Ang magulong pag-iisip ni Pulis Na Pogi

The Undoing of PNoy

2011-12-16T07:56:00.003+08:00

First, in the interest of transparency:

I should be among the last people to make this article for several reasons: While I am not exactly the biggest PNoy fan right at the very start, I would like to believe that I have friends and acquaintances in his inner circle. I am occupying a good position now and I am happy with my career. I have friends and former bosses now occupying the highest posts in this administration. I have direct contacts with the right persons who can help me further accelerate my advancement in the PNP totem pole. But despite all this home court advantage, still, I am making this article. This is for me, just to vent the disgust that I feel. But if PNoy’s people still care, then they can read this and use this as a barometer because I believe that I reflect the opinion of not a few from the middle. Having said those, let me get it on with this article then.

There are a lot of actuations that PNoy exhibited in the past that shows his unfitness for the presidency, but this latest tiff with the Supreme Court is the worst and will prove to be his undoing. Because of this, he may not finish his six-year term. If he does not change course, the people will remove him, most probably through the military in another coup-de-etat.

I kept my peace when he covered up and simply brushed off the boo-boos of his people, including the international faux-pas of his closest of aides like the Vietnam-has-no good-looking-men stupidity of Mislang. I kept my peace when he exhibited extreme arrogance to top-level government professionals like the PNP generals that he made to wait for hours for their oath taking because he is still playing PSP with Josh. I still kept my peace when he publicly scolded the military during their darkest grief after the slaughter of their comrades in Mindanao. And still, I kept my peace when he arrogantly delivered that in-your-face speech against Corona during that summit that his underling De Lima hosted and where Corona was invited as guest (That is extreme kabastusan in my book—the ultimate blindside.). But now I cannot keep my peace anymore. I have to speak out, otherwise I will go crazy.

The actions of PNoy of bullying the SC because he cannot have his own way is very much like a cop bullying the fiscals and judges because he cannot get his way in inquest and trials. PNoy has to be reminded that our government is designed so that power has checks and balances. The Constitution designed it to have three separate, distinct, and independent branches: the executive that he heads, the legislative, and the judiciary. Each branch should act as a check and balance of the others. Among others, the Executive can neutralize the legislative through its veto powers and the judiciary through its ultimate power to appoint its members. On the other hand, the legislature can check the president through its veto-override powers, the Commission on Appointments, and its power over the purse. The Judiciary can check the other two through its inherent personality as the ultimate arbiter on questions of law.

As of the moment, PNoy had already succeeded in making Congress his rubber stamp though Belmonte and Enrile. If he succeeds in subjugating the SC, Joker’s fear will come true: he will become a dictator—and he will be far far worse than Marcos. At least in Marcos, we have a person with emotional and psychological stability. As for PNoy, how can we not see through his tendencies? THAT phych report in Ateneo that surfaced during the campaign may have been successfully swept under the rug, but does it mean that he was already cured? His whole life is a testament of his instability: he cannot carry a meaningful relationship, he cannot hold a stable job, he has no real close circle of friends to speak of (yes, this is true!) except those people around him leeching on him and his family name, etcetera etcetera. I can go on and on in enumerating instances of his instability and all these adds to the bottom line: he is an unstable brat who failed to grow up.

And now he is about to become a dictator?

Survey shows that this is possible because he is still very popular. But even the most indifferent Juan dela Cruz will eventually see through the charade—the same charade that the Cojuangco-Lopa family controlled survey companies presented to the people that Villar was the closest rival of PNoy when in fact he never was. They did so to marginalize Erap, who was then a real threat. But as the saying goes, it is just a matter of time before all secrets come out. If it does happen, may God help PNoy.

PNoy should not delude himself because he knows that he is not really that popular anymore!

I will write a separate article about the impeachment next.

Scalawags and Bonus

2011-12-02T15:50:00.001+08:00

I am a very busy cop so for quite a while, I was not able to post in my blog. I just usually vent my opinions in the comment section of the online edition of the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

But the pronouncement of Chief PNP Bartolome really got me back into this blog. He said, “As a disciplinary policy, the release of the 13th month pay to PNP personnel with pending administrative and criminal cases is deferred,” PNP Director General Nicanor A. Bartolome said in a statement."

My simple retort to him in the comment section of PDI is:

as days go by, my expectations of drastic reforms in the pnp with gen bartolome as chief pnp diminishes. there is no change in the way the pnp is thinking and this is one example...

sir, for your information, if you are a good and hardworking policeman, in one way or another, you will encounter harassment in the form of trumped-up administrative or criminal cases. for what criminal will be happy if you put them to jail!

one perfect example of a policeman who had not encountered any admin or criminal case since his cadet days in the pma is general magtibay, the district director of mpd during the luneta hostage fiasco. can you now say that he had been a good officer? the first time that he was named respondent in an administrative case was in the luneta crisis (for command responsibility, a relatively light offense). what was his reaction? he went to the media and cried his heart out like a b!tch!

compare him to the daring policemen and women of the pnp and the afp. many of them are veterans of court cases. the bacoor policemen comes to mind immediately. i had blogged about them in my other blog. now, can you say that these policemen do not deserve bonus because they defended their station and killed col obillos in the process? general chief boss! baka di mo alam na ang pinakamagagaling na pulis ay yung mga beterano sa kaso kaso? or hindi ka talaga kasali sa mga magagaling na pulis.

TEKA, HAVE YOU EXPERIENCED PERSONALLY TESTIFYING IN A CRIMINAL TRIAL YET? WHAT CASE NUMBER? DEFENSE OR PROSECUTION?

now my point: pending case does not mean that you are guilty. that is enshrined in the constitution. use your head chief!

or nahawa ka na sa administrasyon ng benefactor mo na ipinagbawal na ang paggamit ng utak?

This summarizes my opinion of the matter. When you are a hardworking policeman, expect that together with the commendations and awards for exemplary works will be harassment cases from suspects and their families when you put them to jail. For influential suspects, they will even use their position to ensure that you never go far in investigating them. The Ted Failon vs QCPD case is a case in point. If you are an impartial and thinking observer, you will immediately know that Ted Failon is hiding something. I had extensively written about that before in this blog. Just to revisit: If indeed his wife committed suicide, then why: 1. Ted would clean up the crime scene and muddle the investigation; 2. why would he assign a lawyer to each of his househelp to monitor the interviews being done by cops; 3. why did he refuse a joint autopsy of the cadaver by the PNP, NBI, and his paid hack Dr. Fortun. At the end of the day, he successfully maneuvered that the policemen involved in the investigation, led by Supt Mabanag, were suspended on an administrative charge. The charge: Grave Misconduct by failing to inform him of his rights by failing to read the Miranda Warning. Can you believe that in the presence of all his lawyers, he was not apprised of his rights?

Can you now say that Supt Mabanag et al are bad cops that they do not deserve the bonus?

General sir, bossing, tsip, amo! Let PNOY be if he refuses to use his coconut. But be different naman. A lot of cops pinned their hopes on you. Prove that you deserve that confidence!

Political Patronage in the PNP

2011-07-14T10:42:00.001+08:00

“To our personnel, stop seeking assistance from influential people in the PNP, instead, acknowledge your designated assignments and duties earnestly as you have pledged equality and righteousness as a police officer.”

Last week, the Chief, Philippine National Police, Director General Raul Bacalzo made this statement. He is discouraging PNP personnel from seeking political patronage in positions and promotions.

The CPNP is dreaming. I am sure that he himself reached his position because of political benefactors. He was not the best man in the PNP when the selection of the top cop came. Perfecto Palad was—but he did not have the backer that Bacalzo had. Samuel Pagdilao is the best man to replace him, but I am sure as hell that Pagdilao will not get it. He do not have the backing that others have. Bacalzo became the Chief PNP because he just happened to be the guy who replaces Jesus Versoza every time the latter was relieved since their junior officer days in the PC/INP. And everybody knows who Versoza is: the guy na sumabit sa dalawang Puno. But I do not fault Bacalzo for that. That is called political savvy.

Even Jaime Milla of the DPRM cannot claim that he rose to the rank of Director without any political backing. His PDS will show that he is not exactly the best man in the PNP to hold the lofty position that he holds right now. He was the Regional Director of PRO 13 when the police station of Cantilan, Surigao del Sur was attacked by the NPA. This speaks of the kind of leadership you have as a senior field commander. Ironically, he was designated as Director for DIPO Eastern Mindanao during the 2010 Persidential Elections. His biggest gain to fame is that he is one of the insiders in the PSMBFI syndicate.

As of the moment, political patronage is a must for any PNP member who wants his career get somewhere. Partly, it is because of the culture of the Filipinos where blood is thicker than water and personal relations is a big factor in establishing trust, and partly, because of the law itself. Political patronage as a necessity in the PNP is almost explicitly enshrined in RA 6975. Section 51 titled “Powers the of Local Government Officials Over the PNP Units or Forces” clearly states:

“Governors and mayors shall be deputized as representatives of the Commission in their respective territorial jurisdiction. As such, the local executives shall discharge the following functions:
(a) Provincial Governor
1. Power to Choose the Provincial Director. – The provincial governor shall choose the provincial director from a list of three (3) eligible recommended by the PNP regional director.

(b) Other Powers. – In addition to the aforementioned powers, city and municipal mayors shall have the following authority over the PNP units in their respective jurisdictions:
1. Authority to choose the chief of police from a list of five (5) eligibles recommended by the provincial police director, preferably from the same province, city, or municipality.
2. Authority to recommend the transfer, reassignment, or detail of PNP members outside of their respective city or town residences; and
3. Authority to recommend, from a list of eligibles previously screened by the peace and order council, the appointment of new members of the PNP to be assigned to their respective cities or municipalities without which no such appointment shall be attested.

The law is very clear. You want to be a Provincial Director? You need to be chosen by the Governor from a list given to him by the Regional Director.

You want to be a Chief of Police? You need to be chosen by the Mayor from the list given to him by the Provincial Director.

You want to go against the mayor? He can recommend for your transfer, reassignment, or detail outside his city.

You want to be a cop in a certain city? You need to be chosen by the mayor from a list previously screened by the peace and order council.

At the ground level, the situation is even more magnified, and much blame can be squarely put in the shoulders of top PNP leadership, including Bacalzo himself. This is because the PNP is almost totally dependent on the LCEs for its daily operations. Almost all patrol cars in the municipalities were donated by the local government units. Those few that are organic PNP property are maintained by the LGUs because after the PNP turns over the vehicle to the end users, then that’s it—no more funds for maintenance. Besides local mechanics don’t accept payments in Euros (the official currency of the PNP), do they?

And the biggest stranglehold of the LGUs to the local PNP unit is the most basic need of all patrol operations: gasoline. The PNP just let trickles reach the actual operating patrol units because most of the gasoline are either used in NHQ or converted to cash by the thieves in DL.

Even the Integrated Transformation Program is encouraging mendicancy. One of its major strategies is gathering support from other stakeholders which is just another term for begging.

If Bacalzo is really intent of professionalizing the PNP where its members simply do their jobs and do not seek for political patronage, he should start in the NHQ. Clean up the top echelon and let resources reach the end users. Then he can expect the rank and file to only consider one chain of command.

There is an admonition that says: “You do not bite the hand that feeds you.”

Sheriff Abe Andres should be fired

2011-07-06T17:45:00.002+08:00

Sheriff Abe Andres should be fired. This, after he refused to file charges against Mayor Sara Duterte.

Andres has a history of not knowing his job. In 2007 he was suspended for not doing his job properly. Now, he is still not doing his job properly.

Latest revelations show that there was a stay order issued by the judge that effectively stops him from carrying out the writ of demolition. In this case, Sara Duterte is right, although her resorting to violence was never and can never be justified—even though during the time of the now infamous “pananapak,” nobody was still aware of the stay order.

Be that as it may, Abe Andres is still mandated by law to file criminal and administrative cases against anybody who uses force to stop a lawful court order. It is part of his duties as sheriff. To understand his reluctance in filing the charges, as opposed to the seemingly ironic fervor, passion, and zeal that he displayed during the actual demolition just a few days ago, one has to understand the way sheriffs think.

In my personal experience, sheriffs rarely file cases or even just order the arrest of people, violently opposing the implementation of a court order. Based on my personal and first-hand knowledge, here are the reasons:

1. Most sheriffs are corrupt. They need to be bribed and paid by the plaintiffs before they implement a court order. This is not difficult to understand if you consider their monthly pay vis-à-vis their job description.

2. Before a sheriff implements a court order, he usually requests for police assistance (based on the orders of the judge). However, before police assistance is rendered, the “budget” is always settled first with the plaintiffs (The police actually expects this too!) “Budget” is usually P1,000 for each policeman, P5,000 to P50,000 to the chief of police, depending on the number of policemen he commits, and P500 to P800 for each demolition crew member. The lump sum is usually received by the sheriff days or weeks before the actual demolition. So it really needs no great stretch of the imagination to see how the sheriff makes money from this. (He asks a budget for 100 policemen but only requests for 50!)

3. In the first demolition attempt, if there are some glitches and for whatever reasons and the demolition does not push through, the budget is considered spent or “sunog” in their lingo. The sheriff just makes a report to the judge and even the flimsiest of reasons, like somebody is violently opposing it, is usually accepted without question by the judge. (In most probability, the sheriff shares part of the loot to the judge.) This is what the sheriffs look forward to because if the implementation fails, he only gives part of the “budget” to the personnel concerned. The “savings” is now added to the earlier cut he had.

Now you know why the success or failure of the demolition order is the least concern of the sheriff.

Putting into perspective the uncharacteristic eagerness of Sheriff Andres of immediately carrying out the demolition order despite the request of Mayor Duterte, in all probability, this is because he had already received the budget from the plaintiffs AND he is aware of the stay order. He needs to act fast and START the implementation. He knows that he will never finish it because of a lot of legal and political reasons, not the least of which is the request of Duterte and the stay order.

But because he had started implementing the order before it was halted by the thundering blows of the Mayora, the budget is now considered “sunog,” thus he needed a few days off to laugh all the way to the bank!

And he cannot file a case against the Mayora. First and foremost, he is a corrupt sheriff with lots of skeletons in his closet. So he does what he does best. He exploits to the hilt his role of the “kawawa,” “inapi,” and “takot.” This achieves a three-fold purpose: 1st, he hopes to keep his skeletons in the closet; 2nd, he does not make enemies with the Dutertes, and 3rd and most importantly, it further strengthens his position with the plaintiffs and justify the request for a higher budget in the next implementation.

He might even be expecting a “tip” from the plaintiffs, which he may call as “hazard pay!”

Whatever…he should be fired immediately if he continues to refuse to file charges against Mayor Duterte.

And that will be his last writ…

Matuwid na Bonus

2011-05-25T09:25:00.002+08:00

Today I got my midyear bonus. It was in a continuous forms check (CFC). While I am happy to have the bonus no matter how small it is, I cannot help but wonder: why is it that the bonus is in CFCs and not immediately deposited in the ATMs just like the regular pay?

The answer is simple: it is easier for people in the PNP Finance Service to steal Object Class 01 (Personnel Services) money if it is in check rather than deposited in bank accounts of policemen. In deposits, they have to deal with the auditing system of the banks which is very difficult to manipulate. Compare that if the money is in the checks. All the thieves in the finance department need to do is forge the signature of the person and lo and behold! They can now encash the check.

What checks are we talking about?

These are the checks of personnel who are not entitled to the midyear and yearend bonus (13th month pay). Personnel who were meted suspensions during the year (even just a 1-day suspension and you bonus goes pfffft!); AWOL, dropped from rolls, broken service, etc. There are a lot of other reasons for personnel to be denied their bonuses. Now, do you think the PNP does not print their checks? The PNP does because the basis of printing is the roster of personnel.

Matuwid na tseke! (Continuous di ba? Hehehe)

PNOY, the Royal Wedding, and the Media

2011-05-07T18:21:00.000+08:00

PNoy's wish for William and Kate: Privacy from media. My first reaction when I first heard this piece of shit delivered by Edwin Lamierda over ABS-CBN was sudden rage. Why can’t our president confine his stupidity in issues within the borders of our country? Why can he not save the Filipinos from further embarrassment by at least projecting a semblance of intelligence in this country known throughout the world as the biggest exporter of slaves, no thanks to his latest caper of immediately negotiating and entering into a lopsided memorandum of agreement with the Saudis after the latter imposed a ban on OFWs in Saudi after another do-gooder secretary stirred the proverbial hornets’ nest? (But this will be another story.)

In Lamierda’s words as quoted by ABS-CBN, Pnoy’s wish to the Royal Couple is “He hopes that the media can afford them some level of privacy in order for them to develop or to establish their wedding foundations.” The is the advice you get from a President who should not have been there in the first place because he had not prepared for it. This is the advice you get from a President who has Kris Aquino as the principal adviser.

When will our President grow up and show that he has the learning curve that we all hoped and prayed that he has before the elections? It was almost a year and he is not showing any.

Can he not understand that his view of the media is not shared by many politicians all over the world? While he tells the media to clean up their act by reporting on his accomplishments and not on his personal matters like his girlfriends, other personalities instead clean up their act first so that they will have no dirty laundry for the media to see in the first place.

Had he still not realized that if there is somebody, someone, or something that is most instrumental his ascent to the presidency, it is undoubtedly the media? He should stop thinking that the media glare is always bad and impose that stupidity on other people like the newly wedded William and Kate because for all he know, the two are light years away from him in finesse in dealing with the media.

Bullshit Squatters

2011-04-28T21:15:00.001+08:00

This morning, 6:30 AM, April 28, 2011, I saw on ABS-CBN footages of the violence that erupted during the final eviction of squatters in Laperal Compound , Makati City after it was burned a few weeks back. Again, the rage in me against these squatters was aroused. These are the people who had forfeited their right to be members of this society. At the very minimum, they should be imprisoned in hard labor to at least make them pay up the back real estate taxes that for so long they failed to pay the government while enjoying the social services brought about by these taxes like the firetrucks that respond to them during the frequent fires that hit their illegally occupied squatters areas in the past. Obviously, I despise squatters nu?

I believe that squatters are the reason why this country is hard up in rising to the heights that it supposed to reach. Aside from reducing the elections in this country into a contest of who can give them food for a day, these squatters are also the epitome and illustration of the worst Filipino trait: “Lulusot kung pupwedeng makalusot.” Just like the jeepney and tricycle drivers that many of them are, they will only follow the rules if somebody enforces it upon them. Turn your eyes for a moment and they will be like mice left alone by the cat. In another analogy, in the that timeless illustration of the bayanihan spirit where people carry a bahay kubo in their shoulders, these squatters are the ones who hand on to the trusses, further adding weight to the load instead of carrying it.

Squatters know that what they are doing is wrong. Looking at the sidewalks, they know that it is wrong to construct anything in it. But these very same criminals will ask for a court order once somebody attempts to demolish their houses. But did they care to get a building permit in the first place? These people will always interpret the law in their favor and you can see the politicians kowtowing to them because of the votes (for sale) that they supposedly command. Manila City and Quezon City politicians are the most notorious in this MO with many elections for the mayoralty race decided by the swing votes from the squatters area.

I remember another episode also in ABS-CBN where one of the guests was QC District II Representative Winston Castelo. Castelo was insinuating that arson may be behind the several fires that happened in squatter areas because he noted that the owners appear to be ready to move in and reoccupy their lands by fencing it and posting guards are the fires. He further said that because of this, he is mulling of crafting a law prohibiting these acts by the land owners.

This style of Castelo is the “style na bulok” that is reflective of the mindset of many Quezon City and Metro Manila politicians. This is the very reason why Quezon City, specifically District II that Castelo represents is the undisputed kingdom of the squatters. Incidentally, District II QC hosts the House of Representatives. (I am wont to ask, could it be that this phenomenon is just a way of the area to keep up with reality that the biggest kingdom of criminals, robbers, and squatters in this country is located in those four buildings inside the National Government Center Compound, Constitution Hills, Batasan Road, Quezon City? But that is another story.) Castelo wants to be popular with the squatters. But is it not that there is an existing law that prohibits constructions without the corresponding permits? Even fencing needs a permit. So why is it that the squatters can re build their illegal houses without any permits but the owners who have the required permit can’t?

Squatters are the real scums of the society. They are the textbook example of people who do not fight fair. Their reason “kapit sa patalim” just doesn’t cut it anymore (pun intended). Just look around the squatters area: many of those people there are only renters who pay to “owners” of the houses. Perfect example of professional squatters as defined in that stupid Lina Law. Even inside many big police camps, policemen themselves are paying rent to people who in the first place have no right to be there!

RH Controversy: Scratching the Itch

2011-04-26T05:52:00.005+08:00

Yesterday (25 April 2011), I read in PD Inquirer the reasons of the INC regarding their support to the RH Bill. What caught my eye was their stand that natural family planning method is immoral and against the commandments of God. My reaction was, “The last nail in the coffin of the Anti-RH bill people had been driven.” Aside from being very influential, the INC made the right way in arguing with the Catholic Church: it supported with Biblical evidence its rebuttal of the RC’s supposedly-Bible-based arguments. In the past, I maintained my stand in a previous article in this blog that the RC’s arguments against the RH bill reduces sex into nothing but an act of procreation no different from the animals. Now here comes the INC with the Biblical arguments! Yes!

Let me just scratch this itch. Hehehe

These bishops and priests should stop acting as if the Philippines is still in Spanish time where friars reign supreme. Carlos Celdran is right in calling them what they really are: Damaso. I am bristling when I read a few weeks back the news item headlined, “Cardinal Sanchez returns from Rome to fight RH bill.” I see this statement as reflective of the mindset of today’s priests and bishops: feeling as “conquistadores.”

Now here is my itch: I want to tell the bishops and priests, if they have not known it yet, that the RC had long ceased to be a factor in Philippine politics. They are exactly nothing, zero, ziltch, nada, compared to the Iglesia ni Cristo. Just look at the politicians during election time. Who reaches out to get the support of the RC? Nobody! The nearest that the RC can claim to influencing voters during elections is through El Shaddai, an organization that it sometimes disown! It is the Iglesia who holds sway of the politicians.

This is especially felt in the Philippine National Police. In the PNP, being a Roman Catholic has exactly zero value. In 99% of the key field positions in the PNP nowadays, YOU NEED THE APPROVAL OF THE LOCAL MINISTER OF THE IGLESIA NI CRISTO to be appointed. To get this approval, you need to write to the “Pinunong Pangkalahatan, Eduardo Manalo” a LETTER OF APPEAL OR REQUEST FOR ASSISTANCE. You are required to write this letter IN A YELLOW PAD AND IN YOUR OWN HANDWRITING! The best part? You cannot send this letter through mail or courier. You have to go to the nearest INC chapel and personally hand this to the presiding minister and couple this with a personal appeal as you are also required to get the "Patotoo" of that minister. It will be the minister who will eventually send your letter to Eduardo Manalo together with his "Patotoo".

This is because RA 6975 provides that it is the local chief executive (mayors and governors) who has the final say in the appointment of the Chief of Police and Provincial Director. And who dictates these mayors and governors? Tada! You are right, it is the minister of the local INC chapel! Now for the RDs and the NHQ level position, it is the "Palasyo Central" in No.1 Central Avenue cor Commonwealth Avenue, Bgy New Era, Quezon City that calls the shots, considering their influence over the President and the senior PNP members who compose the SOPPB. The PNP needs to transmit to the “Palasyo Central” the results of the SOPPB deliberations for final approval before orders are finally cut and issued.

If you look at the roster of Chiefs of Police and Station Commanders in Metro Manila, you will see that several of them had taken the extra step beyond writing the letter. They converted and were baptized to the INC before they got the position. So there goes your excommunication threat to the President, bishops and fathers (Damaso). Hahaha!

Unli-rice and Angelito Banayo

2011-04-19T20:30:00.004+08:00

I just can’t resist the itch of commenting in non-police matters but this unli-rice issue created by NFA Administrator Angelito Banayo is something that I just can’t let pass.

For me, the statement of Banayo is more than just a simple error in policy. It reinforces the notion that this government of PNoy is totally disconnected with the general pulse of the people. PNoy has his Porsche. Lito Banayo is no exception. He has his unli rice. For what can you expect from a person who belongs to a rich family from childhood to adulthood. In his now inactive blog, his last post is about his childhood that is unmistakably not proletarian. His present situation is no different. As he himself said, all of his children are in the “US of A” so most probably, breakfast for him nowadays is bacon and egg sandwich. Or looking at his picture, his no-rice breakfast must have been dictated not by the desire to reduce consumption but compelled by circumstances brought about by past overconsumption.

