As Comelec readies charges, its ex-chief Abalos says, ‘I have no plan to flee’

Amid reports that the Commission on Elections is set to file electoral sabotage charges against him, former Comelec Chairman Benjamin Abalos said Wednesday he is ready to face the music.

In a radio interview, Abalos even offered to voluntarily surrender if the Pasay City court issues a warrant for his arrest.

“Rest assured tayo ay man of law. Tayo ay pasasakop sa batas. Wala tayong planong tumakbo. ‘Pag na-file (ang kaso) I will voluntarily surrender (Rest assured I am a man of law. I have no plan to flee. If the court issues an arrest warrant, I will voluntarily surrender),” he said in an interview on dzBB radio.

In a phone interview with GMA News Online on Wednesday, Comelec spokesman James Jimenez said the poll body en banc on Tuesday decided to finally file an electoral sabotage case against Abalos in connection with alleged irregularities in the 2007 mid-term elections.

But Jimenez said they are not sure whether they will be able to file it today (Wednesday). He said they are still readying the paperwork needed.

“Hindi pa sure. Hopefully today. We’re hoping today,” he said, adding that the case will also be filed before a regional trial court.

Resolution

In a separate text message to GMA News Online later in the day, Jimenez explained that they are still preparing the Comelec en banc resolution indicating the poll body’s decision and basis to file charges against Abalos.

On November 18, the Comelec issued a similar resolution saying it found sufficient basis for the filing of an electoral sabotage case against former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. Also included in the charge sheet were former Maguindanao Gov. Andal Ampatuan Sr. and former election supervisor Lintang Bedol.

The Comelec filed similar charges against Mrs. Arroyo on November 18. That same day, the Pasay Regional Trial Court 112 issued a warrant for Mrs. Arroyo’s arrest.

Mrs. Arroyo is currently under hospital arrest at St. Luke’s Medical Center in Taguig City. She is to be transferred this week to the Veterans Memorial Medical Center in Quezon City.

Abalos was appointed Comelec chairman in 2002 by Mrs. Arroyo. He resigned in October 2007 after his name was dragged into the ZTE broadband scandal.

‘Punch drunk’

In the radio interview, Abalos said he had been “in torture” for the last two weeks because of the uncertainty of the case against him. He likened his situation to a boxer who is “punch drunk.”

“Handa tayo riyan (I’m ready for that),” he said of the charges against him.

Abalos also said it is better that the case against him be resolved soonest.

“Ako [ang] nagsabi na tapusin na eh. Kung wala akong kasalanan tapusin niyo na. The torture is too much… very agonizing,” he said. — with Kimberly Jane Tan/KG/RSJ/HS, GMA News

In the radio interview, Abalos said he had been “in torture” for the last two weeks because of the uncertainty of the case against him. He likened his situation to a boxer who is “punch drunk.”

“Handa tayo riyan (I’m ready for that),” he said of the charges against him.

Abalos also said it is better that the case against him be resolved soonest.

“Ako [ang] nagsabi na tapusin na eh. Kung wala akong kasalanan tapusin niyo na. The torture is too much… very agonizing,” he said. — with Kimberly Jane Tan/KG/RSJ/HS, GMA News

Bad timing causes PSALM to incur P85-M budget deficit for 2012

Ill-timing between its receivables and its maturing obligations will give the Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corp. (PSALM) a budget deficit of some P85 billion next year, a shortfall the state-owned firm is now trying to bridge.

“PSALM is projected to incur a deficit of P85 billion in 2012 based on the approved budget,” PSALM president and CEO Emmanuel Ledesma Jr. said Wednesday, noting that that is why the company plans to raise the money by early next year for its 2012 funding requirements.

“We are looking at the following options to raise funds and finance operations: one, on-lending with National Government or two, issue regular peso notes,” he said.

The receivables mainly involve the prepayment terms for the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP).

NGCP in 2008 won the bid through its $3.95-billion offer to operate and manage the National Transmission Corp. (TransCo) which operates the country’s power transmission highway.

NGCP started operating TransCo in January 2009.

“On the NGCP receivables, discussions with NGCP are still ongoing,” according to the PSALM CEO.

The prepayment of TransCo’s privatization proceeds will help improve PSALM’s cash flow requirements in the sense that it may no longer need to borrow money to settle its maturing loans, Ledesma said. — VS, GMA News

3,000 Pinoys join Christmas fest in Australia

Some 3,000 Filipinos in Australia joined the annual Christmas festival in Canberra last December 4, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said.

