Palace declares Oct. 26 a regular holiday

MANILA, Philippines – Malacañang on Wednesday declared October 26, 2012 a regular holiday throughout the nation in observance of Eidul Adha or the Feast of Sacrifice.
The declaration was contained in Proclamation No, 488 signed by President Benigno Aquino III.
“Republic Act No. 9849 provides that Eidul Adha shall be celebrated as a regular holiday,” the proclamation said.
“Eidul Adha is one of the two greatest feasts of Islam, “it said.
The date of the festival, the proclamation said, was based on the declaration made by Saudi Arabia’s highest religious body.
The National Commission on Muslim Filipinos (NCMF) recommended that the observance of Eidul Adha should be on October 26, 2012 and that the Eidul Adhaprayer be performed on the final declaration of the Saudi Government.
By Frances Mangosing, Maila Ager

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13 Parties Disqualified

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) disqualified yesterday the Ako Bicol (AKB) party and 12 other party-list groups from participating in the May 2013 polls.
Comelec Chairman Sixto Brillantes, in an interview, said they are denying the participation of AKB in next year’s polls mainly because it does not represent a marginalized sector.
“They are a duly accredited political party, but they are trying to run in the party-list without representing any particular sector. They did not file any special petition to run in 2013 elections,” he said.
“It does not mean that if you’re a political party you can just run in the party-list system without filing a separate petition, which they did not do,” added Brillantes.
To recall, AKB was the number one party-list in the 2010 elections, garnering the highest number of votes.
“They have three incumbent congressmen right now, but we are denying their participation in 2013 party-list elections,” Brillantes said.
He said they came out with the resolution on AKB first so as to give the group the opportunity to go to the Supreme Court.
“We want the Supreme Court to rule on it, and I hope Ako Bicol will take the necessary step to the SC. This decision is no longer subject to a motion for reconsideration. This is the final decision of Comelec. It is commission en banc,” said Brillantes.
The poll chief already said that the party-list representatives currently in office will not be removed from their posts.
“Their term will end on June 30, 2013, but they cannot participate in the 2013 elections under the party-list system,” Brillantes said.
Aside from AKB, the Comelec also cancelled the accreditation of 12 existing party-list groups namely: 1-AANI; 1-BRO Philippine Guardians Brotherhood, Inc. (1-BRO PGBI); 1 Guardians Nationalist of the Philippines, Inc. (1 GANAP/Guardians); First People’s Initiative for Indigent Student Athletes (1st PRISA); A Blessed Partylist; Alliance for National Urban Poor Organizations Assembly, Inc. (ANUPA); Alliance for Rural Concerns (ARC); Association for Righteousness Advocacy on Leadership (ARAL); Atong Paglaum; Organization of Regional Advocates for Good Governance Onward Nation-Building (ORAGON); United Movement Against Drug Foundation, Inc. (UNIMAD); and Yes We Can.
Earlier, the poll body already disqualified 17 party-list groups.
Meanwhile, AKB congressmen criticized the Comelec yesterday for using their organization to get a legal directive from the Supreme Court to either uphold or junk the poll body’s decision disqualifying them.
This developed as the House minority bloc said the claims of a Comelec witch-hunt of partylist organizations linked to the Arroyo administration remains inconclusive.
“We still have to look into the ratio of party-list groups that would lose accreditation,” said Senior Deputy Minority Leader Mitos Magsaysay.
AKB is represented by three of its top nominees – Reps. Rodel Batocabe, Christopher Co and Alfredo Garbin.
“We are being used as a test case,” declared Batocabe.
Batocabe was apparently referring to the statement issued by Comelec Chairman Sixto Brillantes that he hoped Ako Bicol will pursue the case to the Supreme Court in order that the poll body’s unanimous decision can be validated.
“This is very unfortunate for us and our constituents who gave us the clear mandate to represent them in the Lower House,” said Batocabe.
Garbin, who, like Batocabe, is also a lawyer, agreed that the issue may be brought to the High Court. He also stressed that the party-list organization should be given a chance to seek a motion for reconsideration before the poll body.
Batocabe and Garbin said the issues raised against them have already been resolved in 2010, and that this is the reason why their organization was able to land three Lower House posts.
In a press conference, Minority Leader Danilo Suarez and Magsaysay agreed that there is indeed a move to disqualify several party-list organizations which have been accused of getting support from the Arroyo administration.
However, Suarez said it is still too early to claim that a Comelec witch-hunt has been launched against Arroyo allies in the Lower House.
Magsaysay said the best way to gauge a claim of witch-hunt is to determine the ratio of disqualification of minority party-list groups as against those supportive of the Aquino government.
Although it had been tagged as an Arroyo ally, Ako Bicol promptly re-aligned with the Aquino administration after its 2010 victory. It has never considered itself in alliance with the Arroyo group although its reported founder, contractor Zaldy Co, is a close friend of the former president. Reportedly in danger of being disqualified are opposition partylist groups Alliance for Nationalism and Democracy of Rep. Pastor Alcover; Alliance of Laborers and Employes under Rep. Catalina Bagasina; AA Kasosyo Party-list of Rep. Nasser Pangandaman and Una ang Pamilya by Rep. Reena Obillos.
Ang Galing Pinoy, represented by Arroyo son, Rep. Mikey Arroyo, has reportedly opted out of the party-list race in 2013.