Also in the same blog, Banayo claimed to be the consultant of several political personalities like Senator Orlando Mercado, Senate President Marcelo B. Fernan, Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson, Speaker Ramon Mitra, Jr., Ronaldo Zamora, Manuel A. Roxas III and Hernando B. Perez—all political failures if you consider the fact that one time or the other, all of these people were touted to be potential presidentiables. And all failed. The only success story in his political consultancy resume is Joseph Estrada. And we all know what happened to Erap two years after his unprecedented landslide victory. Could this be because Banayo was never in sync with the voters in the first place?

His statement is nothing surprising if you consider these as backdrop. For quite a while now, he must not have experienced (or never experienced) eating in Mang Inasal and took advantage of their unli rice promo and scheduling your meal at 2 PM so that you need not take dinner in the evening to save on meal allowance money. They have so much money and lived in comfort that they forgot that more than half of the Filipinos out there were patronizing the unlimited rice not because of gluttony but because of necessity.

He has to get his feet back to the ground!

CIDG

2011-04-19T19:01:00.005+08:00

Last week, newspapers were screaming the headline, “40% of CIDG members not trained in crime investigation” quoting the new CIDG Chief Samuel Pagdilao. It was about time that somebody tells the truth about the CIDG. While before the CIDG is considered to be a very competent police investigation unit just like the reputation of its predecessor the PC CIS, the CIDG nowadays is a unit that really has to fight for its relevance. It has outlived its purpose except be just one of the “butas” that illegal gamblers and the other underworld gangs have to make “areglo” with.

From its official website, the mission statement of CIDG is:
Free from politics, ininterrupted (sic) by territorial limitations and countrywide in scope, the CIDG performs the following missions:
1. To undertake the monitoring, investigation and prosecution of all crimes involving economic savotage and other crimes of such magnitude and extent as to indicate their commission by highly-placed professional syndicates or organizations; and,

2. To investigate all major cases involving violation of the Revised Penal Code (RPC) and to conduct operations against organized crime groups (OCGs), unless the president assigns the case exclusively to the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI)

Reading this mission statement, one cannot help but ask, what about the rest of the PNP? Is it not that the mission of the PNP (also from its official website) is:

The PNP shall enforce the law, prevent and control crimes, maintain peace and order, and ensure public safety and internal security with the active support of the community.

Is the CIDG a very special unit in the PNP? Why do you need a special unit that basically duplicates one of the most basic functions of the PNP?

The PC CIS has to be created during the PC/INP days because there is a need for a unit that has a nationwide scope of operations. The PC is not really a police force and the INP is simply local police with very limited capability so the CIS was created to fill the middle ground. But now the PNP is national in scope. That is in its charter. The PNP can operate anywhere so it is not uncommon for policemen from one jurisdiction to operate in another jurisdiction. That is why the coordination form is one of the most common documents in the PNP.

The CIDG has the mandate. But do they have the responsibility? At this time, several “one strike policies” about this and that criminal incident are in effect. A commander gets the boot if jueteng is detected and interdicted in his area. A precinct commander also gets axed if a gas station is held up. The local police is also blamed if there is a bank robbery. How about the CIDG? Where are they all these time? Is it not that jueteng is the best example of an organized crime group? Is it not that bank robbery is economic sabotage? Is it not that hold up is a heinous crime? Why is it that it is the local police that gets blamed when something like this happens?

The CIDG has all the powers and authority but they have no responsibility whatsoever. I remember one PNP officer lamenting during the height of the jueteng scandal in Metro Manila last year asking why is it that they get blamed and relieved when the CIDG raids a jueteng operation in their area when in the first place it was the CIDG who talked to them and organized their payola before the operations started?

I think this is actually the reason why the PNP cannot really get its act together because the organizational structure in itself is terribly flawed to start with.

The CIDG is not the place for officers like General Pagdilao. His transfer from PRO4A to CIDG in my view is a demotion. He should have been promoted to NCRPO Chief so that he can get his 2nd star and line him up to be the next Chief PNP before Dir Bartolome. That way, the PNP can have a thinking Chief PNP for a change. Gen Pagdilao’s talents will be wasted in CIDG. All his time will be consumed plugging holes in a leaking boat that should have been already scuttled and sank in the first place.

Yes, I believe that CIDG should be deactivated now.

“Full Alert:” Another Illustration of Mediocrity in the PNP

2011-04-17T05:38:00.006+08:00

A few moments ago, (April 16, 2011, 6:45PM), I heard over DZMM RD NCRPO, PDirector Nick Bartolome being interviewed by Gus Abelgas in “SOCO sa DZMM.” The topic was about the “OPLAN Semana Santa” preparations of NCRPO. Dir Bartolome’s interview had been going well, until the portion where he said that NCRPO had already declared “Full Alert.” Nothing wrong with that actually, except that his next statement was an apology to the families of NCRPO policemen if their loved ones (the NCRPO cops) are not home during the full alert. According to him, during full alert, “walang uwian ang pulis.” Now, this is where I want to focus this article.

As the touted next Chief, PNP, I had high hopes on Dir Bartolome. Though I do not know him personally and he definitely does not know me from Adam, I have heard nothing but good things about him—until this statement.

His interpretation of the “Full Alert” as a period of “walang uwian” for policemen betrays his lack of correct appreciation of present-day police work situation. I want to write about this misappreciation of police work by the PNP top brass because it is not only PDir Bartolome who thinks this way. I notice that almost all of my previous bosses think this way too. And what is this “line of thinking” and what is its significance anyway?

This line of thinking shows that almost 20 years after the PNP was established with a drastically different paradigm from its predecessor which is the Philippine Constabulary/Integrated National Police, many in the current top brass of the PNP still think like the PC ways, especially those who were former PC officers like PDir Bartolome. This is nothing to be surprised of actually as almost all of the top generals now are products of the military academy who chose PC as their branch of service.

The “Full Alert” in the PNP today is equated to the “Red Alert” during the PC days and the “Heightened Alert” to the “Blue Alert.” During “Red Alert,” all PC personnel are required to be in the barracks, waiting for deployment and in “Blue Alert,” half of the strength is required. They are accounted for by their “First Sergeants” and ensured that they are all intact and ready for jump off.

At this point, I want to emphasize the word “barracks.” Almost all PC camps before were simply called “barracks” so much so that when you return to barracks after a night out in town, simply telling the tricycle driver “barracks” is sure to get you to the right destination. You never tell the driver that you want to go to the police station, otherwise, you will be ferried to the “municipio” where the INP people hold office. This illustrates the highly different job environments of the then PC as compared to the PNP today. Most of the time, the more significant jobs of the PC were governed by specific orders that when it is normal alert, most, if not all of them were out there in town with no specific mission because routine peace and order like foot patrol, traffic control, fire incident response, and the like were given to the INP. The PNP today is more like the INP rather than the PC.

The INP were the real policemen during those days. The “Great Divide” can be seen right at the ranks. The PC officers were simply referred to as 2nd Lt, 1st Lt, Captain, Major, etc. while the INP Officers were referred to as P/Lt, P/Capt, P/Major, etc. This “P” in their ranks meant “police” but instead of being a badge of honor, it is a major liability as rarely can you see a major PC/INP unit headed by an officer with a "P" in his rank. And even more rarely can you see a PC officer in a unit headed by an INP officer. The INP was the police and the PC was, well, the PC.

The PC was really a military organization. “Red Alerts” were declared during critical times like when there are reported threats to the camp, big holidays like Christmas, when there is a firefight going on between government units and the enemies of the state, and the like. “Red Alerts” may extend from a few days to weeks and during all this time, the PC people are in the barracks.

The specific PC “missions” were not much different from the “missions” of other land-based units of the AFP. These “missions” were usually tactical level operations with specific targets for destruction or as we officially term it until now, “neutralization.” “Arrest” is actually a word in the lowest recesses of the PC dictionary, classified under the section “Foreign Words and Phrases.” PC missions were combat patrols that last for days or weeks and bring the PC guys to remote areas. After the “mission,” they return to barracks and wait for another “mission.” During these “missions,” the PC naturally follow “ranger tactics” where they eat, sleep, and poop in their “harbor area” following strict “security procedures” lest they get eaten alive by the enemy. This is so because during these missions, they are out there in the field, literally. Thus, for PC people, it is understandable that "walang uwian pag red alert."

Now, is this the same with the present PNP? Are the job environments of the PNP and the PC the same? Is it correct to equate “Red Alert” with the “Full Alert?” Most importantly, is PDir Bartolome correct when he said that “Full Alert” is “walang uwian?”

Let us examine the present job environment of the PNP. Especially the NCRPO which Dir Bartolome heads, PNP personnel are based in a police station usually located in a very busy urban location. Many police stations are situated in highly built-up areas and most of the time, space is limited that the only private space for policemen is a locker room where they can change into their uniforms. A police station with a barracks is more of an exception rather than the rule. And just rightly so. A police station does not need a barracks. Policemen should be walking in the streets, pounding their beats during their duty hours and not while away their time and loiter in the barracks!

This is the biggest difference between the PC and the PNP that current generals who were former PCs seemingly forget. When a PC patrol gets tired, they can rest and sleep in their temporary harbor area in the field. As such, they can last in their “mission” for long periods and not go back to their barracks for weeks. But what about present day policemen? Can they sleep during their duty hours? Can they occupy a “harbor area” and rest just like what the PC people did? Woe to him who gets caught by a media camera sleeping inside a patrol car, a precinct, or basically anywhere while he is in uniform! In this environment then, how long can a policeman effectively last in his job like patrol or investigation before he needs to rest and sleep?

Ideally, just like any other worker, 8 hours is just about right, though 12-hour shifts are not uncommon in the PNP. Now, after their duty, where do the generals expect their policemen to go? Back to the station? Especially during “Full Alerts” like “OPLAN Semana Santa,” where do Dir Bartolome expects the policeman to go after their shift? “Walang uwian?” Kid me!

(This is another illustration of the non-thinking nature of the PNP where even the supposedly brilliant officers just continue the systems and process that they “found in station,” never mind if the system is stupid or outdated or already passé. I am sure that PDir Bartolome knows that the concept of equating “Full Alert” to “Red Alert” is wrong but he just does not dare to change it lest he shows that he knows how to think and jeopardize his chances of being the next Chief, PNP. In the PNP right now (and the government in general ha), I think it is “Bawal ang nag-iisip. Baka mas gumaling pa kayo sa Presidente!” Hahahaha!)

PS.

This type of PNP operations like the “OPLAN Semana Santa” where Dir Bartolome said “We deployed more than 5,000 policemen for this purpose.” is nothing but sound bites. But I will reserve that for another “Mediocrity” article.

Commemorative Plates and the Continued Idiotization of the PNP

2011-04-11T21:40:00.009+08:00

If the title shows my obvious frustration, just let it be. For so long, I wanted to write about the nincompoops in the PNP higher ups but I kept my peace because mediocrity in the PNP is understandable considering the brain drain that it continues to experience. (I will write more about this topic in the future.) However, even the few bright men (or so I thought) that remained in the PNP to reach the star ranks are seemingly influenced by the non-thinking ones and not the other way around. The latest general I saw afflicted by this “mediocrity-syndrome” is Leonardo Espina, the Chief of the Highway Patong Group (Formerly the Trigger Men Group). Espina was quoted by the Philippine Daily Inquirer saying “As a general rule, commemorative plates should be placed side by side or on top of the original license plate.”
As a former spokesman of the PNP and an officer with a reputation as a bright boy, I expect Espina to at least reduce the confusion about commemorative plates started by the feeling-bright Supt Dennis Siervo when he was still the Chief of HPG-NCR in his attempt to impress PNoy during the early days of the latter’s presidency. Espina and Siervo wanted that commemorative plates be displayed this way:

Is this the correct way? Let us examine the law that governs this: Republic Act 4136 otherwise known as the "Land Transportation and Traffic Code." RA 4136 states in Section 18 (Use of number plates) "At all times, every motor vehicle shall display in conspicuous places, one in front and one in the rear thereof, the said number plates. The number plates shall be kept clean and cared for, and shall be firmly affixed to the motor vehicle in such a manner as will make it entirely visible and always legible." So the law is very clear. Will superimposing a commemorative plate over the license plate, like in this case, a violation of the law?

Definitely yes, because doing so will violate the requirement that the plate must always be legible and entirely visible. So that makes Espina and Siervo right? No!

This is so because legal commemorative plates have this special permit in the form of a sticker affixed to the windshield of the vehicle:

The permit reads: “This commemorative motor vehicle plate is authorized and approved by LTO and DOTC. Valid until ****." It is signed by the LTO, the DOTC, and the representative of the group producing the plates. Issuing this permit is also legal and within the power of the LTO because Section 17 (a) of RA 4136 reads “The Commissioner shall cause number plates to be prepared and issued to owners of motor vehicles and trailers registered under this Act.”

What is the significance of this permit? Well, most of the time, commemorative plates are produced by a group, with the approval of the LTO, after paying the corresponding fees imposed by the government, to “commemorate” a significant event and at the same time, to raise funds for some charitable purpose. The plates are sold at some exorbitant prices, some going as high as P5,000.00 each. And what is the purpose of people in buying these plates? Nothing really except that personally, the plates give me a feeling of uniqueness as it sets my car apart from the others. Do other people buy it to evade number coding? Maybe, but most, if not all, know that even while using the plates and they get apprehended for number coding violation (using their tag numbers at the back), then they know that they will not be saved by the plates. So, if Espina wants people to display the commemorative plates side by side or on top of the regular plates, why in hell do LTO and DOTC need to issue these permits in the first place? Isn’t it that displaying other plates is not illegal, as long as the original plates are not covered? Why do people need permits—that they pay the government for it—to do something perfectly legal in the first place anyway?

Idiotic, isn’t it? Obviously, the permit is for people to use the commemorative plate like a regular plate! They can cover the regular plate if they want to! If you don’t agree with me, then what are you going to do with this jeepney? Apprehend him for not having a permit for his “commemorative plate?” Is he committing a violation? Does he need a permit to do this?

Postscript: All pictures in this entry are grabbed from the internet. If you are the owner of any of this and you do not want me to use your picture, please email me. Thanks!

Bacoor Cops vs Obillos, Abaya et al. Part 3

2011-04-07T18:27:00.004+08:00

I read in the Philippine Daily Inquirer today that the DOJ is recommending the filing of 2 counts of murder against 14 police officers involved in the infamous Bacoor, Cavite-shooting incident during the May 10, 2010 automated elections that led to the death of a retired police officer and a navy officer.

I had written two entries (Entry 1, Entry 2) about this incident in this blog last year and to say that I am saddened with the DOJ resolution is an understatement. I am actually outraged at the brazenness of power peddling of the Abayas and at the same time, I am disappointed with PNoy himself for tolerating such shenanigans. Just because the Abayas are Liberal Party members?

I need not re-explain my position as I think, for non-believers, no explanation will be sufficient. I just would like to show a screen grab from the incident and you be the judge. The man holding an m-16 was “victim” Navy Petty Officer Juanito Paraiso. The policeman in uniform is now one of the accused. Just look at the picture and see for yourself if the Obillos camp is as faultless as they say they are.

With the way PNoys administration is going, he will be indeed very lucky if he actually finishes his term. He has to remember that the winning margin of Joseph Estrada over his closest rival (24%) is way way bigger than his margin (15%) over Erap. Yet this margin of Erap was eroded in just a little over 2 years. PNoy better keep this in mind and start thinking clearer while walking the Matuwid na daan!

Drug Mules

2011-03-31T22:25:00.002+08:00

Now that it is over, let me say the piece that I had been holding back for quite a while. I want to take exception to the statements of many officials and media personalities that the whole country is grieving over the execution of the three drug mules. I don’t. Moreover, I rejoice, actually.

Insensitive? Say what you want but I really feel that way. Just thinking of the almost 15 kilograms of heroin caught from them, I can’t seem to find in me any compassion for them. As I see it, their execution is correct from whichever viewpoint I look at it. If they carried the drugs knowingly, then they deserved their fate. If they were just unwitting mules as they claimed, then to some extent, they still deserved their fate. Just imagine the number of lives they will destroy because of katangahan! (Side note: I might be this insensitive because I actually don’t believe that they did not know that they were carrying drugs. Why? In airline travel, baggage allowance is very limited. It is extremely preposterous to claim that you do not know that you have 5 kilograms of unaccounted weight in your baggage. Hell, that is about a quarter of the whole baggage allowance!)

Adding to the outrage that I feel was the special treatment given to the families of the convicted mules. They were given a free ride to China to see their relatives. I understood that this was the assistance given to them by the DFA. For this, the government used people’s money. (If I am wrong, then I deeply apologize.) But as I understood it from the news accounts, it was public funds. Do the families deserve this freebie? Hundreds or thousands of Filipinos out there are dying because the government cannot provide for their basic needs due to lack of funds. These are the same Filipinos who toil day in and day out just to get by. Are we making them the same Filipinos who dutifully pay their taxes just to make sure that this government can spend for the assistance of families of “drug mules?”

And after all what the government did for them, the families of the mules, especially the family of Evangelista, has the gall to blame the government? Binay is even giving scholarships to the children of Evangelista!

Now let me ask as a cop. Will Binay also give scholarships to my children if I die tomorrow because some drug addict gets lucky and kills me?

Looking at the house of Credo from the TV footages, it appears that he is already enjoying the fruits of his illegal activities. His house is a palace compared to the squatter shanties where survey showed more than half of cops live.

I am wont to ask this time: Am I in the wrong business? Should I not be a drug mule instead of a cop? Crime does pay after all!

Or should I be a drug protector? It is easier to do, given my position as a cop. Will the Filipinos make a monument for me if I become one? Drug dealers are heroes (or congressmen) in this country anyway. I will just say that I do not know that the friends I am protecting are drug dealers!

DZIQ: Reyes ‘dared to sacrifice for common good’, says ex-president Ramos

2011-02-09T20:13:00.001+08:00

DZIQ: Reyes ‘dared to sacrifice for common good’, says ex-president Ramos

MANILA, Philippines – Former president Fidel V. Ramos praised former defense secretary and Armed Forces chief Angelo Reyes for “daring to sacrifice for the common good” and hoped that his sacrifice “was not in vain.”

Ramos made the statement to media Wednesday when he paid his respects to Reyes at the Ascension Chapels in Quezon City. Reyes committed suicide Tuesday amid allegations that he was part of the multimillion-peso fund scam in the military.

In the interview aired over Radyo Inquirer, Ramos, a former military chief himself, said Reyes embodied the three pillars of the Ramos Peace and Development Foundation – caring, sharing, and daring.

“The caring and sharing are easy to do,” said Ramos in Filipino.

But he said that daring meant something else because it meant “daring to sacrifice for the common good.”

My pulis take: Exactly. Ramos got it right on the button.

DZIQ: Reyes not greedy; he merely inherited a system—Robles

2011-02-09T19:19:00.004+08:00

MANILA, Philippines—“Former Secretary Angelo Reyes just inherited a [rotten] system and he wasn’t greedy,” said retired commodore Rex Robles in an interview on Tuesday with anchor Ramon Tulfo on his top-rating public service show “Isumbong Mo Kay Tulfo” on DZIQ 990 AM Radyo Inquirer.

Robles, in a light-hearted mood, said, “I’m telling you Mon (Tulfo), don’t laugh. But if all military generals who had [traces of graft and corruption] will commit suicide at once, only two or three will be left alive.”

Being a veteran tri-media journalist who has been covering the police and the military for decades, Tulfo said, “My God, that’s true.”

Robles revealed how some generals would ask, upfront, for P350 million.

My pulis take:

Robles hit the nail in the head. The only sin of Reyes is the sin of omission. He inherited a corrupt system and did not change it. But the bigger question is: "Was he in the position to do so?" Yes, he was the Chief of Staff. But was he in the position to tell the DBM to program more budget for the purchase of combat boots of his men instead of money for personal services? If he tried, (or anyone for that matter) how would he have countered the oft-repeated justification of people doing the conversion, “I would rather have 70 pesos in cash than a hundred in paper.”

For his part, I believe that Reyes actually believe that he was being truthful when he said that he had not been greedy. But greedy is a relative term. What is greed for one maybe great moderation and discipline to another. However, for me, Reyes is indeed not greedy. 50 million is peanuts compared to the hundreds of millions that the others received (and demanded). But still, he still sinned.

Thus General Angelo Reyes led the way for others who had sinned like him in taking the last honorable exit. Like in the movie “The Last Samurai,” he did what real warriors do in time of dishonor, no matter how fleeting that moment is. He did a Samurai, that warrior spirit that made Japan what it is today. He chose to be Lord Moritsugu Katsumoto. Now, will Jinggoy and Trillanes do the same?

Or they will choose to be Omura as played by actor Masato Harada?

Can they sing the last line of the Lupang Hinirang “Ang mamatay ng dahil sa yo!” with the same conviction as the true warrior Angelo Reyes did?

Antonio Trillanes IV

2011-02-08T16:08:00.000+08:00

Trillanes is at it again. Elected on a platform of a promise of change, the newly freed senator again displayed his real self: arrogant, course, and what have you. Within six hours of Gen Reyes death, he made a very out-of-taste statement (References are all culled from the PDInquirer):

“No definitely not,” Trillanes told reporters when asked if senators should feel responsible for Reyes' death after they grilled him in the Senate over the alleged P50 million send-off money that he received when he retired as chief of staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. “Remember that General Reyes is a graduate of PMA [Philippine Military Academy]. He used to be the chief of staff of the AFP so he went through all the pressures necessary to survive those chapters in his life,” he said.

That statement is so stupid in so many counts. But the worst is its timing. He is talking about a person who had just committed suicide. Did he ever paused and thought about the grieving family first before he opened his mouth and once again showed to the world how wrong the 11 million Filipinos who elected him?

And that PMA pressures cap? He must have forgotten that the biggest pressure on a cadet is the pressure of the Honor Code. When one is accused of an honor violation, there is only one way to redeem yourself: resign. This is killing your cadetship dreams. This is what Cadet General Angelo Reyes did in the outside and real world.

Let me refresh the mind of the good senator: “We, the cadets, do not lie, cheat, steal, nor tolerate among us those who do so.”

Now, Cadet Antonio Trillanes IV, all right, sir?

Angelo Reyes

2011-02-08T15:25:00.005+08:00

He did the last remaining honorable exit for him. This was my first reaction when a friend texted me that Angelo Reyes committed suicide. I was then in a bus along EDSA and I asked the bus driver to stop the movie and tune in to the radio. The AM band is unintelligible so I asked him to tune in to 92.3 Radyo Singko in the FM band. I received various texts shortly thereafter, all of them expressing varied opinions.

Suicide as a way out is not new. In most of the developed world, fallen leaders routinely commit suicide once they are implicated in anomalies or even just a shadow of doubt is cast upon their integrity. Where in ancient times up to the modern history the Japanese culture of hara kiri is the most prominent, now, Koreans, Americans, Thais, and the rest of the world were following suit.

The opinions on killing oneself as a means of escape are as diverse as the ways to do it. In Japan, where the means is self decapitation with the help of a second, it is the only way to restore honor for a tarnished samurai. In the movie “The Last Samurai” one of the more prominent lines is the statement of Ken Watanabe “It was a good death.” In modern day Japan, during the financial crisis that hit it in the 60s, the means was jumping out of the window of a skyscraper. So is with the Koreans. The disgraced President Roh jumped to his death after his involvement in a bribery scandal.

Even in the Catholic world, death is not the end all but even the start of something higher. There is that so-called “Prayer for a Happy Death” and ironically, the most prominent devotee of this prayer was a woman named Cory Aquino. It is just a means that is being disputed that within a few hours of Reyes death, a hypocrite Roman Catholic bishop stated that suicide is one of the biggest sins.

How will the death of Reyes affect the current corruption investigation being conducted by the House and the Senate? As I have always maintained during my discourses with friends, the biggest sin committed by all these involved is the sin of omission. They knew that something is wrong with the system yet they did not do anything about it. The practice of conversion is nothing new. Money intended for one thing in the budget is “converted” to cash to be spent in another, presumably more important and more urgent need. In the process, all the agencies involved who were supposed to provide checks and balances on one another must now work in concert to make things happen. The Original end user provides the reason and the most common is “Well, our budget provided us money for salaries (Object Class 01) but what we need are tires, batteries, and gasoline for our vehicles for our combat operations. Let us convert this 01 to cash to buy tires, batteries, and gasoline.” With this explanation, the AFP then converts the 01 money into cash usually by selling the Notice of Cash Allotments from the DBM to the “suppliers” an euphemism for the Mafia that has the connections to all the agencies involved—AFP/PNP, COA, and DBM/DOF. This is a well entrenched system and everybody knows that this is wrong. But who can stop it and how can it be stopped? The first step was made by Gen Efren Abu when he abolished J6 and broke it down into four separate offices providing internal checks and balances. But the reforms need to continue—and this is supposed to be purpose of all these hearings conducted by legislators: in aid of legislation.

