WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU

Explanation of GMA doctors sought

COURT PERMISSION was sought yesterday to determine the medical condition of Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo from her private physicians over claims that she needs to undergo treatment abroad for a deteriorating spine disorder.

The Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) requested in its urgent motion filed with the Supreme Court for the former president’s three doctors from St. Luke’s Medical Center in Taguig City to “appear and testify and bring before the honorable court the latest medical abstract” on her condition.

The three doctors -- Mario R. Ver, Juliet Gopez-Cervantes and Roberto C. Mirasol -- have been asked to appear in today’s oral arguments on travel ban orders issued against Mrs. Arroyo and her husband Jose Miguel “Mike” T. Arroyo. Mr. Arroyo’s name, however, has been taken off from the watch list order.

In his petition, the OSG noted that during oral arguments on Nov. 22 the justices raised questions “relative to the medical condition of petitioner.”

“There has likewise been a lingering question as to whether the current condition of petitioner GMA (Mrs. Arroyo’s initials)places her life in danger thereby necessitating her travel abroad,” it stated.

For her part, Justice Secretary Leila M. de Lima said the subpoena will settle the issue on Mrs. Arroyo’s real medical condition, citing the point raised by Chief Justice Renato C. Corona during Tuesday’s hearing.

“[The point that Justice Corona raised on the] right to life, which is supposed to be the highest human right under both our Constitution and under the Universal Declaration of Human Right, my opinion on that is if the right to life is being invoked, the premise should be that the former president’s condition should be life threatening,” Ms. de Lima told reporters in an ambush interview.

Meanwhile, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) yesterday filed its comment on the order of the Pasay Regional Trial Court for Mrs. Arroyo’s temporary hospital detention, court clerk Joel T. Pelicano said in a telephone interview.

The camp of the former president, he added, also filed yesterday a motion for a hospital arrest.

The Pasay court issued on Tuesday a temporary hospital arrest order for Mrs. Arroyo pending the submission of a medical abstract to help determine her stay in the hospital. The Comelec also filed a motion to determine the former president’s medical condition and for the issuance of subpoena requiring Mrs. Arroyo’s three doctors to appear before the court in tomorrow’s hearing.

The Palace, meanwhile, supported the subpoena of physicians and medical records relating to Mrs. Arroyo’s medical condition.

“We believe it is necessary... that we be able to determine the propriety of the hospital arrest... and... the real basis for the request to travel abroad...,” Presidential Spokesman Edwin Lacierda said in an interview yesterday.

In a related development, the Senate Blue Ribbon committee has also asked for a similar explanation from Mrs. Arroyo’s physicians.

“We will summon Ms. Arroyo’s doctors because the root of this controversy is the former president’s medical condition described as urgent and life-threatening,” committee chairman Teofisto L. Guingona III told reporters in a briefing yesterday.

The inquiry is based on a joint probe of the Blue Ribbon and electoral reforms committees on alleged fraud in the 2007 midterm elections. -- A. E. Barrameda and A. S. O. Alegado

(courtesy: Business World)

WHERE ARE THEY?

Two years after killings, 101 suspects still roam free

Since the first anniversary of the Maguindanao massacre last year, the authorities have arrested only 12 more suspects—or an average of one suspect every month for the last year.

Data obtained by GMA News Online from the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) of the Philippine National Police showed that so far only 95, or still less than half of the 196 massacre suspects, are in police custody.

A day before the first anniversary of the massacre in November 2010, the PNP announced the arrest of an 83rd suspect, Misuari Ampatuan, an alleged member of the private army of the Ampatuan clan, some members of which are accused of masterminding the carnage.

If the PNP now says that their latest tally stands at 95 arrested suspects, that would mean that for the next 12 months since November 23, 2010, policemen only collared 12 others, the last one—the 95th—being Fahad Utto, who was arrested in Purok Minanga, Barangay Buayan in General Santos City on August 18 after being identified by a supposed witness.

The arrested man's wife, however, asked a local court in General Santos City to issue a writ of habeas corpus for her husband, saying he was a victim of mistaken identity. She said her husband's name is Richard “Rey" Gofel and not Fahad Utto.

Gofel, however, remains an accused as Judge Jocelyn Solis-Reyes of the Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 221 denied Gofel’s motion seeking a “judicial determination of identity."

Last May 20, authorities said they arrested the 90th suspect in the massacre, Kamper Silongan alias Jun at the Queen Tuna Park along P. Acharon Boulevard in General Santos City.