Dubbed “Pasko sa Canberra,” the annual Philippine Christmas festival was held at the Philippine Embassy grounds.

The Learning Filipino Group, a group of Filipino-Australian children, entertained the audience with Filipino folk dances, songs and even an interpretative drama in the Filipino dialect.

“The cultural extravaganza gave color to the festivities. The Rondanihan group played the rondalla and serenaded everyone with Christmas carols, followed by a variety of folk dances and singing,” the DFA said.

The cisitors enjoyed the variety of Filipino food, including adobo, bopis, pancit, laing, pork and chicken barbecue, okoy, afritada, and Bicol Express.

“Sweets and desserts like leche flan, cassava, biko, puto, banana cue were not missed.  Though the weather was a little bit windy, people still lined up for the halo-halo,” the DFA said.

The children had their photos taken with Santa and received bags of goodies.

Raffle prizes were also given away, with the grand prize being a round trip ticket to Manila sponsored by the Philippine Tours managed by Philippine Honorary Consul in Melbourne Virginia Kalong.

Opening the event were Perlita Swinbank, president of the Filipino Community Council of ACT, Inc., and Philippine Ambassador to Australia Belen Anota, who congratulated the Filipino Community Council of the ACT, Inc. (FCCACT) for successfully organizing the event. – VVP, GMA News

Fil-Am wins silver in ice skating championship

Filipino-American Sammie Veloso of Bedford, Virginia won a silver medal in an ice skating competition in  the Philippines, a report of WSET-TV said.

Veloso, 18, competed in the Junior Ladies Division of the Phillippine National Figure Skating Championship.

The report said Veloso has been skating since she was six years old but this was her first big event outside the United States.

After the competition, Veloso flew back to Lynchburg to skate in the “Christmas on Ice” program at LaHaye Ice Center.

Veloso told WSET-TV that she does not feel right when she’s not skating.

“I’ve done it for so long now that when you fall in love with a sport like that it becomes a part of you. I try to picture myself not skating, and I can’t. It’s my passion. That’s about all I can say,” she said in the report.

Veloso is considering going professional or even trying out for Disney on Ice. – VVP, GMA News

Craving for ‘lechon’? Don’t overeat, says DOH official

If weight gain doesn’t worry you, here’s another reason for Christmas partygoers to eat in moderation: some popular party fare, including the traditional lechon, may not be all that sanitary, an official of the Department of Health warned on Wednesday.

Dr. Lyndon Lee Suy, program manager of the DOH emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases unit, said that when stores have their displays in the open air, the food is exposed to microbes and pollution. An earlier report on dzBB radio said some lechon stalls in the La Loma district in Quezon City display their wares in the open air, potentially exposing them to pollution.

“Businesses always do this, but it doesn’t mean it’s right. Some lechon stores tend to display their wares in the open air. So our advice to partygoers who want lechon is to take just some and eat in moderation. Don’t overeat,” Lee Suy said in Filipino in an interview on dzBB radio.

The lechon (roast pig) is often the highlight of Christmas feasts, which have begun to peak as December rolls in. The La Loma district is known for its many stalls selling the popular Filipino dish.

Lee Suy said that aside from microbes, flies may also alight on the meat, causing it to be “tainted.”

On the other hand, he said it would be rude to ask the party host where he or she bought the lechon.

“It’s hard to judge by the appearance where the lechon was bought. And it would be inappropriate to ask the host where the lechon was bought,” he said in Filipino.

Lee Suy said those who feel ill after eating should see a doctor immediately.

Lee Suy added that eating in moderation should apply to all types of food, not just lechon. “Let’s not wait until New Year to try to lose weight… Right now Christmas parties are being staged left and right,” he said. – CGL/KG, GMA News

‘Mediation between Palace, SC won’t work’

By Ryan Chua, ABS-CBN News
MANILA, Philippines – An administration ally in the Senate believes there’s no need for any mediation between President Aquino and Chief Justice Renato Corona.

“This is an issue of the President seeing a Supreme Court which is so biased in favor of the former administration,” Sen. Franklin Drilon told reporters on Wednesday. “I cannot see how a mediation will work.”

Some lawmakers had proposed that Congress mediate between the President and the Chief Justice, while others suggested that the Church do so, to avoid a constitutional crisis resulting from their rift.

But Drilon dismissed fears of a constitutional crisis, saying the executive’s disagreement with the judiciary only proves that the country’s democracy is working.