The most significant complication that the death of Reyes brought is that the pressure is now on Jinggoy and Trillanes. After all things were said and done, can they now say that they are clean and not as notorious what they wanted to paint Reyes as? Were they all above board in their transactions involving their pork barrels? And especially for Trillanes, can he ask the same question as confidently as Reyes did to people on the know when he said “Naging swapang ba ako?” in light of the Senate Finance Report that he was one of the top-spending senators despite the fact that he was then in detention? What Reyes most probably meant was “Kinuha ko lang ang para sa akin na ibinibigay ng kasalukuyang sistema. Ang kasalanan ko lang ay di ko binagao ang mga mali na inabutan ko.”

What I want to hear in the next few days is the surfacing of an ante mortem statement of Reyes containing something like, “Yes I am guilty of allowing conversion. But among the funds that we converted and cleared were the pork barrels of senators and congressmen who used the AFP as the clearing house and used the return to sender system.” I wonder how many of those who will be named will have the courage to also shoot themselves in the heart?

And by the way, start probing the funds of the PNP. For all you know, that will make the fund mess in the AFP look like a game of tong-its using loose change!

Goodbye General Reyes. I had been one your harshest critics (though anonymous and unknown) in the past. But in one fell swoop (or a bullet in your heart—if you want to be remembered as that), you regained my respect.

My salute sir!

Roberto Rosales vs Arlyn dela Cruz

2011-02-08T13:42:00.001+08:00

I saw on TV last night the face off of Arlyn dela Cruz and Dir Roberto Rosales over Channel 2 with Noli de Castro at TV Patrol. The most noticeable thing is the unrepentant stance of dela Cruz despite the conciliatory overtures of Rosales. Once again, the abuse of power of a reporter came to a fore and reared in full display for all the world to see. She even highlighted her arrogance that she kept on talking out of turn even while Rosales was still talking. And in the true tradition of these fearless reporters na walang sinasanto, walang inuurungan, at walang kinatatakutan, the report included the segment showing that she went straight to the police station in Bgy Batasan to put on police blotters the alleged threats that Dir Rosales made against her (at the Multi-Purpose Hall in Camp Crame during a live interview with practically all the networks including the fly-by-night reporters) and that she fears for her life.

Before I go any further, I would like to share to everyone an old information. I kept a copy of a confidential report given to me by a colleague connected with an intelligence agency in Camp Crame. It states:

Reporter Arlyn dela Cruz is keeping hostile feelings against Chief Supt Rosales, the WPD Director because despite the sexual favors she had given to him to the extent that she gifted her with her nieces, Gen Rosales failed to live up to his promise of giving her scoops which should have been expected, given his proximity to President GMA. Also, dela Cruz’s anger at Rosales came to a hilt when Rosales totally dumped her after he found out that her alleged kidnapping by the Abu Sayyaf in Basilan in 2002 was but one of her trysts with her then boyfriend Khadaffy Janjalani.

I dug up this old report from my files after I read the headline story of the Inquirer last Sunday and thought that dela Cruz had not yet gotten over her animosity against Rosales.

Well, that’s life. If she wants as copy of the report, I can show it to her but I will not name my source. And mind you, this is an A1 report from a trusted source and not based on a text message thus I stand by my story.

Garcia, Rabuza, Mendoza

2011-02-07T11:10:00.004+08:00

Another blockbuster teleserye is now unfolding on tv these days. I would like to gloat that before all these brouhaha unraveled on tv, I have touched these issues in a previous article "PNP admits breach in discipline" that I posted on January 6, 2011 or about a week before the tv-covered hearings.

PNP chief bats for regular physical, medical tests for cops

2011-01-18T08:30:00.002+08:00

MANILA, Philippines—Philippine National Police (PNP) Director General Raul Bacalzo on Monday said he would propose that the National Police Commission implement an annual physical and medical exam, as well as neuropsychiatric evaluation, for all police officers as a long-term solution to rid the force of rogue cops.

Bacalzo said these tests will ensure that all 132,000 police officers are fit to work every year but revealed that they would have to find P46 million for every month that police officers undergo the said tests.

(Read the rest of the story in the Philippine Daily Inquirer by clicking on the title above)

My pulis take:

P46M monthly just for the tests? What the hell? Why so much? Had the PNP sunk this low in its "pera-pera" attitude that it cannot undertake a special project without a special funding? And regular fitness test cannot even be considered a special project. If the Chief PNP had not known it yet, then here is the info: For so long a time now, the Semestral Physical Fitness Test is a regular income source for corrupt SESPOs and Training Officers who ask for P700 from each PNP member who do not want to go through the rigors of the test but simply sign their PFT forms.

Likewise, what does the gargantuan medical unit of the PNP does if it cannot make the PFT its flagship project in its regular funding? Is it not that for so long, because of lack of anything worthwhile to do in the PNP General Hospital, more than half of its doctors went abroad on “buko passes” (Pag nabuko, e di pass. Kung hindi, e di on duty.) The absence of these doctors were not felt for so long because basically, nothing changed when they went abroad. Just like when they are on duty, they are not reporting in the hospital so they were not missed. This is the reason why the PNP assigned then PSUPT Rolando Anduyan and PSUPT Bernard Banac who were both PMA graduates and line officers in the Medical Service, specifically to account for these AWOL personnel. Anduyan was eventually rewarded with a promotion to full colonel and Banac is expected to follow suit. Same goes true with the nurses and the other staff of the PNP Medical Service. The usual duty detail rotation is 2 days duty, 1 week off. That is how sorely the PNP Medical Service needs something to do.

So if the Chief PNP wants the regular fitness tests conducted, then he need not shell out a single cent. Actually, it is now being regularly conducted (twice a year at that!) by crooked personnel in the admin and training sections of the PNP. He just needs to make these people trudge the “matuwid na daan.” Also, he needs to make the PNP Medical Service work for its MOOE and salary of its personnel.

DISCIPLINE AND THE PNP

2011-01-11T08:45:00.002+08:00

Last night I saw on TV a spot about the retraining of policemen in Subic. The training was in response of the perceived breakdown of discipline in the PNP brought about by the series of highly sensational cases where PNP members were the culprits. To the general public, this is an obvious stop-gap measure but of course it is commendable as this shows that the PNP still listens to the sentiments of the people. But for insiders like me? I cannot help but lament the realization that the current state of affairs in the PNP was the result of the shabby treatment of the PNP towards training for so long now.

Training should have been the key in instilling discipline in the PNP—and in any organization in fact—but for so long, the PNP did not give the emphasis due to it. Proof? PNP personnel assigned in the PPSC rendering instructors duty do not enjoy the opportunity of promotion because PPSC is not in the PNP Table of Organization. Another proof: The Training Service, supposed to be created to cater to the training needs of the PNP, became the “jump-off” point of officers who just want promotion. They get assigned to the Training Service, get promoted after three months, then get out again to positions where they can steal millions! Well, this is the way PNP top brass treats training because they know that they can get away with their incompetence not by training but by bending the rules.

One example: similar to the straits where PAO Chief Persida Acosta is now, the PNP now requires a third level eligibility for ranks of Senior Superintendent and up to justify their salary scales and also put them at par with the third level executives in the government. Too late for the PNP bright boys to realize that the third level executive positions are located in a totally different world: they need CES eligibility to qualify. Only one agency is allowed by law to administer the CES eligibility examinations: the CES Board. Now, this was early to mid 2000s where the ilks of GMA are lording over the PNP. These ilks were highly ambitious but lack the necessary brains to back up their brawn. They tried and failed the CESE multiple times. They realized in the end that they cannot pass CESE without going back to school first. They also realized that they cannot influence nor bribe the CESB into relaxing the standards so what was their solution? Instead of going to training and study to improve their knowledge and skills to pass the CESE, what did they do? They went to the CSC then chaired by Karina David who they were able to influence into administering the CSEE, an exam well out of the mandate of the CSC. All should have been well if the CSE exam is easy to pass. But it was not! So instead of going back to school, the PNP bright boys then went to their last refuge: the NAPOLCOM—and thus, PESE was invented. What is PESE? It is the height of mockery of eligibility examination standards! It is a glorified neuro-psycho exam which is only suitable for entry level positions such as PO1s.

Sample question: “Rank in a scale of 1 to 5: Money matters do not affect me in my decision making.”

Goodness, 90% of PESE consists of this type of questions. How will you know then who will be qualified police executives in the truest sense of the word with this kind of exam? Compare this with a question from the stage 1 of the CES exam:

Performance Appraisal is a primary HRM process that links employees and organizations and provides input for other processes through these means
a. Identification, Measurement, Management;
b. Assessment, Direction, Development;
c. Recruitment, Selection, Onboarding;
d. Skill, Effort, Responsibility

It is obvious that with this kind of questions, you cannot pass the CESE without the proper preparation.

I said it before and I will say it again: Reforms in the PNP should start at the top. For starters, require all senior superintendents and up to pass the CESE. I am willing to bet all that I have that more than 50% of all sr supts and up inside NHQ will fail!

In the meantime, as usual, let the rank and file bear the brunt of the failures of the top management!

Hay buhay!

PNP admits breach in discipline

2011-01-06T11:42:00.003+08:00

From the Philippine Daily Inquirer

Spate of crimes involving cops alarms top brass

MANILA, Philippines—The Philippine National Police (PNP) Wednesday admitted that there was a breakdown in discipline among its ranks following a spate of crimes allegedly carried out by several policemen.

“This is a serious breach in discipline. But we have to accept that reality,” PNP chief Director General Raul Bacalzo said in a press conference at Camp Crame.

In the last six weeks, Bacalzo noted that 14 policemen had been linked to various crimes. Of the 14, six were arrested, three confined to quarters while five remain at large.

At the same time, he reported the actions the PNP would take against erring policemen, including putting them in provincial or city jails with other common criminals instead of restricting them to their quarte

(Read the whole article from the Philippine Daily Inquirer by clicking on the title)

It has been a while since I posted in my blog. Despite all those explosive issues in the past 4 to 5 months, I have not felt that great urge to post my views. I have a lot of opinions on the Luneta Hostage Fiasco, the taping of guns this past New Year, and several other issues but other priorities took precedence. Until now, my schedule is still as hectic as before but reading the statements of Bacalzo regarding the apparent breakdown of discipline in the PNP ranks, I felt that this is one issue worth contributing to.

At the outset, let me add my voice to the observations that indeed, there is breakdown in discipline in the PNP ranks. But let me add: it is not only now. It had been happening for quite sometime now. And let mo shout this out: the worst breakdown in discipline is not what you read on the pepers: the worst breakdown in discipline is happening right inside Camp Crame, in the National Headquarters of the biggest crime organization in the Philippines and they are perpetrated by most of the current top brass. Save for some senior officers, the PNP is currently lead either by bumbling idiots or spineless former idealists who allowed themselves to be sucked in the system not unlike the Cosa Nostra. And mind you, the similarities are not just skin deep. Take this entry from Wikipedia for Cosa Nostra: “Each group, known as a "family", "clan", or "cosca", claims sovereignty over a territory in which it operates its rackets – usually a town or village or a neighbourhood (borgata) of a larger city. Their primary activity is protection racketeering, but they are also involved in drug trafficking, loan sharking, and liquor and cigarette smuggling.” Sounds familiar? Have you heard about the families in the PNP? PMA, PNPA, PMO, APOLE, Iglesia, Mason, etc! But the biggest and most damaging families are the Comptroller family, Finance family, COA family, and DBM family. I will explain that in a short while.

That’s right: you read me right. I feel that the PNP had turned into the biggest crime organization in the Philippines right now and those PO1s that you read on the news are not even the tip of the iceberg—they are merely small broken chips of the iceberg. I can finish a whole ream of bond paper if I enumerate and discuss the rackets going on in the PNP. But let me zero in on one very Mafiosique racket in the PNP: The CLEARING FEE. What is this clearing fee? This is the automatic deduction levied on all funds that goes to an end user. Say a District Director is allocated P 100,000 monthly for his MOOE. The DD signs the receipt that he received P 100,000 but in truth, he will be only given P 70,000 because the current rate of Clearing Fee is 30%. Actually, at the regional and provincial levels, the money given to commanders were already “cleared” thus, whether they sign a receipt or not does not matter anymore. It is at the NHQ level that the funds are “CLEARED.” When we say “cleared,” what does it mean? That means that on paper, the money is already spent and the supporting documents are already submitted to the proper authorities, usually the DBM and the COA. For this to succeed, several families must work together: the Comptroller Family, the Finance Family, the DBM Family, and the COA Family!

How do they do this? Well, the explanation will consume another ream of bond paper. So here is just the unmistakable and irrefutable indication of the anomaly: in the last Christmas season (and in previous Christmases), did you notice that the cash gifts given by generals playing Santa to their subordinates are always in cold, hard cash? How do these generals clear these millions? Go figure!

Bacalzo is alarmed for the breach of discipline of his men? He better start reforms at the 1st and 2nd floors of the NHQ!

The Government and the Media

2010-09-15T08:07:00.003+08:00

It is heartwarming to see government officials not afraid of the media. Senator Joker Arroyo is currently a very good poster boy on how government should treat media: take them to task for their wrongdoings. "Don’t tempt us to use our powers here, to now issue a general broadcast policy—that will be a law,” Arroyo warned the executives led by Maria Ressa of ABS-CBN, Jessica Soho of GMA-7, and Luchi Cruz-Valdes of TV5. Arroyo, a human rights lawyer who defended journalists during the Ferdinand Marcos dictatorship, cited provisions of Republic Act No. 7966, which granted franchises to broadcast networks, particularly on “self-regulation.”

That is very morale boosting especially after the angst that built up these past few days while watching Raffy Tulfo pathetically justifying his stupidity of tying up the single line to Mendoza at the most critical moments. Adding to my desire to wring his neck is his trying hard American twang that really sounds horrible. He looks even more stupid while trying so. But that is not what I really want to write about these days.

While I do applaud Sen Arroyo for standing up the media and their lack of sense of country while hiding behind the phrase, "We are just doing our job," I think it is really unecessary to further talk to the media and negotiate and request them to self regulate. Some people will say that policemen in the Philippines may be among the most undisciplined lot but I am sure that these same policemen will look like Sunday-school teachers if you make them stand side by side with members of the Philippine media. As you can see in the inquiries right now, media men will do anything and everything just to outscoop one another. Never mind if somebody or everybody dies.

It will take a long time before the media changes. So in the interim, here is my simple suggestions especially for the police:

The government and its instrumentalities, especially the PNP, should simply ignore the media and treat them as if they are not there. Let them do their job, let us do ours. This is so because no matter how much we beg, the media will report what they want to report. Now for us, let us just do our job according to the book and treat media as if they are not there.

In armed situations, media rarely respects any rule so let us not overburden ourselves in shooing them away. If they want to go in the middle of a firefight, let us not stop them. Let them do their job, let us do ours. Act as if they are not there. If your line of fire to an opponent is blocked by a media man, shoot through anyway. Act as if the media man is not there. If a media man is interviewing a hostage taker and the assault order is given, go ahead with the assault. Act as if the media man is not there. Shoot through your normal line of fire.

Like in the Maguindanao massacre, those media people know that that part of the Philippines is almost lawless. They themselves report and describe Mindanao as such. They themselves know the dangers thus they always love to trumpet "WALANG KINATATAKUTAN, WALANG SINISINO, WALANG INAATRASAN, WALANG BLAH BLAH BLAH." So when something like the Maguindanao incident happens, the government should also treat media as if they are not there. The PNP should exclude them from the victims list or at the very least, just ignore them in the investigation. They are not there.

When mediamen get death threats, the government should treat them as if they do not exist. Let them live up to their boasts that they are ready to die for their profession. It is time that we grant all their wishes!

That God-damned Hostage Drama

2010-08-30T06:25:00.004+08:00

I am very busy but I cannot help but scribble a few notes on that Rizal Park incident. Let me start with my bottomline: That fiasco is solely and wholly the blunder of the decision makers! Let me name them: EXECUTIVE ORDER NO. 309 signed in November 11, 1987 by the late Corazon Aquino states that the Peace and Order Council (that doubles up as the Crisis Management Committee in crisis situations like this), is chaired by the mayor and co-chaired by the chief of police. In short, the decision makers in this case are Lim and Magtibay. Good that Magtibay was already replaced. Lim should follow suit by resigning or literally committing suicide by shooting himself in the head just like the hostages.

But if there is only one person who should be blamed for this fiasco, it is Lim. As a lawyer, he made an asshole of himself bigtime when in the aftermath, during radio interviews, he said, "Hindi ako ang nag order na arestuhin yung kapatid. Ang sabi ko, posasan at dalhin sa presinto." Such a lame excuse. For a supposed to be hardened general, the true Lim came out: a dilly-dallying officer with no backbone of his own. The hero of EDSA I? Truth to tell, he was not! No matter how much his publicists and writers romanticized his role, he was a Marcos boy until the end. He only went to Gen Ramos in Camp Crame when the outcome to the revolution is already beyond question. In fact, just a few hours after he went to see Gen Ramos, Marcos left the country. In short, sigurista talaga sya na ang taya nya ay sa panalo. Lim actually ordered the dispersal of troops that on critical Sunday, February 23, 1986. He never had the courage to say no to Marcos. The real reason that Lim was not able to follow the order to disperse the crowd in EDSA was that he was not able to muster enough policemen to follow him. Only his subordinate Col Dawis and a handful of them followed him to EDSA. All the rest of the policemen cannot be located at that time. He now declares today that he purposely left his other 800 people in Camp Sikatuna. That is pure bullshit. Even to this day, not a single unit in Metro Manila can actually muster 800 men to assemble in that short period of time! He actually ordered Col Dawis to disperse the crowd but Dawis refused to obey him, both due to lack of manpower and due to priciples na rin!

Lim cannot and did not make a stand then. He did not and cannot make a stand now. Fate caught up with him and exposed him. He should leave immediately!

As for the bungling "SWAT" men who stormed the bus: what was their fault? Their fault was the failure of their team leader to tell the decision makers, "Sir, this operation is beyond the capabilities of my unit." It was the stupidity of their bosses to send them to that situation where they are ill-prepared and ill-equipped. Mind you, there are SWAT units in the PNP that are at par or better than some SWATs in other countries. For one, the SAF and NCRPO have SWAT units that are much more capable than the MPD SWAT. In short, there should have been another unit that made the assault but the MPD SWAT.

Good that Magtibay is already out. Lim should follow suit.

Cry Baby Class 78

2010-08-16T18:55:00.001+08:00

Why is it that these Class 78 people are turning out to be cry babies? First it was Bangit. Now it is Angue? Why is it that they were not crying for anything when the winds favored them. Now that they are sailing through headwinds, they begin to cry? For crissake, they are just giving proof that many of them do not deserve the positions they hold. They just keep on proving to their upperclassmen and underclassmen alike that they were appointed to their positions because they happened to adopt Gloria as their mistah! But in terms of professionalism, they are nothing but over ambitious people who lack the talent to achieve their dreams in an even playing field! To Angue, take the lesson from your upperclassman, Ramon Farolan in his counsel to Bangit some few issues back in the Philippine Daily Inquirer. Look for the links in this blog. I hope you are not that incompetent not to find the links! Adios!

Alfredo Lim and Wang Wang

2010-07-05T04:37:00.004+08:00

Last Thursday or Friday, (June 1 or 2), I chanced upon a live interview of Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim over DZMM. I tuned in a bit late in the interview but I got the drift of the conversation. It appeared that Lim declared an all out war against wang wang. He said something to the effect that "Uunahin ko ang mga pulis at ang mga stainless steel jeeps nila. Paano susunod sa batas ang mga tao kung ang mga mismong nagpapatupad nito ay hindi sumusunod?" The anchor appeared to be goading him into saying those fighting words.

This interview of Lim really got my goat. It showed his age and his rumored very deteriorated mental state. He is so out of touch with reality. That time, I want to shout in his face, "Hoy Mayor, hindi pulis ang nag wa wang wang nang illegal sa kalye. Ito ay ang mga pulitiko na gaya mo at mga Intsik na gaya mo uli." True enough, on Sunday, the HPG conducted operations in Binondo area and netted around 50 wang wangs. Another 30 was reportedly voluntarily surrendered by their owners--yes, all Tsinoy businessmen in Binondo.

This anti wang wang campaign of PNoy did not affect many cops. Only very very few use wang wang in their private cars. Most of the illegal wang wang users are the politicos and rich businessmen and their escorts. Mind you, many of these escorts are civilians who are often like flies perched on top of a carabao and thought that they are taller than the carabao! The very glaring evidence is that in the wake of the anti wang wang drive spurred by PNoy's lead and pronouncements, not one policeman was included in the list of illegal wang wang users.

Kaya Pulis na Pogi cheers, "Go, go, go, Pnoy!

P-Noy, V-Nay, and Wang-wang

2010-07-02T06:52:00.000+08:00

Now comes the first disagreement between P-Noy and V-Nay. And of all things, it is about wang wang. P-Noy says that he is against the use of wang wang except those allowed by PD 96 while V-Nay says that he needs it especially if he is responding to shooting incident or fires. The arguments reflect the real mindsets of the protagonists. For P-Noy, his stand is reflective of his desire to actually create equality in the country. The wang wang is the ultimate display of arrogance and panlalamang of public officials. During campaign they say, “Iboto nyo ang inyong abang lingkod!’ but when they win they say through their wang wangs, “Tumabi kayo at dadaan ang inyong abang lingkod!” How “assholic!”

On the other hand, V-Nay’s stand is reflective also of his mindset: a trapo who needs to be in the action first, even to the extent of undermining those who were supposed to be in charge. Let me take him at his word: shooting incident. He said he needs wang wang to go to the scene first. V-Nay, if you do not know it yet, the first responder should be the cops. Now, let us say you arrived ahead of them, what would you do? Of course, infront of the cameras, you will berate them because they are so slow, inept, corrupt, etc. But did you consider that they were riding in Model 90 Toyota Corollas? Most probably, its wang wang and top lights are also defective because the good patrol cars are there escorting people like you, who aside from having hawi boys on motorcycle, are also aboard the latest Toyota Land Cruisers with wang wang. Naturally, the likes of V-Nay would be on the scene first while the cops are still chipping in for gas money to be used in their patrol cars.

I really do not have a quarrel with public officials playing to the camera during crisis situations (like Bong Revilla telling Ducut “Mahal kita!” hahahaha) but I believe that if they want to be on the scene first, then they ride a marked vehicle. Then they can use their wang wang all they want. Also, this will give the criminals a good chance of shooting at them when they arrive at the scene! Hahahaha

For those who say that the time of public officials are very important such that they cannot be stuck in traffic, that is stupid reasoning. Any public official who says that, can try resigning immediately and I am sure, he will not be missed. Now, if he hates traffic, then as a public official, he is in the position to correct that. He should then solve the traffic problem so that he will not get stuck in it!

Now for those who say that P-Noy is endangering himself when he stops at traffic lights, that mindset is so 1700s. The armoring technology in the 21st century is almost perfect that you practically need a howitzer to hurt a passenger of an appropriately armored vehicle. P-Noy can actually stop in the traffic all he wants and nobody can lay a finger on him. The armoring of the presidential car is at B7! Now, if somebody can already prove that you can conceal a howitzer in a holster, then by all means, P-Noy should use the wang wang!

PO2 Jomel Caronan, HERO!

2010-06-29T07:48:00.002+08:00

PO2 Jomel Caronan joins the list of the elite group of policemen who were given the chance to be a hero, stood up to the challenge, and emerged unscathed. This is indeed heartwarming and I hope that this is a portent of things to come in the P-Noy administration.

Not all policemen is given this chance in their lifetime. In fact, majority of policemen who stay in the service for more than 30 years in the service, will never have this kind of chance encounter in flagrante delicto. And not all who will encounter this opportunity will step up to the challenge. Others will run away. Others will just pretend that they have not seen anything. More so in the case of PO2 Caronan, he could have opted to just drive away because he is assigned in Paranaque and the place of incident is in Manila. Unfortunately, shoe who accept this challenge do not survive or gets injured to a varying degree. This makes the accomplishment of PO2 Caronan a triple victory for him!

