Bus driver: Hostage-taker got mad after brod’s arrest

Bus driver: Hostage-taker got mad after brod’s arrest By David Dizon, abs-cbnNEWS.com Posted at 08/24/2010 10:11 PM www.abs-cbnnews.com/-depth/08/24/10/bus-driver-hostage-taker-got-mad-after-brods-arrest MANILA, Philippines – A survivor in Monday’s 12-hour hostage drama in Manila said the hostage-taker started shooting the hostages after he saw his brother’s arrest on nationwide TV. In a sworn affidavit, bus driver Alberto Lubang said hostage-taker Rolando Mendoza became very angry after he saw his brother, SPO2 Gregorio Mendoza, being carted away by police. The incident was aired live on major news broadcasts and was seen by the hostage-taker through a TV inside the bus. Lubang, who escaped by picking the lock on his handcuff, was one of 25 people on a Manila tourist bus that was hijacked by Mendoza in a bid to be reinstated in the police force. Before the hostage-taking incident, Mendoza was a bemedalled police officer who was removed from his job after being linked to an extortion case. In his account, the 38-year-old bus driver said he was picking up his 24 passengers, mostly tourists from Hong Kong, at the Fort Santiago in Intramuros, Manila when Mendoza, clad in bullcap, camouflage pants and carrying several firearms, approached his vehicle and asked where they were headed. He said Mendoza asked for a ride after learning that they were going to the airport. It was at Rizal Park when Mendoza announced: “Sorry, mga hostage ko na kayo ngayon (Sorry, you are all my hostages now).” A tour guide, Dianna Chan, translated the hostage-taker’s message to the 22 tourists, Lubang said. Lubang said Mendoza handcuffed him to the steering wheel after reaching the Quirino Grandstand and said he would only hold the hostages until 3 p.m. The hostage-taker also released 2 of the hostages after one of them complained of diarrhea. Negotiations Lubang said Mendoza initiated negotiations with Chief Inspector Romeo Salvador, whom the hostage-taker personally knew during his stint in Bicutan. Referring to Salvador as “Bok”, the hostage-taker told the negotiators that he merely wanted to call the government’s attention to his motion asking for a review of his dismissal from the police force. “Bok, yung lang kaso ko sa Ombudsman ang gusto kong madinig dito. Wag kayong mag-alala, wala namang mangyayari pag nasunod ang gusto ko. Pangako yan,” Mendoza said while giving Salvador and Superintendent Orlando Yebra a folder full of documents. Yebra acceded to Mendoza’s request but asked that he release more hostages. The hostage-taker promptly released 3 kids and a woman hostage. Lubang said Mendoza asked for food for the hostages but did not eat because he might end up feeling the need to go to the toilet. He said the food was brought in through the driver’s side window. During the early part of the negotiations, Mendoza cracked jokes and even talked to the media via cell phone. The hostage-taker, Lubang said, did not take calls from his family because he did not want to weaken his resolve. At one point, Mendoza also saw Salvador stopping his brother, SPO2 Gregorio Mendoza, from approaching the bus. He then called Salvador and asked him to give back his brother’s firearm, which was confiscated by police. Mendoza’s brother also convinced the hostage-taker to extend the 3 p.m. deadline while authorities worked on his case. Saved by a cuticle remover The bus driver said it was nearly dark when the 2 negotiators, along with Mendoza’s brother, handed Mendoza a letter from the Ombudsman, promising the hostage-taker that his case would be reviewed in 10 days. He said Mendoza read the letter and said: “Hindi ito ang hiling ko. Basura ito. Ibalik niyo to. Wala naman diyan ang gusto kong desisyon e (This isn’t what I asked. This is garbage. Bring it back. It doesn’t have the decision that I wanted).” Lubang said the 2 negotiators tried to reason with the hostage-taker to no avail. He said Mendoza’s demeanor changed when his brother blurted out: “Tol, yung baril ko di pa rin binibigay (They haven’t returned my gun yet).” The bus driver said Mendoza got mad after seeing his brother’s arrest during a live newscast. The hostage-taker saw the arrest on a TV set inside the bus. “I heard him shouting ‘I will finish off all the hostages so you better release him,’” Lubang recounted. He said Mendoza shot one of the tour guides who was handcuffed to a steel railing inside the bus. He then killed 2 more passengers who were only seated in the bus. Lubang said he pleaded to the hostage-taker to release him but was told to start driving the bus. The bus had only gone a few feet when the police shot out the vehicle’s front tires. The bus driver said he used a cuticle remover on his keychain to open his handcuff while Mendoza was shooting inside the bus. He escaped by jumping out of the bus window and ran to waiting mediamen and police and told them: “Patay na lahat (Everyone is dead).” An assault on the bus, however, later showed that 7 of the 15 remaining hostages on board the bus were still alive. In a TV Patrol interview, Lubang said he was questioned repeatedly by police about the hostage incident after his escape. He admitted that he thought everyone inside the bus had died after he heard the shooting. “Nakita ko kasi na binari na silang lahat…so akala ko patay na talaga,” he said. He also dispelled doubts that he was an accessory to the hostage-taking after his escape from the vehicle. To the doubters, he said he still has the handcuff that he removed with the use of a cuticle remover.

Philippines slipping into hunger trap – SWS

By David Dizon, abs-cbnNEWS.com

http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/07/21/10/philippines-slipping-hunger-trap-%E2%80%93-sws

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines is in danger of falling into a hunger trap after over 20% of Filipino families said they experienced hunger for three consecutive quarters, a new survey revealed Wednesday.

