Palace admits: GMA intel funds used to spy on political foes

Malacañang yesterday admitted that the intelligence funds of the Office of the President are being used to monitor the political opposition.

Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita, who made the admission, at the same time said they will not cut President Arroyo's intelligence funds even at the cost of the government being forced to resort to borrowing from local and international sources to bridge the budget deficit.

When asked during a press briefing if Mrs. Arroyo intends to slash her intelligence funds of close to P1 billion to patch up the deficit that could reach P200 billion at the end of this year, Ermita replied, “Of course not...you know, it is the opposition asking us to do this (spying) because they want to weaken the administration, so we can not run after them, that's what they want.”

He claimed that the opposition would have done the same if it was in power.

“But if we change positions, let us say they would be in our shoes... do you think they would like to cut their intelligence funds? Of course not. They want more resources to run after their detractors,” Ermita said.

His apparent slip coincided with Malacanñang's announcement of increasing by 18.7 percent the budget allocation for the “modernization”of the AFP for 2006.

Link to the whole article here.

It's nice to hear that our tax money is being used to spy on the opposition and other partisan purposes.

Arroyo the Gatecrasher

From Ellen Tordesillas:

Si Archie Yap ay nagtatanong kung nag-gatecrash nga ba si Gloria sa death anniversary na misa ni Ninoy Aquino. You bet, Archie. Sabi ng kaibigan ko na nandoon, nagpasabi siya gabi ng Aug. 20 na darating kahit hindi siya inimbita. Bitbit niya siyempre ang kapatid ni Ninoy Aquino na ngayon ay ang kanyang image consultant, ang film director na si Lupita Aquino-Kashiwahara.

Tensyunado raw ang atmosphere habang nandoon siya. At para lang talaga magpakuha ng picture na nagbebeso-beso kay Cory Aquino at sa ilang miyembro ng Hyatt 10. Pagkatapos noon umalis na. Narinig ang isa niyang kasama na nagsalitang natatawa, "O di ba okay? Simple lang."

Akala talaga nila naloko nila ang madlang Pilipino.

Deja vu

Why do I sense that the outcome of the impeachment complaint vs. GMA end up in the same manner as the 2004 Canvassing of votes in Congress?

Noong kina-canvass ang mga boto sa nakaraang presidential election, dinaan rin sa technicalities at sa "pa noted-noted" nina Kiko Pangilinan at former congressman at current DOJ secretary Raul Gonzalez. Back then, the admin allies effectively stonewalled for Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and denied the opposition's request for a recount of the disputed ERs by more than 200 times.

Everybody assumes a recount must have taken place since it took a long time for the canvassing of votes to be completed. But there was none. Most of the time was wasted on delaying tactics and technicalities by the administration allies to kill the proposed recount and "note" away all the evidence vs Arroyo.

And now, we're seeing the same thing happening again in the impeachment process.

================

But to those who think the opposition made a mistake by falling into the "impeachment trap" set by Arroyo's allies, mali rin kayo.

We need to go through the impeachment process para ipakita natin sa lahat na we've tried every constitutional means available to bring Arroyo to justice. It's necessary talaga.

UPDATE: Read this editorial too from Malaya.

PDI's Amando Doronila nomination to EU ambassadorship questioned

Isang thank-you reward itong EU appointment ng GMA Admin kay Doronila for his pro-Arroyo column in the PDI and his loyalty to the administration.

Here's the report:

Fitness of envoy-designate to EU questioned

NEWSPAPER columnist Amando Doronila’s nomination as ambassador to the Benelux countries and to the European Union met stiff opposition at the Commission on Appointments yesterday.

Senators Juan Ponce Enrile, Luisa Ejercito Estrada, Sergio Osmeña III and Rodolfo Biazon questioned the competence as well as the physical fitness of Doronila, 77.

Sen. Miriam Defensor Santiago, chairwoman of the Commission on Appointments committee on foreign service, said she would ask Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo to explain how career and non-career ambassadors are selected for particular postings.

"It used to be that it was left to the discretion of the President, but we want to know which embassies deserve a career officer or a non-career ambassador," she said.

Estrada said the foreign service should not be made a dumping ground for political appointees.

Osmeña said Doronila failed to answer basic questions such as level of trade between Europe and the Philippines and the number of overseas Filipino workers in the continent.

Enrile said Doronila does not seem to know what his job entails.

Biazon said Doronila is too old. The Foreign Service Act places the maximum age of an ambassador at 65.

Santiago said Doronila has suffered a stroke and is under medical observation.

Santiago said the bi-partisan objection to Doronila’s appointment has reduced his chances of confirmation.

"It will be difficult for him to be confirmed," she said. "Some members of the committee have serious doubts if he can carry out the functions of the position."

Enrile said he would invoke Section 20 if the committee would recommend Doronila’s confirmation without providing an explanation on the hierarchy of importance of embassies.

Invoking Section 20 automatically places a nominee’s confirmation on hold with the CA member invoking the privilege not having to explain his objection.

Enrile clarified that he has nothing personal against Doronila.

"He’s competent in the area of being a journalist. He can write but whether he’s competent as diplomat is something else. That’s why we have to know and be assured that he can represent us there and protect our interest," Enrile said.

Three nominees breezed through the process. They were former Albay Gov. Al Francis Bichara who is going to Lebanon, Ambassador to Vietnam Victoriano Lecaros who is moving to Malaysia and assistant secretary for Middle East and African Affairs Norberto Basilio who is going to Bangladesh.

Rep. Eulogio Magsaysay's lame excuse

PCIJ has the details kung bakit siya umatras sa impeachment complaint. Read the whole thing.

This is funny too:

In his press conference, Magsaysay read from a statement that was prepared for him by his chief-of-staff, who told the congressman to just read its pertinent portions. Appearing clueless, or probably lacking sleep, Magsaysay even had to ask his staff which were the pertinent parts in the statement that he should read.

A prepared statement from Malacanang lawyers, perhaps?

In other news, we get more delaying tactics and technicalities from the admin allies.

It's Gloria, Stupid!

Tama nga naman si Herman Tiu Laurel, at responsibilidad ni Ramos yung mahinang 0.6% GDP in 1998 (mainly because of the Asian Financial Crisis):

Rigoberto Tiglao has insulted the intelligence of 84 million Filipinos again with his “It's the economy, stupid” article a few days back, using misleading interpretation of historical data claiming for GMA an average 4-percent GDP growth rate against Aquino's 3.8 percent, Ramos' 3.7 percent and Estrada's 2.8 percent. Tiglao uses a deliberately misleading assumption that Estrada's economic governance started in 1998 when the GDP fell to 0.6 percent. Economists know that there is a lag time of at least 6 months as one administration passes on to the next and 1998 is certainly Ramos' responsibility.

Estrada's first year was 1999 and growth had recovered to 3.4-percent GDP from -0.6 percent left by Ramos. This was followed by Erap's year 2000 GDP of 4.4 percent. When Mrs. Arroyo took over in January of 2001 after the Edsa II power grab, that rate fell to 3 percent. These are official Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas figures we are citing.

Tiglao claims that Erap's drinking and mahjong sprees kept him away from decisively leading the economy out of the Asian-wide financial crisis and that Chavit Singson's expose in 2000 only further weakened the troubled economies. But the data show Erap still managed 4.4-percent GDP.

Here's more:

Tiglao claims a decline in the poverty incidence from 27.5 percent in 2000 down to 24.7 percent in 2003 during Gloria's years. What Tiglao doesn't explain is that the poverty threshold was revised since then from P13,823.00/person down to P11,605/person. As an ADB report on the Internet remarked about the change in the poverty threshold, i.e. the level of income/year where an individual is considered poor, it gave the new poverty definition a $50 per capita bonus. But various surveys have put the poverty and hunger at over 50 percent, while real family income of Filipinos fell 14 percent from the year 2000 to 2003 and the purchasing power of the peso fell by 10 percent.

Tiglao omits a discussion of the unemployment figures that during Estrada's time and using SWS figures never exceeded 12.5 percent (the worse in Dec. 2000), while employment under Gloria fluctuated and deteriorated from 14.1 percent in March 2003 down to 20.3 percent in May of 2005. As a consequence, 57 percent of the people rated themselves as poor in the March 2005 survey. Mrs. Arroyo's debacles are real, unlike Estrada's created by destabilization in 2000. Tiglao clearly falsified the presentation of the statistics to suit his objective of prettifying what actually is a horrible economic picture of Gloria's economic management.

One of the most basic and important economic indicators is the level of external debt the Philippines has and this is one thing Tiglao obviously did not want to touch on and never brought up. During Erap's 1999 to 2000 years, foreign debt grew from $50.99 billion to $51.206 billion rising by only about $1.7 billion, Gloria's on the other hand grew from $51.900 billion in 2001 to $53.645 billion in 2002 and then leapt to $57.396 billion in 2003 increasing gigantically by almost $4 billion! Despite this, growth had not significantly improved in 2004 where the President claims up to 6.1-percent GDP, election spending created the artificial upswing which this year crashes back to 4.5 percent as the August issue of The Economist records.

Bro. Mike Velarde's palpak na gimmick

Nagmukhang tanga tuloy.

From the Malaya:

DURING Mike Velarde’s birthday celebration last Saturday, Gloria Arroyo said the El Shaddai leader was sent by God as a "prophet of reconciliation." We do not have the ability to discern what the Divine plan is for this benighted country, so we took Gloria’s word for it.