Once again, congratulations to PO2 Jomel Caronan!

Hopes of Pulis na Pogi Under the P-Noy Presidency

2010-06-28T10:22:00.002+08:00

So P-Noy is taking over on Wednesday. I really hope that he shall be the change that he promised to be. As a cop, I really pray for a lot of changes but the foremost that I hope for is the end of the palakasan and bata bata system in positioning. I do recognize that the PNP will never be immune from political forces but I hope that it simply comes to play as a tie breaker. Merit and fitness should be the first and foremost consideration. Only if the candidates are all qualified that political consideration can come into play. For the policeman, the basic order is “Let us run after criminals and put them behind bars. If they fight us, we fight and fire back!” With this basic order, I hope that at the very minimum, P-Noy would consider that this statement is not all figurative: especially for police leaders sporting stars on their shoulders, once in their police lives they should have experienced doing this order literally. And as leaders who are expected to lead their men by example, they should still be able to perform this order literally if needed. Consider the following:

1. To literally run after criminals, policemen should be physically fit. So P-Noy should retire those invalid and sickly generals who cannot run anymore. At the very least, they should not be given command positions because they are bad examples to their men in terms of caring for one’s self.

2. To literally put criminals behind bars, policemen should know how to patrol and pound their beats. Likewise, policemen should also know how to investigate and sit in the prosecution’s witness chair and present these evidences in court. Thus, P-Noy should fire those generals who have not yet experienced being a prosecution witness in a criminal trial. Or they should be returned to the level where they will have the opportunity to experience this firsthand. Until then, I assure you that they do not know what they are talking about! There are so many of them.

3. To fire back, policemen must be adept in handling their firearms. However, current statistics show that 90% of policemen do not know how to shoot straight. And this is supported by statistics from the national headquarters. There are a lot of generals among these incompetent shooters! So to jump start things, P-Noy should revert these generals to PO1 status! For how dare you to command “Fire!” when you yourself do not know how to do it properly?

Many of these generals will say that being a police general, they need not perform all these things themselves. The basic order is not supposed to be literal but a figurative statement. My retort is short and sweet: In that case, be an artista!

More on the other wishes of Pulis na Pogi on the next posts. Abangan!

VERY, VERY STUPID BANGIT!

2010-06-23T16:48:00.002+08:00

I know that this title will again stir not only a few angry remarks but I cannot anymore contain the frustrations that I have kept to myself for the past few days. Actually, I was about to applaud Bangit when he declared that he is retiring early but with his latest remarks, I think I have to say my piece.

In an earlier post, I called Bangit a stupid but greedy and ambitious officer. This did not sit well with one of my readers who posted a defense for Bangit. But with Bangit’s latest remarks made during his speech as outgoing CS, I would dare say again that HE IS STUPID YET GREEDY AND AMBITIOUS BEYOND COMPARE! AND NOW LET ME ADD: HE IS ARROGANT AND UNFIT TO BE CALLED AN OFFICER AND A GENTLEMAN.

He said a lot of stupidities in that speech and I intend to dissect all of them one by one but let me focus with the portion that I have the most beef at. He said,

"I am concerned that because of what happened to me, people will think that the position of AFP Chief of Staff is co-terminus with the President. It is not and will never be,” he told the audience, which included outgoing President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

When I read these remarks on the papers, my jaw dropped and exclaimed, “My God, who is this Bangit? Was he really the Chief of Staff?” This is because as the highest mammal leading the military organization of the Philippines, it is expected that he is well-versed with the legal, moral, ethical, and all the other basis of his and his organization’s existence. At the very least, he should have known the legal basis.

In case he did not know it yet, the AFP was created under COMMONWEALTH ACT No. 1 titled “The National Defense Act.” Officially, it is “AN ACT TO PROVIDE FOR THE NATIONAL DEFENSE OF THE PHILIPPINES, PENALIZING CERTAIN VIOLATIONS THEREOF, APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES.”

If he had not read it yet after 36 years in the military service, let me cite for him the most relevant provisions that are applicable in his case:

Article I, Section 2 (d). The civil authority shall always be supreme. The President of the Philippines as the Commander-in-Chief of all military forces, shall be responsible that mobilization measures are prepared at all times.

Article II, Section 22 (b). Officers shall be commissioned in the Army of the Philippines subject to such examinations for the determination of fitness and proficiency as the President may prescribe. All appointments and promotions shall be made by the President, but the appointments and promotions in the Army from the rank of colonel shall be made with the consent of the Commission on Appointments of the National Assembly.

Article II Section 23 (a) The Chief of Staff shall be directly subordinate to the President of the Philippines.

Had Bangit cared for the AFP like the way he said he cared for it, he should have made himself thoroughly well-versed with the legal basis of his existence. This way, he should have realized that his career as a pure soldier ended at the rank of Lt. Col. considering the fact that after that rank, he had to directly kowtow with the politicians especially those in the Commission on Appointments. And kowtow he did. In fact, I would dare say that he politicized himself more and better than the others and in the end, these political connections propelled him to the highest military post of the land way ahead of his time and way ahead of his many seniors.

Bangit has to acknowledge that this political factor intensifies as a soldier move further up in the hierarchy and culminates at the Chief of Staff position wherein the enabling law found it necessary to define it with a very special, separate, and specific article: “Article II Section 23 (a) The Chief of Staff shall be directly subordinate to the President of the Philippines.” This simply means one and only thing: the CS position is a position of confidence and in GMA’s time, Bangit benefitted the most from it. If he dares to deny this, then let him deny this in front of Classes 76 and 77.

The Board of Generals and others what-have-you may make recommendations, but in the end, it is the President who decides. Remove that prerogative of the President and the civil authorities and imagine the possible chaos that it will bring.

At this stage, Bangit should take heed from Jackie Chan in Rush Hour: “I like to let people who like to talk, talk. It makes it easier to find out how full of shit they are.”

Bangit should keep his shit to himself.

Happy to be a Cop, despite...

2010-06-22T05:23:00.003+08:00

The father’s day special article of Philippine Daily Inquirer written by Patricia Evangelista entitled “Girl survives massacre but finds a father and a name” is special in two counts: It caught my eye literally—it made me cry—because 1) It was a moving story of a girl snatched from hell, and 2) The hero guy happened to be a policeman. But making it most special is the fact that the article was written by Patricia Evangelista, a writer who is not really known to be a fan of the police. And the way she wrote the article showed her bias.

Ezzeah’s story is undoubtedly extraordinary. However, as a Father’s Day article, it was written more like a “Baby’s Day Special.” Yes, the policeman hero, PO3 Edgardo Figuracion, was mentioned and so were his superiors, Chief Supt. Angelo Sunglao and PNP Director General Jesus Verzosa. All were fathers who made this miracle possible, yet the latter two’s participation merited only a single line. The likes of PO3 Edgardo Figuracion, Sunglao, and Versoza in the PNP far outnumbers the scums that always land in the front pages. But that is Evangelista’s way.

From my pulis viewpoint, the most significant contrast in the story are the two fathers of Ezzeah: her biological and her adopted fathers. The former is a tricycle driver, the latter is the perceived mortal enemy of tricycle drivers: a cop. If their encounter is in another venue or forum, most probably, the cop would be the much reviled and maligned character and the tricycle driver the “kawawang maliit na tao na inapi ng may kapangyarihan.” If there is one thing that I would really like to highlight here, it is the irresponsibility of the tricycle driver. In most probability, his attitude towards his daughter is reflective of the typical tricycle driver's attitude about driving in the streets : “Bahala na kayo dyan, basta ako kumita lang.” This is the very same attitude that led him to make three children even if it appeared that he cannot support them properly. The death of his wife and his 4-year old son would have resulted in him having two less mouths to feed. But he chose to run away from the responsibility, much like the way tricycle drivers run away from accident scenes whenever they can. And don’t tell me they don’t—I had been a victim of these scums.

The story of the tricycle is a reflection of the environment in which it operates in. While it is true that tricycles are necessary in some cases, most of the time, it operates at routes that can be considered “walking distance.” It simply feeds that “indolence of the Filipinos” that even a distance that would have merited a short walk becomes a tricycle route. But that is beside the point.

The way Evangelista wrote the article brought forth to mind another joke that goes this way: One day, a woman was praying inside a church. She was praying loudly, “Dyos ko, bigyan nyo po ako ng P100 na pambili ng gamot ng anak ko.” The cop who was seated beside her took pity on her. But when the cop pulled out his wallet, he found out that he only have P50. Nevertheless, he took it out and gave to the woman his last money. And so the woman prayed again, “Dyos ko salamat po at dininig nyo ang aking panalangin. Pero sana sa susunod wag nyo na idaan sa pulis kasi kalahati lang ang natanggap ko!”

Lt Gen Delfin Bangit should resign now

2010-06-14T06:50:00.006+08:00

It has been quite a long time that I held my peace and temper on Bangit. First and foremost, he is in the military and I am a cop. Professional courtesy dictates that I do not comment on the military's affairs. But with his latest pronouncement in the media that he was hurt because "Aquino did not inform him that he would not be retained as Armed Forces chief" I just cannot control my rage anymore. Bangit's is the ultimate poster boy of the Arroyo generals: Stupid, but greedy and ambitious officers who will sell their souls just to get their ambitions (that are normally beyond their natural talents). For how can you follow a totally discredited leader if you do not swallow your dignity that was honed to value "courage, integrity, and loyalty" during your ideal and formative years? You have to totally fool yourself to be able to convince that inner voice in you to recognize Gloria Arroyo's legitimacy. One such officer who can do (and did) that was Bangit. He not only silenced that inner voice in him: he murdered that voice forever. He is one of the Hello Garci Generals!

When Bangit said "Spare the military from politics and intrigues" shortly after he was bypassed by the Commission on Appointments, I nearly made this article already. How dare him say that after he himself dragged the military into the political abyss with the "Hello Garci!" But I still held my peace. But his pronouncement that he "was hurt" took the cake. What does he expect, Noynoy to call him at this point? Even after the proclamation, his idol Gloria is still the President. Noynoy is only limited to preparations for the transition and he has no real power yet. He should never begrudge Noynoy if the latter is acting professionally, unlike him who is acting like a child.

Bangit, after all those years in the military, should have known that a soldier's professional career service ends at the rank of Lt. Colonel. Anything higher than that are already political positions and this is enshrined in the 1987 Philippinne Constitution. (But I think Bangit knows this all the while. He is just playing dumb at his convenience and for his advantage at this time of crisis with Noynoy.) He should read Article VII, Section 16 of the 1987 Philippine Constitution. It is stated there that Colonels and above are presidential appointees and their appointments must be confirmed by the Commission on Appointments. If he cannot grasp the "politicalness" of that situation, then he has no right to be called a soldier.

But I think Bangit knows this very well. When he was appointed Army Chief in 2009, not a few thought that there were other more deserving senior officers bypassed. But the more professional officers held their peace. The same also happened when he was appointed AFP Chief this year. He jumped over more than 20 senior officers from classes 76 and 77. Still only some of these officers just expressed their displeasures and frustrations. And more than that, all officers carried on, understanding that the President can choose even a Brigadier General as the AFP Chief of Staff because of two vital criteria: trust and confidence. Now that he does not enjoy it from the new President, he dares to cry foul? How dare! (or how stupid?)

About that bull that there are no resignations in the Army or the military, a simple google search with the keyword "general resigns" returns almost 4 million pages. Generals resign for various reasons all over the world. Resignation and retirement are two very legal options of every officer at any stage of his career!

Bangit should take either option now. Those are the last remaining options he has. This is his past opportunity to at least redeem some of his dignity that once held sacred the ideals of "courage, integrity, loyalty."

Man claims money woes led wife to abortionist

2010-06-11T07:35:00.002+08:00

HER CONCERN OVER THE added financial burden of having another mouth to feed drove his 22-year-old pregnant wife to seek help from an abortionist.

This was the claim made Thursday by the husband of Catherine Castro who was arrested on Tuesday afternoon by barangay officials in Quezon City based on a tip from a concerned citizen.

(Please read the whole article from inquirer.net by clicking on the tile above.)

My pulis take:

http://pulisnapogi.blogspot.com/2006/10/tragic-but-what-can-we-do-haaay_24.html

http://pulisnapogi.blogspot.com/2006/10/mabuhay-ka-father.html

http://pulisnapogi.blogspot.com/2010/04/pro-life-group-junks-aquino.html

The above links are my previous articles on sex education, contraception, and my railings about the Catholic Church. Now here comes another incident of intentional abortion. At the very least, this is one of the strongest arguments that the Catholic Church should consider in reexamining their stand on the RH Bill. If before we thought that abortion is only performed in unwanted pregnancies by pregnant unwed women, then here is the proof that a legally married woman, impregnated by her legal husband--and the pregnancy is acknowledged by the husband--may seek abortion for other reasons. In this case, it is financial. This also goes to show that people nowadays are fully aware of the burden and responsibilities brought about by child rearing. Given a choice, these people will definitely take steps to avoid unwanted pregnancy. To do so effectively, they have to be educated. And this is through sex education that the Catholic Church so strongly opposed for so long a time now (since the Spanish era! hahaha).

Heck, with Noynoy at the helm, I hope he stands firm on his earlier pronouncements supporting the RH Bill. I hope he will not kowtow to the Catholic Church just like what his predecessors did.

Well anyway, there is no Catholic vote. If the Roman Catholic Church has not realized it yet, it is now almost irrelevant in Philippine politics. Just look at the latest elections and the previous elections.

They should now realize that Iglesia is already the big IT!

Obillos and Company Deserved What They Got!

2010-06-08T06:23:00.012+08:00

I am making this post as an addendum to my previous post regarding this same topic (Cavite police chief, 17 more cops face murder raps). I based my previous conclusions on what I saw on the early evening news. I focused on the two portions where Col Obillos was grappling with the M60 LMG and PO Paraiso holding the hand of a policeman checking his gun in his holster.

Today I reviewed the footage in Google and was even more shocked by the other details I saw. At 1:51 of the video, the man (presumably PO Paraiso) holding the hand of the policeman checking on his 9mm in his holster is himself holding an M-16. Worse, the M16 appeared to be pointed to the cop. And where ever it was actually pointed, it is definite that the M16 was held in a "ready position." All these happened while that man was shouting to the policeman "Bitawan mo yan!"

At the start of the video, at about 1:16 mark, it can be clearly seen that the cop driving the jeep was harassed by the people of Obillos to the extent that he shouted, "Wag nyo ko anuhin! Pambihira naman kayo. Tatawagin ko nga CO ko!" to which somebody from the Obillos camp retorted, "Tawagan mo! Sige tawagin mo! Sige humawak ka pa sa baril mo!" This retort was shouted while the cop was clearly walking away! In this exchange alone, it can be definitely seen who are the provocateurs! The cop was actually going the pacifist way! "Tawagin ko CO ko!" is rarely followed by "Sige para magbarilan na tayo!" When a policeman decides to call for his superiors already, then he is actually wanting to get a way out. He is passing the buck to his superior. He has no murder in mind.

Compare that with a person telling an obviously armed cop (of course, he is in uniform!) "Sige humawak ka pa sa baril mo!" What does that person intend to do if the cop holds his gun? Shoot the cop? All the time, in that instance, cops are trained to check on their gun by resting their palm in it while holstered. By all means, that is "hawak" in its barest form. Is that now permission for them to shoot the cop? What did that person has in mind provoking the cop like that?

These new details strenghtened my earlier conclusion. Infact, now, more than ever, I firmly believe that Obillos and company got what they deserved that day!

I hope that the authorities, especially the judges and prosecutors who will handle the case, will see things in an impassioned way.

Good work and kudos to the Cavite Police!

PS.

At 3:48 of the video, the lawyer of Obillos, Atty Rey Robles said, "Pag makipagbarilan ka, isa, dalawang tama...pag tumumba ka na, tama na yun no. E ito, sabi nga ng isang taga NBI na tumulong sa amin para dun sa report, parang hindi na tao ang mga bumaril dito e. Lapas ng 50 ang tama."

I wonder how many shootouts this lawyer has been into personally. When you are in a shootout, especially in that kind of close encounter, you do not have the luxury of time to check on your opponent especially if he is armed with firearms stronger than yours. I believe that that lawyer, an educated man that he is, agrees to this. But who can blame him? He was already bought by his clients to say the things they want him to say.

Joavan, Mayor Soc to be charged Monday

2010-06-07T13:26:00.002+08:00

The .45 caliber pistol used in Friday's road rage incident in Talisay City involving Joavan Fernandez and a businessman driving a BMW, is still missing.

Joavan's red Isuzu Bighorn was towed yesterday to the police station as law enforcers refused to inspect the car without a court warrant.

The police's failure to open the car immediately after arresting Joavan, the Talisay mayor’s son, was a wasted opportunity, said two legal sources.

They don't need a warrant for that, said lawyer Democrito Barcenas in an interview.

“As long as the arrest was lawful, a search can be made,” he said.

A second source, a judge who asked to remain unnamed, confirmed this.

Read the whole article from the Philippine Daily Inquirer website by clicking on the title above.

My pulis take:

I do not believe that the Talisay, Cebu policemen are that stupid not to know that "search incidental to arrest is legal." I just think that these policemen were just staying in the side of caution in protecting themselves. Personally I believe that what they did was wrong--very very wrong. But who can blame them? Consider the options they were facing:

1. If they searched the car, they could have found the weapon--and earned the ire of Mayor Soc. By all indicators, Mayor Soc is the textbook example of a "kunsitidor." In this particular case, if the reports were accurrate, it appears that he even personally retrieved the main evidence and "corpus dilecti" in this crime. So if you are a Talisay policeman, what would you prefer, earn the ire of Mayor Soc and make Vincent Joe Castrodes happy or vice versa? Who is Joe anyway?

2. If the policemen searched Joavan's car, the latter could charge them with robbery (even if unfounded of course). The criminal aspect of the robbery case may be resolved in their favor by the courts later but the administrative part may be filed by Joavan in the PLEB. And guess who is the ultimate head of the PLEB? Yes, you guessed it right, the Mayor--the Dad! The law mandates that one member of the PLEB is an SB member and another is a Bgy Captain. Usually, both of these guys are the Mayor's choices.

3. Now that they did not do their duty, the policemen "will face a separate administrative investigation for their “lapses” in the case," said Sr. Supt. Erson Digal, provincial police director. Well, the complainant in this case will be the PNP itself. For the involved policemen, this is way better than a case where Joavan is the complainant.

So there you have it. Some pulis idea from a pulis na pogi. And by the way, before critics lambast me, i would like to remind you that Mayor Soc is always right. And people of Talisay agree with him. Just look at the results of the recent elections!

Hahaha, fire away!

Cavite police chief, 17 more cops face murder raps

2010-06-04T06:52:00.004+08:00

MANILA, Philippines - Double murder and frustrated murder charges were filed before the Department of Justice on Wednesday morning against 18 policemen for the killing of 2 security aides of a former congressman on May 10.

Leading the respondents was Senior Superintendent Primitivo Tabujara Jr., director of the Cavite provincial police office.

The other policemen charged were Superintendent Ramil Montilla, Chief Inspector Christopher Olazo, Senior Police Officer (SPO) 4 Jimmy Narag, SPO2 ariel panganiban, SPO1 Janelito Dinglasan, Police Officers 3 Ricardo Poblete, Salvador Cesma, Domingo Garcia, Police Officers 2 Alvin Sinko, Wilfred Casalme, Renato Bayo, Bobby Zamora, and Police Officer 1 Rafael Rodriguez.

The charges filed stemmed from an encounter between the security team of former congressman Plaridel "Del" Abaya and the policemen in front of the Bacoor Municipal Police Station on election day.

Abaya's chief security officer, retired police senior superintendent Arnulfo Obillos, and security aide Navy Petty Officer 2 Juanito Paraiso were killed in the supposed encounter.

Abaya's lawyer, Rex Robles, said evidence recorded by the police's scene-of-the-crime office and eye witness accounts show that Obillos and Paraiso were shot at close range, which is contrary to claims of the policemen that they were killed in a shootout.

Robles added that Paraiso, who died of multiple gunshot wounds, including 2 in the head, tested negative for gunpowder nitrates which showed that they did not fire back at the policemen.

The lawyer told reporters that the filing of the criminal charges against the policemen goes beyond politics and that they were simply seeking justice for the families of Obillos and Paraiso.

Grabbed from abs-cbnNEWS.com
Posted at 06/02/2010 12:51 PM | Updated as of 06/02/2010 11:17 PM

My pulis take:

Two nights ago, I saw on GMAs early evening news 24 Oras the video footages taken by somebody moments before the alleged shoot out occured. I believe that the policemen involved in the incident are justified in the use of force. Many people will say that I am biased for the cops, and I admit I may be, but let me explain.

Early in the video footage, it can be seen that Obillos was grappling with a cop for the M-60 machine gun. Accounts differ later whether Obillos actually got control of the gun. However, the mere act of Obillos of touching the gun of the cop is already enough fatal trigger. Many will not understand this but here is the explanation:

Cops are armed for a purpose. If you notice, other private people are also allowed to carry firearms but only the cops and other authorities in uniform are allowed to do so openly and in full view of the public. All others are admonished to keep their firearms away from sight. This permission to cops and authorities are embedded with both symbolic and tactical reasons.

First, the cop is a symbol of government authority. He is the frontline representative of the government and his uniform is the symbol of that authority. The gun is part of his uniform.

That brings us to the second reason, which is tactical in nature. In the course of the job of the cop of discharging his duties in maintaining peace and order and other government regulations, it is always assumed that there will be people who will opt not to submit to this authority. It is also assumed that these people will hurt the cop if the latter intervenes in their affair. Anyone who would dispute this can try an experiment or two: Without carrying a gun, try to stop or pacify two people beating each other to hell. Or try stopping a burglar emerging from the shop he had just robbed. Obviously, the one intervening needs to have an absolute advantage over the people he is intevening on. It is not acceptable that the authorities give a "fair fight" to suspects. Every intervention must always be to the advantage of the authorities, usually symbolized by the cop. This is upheld in Supreme Court jurisprudence. No government takes risks with their cops' lives on the line to give a fair fight. Anyone who would dispute this should try being a barangay tanod for a night. With this backdrop, it is obvious that the only real instrument that can maintain this advantage is the GUN DISPLAYED OPENLY.

Col Obillos most probably knew very well as a retired officer that his action of attempting to take away that advantage is a disaster in the making. And a disaster it actually turned out to be.

As for the case of Navy Petty Officer 2 Juanito Paraiso, I saw in the footage that he was holding the hand of a cop, presumably to prevent the latter from drawing his pistol. As a navy man not trained in police work, Paraiso must have not known that what he did was also fatal. Here is the explanation:

Cops here and abroad are taught this lesson right at the very start: ALWAYS BE ONE STEP AHEAD. For those interested, you can read the book "Tactical Edge" by Charles Remsberg. (http://www.amazon.com/Tactical-Edge-Surviving-High-Risk-Patrol/dp/093587805X) This book is the "Bible" of street patrolmen in almost all US police forces. This means that in any situation, the policemen must anticipate potential dangers and the most dangerous weapon out there is a gun. One has to undertand the basic force continuum in the use of the gun: for a gun carrying individual, to use the gun, one has to follow the following steps in order. 1. if the gun is concealed, like tucked in the waist or placed inside a bag, one has to take it out first in the open or open that bag or raise that shirt. 2. Second is to hold that gun. 3. The third step is to draw that gun. 4. The next step is to aim that gun. 5. And the last step is to fire that gun. To emphasize the obvious, steps 1 to 5 may take less than a second to a skilled gun user.

That cop in the video sees armed people all around him at that moment. In this scenario, you do not leave your gun unchecked in the holster where it can be grabbed. Likewise, you can get shot anytime during that moment. The most practical way of checking that your gun is still in your holster and at the same time be one step ahead of others, is to place your hand over your gun (without drawing it of course). This is what the navy man must have failed to understand. He grabbed the hand of the cop shouting, "Wag mong bunutin yan!" This is his second fatal mistake. You do not tell a cop what he is supposed to do, especially in things relating to his self defense. In that case, if you think that the cop is about to draw his weapon, the correct reaction of a civilian is to surrender by raising his hand or to just simply run away. In that particular incident that took place in a very public location, either of the two options would be the wisest move. If you have complaints against the actions of the cops, then you can take that up later (ALIVE of course) with the courts, the NAPOLCOM, the DILG, the PLEB, the Mayor, the IAS, the COP, the PD, the RD, the Chief PNP, the CHR, the Civil Service Commission, the OMBUDSMAN, or if all these formal channels fail, the media. Yes Virginia, ganun karami ang disciplinary authorities na pwedng magimbestiga at magsuspinde ng mga pulis! But Paraiso chose to take matters in his own hands literally. And the result is fatal.

