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PHNO-HL: DEFENSE UNFAZED BY 100 WITNESSES VS CJ / JPE EYES PRE-TRIAL IN CJ CASE

DEFENSE UNFAZED BY 100 WITNESSES VS
CJ / JPE EYES PRE-TRIAL IN CJ CASE

MANILA, JANUARY 31, 2012 (STAR) By Marvin Sy - The camp of Chief
Justice Renato Corona is not worried about the plan of the prosecution panel to
present more than 100 witnesses, as long as they can establish the relevance of
their testimonies to the case.
Tranquil Salvador III, one of the spokespersons of the defense panel, said it
is the prosecution panel's own lookout if they proceed with their plan of
presenting all the witnesses they listed and revealed during a press conference
last Friday.
The list of witnesses include justices of the Supreme Court (SC) and
journalists.
According to Salvador, there are many complications that could arise once
they start asking for subpoenas for these people.
"Our concern is that those witnesses may not be competent to testify. Do they
have relevant information or direct connections to the case?" Salvador said.

He said some of the witnesses may not have personal knowledge of the matters
they would testify on, which would mean that they would be testifying based on
hearsay.
Salvador said he expects some of the witnesses to oppose the subpoenas that
will be issued against them, including journalists who are bound by the rules on
privileged communication.
"Remember that they may not be voluntary witnesses. There are a lot of
complications. This is not as simple as a numbers game. What is important is the
substance and quality of the witnesses," Salvador said.
He said many on the prosecution's list would not go to the court voluntarily
and would be represented by their respective lawyers who could move to quash the
subpoenas to be issued against them.
Complications seen
One of the complications that would arise is on the justification for
summoning justices of the SC.
Salvador said the judiciary is a co-equal branch of the executive and
legislative and as such, the justices may raise objections about being compelled
to serve as witnesses against one of their own.
"If they voluntarily appear then that would be a different story and even if
they appear voluntarily, it may create some strain because there are some rules
covering justices. What they are presenting is not simple," Salvador said.
The list of witnesses prepared by the prosecution panel was prompted by the
directive issued by Senator-judge Miriam Defensor Santiago last Tuesday for both
the defense and prosecution to submit their respective lists, which would serve
as the court's guide as far as this issue is concerned.
Retired associate justice Serafin Cuevas, lead defense counsel, told the
court that they would be presenting around 25 witnesses.
Salvador said the defense panel has yet to formally submit its list of
witnesses.
He said the trial would not be a competition on the number of witnesses
presented but on the substance of the testimonies that would be offered by these
witnesses.
According to Salvador, what the prosecution panel may be trying to achieve
with its disclosure of its list of witnesses last Friday is to sway public
opinion, just like what they have been doing since the start of the trial.
"They are playing up to the public. They probably want to tell the public
'look at how many witnesses we have, support our cause now.' But with all
modesty, we are not worried about the numbers," Salvador said.
Slow trial
Salvador said the trial would drag on for months if all of the witnesses
listed by the prosecution would be presented.
In the first two weeks of the trial, Salvador said the prosecution has been
able to present an average of two witnesses a day.
The trial at the Senate is held from Monday to Thursday, starting at 2 p.m.
and usually ending at 6 or 7 p.m.
"Based on experience, it would be very lucky to have three a day. It's highly
impossible to have five," Salvador said.
Apart from answering questions raised by the prosecution, the witnesses could
also be subjected to cross-examination by the defense panel, something Salvador
said they cannot be deprived of.
"There may be delays. They have been shouting about a swift trial. If they
want to present all those witnesses, it is their right under the law. But they
will have to establish if their testimonies will be relevant to the case,"
Salvador said.
'Wrecking the high court'
Former House Minority Leader Edcel Lagman opposed yesterday the plan
of prosecutors to have the Senate impeachment court summon SC justices to
testify in the trial of Corona.
He said summoning Corona's colleagues "will inordinately wreck the high
court."
Sought for comment on Lagman's statement, prosecution panel spokesman Rep.
Miro Quimbo of Marikina said calling justices to testify on Corona's alleged
sins would not destroy but strengthen the SC.
Lagman said putting justices on the witness stand "will make them testify not
only for or against the Chief Justice but also against each other."
It would also violate the confidentiality of SC deliberations in the
disposition of cases, he said.
"Moreover, the collective decisions of the Supreme Court will be shredded to
pieces as the fishing expedition navigates into the high seas of the Supreme
Court. The best evidence of the adjudication and voting of the justices are the
decisions themselves and the dissents, if any, wherein individual justices voted
for or against the collective ruling of the majority," he said.
"Now, truly, it is not only the Chief Justice who is on trial but the entire
Supreme Court even as the testimonies of the justices can be used against them
in the threatened impeachment cases involving other justices," he added.
Public accountability
Quimbo said the rule on the confidentiality of deliberations in the tribunal
"must be subordinated to a higher principle of public accountability and
transparency."
"Even the law on the secrecy of bank deposits is cast aside in an impeachment
trial because of the higher public interest involved," he said.
The testimonies of at least three justices are particularly needed to prove
Article VII of the impeachment complaint, which charges Corona of alleged
partiality for former President and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo,
who appointed him associate justice and later chief justice.
The prosecution wants the testimonies of Justices Antonio Carpio, Lourdes
Sereno and Presbiterio Velasco on alleged irregularities in the issuance of a
temporary restraining order (TRO) against the travel watchlist order of the
Department of Justice on Arroyo and her husband.

The SC issued the TRO with three conditions on Nov. 15. Shortly after the
TRO's issuance, the Arroyo couple tried to board planes for Singapore and Hong
Kong but immigration officers barred them from leaving.
The prosecution argued that Corona made it appear that the TRO was
immediately effective to allow the Arroyos to leave the country even if the
three conditions imposed by the SC had not all been complied with.
In his answer to the impeachment complaint, the Chief Justice insisted that
the conditions "were resolutory, and not suspensive," in other words, the TRO
would remain executory, but if the conditions were not fulfilled within five
days, the TRO would be lifted.
The prosecution said it is clear that Corona wanted Arroyo and her husband to
immediately flee the country on Nov. 15 "even though the conditions for the TRO
were not met."
"If the conditions were still not met after five days, the TRO would be
lifted, but by that time, GMA and FG would have already fled the country, beyond
the reach of the Philippine justice system. The nation would be left holding an
empty bag," prosecutors said.
Bayan Muna Rep. Neri Colmenares is the prosecutor in charge of Article VII.
His colleague Teddy Casiño has asked allies of Arroyo to desist from meddling
with Corona's impeachment since they are not among the 188 House members who
signed the complaint against the Chief Justice.
'100 witnesses needed'
For his part, lead prosecutor Rep. Niel Tupas Jr. of Iloilo said the
prosecution panel needs the more than 100 witnesses it intends to call to prove
its case against Corona.
"The list of witnesses and documents contained in our compliance filed with
the Senate should be taken without manifestation that we will present a very
strong, solid case against the Chief Justice within a reasonable period of
time," he said.
Quimbo said they had to include all possible witnesses and documents since
they might encounter objections from Corona's lawyers if they subsequently make
additions.
He said they would determine as the trial progresses if the testimonies of
some witnesses could be dispensed with. - With Jess
Diaz

FROM THE INQUIRER
Enrile eyes pre-trial in Corona case By Maila Ager
INQUIRER.net 1:09 pm | Monday, January 30th, 2012
MANILA, Philippines – Senate President Juan Ponce-Enrile is proposing
a pre-trial in the impeachment of Chief Justice Renato Corona following the
reported 100 witnesses that the prosecution team is planning to present against
Corona.
"I'm going to suggest that to the parties because now of the volume, of the
announced number of witnesses and documents to be presented," Ernile said on
Monday when asked if the impeachment trial would have been faster if there was a
pre-trial.
"And I would suggest they sit down – the two panels— and see what they can
agree upon so that there's no more need for testimonial and documentary evidence
to be presented and what they will prove," he said.
Enrile's proposal was a 360-degree turn from his previous stand against the
pre-trial in his interviews with the media before the formal trial started last
January 16, 2012.
In opposing the holding of a pre-trial, the Senate leader cited then the
Senate's mandate, which is to "forthwith proceed" with the trial upon receipt of
an article of impeachment from the House of Representatives.
But in retracting his position, Enrile explained that at first, he did not
want to call a pre-trial for fear that the public would suspect that they were
tying to hide something from them.
"Kaya hindi ko ginawa yun. Ngayon dahil nga may announcement na napaka dami
nyong testigo na dadating at libu-libo yata, daan-daan ang documents na
ipi-presenta, e matagal yan kung ganun (That's why I did not do it. But now,
because there was an announcement that there will be a lot of witnesses, and
maybe thousands or hundreds of documents to be presented—then that will prolong
the proceeding)," he said.
"Nakita naman nyo ang takbo ng trial kaya kung maari e dapat pag usapan ng
dalawang panig. Hindi ko sila pipilitin, imumungkahi ko lamang (You saw the pace
of the trial that's why if possible, the two parties should talk. I will not
force them, I will just propose it to them)," he further said.
Enrile is presiding over the impeachment trial of Corona. It will resume at
2:00 in the afternoon.