So what specific plan does the prophet of reconciliation have to end the current political crisis arising from charges that Arroyo stole the 2004 election?

Well, Velarde said he has come up with a formula where opposition groups would be brought in as partners of the administration. He said his proposal is for the opposition parties to get 60 percent of Cabinet positions.

Velarde said Gloria is "receptive" to the idea of a coalition government. More, she is open to having her term cut short to 2007 when elections would be held.

Velarde said he and Gloria have discussed the transition formula at least three times. He added he has taken up the idea with President Joseph Estrada and other opposition leaders.

That’s as specific a proposal as one could get. So what does the Palace say about Velarde’s initiative?

Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye yesterday said there is no need for a coalition government. What Gloria wants, he said, is "principled working relation."

Poor Velarde, if poor is the word to describe this entrepreneur who a few months back was gifted by Gloria and her housing czar, Vice President Noli de Castro, with a P500 million loan for a real estate development project.

Hailed as a prophet last weekend, he is now obliquely being called a liar.

Early Indication on what will happen once we shift to Parliamentary

From Neal Cruz again:

An indication of what will happen to us once we have a parliamentary form of government is the abuse that the House of Representatives is already committing. Knowing that the Senate is against changing the Constitution through a constituent assembly, the House went ahead and passed a resolution by itself, minus the Senate, to form a constituent assembly to change the Constitution. This despite the fact that opinion polls show that eight out of every 10 Filipinos don’t want to amend the Constitution or have a parliamentary government.

We are a representative democracy and congressmen are elected to represent their districts in the House. They are supposed to follow the wishes of their constituents who are their employers. But look at what they’re doing. They are disobeying their constituents and pushing Charter change just because of the ambition of their leader who wants to become prime minister by hook or by crook because he knows he cannot be elected president.

The members of the new Parliament will be the same congressmen or their relatives. So you can see what they will do in a unitary legislature where there is no Senate to check their abuses, where they, the members of parliament and not the people, will elect the head of government, the prime minister, and where even the members of the Cabinet will come from among the MPs. Thus, there will be no balance of powers among the executive, legislative and judicial branches as we have now. The people will be at the mercy of the party in power. If our honorable representatives can commit these abuses in a system where there is a balance of power, imagine what they can do when there is none.

Kaya malaking kalokohan yung sinasabi nila na mababawasan ang corruption, dayaan at abuso sa gobierno kapag pinalitan natin ang sistema natin.

Pero para sa mga pro-arroyo apologists, they only have one message -- YUNG CONSTITUTION RAW ANG MAY KASALANAN KUNG BAKIT TAYO NAGKAROON NG GLORIAGATE, AT BIKTIMA LANG SI ARROYO NG SYSTEM OF GOVERNMENT NATIN!!!

More here:

In the first place, there is no such thing as a “constituent assembly” in the Constitution. There was one in the 1935 Constitution but none in the present one. How can the House convene a constituent assembly when it is not authorized by the Charter?

It shows that the members of the House -- not the Speaker, not the members, not even the President who also endorsed a con-ass—read the Constitution. All except Rep. Hermilando Mandanas who also told the Kapihan sa Manila forum last Monday what the other members have also not read: that any individual legislator can propose amendments to the Constitution and that he, in fact, has already filed one.

He said, however, that Charter change should be put in the back burner, as the time is not right for it. This is the worst time for Charter change, Mandanas said, because we are financially and politically unstable. The politicians are only looking out for themselves, not the people, and therefore would change the Constitution for their own benefit.

In spite of the clear opposition of the nation against Charter change, it is still possible that the present gang in the House may be able to change it. In that case, the only way to stop them, short of a revolution, is to vote against the new Charter in the plebiscite. Vote No.

Vote No? Eh paano na kung dadayain ni Arroyo at ng COMELEC yung botohan sa Charter Change? It happened in the last presidential elections, so what makes you think na hindi nila gagawin ito ulit?

GMA's "Kapit sa Patalim" moves

From Neal Cruz:

A SIGN of the fear and desperation of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is that she is trying to make deals right and left with people who can help her survive politically. She is offering a deal to former President Joseph Estrada, the man she kicked out of office and from whom she stole half of his presidential term. She is also dangling an offer to the Marcoses to bury the former president Ferdinand Marcos in, of all places, the Libingan ng mga Bayani [Cemetery of Heroes]. Former President Fidel Ramos is already in her corner in exchange for her support for a shift to a parliamentary system of government to make it possible for him to return to power as prime minister. Marcos, Ramos, Estrada and Macapagal-Arroyo -- four presidents banding together for their own selfish interests and like China, we will have our own Gang of Four.

We Filipinos have a term for it: “kapit sa patalim” [literally, gripping the blade]. The desperate will do anything, even hang on to a sharp blade, to survive. Like Faustus, he or she will make a pact with the devil to get what he or she wants.

Ms Arroyo seems to be making deals with anybody willing to be bought, paying congressmen to vote against impeachment, bribing witnesses to lie, hiding witnesses who could reveal things that would damn her, and committing other illegal acts such as disbursing funds for purposes for which they were not appropriated by Congress. Has she already made bribery, cheating and lying official policies of government? I hope not, but it is beginning to look more and more like that.

Makati Rep. Teddyboy Locsin revealed that shortly before the elections, she released funds intended for the purchase of fertilizers to congressmen, including those from Metro Manila and other urban areas where there are no farms to fertilize. Those fertilizer funds, however, were really intended to fertilize not farms but pockets.

The new fund releases from the Road Users’ Tax, on the other hand, are intended not for the construction or repair of roads but to run over the impeachment complaint by the administration’s congressional railroad. Proof is that after anti-impeachment congressmen got their shares, Ms Arroyo suddenly stopped further releases so that pro-impeachment lawmakers won’t get any.

The bankrupt government is being bankrupted even more by huge payoffs to buy Ms Arroyo’s survival. Taxes from the expanded value-added tax, not yet being collected now, are already being spent. As the "Hyatt 10" group of resigned Cabinet members said, money, patronage, appointments, contracts, etc. are not spared just to insure her survival. No position on Earth is worth all that much dirt.

GMA willing to appoint "opposition" members in cabinet

From the Tribune:

Malacañang yesterday said President Arroyo is open to appointing opposition members to her Cabinet amid speculations she is seeking reconciliation with political opponents amid moves to oust her.

Let me guess kung sino yung unang ia-appoint ni Gloria Macapagal Arroyo na taga-"opposition": Si Angara at si Enrile

“I have a room specially prepared for her, and a pony, too."

Saying he has a room in his resthouse and a pony reserved for President Arroyo, the detained but still popular leader, Joseph Estrada, predicted that she is doomed to share his fate, while rebuffing her efforts at a political reconciliation, the South China Morning Post yesterday reported.

The interview with Estrada was conducted by SCMP correspondent Raissa Robles.

From the tribune. Uh inggit ako, may pony si GMA, LOL!

DoJ chief junks US pact’s use in Garci hunt

From the Tribune:

Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez is not keen on running after “elusive” former Commission on Elections (Comelec) Commissioner Virgilio Garcillano, who is now reportedly in the United States.

Gonzalez yesterday practically turned down the opposition's request for his agency to tap the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT) to confirm reports that Garcillano had fled to New Jersey.

Speaking to reporters, the Justice chief claimed that while the election officer has an outstanding warrant from the House of Representatives for his failure to attend a legislative inquiry, technically Garcillano “is not a fugitive” under the definition of MLAT.

Gonzalez said the MLAT could only apply to persons with pending criminal cases.

Yeah right!

So this is where our Road User's Taxes are going

From Malaya:

THE United Opposition yesterday accused the administration of releasing P2.2 billion in road users tax to congressmen to kill the impeachment complaint against President Arroyo.

Rep. Rolex Suplico (LDP, Iloilo) showed copies of Special Allotment Release Orders issued by the Department of Budget and Management covering P90 million for Rep. Remedios Petilla (Lakas, Leyte), P65 million for Rep. Anthony Miranda (Kampi, Isabela), and P50 million for Rep. Reynaldo Aquino (Lakas, Pampanga).

He said the three SAROs are just the tip of the iceberg of fund releases to congressmen.

He said he would identify the other beneficiaries of the road users tax as soon as he gets more documents from an "asset."

More here:

GMA grants solons P90M each to kill impeach complaint
DESPERATE ARROYO CALLS CONGRESSMEN PERSONALLY FOR AMENDED CHARGE’S DISMISSAL

By Dona Policar and Gerry Baldo
Tuesday, 08 23, 2005

This is where road users' taxes are going: Not to the rehabilitation of the pockmarked roads nationwide but to congressmen who will support the dismissal of an amended impeachment complaint filed against President Arroyo.

The President was said to have called each congressman personally to pledge more multi-million goodies going the way of the anti-impeachment representatives who will stay firm in their decision not to sign the impeachment complaint filed by the political opposition.

Rewards and more rewards were said to already have reached the hands of congressmen who vowed not to support the amended impeachment complaint.

This wholesale bribery was disclosed yesterday as the pro-impeachment congressmen announced the names of their colleagues whom they said have already received their rewards from Malacañang courtesy of the road users' tax.

At a press conference held yesterday, Rolex Suplico, House senior deputy minority leader, said rewards and concessions were already given to some administration congressmen, almost immediately after the the “Hello Garci” controversy surfaced.

Suplico added the administration lawmakers have been rewarded as much as P90 million in funds from the road users' tax to kill the impeachment complaint against the President.