Super Garapal Political Ads

2010-05-04T14:58:00.002+08:00

Over lunch today, I saw a tv spot for the partylist group endorsed by Romeo Jalosjos. A google search on the KAKUSA partylist showed that "it has for its chairman emeritus the convicted child rapist and former Zamboanga del Norte Rep. Romeo Jalosjos. It is supported by the Lamb of God Foundation and by the outreach program for elderly inmates reported to be established by Jalosjos." What really got my attention is that in the tv spot, Jalosjos was surrounded by children, male and female! For crissake! Is this not the Romeo Jalosjos who was convicted of statutory rape for having sex with a child?

I held my peace for quite a while because I just do not have that much spare time in my hand. I thought that the battlecry of De Venecia, "Palabra de Honor, Dedikasyon, Delikadeza" was repugnant in its lowliest form, for how can you claim delikadeza when you joined in the bidding of a multi million peso ZTE project while your father is the Speaker of the House? But this ad of jalosjos comes along and I can't stop puking.

Hay, Pilipinas Kong Mahal!

Pro-life group junks Aquino

2010-04-23T08:27:00.002+08:00

CEBU CITY—A pro-life group in the Visayas has junked Liberal Party standard-bearer Sen. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III for supporting the passage of the Reproductive Health (RH) bill and called on pro-life voters to reject him at the polls.

Paul Hubahib, spokesperson and member of the Task Force Family and Life (TFFL)-Visayas core group, said Aquino and most of his senatorial candidates are staunch proponents of the RH bill.

“I don’t care if the Catholic Church will abandon me because of my support for the ‘Reproductive Health’ bill...We must ensure full availability of contraceptives,” Hubahib quoted Aquino as saying.

Read the full article from the Inquirer by clicking on the title above)

May take:

These pro-lifers should get real. The Catholic Church offers several arguments to support their stand. Among them is the reasoning classified in "Nature" from the www.catholic.com website. Let me quote:

"Contraception is wrong because it’s a deliberate violation of the design God built into the human race, often referred to as "natural law." The natural law purpose of sex is procreation. The pleasure that sexual intercourse provides is an additional blessing from God, intended to offer the possibility of new life while strengthening the bond of intimacy, respect, and love between husband and wife. The loving environment this bond creates is the perfect setting for nurturing children.

But sexual pleasure within marriage becomes unnatural, and even harmful to the spouses, when it is used in a way that deliberately excludes the basic purpose of sex, which is procreation. God’s gift of the sex act, along with its pleasure and intimacy, must not be abused by deliberately frustrating its natural end—procreation."

The bottomline for this argument is that, "Sex is primarily for procreation. Pleasure is just an add on."

The Catholics should ask themselves, "Is this really true to humans?" To animals, it is natural, but to human? Lets enumerate animal behavior as we observe it. Let us choose dogs but for pigs and horses, this is also the same. Dogs mate for one purpose: procreation. A bitch in heat SEEKS OUT STUDS to mate with her. It only does this when it is in heat. In all other times during its menstrual cycle, it does not entertain studs. Studs on the other other hand, will only mate with a bitch in heat because it has only one purpose: procreation. Now that is natural because the main sex organ of the animals are located in between their legs.

How about humans? Men and women are capable to engage in sex morning noon and night. Humans can have sex during menstruation, ovulation, menopause, and almost all other times. This is so because the main sex organ of humans is located in between their ears. Those who cannot grasp this concept are totally unqualified to argue about birth control--like the priests. Or do they really?

It’s final: High court rules Arroyo may appoint new CJ

2010-04-23T07:11:00.003+08:00

WHAT'S IN IT FOR US? MY "UTAK-PULIS" OPINION.

BAGUIO CITY—Ruling with finality, the Supreme Court Tuesday reiterated that President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo may appoint the successor of Chief Justice Reynato Puno, and that the high court was exempt from the election ban covering midnight appointments.

Supreme Court Administrator Midas Marquez said the justices denied the motion for reconsideration filed by 17 petitioners and intervenors against the tribunal’s March 17 ruling that authorized Ms Arroyo to appoint the next Chief Justice during election season.

(Click on the title for the full article from the Philippine Daily Inquirer)

My take:

Why is the President, who is on her way out, so hell bent to appoint the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, despite the protests from almost all fronts? Could it be because she has the only the interests of the nation in keeping the balance between the three branches of the government, thus leaving behind a legacy of stable government? But her 9 year in office had shown that the interest of the nation is almost at the bottom of her priorities whenever she make monumental decisions. ZTE, fertilizer scam, road users tax, etc. There were just too many to mention them all. So what is this all about?

Except for the Chief Justice, all justices are now Arroyo appointees. So what is the significance of this? Well, from my pulis point of view, Arroyo is not stepping down on June 30. All indicators point to her holding on to power. She had consolidated the armed forces with the appointment of her "mistahs" in key positions. She need not force Versoza to quit his post as Chief PNP because she knows that the key PNP force, NCRPO is under her loyal general, another Class 78 in Director Rosales. That said, all she has to mind now is a Supreme Court that will uphold the legitimacy of her actions, whatever she does next, much like the way the Supreme Court upheld her legitimacy during EDSA II.

So what are these options?

She can manipulate the correct agencies to declare a failure of elections. In this case, she holds on to power by force and the AFP can invoke tha they, being the "protector of the people," concurs with her. If the Supreme Court upholds this, then Noynoy Aquino can kiss his presidential ambitions goodbye.

She can orchestrate the military to declare a coup-de-etat and grab power for a "junta." Being a member of Class 78, she has a good shot of squeezong herself in the inner circle, thus perpetuating her power. Or the military, after declaring a coup, goes into the drama of returning the power to the civil authorities--namely gloria Arroyo because there is no legitimately elected president because of the coup.

Another option is that, as a member of the House of Representatives, she can manipulate the House into convening and declaring a caretaker head of government. This is possible if there will be a partial failure of election wherein the counting of votes for the national candidates will not be finished on time. At this juncture, there is no President, Vice President, and Senate President. As such the legitimate successor based on the law is the Speaker of the House. If she does this, then she will only need the concurrence of the Chief Justice to complete her hold to power.

In the worst case scenario, Arroyo needs the Chief Justice to declare Gibo Teodoro the winner. This is a very real possibility and she is already laying the ground work with the filing of Election lawyer Romulo Macalintal on April 5 of a petition asking the Supreme Court to abolish the presidential electoral tribunal (PET) and declare the body as unconstitutional. Click on this link to read the news article in Yahoo. In a nutshell, the petition asks the Supreme Court to stop convening itself as a Presidential Electoral Tribunal and simply leave everything to the Chief Justice. The petition is so brazen and its sinister purpose so obvious, that the Office of the Solicitor General, led by the now infamous Alberto Agra, despite all his frailties and schemes in the Ampatuan case, had already made its stand objecting to the petition.

So the pattern is established at this point. Arroyo is hell bent in making sure that the Chief Justice is hers. This is to ensure that the SC will uphold the legitimacy of her next move to hold on to power. Then she can do anything and everything.

If she can legitimize her manicurist in the Pag-ibig board and her gardener as Deputy of the Luneta park Administration, then she can legitimize herself as the hold over President of Republic of the Philippines.

Ang Ladlad and the Bishop

2010-04-09T21:33:00.003+08:00

Bishop opposes party-list group Ang Ladlad

By Leila B. Salaverria
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 19:43:00 04/09/2010

Filed Under: Elections, Churches (organisations)

MANILA, Philippines—Despite the Supreme Court’s affirmation of Ang Ladlad's right to run in the May elections, an official of the Catholic Church believes the party-list group for gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgenders should not be allowed to enter Congress, and said he would discourage people from voting for it.

Caloocan Bishop Deogracias Iniguez, chairman of the committe on public affairs of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines, said the Catholic Church disagrees with the Supreme Court ruling and said accrediting Ang Ladlad as a party-list group would encourage an “abnormality.”

Please click on the title above for the complete story from the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

My take:

I am very busy lately so I have not posted anything for quite a while. I am still very busy now but I just want to vent the expletives building up inside me. Yes, there are a lot of shit going on in this country: Mike Arroyo the Fatman behind every scam, the lame duck CPNP Versoza, the Liar in Villar, and of course the Shameless President Gloria. But among the most apalling among these bull is the pretentiousness of the Roman Catholic Church.

Caloocan Bishop Deogracias Iniguez, chairman of the committe on public affairs of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines really went overboard in disagreeing with the Supreme Court to the extent of calling the situation of the LGBT sector an abnormality. If that was the case, then a lot of the priests, bishops, and cardinals are ABNORMAL! Let them dispute that in the light of the apology of the Pope himself for the sexual abuse committed by priests against young boys in Ireland. One article read:

Last week, a psychiatrist who treated a priest decades ago in a German archdiocese run by the future pope said he had repeatedly warned that the priest, who was accused of sexually abusing boys, should never work with children again. The priest was re-assigned to parish work almost immediately after his therapy began, and one of Benedict’s deputies at the time has taken responsibility for that decision. Less than five years later, the priest was accused of molesting other boys, and in 1986 was convicted of sexual abuse.

Plastic!!!

Here are some links that you need to read before you open your mouth, Bishop!

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/20/AR2010032000999.html

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/21/world/europe/21pope.html

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE62J0JF20100320

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8577740.stm

Fugitive Lacson

2010-02-06T00:18:00.005+08:00

So the warrant is finally out. Upon learning that an arrest warrant was issued against Senator Lacson, I cannot help but have that sinking feeling and feel sorry for the general state of the country. His persecution is reflective of the callousness of the highest officials of the land. Here is one person persecuted to the hilt by a regime that is accused with the extrajudicial killing and enforced disappearance of more than a thousand people. This is the same regime responsible for the slow death of thousands of Filipinos for hunger.

And what evidence do they have against Senator Lacson? An affidavit of one man, that’s all. The witness is not even a close subordinate of the senator and the affidavit was revised for so many times. Yes, Cesar Mancao is not a protégée of Lacson. Nor is Michael Ray Aquino. The two are the aides of Joseph Ejercito Estrada, the plunderer pardoned by Gloria Arroyo. This is the same Estrada who is now very suspiciously quiet at this point of the election period. This is the same Joseph Estrada whose name should have appeared in the warrant instead of Senator Lacson.

If you examine the track record of Pafilo Lacson the soldier and policeman, you can hardly see a killing targeted against a personal enemy. His record and that of Rodrigo Duterte are similar. The victims in the business end of their guns are never their political or personal enemies. If Lacson and Duterte had a penchant in killing their personal enemies, then Berroya would not be around today. The same with Nograles.

But look at Estrada. Remember Bentain? The offense of the person was to leak the tape of Estrada gambling with Atong Ang. And how about Dacer? Whom did he offend?

And the foremost question is “What would have Lacson gained if he ordered the murder of Dacer?” What’s in it for him?

=======================
Addendum: February 7, 2010

I came accross the "On Target" column of Ramon Tulfo in the Philippine Daily Inquirer posted on Fenruary 5, 2010 with title "Why Villar is overtaking Aquino in the surveys." As everyone who reads his column know by now, Ramon Tulfo is a fan of then Lt Lacson at the now defunct MISG but turned into a very bitter critic of Director General Lacson when the latter became Chief, PNP because the first order of the day of General Lacson was to stop the PNP "payola" to all hard hitting journalists. The Tulfo brothers lost nearly a million pesos monthly because of that order.

Anyway, back to the issue. In the first section of that article, Tulfo as usual, bashed Lacson. But in the process, be unwittinngly came to the defense of the embattled senator.

Here are the exact excerpts of his columns from www.inquirer.net

In the middle section, Tulfo was describing the relationship of Lacson and Estrada:

The former chief executive could only say by way of a comment: “He is no longer under me. He is a senator now. I think he is intelligent (enough) to know what to do.”

Of course, Mr. Former President, Lacson is no longer under you!

Even when you were still president, Lacson never thought he was under you; he never respected you.
Lacson’s contempt for Erap showed at a PNP fund-raising function at the Manila Hotel where Erap was guest of honor.

When somebody whispered to Lacson that Erap could not come to the function, the PNP and PAOCTF chief reportedly kicked the chair where his president was supposed to have sat in front of so many people.

That was an open defiance of, if not downright contempt, for the man who appointed him to the highest post in the police organization.

But in the last section, Tulfo stated this:

Why doesn’t Erap want to comment on Lacson’s flight from justice?

Why was Lacson contemptuous of his commander in chief?

The answer is pretty obvious: Lacson did dirty jobs for Erap before and during his term as president.

Who knows, one of those dirty jobs could have been the Dacer-Corbito double murders.

The irony cannot escape even the most simple-minded reader: If Lascon is contemptous to Erap and has no respect whatsoever for him, will he commit murder for him?

If this case goes to trial, I can almost hear the defense lawyer for Lacson say, "The defense calls its first witness, Mr Ramon Tulfo."

Logic!

The Total Gun-Ban

2010-02-05T23:36:00.001+08:00

The total gun ban, implemented since January 10, was very successful in one thing: it made the criminals the king of the streets. Before the gun ban, upright citizens, including off duty cops, can bring their licensed firearms even when they are in civilian clothes. During this time, it is already gun ban for criminals and unlicensed firearms holders. Criminals think twice in robbing PUVs considering the possibility that an armed off duty cop may be among the passengers just like the case of Police Inspector Obien who killed 2 bus robbers and arrested another inside a bus travelling along EDSA last May 21, 2009. With the implementation of the gun ban, nothing changed for the criminals but for the previously legal gun owners, they suddenly find themselves at the short end of the stick.

Did the gun ban lower crime commission? Hell, no. Contrary to the pronouncements of the police generals about the success of the gun ban, street crimes actually increased after the gun ban though police officials sugarcoat their reports to the media. Robbery snatching had returned in Alabang-Zapote Road, Sucat Road, Quiapo, Sta Cruz, and other major thoroughfares. In Manila, holduppers are back to business in jeeps plying the Sta. Cruz-Monumento route—and this time, they don’t care less about off duty policemen. They know that off-duty policemen are unarmed. In Masingal, Ilocos, a candidate for councilor was killed in front of his house last January 28. In Masbate, a village official was killed in front of his family while eating dinner right inside his home. I can go on and on and on but even with cursory examination of the reports, it can be seen that the gun ban succeeded in only making the lives of criminals easier.

In this situation, who can the people turn to? As a cop, definitely, I will just shout “Tumawag kayo ng COMELEC” if I happen to chance upon a police situation and I am off-duty and unarmed. Never mind if a criminal is robbing somebody—much more if the criminal is armed.

I think it is high time that affected citizens bring this matter to the courts. I think lawyers should find ways to bring the COMELEC to task. And I wonder from what law did the COMELEC based their inclusion of the airsoft guns which are not firearms? Have anyone heard of a politically related incident where airsoft guns where used?

COMELEC Resolution 8714 should be declared invalid by the Courts!

National Artist

2009-08-20T08:08:00.003+08:00

National Artists ask Supreme Court to stop 2009 awards rites
By Edu Punay (The Philippine Star) Updated August 20, 2009 12:00 AM

MANILA, Philippines - Groups of artists and concerned citizens yesterday trooped to the Supreme Court (SC) to stop the government from conferring the National Artist award on film director Carlo J. Caparas and three others over alleged violations of rules and the Constitution.

The petitioners, led by former recipients of the prestigious award, asked the High Court to issue a temporary restraining order enjoining the Palace from awarding Caparas, Cecille Guidote-Alvarez, Jose “Pitoy” Moreno and Francisco Mañosa, whose names were reportedly added by President Arroyo in the shortlist submitted by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) and the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP), the two bodies tasked by law to select National Artists.

(Please read the whole story from Philstar by clicking on the title above)

My take:

I will take exception on this and dip my fingers in non-police or law enforcement issue.

I really cannot comprehend the ruckus being raised by these past awardees of THAT "National Artist" title. Looking at their names, as a Filipino National, I believe that they should be familiar to me, just like I am familiar with Jose Rizal as my national hero, the carabao as my national animal, the maya or eagle (whatever) as my national bird, etc. But national artists Virgilio Almario for literature, Bienvenido Lumbera for literature, Benedicto Cabrera for visual arts - painting, Napoleon Abueva for visual arts - sculpture, and Arturo Luz for visual arts - painting and sculpture? Well, I may be extremely art illiterate that I haven't heard of them yet but looking at their wikipedia entries, the common denominator of these people is that all their works are unheard by me and most probably only appreciated by their peers. I saw some pictures of Ben Cabrera posing in front of some of his paintings and I for the life of me cannot see why I should have paid him--a cash award of P100,000, a monthly pension, medical and hospitalization benefits, life insurance, arrangements and expenses for a state funeral, a place of honor at state functions, and recognition at cultural events,emoluments of a National Artist under the law, from funds that come from my taxes paid in blood, toils, tears, and sweat--for all those paintings that I cannot understand nor see the beauty considering that they simply look like splatters of paint thrown in a piece of canvass.

Now, why not Carlo Caparas? Since my elementary days, he made me familiar with Tagalog (not Filipino duh, don't kid yourself, TAGALOG!) language which is not my spoken language at home. He made me familiar with the happenings in other parts of country with his colorful stories (Though illusrated by other artists, I think he has the right to claim ownership of those characters for himself. The illustrator can be replaced anytime and the story remains the same but that cannot be said about the writer. Walt Disney characters and cartoons are the work of many illustrators, but they all remain faceless and nameless except for a short moment in the end credits. All credits virtually go to Walt Disney himself!)

My point is that, maybe it is time that a National Artist come from the ranks of the masa. Somebody who does not kowtow to the whims and caprices of the high and the mighty in the so-called "art world." Somebody whose work many people understand.

CASE CLOSED?????!!!!!

2009-08-20T07:44:00.002+08:00

Case closed: PNP clears ‘euro-general’

By Nancy C. Carvajal
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 05:08:00 08/20/2009

Filed Under: Euro Generals, Police, Graft & Corruption

MANILA, Philippines—The Philippine National Police had cleared its former comptroller, Chief Supt. Eliseo de la Paz, for accountability of the 105,000 euros seized from him by Russian authorities last year during an Interpol seminar.

“He had returned the money to the PNP and we have cleared him,” Director General Jesus Verzosa told the Philippine Daily Inquirer Wednesday during the inauguration of a new police station in Quezon City.

(Please read the full PDI story by clicking on the link above)

My take:

If only to salvage whatever little credibility left to the PNP as an organization, Director General Versoza should resign together with this pronouncement. What dela Paz did was pure and simple Malversation penalized in Article 127 of the Revised Penal Code which reads:

Art. 217. Malversation of public funds or property. – Presumption of malversation. - Any public officer who, by the reason of the duties of his office, is accountable for public funds or property, shall appropriate the same, or shall take or misappropriate or shall consent, or through abandonment or negligence, shall permit any other person to take such public funds or property wholly or partially, or shall otherwise be guilty of misappropriation or malversation of such funds or property …

The malversation was CONSUMMATED. If not for the interference of Russian authorities, we would have not known of this at all! It is immaterial whether dela Paz returned the money or not: the crime was already completed and his act of returning the money is actually an evidence against him! It shows that indeed, the disdursement of the money is unauthorized in the first place. Having stated this, then all the previous statements made by the PNP top brass during the early days of this case are then barefaced lies. It was, at one time or another, claimed that the money is for the allowances of delegates, for procurement of surveillance equipments, private money for purchase of chandeliers and watches, etc. Now the PNP finally says that it was returned to the national treasury. So what is the truth all along?

Badge of Honor? Hahahahahaha!

Fortun Strikes Again

2009-07-31T16:07:00.003+08:00

PNP crime lab hits back at forensic expert

MANILA, Philippines—The chief of the police Crime Laboratory on Friday lashed back at a forensic expert who claimed the body found in a steel drum fished out of the waters off Navotas was not that of Ruby Rose Barrameda-Jimenez.

“We did our best,” Chief Superintendent Arturo Cacdac on Friday said, adding in the end it would be up to the courts and the Department of Justice whom to believe.

The camp of Manuel Jimenez II, citing Dr. Raquel Fortun’s findings, has claimed that the body recovered by police was not of Ruby Rose.

My take:

The PNP may not be the most credible institution in the country today. But despite all its failings and shortcomings, to be bamboozoled like this by Fortun is the height of arrogance on the part of the Jimenezes and Fortun herself. Fortun may have won the public in the Failon suicide case. But looking at the bottomline, if Ted really wants to completely exonerate himself, why did he refuse a joint autopsy between Fortun and the PNP Crime Lab people? Why, is he afraid that Dr. Fortun may not be able to defend her findings if challenged by PNP doctors in front of Trina's body?

And now here comes again Dr. Fortun saying that the body fished out Manila Bay cemented in a drum is not of Ruby Rose's? Despite the testimony of the perpetrator himself who has nothing to gain and everything to lose in confessing to the crime except to just clear his conscience? This appears to be Failon Scandal all over again. As very authoritatively pointed out by Atty Alan Paguia in a forum before the National Press Club, to warrant a conviction, you need proof beyond reasonable doubt. With the statements of Fortun, doubt is now injected in the case.

So how credible is Fortun? Google says that she is the 18th prosecution witness in the Nicole Subic Rape case. She was was the one who said that a police lab exam that found no traces of semen on the condom that was said to have been used in the alleged assault or on the woman’s underwear was an “old” procedure no longer used in modern forensics. “It is believed unreliable,” Fortun said.

Her testimony was among those considered in the conviction of Daniel Smith. And now we know the truth...

Ted Failon, et al. Part 6 (NBI Speaking)

2009-05-22T07:21:00.002+08:00

Today, May 22, 2009, Friday, NBI came out with its final report on the death of Trina Etong: it is suicide. According to the Inquirer report, the NBI arrived on its finding after "careful perusal of the testimonial evidence and conscientious evaluation" and concluded that it was money matters that drove Trina Etong to put a gun in her head. But in the same vein, the news also quoted that "Mantaring skated around questions on the amount of money involved or details of the financial losses or how they were incurred, citing purported bank secrecy laws."

You can read the other details of the case in several news outlets but here is my take on the situation:

1. In all news reports, everyone seemed to be happy. While there is "that" expected threat from Ted Failon to get back at QCPD policemen who "roughly treated" him and his family in the early part of the investigation, there appeared no real and honest to goodness effort on his part to make good of this threat. His priority now is to go on vacation and spend quality time with his family.

2. Even the QCPD policemen, who were adversely affected by this NBI conclusion also seemed to be contended with the turn of event. Supt. Mabanag was quoted by PDI that he will not dispute the findings of the NBI, shrugging it off as "let it be."

So what do I make about all this? Here are the ifs and thens and the threfores and buts:

1. IF this case simply dies out a natural death (everybody happy), then we can safely bet that if Noli becomes the President in 2010, then Ted becomes the Executive Secretary. The DOJ Chief is still Raul Gonzales (and if he is dead by then it will be Nestor Mantaring) and the SILG will still be Ronaldo Puno.

Why?

Ted knows that he is guilty of shooting his wife. Everyone knows he is. QCPD, most especially, provided almost incontrovertible forensic evidence of his guilt. So why the NBI conclusion?

Of what use is Ted the jailbird to this government? This government cannot afford another open war with the media. But with Ted safely hooked in the end of a very sturdy line, what are the possibilities? Noli is a frontrunner in 2010. The Lopez Group of Companies are ready for the picking. If Noli fails, Korina is the First Lady. In short, Ted is the master key that will open almost all the doors in Takeshi's Castle!

All happy. As for the other players, this is how I see that they will fan out in the future:

Ted Failon continues to be a high profile personality. But this time, he will be praising this government to high heavens (including QCPD).

Pam continues to be "THAT" woman. hahaha!

The children will continue to look at Pam as their real mother, just like it used to be.

Carlota Morbos (the househelp) continues to serve Ted's household but this time as a "mayordoma" in charge of everything in the house.

The driver and other househelps continue in their jobs with double the salary (until [or unless] Ted decides that it will be cheaper if they go the "Trina Way.")