The new survey by Social Weather Stations (SWS), conducted last June 25-28, showed that 21.1% of the country, or an estimated 4 million Filipino families, went hungry at least once from April to June.

Of that number, at least 780,000 families said they went hungry “often” or “always” compared to only 530,000 families in the first quarter.

SWS president Dr. Mahar Mangahas said the new hunger statistics show that nothing significant has happened to address the hunger problem for a long period of time.

“[Hunger] at 21.1 percent is simply terrible. It’s been over 20% now for three quarters in succession. In fact, even between 15-19% is very bad and 10-14% is quite bad. When we started this in 1998, it was only 9%,” he said.

He said hunger levels reached a record-high 24% (4.4 million families) in December 2009, dipped slightly to 21.2% (4 million families) in March and is now at 21.1% in June.

SWS surveys showed that hunger levels in the country have fluctuated above 10% at least nine times from July 1998 to March 2004.

Mangahas said hunger levels dipped to 5.1% in September 2003. However, hunger levels have stayed above 10% since June 2004, or the start of President Arroyo’s second term in office.

According to Mangahas, the current trend on hunger levels means that the Philippines will be unable to achieve the Millennium Development Goal of eradicating extreme poverty and hunger by 2015.

“The MDG on halving poverty is definitely not going to be met when the trend is moving towards the wrong direction,” he said.

Hunger and poverty

Mangahas said hunger and poverty are interconnected since the poor are often the ones who go hungry. He, however, noted that some people who actually experience hunger because they having nothing to eat sometimes don’t think they are poor “because they see people who are much worse off.”

“The standard of living has also fallen because there are quite a lot of people who are hungry sometimes and yet they think they are not poor,” he said.

The SWS president said the new hunger statistics should be used as a guide by the new Aquino administration in solving the hunger problem.

“I don’t know his ideology but I hope he stops paying attention to Gross National Product or Gross Domestic Product and look directly at what’s happening to the poor and be guided,” he said.

He said the government could also conduct its own study on tracking hunger and poverty that is not centered on the country’s economic condition. “By simply focusing forever on gross national product, they will be led in the wrong direction,” he said.

Conditional cash transfer vs hunger

Presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda, meanwhile, said President Aquino will address the hunger problem in his first State of the Nation Address (SONA) next week. He said the Department of Social Welfare and Development will identify the poorest families most in need of the money through its conditional cash transfer program.

“That will be addressed by the SONA. In fact, there will be poverty alleviation programs that will be taken up. One of them, which has already been stated by Social Welfare Secretary Dinky Soliman, is the conditional cash transfer program,” he said.

Budget Secretary Butch Abad earlier said he will redirect P3.3 billion in funds for the food-for-school program to the conditional cash transfer program.

Soliman earlier said her office has received negative feedback on the food-for-school program “in terms of ensuring that the rice gets to the families that are supposed to be served.”

She cited studies conducted by World Bank and the Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) that showed substantial ” leakage” or the amount of rice believed to be deviated from the rightful recipients.

Honasan: Amnesty will solve Trillanes’ coup case

Honasan: Amnesty will solve Trillanes’ coup case
By David Dizon, abs-cbnNEWS.com

http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/07/19/10/honasan-amnesty-will-solve-trillanes-coup-case

MANILA, Philippines – A veteran of several coup attempts during the first Aquino administration on Monday urged President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III not to interfere in the coup d’etat case against detained Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV.

Instead, Sen. Gregorio “Gringo” Honasan said he will file a bill in the Senate that will grant amnesty to junior officers who participated in the failed 2003 Oakwood Mutiny as well as the takeover of the Manila Peninsula Hotel in 2007.

Honasan said Aquino should not meddle in the Trillanes case since it would be perceived as interfering in a matter best left for the judiciary to decide.

“The courts will have to decide based on the merits of the case without any unnecessary interference from the other branches of government,” he said in an interview with Karen Davila on ANC’s Headstart on Monday.

The senator, who initiated a military uprising against former President Ferdinand Marcos that culminated in the 1986 EDSA Revolution, believes there was injustice in the case against Trillanes.

He said the basic elements of a coup d’etat were not present in the Oakwood Mutiny since there was no violence or attack nor a takeover of a vital government installation.

Trillanes, along with 300 junior officers and soldiers, took over the Oakwood Premier Ayala Center (now Ascott Makati) on July 27, 2003 and demanded that President Arroyo and other government leaders step down from office due to corruption. The group later surrendered to authorities less than 24 hours after taking over the 5-star hotel.

Trillanes has been in jail since 2003 but was still able to win a seat in the Senate during the 2007 election. He has not been allowed to participate in any of the Senate sessions because of security risks.

Honasan said the Oakwood Mutiny was “not a coup” based on his own experience as leader of at least 3 uprisings since 1986.

The senator said even he became a victim of injustice after he was asked to talk to members of the so-called Magdalo group of officers that took over the Oakwood Premier Ayala Center.

He said he, Sen. Vicente Sotto and Sen. Rodolfo Biazon talked to the Magdalo leaders after 5 Cabinet secretaries asked them to defuse the situation.

He said that after the failed uprising, he was included in the list of persons to be arrested.

“Reliable sources said when the security cluster listed down the people to to be arrested, I was not even number1 on the list. So they started running down the list  and I was number 4 or 5. When they came to my name, there was a 2-minute pause. ‘What about Sen. Honasan?’ someone asked. Some bright person said: ‘Isama mo na para credible tayo,’” he said.