House Minority Leader Francis Escudero said more and more congressmen also had been receiving calls from Mrs. Arroyo during the past several days even as he warned the President that her move is impinging on the independence of Congress and the credibility of the entire impeachment process.

“I think Mrs. Arroyo should be cautioned against calling members of Congress and urging them not to support the impeachment complaint. That is impinging upon the independence of Congress and the credibility of the entire process,” Escudero said during the same press conference.

He added he has no personal knowledge of the conversations between Mrs. Arroyo and the lawmakers but there are many congressmen who told them that Mrs. Arroyo had personally talked to them over the phone, pleading with them not to sign the amended impeachment complaint.

South Cotabato Rep. Darlene Antonino-Custodio noted that Mrs. Arroyo was also calling even members of the congressmen's families, their governors and mayors.

“It's not just the congressmen whom she (Mrs. Arroyo) calls. Even the whole family members are being called by her for the same purpose. It is she who personally makes the calls,” Antonino-Custodio said, adding only a few remaining lawmakers have yet to receive a call from the President.

It was also disclosed by the minority congressmen that aside from Mrs. Arroyo, Efraim Genuino of the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. was also said to have been calling the lawmakers, with the same plea and the same handsome offers.

Escudero mentioned that those who already signed the impeachment complaint had turned her down while others who had not signed “took Mrs. Arroyo for a ride,” but signed the impeachment complaint later.

Paranoid Nuns and PNP thugs

Muntik nang "ma-hose" ng pulis si Malaya columnist JB Baylon.

UPDATE: Baylon's "Living in Fear" article got plenty of reactions. I didn't know candle-lighting can be considered a subversive act.

Let's get Google News to pick up Malaya and Tribune as a news source

kasi halos lahat na ng Philippine papers ay napi-pick up na ng Google News. Newspapers like PDI, Philstar, Manila Bulletin, Manila Times, Sunstar, even Abante.

The latest na nakapasok sa Google News ay yung Manila Standard Today (starting August 7, 2005)

Yung mga articles na lang ng Malaya at Tribune ang hindi pa lumalabas sa search results ng GoogleNews.

(Maybe it has something to do with the fact na kilala sila bilang mga opposition at anti-Arroyo newspapers at biased ang Google Philippines?)

Pangit naman kung puro pro-Arroyo newspapers na lang ang lumalabas na resulta sa google news, lalo na ngayong pumutok ang GLORIAGATE issue, puro pro-arroyo, anti-opposition ang slant ng news na nakukuha natin sa mga resulta ng google news sa local papers.

Wala masyadong diversity.

So sana let's help Malaya and Tribune become a "google news" source by submitting their website's URLs for consideration.

Here's Malaya's URL: http://www.malaya.com.ph
Here's the Daily Tribune's URL: http://www.tribune.net.ph

Then click this link to recommend the URLs.

Select the option "I want to recommend a news source," then press continue.

Fill the form, then sa message box isulat nyo na gusto nyong makita ang Malaya at Tribune sa google news dahil pareho silang excellent news source on the GLORIAGATE crisis at para naman may konting diversity at hindi puro mga mga pro-GMA/anti-opposition papers lang ang nababasa natin.

And read this google news FAQ for more info.

Steven Vincent's widow defends her husband

against Prof. Juan Cole's smears.

De Quiros' gets annoying questions from him pro-GMA friends

"Aren't you tired of Politics?"

"Can't we all just get along?"

"Can't we just move on from Gloriagate?"

Ito naman ang sagot ni Conrad.

Real reconciliation

between Arroyo and Erap will only be possible after:

1) GMA is already out of power.
2) Erap is free.

Why?

Para hindi sasabihin ng tao na:

a) gusto lang ni erap na "makipag-reconcile" dahil gusto niyang makalaya.

b) gusto lang ni GMA na "makipag-reconcile" dahil medyo delikado siya sa GLORIAGATE scandal at desperate siya now more than ever na makuha ang suporta ng erap masa para hindi siya "ma-people power" katulad ni Erap.

Besides, hindi patas ang relationship ng dalawang parties. GMA is currently the "president," and erap is her prisoner. GMA has practically all the cards, and Erap has none.

Nasa kay GMA kung makakalaya si erap o hindi. She has many options. Erap has little or none.

Pero once GMA is out of Malacanang and Erap is a free man, medyo patas na ang dalawa. and people will not question their motives for reconciliation anymore because they have nothing to gain from it other than a desire for sincere reconciliation.

Fake "Reconciliation" political stunt ng Malacanang palpak

Nagtataka ako sa report ng pro-Arroyo newspaper na PDI:

FORMER President Joseph Estrada is now talking reconciliation with the Arroyo administration but has set the terms mainly that he would be released on recognizance by the Sandiganbayan.

And the first steps toward reconciliation could begin today at the Quirino Grandstand where the mammoth religious sect El Shaddai is set to hold a birthday Mass and prayer rally for its leader, Bro. Mike Velarde-an event to be attended by Estrada and most probably President Macapagal-Arroyo.

Estrada told the Inquirer that should he and the President share the stage at the same time, he was willing to shake hands with his former Vice President.

Totoo ba yan? Kasi ito naman yung balita ng Tribune, which is... shall we say, different from PDI's.

Quoting Ecclesiastes, detained President Estrada yesterday noted it is not the right time to extend the hand of reconciliation to President Arroyo, saying, “There is a season and a reason for everything, and the season is not now.”

Sources close to Estrada, who is out on a hospital furlough and who has been granted by the Sandiganbayan court to attend the founding day rites of a Catholic charismatic movement, the El Shaddai, led by evangelist Mike Velarde, told the Tribune that the detained leader made it clear that he would not want to share the stage with Mrs. Arroyo.

Tee hee. Here's more:

“Knowing Malacañang and its spin doctors, if they (Estrada and Mrs. Arroyo) as much as appear together on stage and are made to shake hands or exchange peace greetings, there is no doubt that Malacañang will seize on this opportunity to make it appear that President Erap capitulated,” the sources said, adding, “Even in sharing a stage, Malacañang will surely use this as a photo-op and twist the story, to benefit (Mrs.) Gloria (Arroyo), not to mention the fact that the pro-government media will insinuate that a deal had been made.”

Estrada said he was invited by Brother Mike to attend the El Shaddai activity and he couldn't say no to the El Shaddai leader, as Velarde had been his spiritual counsellor when he was in Malacañang.

But the detained leader vehemently denied reports he had forged a deal with Mrs. Arroyo, which would focus on reconciliation between the two presidents in exchange for his liberty.

“I have asked for bail, but from the court, because I am definitely not a 'flight risk,' and the prosecution has failed to prove its charges of plunder against me,” Estrada said.

He went on to say that it is impossible for the court to judge him as a flight risk, pointing out it is on record that Mrs. Arroyo, through her emissaries, offered him exile in a foreign country of his choice, as well as to drop the plunder charges filed against him.

“Three times they offered me my 'freedom' in exchange for my letter of resignation, to legitimize her government. Three times, I refused the offers and told them I was willing to face the court cases, because I knew I was innocent of those charges that they framed me with.”

He also recounted the fact that he had left for Hong Kong for his knee replacement operation with the permission of the court and arrived on the date the court ordered. “I did not ask for an extension, even if my doctor said I needed some more physical therapy with a special therapist.”

He reiterated that he has not asked any favors from Mrs. Arroyo and is not going to do so, stressing that “if I ask for my freedom today, I am asking for it, not from her, but from the court,” stressing it is his right to ask for bail, just as it is right for the court to grant him his temporary freedom after four and a half years in detention, and because the government's case against him is “very very weak.”

Sources close to Estrada told the Tribune that if Mrs. Arroyo just stops interfering in the case against the detained leader, the case would have been dismissed a long time ago—after the prosecution rested its case, as the government could not produce any evidence, testimonial or documentary, to show that Estrada was guilty of the offenses charged.

The same sources said Estrada was feeling bad about the furlough, as he has been denied again by the court his appeal to stop by to visit, even for a few hours, his mother, who lives in San Juan, a stone's throw away from the Cardinal Santos Hospital, where he is having his medical examination.

Estrada also wanted to visit the tomb of his best friend, Fernando Poe, Jr., whose presidential candidacy the former leader supported all the way. “It was his birthday, and I wanted to be at his gravesite, even for a little while,” but the court had also denied his plea.

It was reported the other day that reconciliation efforts were underway between Estrada and Mrs. Arroyo, with Environment Secretary Mike Defensor quoted as saying that talks focused on Estrada being released to the custody of some trustworthy and respected individual, without the necessity of posting bail.

But the sources said it was Defensor who had suggested this, not Estrada. “Besides, if there was such a deal, why did Erap's lawyers file for bail before the court?”

Abante-Tonite also reported on Erap's visit to the El Shaddai rally nung hating gabi.

Dakong alas-12:15 ng hatinggabi nang dumating si Estrada. Naging mainit ang pagsalubong sa kanya ng mga mga tao na karamiha’y nagsigawan ng "Erap, Erap!"

Subalit kapuna-puna rin na isa-isang nagkalasan ang mga kaalyado ng administrasyon tulad nina Sens. Juan Ponce Enrile, Mar Roxas, Francis Pangilinan at Vice President Noli De Castro.

Sa kanyang pagsasalita, kapuna-puna na sa bawat pahayag ni Estrada ay nagsisigawan sa tuwa ang mga tao na ayon sa ilang observers ay taliwas sa ipinakitang pagsalubong kay Arroyo na pawang palakpakan lamang umano ang narinig.