Police, however, released the man a week later after confirming that he was not Silongan but vegetable vendor Dadtungan Ampatuan Mamasapano.

Constraints

CIDG's Chief Superintendent Benito Estipona, head of Task Force Maguindanao probing the massacre, said despite the considerably small turnover of arrested assailants, they are still considering it an accomplishment, given that the task force has recently faced new hurdles in their search for the suspects at large.

"We found out recently that some of the suspects have assumed new identities," Estipona told GMA News Online in an interview.

As a result, Estipona said they have doubled their efforts to carry out intelligence work to verify the real identities of arrested suspects.

"Mabusising intelligence work ang kailangan para ma-double check. Kina-counter namin ito through intelligence," he said.

Estipona said to further intensify the search for the missing suspects, the PNP has printed over a thousand copies of an updated "Wanted" poster, the bulk of these to be posted this month in Maguindanao and surrounding provinces, as well as in major ports and bus terminals.

He expressed hopes that the massive poster campaign will help increase awareness of the missing suspects. "Minsan kasi iyong mga tao doon [sa Mindanao], hindi nila alam kapitbahay na pala nila ‘yung hinahanap namin," he said.

Estipona said he has not set a deadline for all the remaining wanted suspects to be arrested but added they are giving their "best effort."

"We really have very dedicated tracker teams trying to expedite the search given the problems we encounter," he said.

He added: "Sa totoo lang kasi, nagle-level up pa kami kaya nagkakaroon tayo ng reconstitution ng tracker teams."

Clan members, killed suspect

A total of 196 suspects are facing 57 counts of murder before the QC RTC Branch 221 under Judge Solis-Reyes. Of the 95 arrested suspects, eight are considered prominent members of the Ampatuan clan, including clan patriarch Andal Sr and his sons Andal Jr, Rizaldy, and Sajid.

The patriarch was a former Maguindanao governor while his sons are a former mayor of Datu Unsay (Andal Jr), a governor of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (Rizaldy), and a Maguindanao governor-in-charge (Sajid).

The other prominent clan members in jail are Andal Sr's son-in-law and former Maguindanao vice governor-in-charge Datu Akmad "Tato" Ampatuan Sr, Shariff Aguak Mayor Datu Anwar Ampatuan Sr., Jimmy Ampatuan, and Norodin Ampatuan.

Andal Jr turned himself in to police authorities three days after the killings, on November 26.

Of the 95 so far arrested, 30 are alleged members of the clan's private army, while 53 belong to the local police force.

Rounding out the list of detained suspects are four more individuals not belonging to the private army or to the local police but are classified as "other allies." One of them, Parido Zangkala Gogo, was killed in a firefight as authorities tried to arrest him, according to Estipona.

At large

Around 20 of the 101 suspects still being hunted have a P300,000 bounty each on their heads, while a P200,000 reward each is being offered for the arrest of the remaining suspects at large.

At least 10 other prominent Ampatuan clan members remain at large. Three of them were reportedly seen roaming free in the province and even playing basketball with local soldiers in Maguindanao.

They were identified as Andal Sr.'s grandsons Bahnarin, Anwar Jr or "Ipi," and Ulo, who was said to have resumed mobilizing the remaining members of the clan's private army.

Apart from these at-large Ampatuan clan members, authorities are also looking for 70 other private army members, 10 local policemen, and seven "other allies."

Four members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines personnel were likewise implicated in the massacre, namely Sergeants Abdullah Abdul, Alnor Ampatuan, Abdullah Falcon, and Banzar Maulan. None of them have been arrested yet. – MARK MERUEÑAS, KG/HS, GMA News

THE WAIT IS OVER

One of three photos of ex-President Arroyo that were submitted Monday to the Pasay City RTC to be used as mug shots. GMA News

Arroyo mugshots released in Philippines

Ex-Philippine president Gloria Arroyo's lawyer expressed outrage Tuesday that police mugshots taken of her in hospital after she was arrested on election cheating charges were leaked to the media.

The three photos show a tired-looking Arroyo, who says she is suffering from a life-threatening bone disease, wearing a bulky neck brace and head strap with her unbrushed black hair showing flecks of grey.

"The former president does not deserve this and neither should an ordinary person be subjected to this because everyone is entitled to a presumption of innocence," an Arroyo lawyer, Ferdinand Topacio, said on GMA television.

"Every person should be treated with dignity, be they former presidents or ordinary laborers. Our judicial system is supposed to operate on that principle."