2. IF Noli gets wind of this and fires Ted or even just distances himself from his best friend, then Ted loses half of his expected value to his puppeteers. Expect the reopening of the investigation and expect a totally different result.

3. IF ABS-CBN gets wind of this and fires Ted or even just distances itself from its blue chip news reader, then Ted loses half of his expected value to his puppeteers. Expect the reopening of the investigation and expect a totally different result.

4. IF one of the players gets a sudden conscience hit, then...

To be continued?

or the end?

Ted Failon, et al. Part 5 (NAPOLCOM speaking)

2009-04-24T05:00:00.006+08:00

So, NAPOLCOM has suspended six people for excessive use of force. No problem that is okay. Let us examine the list: Mabanag, Ratuita, Perdozo, Razon, Abad, and Marcelo. For Mabanag and Ratuita, the order may be valid as they were there when the incident happened (But mind you, I think the NAPOLCOM is doing a big injustice in dignifying the complaint! The police just did their job! But that is another story.) But Pedrozo? He just happened to be the Station Commander covering New Era Hospital. he cannot stop Mabanag and Ratuita who were his seniors! He was not even there! And worse for Abad and Marcelo, they were just the investigators and had no participation whatsoever in the arrests. This is worst for Marcelo: while all these scuffle were on going, she was watching the incident on TV with her daughter in her office at the Investigation Division of QCPD!

Well, well, well. What can you expect of NAPOLCOM with Escueta? Is this not the same Eduardo Escueta who summoned Rivermaya Manager Lizza Nakpil during the height of the Rivermaya brand label controversy? Nakpil simply laughed at Escueta's stupidity. She should have even haled him to court for grave abuse of authority. Commissioner Escueta joined the fray because his son, Mark Escueta is among the protagonists as a member of Rivermaya! Hello Commissioner! Rivermaya is a civilian band, not a police unit!

Ted should not have cremated his wife. He should have preserved her until the technology for brain transplant becomes available. He has a very good brain donor in Commissioner Escueta: brain only slightly used!

Ted Failon, et al. Part 4 (Fortun Speaking)

2009-04-23T00:32:00.009+08:00

In a PDI article, Dr. Raquel Fortun has this picture:

She is demonstrating the estimated postion of the gun in the head of Trina when she committed suicide. Dr. Fortun was quoted saying that the bullet trajectory is upwards.

Ok Dr. Fortun, if that is the case, please find the position of Trina's head at the time the trigger is pulled so that the impact of the bullet hits the wall behind the toilet. The impact point is less than 2 feet above the floor and is about two inches away from the adjacent wall.

For interested readers, here is a screen grab of Failon's toilet:

The impact point is between the far wall and the toilet bowl. It is about 2 inches from that wall. Also, the impact point is less than 2 feet from the floor, a lot lower than the top cover of the water tank for the toilet flush.

So how do you position Trina's head so that the trajectory of the bullet is upwards, yet the final impact point in the wall is this low? There is only one way: put Trina's head near the floor! But what about the statement of househelp Carlota Morbos where she said that she found Trina propped up against the wall and the gun is in her right but at her feet?

This reenactment is based on the statements of Ted and the other persons in the house themselves!

You be the judge but for me, Dr. Fortun should shift to fortune telling!

Ted Failon, et al. Part 3 (Speaking to the Living)

2009-04-22T07:33:00.006+08:00

So Ted Failon had spoken, with him filing it all at the prosecutor's office. With his lawyer as the talking head, his official stand in the obstruction of justice charges is "There is no obstruction of justice because there is no crime to start with. Suicide is not a crime." Oh. How convenient. His wife died in the most unusual circumstances yet in an instant, he declares it suicide. How unusual? Well, even right at the start of the incident, his recollection is different from that of his househelp Carlota Morbos. According to Ted, he found his wife lying in a pool of blood on the floor near the toilet bowl while Morbos told the police that she saw Trina sitting propped up against the wall in front of the toilet bowl. They opened the door at the same time--and they both agreed on this in their official statements! Is it possible that Ted and Morbos are looking at the same scene yet saw two different things?

Or is it possible that when Ted shot Trina, she fell to the floor and laid in her pool of blood near the toilet. This could be what was imprinted in his mind. As a husband--her wife is still alive at this time--he propped her up againt the wall in sitting position, locked the toilet door, then called Morbos to open it together with him. The second scene may be the one seen by Morbos. There is no mistaking on what Morbos saw. She demonstrated it in front of the television cameras for everyone to see.

This contradiction in their statements, at the very least should arouse suspicion.

And Dr Raquel Fortun has now spoken too. The self-proclaimed prime forensic expert stated that Trina committed suicide because the trajectory of the bullet is upwards as shown by the wounds on the head of Trina. Now, she made this statement despite (or because of?) the earlier rumors attributed to the QCPD SOCO that the bullet trajectory is downwards. Be that as it may, as there is a real possiblility to put in question the credibility of both camps, how does Dr. Fortun now explain the findings of SOCO (and everyone who had been in that bathroom during the second search) that the bullet impact is behind the toilet bowl? The impact point is no more than 2 feet from the floor. With this incontrovertible information based on verifiable and well documented evidence, what does it make of the statement of Dr. Fortun? Trina committed suicide with a gun pointing upwards towards her head but the impact point of the bullet is only two feet above the floor. So, conclusion: Trina shot herself while lying down on the floor! But wait! Morbos said that Trina was sitting with her back against the wall! Uh uh. Dr. Fortun's conclusion, to be very generous about it, is questionable. But for me, what she said is impossible.

And Trina had spoken too. She left her blood on the wall. She had her blood on the floor. She also had her blood in the car, in the carpet, in her and Ted's clothes. She even had her blood in his shoes!

And today, Trina is about to be cremated. I only see one purpose for this: Stop her from talking to the forensic experts.

But had Trina said it all yet?

May she rest in peace and justice come upon her!

Ted Failon, et al. Part 2 (Speaking to the Dead)

2009-04-19T20:28:00.006+08:00

The dead cannot speak to us directly, but they do speak volumes to investigators, especially to forensics. In Trina's case, what is it that she might be telling us now?

Let me speculate freely as an investigator (well, this is my blog!).

Let us focus on this fact: Trina Etong is dead with a gunshot wound.

Let us focus on this main question: Is it suicide or something else?

Sub-question #1 (Place of incident): If you are Trina and you want to commit suicide, what would you do? Commit suicide in your house and not leave a note why you did it and put doubt on everybody in your house? The note found does not in any way resemble a suicide note!

If you are Ted and Trina actually committed suicide, would you muddle the fact that she indeed committed suicide by cleaning up the scene?

Sub-question #2 (Mode of suicide): If you are Trina and you want to commit suicide, will you be brave and composed enough to shoot yourself in the head? Have you heard about sleeping pills overdose?

If you are Ted and have a beautiful Walter PPK (small enough to be carried in your pants pocket), would you leave it at home? Why did you buy such an expensive weapon designed for concealed carry if you do not want to pack it?

Sub-question #3 (Timing of the suicide): If you are Trina and indeed you wanted to commit suicide, would you call up your husband first? If so, if you hate him and/or yourself that much, don't you want to let him hear the gunshot?

If you are Ted and as you alleged your wife told you something serious enough for you to hurriedly return home and undertime on the job, how serious things are? If your wife insinuated suicide already, is it not logical to call up anybody on the house to check on her before or while driving? And upon arrival at the house, will the first thing that you ask for from the maid is a glass of water?

What could be Trina telling us right now?

Ted Failon, et al. Part 1

2009-04-19T17:22:00.011+08:00

By now, except those living in caves, everyone already know the Ted Failon-Trina Etong saga. So much has been said and done already that by now, I will just be another Johnny come lately. But what the heck, here is my cop opinion.

This whole episode would not have taken these twists and turns had everybody told the truth right at the very start and acted in the normal and expected course of things. From a policeman's standpoint, a lot of things will expectedly raise a lot of questions and awaken your investigator's insticts. Let us analyze these things in chronological order:

Chapter 1. The first report about a shooting victim came to the attention of the police at around lunch time. The report is from the duty guard of New Era Hospital. Hohum, normal day. Shooting victim reports are a normal fare in Quezon City. I would love to see a single tabloid without a news item of somebody dying by gunshot wound in Quezon City. That would be a real collector's item. Hospitals are mandated by law to report such incidents that come to their attention. The normal reaction of the police to this report is to send investigators to investigate the incident. The favorite trauma hospital in Quezon City is East Avenue Medical Center and guards there know of this SOP by heart. Not far behind are Malvar General Hospital and New Era Hospital because they are the nearest hospitals to the stabbing and shooting capital of Quezon City: Payatas dumpsite and Litex in Commonwelath Avenue and its environs.

So the report came in at 1:00 PM. QC police sent investigators and found that the victim is a certain Trinidad Etong and that she was brought to the hospital by a certain Teodoro Etong. Now, all of you who smell something spectacular, raise your hands. Who are these Etongs? Please raise your hand if you know them from Adam and Eve. But for the police, whether it is Etong or Failon or Sanchez, investigators follow the same Bible, to quote QCPD Chief Elmo San Diego.

Step 1 of course is find the nearest kin of the victim. After 2 hours, (yes Victoria, 2 hours!) the police was able to find Pamela Trinchera (sister of victim) together with a lawyer, all the while passing away their time in the canteen while the police looked for them in every nook and cranny of New Era Hospital. They were found because the guards cannot stand anymore the elicitation of the policemen. The Etongs instructed the guards not to reveal their identities. Why?

When the police found Pamela, the obvious first question is "Where and when did the shooting take place?" Before Trincera answered this question, she consulted with the lawyer for almost 15 minutes. So the address of Teodoro Etong was given to the police at past 3:00 PM. Oh my...

Question: Is this normal the normal course of things? Why did the Etongs not report the incident to the police? They had 4 hours to make the call. Why is Pamela hesitant to give the place of the incident to the police? Do you need your lawyer to be with you to report a real suicide? Think...

Chapter 2. So the police went to the house of Teodoro Etong at about 4:00 PM. Lo and behold, they were met by Ted Failon. Huh, you are Teodoro Etong? Hehe. And more importantly, is Ted not supposed to be in the hospital at the side of his wife? At this stage, if you are the investigator, will you be not more suspicious than ever?

Chapter 3. The obvious question to Ted is "Where and when did this happen?" So the police where shown the place. But wait, why is the place cleaned already? The lame excuse of Ted is that, "My children will be traumatized if they will see the blood so I have the place cleaned up." Simplest retort to Ted is, "Don't you know that it is illegal? You are a law graduate, a former congressman, know-it-all broadcaster, and yet you did not know that? And most importantly, hindi ka ba nanonood kay Gus Abelgas sa kanyang programang "S. O. C. O.?" Hmmm...

Even just at this point, one can conclude that something is amiss. An investigator worth his salt should by hyped by the facts.

If it was suicide, it would just be too easy to report it to the police. Ted knows what really happened.

It is not suicide...

The Chip Tsao Frenzy

2009-04-01T13:37:00.007+08:00

The Chip Tsao frenzy stirred the proverbial hornets nest that is the Philippines to the extent that Philippines officially banned him from entering the country. Senators demanded investigation, the DFA mulled diplomatic protest, and the Philippine Consulate in Hong Kong issued a formal statement criticizing Tsao. And rightfully so. We should shout to high heavens because Chip Chao is so wrong!

Chip Tsao is so wrong in his description of our country: we are not a nation of servants. At the very least, we are a nation of people too lazy to read. At worst, we are a nation of stupid people who already cannot understand what we are reading. To those who made conclusions and opinions without first reading the article of Chip Tsao (including our senators) here are the first two paragraphs of the article:

1. The Russians sank a Hong Kong freighter last month, killing the seven Chinese seamen on board. We can live with that—Lenin and Stalin were once the ideological mentors of all Chinese people. The Japanese planted a flag on Diàoyú Island. That’s no big problem—we Hong Kong Chinese love Japanese cartoons, Hello Kitty, and shopping in Shinjuku, let alone our round-the-clock obsession with karaoke.

3. But hold on—even the Filipinos? Manila has just claimed sovereignty over the scattered rocks in the South China Sea called the Spratly Islands, complete with a blatant threat from its congress to send gunboats to the South China Sea to defend the islands from China if necessary. This is beyond reproach. The reason: there are more than 130, 000 Filipina maids working as $3, 580-a-month cheap labor in Hong Kong. As a nation of servants, you don’t flex your muscles at your master, from whom you earn most of your bread and butter.

Right there and then, you can already see that this article is not an attack of the Filipinos. Ironically, it is actually in defense of us. Chip Tsao's bottomline is putting China to task for picking a fight with lowly Philippines for doing something so minor, instead of directing its rage against Russia and Japan who had done far more serious crimes against China. He even called Spratlys as scattered rocks! Hay, how difficult is that to understand?

Mabuhay talaga ang Pilipino!

2 'Lacson men' seen in US--Gonzalez

2009-04-01T06:14:00.002+08:00

2 'Lacson men' seen in US--Gonzalez

By Tetch Torres
INQUIRER.net
First Posted 21:56:00 03/31/2009

Close this MANILA, Philippines -- Two media personalities identified with Senator Panfilo Lacson are in the United States “maybe doing errands” for former police officers linked to the deaths of a publicist and his driver, Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez said Tuesday.

Quoting Bureau of Corrections Director Oscar Calderon who arrived from the US, Gonzalez said a certain "De Belen" and "Burgos" were also there.

(Please click on the title above to view the full article)

My take:

This Raul Gonzales is acting like a showbiz reporter. He is the SOJ for crissakes! If he has the goods on Lacson, then, he should order his prosecutors file the case in court and ask for a warrant ASAP. Murder is a non-bailable offense so he better do his home work and put Lacson behind bars. Otherwise, he better keep his mouth shut. Stupid...

Duterte gives up control of Davao City cops

2009-04-01T06:04:00.002+08:00

Duterte gives up control of Davao City cops

Quits Napolcom post

By Jeffrey M. Tupas
Inquirer Mindanao
First Posted 02:40:00 04/01/2009

DAVAO CITY—Embattled Mayor Rodrigo Duterte Tuesday gave up control of Davao City’s police forces and resigned from the National Police Commission (Napolcom), amid charges from an international watchdog linking the local police to death squad assassinations.

(Please click on the title above to view the full article)

Notable quotes from this article:

De Lima: “He just showed some ‘delicadeza’ (propriety) and I hope that he is consistent,”

Ok, Duterte has delicadeza. How about you, Leila? How about the killings perpetrated by Gloria? How about the human rights of the three ICRC hostages? Why don't you investigate the Abus? Why single out Duterte who made Davao City the number 1 most livable city in the country today?

Tango: “There came a time when I did not want to read the Command Journal (anymore).”
“The frequency was so alarming that much attention must be given to these incidents,” Tango said. He said the thought that the killings were “orchestrated never crossed my mind.”

Then resign your post general. It is that easy. And change a letter in your surname.

Gordon sheds tears while making an appeal to the Abus

2009-04-01T05:52:00.002+08:00

That picture of Gordon Inquirer is the best evidence that he is unfit to be president. Thank God he has very little chance. We sing the National Anthem yet we do not understand its lyrics especially the last line. When we sing "Ang mamatay ng dahil sa yo," let us take a break and consider the fact that one day, we may have to interpret that literally.

Everybody dies anyway so if these three ICRC workers die in this crisis that is largely of their own making, I am sure, their names will forever be literally etched in stone in an ICRC facility. Shed no tears for anybody here Gordon. Accept the fact that with what you are doing in ICRC, death in line of duty is a very real possibility. Just make sure that the three will not die in vain. Make sure that 300 Abus (pratically all of them--yes, all Abus--300 lang pala according to the military!) die with them!

FILIPINO CAPTIVE ASKS ‘Why is gov’t risking our lives?’

2009-04-01T05:40:00.002+08:00

FILIPINO CAPTIVE ASKS
‘Why is gov’t risking our lives?’

By Arlyn dela Cruz
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 03:07:00 04/01/2009

MANILA, Philippines—Mary Jean Lacaba has a lot to say on the eve of an expected execution.

She expressed fear, sadness, anger and confusion in a phone interview on Monday, past 9 p.m.

The 37-year-old engineer of the International Committee of the Red Cross could not even say who among the three ICRC workers would be beheaded.

The Abu Sayyaf earlier said that one of the hostages would be killed at 2 p.m. Tuesday if the government did not comply with a demand for a total troop withdrawal from Jolo Island in Sulu province.

Monday was the 75th day of Mary Jean’s captivity. Mary Jean, Swiss Andreas Notter and Italian Eugenio Vagni were kidnapped while en route to the Jolo airport after looking at conditions in the municipal jail.

The voice on the other line trembled, her tone a pitch higher than her usual calm voice in her earlier interviews aired by media.

She said time was running out.

“Maybe one of us will be gone soon,” Mary Jean said in Filipino. “Do we have a chance or not?”

She said their hands and feet had been tied as early as 5 p.m. Monday.

The leader of the kidnappers, Albadar Parad, said the hostages had refused to eat.

The dinner of rice and fish had been left untouched. Parad said on the phone that this was a sign the hostages were accepting their fate.

“We could not understand why the government was risking our lives,” Mary Jean said.

(Please click on the title above to view the full article)

My take:

The answer to your question is very simple: Why you yourselves risked your lives in the first place? You know for a fact that foreigners are blue chip targets in that area. Can you not find local plumbers in the first place? Ang baba naman ng tingin nyo sa mga taga Jolo.

Now that the inevitable happened, you mean, the government should risk the lives of the rest of Jolo citizens just to save you? And even acceding to the demands of the Abu Sayyaf does not guarantee your safety darling.

So be true to the mission statement of ICRC: The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is an impartial, neutral and independent organization blah blah blah. Be independent and leave the Philippine Government out of this mess that you created.

Abus threaten to behead one hostage Tuesday

2009-03-31T13:27:00.005+08:00

Abus threaten to behead one hostage Tuesday

By Tarra Quismundo
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 01:27:00 03/31/2009

Dinner of rice and fish was served as usual Monday night, but the three abducted workers of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) refused to eat in the forested Indanan hideout of their Abu Sayyaf kidnappers.

The kidnappers announced that they would execute one of their hostages at 2 p.m. Tuesday, unless the military pulled out from Jolo Island, a demand Interior Secretary Ronaldo Puno described as impossible to carry out.

“They know what will happen, that is why they don’t want to eat. They are silent, sometimes they would cry,” said a caller, who identified himself as Albader Parad, the Abu Sayyaf leader, to radio talk show host Arlyn dela Cruz in Manila.

“Their hands and feet are tied,” Parad said. “They’re in one place.”

(Please click on the title above to view the full article)

My take:

The government is again willingly allowing the bandits to take it hostage at the expense of thousands of law abiding Jolo citizens. In exchange for what? The safety of three people who in the first place should have never been there anyway? With the repeated failure of the Abus to comply with their end of the bargain in the current negotiations, they are just reconfirming what everybody knows all along: they are a bunch of idiotic morons who must be obliterated from the face of the earth through the use of sheer brute force. Negotiations is useless with them as word of honor is not in their vocabulary. This happened before, this is happening now, and this will again happen in the future. Once and for all, the government must act decisively. Even at the expense of three people who actually asked for it anyway...

Two incidents to remind Sen Pangilinan of his Stupid Law

2009-03-30T14:25:00.004+08:00

Boy, 14, stabs man he claimed stole his phone
By Marlon Ramos
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 00:09:00 03/28/2009

MANILA, Philippines – Police arrested a 14-year-old who allegedly stabbed dead a neighbor whom he accused of stealing his cell phone in Pasay City Friday.

Aside from the minor, police also held his older brother and their cousin who allegedly helped him beat up and stab the victim.

Senior Supt. Raul Petrasanta, Pasay police chief, identified the boy’s brother as Alvin Wabie, 27, and their cousin as Allan Mesias, 30.

Petrasanta said they already turned over the minor to the city social welfare office.

He said the victim, Leo Noel Caturan, 28, was inside an Internet shop on Leonardo Street, Barangay 61 at about 2:30 a.m. when Mesias arrived and asked him to go outside.

(Please click on the title above to view the full article)

Cebu girl, 13, raped and slain
Suspects are youngsters

By Jhunnex Napallacan
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 05:56:00 03/28/2009

CEBU CITY, Philippines — A 13-year-old girl was gang-raped by six youngsters, aged 13 to 19, and then stabbed 60 times until dead, police said.

The gruesome attack happened past 9 p.m. on March 25 but was discovered the following evening after one of the suspects surrendered to the police and admitted his participation in the crime.

The girl lived in the Looc district of neighboring Lapu-Lapu City. Police said she was a neighbor, supposedly even a friend, of the teenagers who molested and killed her.

(Please click on the title above to view the full article)

My take:

These are the things that should happen to KC Concepcion if only to drive home the point to her father that Republic Act 9344, otherwise known as the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act of 2006 (JJWA) is one of the most stupid laws in the world. While other countries are reducing the age of decernment of their youth, Philippines took a giant step backward (nearly bringing it back to the dark ages--if we are not there yet) when the Stupid Pangilinan Law practically absolved people below 18 years old. Other countries are increasing the rights--and liabilities--of people when they reach the age of 16 while here in the Philippines, we officially believe that citizens below 18 years old still do not know how to think responsibly, therefore should not be held accountable. God bless our country...we need it very very badly.

CHR probes 800 kills by Davao death squad

2009-03-30T14:05:00.003+08:00

CHR probes 800 kills by Davao death squad

De Lima airs concern over public acceptance

By Nikko Dizon
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 01:25:00 03/30/2009

Close this MANILA, Philippines—The killings have gone on for too long and it’s time to hold those responsible to account.

With this message, Commission on Human Rights (CHR) Chair Leila de Lima is set to open on Monday a public inquiry into a wave of unexplained killings of more than 800 people in Davao City since 1998.

Many of the victims were people purportedly with criminal records, giving rise to suspicions that the killings were the work of the so-called Davao Death Squad (DDS), a shadowy vigilante group.

For De Lima, what is “most alarming … is the growing culture or mentality of public acceptance of the executions.”

(Please click on the title above to view the full article)

My take:

De Lima should be included in the hitlist of Duterte Death Squad. She is meddling with an executive option. Before she opens her mouth about the DDS, she should consider the fact that Davao City is number 1 most livable city in the country today and is also ranked Asia-wide. People like De Lima are the ones that should be shot on sight. Before she landed in the CHR post, she was with the COMELEC. Now pray tell me, is there anyone here who can say anything good about the COMELEC? In the same breath I dare ask: is there anyone here who can say anything good about the CHR? De Lima, before you open your mouth again and meddle in the affairs of Duterte, make sure that you had already done your job from where you draw your salary!

Leave Davao and Duterte alone and let Davaoenos decide their fate!

NPC to file raps vs QC cops over attack on news team

2009-03-28T05:42:00.008+08:00

NPC to file raps vs QC cops over attack on news team
03/17/2009 | 08:09 PM

Email this | Email the Editor | Print | ShareThisMANILA, Philippines - The National Press Club (NPC) is set to file charges against several Quezon City policemen in connection with Sunday's mauling of an ABS-CBN news crew inside the Batasan police station.

To be named respondents in the complaint are several police officials from the Quezon City Police District Station 6, including station commander Superintendent Antonio Yarra and Chief Inspector Alex Alberto, the officer on duty when the mauling incident happened.

NPC President Benny Antiporda said they would file the complaint before the Philippine National Police Internal Affairs Service.

The brawl started when complainants Jackylyn Maulion, Luchie Maulion, and Eddie Masurong attacked Dexter Ganibe of ABS-CBN’s radio station dzMM and ABS-CBN cameraman Benedicto Ganelo for allegedly violating their rights to privacy.

(Please click on the title above to view the full article)

My take:

This is what every citizen who falls victim to POLICE INACTION should do: file a case of misfeasance against these policemen. Nowadays, many policemen are COWARDLY (takot/duwag) and EVASIVE (iwas) towards work especially if they are facing loud and aggressive persons. How many times do we hear policemen simply tell complainants "Pumunta na lang kayo sa barangay dahil barangay case yan." when somebody complains that squatters are intruding into their property, when in truth and in fact, squatters entering a private property can be immediately arrested and charged using the Revised Penal Code! This is the main reason why in every nook and cranny of the metropolis, there are squatter colonies.