Tuwang-tuwa din ang mga tao nang sabihin ni Estrada na lalo siyang lumakas at bumata sa loob ng apat na taong pagkakabilanggo. "Hindi po totoong nabubulok na daw ako sa kulungan. Luminaw ang paningin ko. Lumakas po ako at sumigla," ani Estrada.

"Sa kulungan hindi ako nawalan ng pag-asa, hindi ako nasiraan ng loob. Tumibay ang aking pananalig. Hindi po ako natakot at sa panahong ito, mahigit na apat na taon na, natuto akong magpatawad, nawala ang sama ng loob at galit ko sa mga taong nagparatang, nanlait at humusga sa akin," bahagi ng naging talumpati ni Estrada.

"Kung malalampasan ko ang krisis kong ito, ipinapangako ko na iaalay ko ang nalalabing sandali ng aking buhay para sa ating bayan. I promise to dedicate the my self the rest of my life to serve you. This is my commitment to the Lord and to you. Maniwala kayo, tiyak ‘yon.

"Magkaisa po tayo at sama-sama tayong manindigan sa katotohanan para sa sambayanang Pilipino. "The truth shall me free. The truth shall set us all free. Huwag tayong matakot sa katotohanan. Ang Panginoon ang siyang bahala sa ating lahat," pahayag pa ng dating Pangulo.

Bago tuluyang magtapos ang kanyang talumpati, binanggit ni Estrada ang kanyang yumaong kaibigang matalik na si Fernando Poe Jr. kasabay ng pagbati kay Bro. Mike sa kaarawan nito.

"Siguro (dahil) parehong August 20 ang birthday nyo (ni FPJ) kaya kayong dalawa, pareho nyo akong mahal at mahal ko kayong dalawa," ani Estrada.

In other news, Malacanang is still smarting from the "handshake flap":

Still smarting from its apparent attempt to pull the rug from under ousted President Joseph Estrada's feet, Malacañang yesterday was evasive and refused to admit whether it had been in the plan of President Arroyo to shake hands with the deposed leader on the same platform during the birthday celebration of religious leader Bro. Mariano “Mike” Velarde at Manila's Rizal Park (Luneta) last Saturday night.

During a chance interview, Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said he had no idea if Mrs. Arroyo had plans to reconcile with Estrada on the stage of the Quirino Grandstand with Velarde but he stressed that the President would not stop in pushing her unity and reconciliation agenda with the opposition forces led by Estrada, who was ousted from power in Jan. 2001.

“I don't have an idea that the President intends to share the platform with Erap (Estrada's nickname). She was there for hours and then Erap (arrived later) as he was invited by Mike Velarde,” Ermita added.

The expected handshake did not materialize as Estrada, who apparently had information about it beforehand, instead waited until Mrs. Arroyo left the platform before he greeted Velarde, the head of El Shaddai.

Ahem... I guess there will be a time for "reconciliation," but not now.

Of course, kung sincere talaga si Arroyo sa tunay na reconciliation, alam niya kung ano munang dapat gawin.

Agree rin si Cory Aquino.

Ninez comments:

It was clear from the way the El Shaddai crowd reacted to the two major political figures, whom the crowd still preferred, believed and trusted.

Between Joseph Estrada, deposed by the elite, and Gloria Arroyo, installed by the elite, Erap was the choice — hands down.

When Gloria spoke before the El Shaddai, the reaction was not even lukewarm. It was what is known as “dedma.” In the case of Erap, even before he made his entrance, with the emcee telling the crowd that there was a special guest coming, the crowd roared in appreciation and roared even louder when Estrada came in. Whatever he said was lapped up by the Shaddai crowd.

The strange part of it all was that, whether it was Gloria, or Noli de Castro, or Joe de Venecia introduced to the crowd, it was still a dedma crowd for them — not so in the case of Estrada and his opposition group that was with him. The cheers were defeaning.

Such contrasting reaction from the crowd, largely a D and E socio-economic class, should already give Gloria and her administration allies the clear signals that even as they continue to sit in power, there is no public support extended to them. Not even De Castro, said to have mass-based support, was given a rousing welcome.

So how long do they think they can hang on to power, clearly bereft of public support, especially so at a time of an economic crisis exacerbated by the energy crisis?

Gloria keeps on talking about the need for the country and the people to be united in the face of the crisis. Estrada also spoke of the wish to see the country and the people to be united. So why did the public cheer Estrada, not Gloria, when they spoke on the same topic?

Was it perhaps because the crowd was willing to listen to Erap on the need for unity, but not to Gloria when she says the same thing? But is this not too an indication that the crowd places more hope in Estrada than in Gloria? And wouldn't this mean too that people see Gloria as insincere in whatever she says and see Estrada as sincere?

It should be stressed that Estrada has been demonized, deposed, thrown into a jail and charged with plunder. Yet the crowd appeared to place their hopes and trust in him, rather than the incumbent. And in the end, it is the leader who can give hope to a people who can unite a deeply divided people.

No matter what Gloria said to the crowd, she received the cold shoulder. Even as she tried to get the crowd to identify with her, by claiming that decades ago, even before she became a senator, she was with the El Shaddai crowd on overnight vigils. No reaction. Then she thanked Mike Velarde, leader of the Catholic charismatic group and the crowd for voting her in as President. No reaction from the crowd again, giving one the impression that the people there either did not vote for her, or worse, believe even more strongly that she had cheated her way to the presidency, especially as the crowd cheered again when Estrada mentioned the name of Fernando Poe Jr.

There was no doubt that Gloria wanted to use this occasion to create the impression that she had already won over Estrada to her side, and with that, would also have the masses over to her side.

But as Estrada appeared to have realized the trap Gloria and her propagandists had laid out for him, he chose to appear after she left, for the two not to share the same stage at the same time.

That reconciliation bit being staged by Gloria and her aides went flat. Knowing Gloria, she would have used that opportunity for her benefit and nobody else's.

She and her aides certainly know they are in deep manure, with the stink of poll fraud clinging to her skin, while crisis after crisis hits her and her government. What makes it more terrifying for her is the fact that knowing she has no public support at all, she cannot get the public behind her calls for unity and sacrifice in the face of the hard political and economic times.

Nothing, but nothing she says gets the support of the public — whether it is for the people to believe that she is the legitimately elected President, or to get the people to put their trust and confidence in her to achieve what she calls a Philippines ready to take off.

And yet they know it is most important for a leader in times of deep crisis, to have a people get behind him, and to put their trust in that leader and even more important, that leader must have the legal and moral mandate of the people to get the country and the nation out of that economic and political morass that she and her elite mob had created.

Reconcialtion and unity cannot be achieved under her regime, because it is she who created this division and disunity through the elite Edsa II revolt.

What must be done is to first right the constitutional wrong and only then can we begin to become a strong nation that respects the rule of law.

Ducky Paredes has more too.

PRESIDENT Joseph Estrada had to negotiate hard with Mike Velarde to avoid having a meaningless reconciliation ceremony with Gloria Arroyo that Mike wanted to happen on nationwide television with Velarde acting as the conciliator.

Says Erap: "There is a season and a reason for everything, and the season is not now."

What would anyone, including the country gain from the faking of reconciliation? It would be totally meaningless. True reconciliation needs true contrition. The offender must ask to be forgiven for her offenses. There is no show of contrition on the part of Gloria Arroyo.

Clearly, Erap, if he had agreed to a show of reconciliation, would only have been used by Gloria. She would crow to the world that Erap had surrendered to her. This would be used to undercut the opposition’s and everyone else’s call for Gloria’s resignation.

Thus, there was no way that Erap, the true president, would have agreed to even share the same stage with the fake president.

Solon wants to tax drinking water???

What's next? Tax the air we breath?

From Neal Cruz:

As if the expanded value-added tax is not enough to squeeze the life out of the people, a congressman has filed a bill to tax-would you believe-drinking water. Yes, House Bill 2899 of Samar Rep. Catalino Figueroa (Lakas-NP) proposes to impose a 10-percent excise tax on bottled water. The excise tax would be in addition to the EVAT. And the House ways and means committee, instead of throwing the stupid bill into the waste basket, has actually started hearings on it last Aug. 16.

Drinking water is a basic necessity. Nobody can continue to live without safe drinking water. In a country where more than one-third of the population has no access to safe drinking water, it is criminal to tax it. Entire communities have fallen ill from drinking contaminated tap water. By his own admission, Figueroa said that bottled water has become a necessity, that it is essential to life. Yet, he wants to put it beyond the reach of the people by imposing an additional tax on it. All for what? So the government will have more money that government officials can steal and use to bribe witnesses and legislators. Perhaps, Figueroa was thinking of the pork barrel of congressmen when he filed the bill.

An excise tax is imposed to curb the consumption of products harmful to health, such as alcohol and tobacco. By slapping such tax on drinking water, is Figueroa saying that people should be taxed for wanting to survive? A tax on drinking water, bottled or not, is a tax on a person's right to life.

Blanquita Pelaez

LATEST UPDATE: Blanquita Pelaez says Mike Defensor is the brains behind filing of phony case vs Erap.

Ah, the administration attack dog/swindler is back in the news again. I've posted re her before here and here.

Unang kong narinig yung handcuffs deal ni Blanquita Pelaez noong 1999, when Miriam Defensor Santiago (still angry at erap because she lost the 1998 prez elections to a dropout) criticized this shady handcuffs deal entered by then DILG Sec. Ronaldo Puno (now with the Arroyo admin).