Honasan was arrested in 2006 but a Makati court later threw out the coup charge against him.

The tragedy of the Oakwood Mutiny

Honasan said he will file an amnesty bill for Trillanes and detained Marine Capt. Nicanor Faeldon since it would be good for the new administration.

“Given the opportunity, I will propose that an amnesty bill be filed in the same manner that I sponsored an amnesty bill during the time of President Ramos as chairman of committee on peace and reunification. This is a political act not a judicial act. We are not interfering in the courts but we can interfere in the Senate by proposing an amnesty bill. I will ask the new majority to do that. I will sponsor it,” he said.

He said granting amnesty to the mutinous officers would show that the Aquino administration is serious in achieving unity among all sectors of society.

Honasan said Trillanes has never gotten in touch with his office. “He has never gotten in touch with me, maybe for his own peace of mind and security and mine. We cannot inflict each other on ourselves,” he said.

He admitted that there is no guarantee that granting amnesty to the soldiers will prevent a future group of soldiers from airing their grievances.

“If the fundamental issues are not addressed, it would not be my problem if some young group calling itself a different name will rise to express their grievances in the most imaginative way possible. That is beyond our control so I hope there would be good government,” he said.

He said the tragedy of the Oakwood uprising is that none of the Magdalo group’s grievances has been addressed. Among these are massive corruption in the government, disparity in salaries of military and police personnel and patronage leadership in the Armed Forces hierarchy.

“After Oakwood, Trillanes’ grievances have not been addressed. Only the dates and personalities have changed. That is the tragedy of the whole thing. In fact, you cannot limit it to Senator Trillanes. There is severe institutional damage. There is corruption and inefficiency and lack of productivity,” he said.

Race for Senate president

Honasan said one accusation being leveled against President Aquino for allegedly meddling in the Trillanes case is that the detained senator would vote for Sen. Francis Pangilinan for Senate President.

Pangilinan and Sen. Manny Villar are currently in an impasse on who would get the 13 votes needed to become Senate President.

“It leaves a bad taste in the mouth if [fugitive Sen. Panfilo] Lacson or Trillanes is allowed to surface just to vote on July 26. That’s a travesty, an insult to our system. They should be allowed to surface and that is a determination that the courts must make. I am strongly against allowing them to surface just to vote. They should be allowed to surface permanently on the merits of their respective cases,” he said.

He said he and Sen. Tito Sotto have formed a 2-man bloc that will support an independent Senate president who will not be confrontational or obstructionist but engages the executive branch in critical collaboration. He said that during the term of President Fidel Ramos, the Chief Executive activated the Legislative Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC) that met constantly to craft new laws.

“[Ramos] met with senators every week individually and we passed almost 300 laws. We need to be engaged by the executive branch, by President Aquino so we can coordinate in the legislative agenda,” he said.

Regrets about Aquino admin coups

Honasan admitted that he has certain regrets after leading several failed coup attempts during the presidency of Cory Aquino, mother of the incumbent President.

“Let me define it in broad strokes because I cannot be specific, I regret certain judgment calls. Being impulsive. Even if you want to change the world or reform Philippine society, you must do it on the basis of accurate, timely information. Yun lang. Cumulatively, you cannot forecast for inconsistencies. What we were before and what we are now is what we wanted for this country,” he said.

He added: “The coups during Cory’s time are not fruitless. I would have no regrets except for the fact that there was unintentional violence that resulted from that. The loss of even one life is a tragedy for our people.”

Honasan said he did not apologize to former President Cory Aquino but congratulated her when Noynoy became senator in 2007.

The former coup leader said he has accomplished a lot after being elected senator, including the passage of the revised Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program and pushing for higher pay for soldiers.

He also had the following advice for the new President:

“Be a good president, give us good government, unite the Filipino people and fulfill your promises. Every new administration deserves to be supported because of the potential opportunities. Let’s not waste it this time,” he said.

He added: “To our president — be the president of all Filipinos. Work hard and pray hard and measure everything you do by the parameters of God, country and family.”

Martial law baby shocked by Marcoses’ return to power

By David Dizon, abs-cbnNEWS.com

http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/-depth/07/12/10/martial-law-baby-shocked-marcoses-return-power

MANILA, Philippines – Former Akbayan Rep. Risa Hontiveros-Baraquel on Monday admitted that she is shocked that the Marcos family has returned to national prominence more than 20 years after they were removed from power.

A self-confessed “martial law baby”, Hontiveros-Baraquel said the election of Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. to the Senate does not mean that martial law human rights victims have forgotten what the Marcos dictatorship did to the country. Marcos Jr. was elected senator last May while his mother, former First Lady Imelda Marcos, and sister, Imee, were elected congresswoman and governor of Ilocos Norte, respectively.

“As a martial law baby, who became an activist during the martial law years, I cannot accept sitting down…that this is the beginning of a Marcos restoration without reparation for people,” she said in an interview on ANC’s Headstart.

The Marcoses were ousted from power in the 1986 EDSA Revolution, ending the 20-year rule of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos. After a period in exile, the Marcos family returned to the Philippines and re-established their power bases in Ilocos Norte and Leyte.

Hontiveros-Baraquel said she and Bongbong were actually colleagues in the minority of the House of Representatives.

“He’s a nice guy but I have to hear from him and the other members of the Marcos family — what are their positions on justice for the Marcos human rights violation victims? What is their position on the recovery of the ill-gotten wealth? Because so far, all I have heard Bongbong say is that basically his father did no wrong and their family doesn’t owe us. I heartily disagree with him on those two major points,” she said.