The photos were taken on Saturday at an exclusive Manila hospital, a day after she was charged with conspiring to rig the 2007 senatorial election.

Although court officials and the government said the mugshots would not be released to the media, they appeared on the front page of one of the Philippines' biggest-selling daily newspapers on Tuesday.

They also appeared on the www.mugshots.com website and were quickly shared around social media sites such as Facebook.

Court officials and local police who were meant to be in charge of the photos denied Tuesday on local television that they had leaked them.

Arroyo, 64, who served as president from 2001 until the middle of last year, could face life in jail if she is found guilty.

Her successor, President Benigno Aquino, has also vowed to have her charged for a wide range of other corrupt acts she allegedly committed while in power.

Aquino won the presidential elections last year in a landslide after promising to stamp out corruption that is rampant across all sectors of Philippine society.

He has made pursuing Arroyo the top priority of his anti-graft campaign.

Arroyo has denied all the allegations and her lawyers have asked the Supreme Court to throw out the vote rigging charges.

The Supreme Court justices ruled on Tuesday that they would hear the case on November 29. — Agence France-Presse

THE LEGALITY OF DOJ-COMELEC JOINT PANEL

Here's the Press Release of the Supreme Court's PIO on the scheduled hearing of the petition questioning the legality of the DOJ-COMELEC joint panel today:

The Supreme Court will rule on the legality of the joint DOJ-Comelec committee that conducted preliminary investigations in the poll fraud cases against former President now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, that led to the filing of election sabotage cases against her before the Pasay regional trial court.

The issues were raised in the separate petitions filed by former First Gentleman Jose Miguel "Mike" Arroyo and former Elections chair Benjamin Abalos Sr., both alleging that the creation of the joint panel is unconstitutional and was meant only to persecute the former President.

The two petitions have not been acted upon by the SC last Tuesday, except to consolidate them. On Monday, Arroyo's lawyer Ferdinand Topacio filed a supplemental petition seeking the issuance of a temporary restraining order to enjoin all respondents, and their agents from proceeding with the preliminary investigation, and to declare null and void all acts committed by the joint committee that paved the way for the filing of a criminal information against Arroyo in court.

Court spokesman and administrator Jose Midas Marquez, however, declined to comment on how the SC will rule on the petitions, or whether the court will grant the prayed for TRO or issue a status quo ante order. "I don't want to preempt what the court will do on those two petitions but there are so many things that can happen there. Without discussing the merit, the court can dismiss the petition outright if it thinks the petition is moot and academic. Or, if it thinks the petitions are not moot and academic, the court can require respondents to comment.

Again at the end of the day, the petitions will either be dismissed for lack of merit, or petitions will be granted because the court or majority of justices will find the two petitions meritorious," he said. Marquez said that it would be difficult to predict scenarios based on mere speculations, especially since the justices have different appreciation of facts, applicable laws and provisions of the constitution.

He said that of the 15 Sc magistrates, Associate Justice Mariano del Castillo may or may not joint today's voting as he has just been discharged from the hospital due to a heart ailment. "Even if the court issues a TRO or SQA, the court can always issue other conditions or other orders that would prevent this and that. All these are really speculations at this point… It's going to be very difficult to speculate what the court order will be. If they don't agree, then a vote will be taken," he said.

In his original petition, Arroyo called the joint DOJ-Comelec panel a "kangaroo court designed with the sole purpose of persecuting (him) and his ailing wife," through the heads of both the DOJ and Comelec, respondents Justice Secretary Leila de Lima and Comelec chair Sixto Brillante. On the other hand, Abalos claimed DOJ-Comelec Order no. 002-2011 creating the joint panel violates his constitutional right to equal protection of the law because the panel is serving the functions of law enforcer, prosecutor and judge at the same time.

Meanwhile, the high court will hold oral arguments at 2pm today on the validity of the DOJ Memorandum Circular no. 41, which was the basis used by de Lima in placing the Arroyos under the Bureau of Immigration's watchlist. In the guidelines issued by the SC, each parties, through their respective counsels, were given a maximum of 20 minutes to present their respective arguments.

The parties were directed to limit their respective discussions on the following issues:

· Is the right to travel under Section 6, Article III of the Constitution absolute in the absence of a law restricting it, or is the right subject to inherent limitations that apply even in the absence of a law?

