Congressman Lagman bares Arroyo-led plot to oust him as opposition leader

ANDREO C. CALONZO, GMA News

In an unexpected turn of events, House Minority Leader Edcel Lagman is now accusing his long-time ally, former President and incumbent Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, of plotting to oust him as opposition leader at the House of Representatives.

In a statement, Lagman said Mrs. Arroyo met with opposition members led by Deputy Minority Leader Danilo Suarez in her hospital suite at the Veterans Memorial Medical Center (VMMC) last Wednesday to discuss the supposed ouster plot.

Lagman said Mrs. Arroyo, who is facing electoral sabotage charges, asked opposition members to withdraw their support for Lagman by “not honoring” a resolution they earlier signed seeking to retain him in his post.

“GMA (Mrs. Arroyo’s initials) and her group are trying to convince the Lagman supporters not to honor their signatures,” Lagman said.

Lagman, who currently chairs the Lakas-Kampi-Christian Muslim Democrats (CMD) party, also said he is “not a GMA stooge” and “does not succumb to her bidding.”

Term-sharing agreement

Lagman and Suarez agreed to share the term as House minority leader two years ago. Suarez is supposed to take over the opposition leadership when sessions resume on Jan. 16.

Lagman, however, said that the term-sharing agreement would have only taken effect if the Arroyo-aligned lawmakers managed to get the House leadership, which was won by incumbent House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr.

Suarez, for his part, said his agreement with Lagman was “clear” and that “he is not backing out” from the deal.

“This leadership issue has long been resolved… Ewan ko nga kung bakit nagba-back out si Edcel,” he said in a phone interview.

He admitted meeting with Mrs. Arroyo on Wednesday night, but belied Lagman’s claim that they were plotting to oust him. “The former President has nothing to do with this. We had a clear agreement, and he should honor that.”

The minority bloc at the House of Representatives currently has 29 members. – KBK, GMA News

Gay rights activists defends Corona over Wikipedia slur

GAY rights activists are seething in anger over homophobic cyberattacks that defaced the Wikipedia page of Supreme Court Chief Justice Renato Corona in order to discredit the chief magistrate of the Supreme Court.

This was after the vandalized page which was hacked briefly on January 3, branded Corona the “Thief Justice” and portrayed him as having gay sex with court administrator Midas Marquez. The page has been restored four hours after the attack.

It was even stated in a passage from the posted attack which reads: “Rumors are circulating that the Supreme Court Administrator — “Midas Marquez” is having intimate relationship with the Chief Justice.”

In a statement of the Progressive Organization of Gays in the Philippines (ProGay), the slur is below the belt since the attacks was not only limited to Corona and Marquez, but also to the members of the third sex.

“We totally deplore this heinous way of using gay slurs for launching political attacks between the opposing sides in the impeachment trial,” declared Goya Candelario, spokesperson Pro Gay.

The ProGay leader said that the defacement proves that homophobia and discrimination are real social problems of Philippine society that make life for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) very dangerous.

A day before this incident, a heterosexual male youth was stabbed and mauled to death by an armed gang of hoodlums after the youth defended two gay passengers in a minibus from the gang’s taunts.

“We mourn the death of Fernando Mendoza who died defending gay rights and because of unchecked homophobia that is being stoked by religious zealots and machismo. All levels of our society should really address and correct homophobia, because both ordinary men who are not gay like Mendoza and powerful government officials such as Corona and Marquez are not safe from these stupid hate crimes,” Candelario said.

With this,  ProGay called on Congress to immediately pass the Antidiscrimination Bill with protections for sexual orientation and gender identity even as the impeachment trial of Justice Corona in the Senate weeks is set to dominate the attention and time of both House of Representatives and the Senate. (Mla. Times)

DOJ indicts two ex-AFP generals over misuse of P2.3-billion military fund

The Department of Justice (DoJ) recommended the filing of plunder case against two former Chiefs of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines following the allegations of misspent P2.3-billion military fund.

In a 100-page resolution, the DoJ panel of investigators said there is probable cause to recommend the filing of plunder raps against former AFP Chiefs of Staff Diomedio Villanueva and Roy Cimatu.

Also recommended to be charged include comptrollers Jacinto Ligot and Carlos Garcia, Major General Hilario Atendido, Brigadier General Benito De Leon, Cols. Cirilo Tomas Donato, Roy Devesa, Lt. Col. Ernesto Paranis, Generoso Del Castillo and Divina Cabrera.

“The panel of prosecutors found probable cause to charge high-ranking officials (past and present) of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and their civilian co-conspirators for plunder,” the DoJ panel of prosecutors stated in the resolution signed by panel chair Prosecutor General Claro Arellano.

The resolution stated that Villanueva received from Atendido a total of P62-million of converted funds. He also received P5-million a month which he used for his travels, domestic and international, official and unofficial.