Chief News Editor: Sol
Jose Vanzi

PHILIPPINE HEADLINE NEWS
ONLINE [PHNO] WEBSITE

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PHNO-HL: MIRIAM 'FIT' TO RETURN TO IMPEACH TRIAL / PROSECUTION BLOATS CJ ASSETS MISLEAD PUBLIC

MIRIAM 'FIT' TO RETURN TO IMPEACH
TRIAL / PROSECUTION BLOATS CJ ASSETS MISLEAD PUBLIC

MANILA, JANUARY 31, 2012 (INQUIRER) By Christian V. Esguerra -
Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago went through a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
procedure after suffering a high blood pressure in the impeachment trial last
Thursday.
Now she's fit to go resume work as a judge in Monday's proceedings, and House
prosecutors and their private counsels might be in for more scolding.
"There's nothing wrong with my brain contrary to the impression of my
enemies," Santiago said in an interview over DZBB, three days after her BP shot
up to 180/90 and she had to leave the trial early.
The former Regional Trial Court judge lambasted prosecutors on Sunday for
complaining in media about her demeanor in the impeachment trial of Chief
Justice Renato Corona.
She was incensed after anchor Nimfa Ravelo played an audio clip of House
majority floor leader Neptali Gonzales II complaining in Filipino and English
that Santiago was embarrassing the prosecutors on TV. "We both have
constituents, we both are respected by people who voted for us," said Gonzales.

Santiago lashed back in Filipino, saying senators and representatives were
"no equals." She also pointed out that only the Senate was tasked by the
Constitution to try and decide impeachment cases.
"They're just trying to look good (nagpapaguwapo) because of the next
elections. They only have a year to campaign that's why they are maximizing
their TV exposure so the voters would know them," she said.
Santiago also blasted House members for allegedly "saying things outside of
the truth … just to be in the papers."
"As much as possible, a congressman wants to be a senator that's why they
like issuing press releases so they would be known right away," she said.
Santiago said the public should distinguish between her role as a judge in
the impeachment court and her critics, who might be just after free publicity
for the coming elections at her expense.
"He will use any means to be known in public because if he says something
against me he could be lucky and land in the papers and media for his scandalous
remarks," she said in Filipino.
The senator said she would not have lost her temper in the proceedings had
not prosecutors acted like "drama kings" and resorted to "sententious"
statements and "dramatic introductions."
"The House of Representatives should not lecture on the Senate on how the
proceedings should be conducted. They know that," she said, noting that only
lawyers with no trial experience "have a lot to say" about the proceedings.
"Those with experience in trial, they know."
Ilocos Norte Representative Rodolfo Fariñas, a fiery debater, showed his
frustration at the prosecution's refusal to hit back at the "unfair" attacks of
the senators by walking out of the session hall last Thursday.
Although Rep. Niel Tupas Jr, chief prosecutor, has announced that he would be
designated as his deputy, Fariñas has not confirmed whether he accepted the post
or not.
The prosecution also denied that the Villaraza Cruz Marcelo & Angangco
law office (CVCLAW), or "The Firm," which was founded by Associate Justice
Antonio Carpio, had been helping the team with former Estrada Erap prosecutor
Dennis Villa Ignacio attending the trial.
"The prosecution has no plans of changing the composition of its panel.
Intriga lang 'yan (It's just intrigue)," Tupas said. "We are satisfied with the
way things are going for us for the first two weeks."
Tupas rejected suggestion that he, too, should be replaced after getting a
tongue lashing from Santiago.
Santiago laughed when asked about the prosecution's plan to present around
100 witnesses against Corona.
"As a former judge, I'm already laughing because if you present them to an
ordinary RTC judge, he might pass out already," she said. "Witnesses should be
weighed, not numbered."
The defense panel is set to submit on Monday its own list of witnesses, led
by Enriqueta Esguerra-Vidal, Supreme Court clerk of court, according to Ramon
Esguerra, one of Corona's lawyers.
Lead defense counsel Serafin Cuevas earlier told the court that his camp
would present 15 witnesses.
Esguerra said Vidal would prove that Corona indeed disclosed his statements
of assets, liabilities and net worth (SALNs), the second article of impeachment.
They were under the safekeeping of the clerk of court, who was designated as the
repository of such documents as per an existing SC resolution, the defense
counsel noted.
"Who had the duty to disclose? Apparently it is she," he told the Philippine
Daily Inquirer.
Esguerra also noted that the High Court has been "taking action and
reconsidering the existing guidelines" on making SALNs of justices available to
the public.
"We need to close this point and show to the Senate that the Supreme Court
has already taken action," he said, referring to the reported 10 pending
requests for copies of the SALNs.
Said Esguerra: "We will present an expert witness who can tell the Senate
that the Chief Justice did not violate the Constitution and pertinent laws on
SALN and his assets listed came from sources that are legitimate and the values
he used have legal basis."
FROM THE TRIBUNE
Defense: Prosecution bloats CJ property list to mislead
public By Benjamin B. Pulta and Angie M. Rosales 01/31/2012
Details of premium condominium real estate purchases made in the name
of embattled Chief Justice Renato Corona and his wife Cristina were put on
parade by the House prosecution panel before the Senate impeachment court
yesterday, the start of the third week of the trial.
Defense team spokesman Tranquil Gervacio Salvador III said they may opt to
present the daughter of the head magistrate, Maria Charina Corona.
"If needed, it is not unlikely." the spokesman said when asked on the
possibility that the defense may call the daughter to the stand.
"This was already discussed before and we pointed out that the daughter had
designated Chief Justice Corona as attorney-in-fact for the transactions,"
Salvador said in a press briefing shortly after the prosecution called its
eighth witness, Giovanni Sy Ng, a finance officer of the developer firm
Megaworld Property Holdings Inc.
The defense insists it was Charina who had bought a penthouse unit and its
corresponding parking slots at the Bellagio Condominium but designated her
father as her attorney while she was out of the country.
Charina is a physical therapist in the United States while her husband is
said to be a neurosurgeon, also working abroad.
The prosecution panel however insists that "the burden of
proof" has shifted to the defense in proving that the money came from
Corona's daughter and son-in-law for purchases of property in their names.
Megaworld's Ng testified that the Bellagio project catered to the "AB class"
but conceded that pricing considerations were not handled by him but by the
company's marketing department.
Senate impeachment presiding chair Juan Ponce Enrile sustained the defense's
objection that the testimony of Ng as to the pricing of the unit is hearsay.