She added that she is backing the creation of an independent Truth Commission that will investigate unresolved cases not just during the Arroyo administration but all the way back to the Marcos dictatorship.

Arroyo is still the issue

Hontiveros-Baraquel, who narrowly lost in the Senate election last May, also criticized former President and now Pampanga 2nd Rep. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo for reviving a proposal to change the Charter.

She said Arroyo’s move on her first day as Pampanga congresswoman angered many Charter change advocates who are pursuing genuine constitutional reform without any selfish agenda.

“Walang kupas siya talaga! Hindi pa siya sumusuko na mag-Cha-cha, na magshift sa parliamentary form of government para tumakbo siya bilang prime minister para may immunity from suit pa siya. It already shows you what’s top of her mind,” she said.

She said that while Arroyo did not pursue her plan to run for House Speaker, she knows that the former president is quietly gathering support for the Charter change proposal.

Hontiveros-Baraquel blamed Arroyo for a myriad of problems inherited by the Aquino administration including the weakening of the Office of the Ombudsman. The present Ombudsman, Merceditas Gutierrez, is a former classmate of Jose Miguel Arroyo, the former president’s husband.

She said she also couldn’t resist tweeting about Arroyo after defeated Nacionalista senatorial bet Gilbert Remulla made a nasty joke against President Aquino.

She said Remulla joked that Aquino “the only non-performer in the Senate” had been kicked out but was now President of the country.

In retaliation, she said she made her own joke in Twitter against Arroyo. In her joke, she said the country’s “worst President” had been kicked out but was now a congresswoman.

“I wasn’t mad. I just couldn’t resist Gilbert,” she said.

She also said she didn’t feel like insulting Nacionalista Party presidential bet Manny Villar since he had already lost in the election.

“My guns are trained on Arroyo,” she said.

Triggerman in Maguindanao massacre killed

By David Dizon, abs-cbnNEWS.com

http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/06/24/10/gunman-ampatuan-massacre-killed

MANILA, Philippines (Update 2) – A hit man who participated in the gruesome Maguindanao massacre that killed 57 people last November 23 was murdered earlier this month before he could be admitted to the Department of Justice (DOJ) witness protection program.

Suwaid Upham, who was interviewed under the name “Jesse” by TV network Al Jazeera, was scheduled to return to Manila to apply to become state witness under the new justice secretary. Before he could get here, he was shot dead in Parang, Maguindanao last June 14.

Prof. Harry Roque, whose law firm represents 14 media victims of the massacre, said Upham was possibly the strongest witness in the case since he was one of 7 gunmen who actually participated in the crime.

“He could have been the strongest witness. It would have been perfect especially now that faith and confidence in the Department of Justice (DOJ) is being restored with the entry of Leila de Lima as justice secretary. However, it was too late for this particular witness,” he told abs-cbnNEWS.com.

“It’s unfortunate that this murdered witness will no longer do any good as far as the prosecution is concerned. I hope that this becomes a trigger for us to reform the witness protection program of the DOJ,” he added.

A Malacañang spokesman, meanwhile, expressed outrage upon learning the news and said the government will launch a manhunt for Upham’s killers.

“We are outraged by this latest development in the Maguindanao case. We have directed our security forces to take all necessary measures to apprehend  the perpetrators, utilizing all the special powers available under the state of emergency that the President declared and continues to maintain in the province,” deputy Presidential spokesman Gary Olivar told reporters.

In his March interview with Al Jazeera, Upham said he was one of 7 gunmen who used high-powered firearms to kill the massacre victims in a hilly portion of Sitio Masalay, Barangay Salman. He said the 7 included himself, Datu Unsay Andal Ampatuan Jr., Datu Kanor, Datu Ban, Datu Mama, a certain Kudja, and a police officer whom he knew to be Police Officer 1 Ando Masukat.

Upham said it was Ampatuan Jr. himself who shot Genalyn Mangudadatu, wife of his rival Toto Mangudadatu, using a baby M203 rifle grenade launcher. He said that after the massacre, Ampatuan Jr. called up his father, former Maguindanao governor Ampatuan Sr., to send a backhoe so they could bury the bodies.

At least 57 people were killed in the massacre, which is considered the worst case of election-related violence in the country’s history. Close to 200 people have been implicated in the murders including key members of the Ampatuan clan.

Upham said he went into hiding after Ampatuan Jr. had ordered the murders of several witnesses in the massacre. He said he left an Ampatuan safehouse last January after Datu Unsay placed a $45,000 bounty on his head.

DOJ wouldn’t take him

Roque said Upham met with Commission on Human Rights chairwoman Leila de Lima last March 2 before his interview with media outfits. There, he revealed that he was the personal bodyguard of Datu Kanor, best friend and cousin of Datu Unsay.

He said his office coordinated with the DOJ  if Upham could enter the witness protection program. He added, however, that the DOJ personnel never arrived at the agreed time and date of the interview at the office of CHR chairwoman de Lima. Instead, the justice department asked Upham to go directly to the DOJ.

“He did not want to go to the DOJ because he heard from his superiors [the Ampatuans] that they had great influence in the DOJ,” Roque said.

Roque said Upham stayed in Manila from March to April, hoping that the justice department would take up his offer to become state witness. He said the gunman returned to Maguindanao when it became apparent that the DOJ would not give him protection.

“He came to Manila hoping to enter the witness protection program and left disillusioned. That’s why we became immaterial,” he said.