· Whether or not the assailed DOJ circular no. 41 constitutional, and whether de Lima has basis in issuing the circular. Under this, to answer the question whether the circular violates Section 6, Article III of the Constitution on a person's right to travel.

· Whether or not the WLO were issued with grave abuse of discretion, and whether the WLO is actually a hold-departure order. The parties were also urged to discuss whether it is only the courts which can issue a HDO; and whether the issues raised in the petitions regarding the WLO have become moot and academic.

The Arroyos separately filed petitions before the high court questioning the DOJ circular and de Lima's watch list orders (WLO). Last Tuesday, the SC granted said petitions and suspended the implementation of the travel ban with the issuance of a TRO, which de Lima, however, ignored. Arroyo had earlier sought the lifting of the travel ban so that she could seek medical treatment abroad for her hypoparathyroidism and metabolic bone mineral disorder.

On Friday, following a special en banc session, the SC affirmed the TRO after it junked the motion for reconsideration of state lawyers. However, this was superseded by the DOJ-Comelec's filing of an election sabotage case against Arroyo before the Pasay RTC.

The trial court, through Judge Jesus Mupas, subsequently issued the arrest warrant against Arroyo. (Evangeline C. de Vera)

FOOT STOPPER TRICK BY JUAN MANUEL MARQUEZ

Study the image carefully.

Foot Stopper Trick by Juan Manuel Marquez



Replay at http://www.kat.ph/boxing-pacquiao-vs-marquez-iii-12th-nov-2011-pdtv-x264-sir-paul-t5975601.html

Round and Time Mark.
Foot Step Part 1 = 4th Round last 11 seconds
Foot Step Part 2 = 6th Round last 1:18 seconds
Foot Step Part 3 = 7th Round last 1:49 seconds
Foot Step Part 4 = 8th Round last 1:27 seconds
Foot Step Part 5 = 12th Round last 1:23 seconds
Foot Step Part 6 = 12th Round last 52 seconds

You Judge!

Courtesy: Drummer Panda

YOUTUBES' NEW FACE

Good news to all the netizens, well especially to those who always wanted to share videos to all, YouTube reveals it's new look!

Well this time, it's a lot easier to see your videos, search them and even you can easily look back to them.

Well I hope this will be appreciated :-)

TRANSFORMATION

It was a talk-of-the-town when I decided to left ABS-CBN for GMA7. For some reason I don't know why it is a big deal.

Friends asked me why, even netizens did send me hate mails, although some did understand and appreciate my decision.

For so many months now, still people keep on asking me why did I move out, thanks to some media-bloggers for the interviews, they did the explanations.

What is important is that, I'm happier now not because I do get the exposure that I never thought I could get, but I'm happier now because people do recognize me and do appreciate my works which is an honor for me and really keeps me going.

I don't have anything against my former station, honestly I am so thankful for they introduced me to the real world of media. The discipline that I have right now, partly learned from them and that makes me indebted to them.

Now that I'm a KAPUSO reporter, I would say that it is God's gift that I should value most.

I just hope and pray that people will stop sending me mails asking why I moved.

Let's just be happy now and just let things the way it should be.

TRANSFORMATION

It was a talk-of-the-town when I decided to left ABS-CBN for GMA7. For some reason I don't know why it is a big deal.

Friends asked me why, even netizens did send me hate mails, although some did understand and appreciate my decision.

For so many months now, still people keep on asking me why did I move out, thanks to some media-bloggers for the interviews, they did the explanations.

What is important is that, I'm happier now not because I do get the exposure that I never thought I could get, but I'm happier now because people do recognize me and do appreciate my works which is an honor for me and really keeps me going.

I don't have anything against my former station, honestly I am so thankful for they introduced me to the real world of media. The discipline that I have right now, partly learned from them and that makes me indebted to them.

Now that I'm a KAPUSO reporter, I would say that it is God's gift that I should value most.

I just hope and pray that people will stop sending me mails asking why I moved.

Let's just be happy now and just let things the way it should be.

TRANSFORMATION

It was a talk when I decided to left ABS-CBN for GMA7.