A subpoena was ordered by the court to bring in Megaworld's marketing
director Noli Hernandez to testify on the matter.
Prosecution panel member Erin Tanada questioned "were there remittances"made
by Charina to her parents for the supposed payments for their name.The panel
insists that placing the property's title under the children's name had been an
afterthought done after 27 separate payments were made.
The prosecution also questioned the discounted purchase price which the
Coronas supposedly paid for the unit.
"Obviously it does not speak well of the Chief Justice." panel spokesman
Tañada said in a press briefing.The prosecution likewise said the discount
undermined the credibility of the SC decision in a number of cases where
Megaworld was the developer.
It was, however, clarified by witness Ng that the discount claimed by the
prosecution could not be strictly be passed off as a discount, since at the time
of the sale, the property was still on a pre-selling price stage, as well as his
testimony stated that the penthouse unit had structural defects, apart from
which, it was at a time that the investment fallout in the US was in play, due
to the Lehmann Brothers crash, resulting in a lowering of prices in the sale of
the condos.
The prosecution spokesmen went on high gear with their misleading press
conferences, saying that aside from lying under oath in his Statements of
Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALn), Corona may have committed graft when
he allegedly accepted a 40-percent discount from Megaworld Corp. in his purchase
of the 303-sq. m. penthouse unit at the Bellagio Tower in Taguig City.
"There are clear provisions in the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act that
clearly show that you are not entitled to receive gifts, especially substantial
amount of gifts like a 40-percent discount and if you are the Chief Justice
because there are cases involving real-estate properties in the Supreme Court,"
said Marikina City Rep. Miro Quimbo, spokesman of the House prosecution panel.

Quimbo was reacting to a manifestation made by private prosecutor Joseph
Perez before the Senate impeachment court that Corona bought the Bellagio
property for a discounted price of P14.5 million. The 40-percent discount is
equivalent to P10 million.
However, the same witness, Ng, under cross-examination had already explained
the price differentials and clarified that this could not be labeled as a
discount.
One of the alleged condominiums owned by Corona and his wife Cristina, was
fully paid in a month's time in 2004, the same year when they acquired a similar
property in the country's financial business district.
The Coronas allegedly started acquiring two other other properties in the
emerging posh residential areas in Taguig City in 2006, or an estimated P33.2
million worth of acquisitions covering 2004 to 2009.
One of the witnesses presented by the prosecution panel yesterday told the
Senate, sitting as an impeachment court, that the Corona couple has fully paid a
unit in the 19th floor of the Spanish Bay Tower in Bonifacio Ridge, Taguig City
worth P9.1 million in April 2004. The properties cited were The Columns (Ayala
Ave.) – Nov. 2004, Bonifacio Ridge (Taguig) - April 2004,McKinley Hill (Taguig)
– 2008 and Bellagio - 2009
One of the witnesses presented by the prosecution panel yesterday told the
Senate, sitting as an impeachment court, that the Corona couple has fully paid a
unit in the 19th floor of the Spanish Bay Tower in Bonifacio Ridge, Taguig City
worth P9.1 million in April 2004.
Answering a query from Senator-judge Francis Pangilinan, the third witness in
Day 8 of the impeachment trial Aniceto Bisnar Jr., said that the chief justice
and his wife issued checks in the amount of P2.2 million and P6.9 million
respectively as payment for the Bonifacio Ridge property.
"Based on the provisional receipt, we received the P2.2 million from Mr.
Renato Corona while the other one was April 30, 2004, based on official receipt
No. 6259 (was issued by Cristina)," Bisnar said, referring to the said
transaction when he was still with the Fort Bonifacio Development Corp. (FBDC)
as commercial operations head.
Corona's wife appeared as buyer on the deed of sale of the said property
although the SC chief justice paid for the value-added tax (VAT) and other
taxes.
Bisnar's testimony followed that of Constante Caluya Jr., registrar of deeds
of Makati City who brought with him documents – original and photocopies –
pertaining to another condominium unit in The Columns, Ayala Ave., Makati City
in the name of one Cristina Corona.
The said property, acquired in Nov. 3, 2004, is said to be worth P3.5
million.
"The condo unit was paid under the 'cash category.' The unit was acquired in
almost cash basis, with the buyer issuing cheques...it's considered normal
payment term...The unit was paid almost in full by April 2004. There was a P2.2
million check in FBDC and the balance of P6.9 million within one month, a total
of P9.1 million," Bisnar said, adding that the payments made were in April 1 and
30, 2004.
Transactions for a prime property in McKinley Hill village in Taguig City
which according to an executive of its developer, Megaworld Corp. financial
director Ng, started in May 9, 2006 through a "request for reservation and offer
to purchase" made by Corona's daughter Ma. Czarina.
Czarina appeared as owner of the 203-square meter property located at phase
2, lot 16, lot 1 in McKinley Village although the name indicated in the buyer
information sheet was initially that of Corona's wife.
"We received a letter indicating that we accomplish the deed of absolute
sale...in favor of Ma. Czarina Corona," Ng told the impeachment court.
In the 27 official receipts presented in the trial, it showed that the Corona
and his spouse were the ones making the payments for the said property, at a
discount of P2.3 million.
Likewise during yesterday's proceedings, Sen. Bong Revilla urged parties not
to unduly prolong the proceedings.
In a statement the defense said Republic Act No. 1379, or the law stipulating
the handling of properties found to have been unlawfully acquired by public
officers or employees states that prima facie guilt can be established "only if
the public officer during his incumbency acquired an amount of property
manifestly out of proportion to his salary as such public officer or employee
and to his other lawful income and income from legitimately acquired property."

"We were dumbfounded when Lead Prosecutor Iloilo Congressman Neil Tupas
announced the 45 properties purportedly owned by CJ Corona" in a press
conference at the House of Representatives, Defense Spokesman Karen Jimeno
narrated. "Now the SALns are out in the trial and uploaded online. But only five
properties with three parking slots, as publicly admitted by CJ, are indeed
reported and owned by him," Jimeno added.This is bolstered by the titles thus
far marked in evidence and corroborated to a limited extent, by the certificates
authorizing transfer or CARs as testified to by BIR Commissioner Henares.
As it has been shown, "two properties are owned by the daughters of CJ, La
Vista lot by Carla, and the McKinley Hill lot by Charina. Their capacity to buy
is in issue but they are no longer dependents and earning income of their own,"
pointed out by Jimeno.
"This is already outside the allegation about the SALn of CJ. The share in
Palm Country Club is unreported but the CAR shows that taxes were only paid by
the seller developer in late 2011 and may thus be included and reported in the
SALN of 2012 by CJ," added Jimeno.
Records of the trial show that the prosecution included in the list of 45
properties, titles that have been cancelled, titles of parking lots, titles of
new owners, titles of the parents of the son in-law, and even titles of third
persons unrelated to the Coronas. "This has caused confusion at the start with
media feasting on it. But truth is out that big number is much less," explained
by Defense Spokesman Mon Esguerra.
The seeming "discrepancy alleged by the Prosecution between CJ's income and
assets through the testimony of BIR Commissioner Kim would not suffice to
establish proof that several assets of the Coronas were ill-gotten," Esguerra
further explained. The Prosecution is saying, pointed Esguerra that CJ has no
"other lawful income" and "income from legitimately acquired property' as
required under RA No. 1379 but they need to prove these before they can claim
that it has prima facie proven that CJ is guilty of graft and corruption as
alleged in 2.3 of the "Verified" Impeachment Complaint. Clearly, the "burden of
proof is with the Prosecution," Esguerra emphasized.

Chief News Editor: Sol
Jose Vanzi

PHILIPPINE HEADLINE NEWS
ONLINE [PHNO] WEBSITE

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PHNO-HL: CUEVAS: PALACE PRESSURING ME TO QUIT / LET US NOT DESTROY OUR INSTITUTION!

CUEVAS: PALACE PRESSURING ME TO QUIT
/ LET US NOT DESTROY OUR INSTITUTION!