MIRIAM SAYS “PRETTY WOMAN” BEHIND HANDCUFFS DEAL?
10 June 1999

Sen. Miriam Defensor Santiago said the allegedly illegal P15 million supplemental contract for handcuffs with Pelaez Enterprises signed by DILG Sec. Ronaldo Puno reportedly involved what she called a “pretty woman.”

“The supplemental contract, which is grossly disadvantageous to the government, was reportedly pushed by the mother of a pretty woman. Both women are in show business,” she said.

Santiago yesterday (10 June) also questioned the contract, on the additional ground that on 6 May 1997, PNP chief superintendent Jose Andaya blacklisted Pelaez, and revoked its certificate of accreditation.

PNP allegedly blacklisted Pelaez for failing to deliver 150,368 pieces of ammunition, even after withdrawing the payment of US $41,266.33 from the letter of credit.

But although PNP had already blacklisted Pelaez, still Puno went ahead and signed a supplemental contract with Pelaez for the delivery of 31,262 pairs of handcuffs, “exclusive of customs duties, taxes and VAT.”

The supplemental contract amended the original contract, which provided for delivery “inclusive of customs duties, taxes, and VAT.”

Santiago said the supplemental contract raised the price of the handcuffs, and thus became grossly disadvantageous to the government.

Under the supplemental contract signed by Puno, the PNP advanced the sum of $513,000 for the letter of credit.

Subsequently, the Bureau of Customs seized and confiscated the handcuffs, because Pelaez failed to pay customs duties.

Santiago said DILG and PNP officials should be held responsible for the sum of $513,000 which the PNP lost.

The senator added that the shipment was also illegal, on the added ground that while the PNP called for stainless steel handcuffs, Pelaez imported nickel-plated handcuffs, which are 65 percent cheaper.

Santiago refused to give the names of the two women who allegedly lobbied for the contract, but urged reporters to investigate the tip reportedly given to her by a phone caller.

“My charges are based on official documents. The story of the pretty woman is only a tip that I cannot verify,” she said

Pinuri pa nga si Miriam ni Amando Doronila for her expose on the Puno-Pelaez handcuffs scam eh.

“Miriam has revived the glory days of the Senate as the watchdog of administration venalities.”
“Miriam has also shown in the Puno exposes that she is not a Estrada stooge...In exposing Puno, Miriam has rediscovered the power of inquiry of the Senate and has become the symbol of this rediscovery at a time when the legislature is so intimidated by the President’s popularity that it does not stand up to him.”
“Miriam has found her mark---as catalyst of the reassertion by the Senate of its function as a chamber of inquiry into administration venalities.”
---Amando Doronila, Inquirer
“Miriam finds her mark”

So tama yung ginawa ni Lacson, because:

The original contract required Pelaez to pay the Customs duties, Lacson said. But during the Estrada administration, the interior secretary, Ronaldo Puno, revised the contract, making the PNP—then under Roberto Lastimoso—pay the Customs fees.

Puno is now allied with the administration Kampi Party.

“I cannot honor Puno’s memo. If I did, I would be held liable for graft and the Ombudsman and Sandiganbayan would have me jailed because the amended contract would be grossly disadvantageous to the government. I was protecting the interest of the Republic of the Philippines,” Lacson said.

Tama. Overpriced na kasi yung revised contract na pinakulo ni dating DILG Sec. Ronaldo Puno eh. Lugi ang gobyerno at taxpayers diyan.

Read this nung nakuryente ang PDI sa report nila on Blanquita Pelaez and Ping Lacson. And this one too. Ito pa.

Some pro-Arroyo PEx poster claimed:

Hindi ba nag-simula itong case na ito noong 2001. I doubt the Administration has anything to do with it.

WRONG! Blanquita Pelaez was part of victor corpus' "intelligence" team to "beat Lacson" kuno that went to the US to dig for "evidence" against the Senator.

Katulad rin ng pagbayad ni Mike Arroyo ng P3-Mil kay Rosebud (read this too), Blanquita was paid P9-Million as "agent fee" for giving "tips" on Lacson's "billion" dollar bank accounts.

Here's the report:

Aside from the two recommendations, the report also called for an inquiry by the Senate blue ribbon committee on the alleged payment of P9 million in "agent's fee" to Blanquita Pelaez for the "trip" on the supposed Lacson overseas accounts.

Pelaez, a PNP supply contractor blacklisted by Lacson, allegedly acted as informer of the Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines team in its month-long probe in the United States. She reportedly accompanied the ISAFP team to the US.

A post-operation report submitted by Chan to Corpus was paid P9 million for giving the ISAFP team the "tip" that Lacson maintains 18 accounts in various banks abroad.

Heh. Si blanquita pala ang nagbigay ng "tip" na may "18 accounts" in various banks abroad si Lacson. LMAO!

Nagyabang pa si Pelaez dati:

"Kalkalin ko na ngayon ang mga bank statement niya (I will now look for all his bank statements). All these statements will come out now," Pelaez told GMA 7.

but PDI, whose reporter was part of Victor Corpus team that went to the US, and the newspaper that first broke the story on Lacson "hidden bank account" back in 2001, made a grudging admission 2 years later (buried in the inside pages pa nga eh.)

It was Corpus who exposed two years ago the alleged multi-million dollar bank accounts of Lacson in Hong Kong and North America. But to date Corpus has yet to produce evidence.

Read also the ABS-CBN report below on PDI newsclippings being used as "evidence". ;)

(Btw, take note that Lacson was being asked to pay a fine of $31K not because he did any crime or was found guilty, but because he failed to show up at the US court.)

From abs-cbnnews back in aug. 22, 2003: (alternate link here)

California judge saves Ping from paying $3M

The Superior Court of California has vacated its default judgment ordering Sen. Panfilo Lacson to pay $3 million as damages to Filipino-American trader Blanquita Pelaez of California, but the court retained its entry for default against the senator because he did not answer the complaint on time.

The superior court said, in response to Lacson’s motion to vacate the order for him to pay $3 million in damages, that plaintiff Pelaez never proved with any evidence her alleged “humiliation, mental anguish, and emotional and physical distress” alleged caused by Lacson, except for her unsubstantiated claims.

The court found that the plaintiff supported her claim for damages only with newspaper clippings from the Philippine Daily Inquirer, a Philippine newspaper. “That statement was itself supported only by an unauthenticated, unsubstantiated and highly speculative newspaper article -- an article, not incidentally, that says only that defendant [Lacson] is alleged to have stashed some $500 million in US banks.”

The superior court ruled that the lower court, “despite the complete lack of concrete, admissible evidence [the Inquirer clippings did not qualify as such] as to defendant’s net worth, it nevertheless appears that the [lower] court may have accepted as true the statements set forth in the newspaper article.”

That's what you get for relying on Inquirer news clipping as your primary source. And finally this:

Judge James A. Richman added, "There's nothing in the record to suggest that a $3-million punitive damages award was appropriate in light of the $31,292 awarded for the actual [damages]. . .The court concludes that, to the extent that the $3-million judgment was premised on any punitive damages, such judgment is unconstitutional."

And here's the aug. 20, 2005 article from manila times.

Sen. Panfilo Lacson said on Friday that the President’s husband, Jose Miguel Arroyo, was behind misleading reports that a court in California had ordered his arrest for failing to appear in a 2003 case involving the purchase of handcuffs for the Philippine National Police.

A television report on Thursday said Judge Barbara Miller of the Alameda Superior Court in Oakland had issued a warrant for Lacson’s arrest for failing to appear in court on August 17.

In 2001 a US-based businesswoman, Blanquita Pelaez, sued Lacson, the PNP chief from 1999 to 2001, for not paying a supply of Smith & Wesson handcuffs.

The court ruled in 2003 that Lacson should pay Pelaez $31,263.

Ping shouldn't even be fined because it's pretty obvious na frivolous lawsuit lang yung kay blanquita pelaez at walang basis siya, based on the earlier abs-cbn article. pure and simple harassment on the part of pelaez and her handlers in the admin.

Dapat si Ping pa nga ang mag-file ng lawsuit against Pelaez eh for slander, para mabigyan ng leksyon si Blanquita at ang mga handlers niya sa administration at mabawi niya ang $31K fine niya.

UPDATE: Westborough comments:

i didnt see any document proving all these allegations of a warrant of arrest for ping.... all i saw on tv was this ms pelaez hurling accusations at senator lacson.

it would have given credence to her statement kung meron man lang katibayan sana at hindi kwento lang nya at ng abugado nya. ni hindi pinagsalita ang abugado ni ping, bakit ganon?

ni walang court representative or marshall na nagsalita in behalf of the court? ni wala silang naipakitang documento na nakasaad dun ang status ng kaso.... ang pinakita lang ay ang bandang ibaba ng isang documento na ma pirma ng maraming tao, kabilang na si ping.

i would need to see more proof from the US kung ganyan ang kwento nila.

PCIJ revisits "yung dagdag, yung dagdag"

Alecks Pabico has the latest. Go check it out quick.

UPDATE: More from Ellen Tordesillas.

Late Night GLORIAGATE roundup

- PNP, Isafp, Reyes can't keep their lies straight re raid

- DFA accused of helping hide Garci

- Malaya has an editorial on the "Goodbye, Garci" escape

But Garcillano departed in style. He boarded a chartered jet in Clark. The jet, which incidentally is frequently used by Malacañang for Gloria’s provincial trips, dropped by the Manila domestic airport to file a flight plan. It was cleared for Singapore by no less than seven government offices, with Garcillano as an unmanifested passenger.