Roque condemned the DOJ for failing to utilize Upham as a witness in the case. He noted that after rejecting Upham as a witness, Acting Justice Secretary Alberto Agra issued a controversial resolution that virtually exonerated Zaldy and Akmad Ampatuan in the massacre case since they were not in Maguindanao when the crime occurred.

The decision raised a firestorm of protests and would later be reversed by Agra himself.

Roque won’t coordinate with DOJ

For his part, Agra said it was Roque’s fault that the new witness was killed while in hiding in Maguindanao.

In a text message to ABS-CBN, Agra said Roque “never respected the authority of the public prosecutors.”

“The public prosecutors have control over private prosecutors, not the other way around. He never brought ‘Jesse’ for interview and evaluation before the prosecutors. How can that person be placed under the witness protection program? Roque even represents the victims and 1 of the killers,” Agra said, referring to Upham.

Assistant Chief State Prosecutor Richard Fadullon said the DOJ wanted to meet Jesse (Upham) at least twice, but the venues and schedules of the meetings were changed by Roque’s group without warning.

“Roque would change the schedule suddenly and this prompted the witness protection program director to just invite them to the DOJ,” he said.

He said the DOJ usually interviews and validates the testimony of any person who offers to turn state witness. “We have to make sure that they are not Trojan horses,” he said.

Fadullon denied that Upham could have been the strongest witness in the case, noting that Roque is not representing all of the victims in the massacre and does not know all of the government witnesses.

Other witnesses could back out

Roque said that before Upham’s death, the triggerman was excited to go back to Manila after hearing news that a new justice secretary would be appointed by President-elect Benigno Aquino III.

“He couldn’t forget Leila de Lima. He said she was really OK,” he said.

He said Upham’s death might discourage other witnesses from coming forward and presenting their testimonies.

He said the testimony of Lakmodin “Laks” Saliao, an aide of the former Maguindanao governor, could also be helpful in the case since it corroborates Upham’s statement that Andal Sr. was ordering the murders of other witnesses in the massacre.

He said, however, that Saliao was not actually present at the massacre scene when it occurred.

Saliao earlier claimed that he was present in meetings where the Ampatuans plotted the Nov. 23, 2009 massacre. He said he was at the side of Ampatuan Sr. during the day of the massacre and overheard the former governor’s radio conversation with his son and namesake Ampatuan Jr.

He also said the Ampatuan patriarch continues to give out orders to their supporters by calling them on his cellular phone.

Fadullon, meanwhile, said the DOJ will have to cross-examine Saliao and validate his testimony. “Everytime a new witness comes out, we cannot immediately take him in and use him. We decide after validation to determine if he is telling the truth and his motives,” he told radio dzMM

He said it was the first time that a real inside man has expressed willingness to stand witness against the members of the powerful political clan.

“This is the first time that someone from the inside is coming out and telling us what he knows. This is important because this is inside information from somebody who knows what went on during that particular time,” the prosecutor said. — With radio dzMM

DOH to lift ban on organ donations for foreigners

DOH to lift ban on organ donations for foreigners

By David Dizon, abs-cbnNEWS.com

http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/07/02/10/doh-lift-ban-organ-donations-foreigners

MANILA, Philippines – The country’s new health secretary on Friday said he is bent on lifting a total government ban on organ donations to foreigners, raising fears that it would open the floodgates to state-sanctioned organ trafficking in the Philippines.

Speaking to ANC, Health Secretary Enrique Ona said he is opposed to a total ban on organ transplants to foreigners since it robs patients with end-stage renal failure the chance to live longer, better lives.

“We have priests and nuns here and expats who have lived here for years. Suppose a Filipino wants to donate them a kidney, does that mean they can’t receive it? Right now, it’s a total ban. It has to be a government regulated system. We will change the total ban on foreigners,” he said.

“Our position here is it should be allowed but through a strict regulation system,” Ona, the former executive director of the National Kidney and Transplantation Institute, said.

Ona said he is in favor of walk-in donors or living non-related donors who can donate a kidney even though they are not related to the patient. He also said he is open to giving a gratuity package to donors, which could go as high as P150,000 (approximately $3,200).

“I am open to that (gratuity packages). You have to define it. Tulong yun. It’s not payment. Tulong mo yun kung willing siyang magbigay ng kidney. Parang pasasalamat in the context of gratitude, not in the context of sales,” he said.

The new health chief said hospitals have ethics committees that follow strict guidelines in choosing non-related living donors. The guidelines state that living, non-related donors should not be coerced into the program and should have full knowledge of the procedure.

He said the guidelines are meant to ensure that organ donations are not commercialized.

“You don’t allow it for people who just want to sell their kidneys. You have to look at their intentions and their situation. It’s not as simple. Ibig bang sabihin kapag mahirap ka ay hindi ka na pwedeng maging donor? Wala ka nang capacity to help a fellow man because you will always be damned as a seller? Hindi ganun. Whether you are rich or poor, a person has the capacity to be charitable,” he said.

The proposal, however, was swiftly opposed by Dr. Alberto Chua of the Philippine Society of Nephrology.

Chua said the country has already made numerous gains since the total ban on foreign organ transplants was implemented in 2008. He said the Philippines was previously identified as one of 5 world “hotspots” for human organ trafficking before the ban.

He also said the government already allows organ donations from living, related donors up to the 4th level of consanguinity. The DOH has also issued an administrative order establishing a deceased donors program, he added.

Chua said offering a gratuity package to living, non-related donors will restart an organ market in the Philippines.

“These establishments offer P150,000 in gratuity package for donors. If I was a tricycle driver who only earns P3,000 a month, maybe I would sell my own kidney to get that P150,000,” he said.