MANILA, JANUARY 31, 2012 (INQUIRER) By Christian V. Esguerra - Who
wants retired Supreme Court Justice Serafin Cuevas (photo) out of the
impeachment trial of Chief Justice Renato Corona?
The 83-year-old Cuevas, who has become a sort of a rock star because of his
performance as lead defense counsel in the afternoon TV-radio spectacle before a
nationwide audience, has revealed purported efforts by Malacañang to get him out
just two weeks into the Senate trial.
Cuevas said he had been approached on a number of occasions by a lawyer to
deliver a supposed message from Malacañang.
He said he was being asked to leave the defense panel in exchange for the
withdrawal of the criminal case against Magtanggol Gatdula, the recently sacked
director of the National Bureau of Investigation.
"I was told that the President wanted me out as a bargaining chip in
the case, that they would no longer pursue it provided that I withdraw," the
counsel said in Filipino in an interview with the Inquirer in his Makati City
office on Saturday night.
Cuevas is also the legal counsel of the influential Iglesia ni Cristo (INC),
of which Gatdula is also a member. Gatdula has been implicated in the alleged
kidnapping of an undocumented Japanese woman.
Cuevas identified the emissary, supposedly a member of Malacañang's "rah-rah"
boys, but asked that his name be withheld. He said the man, his former student
at the University of the Philippines' College of Law, feared Palace
repercussions.
"I know him to be with Malacañang, (but) I'm not sure whether he's authorized
or he is doing it himself," the defense counsel said. "I don't speak with the
President anyway … I do not want to add credence to that."
Asked for comment, presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said in a phone
interview that if Cuevas had proof, he should identify the emissary.
Palace: Identify emissary
"Let's not dwell on anonymity. He owes it to the public to identify the
person," said Lacierda, who repeated the Palace satisfaction at the way the
trial was proceeding. "The [pieces of] evidence speak for themselves," he told
the Inquirer.
Lacierda (photo) also said he saw "no causal
connection" between Cuevas and Gatdula other than that both of them were INC
members.
In the interview with the Inquirer, Cuevas said he had also been receiving
some form of "harassment" lately in connection with a couple of family-owned
buildings in Quezon City.
Days after the impeachment trial began, he said he was suddenly asked to
submit the book of accounts, supposedly for the Bureau of Internal Revenue
(BIR), to check if the right taxes were being paid.
"Why only now?" Cuevas said. "It's no small thing. It's serious. I don't know
what will follow next."
He added: "It gives a chilling effect. But I don't know if the President
knows about it. Perhaps, it's only the handiwork of people who want to look good
before him."
Holding punches
Cuevas said the inquiry into the Quezon City properties was similar to an
incident involving BIR officers shortly after he went public as a counsel for
then Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez, who resigned rather than undergo an
impeachment trial.
He said three BIR officers went to his law office in Salcedo Village one day
and began investigating.
"Make sure you do it right because you know how life is—today you are up,
tomorrow you may be down," he told the BIR officers in Filipino, adding that the
incident "scared away" many of his clients.
Not easy task
"If they are no longer in position, that's the time they will see what kind
of blows we will deliver," Cuevas said. "We are holding our punches. We cannot
unleash the full fury of our punch because of the existing circumstances."
He said he was unfazed by the pressure on him to quit the Corona defense
team.
So far in the trial, Cuevas has been both criticized and commended for the
way he has been defending the Chief Justice, particularly in the face of
allegations that he had amassed ill-gotten wealth, a charge not included in the
existing articles of impeachment.
Cuevas said Corona had personally asked him to serve as his lead defense
counsel. He said he and his entire family were initially against the idea given
the possible harassment that might come their way.
"It's not easy because you're up against Malacañang," he said.
President Aquino has been openly campaigning for the removal of Corona,
alleging that he was a roadblock to his reform programs and his campaign promise
to prosecute former President and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo for
electoral sabotage and corruption.
Corona earlier fired back, saying the President was showing dictatorial
tendencies by attempting to control the judiciary. With a
report from Christine O. Avendaño
FROM ABS-CBN
'Calling journalists, justices to witness stand horribly
wrong' By Ira Pedrasa, ABS-CBNnews.com Posted at 01/29/2012 4:39 PM |
Updated as of 01/29/2012 7:25 PM
Defense: Let us not destroy our institutions
MANILA, Philippines -- A lawyer has criticized plans of the
prosecution to call to the witness stand more than 100 witnesses, including
journalists and justices of the Supreme Court.
In his Facebook account, lawyer Ted Te said: "Putting media practitioners as
well as sitting Supreme Court Justices as possible witnesses is just simply
horribly wrong. Not only does it leave the trial open to a challenge that it
was, after all, the institution of the SC itself that is now being tried, it
also opens a door that should, at the moment, remain closed."

He said bringing justices to the court also weakens the institutions put up
by the Constitution. He said the magistrates should collectively decline such a
plan.

"Similarly, calling media practitioners to testify on work product is
indicative of a short cut approach to finding the truth; much of the work that
media has done in reporting these matters is already part of the public
consciousness and may already be considered subject of the collective,
institutional and even personal knowledge of the Senate, acting as jury; there
is really no need to call media practitioners to testify," he said.

Several journalists have already asked the prosecution team not to present
them as witnesses, including Marites Vitug and Criselda Yabes.

The journalists are only two of the more than 100 witnesses that the
prosecution wants to testify in the eight articles of impeachment against Chief
Justice Renato Corona.

'Let us not drag the media into the picture'

In a separate statement, the defense also criticized the plans of the
prosecution.

The "prosecution has pierced the veil of confidentiality with the [income tax
returns], let us not drag the media and place it on the witness stand. The Media
is not on trial here. Prove your case by doing your work in research and
litigation," defense spokesperson and lawyer Karen Jimeno said.

She said the media has three basic roles, which is to inform, educate and
entertain, "even if some have gone further, they have a unique role."

The defense lawyers also took exception to the plan of the prosecution to
subpoena the magistrates.

"Is the Prosecution saying they need the other Justices to rat against the
Chief Justice and against each other on how they voted on a particular case?"
lawyer Rico Quicho asked.

Jimeno added this would step on the time-honored confidentiality in the
disposition of cases.

'Think out of the box'

Te, who is in the United States on a scholarship, also questioned why the
prosecution would need around 100 witnesses.

He said it is indicative of two things.

"It believes that its case is so weak that it needs that many witnesses to
prove something that should be, on its face, already self-evident, and it hopes
that, along the way, someone will do a Clarissa Ocampo and turn the tide
irreversibly in its favor," he said.

Ocampo was the whistle-blower who said that then President Joseph Estrada was
the one who signed the "Jose Velarde" accounts, where jueteng money was
supposedly deposited.

"Either way, it doesn't look good for the prosecution simply because
disclosing its own belief that it takes that many witnesses to prove that Corona
is unfit to continue as Chief Justice sends to the Senate the wrong
message--that perhaps the truth isn't as clear and that perhaps the doubt should
be resolved in favor of retaining him in office," Te said.

He said it's not too late for the prosecution to rethink its strategies.