Garcillano traveled VIP all the way. And the cover-up went on until the foreign affairs department told Rep. Gilbert Remulla, chairman of the lead panel in the investigation, on Wednesday that Singapore had confirmed Garcillano’s arrival on July 14 and his departure the next day. Interestingly, the Singapore information was a week old before the DFA found it fit to inform Remulla the House panels’ quarry had flown the coop. The reason? Foreign Secretary Alberto Romulo did not immediately give clearance for the information’s transmittal to the House.

But we are belaboring the obvious. The administration hid Garcillano and helped arranged his escape.

- From Ducky Paredes:

Assuming that the joint force of the CIDG of the PNP and the ISAFP were acting on the request of the home owner to find out what former NBI handwriting expert Segundo Tabayoyong (and a potential witness in an election fraud complaint against Gloria Arroyo) had in his rented room, why did they have to come in full force at two in the morning just to accommodate a complaining house owner?

Cases like these are usually processed at the barangay level. The chairman and some of his tanods can check the room for the landlady and it will be a perfectly legal search. Why was there a need to bring in the PNP and the AFP? Why was there a need to raid the room?

Both Loren Legarda and Senate President Franklin Drilon noted that the raid "smacked of martial law tactics."

Says Loren:

"The CIDG and the ISAFP have no business holding those documents a minute longer. Those election returns were duly forwarded by the Comelec to the KNP, the latter being the dominant opposition party at the time of the 2004 elections.

"The KNP, in turn, can ask anyone to study these election documents which show the massive electoral fraud committed by the party in power last year."

Why did the joint PNP-AFP force even take the documents away? True, there is a criminal case to be found and ferreted out of those documents but the crime that was committed was actually committed against Loren Legarda and the Filipino people since they prove that Gloria Arroyo stole that election and has no right to pretend at being our president. But I am sure that none of the raiders were looking to do anything about Gloria’s crime against the people.

In fact, the police and the military look like they are thinking of doing something illegal with those documents by destroying them.

Loren says: "Heaven forbid that those seized pieces of evidence are destroyed, tampered with or inexplicably lost by those who took them illegally.

"However, those who want to subvert the truth on who really won in 2004 are mistaken if they think they have left us with nothing to prove our case that they cheated. We have boxes and boxes of E.R.s to prove the fraud they committed."

- One word: "Marcosa"

- Reyes, CIDG refuse to give up seized ERs

It was already deemed an illegal raid by the police and military elements of the rented home of opposition witness and documents analysis expert Segundo Tabayoyong from where election documents belonging to the Fernando Poe Jr., camp were seized, but the police aren't turning over the records to the opposition.

This was the position taken by Interior Secretary Angelo Reyes and his Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) chief Sr. Supt. Asher Dolina, saying they will turn the seized items over to the Commission on Elections instead.

Reacting to the hardline position taken by Reyes, Minority Leader Sen. Aquilino Pimentel Jr. accused Malacañang of the most shameless kind of public deception by denying having a hand in the police and military personnel-led raid, adding that Reyes had only manifested the contrary as they refuse to return the documents.

“Reyes is now sanctioning an illegal act. He should be sued as a conspirator,” he said.

The senator charged that the raid was carried out on orders of the Palace with the apparent objective of sabotaging the impeachment case against President Arroyo by harassing opposition witnesses, resource persons and stealing documentary evidence in their possession.

At the same time, Sen. Rodolfo Biazon demanded an explanation from newly appointed Armed Forces of the Philippines chief of staff Gen. Generoso Senga on the involvement of the AFP's intelligence agents in the raid and seizure of evidence against the administration on its poll fraud operations.

Biazon, who once held Senga's position during the Aquino administration, yesterday demanded justification of the Isafp involvement, under pain of a suit against the military officers on grounds of obstruction of justice and possible tampering of evidence.

Papatayin ang Impeachment case sa September?

From Abante:

Niluluto na ng administration solons ang tulu-yang pagbasura sa impeachment case laban kay Pangulong Gloria Macapagal-Arro-yo at inaapurang maisakatuparan ito bago tumulak sa United Nations (UN) General As-sembly ang huli.

"We believe GMA won’t like the case hanging on her head while she’s away from the country. They (Congress) will have to see to it that the impeachment is settled or quashed," ani United Opposition (Uno) spokesman Lito Anzures base sa mga indikasyong nakikita sa takbo ng kaso sa Kamara.

Si Arroyo ay nakatakdang umalis ng bansa sa Setyembre para dumalo sa UN General Assembly sa New York kasama ang iba pang lider ng mundo. Kung hindi umano madudurog ang impeachment complaint ay tiyak na dala-dalang alalahanin ito ng Chief Executive sa naturang paglalakbay.

From Manuel L. Quezon III's archives

UPDATED: Here he defends the use of People Power aka Edsa Dos against Estrada on January, 2001:

The Philippines - Filipinos - tried to do everything by the book, they tried to do everything exactly as specified by the Constitution, they even rallied within parameters defined by that Constitution as far as the right to free speech and assembly are concerned. Joseph Estrada, on his part, did what he could legitimately do, which was, first of all, proclaim in public that he was all for the impeachment process but proceed, in private, to muster every resource available to block the impeachment reaching the trial stage.

Now the reason Estrada fell in the estimation of nearly anyone can be given short shrift: first of all, he alienated every important sector because of his bad habits and his gangster mentality. It is not true the businessmen and the elite were against him from the start. As has happened time and again in our history, the ruling class of this country loves a winner. They fall over themselves in proclaiming every new President the greatest in history. The businessmen that supposedly hated Estrada from the start were licking his boots until several things happened. First, Estrada wanted to give Marcos a heroes' burial. Then Estrada wanted the Constitution amended. Worst of all, under Estrada, the stock market suffered its biggest scandal. Then Estrada began to bully the media, and started using the internal revenue service to go after his opponents.

Hmmm... amending the constitution??? bully the media like what GMA did to tina panganiban perez and the probe team and use the MTRCB to impose censorship on live political interviews? using gov't money to go after GMA's opponents? Even considering the idea of allowing Marcos to be buried at the Libingan ng mga Bayani?

Sound familiar?

Yup.

only that it is worse under Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, because mas marami pa ang kasalanan niya like for instance... STEALING THE ELECTIONS! USING the PNP/AFP to intimidate and abduct witnesses or conduct illegal raids! and other stuff.

UPDATE: btw, ngayon ko lang nalaman na isang malaking kasalanan pala ang pag-amend ng constitution. MLQ3 used it as one of his justifications to remove erap.

So anyways, ano na ba ang position ni Quezon ngayon sa Constitutional Amendment? :D

UPDATE: MLQ3 comments

We're still paying for those onerous IPP contract that Ramos signed

From the Tribune editorial:

The last time Congress granted emergency powers to a president was during the term of Fidel Ramos, when a crisis on power supply literally drained activity from the economy. Earlier, Congress also vested Corazon Aquino such powers.

The result during the presidency of Ramos, was an oversupply of overpriced power plants the cost of which is, up to now, being made to shoulder by the public through higher electricity rates. And to think that when Ramos was vested with the so-called powers for the Build Operate and Transfer power projects, the line given by both Congress and Ramos himself, was that no money will come out from the people, or the government.

What a big lie. To this day, we keep on paying for that which is not even consumed by the people while oodles of money siphoned off to private pockets is now in personal banks.

The unrealistic cost of electricity being supplied by most of these private power plants have made the Philippines second only to Japan in Asia in terms of power costs.

The stacking up of power plants with Ramos' use of emergency powers resulted in a number of these plants staying idle but which continue to earn based on the take or pay provision in their contracts with the National Power Corp. Many of these plants that carry the onerous deal with the government are mere giant power generators that are fed with diesel fuel.

It is ridiculous that we have the second most expensive electricity in Asia, only behind Japan. As if mayaman tayong bansa. Mas mahal pa ang kuryente natin kaysa sa Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, China, South Korea, Indonesia, and China.

Criminals in Malacanang

From Ninez Cacho Olivarez:

It is mistake after mistake after mistake for Gloria and security aides as they scramble feverishly to abduct witnesses and confiscate evidence of Gloria's poll fraud.

Everything is coming apart for these cheats in their efforts to cover up the crime while committing more crimes.

Take the case of Bunye's doctored Hello Garci tape presented by Malacañang. That was a clear cover up job where the voice of poll official Virgilio Garcillano was overdubbed with the voice of one Edgar Ruado, claimed to be the political operator of Gloria. When this didn't fly with the public, more lies were resorted to. And what did the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) chief Reynaldo Wycoco do? Protected Gloria some more, by not categorically stating that the tapes were doctored, merely saying both tapes were edited.

Then take the case of Garci, the key witness and perpetrator of the 2004 poll cheating. So Gloria and her aides, such as Hermogenes Ebdane, the NBI chief, BI chief Alipio Fernandez, the ATO chief and the Foreign Affairs officials, along with her usual prostituted Isafp and police, kept him hidden from the public eye after the Hello Garci tapes went public, then quickly and covertly sneaked him out of the country, while denying any knowledge of his departure.

