95 billion was collected...Liberal Party Atienza faction claims that 59 out of 102 National Executive Council members attended their meeting Wednesday. Drilon’s faction says only 22 did. They can’t even count right...Then incumbent Solicitor General Alfredo Benipayo did not sign the 47-page memorandum submitted to the Supreme Court. It was signed by Associate Solicitor General Margarita Eugenia Victorino...It is right that charges of child abuse were filed against Taguig teacher Brenda Elbambuena who forced two pupils to swallow pencil shavings...A Premier Bank branch in Quirino Highway, Novaliches, was held up by four men and one woman...A Taiwanese syndicate has introduced well-crafted fake $100 bills into the country, mostly in Mindanao...
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