Chua said his group is willing to go straight to President Benigno Aquino if the new health secretary lifts the ban on foreign organ donations.

“We don’t have objections specifically to Dr. Ona as a person. We know he is good administratively. He has made several great improvements to NKTI and we are proud for him but we are afraid that all the gains that we have made will be wasted [if he lifts the ban],” he said.

‘Aquino name to boost RP economy’

‘Aquino name to boost RP economy’
By David Dizon, abs-cbnNEWS.com

http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/06/21/10/aquino-name-boost-rp-economy

MANILA, Philippines – The iconic Aquino name could prove to be a boon to the Philippine economy as investors and credit institutions look forward to working with a new president that has promised to fight corruption in the next 6 years, outgoing President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s former economic adviser said Monday.

In an interview on ANC’s Headstart, Albay Gov. Joey Salceda said the Aquino name elicits high trust for the incoming administration of President-elect Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III.

“We are back on the radar. The Aquino name is iconic. Immediately, it triggers and elicits a very affirmative image for the country, especially with Cory [Aquino] being a saint of democracy and the dad (Ninoy Aquino) being a  martyr for liberal democracy. A Noynoy presidency is positive for the Philippines. The issue now is whether he can optimize that and the most important right now is choosing the right Cabinet,” he said.

Salceda said investments could go up by P632 million, or 8% of the gross domestic product (GDP), once Aquino becomes president. He said foreign groups offering long term concessional loans have opened up to the new administration, while investor firms are planning to upgrade the country’s credit ratings.

Salceda said a UP School of Economics study showed that domestic investment is sensitive to perception of governance. He said this was proven after local investors refused to part with some P3 trillion in net profits during the past 10 years.

“It’s a trust in governance. It is not Noynoy you are voting for but what you feel what will happen to the country if he is president. I expect investment to shoot up to about 8% of GDP, or about P632 million so that’s 632 million jobs being created without him doing anything but just be president,” he said.

He also noted that another advantage of having Aquino as President is that the people would be more willing to pay taxes to a government that they perceive is not corrupt.

“Do you think the people will pay more because they trust the government? Yes,” he said.

Abandoning Gibo

Salceda also revealed that he “followed his heart” when he decided to defect to the Liberal Party (LP) of Aquino instead of sticking with the Lakas-Kampi-Christian Muslim Democrats and its standard-bearer, former Defense Secretary Gilbert “Gibo” Teodoro.

The Albay governor, who was one of President Arroyo’s economic advisors, said he was willing to support Teodoro up until the end of March when he saw that his party mates where half-hearted in supporting Teodoro’s candidacy.

“Hindi sila desididong manalo. Apat na beses ako nagpatawa, ganun pa rin, laging umuuwi balik sa status quo. There was no incremental value-added. We just signed manifestos, and now they say it’s palabra de honor,” he said.

He said that before he made his decision, he did his own research why Teodoro kept getting low ratings in the pre-election surveys. He said he also prayed at the Our Lady of Lourdes Parish Church in Tagaytay for spiritual guidance before arriving at a decision.

“Up until March 24, I still thought there was a chance for Gibo, but when I saw that his survey rating dipped from 8% to 7%, I thought ‘wala na ito.’ So I researched why and found out that the people were standing up and saying, we [investors] are only going to release this money [domestic investments] if the president is Noynoy. So sumama na ako kay Noynoy. Paminsan-minsan kailangang makikinig ka na sa tao mo,” he said.

‘Smoking lounge buddies’

Salceda said he is open to being part of Aquino’s economics team even if he is not assigned a Cabinet post. He said that as fellow congressmen for the past 9 years, he and Aquino became buddies at the House of Representatives smoking lounge.

“I cannot say no to my classmate. We are at the comfort level when I can contribute inputs at bahala na siya,” he said.

“We are smoking lounge buddies. If he stops, I will stop,” he joked.

Salceda said he prefers to stay at a local government position where he would have a more hands-on approach to solving basic needs of his constituents.

Salceda denied that he had a change of heart towards President Arroyo after he decided to back the Aquino campaign. He said an incumbent president with the correct policy has the power and authority to implement programs and projects that will prompt positive development in the lives of ordinary people.

How LP is cleaning up Noynoy’s campaign

How LP is cleaning up Noynoy’s campaign

By David Dizon, abs-cbnNEWS.com | 02/10/2010 10:43 PM

http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/anc/02/10/10/how-lp-cleaning-noynoys-campaign

MANILA, Philippines – Last August 10, 2009, Nacionalista Party standard-bearer Manny Villar admitted that it would be difficult to take on Sen. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III in the presidential election if the latter decided to run.

“Noynoy-Mar [Roxas] is more difficult. Mar-Noynoy OK lang. That’s because the public sentiment is with Noynoy,” he said, referring to the groundswell of support for the Aquino clan after the death of former president Cory Aquino on August 1.

Villar’s words seemed prescient at the time. Just days after he announced his intention to run in the May 2010 election, Aquino got an astonishing 60% rating in the Social Weather Stations (SWS) September 18-21 survey on the three top favored candidates for president, with Villar a distant second at 37%. (Read : Noynoy, Villar best leaders to succeed Arroyo: SWS )

Aquino supporters hailed the survey results as an affirmation that a sea change was happening in the political landscape. Some even likened Aquino to US Democratic candidate Barack Obama, whose successful campaign to become US president received popular support from the grassroots.