Yet everyone and his uncle know that Garci couldn't have sneaked out of the country and into Singapore and out, without orders from the top — which means Gloria Arroyo. There was no way for Garci to be able to leave the country that way without the assistance of Malacañang, its police and military agents, its DFA, BI and ATO officers, yet they all continue to deny their hand in the sneaky departure of Garcillano and even his wife and through a private Lear jet.

Did they in power and position, truly think that the Filipino people would believe their denials, especially as there was clear reluctance from them to even set the authorities to search for him and even feigned ignorance on the whereabouts of Garcillano?

After all, who benefits from Garci's disappearance if not Gloria Arroyo since it is she who was caught on tape talking to Garcillano and about the poll-rigging operations.

But even with Garci out of the country, there were just too many pieces of evidence of the poll fraud operations, along with many more witnesses, all of whom Gloria and her goons in the police and military, abducted and pressured to either recant or deny their participation in the poll fraud, or forced to keep silent.

And so they moved to again abduct yet another opposition witness and seized the poll documents he had with him for his analysis of fraud.

In the dead of the night, a team of police CIDG and Isafp agents swoops down on a rented house of witness and documents expert Segundo Tabayoyong, raids his rented home and seizes the election documents — and all without a search and seizure warrant — a clearly illegal and unconstitutional act.

Yet there was Angie Reyes, claiming the raid was legitimate as it was not a raid since the team acted on the complaint of the owner of the house and that the documents seized were not seized by the raiding team, as these were merely handed to them by the owner of the house.

The lies mount. Why would the owner call the NCR CIDG and the Isafp, when there is the San Mateo Rizal police that should have been tasked to do the job, assuming that she had complained? And who is this owner, who thinks that, owning the house that is being rented, has the right to have the house and room searched and even “hand over” documents that don't belong to her? What legal reason did the owner have to complain about the goings on in that rented home?

Or is Angie, known to lie through his teeth, now saying based on any flimsy telephone complaint on any suspicious activity in any home — including Angie's and without any investigation to the truth or falsity of the complaint as well as inquiring what “suspicious” activity was going on, the police and military would quickly respond, search and seize anything in that home as this is legal? Time to call the cops and military to search Angie's homes.

And what about all that crap about the military and the police remaining apolitical and neutral vis a vis the political crisis hounding Gloria?

Forget having a professional military and police. Forget an independent Congress. Forget the Supreme Court. Forget the Constitution and the rule of law. This country is run by criminals and their accomplices in all branches of government today.

"Pagbabatiin" raw ni Mike Velarde si Erap at GMA

Herman Tiu Laurel has the report:

There are rumors of court bail in the works, allegedly being worked out by El Shaddai leader Mike Velarde. The story is that Velarde has invited President Estrada to attend onstage the religious leader's birthday commemoration at the group's regular Saturday “gawain” or “works,” which is a gathering of the flock. In this gathering, which happens to be tomorrow Aug. 20, Velarde supposedly will bring Gloria Arroyo on stage too and make the two shake hands. The bail, according to the grapevine, is the quid pro quo from Gloria for the handshake.

If this rumor is true I would have one advice for President Estrada: don't take the offer.

I agree. Gimik lang ito ni Velarde at GMA para makuha ni Arroyo ang masa supporters ni Erap.

More here:

Gloria binawalang makipagbati kay Erap

Mismong mga kaalyado ni Pangulong Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo ang mga humaharang sa reconciliation process na kanyang itinutulak matapos itong pigilan sa pagdalo sa El Shaddai rally bukas, araw ng Sabado.

Sa impormasyong nakalap ng TONITE, kapwa inimbitahan ni Bro. Mike Velarde sa kanyang kaarawan kasabay ng malaking prayer rally sa Luneta bukas sina Arroyo at dating Pangulong Joseph Estrada.

Nais umano ni Velarde na gamitin ang kanyang kaarawan para mapagbati sina Estrada at Arroyo kaya inimbitahan ang dalawang lider subalit umatras ang huli matapos makumpirmang dadalo si Estrada.

Ayon sa impormasyon, dalawang indibidwal na malapit kay Arroyo ang nag-paatras sa pagdalo nito sa naturang prayer rally matapos payagan ng Sandiganbayan si Estrada na dumalo sa nasabing okasyon.

Wala umanong nagawa si Arroyo nang tawagan siya ng dalawang matalik na kaibigan na ang isa ay aktibong lider sa bansa habang ang isa ay tumatayong adviser na lamang. Gustuhin man umano ni Arroyo na dumalo, wala itong magawa kundi sundin ang payo ng dalawang kaibigan kaya ipinabatid agad ng Malacañang sa pamunuan ng El Shaddai na malabong makadalo ang Pangulo. Sumama umano ang loob ni Velarde sa naging desisyon ng Malacañang.

Police, military now being used for political purposes by Arroyo to help coverup GLORIAGATE

Drilon: Are we back to Martial Law?

SENATE President Franklin Drilon yesterday denounced the raid conducted by police and military operatives on the rented house of Segundo Tabayoyong in San Mateo, Rizal Tuesday, saying it was "a martial law-type operation."

The raid was conducted by operatives from the PNP’s Criminal Investigation and Detection Group-National Capital Region and the Intelligence Service of the AFP, who said that aside from the 41 boxes of election returns, they also found a handgun and assorted ammunition.

"Are we back to the days of martial law when the President then conveniently converted our military and police officials into his personal, political goons?" Drilon said in a statement.

Tabayoyong, described to be a handwriting expert and former chief of the NBI’s Questioned Documents Division, is helping Loren Legarda in her electoral protest against Vice President Noli de Castro.

The United Opposition (UNO) said after a "creeping impeachment," it is now a "creeping" martial law.

Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay, UNO chairman, described the raid as part of the "undemocratic, unconstitutional and dictatorial tactics" resorted to by the Arroyo administration.

"This only goes to show the extent to which this administration is going to protect itself," Binay said, adding the raid shows Arroyo’s tendency to use government agencies, including the military and the police, for her personal interests.

He asked the public to be vigilant, saying the San Mateo raid could just be the start of warrant-less arrest and seizures.

Binay and Drilon said the raid was illegal because of the absence of a warrant.

"This smacks of militarism. In any court, you can’t justify such a raid which was conducted in blatant violation of existing laws. The military and police officials responsible for this action should be charged accordingly," Drilon said. "We cannot tolerate illegal searches, especially those stained by political motives."

The CIDG said Wednesday the house owner agreed to a search without a warrant.

Senior Supt. Asher Dolina, CIDG-NCR chief, said the raid was conducted on the request of Carmela Cabuhat, the owner of the house at Block 10, Lot 25, Olopsville subdivision in Barangay Gulod Malaya, San Mateo, Rizal.

He said Cabuhat, in a complaint filed with the Isafp, said she found suspicious materials inside her house.

Drilon said the search was conducted in gross violation of the Bill of Rights protects citizens from searches and seizure except when there is probable cause as determined by a judge.

"A search is conducted on the premise that a crime has been committed. What is the crime here?" Drilon said. "Legally, whatever evidence they have seized during the raid cannot be used against Tabayoyong in court."

Drilon urged AFP chief Lt. Gen. Generoso Senga and PNP chief Arturo Lomibao to stick to their pledge that the military and police would remain neutral in the current political crisis.

"I challenge Generals Senga and Lomibao to prove to the Filipino people that they can back their words with action when they publicly declared that the military and the police will never be involved in partisan politics. This raid conducted by CIDG and ISAP personnel has all the makings of a politically motivated operation," Drilon said.

At the House, Rep. Teofisto Guingona III (NP, Bukidnon), a member of the opposition’s impeachment team, said Senga’s men blatantly violated his vow that the AFP would remain neutral.

"Bakit ang Isafp nagre-raid ng dokumento na ginagamit para ebidensya sa election fraud? Ang trabaho ng Isafp, anti-terrorism intelligence. Wala namang koneksyon sa terrorism yung mga election returns," he said.

"Si Gen. Senga, bagong chief of staff, nagsabi na the AFP will remain neutral. Pero klarong-klaro na ang ginagawa ng Isafp ay kabaligtaran ng sinasabi ng boss nila. So kailangan managot sila, mag-explain and those who have committed criminal acts should account to the people and to the nation," he said.

The opposition said some of their evidence in the electoral fraud charges in the impeachment complaint was the target of the raid, particularly the fabricated election returns in Tabayoyong’s possession.

Obstruction of justice ito. Damn, Arroyo has really turned the PNP and AFP into her private goons. tsk tsk. More on the raid here.

From the Malaya Editorial:

POLICE operatives and military intelligence agents raiding a rented house at two in the morning without a warrant on the complaint of the owner is now a "routine" police assistance operation?

This is what government officials now want us to believe after combined PNP and ISAFP operatives swooped down on the "safe house" of Segundo Tabayoyong, an expert document analyst tapped by the opposition to look into alleged fabricated election returns used in the 2004 elections.

That’s the problem when one starts out with a grand lie - that Gloria Arroyo won fair and square in 2004. One keeps on piling lies to maintain the original lie. But people have been accustomed to bare-faced lying by Palace officials, starting with Gloria Arroyo. So they are unlikely to fall for the latest one.

So let’s leave aside the scrambling by Palace officials for a believable explanation. It is the deed itself – the police and military swooping down Gestapo-like on someone’s abode in the dead of the night – and, more important, the motive behind it that must be condemned.