Chief News Editor: Sol
Jose Vanzi

PHILIPPINE HEADLINE NEWS
ONLINE [PHNO] WEBSITE

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PHNO-HL: IMPEACH TRIAL SUPERSTARS: SUPER OLD,SHARP, AMAZING

IMPEACH TRIAL SUPERSTARS: SUPER OLD,
SHARP, AMAZING

MANILA, JANUARY 31, 2012 (INQUIRER) By Christian V. Esguerra - Older
and definitely wiser. This best describes the leading lights in the current
trial to impeach Chief Justice Renato Corona.
At day's end, Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, soon-to-be
88, holes up in his study at his Makati residence to contemplate the trial
proceedings.
On days when key issues are raised at the trial—such as whether to admit
evidence on the CJ's alleged illegally acquired wealth—Enrile says he stays up
till the wee hours, weighing the options according to the law.
In a law office somewhere in Salcedo Village, his contemporary, retired
Justice Serafin Cuevas, 83, puts off going home to reread the law, review
the documents and plan legal strategy, all in preparation for the next day's
trial.
"Every night I never fail to check on things because I haven't been teaching
in a long time," he told the Inquirer in an interview Saturday night. "It's not
every day that there's an impeachment case. I have to dig deeper into the wisdom
of the ages."
Such is the strict discipline Enrile and Cuevas still impose upon themselves,
more than half a century after graduating from the University of the Philippines
College of Law.
They may look frail and slower now, but their participation in the trial, not
to mention their exchanges, have kept the other judges and lawyers on their
toes, and have proved riveting to the onsite audience and those following the
proceedings on media.
"People tell me that we both study, that we're always correct when it comes
to the law," said Cuevas. "His thinking and my thinking probably jive on many
occasions because we are both litigators."
Diligence and stamina
Sen. Gregorio Honasan, to whom Enrile has been a father figure, attested to
the old man's diligence in the Corona trial. There had been times, he said, when
Enrile would sleep at 2 a.m. then wake up three hours later.
"You can tell what the man is made of," Honasan said. "He agonizes over
issues in the impeachment trial. He studies and prays a lot to understand the
issues."
Sen. Jose "Jinggoy" Estrada, the Senate President Pro Tempore, said many of
his colleagues were concerned about Enrile's health given the rigors of the
proceedings.
Trial days are from Monday to Thursday, beginning at 2 p.m. and with no fixed
time of adjournment. Unlike other senators who could take a break anytime,
Enrile has to stay at the rostrum and traffic the proceedings.
Senators' concern
"That's our concern. We don't want him to tire. We need him to be 100 percent
throughout the trial," said Estrada, who helps "preserve" Enrile for the
afternoon's trial by presiding over the legislative session in the morning.
"No one can handle the job better than he does," added Estrada.
Save for a little hearing difficulty and an eye problem, Enrile, who is
turning 88 on Valentine's Day, is ready for the long haul, agreed both Honasan
and Estrada.
Cuevas, on the other hand, is on maintenance drugs for his diabetes. But
other than that, he is a tough one.
He stands at the podium for at least a couple of hours during trial, trying
to keep the prosecution at bay. Most of the time, he has been successful, based
on the number of times Enrile has sustained his objections and prosecutors have
had to "reform" their questions to witnesses.
Free lectures
CUEVAS: At 83, still digging deeper into the wisdom of the ages Such
exchanges have served as "free lectures" for the young lawyers involved in the
trial and those who have been following the proceedings.
"I get paid P10,000 per lecture. You guys should be thankful because I'm
giving it for free (at the trial)," Cuevas said during the interview. He might
have said it in jest, but it's a point well made.
'Shining stars'
Lawyer Florin Hilbay, Constitution and philosophy professor at the UP Law
Center, described Enrile and Cuevas as "amazing" when asked to assess the
performance of the impeachment trial participants. Hilbay was attending the
forum "Reflections after Week 1 of the Latest Political Novela: Impeaching the
Chief Justice," which was sponsored by the National College of Public
Administration and Government.
"They are senior citizens yet they are the shining stars of the show," Hilbay
said. "Enrile is extremely sharp as presiding chair, while Cuevas sets the pace
and tone of the trial."
He also said lawyers watching the trial could not help but be astounded by
Enrile's knowledge of tax provisions, citing them as if it is something he does
all the time. He gave Cuevas extra points for witticism.
Despite positive reviews of his performance so far in the trial, Cuevas
claimed no mastery of the impeachment proceedings, this despite having defended
former President Joseph Estrada in the famous and rigorous impeachment trial in
2000 that has gone on record as having spawned Edsa II.
Cuevas said he was determined to finish the job even if he admitted getting
tired at different stretches during the trial.
To keep fit, he sets aside at least 30 minutes each morning to jog around his
sprawling property in Quezon City. After breakfast of two soft-boiled eggs and a
glass of milk, he is ready to go.
Specialized in taxation
Though younger, Cuevas finished law ahead of Enrile, but the latter passed
the bar at No. 11 the following year with a 91.72 percent general average and a
"perfect score in Commercial Law."
Despite being contemporaries, the two hardly met in the courtroom, owing to
the type of cases they sought to handle.
Enrile specialized in taxation, having earned his master's degree in
international taxation at the Harvard Law School in 1955.
Cuevas got his feet wet right away in litigation and won his first big case
as a fresh grad in 1953.
Substituting for his mentor Pepe Africa, the young Cuevas found himself
defending a construction worker accused of homicide.
Rookie Cuevas scares
The late Judge Bienvenido Tan, who was known as a "terror" among the
magistrates in Manila, heard the case and denied the motion to postpone even
before Cuevas could finish his sentence.
Rookie Cuevas later asked the clerk of court to schedule the case for the
last-time slot "so when the judge gives me a dressing down, no one else would
see it."
As it turned out, he had no reason to worry. The young lawyer shone during
the trial and succeeded in having the case dismissed. His happy boss promptly
gave him a P100 raise, quite a whopper considering his monthly salary had only
been P150.
"I've been trained for antagonistic conditions," said Cuevas, who went on to
become a fiscal prosecutor for nearly 20 years, a judge, and later an associate
justice of the Supreme Court.
Frowns on Santiago's tirade
In the current Corona impeachment trial, the man has been generally polite
with his counterparts from the prosecution, whose years of law practice are
easily dwarfed by his own.
Cuevas said he sympathized with prosecutors whenever they got scolded during
the televised trial. He said he particularly felt bad when Tupas and private
counsel Arthur Lim were castigated by a fuming Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago on
separate occasions last week.
"I could not affix my stamp of approval on that kind of an actuation," he
said. "Para bang hiniya mo 'yung mga tao eh naghahanap-buhay yan. Masasabi mo
naman nang maayos. (That amounted to embarrassing a man who was only trying to
make a living. What was said could have been said nicely.)"
Comparisons
Compared to Estrada's impeachment trial, he said public opinion was not as
heavily against Corona.
"It's good that the Chief Justice is a very religious man," he said, adding
that Corona has no reputation for being a womanizer or a drunk.
And unlike in his previous impeachment experience, Cuevas seems to have
gained a few fans of his own this time, judging by people from all walks of life
who express their admiration for him outside the trial venue.
But the retired justice said he wasn't losing focus on the job ahead, which
is to prove Corona's innocence.
"We might be lulled into a false sense of security that we are winning but
lose when the voting comes. That's what we are trying to avoid," he said. With a report from Nancy C. Carvajal

Chief News Editor: Sol
Jose Vanzi

PHILIPPINE HEADLINE NEWS
ONLINE [PHNO] WEBSITE

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PHNO-HL: PHL OFFERS FOR LARGER U.S. MILITARY PRESENCE / CHINA: ASIA NEEDS PEACE

PHL OFFERS FOR LARGER U.S. MILITARY
PRESENCE / CHINA: ASIA NEEDS PEACE

WASHINGTON, JANUARY 31, 2012
(INQUIRER) Agence France-Presse - The United States has welcomed
the Philippines' offer to allow more US troops on its territory, saying it would
boost US power in Asia, and assured it was not seeking to re-establish bases in
the former colony.
The Philippines said earlier Friday that it planned to hold more joint
exercises and to let more US troops rotate through the Southeast Asian country,
which is embroiled in increasingly tense territorial disputes with China.
"We would welcome discussions with the Philippines along those lines, but
there's no aspiration for bases in Southeast Asia," said Admiral Robert Willard,
head of the US Pacific Command.
Willard said that the United States -- which stations more than 85,000 troops
in Japan and South Korea -- wanted more flexible ways to bring troops into
Southeast Asia without the costs of permanent bases.
He also pointed to Australia's offer to station US Marines -- announced by
President Barack Obama on a visit in November -- and plans to forward-deploy
littoral combat ships in Singapore.
"There is no desire nor view right now that the US is seeking basing options
anywhere in the Asia-Pacific theater," Willard told a news conference in
Washington.
"Initiatives such as Australia offered or such as Singapore offered to allow
us to rotate forces from locations that are closer and more adjacent to
Southeast Asia afford Pacific Command the opportunity to more conveniently have
its presence there and felt," Willard said.
Senior officials from the Philippines and the United States held talks
Thursday and Friday in Washington aimed at boosting security cooperation.
In a joint statement after the meeting, the two countries said that their
six-decade alliance was important for "the peace, security and prosperity of the
Asia-Pacific."
"We committed to further enhance cooperation, including in security, defense,
commerce, law enforcement, human rights and disaster relief. We agreed to deepen
and broaden our maritime security cooperation," the statement said.
The statement also recognized "positive developments" in the Philippines'
prosecution of abuses. The United States has pressed the Philippines to improve
its human rights record, including in the insurgency-torn island of Mindanao.

Despite Manila's desire for closer security cooperation, any large-scale
presence of US troops would be politically sensitive in the Philippines which
voted to close down US bases in 1992.
FROM THE PHILSTAR
China: Asia needs peace, stability (The Philippine
Star) Updated January 30, 2012 12:00 AMComments (3)

BEIJING – China called for greater efforts toward "peace and
stability" in the region yesterday after the Philippines offered to allow more
US troops on its territory.
The Philippine government said Friday it planned to hold more joint exercises
and to let more US troops rotate through the Southeast Asian country – an offer
welcomed by the United States as it seeks to expand its military power in Asia.