Four months after that first SWS survey, the balance of momentum seems to have shifted. A January 21-24 SWS survey showed that Aquino’s lead in the presidential race is now down to 7 points at 42% while Villar received 35%. (Read: Aquino’s lead down to 7 points in January SWS survey)

A Pulse Asia January 22-26 survey showed that Aquino and Villar were now statistically tied, with Aquino registering 37% of voter preferences and Villar getting 35%. (Read: Aquino, Villar tied in Pulse Asia survey)

What happened in the past 4 months? Has Aquino’s campaign really lost its vaunted “Cory magic”, a victim of Villar’s deluge of campaign ads?

A young campaign

According to Liberal Party campaign manager Butch Abad, the latest Pulse Asia survey underscored the need for the party to adjust its campaign strategy. He noted that unlike the campaigns of the other presidential candidates, Aquino’s campaign is only 4 months old and was birthed by a genuine desire by people to see Aquino run.

“Internally, this campaign is owned by so many groups. This was not a campaign that came about because of the ambition of one individual who starts raising money, putting up an organization and pushing his own candidacy. This was, as [Inquirer columnist] Amando Doronilla said, the second time in Philippine politics when someone was drafted to run for president and you have people from politicians, church-based groups and NGOs pushing him to run,” he said in an interview Tuesday on ANC’s “Strictly Politics” program with Pia Hontiveros.

Abad said that after Cory Aquino’s death, the groundswell of support sent all sorts of people and organizations flocking to the Liberal Party to help in Noynoy’s candidacy. He said this caused a struggle as various groups with different reform agendas gave different ideas about how to handle Noynoy’s presidential bid.

He said initially, some “purists” and NGOs even suggested that Aquino should not even run any campaign ads since there were so many people volunteering for the campaign.

“Should we run a people’s campaign, very pure, or a politician’s campaign? At that time, the way the campaign was projected, this is a people’s campaign. If the people want a president in the person of Noynoy, they would go out of their way to talk to other people, and that seemed to be the case at the start,” he said.

He added: “With different groups, there’s bound to be a clash of ideas, and some people may interpret that as an internal struggle. I’m sure there is a struggle of perspectives and ideas on how to run the campaign because these are volunteers who believe that they have the right to participate in determining the direction of the campaign, the character of the campaign. I think it’s the nature of the animal.”

Campaign ads

Abad conceded that Noynoy’s campaign had to take a backseat to necessary tasks in the campaign including identifying, recruiting and fielding candidates for the national and local positions.

He said the latest survey and Villar’s massive spending on campaign ads, reportedly P543 million from October to December 2009 alone, forced them to rethink their campaign strategy.

“The passion, the intensity of campaigning for principles and values sort of took a backseat. Now it’s back in the way our people are responding to this development,” he said.

As of January, former Radio-TV Malacañang chief Maria Montelibano is now assigned to head the communications and creative division of Aquino’s campaign, replacing Johnny Santos.

Abad said the communications division is particularly important as it needs to harmonize Noynoy’s campaign on various platforms including newspapers, radio, television and new media. He said the communications unit will also provide direction to the LP’s “sizeable entertainment section” for the campaign.

LP senatorial candidate Neric Acosta said the Pulse Asia survey served as a wake-up call to the campaign that it could not be complacent just because they had the more popular candidate.

“The ranks have to be more energized now because we cannot underestimate that the other side has a monopoly on the mobilization of resources that we have seen and the machinery via media such as TV and radio ads. If there is one good thing out of this, we know we cannot be complacent . We may have the message of hope, of change, of reform but we cannot rest on that,” he said.

Abad said the LP will be releasing more ads soon so that Noynoy’s message would gain traction among voters. He added, however, that the LP is not putting all its money into ads since they have to prepare for the long haul and spend on poll watchers until the end of the elections.

“We cannot spend everything on ads and yet in the end, cannot protect our own votes. We have to make sure that the little that we have would be very prudently used,” he said.

Euphoria settling down

Abad said the survey also showed that voters’ reasons for choosing a candidate continue are constantly shifting as the election draws nearer.

“The circumstances 5 months ago was all euphoria. It was like ‘Wow, dire-diretso na ito’ and then you wake up to the reality that once the euphoria settled down, you realize that there are other factors that you have to count,” he said.

He said most Filipinos say they choose a presidential candidate because he is “makamahirap,” meaning that he cares and empathizes with the poor. This, he said, was the most important reason behind voters’ preferences compared to other criteria such as experience in government, is not corrupt, is intelligent or is a good person.

Abad said Cory Aquino’s death last August changed that, as most Filipinos said they would choose a presidential candidate who is not corrupt and who has a clean record.

Pulse Asia’s January 22-26 survey, however, shows the balance has shifted again, with an equal number of Filipinos (24%) saying that they would vote for a president because he is not corrupt or cares for the poor.

“When Cory died, people suddenly said they wanted a president that wasn’t corrupt. And then when life became even more difficult, people became more pragmatic. The latest survey showed that being for the poor and having a clean record is at par again,” he said.

Corruption, not poverty, is the problem

Abad said that after the Pulse Asia survey came out, the LP campaign managers sat down with their creatives team to discuss how to better improve their campaign strategy.

One thing, he said, that they will not change is Noynoy’s message — that corruption, not poverty, is the biggest problem faced by Filipinos.

“Poverty is just a consequence, the bigger problem is corruption. Corruption leads to denial of basic services, which leads to poverty. Now how do you translate that? Especially the D and E, they don’t want to think too long about analysis,” he said.