. By LESLIE ANN G. AQUINO and BEN R. ROSARIO

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Weather update typhoon nina

At 4:00 p.m. today, the center of Typhoon "NINA" was located at 810 km East of Aparri, Cagayan (18.8°N, 130.3°E) with maximum sustained winds of 140 kph near the center and gustiness of up to 170 kph. It is forecast to move Northwest at 7 kph.

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Prosecutors want Arroyo in regular jail

MANILA, Philippines – Former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo may soon be seeing the inside of a Philippine jail unless her defense lawyers prove that she needs to stay at the Veterans Memorial Medical Center (VMMC) in Quezon City.
Prosecution Bureau II director Diosdado Calonge, lead prosecutor in the plunder case against Mrs. Arroyo, said the government will ask the Sandiganbayan First Division to transfer the defendant to a regular jail unless the defense can show convincing proof that she requires hospitalization.
"What's sauce for the goose should also be sauce for the gander. There should be no special treatment. Anyway she has been previously discharged (from the hospital) at the advice of her doctors," the prosecutor said.
Calonge said they will ask the anti-graft court on Thursday for at least five more days to comment on the motion for hospital arrest.
He said that while he doesn’t see the need to summon Arroyo’s physicians, the prosecution will probably ask some medical experts “to explain the need for her to be in hospital.”
The prosecution is also amenable to an option to have Mrs. Arroyo detained at the Philippine National Police Custodial Center in Camp Crame, Quezon City.
Mrs. Arroyo was indicted for plunder in connection with alleged fraudulent transfer of P366 million confidential/intelligence fund of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office from 2008 to 2010.
Named co-accused were PCSO Board of Directors chairman Sergio O. Valencia; former PCSO general manager Rosario C. Uriarte; PCSO directors Manuel L. Morato, Jose R. Taruc V, Raymundo T. Roquero and Ma. Fatima A. S. Valdes; PCSO budget officer Benigno B. Aguas; former Commission on Audit chairman Reynaldo A. Villar and former COA-Intelligence Fund Unit head Nilda B. Plaras.
The Arroyo camp earlier filed a petition before the Sandiganbayan, asking the anti-graft court to allow the former President to stay inside the VMMC.
"Accused GMA (Arroyo) is not medically fit to be detained in a non-medical facility. (She) pleads that as she faces the charges against her, she be accorded full opportunity to restore her health so that she may properly defend herself," the defense said.
The defense noted the former President suffers various ailments including spine problem, hypertension, dehydration, drastic weight loss and inability to swallow.
A Sandiganbayan spokesman earlier said Mrs. Arroyo will continue to stay at the VMMC unless the court orders her transfer. 
Executive Clerk of Court Atty Renato Bocar said the anti-graft court is set to hear Arroyo’s motion on Thursday, October 11, at 8:30 a.m.
"Hindi porket pwede na i-discharge ay otomatikong ilalabas na ng hospital, may proseso tayong sinusunod,” he said.
He said Arroyo and other detained co-accused must appear personally before the justices on Thursday.

 By Ron Gagalac, ABS-CBN News

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Petitioners vs. cybercrime law continue calls for vigilance despite SC TRO

Lawyers and lawmakers who challenged the Cybercrime Prevention Act before the Supreme Court on Tuesday enjoined the public to remain vigilant despite a temporary restraining order (TRO) issued by High Court halting the implementation of the law.

 

Bayan Muna Rep. Teodoro Casiño, who questioned the validity of the law on Monday together with the group Philippine Internet Freedom Alliance, described the TRO as an “initial victory.”

 

“I commend the SC for listening to the petitioners… We must remain vigilant because the TRO is just for 120 days,” the lawmaker said in a text message.

 

Earlier in the day, the SC unanimously ordered to stop the implementation of Republic Act 10175 or the Cybercrime Prevention Act after receiving 15 petitions questioning the constitutionality of portions of the law. 

 

The law took effect last week amid online and legal protests over some of its provisions, such as the online libel provision and the authority given the government to access or block certain computer data. 

 

Lawyer Harry Roque, another petitioner against the cybercrime law, said that the TRO shows that the enforcement of the legislation “will cause injustice and irreparable injury” to Filipinos.

 

“It hence validates petitioners’ argument that prima facie, the law, which limits freedom of expression on the internet, does not enjoy the presumption of constitutionality,” the lawyer said in a separate statement.

 

He also called on the public to continue monitoring developments on the cybercrime law until it is declared unconstitutional by the high court.

 

Bayan Muna Rep. Neri Colmenares, for his part, attributed the issuance of the TRO to the widespread protests against the cybercrime law.

 

“This is a very welcome development and credit must go to both the online and offline protesters who lambasted onion-skinned politicians and courted being charged with libel,” Colmenares said in a text message. — DVM, GMA News

 

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