Policemen are more afraid of suspects filing cases against them than complainants doing the same. This is so because usually, suspects are jobless people who can attend to cases while complainants are law-abiding citizens who are busy earning their honest keep and has no time to even file a case against policemen. So in an incident where policemen need to intervence and risk earning the ire of a suspect, the choice boils down to: "Should I intervene and get charged for abuse of authority or should I back off and be charged for negligence?" The choice is quite obvious.

In this particular incident, it was very apparent that policemen committed an act of omission (misfeasance). In some news accounts, they were quoted giving the lame excuse that they cannot intervene in the fight because several of the protagonists are women and that they can be charged with sexual harassment. How stupid and how lame!

NPC should file the case in PLEB if they really want to see justice. Filing the case with IAS will eventually lead to settlement especially if the policemen bribe the corrupt hearing officers there (Almost all policemen there are corrupt! I was once a victim, haha!) Once the IAS hearing officers are paid, they themselves will initiate settlement between the parties. Compared to the PLEB, the case will be heard by a collegial body composed of 5 persons representing various sectors of the society.

Let us see if NPC really does its social responsibility of seeing this case through and sparing the community of further stupidities by these policemen!

Baka naman dakdak lang ng dakdak din ito at wala ring mangyayari! Abangan!

Estrada under fire for toy machine gun

2009-03-27T15:41:00.003+08:00

Estrada under fire for toy machine gun

By Tarra Quismundo
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 03:10:00 03/25/2009

Filed Under: Politics, opposition, Firearms, Laws

MANILA, Philippines—Deposed President Joseph Estrada and Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay may have to choose their rides more carefully next time.

The Philippine National Police is investigating the two opposition leaders for appearing in public on a military jeep with a mounted replica machine gun, a possible violation of a presidential decree issued way back during martial law.

PNP Director General Jesus Verzosa Tuesday ordered Camp Crame’s Civil Security Group (CSG) to “dig deeper” into the circumstances surrounding a March 3 photograph that showed Estrada and Binay aboard a vintage jeep during a motorcade in Carmen town, Cebu province.

The photo appeared on the front page of a newspaper earlier this month.

“This looks very much like another case of harassment by the administration,” Estrada’s spokesperson Margaux Salcedo said.

(Please click on the title above to view the full article)

My take:

Versoza should already seriously consider resigning or retiring. As a former head of the premier investigation agency of the PNP which is the CIDG, I am sure that he knows very well what kind of charges will stick and those that will be thrown out of court the moment it is filed. And this is one of those cases. But it seems that Versoza also threw away the phase "No maam!" from his vocabulary that he now knowingly makes a fool of himself. He should really go now before he further taints his legacy.

We’re not clowns — Verzosa

2009-03-27T14:52:00.006+08:00

We’re not clowns — Verzosa
By: Alfred P. Dalizon
THE Philippine National Police leadership yesterday asked anew the movie and television industry to stop portraying lawmen as villains and comic figures since it clashes with the police transformation program.

“We’re asking for a dialogue with the TV and movie industry so that we can ask producers, directors and scriptwriters to stop making movies and television shows that degrade the image of the police,” said PNP spokesman Chief Supt. Nicanor A. Bartolome.

Bartolome said they are also suggesting the services of a PNP representative or consultant to assist in the taping or filming of movies and TV sitcoms to give them inputs on how police wear their uniform or react to real-life situation.

(Please click on the title above to view the full article)

My take:

This is another case of a dog barking at the wrong tree. If Versoza wants respect for policemen, he should start an honest to goodness house cleaning. Jokes only hurt if they have a ring of truth in it--because most of the time, jokes are accurate social commentaries of reality. I seldom hear of a great man losing his cool over a joke. On the contrary, self depracating jokes are always a hit if delivered by a man of great stature because it makes the audience feel at ease and at par with the speaker. In the hit TV show of the 60s "The Soupy Sales Show," celebrities even has to beg Soupy Sales to be in his show just to get pied in the face. Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davies are just two of the notable persons who guested in this show. Did it demean the stocks of Sinatra and Davis? Absolutely not!

For the PNP to regain the respect of the community, Versoza need not look at the TV or read the newspaper. All he has to do is just take a look at the parade grounds of Camp Crame. During Lacson's time, the area literally overflowed with recovered carnapped vehicles turned over by corrupt policemen who illegally used them for their personal purposes. Just like Versoza now who is not taken seriously by street patrolmen, Lacson only got everybody's attention and compliance when he sent the SAF to forcibly recover a car illegally used by PSupt Don Montenegro. When everybody saw Montenegro sprawled and handcuffed to the gound by a certain Inspector Delelis, everyone instantly understood that Lacson meant business. Overnight, Crame became the depository of thousands of recovered vehicles. And the PNP started to again regain the trust of the people. Now in Versoza's time, Montenegro is about to become a General as head of CIDG.

How can Versoza's PNP expect to gain sympathy with scams left and right? Euro generals, camo green uniform, jueteng, Erap machine gun-toting case, etc? If he is looking for a place to start, he can begin by relieving from their posts those directorial staff officers in Camp Crame who cannot pass the mandatory physical fitness tests.

Until then, the PNP will remain as a laughing stock--even without the television and the movies.

Manila cops criticize MPD memo on uniform

2009-03-27T14:27:00.003+08:00

Manila cops criticize MPD memo on uniform

By Jeannette Andrade
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 00:45:00 03/24/2009

Filed Under: Local authorities, Police

MANILA, Philippines – Members of the Manila Police District have criticized what they described as attempts by officials to “militarize” their ranks by requiring them to wear camouflage uniforms during official inspections.

The Manila’s Finest Brotherhood Inc. (MFBI), composed mostly of policemen from the MPD, said the directive was in violation of the Constitution, which states that the Philippine National Police must remain civilian in character.

(please click on the link above to view the full article)

My take:

MFBI has a point here but they are using the wrong arguments. The focus of the protest should center on the introduction of yet another new unifom without the proper technical basis. The new uniform is obviously a result of another general going to bed with yet another supplier and is again payback time.

Questions to the immaculate generals:

1. Will the new uniform make policemen snappier?
2. What is the difference between blue and green in urban settings? Why is the old non-functional and stupid camo-blue now being replaced by an equally stupid and non-functional camo-green?

But MPD people should stop thinking like civilians. It makes them look as equally stupid as the generals they criticize. In 90% of the world, while policemen are technically civilians, in the strictest terms, they are part of a very regimented military-like organization. When a person joins the force, he voluntarily gives up a lot of his civil rights, among which is his right to wear the clothes he like.

The uniform is made for a basic purpose: tactics. It should not be changed on a whim just because MJ went to bed with Spiderman!

The Red Cross Kidnapping Sulu

2009-01-17T05:49:00.004+08:00

the kidnapping of three ICRC personnel in Sulu--near the provincial capitol at that--again brought to fore several harsh realities in that part of the country:

1. bandits are just next door of the good guys;
2. these bandits do not distinguish who is fair game;
3. the worst is that in the end, we may not be able to distiguish who are the bandits and who are on our side.

the ICRC is a worldwide organization recognized all over the globe. while i do not completely subscribe to their utopic thinking that their symbol is already respected by all groups in a warzone thus they shun any armed escorts from any side, the ICRC is a very active and effective organization in alleviating the conditions of the needy in areas where very few other relief and humanitarian organizations dare to go.

good luck to the victims. i hope that this situation is resolved with no blood loss. after their release, i hope the military and police do their respective jobs better next time.

the bottomline of the valley golf brawl

2009-01-12T06:09:00.003+08:00

the bottomline came out:

1. pangandaman breached golf protocol by overtaking the de la pazes. de la paz responded by complaining to the marshall.

2. the marshall responded by resolving the issue right in hole number 4 (or 5?) (or so he thought)

3. de la pazes breached golf protocol by hitting balls in pangandamans direction. pangandamans responded by telling the mashall to let the de la paz group play through. de la paz responded by going to the pangandaman group and unleashing the “HINDI MO BA AKO KILALA” line together with the umbrella poke.

4. a fisticuff ensued between delfin del paz, the mayor, and the latter’s brother. Bino joined the fray and broke the mayor’s hands with a driver. bambee joined in too!

5. then all hell broke loose.

i think it is really easy to understand who is at fault.

what can i say?

2009-01-12T04:37:00.007+08:00

now valley golf came out with the official decision: de la paz instigated the fight. for that he is expelled. sec. pagdanganan is liable for the actions of his sons so he is suspended fo two years. all dependents and guests are banned for life.

after i read this news, i returned to some of the articles that dealt with this topic a couple of weeks back and was surprised that a lot of people are still supporting the de la pazes. even delfin cried "injustice" and said that he is willing to submit himself to a lie detector test.

what for?

filipinos really have to reexamine its national psyche. in this case, many purportedly asked for justice. but when the investigation was completed and the decision was against the underdog, they cry whitewash! they should have taken the cue from the appeal of bambee to the nbi early in this brouhaha: "Sana po mapalabas nila ang katotohanan. Sana 'di sila [magpadala] sa kahit anong impluwensya (I hope they will be able to come out with the truth. I hope they will not be swayed by influence)," Bambee dela Paz asked the NBI during an interview with ABS-CBN's Umagang Kay Ganda. (cut and paste from abs-cbn website). anyone making this appeal to investigating authorities even before the investigation gets underway are usually the ones who are not confident of the outcome. take it from pulis na pogi, i have seen lots of them!

the decision was not rendered by a government agency. granting (and admitting) that this government is corrupt and has a very low credibility, the valley golf board of directors are totally different animals. they do not have any responsibilities except to their members! and i don't think anyone can afford their collective price.

i think the truth came out: it was delfin de la paz who lied. until now, he is lying!

The 14-year old Kid

2009-01-11T08:28:00.008+08:00

I can't believe that up to this time, the de la paz family continues to play the 14-year old kid trump card. and more apalling is the fact that a lot of people are still biting the bait and thus considered the scuffle between the two families as between an old man, a kid, and a girl vs armed politicians with bodyguards.

there is no question as to the capability for violence of the pangandamans and an examination of the de la paz side will entail a very long article so let me focus on the "14 year old kid" first.

so who is bino de la paz? from news accounts, he is 14 years old alright, 140 pounds and 5'7" in height. he has the same height and weight when pacman fights hatton in may, he is 35 pounds heavier than pacman when the latter started fighting at 105 and he is 10 pounds heavier than pacman when the latter demolished most of the mexican legends at 126 and 130 lb division. get my drift? a 140 pound "kid" packs a punch. but that is pacman. so how about bino?

a quick scan of the home page of valley golf showed that he made an ace at hole #6 of the executive course on november 23, 2008 or just one month before the golf brawl. that is a 155 par 3 so there is no question about the hitting power of the "kid."

google search also turned up his performance in the 2007 Callaway Golf Junior World Golf Championships held on Jul 17 - Jul 20, 2007 at Lake San Marcos Country Club & Resort - North in california, usa. he made a 68 in round 2 and finished the tournament tied at #13 in a field of around a hundred players. so there is no question on his ability to play golf and his decision making in the field.

what am i pointing to?

my point is, how mature is a 14 year old kid?

in hawaii, idaho, and south carolina, usa, they can legally consent to sex and are already considered consenting adults. in the philippines, 14 is already 5 years beyond the statutory age for rape (2 under the new law setting the age at 12).

when i was 14, i am already in 2nd year high school and very much aware of the happenings around me. i am already discussing with my parents, classmates, and whoever cares the political issues of the time (edsa uno). i regularly ride my bmx bike to the next town and back covering the distance of around 50 km of winding roads non-stop.

in short, a 14 year old is not exactly a kid. but of course, they are also not exactly adults. under the stupid pangilinan law, minors are defined to be those under 18 years old and as a general rule, they do not incur criminal liability. this is the reason why when we arrest jeepney hold uppers and petty snatchers, when they turn out to be minors, we can't do much about them. and these "minors" perfectly know this, thus in 2007, 35% of arrested petty hold-uppers and snatchers are minors.

but those are the street kids and me. what about bino? well, it is obvious that he may have been brought up in a sheltered world thus is not that mature. this is the reason why his father should have exercised more caution in exposing him to violence. but the way things are turning out now, with more information surfacing, it appears that delfin de la paz started a war right in front of his kid.

definitely, there is child abuse committed in the valley golf brawl--and the suspect's name is not pangandaman.

The PDEA-DOJ TIFF OVER THE ALABANG BOYS

2009-01-10T10:27:00.010+08:00

lately, we had been entertained by the very public laundry washing of pdea and doj over the alabang boys. the issue, as i understood it, is very simple: when pdea arrested the alabang boys, the families of the suspects allegedly tried to bribe pdea into releasing them without filing the case. when their bribe were turned down, they allegedly offered the bribe to the doj and viola, they almost got away with it.

so how this all happened and what is my take on this? to appreciate the chain of events better, it is helpful to revisit the sequence:

September 20 (Saturday) – Richard Brodett and Jorge Joseph were arrested by PDEA agents in a buy bust operations conducted in the early morning at about 1AM. four hours later, Joseph Tecson was also arrested in a follow up operation based on the information provided by the two.

September 21 (Sunday) – State Prosecutor John Resado conducted inquest proceedings in PDEA headquarters in Quezon City where the suspects were detained. He recommended no bail for ALL charges against ALL suspects. Immediately, the suspects executed a waiver of Article 125 and Resado set preliminary investigation on September 29.

December 2 (two months later) – The Department of Justice national prosecution service files a resolution dismissing the case due to "lack of probable cause."

December 3 to present – All hell breaks loose.

so how do i analyze the situation? bottomline: pdea is telling the truth and the doj (prosectors and all) were lying. how did I arrive to this conclusion?

in the first two days of the arrest, pdea did everything by the book: within the reglamentary period, they presented the suspects for inquest. in this first round, they won by knockout--resado upheld the arrest and no bail was recommended. but this is just round 1 in the fight between the arresting officers (pdea) and the suspects.

in this portion, major marcelino must be telling the truth when he said that several people called him up and offered the bribe. this is the normal course of things in any police operation. common sense will uphold the assumption that the suspects will bribe their captors in the hope of getting off the hook easy and immediately.

this approach may sometimes work for "piso-piso" operations but not for the big ones like the alabang boys. more so if the case is already reported by the media, this approach has no chance whatsoever. there are just too many risks that no policeman or law enforcer in his right mind will do this. he has to present the suspects for inquest.

during the inquest, the families had not yet offered the bribe to resado et. al. this is the reason why resado recommended the case for filing. subsequently, following the natural course of things, lawyers of suspects caught in this situation (no bail on inquest) requests for PI. In the PI, the ballgame takes a completely different texture. this is round 2 between pdea and the suspects. and a new player comes into the ring.

In inquest proceedings, only the arresting officers are asked by the inquest prosecutors and questions towards the suspects are usually perfunctory. the only thing being determined by the inquest prosecutor is the validity or legality of the arrest based on Rule 113 the RRC. the PI on the other hand is a sort of quasi-judicial proceeding wherein the investigating prosecutor actually hears both sides before rendering a resolution. so in inquest, the fiscal is sort of a big brother to the police while in pi, the fiscal is in the middle.

so where did things most probably went wrong?

for pdea: they did everything right except entrap the bribers. for all we know, pdea double crossed the suspects (accepted the bribes--but not major marcelino i think--and still filed the case anyway.) this might have given rise to the outburst of one of the relatives of the suspects as narrated during the congressional inquiry.

for resado, he was very coarse in his diskarte. he should have not rendered an inquest resolution right there if he had the intention of receiving the expected bribe. he should have talked to his supervisor first. but habit may have overtaken him this time. it is common to see cases recommended for filing by the inquest prosecutors on the night of the inquest proceedings when the arresting offices are present, overturned the next morning by the chief inquest when the resolution is forwarded to him. during the interim, you and i knows what happens.

for the doj, they had tolerated their people for so long that verano thought that even in this high profile case, he can get away with the blatantly illegal things that he used to do all the time.

for the family of the suspects, they should have known better than bribe pdea. with a bagito marines as team leader of the arresting team, they should have known that he is still incorruptible. had they bribed resado at the very start, they could have won right in the very first round. resado could have written: "there are things that need to be clarified in a preliminary investigation. release of the suspects is hereby ordered unless detained for other lawful grounds." the only recourse of the pdea then is a motion for reconsideration.

this happens all the time!

the baseball bat

2009-01-10T10:11:00.003+08:00

when somebody posted the alleged original version of bambees post with its colorful language and incriminating details, i posted this reaction:

oh my oh my, how that saying “your can only hide the truth for so long” rings so true now.
before, all accusations of wrongdoing on the part of the de la pazes are dismissed as insinuations. but now, with the original version of bambees blog wildly flying in the blogshpere, what will her supporters say about her now?
her words: “My mom had a miniature baseball bat with her, and my older brother had a real one, and they lunge to attack.”
uh uh, indeed sorry bambee, you just totally lost your credibility!

standard written retort

2009-01-10T10:07:00.002+08:00

subsequently, after all the tirades and bards are exchanged, i have this standard retort to the makulits.

some people just cannot accept the fact that they were taken for ride by the de la pazes. maybe this post by a certain aberosal (another original member) in pinoy golfers can shed more light:
“Footbolero, rge and I were present when the head of the fact finding committee was describing the testimonies of all parties - including that of dela paz. We were not provided with the official written findings - we were simply told some facts that were pertinent to the incident.

my memory isn’t as good as rge but the “discussion” points were as follows:
1) Based on witnesses’ accounts, Dela paz clearly started the fight. In his own words - “hinampas ko yung payong.” Others used words by Pagdamanan, caddies, were “poked” “tusok” etc. Dela paz used the word “hinampas” - and its on tape.
2) On the 6th tee, during the “fight” Bino swung his driver at the mayor. There was medical evidence provided to the committee of a fracture to his hand. If a 5′6, 140lbs person swung a driver at me, I am pretty sure I will not be asking his age before I strike back (assuming I survive of course) - and strike back I will with intent to make sure he doesn’t swing that driver again.
3) Dela Paz didn’t give Valley employees and security staff a chance to stop the incident from escalating. Per witness accounts, the dela paz family kept provoking and making threats na “gaganti sila”.
Jovi, if you want to get the whole story - come to valley golf club and make your own investigation and interview the witnesses. RGE is making kuwento and is not a member of the fact finding committee. Majority of the members/employees at Valley know what happened and very few if any are on the dela paz camp.
You are basing your facts too much on a blog and not on actual witness accounts.

reply to Ding Gagelonia

2009-01-10T06:57:00.003+08:00

less than a day after i made the post, article author ding gagelonia posted this:

pulis,
It’s unfortunate that you think this is just about the 2 feuding families even as you unelegantly heckle or seemingly gloat when the other commenters to not ‘engage’.
If you’ve been issued a ‘mission order’to defend the Pangandamans your haughty posturing is only driving home the point of your clients’ perceived arrogance.
Now that’s a pity.

to which i replied:

Ding,
It’s unfortunate that you think that i think that this is just about the 2 feuding families even as you unelegantly defend the lynching mob to not ‘engage’ in light of emerging new information.
If you’ve been issued a ‘mission order’to defend the de la Pazes, your fast trigger pull is only driving home the point of your clients’ perceived arrogance.
Ding, when you interpret the report, you have the gall to twist it to suit your needs–never mind the fact that you posted the scanned copy at At Midfield for everyone to see, complete with comments of other posters. Just read the title of your At Midfield post: “Valley Golf Guards Report: Pangandaman Security Men Drew Guns on Dela Pazes.” I scraped the bottom of my brains and recalled the many times i participated in several DSSPC, RSSC, and NSSPC but i just cannot find the relevance of your headline to the rest of the article! i read the lead paragraph i did not find it. i read the whole report, still i did not find it. my, my, my…
And in this Filipino Voices article, imagine yourself saying:
“More revealing, the report points out that the Pangandaman security drew their high-powered rifles menacingly at the Dela Pazes.”
where in the report did you find this? give me a break!
“The Pangandamans in their own ‘counter-account’ have consistently denied that they had any security personnel with them on the VGCC fairway.
What is now clear to me is they lied in this respect.”
another fast trigger pull. in light of rge’s account, the pangandamans now appeared to be telling the truth when they said that they did not have bodyguards in the fairway and that your client de la paz were lying through the skin of their teeth!
the comment of ordinaryobserver in your At Mindfield blog posted at 12:52 said it all, yet to still dared to post this article and make all this twist less than two hours later? ordinaryobserver said:
“I’m sorry, but the report doesn’t really help the de la Paz’s. In the first place, it doesn’t really counteract the Pangandaman’s story that they didn’t have bodyguards on the fairway. All it says is that the security personnel saw the bodyguards on the lower veranda of the clubhouse. It doesn’t preclude that the bodyguards were actually on the fairway with their principals, but it doesn’t confirm it either.
Also, the report only tells us that the bodyguards were carrying high-powered armaments. It says nothing about them using the same to intimidate the de la Paz’s.
Journalist for 30 years? Now that’s a pity.

the ultimate aray for the de la pazes

2009-01-10T06:49:00.003+08:00

on january 4, 2008, the ultimate aray of the de la pazes arrived through a post in pinoygolfer.com and i reposted it in different blogs:

here is the ultimate aray for the de la pazes:
this is the post of a certain rge in pinoygolfer.com forum. he is a member since april 2007 with 595 posts to date (he is a pioneer member i supposed, as the forum started only in end of march 2007) he placed his address as valley golf, orchard, eagle ridge so i suppoed he is personally known to many others in the philippine golfing community and is a “somebody” given his access to information sources. his preliminary statement said it all.
http://www.pinoygolfer.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=5801&postdays=0&postorder=asc&highlight=pangandaman&start=180