Drilon pointed out that Aquino was merely expressing his views and frustrations as president whose major policies have been blocked by the Supreme Court when he criticized Corona in front of him during the Criminal Justice Summit on Monday.

“Siguro nagugulat lang ang taumbayan sa ginawa ng Pangulo,” he said. “Pero ang pagbatikos sa Korte Suprema ay hindi po labag sa batas.”

But Sen. Francis Escudero, another Aquino ally, hopes the President and the Chief Justice would be able talk.

He had earlier called for the convening of the judicial executive legislative advisory and consultative council (JELAC) for this.

“Sana lang, kasabay ng malamig na panahon at pagsapit ng Pasko, magkaroon din ng pagkakaunawaan sa pagitan ng dalawang ahensya,” he said, referring to the executive and judicial branches of government.

“Sana magkaroon ng okasyon na magkausap sila at sana hindi man magkasundo sa lahat ng bagay ay hindi dalhin ‘yong hidwaan sa publiko na maaaring maka-turn off ng investors,” Escudero added.

PCSO fund mess added to plunder list vs Arroyo

By Ira Pedrasa, abs-cbnNEWS.com
MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) has filed a plunder case against former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo for supposedly using intelligence funds for the elections.

Also included in the complaint are former PCSO General Manager Rosario Uriarte, Assistant General Manager for Finance Benigno Aguas, and former PCSO board members Sergio Valencia, Manuel Morato, Raymon Roquero, and Maria Fatima Valdez.

Former Commission on Audit (COA) Chairman Reynaldo Villar and COA Region 5 head Nilda Plaras are also included in the complaint.

In an interview with ANC, PCSO Director Aleta Tolentino said the COA officials were included due to “conspiracy and connivance.”

Uriarte supposedly wrote Arroyo 8 times when she was still the president, asking her to withdraw money from the confidential funds.

Uriarte allegedly got nearly P310 million, more than half of which was withdrawn in the first 6 months of 2010, an election year.

In a previous hearing, Senator Teofisto Guingona III noted this is even bigger than the intelligence fund of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) “and used only in 6 months’ time.”

During the hearing, documents shown did not bear registration stamps, but the words “OK” and what appears to be the signature of Arroyo. Uriarte confirmed those were indeed the signatures of Arroyo.

Tolentino said they would be submitting additional evidence before the Office of the Ombudsman next week.

She said they had also asked the Ombudsman to consolidate their petition with other complaints filed previously by militant groups.

Edsa road mishap injures 4 people

The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority said four people were injured in a four-vehicle smashup in front of a market along Epifanio delos Santos Avenue in Quezon City before dawn Wednesday.

The incident occurred in front of the Mega-Q Mart at the northbound part of Epifanio delos Santos Avenue (EDSA).

Police are now looking into whether the driver of one of the vehicles involved was drunk at the time of the accident.

An initial investigation showed a Hyundai vehicle (YFN-340) driven by one Christine Gonzalez hit a taxi (UPD-381), injuring taxi passengers Abigail Briones and her husband Enrique.

The couple was rushed to the East Avenue Medical Center. The taxi then hit another taxi (UVF-549), which in turn hit a van.

At least two bystanders waiting for a ride were also injured in the incident.

They were initially identified as Jeric Mugayon and Remedios Baluyot.

The MMDA said the incident caused traffic at the northbound part of EDSA.

Court indicts QC cop for estafa

A Quezon City policeman was charged for his alleged misrepresentation that he could provide a lawyer for a man who has a criminal case in exchange for P50,000 as payment for such assistance.

Charged with estafa before the QC Regional Trial Court was SPO4 Edgar Palafox, of Area 6, Bgy. Botolan Bliss, Botocan, QC.

The case stemmed from the complaints of Gerardo Bartolome of Karuhatan, Valenzuela City, who claimed that on Jan. 7, 2010, he asked help from the respondent in securing a lawyer that would assist him in his defense in a case that was filed against him.

Palafox allegedly asked P50,000 from the complainant as initial payment for the service of a lawyer and promised that he will be able to secure the services of an attorney.

But Palafox failed to fulfill his promise which prompted the complainant to demand the return of his money which the respondent failed to do so.
In his one-page resolution, Assistant City Prosecutor Caroline Tobias found probable cause to indict the respondent in court as he falsely pretended to the complainant that he can secure the services of a lawyer when in truth and in fact he could not.