By Abigail Kwok

INQUIRER.net
02/17/2010

MANILA, Philippines—Senator Antonio Trillanes IV welcomed the court’s granting of temporary liberty for him and 17 other soldiers over rebellion charges, saying the move “proves that there are still bright spots in the judiciary.”

And although Trillanes would have to stay detained over the 2003 mutiny case, he said he was “very happy for my companions as their long awaited freedom is finally at hand.”

“More importantly, this is a victory for our justice system. I thank Judge Elmo Alameda for displaying fairness and impartiality in his decision to grant bail,” Trillanes said in a handwritten statement provided to media at Camp Crame.

Trillanes and the 17 other soldiers are presently detained at the Philippine National Police Custodial Center in Camp Crame, Quezon City.

Alan Tanjusay, spokesman of the Magdalo group, said the atmosphere inside the detention center was “upbeat” and “positive.”

“The mood was festive and upbeat. Normally [the detainees] are low in morale but this time their very positive,” Tanjusay told reporters.

Over lunch of rice, menudo and sisig, the detained soldiers talked about their future plans.

“They are looking forward to their freedom,” Tanjusay said.

Posted by Ellen Tordesillas at ellen tordesillas.com (February 1, 2010)

1. This is NOT my fight and this should not be the people’s fight as well. Our fight should be with Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and we should not be distracted from this. She’s about to appoint a new AFP Chief of Staff and a new Chief Justice in March. These appointments and how they will be done (particularly for the CJ) would be indicators of whether she has plans of stepping down or not. Aside from these, the prospect of the failure of elections scenario is still up in the air. In short, anything that deflects attention from her is playing according to her script. We must always remain vigilant and must never underestimate her.

2. It is a graft case and not an ethics case. Bulk of the evidence presented dealt with acts committed as early 1999 when Sen. Villar was still a congressman and during his first term as Senator. I believe that ethics cases should only cover acts committed after the mandate was given which, in this case, is 2007. With that, the only evidence left would be the double insertion in the General Appropriations Act (GAA). The problem is, the draft of the GAA was approved and presented to the plenary by the Finance Committee which was then headed by Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile. Said GAA was later on approved by the majority in the Senate. Therefore, assuming there were double insertions, it was the responsibility of Sen. Enrile’s staff to scrutinize the GAA and correct all anomalies and typo errors before being approved by Sen. Enrile. When it was approved by Sen. Enrile and presented to the plenary, it now became the responsibility of each Senator to scrutinize it again before approving it. Therefore, all those who voted for the approval of the GAA became equally liable for that double insertion.

An ethics case is similar to an honor violation being tried by the Honor Committee in PMA. Regardless, whether you have been caught shoplifting or was expelled for cheating before you became a cadet, only acts or honor violations committed as a cadet are covered or considered by the Honor Committee.
My recommendation, therefore, is to have this case filed before the Ombudsman so that all the evidence can be considered and the appropriate penalties be meted out. If the ulterior motive is to destroy the credibility of Sen. Villar in relation to his candidacy then it should have the same impact since the media can always cover it there. Otherwise, if it’s done in the Senate, it would not only undermine the said institution (which, ironically, everybody claims to protect) but also create a very dangerous precedent.

3. Sen. Noynoy Aquino should have taken the moral high ground by abstaining from the proceedings. Sen. Aquino has been painted as the “moral choice” and one way to affirm this is by publicly stating that in order not to be perceived as being involved in the political harassment of a fellow candidate for president, he would just abstain from the entire proceedings. Sen. Aquino is in a position to take the election campaigning to a higher plane and must do so at every turn.

By Jefferson Antiporda and Angelo Samonte

The Manila Times.Net; 24 January 2010

THE Magdalo group has joined the call for the term extension of General Victor Ibrado, saying it would be embarrassing for the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) if the present administration would appoint a new chief of staff.

According to First Lt. Ashley Acedillo, Magdalo group spokesman, Ibrado’s extension could be the best solution as there is a big chance that the incoming administration would replace the new appointee.

Acedillo said it would not be good for the military institution if Army Chief Lt. Gen. Delfin Bangit, one of the strongest candidates for Armed Forces’ top post, is appointed because of his connection with President Gloria Arroyo.

Bangit, a member of the Philippine Military Academy Class of 1978 that adopted the President, is said to be extremely loyal to Mrs. Arroyo.

“Deserving or not, he will always carry that over his head, and the AFP does not need that kind of baggage. [It is best] to insulate the AFP from such insinuations,” Acedillo added.

But Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said the President has not made any decision on the issue.

Asked if Bangit would take over if the President would allow Ibrado to retire, Ermita said “it is just speculations,” adding Mrs. Arroyo will consider the fact that there are officers more senior than Bangit.

“I have no idea of the plans of the president because she has not discussed this matter with us. But in principle, the President can extend the term of general officers and for that matter even the chief of staff,” he said.

Ermita said Mrs. Arroyo extended the term of the former Armed Forces Chief of Staff Gen. Hermogenes Esperon. The late President Corazon Aquino also extended the term of former Armed Forces chief Renato de Villa who served from 1988 to 1992.

If appointed, Bangit will bypass senior military officers of PMA Class of 1977, several of whom are strong contenders for the highest military position.

The President is barred from making new appointments two months before the election and until the end of her term on June 30.

The Magdalo spokesman said most of the military generals that would likely replace Ibrado, who is turning 56 and retiring in March, will stay only until after the elections. The next president can renew his appointment and make it permanent, or he may choose a new Armed Forces chief of staff.

“The next president who will most likely come from the opposition will definitely appoint a different chief of staff, so the best solution would be to extend the term of Ibrado,” Acedillo said.

Acedillo also noted that Ibrado’s extension would boost the confidence of the electorate and the people in general, because he is known to be professional and nonpartisan.

In a related development, Defense Secretary Norberto Gonzales reminded the AFP of its role in the May election and that is to safeguard its sanctity and not to engage in partisan politics and more so in cheating.

The Defense chief emphasized to the military officers the need for the AFP to regain the people’s respect and trust in its
professionalism. He said this is the reason he had put the AFP at the full disposal of the Commission on Elections.

“In the coming election, we will be there. We will be performing our job. I want us to prove that the AFP is the true guardian of our democracy,” Gonzales explained.