"We hope that relevant parties will make more effort towards peace and
stability in the region," China's foreign ministry said in a brief statement
faxed to AFP.
The government's response was in sharp contrast to a blistering editorial in
the Global Times – known for its nationalistic stance – which said Beijing
should impose sanctions against the Philippines over the move.
China should use its "leverage to cut economic activities" between the
Philippines and other Southeast Asian countries and consider "cooling down"
business links with its smaller neighbor, according to the editorial published
in the Chinese and English versions of the newspaper.
"It should show China's neighboring areas that balancing China by siding with
the US is not a good choice," it said.
"Well-measured sanctions against the Philippines will make it ponder the
choice of losing a friend such as China and being a vain partner with the US."

China and the Philippines, along with Vietnam, have rival claims to parts of
the South China Sea, home to some of the world's most important shipping lanes
and believed to hold vast deposits of fossil fuels.
Taiwan, Brunei and Malaysia also have claims in the South China Sea.
Manila and Hanoi complained repeatedly last year of what they said were
increasingly aggressive acts by China in the decades-long rift.
The alleged acts, which included a Chinese naval ship reportedly firing
warning shots at Filipino fishermen, fuelled fears among some nations in the
region about China as its military and political strength grows.
The US has been looking to increase its military presence across Asia Pacific
in a strategic shift that has angered China.
US President Barack Obama said in November the United States would deploy up
to 2,500 Marines to northern Australia. The following month, a US admiral wrote
that the US expected to station several combat ships in Singapore.
In an editorial titled "Make Philippines pay for balancing act," Global Times
said China should isolate the Philippines economically while keeping a reserved
stance in the West Philippine Sea dispute.
Manila earlier announced that US presence in the areas claimed by the
Philippines in the West Philippine Sea will be more pronounced and more joint
military exercises would be conducted.
The article said that the actions of the US in the West Philippine Sea
dispute should be dealt with but it also recognized that the US is a tough
opponent.
"Given the recent active maneuvers of the US military in China's neighboring
area, the lack of a response from China would be inappropriate, though it is
also impossible to react strongly toward every move by the US. It is thus
necessary to single out a few cases and apply due punishment" the opinion piece
said.
The Philippines therefore, is a "suitable" target for the imposition of
sanctions because the country can be economically isolated.
"The Philippines is a suitable target to impose such a punishment. A
reasonable yet powerful enough sanction can be considered," it said.
"To this end, China may consider cooling down its business ties with the
Philippines. One step forward in military collaboration with the US means a step
backward in economic cooperation with China," the article said.
The newspaper article said that should China impose this kind of sanction on
the Philippines, the US is likely to help but in turn, the Philippines will
burden the US financially.
"During this tug of war, as long as China keeps its economic growth momentum,
it will have an advantage," the piece said.
"While isolating the Philippines economically, China should keep a reserved
military stance in South China Sea affairs, convincing neighboring countries of
its peaceful intentions and defusing fears of China's rise," it added.
In Manila, Foreign Affairs spokesman Raul Hernandez, for his part said, "Our
relations with China, as we had said before, should be governed by mutual
respect, equality and observance of each other's sovereignty. We are certain
that China will fully concur with our stated position."
Upgrading defense is long overdue
Malacañang explained yesterday that upgrading the country's defense
capabilities had long been overdue and that it was important not because of
territorial disputes but to combat terrorism and other transnational crimes in
open seas.
"With or without the dispute, we believe that no one will dispute it when we
say that we have really been left behind when it comes to upgrading our
(defense) capabilities," deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte told
radio dzRB.
The Philippines maintains that the territorial disputes in the West
Philippine Sea must be settled through diplomatic and peaceful means among
claimant-countries, including China.
Manila is urging non-claimant countries such as the United States and Japan
to ensure safe and free passage in open seas and curb transnational crimes.
Valte said patrolling the country's territorial waters must be intensified
but the government has only a few ships to guard the shorelines.
"We should really upgrade this," Valte said.
President Aquino had issued Executive Order 57 to establish the National
Coast Watch System (NCWS) to expand the country's naval security operations to
preserve Philippine territory and protect its people and resources from maritime
threats.
In issuing EO 57, the President emphasized the government's firm commitment
to prioritize maritime security in the country, especially in the face of
maritime challenges and threats such as terrorism, transnational crime, drug and
firearms trafficking, smuggling, human trafficking, climate change, illegal
fishing, marine environment degradation and other security concerns.
The new EO harmonizes the policies, programs and activities on intelligence
work, border control, interdiction and law enforcement of several government
agencies such as the Philippine Navy, the Philippine Coast Guard and the
Philippine National Police-Maritime Group, among others, for better maritime
governance.
The Palace earlier said it was open to increased United States presence in
the region, including the Philippines, but denied American military bases would
again be established in the country. – Czeriza Valencia,
Aurea Calica
FROM YAHOO! NEWS ASIA
China should punish Philippines over US offer:
report
AFP
News – 17 hours ago

[PHOTO - A US Marine during a joint exercise with Philippine troops
in the Philippines in 2005. China should impose "sanctions" against the
Philippines after it offered to allow more US troops on its soil, state media
said Sunday, amid growing tensions over disputed waters in the South China
Sea]
China should impose "sanctions" against the Philippines after it offered to
allow more US troops on its soil, state media said Sunday, amid growing tensions
over disputed waters in the South China Sea.
Manila said Friday it planned to hold more joint exercises and to let more US
troops rotate through the Southeast Asian country -- an offer welcomed by the
United States as it seeks to expand its military power in Asia.
China has not yet officially responded to the announcement, which was made
during the country's week-long holiday for the Lunar New Year. The foreign
ministry on Sunday did not immediately respond to AFP requests for comment.
But an editorial in the Global Times, known for its nationalistic stance,
said Beijing "must respond" to the move by using its "leverage to cut economic
activities" between the Philippines and other Southeast Asian countries.
China also should consider "cooling down" business links with its smaller
neighbour, according to the editorial published in the Chinese and English
versions of the newspaper.
"It should show China's neighbouring areas that balancing China by siding
with the US is not a good choice," it said.
"Well-measured sanctions against the Philippines will make it ponder the
choice of losing a friend such as China and being a vain partner with the US."

Chief News Editor: Sol
Jose Vanzi

PHILIPPINE HEADLINE NEWS
ONLINE [PHNO] WEBSITE

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PHNO-HL: BULLETIN: MORE ARE GOING HUNGRY / FEATURE: PHL IN NEW EAST ASIA CONTEXT

BULLETIN: MORE ARE GOING HUNGRY /
FEATURE: PHL IN NEW EAST ASIA CONTEXT

[PHOTO - TELLING HUNGER: A child waits for her turn to eat
after her grandmother is done feeding her younger sibling in their shanty on
Agham Road in Quezon City Monday, Jan. 30, 2012. A new survey says the hunger
rate has gone up from 4.3 million families in September last year to 4.5 million
families last December. (Photo by KJ
ROSALES)]
MANILA,
JANUARY 31, 2012 (BULLETIN) The
number of Filipino families that claimed they experienced involuntary hunger
increased to 4.5 million from 4.3 million last September, the latest Social
Weather Stations (SWS) survey results showed.
The nationwide survey, first published Monday, was conducted from December 3
to 7 among 1,200 respondents.
The SWS found that 22.5 percent of the respondents claimed they experienced
having nothing to eat at least once in the past three months, or 1 percent
higher than the 21.5 recorded in September, 2011. The respondents were aged 18
and above.
The survey question on hunger was: "Nitong nakaraang tatlong buwan, nangyari
po ba kahit minsan na ang inyong pamilya ay nakaranas ng gutom at wala kayong
makain? oo o hindi (In the last three months, did it happen even once that your
family experienced hunger and not have anything to eat? Yes or no)."
Those who experienced hunger were further asked: "Nangyari po ba 'yan ng
minsan lamang, mga ilang beses, madalas, o palagi? (Did it happen only, a few
times, often, or always?)."
By geographical area, overall hunger declined in the rest of Luzon (from 28.3
to 23 percent) and in Metro Manila from 23 to 22 percent), but rose in the
Visayas (from 15.3 to 25 percent) and Mindanao (from 13 to 19.7 percent).
The survey also noted that severe hunger among families, or those who
experienced it "often" or "always" in the last three months, was higher at 8
percent from 5.5 percent in September.
It increased in all areas, except in Metro Manila, where it declined to 5
percent from 3.7 percent.
Meanwhile, moderate hunger, or those who experienced hunger "only once or "a
few times" in the last three months, increased to 25.6 percent from 22.4
percent.
It fell in the rest of Luzon, barely changed in Metro Manila, but increased
in the Visayas and Mindanao.
The government, through the Department of Social Welfare and Development
(DSWD), has sought to address the problem of hunger through its conditional cash
transfer program (CCTP).
FEATURE STORY FROM ABS-CBN
Philippines in the new East Asia context Karen
Davila, Young Global Leader 2010, ABS-CBN Philippines