“He also knew of, and made use of, the AFP’s rented house in Acropolis Village in Quezon City and was involved in the anomalous purchase of the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) by the AFP which did not pass through the normal bidding process,” the resolution stated.

It also pointed that Villanueva, the late AFP Chief of Staff Angelo Reyes, Cimatu, Garcia and Rabusa paid $2-million for the demonstration units of UAV sourced through converted funds.

“Villanueva was also recipient of P160million pabaon upon his retirement which amount was never denied to have been produced by complainant (George Rabusa),” the DoJ panel said.

In the case of Cimatu, while he admits the existence of the AFP Operating Program and Budget (OPB), he said it was used as monthly utilization for the Office of the Chief of Staff. The DoJ panel said his arguments are better ventilated in court.

Garcia and Ligot, on the other hand, the panel said is responsible for the conversion of funds. De Leon, meanwhile admitted that he has knowledge of the “inner systems” of the Office of the Comptroller while Donato and Paranis were responsible for requesting cash allocations and facilitating conversion schemes. Del Castillo, meanwhile being Chief of the Accounting Division during the time of Reyes, Villanueva and Cimatu “is held to have acted in complicity with the AFP officials as his approval of the subject transactions gave rise to its eventual validation and perpetuation.

Cabrera is the COA resident, who, according to the panel monitored the release of funds in the AFP and have been receiving a monthly support of P50,000 to P75,000 while Atendido and Devesa were identified by the panel as “bagman of the AFP Chiefs of staff.

Justice Secretary Leila De Lima said the recommendation will be forwarded to the Office of the Ombudsman who will file the corresponding case before the Sandiganbayan.

The case was based on the complaint filed by former budget officer George Rabusa last year where he implicated military officers in the fund anomaly in the Armed Forces of the Philippines. Rabusa alleged that those he named as respondents are liable for misuse and conversion of some P2.3 billion in military funds from 2000 to 2005. (Inquirer.net)

Reward for Palparan’ capture increased to P1M

The reward for the capture of fugitive former Bantay party-list representative and retired Army Maj. Gen. Jovito Palparan, Jr. was increased to P1 million.

In a press conference on Thursday, Department of Justice (DOJ) Secretary Leila De Lima announced that she and Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Jesse Robredo have decided to raise the informant’s monetary reward from P500,000 to P1 million for any significant information that would lead to the capture of Gen. Palparan.

”We have good leads in the search of the general (Palparan). We want to make sure that Palparan will be captured the soonest possible time,” De Lima said.

”Because, pag lalo pang tumagal ito (search for Palparan), baka mas lalong lumabo,” De Lima added.

Malolos City Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 14 Presiding Judge Teodora Gonzales has issued an arrest warrant against Palparan, Master Sgt. Rizal Hilario who is also at-large, and Lt. Col. Felipe Anotado and Staff Sgt. Edgardo Osorio for the charges of kidnapping and serious illegal detention for the abduction of still missing University of the Philippines (UP) students Karen Empeno and Sherlyn Cadapan.

Empeno and Cadapan were allegedly abducted in Hagonoy, Bulacan on June 26, 2006.

They have been missing since then. (PNA)

BIR files P240.31-M tax evasion raps vs. supplier of popular food chain

The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) on Thursday filed before the Department of Justice (DOJ) a P240.31-million tax evasion case against Great Wall Promotionals Company, Limited (Great Wall) and its executives, the supplier of Jollibee Foods Corporation (Jollibee).

In a press conference, BIR Commissioner Kim Jacinto-Henares said that Great Wall and its officials failed to supply correct information in its Income Tax Return (ITR) for taxable year 2008 in violation of Sections 254 and 255 of the National Internal Revenue Code (NIRC) of 1997.

Great Wall is a partnership duly registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) whose principal office is located at National Rd., Sta. Cruz, Zambales.

Henares identified those charged as Carlito Pancho, Flordeliza Casimiro, George Co, Jr. and Roberto Co.

Investigation showed that Great Wall had reported total sales of P1.47 million in its ITR and Quarterly Value Added Tax (VAT) returns for taxable year 2008.

However, verification of its reported income with Jollibee showed that Great Wall received from the former income payment amounting to P266.48 million.

Comparing the information received from Jollibee with its declarations with the BIR, investigators found that Great Wall deliberately failed to declare its correct tax base by substantially underdeclaring its income for 2008 by 18,076.26% or by P265.01 million.

Under Section 248 (B) of the NIRC, a substantial underdeclaration of more than 30% constitutes prima facie evidence of fraud tantamount to tax evasion.

Henares said that for taxable year 2008, Great Wall was slapped with a total deficiency tax assessment of P240.31 million, inclusive of surcharges and interests, broken down as P173.81 million in Income Tax; and P66.50 million in VAT.

The case against Great Wall, Pancho, Casimiro, George Co, and Roberto Co is the 85th filed under the BIR’s Run After Tax Evaders (RATE) program. (PNA)