He said one of the questions they had to answer during the day-long exercise is how to show the public what a vote for Noynoy would mean this May.

“By doing that, what will the voter get and why would the voter believe that you as the candidate is able to deliver that and how do you express that message in terms of colors and taglines. We had to go through that,” he said.

Despite all the obstacles, Abad said he remains confident that Aquino will win in the election.

“We have been leading from the very start and we are still ahead. Despite what’s been thrown at us including the kitchen sink, we’re still up there,” he said.

He added: “This is what we believe. This was not Noynoy’s plan. People told him that we deserve a president like you, someone who is not corrupt and will make sure that this country is going to change. That is something that resonates so strongly. And if we are just constantly in step with people and remind them and convince them that this is the kind of person we need, I think we will stay there.”

Desperate people

Do you ever feel exceedingly blessed? I have. I feel blessed by the relationships I have, both great and small. One relationship stands out, though, as having enriched my life. I am talking of course about my daughter, Mika.

Last night, Maita and I watched the tail-end of “American Idol” on Q before going to sleep. As usual, Mika wanted a bedtime story and she kept asking about how she was when she was very little. So I told her again how I would talk and play music to her while she was still in Maita’s womb. I told her about the time I talked to her (stilll in the womb) that I wanted her to come out and play.

I told her that on the day she was born, I kept praying for hers and Maita’s safety, that they would both be OK in the delivery room. I told her how she was still slightly covered in blood when the doctor first showed her to me and how her lola remarked on how fair-skinned she was.

I told her how we thought of all sorts of names like Lucy and Dana before we settled on Mika.

I told her that on the third day out of the hospital, I woke up to find her shivering from cold because we had kept the airconditioning on all night and I had to rub her entire body until she was warm again. (In my mind, I imagined the thought forming in her head was “Goodbye, cool world!”)

I told her of the time that she kept crying and wouldn’t stop for an hour until we put manzanilla on her tummy and she farted until the whole room reeked.

I told her that she loved to giggle especially when I kissed her ears. All of this before she was even two.

And I also told her about the time when we went home from Laguna after that first week from the hospital and everyone was doting on her while I tried to ask people not to crowd her too much. I didn’t tell her though that I went to the other room, opened my mouth and shouted soundlessly, tears flowing down my face until I was alright.

Maybe when she is older I will tell her of despair. I will tell her how in some people, it opens up a well of overprotectiveness of the few, dear relationships that they have in the world.

Tonight, I am reminded how desperately I loved my daughter.

Pacquiao wins 7th world title

By David Dizon, abs-cbnNEWS.com | 11/15/2009 1:39 PM

http://cms.abs-cbnnews.com/sports/11/15/09/pacquiao-wins-7th-world-title
Referee stops fight as Pacquiao dominated bout

MANILA – Pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao shocked Puerto Rican and WBO welterweight champion Miguel Cotto with a 12th-round stoppage in their bout Saturday (Sunday in Manila) at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Pacquiao defeated Cotto after referee Kenny Bayless stopped the already lopsided contest via technical knockout in Round 12. After the win, Pacquiao bowed in prayer at his corner before being embraced by Cotto whose left eyelid was still oozing blood from a cut.

It was Pacquiao’s 11th straight win in 55 matches. It also gave him his seventh world boxing title in seven weight divisions, a feat no other boxer has achieved in the history of the sport.

In his post-fight interview, Pacquiao said Cotto was one of the most challenging fighters he had ever faced in the ring.

“He was a very tough opponent and he took a lot of tough shots,” he told TV host Mario Lopez.

Asked if he was ever hurt during the fight, Pacquiao said: “In some rounds, he hurt me but I handled the fight and I handled his punches.”

Pacquiao’s right ear was swollen after the fight, which came courtesy of his Puerto Rican challenger.

2 knockdowns

The General Santos native floored Cotto twice – in the third and fourth rounds — during the “Firepower” bout. After coming in cold during the first round, Pacquiao delivered a lighting-fast left-right combination to the Puerto Rican in Round 3, sending Cotto to the canvass.

Shaking off the knockdown, Cotto continued to serve up jabs and uppercuts against the Pacman before kissing the canvass yet again before the end of the fourth.

After that, it was a different fight altogether knockdown as Pacquiao and Cotto seemed to change sides. Pacquiao, the People’s Champ and challenger from the Philippines, now played the role of aggressor while the welterweight champ tried ducking blows and keeping his right hand up to deflect some of Pacquiao’s more powerful shots.

By Round 7, Cotto’s face began to puff up from the continuous punishment being meted out by the Pacman. Gone was the calm demeanor he displayed before the fight, replaced instead by a look of pain.

More punishment in the succeeding rounds ensued as a cut opened up just above Cotto’s left eyelid in Round 10.

By the last two rounds, Pacquiao’s patience seemed to wear thin several times as Cotto seemed content to duck away from his opponent.

During several exchanges, the Puerto Rican seemed unable to answer some of Pacquiao’s flurry of shots to the head and body.

When referee Bayless finally called a stop to the fight 55 seconds into Round 12, everyone in MGM Grand Garden Arena knew who had won the fight.

During the post-fight interview, Pacquiao refused to say who he wanted to fight next in the ring. “It doesn’t matter who is next. Tonight, we will celebrate the victory,” he said.

At least one fan, however, seemed to have made up her mind for the People’s Champ. At the end of the fight, she held up a sign that read: “Floyd Mayweather Jr., you’re next!” By David Dizon with reports from Dennis Gasgonia, Rosanna Mina, abs-cbnNEWS.com