[PHOTO - Karen Davila at Davos]
This year, I had the honor of being invited as a Young Global Leader (YGL)
participant to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
The World Economic Forum is undoubtedly, the most high-profile, most covered
yet exclusive conference in the world – only 2,000 participants are invited to
attend the annual gathering – ranging from heads of state, prime ministers, the
world's royalty from kings & queens…down to their heirs, influential
politicians, nobel laureates, academicians, advocacy leaders, social
entrepreneurs and not to mention, famous celebrities.
Imagine, in this one conference….
Federal Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel, United Kingdom Prime Minister
David Cameron and Canada Prime Minister Stephen Harper each separately addressed
the plenary but had one message: the world economy is in trouble and that action
must be taken. But the nagging question on everybody's mind was how to do it?
Bailing out bankrupt economies? Ending the social welfare system and getting
countries to be more economically productive? To keep and scrap economic unions
like EU?
Microsoft founder Bill Gates spoke on health & chaired another session
on G20.
Chelsea Clinton moderated an event on E-Philantrophy.
The revolutionary Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus of the Grameen Bank
gave his insights on his breakthrough idea on the power of youth to transform
society through social business.
French director Luc Besson taught a session on the power of film on
how it can be an agent of change, Japanese actor Ken Watanabe spoke on the power
of storytelling…famous authors Paolo Coehllo and Rick Warren, even Mick Jagger
dropped by in a few YGL parties and danced with some of us, including me! Only
in Davos.
Apart from Europe's spreading economic crisis, there was discussion also on
China's emergence as the new economic power – eclipsing the United States – or
if the European contagion will impact on China.
But in all these discussions - how does a small developing nation like the
Philippines fit in all this?
With no representation from the Philippine government this year, the
Philippines was surprisingly discussed in "The New Context in East Asia", one of
the sessions moderated by Senior Research Fellow Stephen Roach of the Jackson
Institute for Global Affairs & Yale University.
One of the distinguished panelists, Karim Raslan of the Global Agenda Council
on South-East Asia says the Philippines will be a serious player in Asia in the
next few years, "The Philippines has a new president, Noynoy Aquino. The
Philippines is the next growth story in the next 10 years, you see some
investors in Indonesia already leaving and moving to the Philippines".
Raslan cites one important but often neglected quality necessary for economic
growth – and tha, the says, is honesty. "Honesty in a leader is important. In
Indonesia we've seen leaders immune from prosecution, but in the Philippines –
when you're out of office there is (prosecution)". Clearly referring to
experiences of former President Joseph Estrada and now Gloria Arroyo, Raslan
laughs, "now I don't know…some might say that's a good thing or a bad thing".

I think it would've been a plus if President Aquino came & gave a session
on "Good Governance equals Good Economics", an agenda he's been trumpeting,
which could've signaled how doing business with government has changed.
It's something, he says, Malaysia can learn from. With elections coming this
year, Raslan adds, its important to address deep-rooted problems like
corruption, "we put off economic reforms"
But when I asked Raslan to enumerate on some immediate economic growth areas,
he was quick to say – focus on creating jobs & tourism, "the much
controversial Open Skies policy is critical in encouraging tourism, the
Philippines is a good tourism opportunity, it's the closest to China and that's
a huge market to tap. I think Bohol can be the Bali of the Philippines".
I found this to be quite interesting, given a random poll in Davos – most of
foreigners I had spoken to either traveled to Thailand, Hong Kong and Singapore
– and the main reason? Simple. Direct flights to all these destinations.
Raslan also cited the Philippines overtaking India in the BPO industry, "BPO
has transformed middle-class lives, good area for growth". Mining, he admits, is
a big potential source for the Philippines, but given climate change & more
storms, "it's imperative that mining be worked down in a regulatory framework,
you can't turn the clock back on progress, but strict measures can be put in
place"
Chang Dae-Wan, panelist & Chairman of the Maekyung Media Group from Korea
says trade among Asian nations is key to each one's growth, including the
Philippines. "it is important for most Asian countries to unite economically,
without excluding the European union. The west can't get its act together,
there's opportunity in crisis – the current crisis can make for greater
integration in Asia"
Which is why, Raslan ends, "the Philippines needs to know more of Asia, and
not be America–centric".
Most Asian countries are having partnerships - Thailand going to Korea to
learn anti-flood methods, Korean grid wanting to connect with the Japanese grid,
Asia "credit rating companies" and the Asean 10 (our version of the European
Union) are now the subject of talks. With China's growth pegged at 9.2% and even
if it turns out smaller, they're financially stable enough to pump prime it,
Asia is clearly where the growth is and the Philippines needs to be part of
these partnerships.
HSBC recently projected that by 2050, the Philippines will be the 16th
largest economy in the world, the reason being – sound economic fundamentals,
rising income per capita, improved rule of law, stronger democracy and rising
education.
Raslan sees this as possible, "good policy decisions will soon trickle down
to the Filipino masses…in small increments….and to Filipinos, don't be too
negative, you'll see it".

Chief News Editor: Sol
Jose Vanzi

PHILIPPINE HEADLINE NEWS
ONLINE [PHNO] WEBSITE

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PHNO-PESO CURRENCY EXCHANGE TUESDAY JANUARY 31, 2012

PHNO-PESO CURRENCY EXCHANGE TUESDAY JANUARY 31, 2012 4:26 A.M. TORONTO TIMEwww.yahoo.com/finance P1=US42.99,Can43.06,UK67.77,SA11.46,YEN 0.56, HK5.54, EUR56.79 ---------------------------30------------------------------------------------------

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PHNO-OPINION: BLOGGER: WHO IS THE BETTER SENATOR JUDGE? / DISQUALIFY BIASED JUDGE

BLOGGER: WHO IS THE BETTER SENATOR JUDGE? / DISQUALIFY BIASED JUDGE

MANILA, JANUARY 29, 2012 (PHNO BLOG WATCHER) FROM http://mrcheapjustice.wordpress.com/

Senator Judge and Presiding Officer Juan Ponce-Enrile

Miriam Defensor Santiago

A Dangerous Precedent
To de-bone the current impeachment proceedings, no matter how the prosecution panel blunders it is slowly inching its way to prove that Chief Justice Renato S. Corona may have accumulated ill-gotten wealth.

It has slowly (but surely) built its case using the mighty power of the State – using all its resources available. The latest being the dreaded Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) acting as a dark undertaker. BIR Commissioner Kim Henares is just marvelous, a picture perfect government crusader who is doing her job well. Too bad for Chief Justice Corona, his blunders in declaring his income seems to be causing him a Capone-like crumble.

Lets leave Chief Justice Corona for a moment, he may already be doomed. Lets us go to the weapon unleashed by the BIR against graft and corruption.
Showing the whole country that it can actually pry into the lifestyle of government officials (even those having co-equal status as the President) and expose to the nation his probable ill-gotten wealth, the BIR should not stop and continue to investigate irreconcilable incomes and expenses of ALL government officers – whether they are President PNOY's bright boys and flavor of the moment or those outside the current administration circle.