A crisis of leadership is haunting the nation. Arroyo stands accused of stealing the elections. The impeachment process is now unfolding in the House. Arroyo’s toadies are determined to block the process, but they cannot simply sweep the accusations under the rug. The justice committee, in the determination of the complaint’s sufficiency as to the substance, will certainly call for a presentation of evidence.

The fabricated documents seized from Tabayoyong are among the best evidence to show the canvassing was rigged. Who can now give the assurance the documents remain intact?

The police? The military? The very same people who were mentioned in the wiretapped conversations between Arroyo and former Election Commissioner Virgilio Garcillano as accomplices in the doctored canvassing?

When Lt. Gen. Generoso Senga early this week took over as AFP chief, he vowed to keep the military apolitical. Even as he was talking, seven generals are being investigated for suspected participation in electoral fraud. Lying is clearly contagious.

Now here comes the military intelligence service being used to seize potential evidence and harass potential witnesses.

And what about the police? PNP chief Arturo Lomibao himself was also mentioned in the "Hello Garci" tapes.

Apolitical? Come on, tell us another.

SAPUL! I think the Arroyo admin may be overreaching at this point with their blatant misuse of power, and they will pay a huge price for it later.

Ducky Paredes has an article on the Gloriagate illegal raid and Harry Stonehill.

From the Tribune:

Gloria scored for illegal raid, exploit of AFP-PNP

Friday, 08 19, 2005

An association of retired and active military officials yesterday sent a strong signal to President Arroyo to “stop” using the police and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) for her personal ends as this would only hasten her ouster.

Yes Arms spokesman retired Commodore Ismael Aparri blasted Mrs. Arroyo for using the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) of the police and the Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (Isafp) to raid the rented home of former National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) handwriting expert and chief document examiner Segundo Tabayoyong and confiscate some 41 boxes of original and photocopied election returns.

“She herself in her message to the AFP during the turnover ceremony of the chief of staffs, appealed to the military not to allow itself to be used in any partisan politicking. But look! She is doing a contrary thing, exhausting everything, including killing the evidence for the impeachment case” stressing that her tactics smack of martial law.

Aparri said the raid conducted by the police and the military of the safehouse is not helping the President but instead contributing to her downfall.

“It's not what she (Arroyo) thinks is happening on the ground (referring to idealists young officers). Her actions are contributing more disenchantment and disgruntlement of military junior officers,” he said.

Aparri then warned Mrs. Arroyo to stop her “double talk” as the idealists in the military were just waiting for the opportune time to oust her from power.

“They (AFP) are watching and clearly observing events. We have to remind her (Arroyo) that we could be the last ingredient that would effect her ouster,” he stressed.

For his part, former Constabulary chief retired Maj. Gen. Ramon Montano yesterday branded the warrantless raid in San Mateo, Rizal as a clear indication of law enforcement agencies being used by the Arroyo administration for political purposes.

Montano particularly pointed to the Isafp and the CIDG, as “concrete proof “ of the police and military being used by Mrs. Arroyo for political purposes.

The raid was conducted without a search warrant and was deemed illegal.

Montano's statements were echoed by military officers, who requested anonymity, who mocked the AFP's supposed apolitical stance.

One officer also cited the supposed involvement of the Presidential Security Group (PSG) to the hunt for Army Capt. Marlon Mendoza before his testimony before the Senate hearing on jueteng payola weeks ago.

“Isafp, also PSG's hunt for Mendoza, breached the limit of the AFP mandate. This belies AFP's apolitical bullshit.” the officer siad.

I can't wait for the day when we frogmarch this bogus and corrupt president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo out of Malacanang in handcuffs.

And last but not least, here's the tribune editorial:

Desperation leads one to make stupid mistakes, and Gloria Arroyo, along with her operators, certainly were desperate enough to have made a most stupid move in getting her prostituted police and military agents to illegally raid an opposition safehouse that contained documented evidence of the election fraud and studies done by a documents expert.

The documents seized by elements of the Philippine National Police Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) and the Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (Isafp) rightfully belong to the opposition, as they are the official Commission on Elections copies meant for the opposition party. The documents expert, former National Bureau of Investigation chief documents examiner, was doing a perfectly legal job of examining and analyzing the documents and signatures of the poll officers, as well as the Jose Pidal signatures. And, as admitted by a Comelec officer, the poll documents seized were authentic.

What justification then was there for the CIDG and Isafp agents to barge into a private property, at 2 a.m. and without a search and seizure warrant, confiscate the documents and possibly nab yet another valuable witness of the opposition?

No justification whatsoever. But as the intent was obviously to get hold of the poll fraud witnesses and evidence which would pin Gloria on the crime, the evidence had to be carted away and by her prostituted police and military. And to “justify” their raid, which they claimed was a “legitimate operation,” they went on to plant “evidence” in the form of firearms (two handguns) and magazines.

Legitimate operations? How can it be so when there was no warrant issued? And just what were these agents of Gloria searching for? Just what reason was there for them to seize 41 boxes of election documents and private studies? And why were Isafp agents involved in the clearly illegal operations? There certainly was no national security issue involved in such operation, and it was clearly a politically partisan move.

Just a few days ago, with the changing of the guards in the AFP, Gloria ordered the military not to engage in partisan political activities and to uphold the law and the Constitution, yet there she was prostituting the same military and the police again, getting them to break the law and the Constitution, by seizing evidence of election fraud to ensure that the evidence against her would be destroyed and replaced with her manufactured evidence as well as planting evidence to justify the illegal act.

Few, if any, would buy the CIDG-Isafp team's claim of its being tipped off by the owner of the San Mateo rented home of suspected illegal activities, or if there was such a tip, the thing to do then was for the raiding team to get a search or seizure warrant from a court of law.

In any case, if there was such a tip, the thing to do was for the CIDG-Isafp elements to conduct, at the very least, initial surveillance operations on that house to check on the comings and goings to verify the claimed complaint instead of swooping down at 2 a.m. and without any occupant, enter and seize those documents, which have no bearing on any criminal act.

What is more likely is that the raiding agents were ordered by their Commander-in-Chief, on the basis of intelligence reports that there was a roomful of poll fraud evidence against Gloria Arroyo that must be destroyed, then exchange this with fabricated election returns to make it appear that the opposition was manufacturing evidence of poll fraud against Gloria while the team engaged in the planting those unlicensed firearms and magazines to frame the opposition with yet another crime.

Now why should a document examiner like Segundo Tabayoyong have need for guns? That he was working solely on examining the evidence and nothing else can be gleaned from the confiscated documents, all of which were election returns and Jose Pidal signatures. So what if there were campaign posters of opposition candidates and compact discs of detained President Joseph Estrada? What is so incriminatory about them as these are not stolen goods, or even subversive materials or even manufactured evidence?

The trouble was that the raiding team illegal operation was found out too soon and all fingers point to Malacañang's and its operators' desperation in destroying all the evidence of poll fraud.

How then does Gloria expect to get the junior officers' resentments to simmer down, or even make them believe that serious military reforms are underway when it becomes much too evident that she uses the police and military to perform illegal acts, and all for her political survival?

How can a Commander-in­-Chief and President, who is tasked to uphold the law but is found too many times breaking the law and even order the police and the military to engage, not only in partisan politics, but also in illegal and unconstitutional acts, even expected to be respected by the military and the citizenry?

Previous:

- How Gangsters' Operate
- PSG as palace attack dogs
- Ang bagong "Witness Prevention Program" ng Arroyo admin
- Another Potential Applicant for the Witness Prevention Program
- Kidnapping potential witnesses
- Where's Rashma Hali?
- More on Rashma Hali
- Gloriambino Crime family

GMA, allies forge kill impeach rap accord

Operation "Kill Impeachment" underway:

The pro-impeachment congressmen can huff and puff all they want, but their amended complaint will be rejected by the Justice committee headed by Rep. Simeon Datumanong, since a “pact” has already been forged between President Arroyo and her allies in Congress, a Palace insider told the Tribune yesterday.

“It will be the Lozano complaint that will be approved, after which it will also be dismissed on the issues of form and substance,” the Palace official, who asked not to be named, said, adding that the deal to kill the impeachment complaint forged between Mrs. Arroyo and the congressmen, headed by Speaker Jose de Venecia, was in exchange for a change in the Constitution which would see the incumbent congressmen sitting as the “transition amended impeachment complaint.
...
Already, Malacañang justified the move of the presidential allies in the House to kill the amended impeachment complaint.

Mrs. Arroyo's spokesman for the impeachment lawyer Romulo Macalintal however, clarified that they are not killing the amended impeachment of the opposition but merely following the “rule of law” as stated in the Constitution.

“Why would we kill their amended impeachment when this is what the law requires? We're not being technical here. We're just following what the Constitution is saying stressing there's no “double standard” of justice, referring to the presidency of Joseph Estrada in 2000 when Congress included the pieces of evidence presented against the former in the Senate for trial even when these were not included in the charge sheet.

Yeah right, Mr. Makalintal.

Long Gas lines in China

Gateway Pundit has a roundup. Check out the photos.

WOW! Internet Card

Maganda yung internet card na ito... 48 hours ang laman and valid for 90 days after first use for only 100 pesos. Pero may ilang tanong ako.

1) Does anybody know kung ano yung URL ng website nila? Hindi kasi nakalista sa prepaid card eh.

2) Paano ba malaman kung ilang hours na ang nagamit nyo? Since hindi ko alam ang URL ng homepage niya, hindi ko ma check usage yung WOW! account ko.

Anybody reading this, kung WOW! internet prepaid card user rin kayo, tulong naman o.