I just spent some time with the head of the fact-finding committee. He has submitted all pertinent facts to the board and leaves it to them to make the necessary decision based on all the facts. I will outline the facts to you as it was outlined to me. Rest assured that the facts were obtained from all parties involved and all witnesses at each incident site. The statements were obtained both by the valley fact-finding group and by the NBI as well. Testimonies were recorded, verified, and re-verified. Fortunately for the parties involved, there were always witnesses to give supporting statements on the events as they occurred.
I will compose the outline shortly as it will be lengthy but just to whet your appetite or get you thinking, you will be quite surprised with the findings. Let’s put it this way, the people we thought of as villains weren’t quite what they were depicted to be. and the supposed protagonists may have yet been quite as factual in their testimony as it turns out to be. Even our 14-year old isn’t as innocent and “prayerful” when all the details come out. just give me a few minutes….
In the interest of making sure that no facts might be left undisclosed, I will take it upon myself to start from the very beginning. Firstly let us start by saying that on or at about 12:40 p.m., the party of the Pangandaman’s registered at the starter’s area. They registered for 2 flights comprised of 4 individuals per flight. Unfortunately, they still had 2 members of their group that had not yet arrived, so they initially tee’d off as 2 successive threesomes. The starter and marshall were informed that the 2 individuals that had not yet arrived would just catch up with them in the fairway. On or at about 1:05 p.m. the Dela Paz group registered initially as a twosome but since this isn’t normally allowed, they registered as a 3-some even if the elder Mr. Dela Paz was not really going to play.
When the Dela Paz 3-some was playing on hole number 3, they were passed by 2 golf carts containing Mayor Pangandaman and his companion (in one cart) and the caddies being brought by one of the starter personnell. The Pangandaman’s did not ask permission to drive through because they did not want to disturb the Dela Paz’s who were in the middle of the fairway. Upon reaching the green of the 3rd hole, Mr. Dela Paz asked the caddie why the people in the cart just went through. Mayor Pangandaman who was already positioned at the 4th hole, personally informed Mr. Dela Paz that they were part of 2 foursomes. At this point, Mr. Dela Paz said “ah okay, courtesy lang naman”. This was verified by the caddies. Mr. Pangandaman said that he did not disturb them anymore because the player was about to hit. At this point, Mayor Pangandaman thought everything was okay so he proceeded to the 4th hole (Par 3) where his other flightmates were. In the records it says that Mr. Pangandaman was not yet even done pitching into the green when a ball landed near his 8-year old child so they immediately made sure the child was secured in the cart. ( For those unaware of the common practice at Valley Golf, on every par 3, the group behind you is signaled to hit into the green once everyone from your group is already on the green) Until you have been cleared to hit by the group ahead, you should not hit into the green. It is common sense and basic precautionary procedure.
In this particular case, we have no corroborative testimony. One set of caddies say they were given clearance, while the other say that no clearance was given as of yet when the ball/s had landed.
The Pangandaman’s claim that the same situation happened in the 5th hole (Par5). Even the caddied confirmed this. At this time, Bambee Dela Paz had called the Marshall to tell him that the flight behind them was complaining about why their pace was slow and that the cause of the delay was the 5-some in front of them. Shortly thereafter, a marshall on his motorcycle appeared and approached the Pangandaman’s and asked if they were playing as a fivesome to which the Mayor said no. “We are 2 foursomes”. Nonetheless, the Pangandaman’s had already agreed among themselves that they would rather the Dela Paz’s play through. The Mayor was even quoted saying to his Father. ” magagaling yung mga bata at malakas pumalo, baka mabagalan sa atin” They informed the marshall that they would just let the Dela Paz group play through and the marshall informed the Mr. Dela Paz of this. ( Just as an aside, the investigative group actually asked the group behind Dela paz if indeed they had complained about the slow down and the group said that the y said no such thing to the Dela paz flight. They were not even in contact at anytime before they arrived at the tee house to see the fight and eventually help stop it) When the Delapaz group reached the green of hole 5, the caddies of the 2 kids gave them their drivers so that they would waste no time playing through. The Mayor, who at that time was sitting along with their companions, stood up to personally tell Mr. Dela Paz to play through. Caddies, and the tee house server claim that the Mayor told Dela Paz na “Mauna na ho kayo” and walked to approach Dela Paz, The response of Dela Paz was “Huwag mo akong pagtaasan ng boses” Dela Paz began to question the Mayor why they were playing as a fivesome. The Mayor said that this was not the case but Dela Paz was insisting and even said (again corroborated by the caddies) “Linoloko mo ba ako?” “Member ka ba dito, Kilala mo ba ako?” (as you can see, this question did not come from Pangandaman. In fact, in the recorded testimony, this is exactly what Pangandaman claimed delapaz had said to him and yet in Delapaz’ recorded statement, he never said that the mayor asked him ” kilala mo ba ako” Completely different from when the media was already involved.
When Delapaz was posing the above question, the mayor was heard to say. “Sandali lang, hindi naman tayo nagaaway dito. Akala ko ba naayos na natin yung issue kanina sa hole 3? At about this point Delapaz closed his umbrella and then poked the mayor on his stomach using the pointed end ( some caddies say Dela Paz swung the umbrella and some say that he poked the Mayor) The investigative board asked Dela Paz what he did, he said that he poked the Mayor in self defense. When asked who was attacking him, Dela Paz said that he was being surrounded by 4 men. The caddies and other witnesses on hand said that when the umbrella incident happened, it was only Dela Paz and the mayor that were talking. The other parties were in the tee house about 15-20 yards away. The Mayor says he was poked and so he backed off and just as he was about to be poked again, his brother, Hussein ran and attacked Delapaz and hit Delapaz knocking him to the ground.( At this point the commotion took place. One of the things observed is 14-year old Bino hit the Mayor with his driver. Apparently, the mayor parried with his forearm and hand so this is where he sustaned the injury. In the process also, Hussein was being pulled off the older dela paz by his 2 children but again Bino was seen to hit Hussein in the face and head while Bambee had scratched the other side of Husseins face. At this time also, witnesses say, that 3 or 4 other members of the flight excluding the Secretary, the 8-year old boy, and the girlfriend of Hussein were involved in attacking or subduing the older dela paz but this lasted very shortly and when the combatants had been separated the existing people in the tee house as well as the new flight that was playing behind the dela paz’s.
At this point the Secretary told the delapaz group to leave so as to avoid any more trouble. As the elder delapaz was leaving he was heard calling someone on his cellphone saying ” may away kami, pumunta kayo dito”No one knew who delapaz was speaking to as he walked away towards the main clubhouse. A few minutes later, the secretary and his group decided to end the day instead of continuing to play. When they got to the clubhouse, Hussein wanted to wash up because he was bleeding in the neck area. As he got near the reception area, he saw delapaz and was heard to have said “O, nandito pa pala kayo” to which Dela Paz said “Hindi pa tapos ito gaganti pa kami”. At this point, Bino got in between his Dad and Hussein while saying ” Tatandaan ka namin” (None of the witnesses in the clubhouse, and there were many, ever saw Bino kneel and say that he was only 14 years old at maawa na sila) On the contrary, Bino was acting like anything but a helpless child. He sounded tough, angry, and antagonistic enough that the fight broke out again. At this point, the bodyguards of the Mayor ran into the clubhouse via the poolside entrance. When questioned about this, the mayor said that one was his driver and the other was his “Yayo”. As far as the board was concerned, the “Yayo” was also a bodyguard. Said Yayo came into the clubhouse with a clutchbag containing a gun and brought out the gun without pointing it at anyone. The Mayor immediately instructed him that there was no need for guns and the gun was put back. During the investigation, the Mayor said that the handgun was his and that his “yayo” was likely going to give it to him but he declined. Upon instructing his “yayo”, the man just stayed in one corner. At this time the wife of Dela Paz and his other son arrived. The son was wielding a baseball bat and the wife had a knife which she pulled out of a scabbard. These two were subdued by security but they were verbally threatening the Pangandaman’s during this time. There was also a reported incident where the driver of the mayor ran out and came back with a suitcase containing a supposed armalite as claimed by valley security. The driver never pulled it out or pointed it at anyone but it was readily accesible

pulis na pogi on January 4th, 2009 8:37 am
and here is what the site admin of pinoy golfer.com says about the post of rge:
“Great account of the incident, Ray. My compliments. I heard the same details third-hand from my sources. I agree with the others; Mr. de la Paz was foolish to pick a fight with his children present.
The revelation of these facts cast a severe shadow on the Bambee’s blog, don’t they?”
aray, aray, aray!!!

despite this posting, the de la pazes comtinue to draw support from bloggers thus i thought, wow, WTF?!

the official security report

2009-01-10T06:23:00.004+08:00

shortly after i posted my turn around post, ding gagelonia came out with an article entitled the-panganaman-dela-paz-family-feud posted at Filipino voices.com (http://www.filipinovoices.com/the-panganaman-dela-paz-family-feud)

he ended with a conclusion that i definitely cannot agree on. so here is my post:

now, the official security incident report is now out! find it at http://midfield.wordpress.com/2009/01/02/valley-golf-guards-report-pangandaman-security-men-drew-guns-on-dela-pazes/
and guess what: take a look at lines 5, 6, and 7 and let me quote (with all the typo errors):
“but based to the statement of VGCCI marshall/ starter (mr elmer saguisa) at that time he talk already both parties but sudenly he was not expected that argument was not settled.”
aray! now, where did this detail first appear in the blogsphere?
answer: from the post of brianna asal above, posted on the 29th of december or 3 days after the incident and i cut and paste:
paragraph 3, lines 7 and 8: With the said explanation, del Paz replied “Okey, kortesiya lang.”
paragraph 6, lines 5 to 7: “Nasser Jr. reiterated to the marshall what he explained to the elder dela Paz, which his knowledge the former already accepted his explanation.”
paragraph 8, lines 3 and 4: ” “Akala ko po, Sir, nagkaintindihan na ho tayo kanina”.
another answer: from the post of p that only appeared yesterday, or 1 week after the incident: and i cut and paste again:
paragraph 6, line 14 and 15: Thinking that things had been cleared up, Mr. dela Paz said, “Okay, kortesiya lang” (”Okay, just seeking courtesy“) .
paragraph 8, line 8 to 12: During their break, the marshal approached Nasser Jr, stating that the dela Paz’s were complaining that there were five of them in their group and why they overtook the dela Paz flight. Nasser Jr. reiterated to the marshal what he had already explained to the elder del Paz, to which his knowledge the former had already accepted his explanation.
aray again. now why are these very telling details not in bambee’s blog? it is now clear as daylight that before the fisticuffs started, even the mashalls thought that the overtaking issue was already settled! ask mashall mr elmer saguisa!
aray! aray! aray!
ps:
and thanks to manuel quezon iii for marking my posts as spam and deleting them even before it is moderated. now, your pseudo-personality (leytenian) is commenting on my posts even if i cannot find it in the enties above! hahaha

(as for the mlq3-leytenian part, i made it because in mlq3's blog, my comments are marked as spam and deleted. however during that time, a certain leytenian kept on replying to my deleted posts so i thought that mlq3 and leytenian are one. i later found out that they are not. may bad. hehehe)

looking further, i realized that this security report was already in the hands of abs-cbn on the day alex santos made the report. reviewing the tv patrol footage in youtube, the report was momentarily flashed. depite the clarity of the report as explained above, abs-cbn chose to really milk the issue of its sensationalism potential, even to the extent of misleading its viewers!

then the turn around

2009-01-10T06:01:00.006+08:00

Three days after my first post, I was able to talk to a friend who happened to be a regular valley golf player. We were bantering about the incident during a break in our driving range practice and he related to me his experience with Bambee de la Paz just a few days back. This cemented my opinion of the case because during that time, I already had doubts on the story of Bambee after reading her blog. The cop in me kicked in and I felt that something was amiss, very much like the calm that you see before an ambush. because it was the holidays without much action in the streets and i have nothing better to do except practice and internet, i posted this comment in many blogs and got many reactions, many of which attacked my person (online personality, hahahaha). of course, there are those who agreed with me but they were few and far between! here goes the post:

"in this incident, the dela Pazes were first given attention by the media and add that to the fact the natural tendency of many filipinos (including me) to hold prejudice against moros, my first reaction is anger at the pangandamans.
and i am still angry at them up to this moment. secretary and mayor pangandaman should have known better and should have acted with prudence no matter and however they were provoked. they are no ordinary citizens but persons vested with responsibility by the people.
however, i now tend to give credence to the story of the pangandamans after my friend who happens to be a member of valley golf related his brush with the dela Pazes. and so the story goes this way:
shortly before christmas, he was practicing his putting in one of the three putting greens in vally golf. in the other putting green is bambee de la Paz also practicing putting. mind you, this family of dela pazes are terrific golf players! all of a sudden, bambee, together with her mother fanning herself like crazy, joined my friend in his putting green, stroking the house balls here and there, oblivious to the presence of my friend. golf etiquette 101: this is not beig courteous. the same issue they used against the pangandamans. fortunately my friend is no pangandaman and so the scandal happend days later and not involved my friend. after around 30 minutes of pure arrogance and “i am a champion and who are you” attitude from bambee, she and her mother left my friend in the practice green with the 12 house balls strewn all around. etiquette 101 again: this is, again, not being couteous. the ball holders clearly bore the sign “replace after use.”
after i heard this story of my friend, he and i thought, well, the arrogant dela Pazes met their match in the equally arrogant pangandamans.
now, we are angry at all of them for bringing their lies to the public and wasting our time!"

first post

2009-01-10T05:52:00.002+08:00

This is the first post that I made in this whole melee. I posted this in you tube in response to the abs-cbn report delivered by alex santos in tv patrol. I am not proud of my comments but I believe that my post reflected the general sentiment of many people at that time (Dec 27, 2008). Up to this time, I believe that the anti Pangandaman people still think this way.

“and these muklos wonder why they are being discriminated against in the urban centers? fuck them, they should be banned from going out of their sorry sefdoms. they better stay there and beat the crap out of their bullshit subjects all they want.
and why do they need guns in a golf course? this is not lanao!
the pangandamans are they best evidence of the saying that you can take the muklo out of their shithole but you cannot take the shit out of the muklo!
exterminate them!!!”

pulis na pogi in other blogs

2009-01-10T05:37:00.002+08:00

when the pagdanganan-de la paz golf war erupted, this blog was still inactive as i haven't found out yet the way to recover my lost password. because of that, i am just another poster leaving comments in somebody else's blog or article. well, let me consolidate my comments from various blogs so that i have a record of how good i am in debates. hahaha!

the return of the comeback and the golf war

2009-01-09T18:04:00.001+08:00

Wow, it had been 14 months since i posted anything here. Well, I had a lot of reasons but the primary cause is that i forgot my password in google. Oh my, obvious ba na covert name ko lang ito? hahaha.

Well, here i am again my dear blog. I had been all over other blogs in the pangandaman-de la paz golf war. Including you tube, I had seen the power of the blogger who is first to cry "INJUSTICE!" When bambee's blog first appeared, she apparently emailed her friends who in turn, emailed their friends. Alas! The first version was not meant to be so she edited it, toned down her language, and remove entries that could work against her and her family.

The immediate aftermath of the edited blog was so fiery and reactions were too hot for the pangandamans that a week later, the Secretary came out of national television and appealed to the bloggers to go easy on them because, in his words "my family is hurting."

But the appeal worked like gasoline spilled in the inferno. The calls for resignation countinued and dar issues are included in the ammunition. All these, despite the fact that as early as four days later, cracks in Bambee's blog began to surface. The original version of her blog showed up, discussion of respected members of pinoygolfer.com showed a lot of inconsistences in her family's statements, and i myself got a first-hand report of a friend who was at the receiving end of bambee's crassness in a practice green just a few days before the infamous "golf war." Efforts by posters who believe that the pagdanganans are not totally and singularly guilty or even those who simply believe that both sides are equally liable are met with all kinds of brickbats, namecalling, and even threats from bambee's supporters. Up to this time, the support for Bambee continues (or so i think).

What does this mean? I exactly do not know but I am thinking of several possible reasons:

1. Could it be because Bambee was the first to get to the blogsphere with her sad story?
2. Could it be because of the seemingly great disparity in the status of the protagonists? (Bambee pictured her family as poor--which is a very very big lie of course because at the minimum, they are in the upper middle class if not the landed rich people. At the same time, she pictured the Pangandamans as rich, abusive, and war freak Muslim family).
3. Could it be that bloggers identified with Bambee because she can be considered as one of their own?
4. Could it be because the general Filipino population has a built in bias against the Muslims--although only few dare to admit it?
5. Could it be because Filipinos really love to stick with the underdog no matter what?
6. Could it be because of the distrust of the people on the politicians?

Well, i exactly do not know but up to this time, despite the overwhelming evidence that show that the incident was not entirely the Pangandaman's fault, the tirades had not stopped, nor any of the supposedly respected columnists cared to rectify their first opinions.

Hay, Pilipinas kong Mahal!

2006-11-19T13:33:00.001+08:00

napanood ko na naman sa pacquiao fight ang version ng lupang hinirang na binababoy ng mga kung sino sinong singers. ang national anthem natin ay martsa ang beat. porke ang sa tate ay parang lovesong ang dating e gaya na rin tayo ng gaya. naalala ko, parang may guidelines na ang national historical institute about dyan pero parang walang nakakaalam sa mga singers nating pa cute. kainis.

walastik, wala akong masabi kundi, sakto. hay, kailan pa kaya magbasa ng inquirer si gloria?

2006-10-29T07:29:00.003+08:00

Still the greatest nation
INQ7.netLast updated 03:24am (Mla time) 10/24/2006
I WHOLEHEARTEDLY agree with Mel Lualhati's comments about America ("The place to be," Viewpoints - Letters, Oct. 3, 2006). Despite the negative news people get, the innuendos created, and the hatred of other nations and races toward it, America is still the greatest nation on Earth to live in.
One has only to live and experience life in America to fully understand and grasp why it is the richest, most giving and most powerful nation in the world. I think one of the main reasons is that its citizens can thrive and prosper with just enough work and effort. Everyone is given a level playing field with abundant resources and assistance to ensure its citizens that strive to achieve can reach their goals. Luahati's niece is one good example.

Now, let's contrast that with the situation back there in the Philippines. You want to get higher education? You need X amount of pesos from your own pocket to attain that. Very few options are available, short of being rich or really being brainy, you could as well forgo those aspirations. If you're one of the lucky few that get to finish college, the tight labor market does not give you a lot of opportunities to look forward to.
One major cause is that foreign investors are shying away from the country because of the rampant corruption and massive red tape in our government, and choose to go to other countries that offer similarly low labor costs with fewer headaches, like Thailand and Malaysia.
There is also a huge chasm of disparity between justice being dispensed in America and that in the Philippines. A recent rash of corporate scandals has sent a few high-powered executives to jail in America. Enron's Ken Lay, who even had close ties to President Bush, MCI's Bernie Ebbers, and a slew of others from Fortune 500 companies have been given harsh sentences for bilking their investors and defrauding the public at large.
Compare that again with the Philippines. There, we have Lucio Tan and Danding Cojuangco, two of Ferdinand Marcos' well-known cronies who have greatly profited from their association with the former strongman by being handed lucrative deals and perks at the expense of coconut farmers and ordinary hard-working people. Up to this day, they continue to reap the benefits of their past association with Marcos, running some of the most profitable companies, with no consequences being meted out for playing an active part in the looting of the Philippine treasury.
The bleak picture people are painting of America is severely disproportionate to reality. America does have faults, but due to its strong adherence to the rule of law and steadfast morals, it will continue to thrive as the greatest nation on Earth, much to the chagrin of other nations and peoples.
BERT LAZO, San Diego, California (via e-mail)

Tragic, but what can we do? haaay....

2006-10-25T11:17:00.002+08:00

napanood ko kagabi sa 24 oras news sa gma ang isang istorya tungkol sa nanay na namatay sa calamba dahil allegedly, hindi raw inadmit ng ospital (calamba doctors yata) para paanakin. wala raw kasing pang deposito na 10,000 ang pamilya dahil 2,000 lang ang dala nung lalaki. tearfully, humihingi ng hustisya ang asawa dahil namatay ang asawa nya at bunso, leaving him with their four other kids.

nung kinuha ang side ng ospital, sabi nung isang babaing doctor, hindi totoo ang allegation. pagdating daw sa kanila, patay na ang bata. kailangan na lang raw operahan ang nanay para matanggal ang bata. ineesplika nya lang daw sa lalaki na private hospital sila at kailangan daw ang depositong 10,000 para sa operasyon. kung hindi naman daw nila kaya ang presyo, ilipat na lang daw nila sa provincial hospital ang pasyente, which they (the family) did.

then kinuha ng news reporter ang side ng provincial hospital. sabi ng isang doctor doon, namatay daw ang nanay kasi matagal bago naasikaso dahil sa paglipat lipat. MOREOVER, MANIPIS NA RAW ANG MATRIS NG NANAY DAHIL GAMIT NA GAMIT DAW ITO. APPARENTLY, 1 MONTH PA LANG SYA NA NANGANAK AT NABUNTIS ULI KAYA YUNG BUNSO NILA, WALA PANG 1 YEAR OLD. At hindi pa sya naka pag paprenatal bago yung delivery date nya.

nung simula kong napanood ang headline ng news item, asar ako sa ospital syempre kaya pinanood ko ang buong news. nung narinig ko na ang lahat ng side, lumabas na naman ang galit ko sa catholic church. sabi ko sana dinala na lang nila ang mag ina sa isang catholic hospital gaya ng ust. para makita ng mga pari at obispo ang epekto ng pagtutol nila sa family planning. sana napanood din ng pro-life ang news na yun. kung naturuan sana nang tama ang mag asawang iyon, e di sana na exercise nila mga options nila. gusto ko mang sabihin na "gago ang tatay. may 9 months sya para mag prepare ng pera para sa panganganak ng asawa nya, tapos nung manganganak na, 2 thou lang pera nya. gago pala sya e" ay hindi ko magawa kasi malaki ang probability na hindi nya alam ang ibang options nya pag hindi nya mapigil ang libog nya. ganun din ang nanay. kung alam nya lang na maari syang mamatay sa ginagawa nyang buntis ng buntis, e di sana nalaman nya paano makipag kantutan na hindi nabubuntis. e ungas ang simbahang katoliko, (except sa iilan gaya ni Fr. Percy Juan Bacani: see my previous post) kaya ganito tayo. di kaya sadyang ginagago ng simbahan ang mga tao nila kasi di ba, pag mahirap ang tao at wala na halos nakikitang pag asa, dasal na lang ang ginagawa sabay sabi "Bahala na"? well, ungas din ang gobyerno na natatakot banggain ang simbahan. e wala naman talagang masasabing catholic vote e. hay, kailan pa kaya mag presidente si lacson?

Mabuhay ka Father!

2006-10-23T16:58:00.001+08:00

nabasa ko sa inquirer ngayung araw. ang galing ng pari na to. matapang! bilib ako.
For this priest, sex ‘a good thing,’ Church made it ‘bad’
By Vincent CabrezaInquirerLast updated 05:39am (Mla time) 10/23/2006
Published on page A4 of the October 23, 2006 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer
BAGUIO CITY -- There are a handful of Catholic priests in the Philippines who will tell you sex is a “good thing.” A few will even admit it’s the Church’s fault for making sex “a bad thing.”
Teachers and pastors here met one of these outspoken priests last week during a training retreat sponsored by the Institute of Women’s Studies that was devoted to gender sensitivity.
Some of the participants appeared surprised to hear a priest reveal how the Church had propagated sexism in Philippine society.
Fr. Percy Juan Bacani, a moral theologist and superintendent of high schools operated by the Diocese of Baguio, said the Catholic doctrine on “guilt” had very much eroded Filipinos’ appreciation for, and even enjoyment of, sex.

The Church, he said, is a male-dominated power center where the female plays a far diminutive role. It is this ideological foundation which explains why Filipino women today are less valued than women of an ancient Filipino culture where they were revered.
Women who shine in Catholic societies only achieve their ambition by imbibing the male culture, or by sustaining the myth “that the only good women are virgins,” Bacani said.
President ‘man-like’
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, he said, is more “man-like” in her shrewdness at politics.
More were surprised when the priest suggested that the devoted turn back to the spiritual nature of indigenous Filipino worship in order to unlearn the Christian dogma that has made some religious Filipinos abhor sex.
Bacani cautioned his audience that his lessons about religion and sex were based on “my struggles to be a man in the right way.”
It is an ongoing struggle, he later told the Inquirer.
Bacani, 49, is one of the outspoken members of the “Missionaries for Jesus,” a group of Filipino priests who broke away from the Society of Jesus, citing “principled” issues.
He said only 10 to 15 priests in the country had been advocating gender rights aggressively since 2004 when sex scandals implicating priests surfaced.
Evaluation of sex concepts
Bacani said sex scandals fueled a campaign among young priests to evaluate Church-dictated concepts of sexuality, but the hierarchy discouraged them.
Society’s strong reaction to these scandals were too brief, he said, citing a local priest who was convicted by a Baguio court of sexual misconduct but who still won the mayoral race in a Benguet town.Bacani said he had been asking Baguio Bishop Carlito Cenzon to allow him to counsel local priests about sexuality, using his radical module, but has yet to receive a response.
“I taught some priests about gender rights, and I spoke about it in my lectures at a seminary, but some seminarians protested the direction these discussions would take,” Bacani said.
A pastor challenged some of Bacani’s core message by stressing that the country progressed better under the Church compared to the period when Filipinos revered a matriarchal leadership.
Subverting age-old principles
Raymundo Rovillos, a history professor at the University of the Philippines-Baguio, described Bacani’s advocacy as “a hard path” and said he was subverting centuries-old principles.
Bacani said being tolerant of all sexual preferences meant accepting homosexuality.
He said that while the Church acknowledged homosexual orientation, it frowned on homosexual acts. He said this view was deceptive.
Modern Christianity, he said, had fashioned its concepts about life, society, women and power around the patriarchy or a society run by males.
Historically, Bacani said, the Church’s ideological foundation is defined by the gender of Jesus Christ, who is male.
The Church’s language reveals this bias, he said, because God is always “The Father,” and the Church’s roster of saints is composed mostly of men.
Patriarchal conceit
Sexuality also follows a patriarchal conceit, Bacani said.
“The male orientation is to procreate … Masturbation and homosexuality are taboo because these sexual acts do not produce children,” he said.
Virginity is a doctrine that has no real value to society, but it persists under Church teachings, the priest said.
Bacani said this had made society frown at men who are aroused by a naked woman. Real sin, he said, takes place when a man obsesses and objectifies the woman.
He said his lessons were not attacks on Christianity, but were discussion points for the faithful “because we need to revisit our religion … we need to review our faith.”
The Episcopal Church is closer to emancipating all gender when it allows homosexuals and women to become part of its clergy, Bacani said.
Cordillera more advanced
He said indigenous Filipino concepts in the Cordillera taught the faithful about sex far better than theological books could because Cordillera society allowed women a say in communal decisions and were not afraid of nudity.
Rovillos said Cordillera women had a far healthier concept of sex.
“They do not have a word for ‘rape’ or ‘incest’ because that just never happens. But rape and incest now occur in the modern Cordillera world, and that is tragic,” he said.

2006-10-23T12:44:00.000+08:00

hehe, try ko nga mag blog at masubukan na ilabas ang mga nasa isip ko. di kaya ako malasin nito?