Lifestyle check by the BIR should cover EVERYONE in government.

This is dangerous as the BIR might be biting its own tongue. It might be confronted by the long realized reality that EVERYONE in government have skeletons in the closets. And if the entire force of governmental pwer is employed to investigate one's income tax folly, there might be no "CLEAN" government officer left standing.

The BIR is challenged. If the current administration is indeed sincere to mop away graft and corruption, the BIR should continue its roll.

Try to pry into the income tax returns of the other Supreme Court Justices and check their actual properties. And why stop there? Investigate the Sandiganbayan justices, Court of Appeals Justices and members of the Department of Justice.

Why not pry into the income tax returns of the Honorable prosecutors and their families.

Suddenly, the BIR will find a gargantuan job on its lap.

Disqualify Biased Senator-Judges ýMonday, ýJanuary ý23, ý2012, þý10:40:12 AM | mrcheapjustice

In any biased court or tribunal, the litigants are up against two foes – the opposing counsel and the judge who has taken a stand in the case.

A judge should always be above suspicion. He should be impartial. It is only this mindset that he is able to judiciously determine the merits of the case.

That is why rules of court allows the judge to ask clarificatory questions – not conduct direct or cross examination.

That is why even in an impeachment case like the one against Chief Justice Renato Corona, Senator-judges should act like real judges.

Whether in an ordinary court trial or the impeachment court, an unbiased judge is a must and basic guarantee of fairness.

What Senator-judge Franklin Drilon did when he quizzed prosecution witness Atty. Enriquetta Vidal is not only clarificatory but already "corrective" direct examinations – a helping hand to the prosecution which seems to be bungling its case.

Anybody who watched that episode will agree that Private Prosecutor Mario Bautista's effort to produce the SALN was fruitless until Senator Drilon fielded his questions ans eventually forced Atty. Vidal to relinquish the SALN to the Senate's custody.

Drilon did not only overdid his role, he exposed his bias in favor of the prosecution.

In order to save an impeachment case which supposedly against a biased Chief Magistrate, the impeachment court should be free of the same evil.

Chief News Editor: Sol Jose Vanzi

PHILIPPINE HEADLINE NEWS ONLINE [PHNO] WEBSITE

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PHNO-SB: ZOREN LEGASPI ON MARRIAGE: WE'RE GETTING THERE

ZOREN LEGASPI ON MARRIAGE: WE'RE GETTING THERE

[PHOTO - Zoren Legaspi: (The wedding) will come; you'll just be surprised. — Photo by Ferdinand Edralin/Freeman News Service ]

MANILA, JANUARY 2i, 2012 (STAR) By Nathalie Tomada - Is a wedding finally in the works for Zoren Legaspi and Carmina Villarroel?

Zoren revealed that they've been mulling over a possible date at the altar despite some past pronouncements that getting married wasn't something they talked about.
"Yes (we're getting there). You'll just be surprised. Mayroon na kaming sini-set na date eh. Kasi papeles nga yan eh, ang hirap pala ayusin ng mga papeles na yan. It should be (this year)… Now, we're trying to put it together," the Kapatid star said in a recent interview with The STAR when TV5 flew him, along with some of TV5's biggest names, to Cebu City to grace the network's pre-Sinulog show.

Zoren admitted that they never really discussed it before, but "recently, we've been talking about it. That's why our target (for the wedding) is hopefully this year."

In a previous interview, Carmina had said that the stalling or non-action on the matter is not because of any legal impediment (she being formerly married) because there's none.

It's also not because their kids, 11-year-old twins Mavey and Cassy, are asking for it. "Hindi nagtanong ang kids. Di pa nila alam. This year, before we get married, we'll explain to them."

Zoren, nevertheless, said that it's long overdue. "I even told (Carmina), 'Why not this Valentine's Day (Feb. 14)?' I don't know if she took me seriously. Maybe I should ask her again later. Pwede pa namang humabol di ba?"

Asked on what kind of wedding he envisions it to be, Zoren said, "I'm sure it's a small gathering. Maybe a simple garden wedding (with family and close friends) ... I don't really know what Carmina wants." He also said they are born-again Christians.

Zoren also related how their love story unfolded. "We were neighbors," he said. At that time, Carmina just came out of a failed marriage and was far from entertaining thoughts of getting into another relationship.

But he said there was a ghost in her house that caused her nightmares. Since she was alone, he would sometimes visit her and took it upon himself to look after her. While he was already very interested in her, Carmina simply treated him as a friend and had many other suitors. But it reached the point, according to him, "na hinahanap-hanap na niya ako."

"Actually, I already courted her before, but I stopped because she was very young then," he said. They've been together for more than a decade now.
Meanwhile, Carmina has returned to ABS-CBN and has been given a showbiz-oriented talk show, but it's not directly competing with Zoren's Sunday show Paparazzi, contrary to rumors.

He also shared that Carmina did ask him to be prudent with his comments on Paparazzi. "My personality is that, while I do care, you don't scare me that easily. The problem is when you become too fearless and you say what you wanna say, there'll be reactions even if what you're saying is true. In fairness to me, everything that I've said on the show, I picked it up from the interview with the artists. That's my style. Although nag-re-react si Carmina ng 'Ha, sinabi mo yun?' (Sabi ko) di ko sinabi yun, sinabi nila, inulit ko lang."

Why the talk show format, nevertheless, appeals to him is because he enjoys studying the background of the personalities he interviews and listening to their stories.

Zoren, who can also be seen on the TV5 primetime teleserye Glamorosa, has been doing Paparazzi for roughly four months now, and he admitted that there was a time that he felt like quitting. "Because I can't stop myself from saying something on issues, especially yung dine-deny, dun talaga ako naiinis. You know, Filipino fans are forgiving. You just apologize and they'll accept you."

Carmina once told The STAR that Zoren is the type who speaks his mind out. "Zoren is very transparent. He says what's in his heart, without any malice," she said in a previous interview.

Zoren, however, said he has learned to keep his lips sealed if he feels he's not in the position to comment. "I'm just quiet on issues that I feel uncomfortable with."

"I know it's difficult," Zoren said, "as you'll be walking on a thin line, especially if your friends are involved. Basta ang rules kasi dyan, if you have skeletons in your closet, make sure your closet is closed. Kasi pag nag-pakawala ka, sorry ka, kasi pag-pipiyestahan yan.

"Ako di naman pikon. Pikon lang pag-di-totoo yung sinasabi mo sa akin. Pag totoo, kahit sinong artista, walang karapatan mapikon.

"But that's the nature of life. Whatever you do, wherever you work, there'll always be intrigue. It's just that with celebrities, parang ang sarap pag-usapan, kasi parang kilala mo eh, nakikita mo siya sa TV, nakaka-relate ka.

"But I've always known I'll be comfortable with the format and one reason is because I have no skeletons in my closet. They can dig all they want, and they won't find a thing, but if they do, I'll readily admit it."

Chief News Editor: Sol Jose Vanzi

PHILIPPINE HEADLINE NEWS ONLINE [PHNO] WEBSITE

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PH Headline News Online

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PHNO-HL: MIRIAM 'FIT' TO RETURN TO IMPEACH TRIAL / PROSECUTION BLOATS CJ ASSETS MISLEAD PUBLIC

PHNO-HL: CUEVAS: PALACE PRESSURING ME TO QUIT / LET US NOT DESTROY OUR INSTITUTION!

PHNO-HL: IMPEACH TRIAL SUPERSTARS: SUPER OLD,SHARP, AMAZING

PHNO-HL: PHL OFFERS FOR LARGER U.S. MILITARY PRESENCE / CHINA: ASIA NEEDS PEACE

PHNO-HL: BULLETIN: MORE ARE GOING HUNGRY / FEATURE: PHL IN NEW EAST ASIA CONTEXT

PHNO-PESO CURRENCY EXCHANGE TUESDAY JANUARY 31, 2012

PHNO-OPINION: BLOGGER: WHO IS THE BETTER SENATOR JUDGE? / DISQUALIFY BIASED JUDGE

PHNO-SB: ZOREN LEGASPI ON MARRIAGE: WE'RE GETTING THERE

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