Friends asked

PACQUIAO BEATS MARQUEZ, BUT EVEN MANY PINOYS DISAGREE

Facing a surprisingly sturdy and quick opponent, Manny Pacquiao defeated Juan Manuel Marquez via a majority decision to retain his WBO Welterweight crown Sunday (Manila time). However, even Filipino boxing fans at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas and in cinemas and bars around the world booed the decision, with many believing that the Mexican was the better fighter. Judge Robert Hoyle saw the fight even, 114-114, while Dave Moretti and Glenn Trowbridge scored 115-113 and 116-112, respectively, for Pacquiao. Despite the majority decision in his favor, Pacquiao's victory was not definitive. Marquez appeared to be in control of the fight through the first nine rounds, opening a cut that bloodied the right side of the Filipino congressman's face. Filipino-American flyweight champion Brian Viloria tweeted right after the fight: "I love manny but that was a jmm win easy." Marquez and his corner seemed to agree. When the final bell rang, with the Mexican defying the odds just by going the distance, he raised his arms in triumph and was hoisted to face a cheering crowd. Pacquiao, in contrast, appeared subdued as he awaited the decision. When it was announced, the familiar smile that creased his face couldn't conceal a hint of surprise. Still, he connected with more punches and a strong argument could be made that he clearly won the fight. According to CompuBox, Pacquiao landed 176 of 578 punches. Marquez connected on 138 of 436 punches, as, in his first two fights, he opted to counter punch. Pacquiao had a 117-100 edge in power shots. Sports analyst Mico Halili tweeted: "Feels all too familiar. Painfully for Marquez. Oddly for many of us too. Nothing has been settled." Marquez said after the fight, "I don't know what I need to do so the judges will see i won." For one, he could have kept up the pressure instead of seeming to let up in the final rounds, as if he knew he needed only to end standing to win the fight. As more than one analyst noted, challengers impress judges by being aggressive until the end. But Marquez impressed the crowd enough for some of them to throw beer cans into the ring when the decision came. Halili told GMA News Online: "The burden on Manny Pacquiao, as a boxing megastar who fights twice a year, is that he always needs to be great. When he's good, not great, fans expecting fireworks will likely be disappointed." Pacquiao's string of convincing victories over the last several years have led fans and countrymen to expect nothing less than early knockouts. The question in the days leading up to the fight, where the betting odds in favor of Pacquiao rose to 10-1, was not whether he would win but in what round he would finish the Mexican. All the pre-fight hype about the Filipino champion's dislike for Marquez, and his unusual intensity in training, had conditioned the public's mind that this would be another demolition job featuring a disfigured Mexican face. No one expected a close fight, and this one may have been the closest in the illustrious Filipino's career, if not to the judges, to the legions of Pacquiao observers around the world. "A close fight will produce clashing opinions. For many, only bludgeoned faces and knockout finishes provide unquestionable dominance," Halili added. Marquez has shown that his style continues to prove difficult for Pacquiao and this latest fight proved no different. Despite getting bigger, Marquez moved fluidly, making it more difficult for Pacquiao to unleash his combinations. Boxing experts had expected Marquez to become slower as he bulked up to become a welterweight. Boxing fans at the Araneta Coliseum were subdued for the most part, except for when Pacquiao was able to connect. There were some murmurs when they saw Pacquiao's corner pressing upon their champion's right brow and lower lip. The crowd inside the Big Dome fell silent moments before the result was announced and then erupted in a resounding cheer when they heard that Pacquiao won by majority decision. "Exciting yung laban. Ninerbyos ako nung huli. Parang lamang si Marquez pero sa judge iba eh. Bilib ako kay Marquez," said Amayo Eusebio, a boxing fan who watched the bout at the Araneta Coliseum in Cubao, Quezon City. "Pumunta kay Pacquiao yung last rounds. Halos palitan lang ng tama sa mga unang round," said Renato Sison who watched the bout with Eusebio. "Parehong may counter," Eusebio added. Pacquiao improved to 54 wins (38 by knockout) against three losses and two draws. Marquez, meanwhile, dropped to 53-6-1 with 39 KOs. For more than six years, since their first fight in 2004, Marquez has repeatedly said that he defeated Pacquiao twice. He even proudly wore a shirt with the words 'I Beat Pacquiao Twice' printed during the kick-off leg of their world press tour in Manila. That stunt annoyed Pacquiao making his third meeting with the 38-year-old durable Mexican warrior, who nearly beat the Filipino boxing champ twice, a personal match. Everything favored for a runaway win by the fighting congressman from Sarangani Province. Pacquiao, 32, is younger, faster, stronger and fighting in his natural weight. The Mexico City born Marquez, meanwhile, had to move up in weight and bulk up to make this third encounter with Pacquiao possible. Their first meeting ended up in a controversial draw, while the second ended in a split decision in favor of the General Santos City native. — JVP/OMG/ELR/HS, GMA News