Garci Out

Immigration official denies helping Garcillano flee RP

Fraud Proof

House opposition unlocks 'roomful of evidence' of poll fraud

Maila Ager
INQ7.net

THE OPPOSITION bloc has unlocked a "roomful of evidence" of an alleged "general conspiracy" involving alleged cheating in the 2004 election, which ensured Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's victory in the presidential race.

An hour before the resumption of the impeachment hearing against the President on Wednesday, Taguig-Pateros Alan Peter Cayetano, spokesman of the pro-impeachment team, made a slide presentation of supposed copies of election returns (ERs) purportedly tampered and fabricated by operators of the administration.

Cayetano said that long before the 2004 election, a group of 50 people, led by an administration ally, had been holding office at the fifth floor of the Horizon Hotel (formerly Byron Hotel) in Mandaluyong City to manufacture ERs that would show a landslide win for Ms. Arroyo. He did not name the Arroyo supporter.

"While FPJ [Fernando Poe Jr.], [the late former senator Raul] Roco, [Senator Panfilo] Lacson, and Brother [Eddie] Villanueva were still tirelessly campaigning, the Byron Hotel operators were already silently filling up the ERs," he said.

He said first, the Byron operators determined the provinces where Ms. Arroyo had a high popularity rating --Pampanga, Iloilo, Cebu, and Bohol.

Once the areas were determined, the "doctors of Ms. Arroyo" went to work starting with the voters list, he said.

"The votes to be entered into the ER's were already pre-computed and printed in a master list," Cayetano explained. "They copied the numbers into the ERs, validated them in the names of elections inspectors."

The Byron operators allegedly had the master copy of the names of all elections inspectors and where they would be assigned.

"They have the specimen too and a master forger to forge them [signatures of the elections inspectors]," he said.

The bogus forms reflecting a landslide win for the President were then sent to the pre-determined areas where the election officers replaced the real results with the fabricated ones.

But Cayetano said the Arroyo operatives were sloppy because the thumbmarks in the ERs were too small compared with the normal size of a person's thumb.

He also noted that the ink used in some ERs was either blue or red when the official ink of the Commission on Elections was black.

Cayetano said they got all these information from witnesses who had personal knowledge of the operation.

"There were problems with money that's why this information was also leaked out," he told reporters.

Aside from the tampered ERs, Cayetano also pointed out that there were still 30,000 sets of overprinted election forms that the Comelec had yet to account for.

Cayteno said these ERs translated to six million votes.

House Minority Floor Leader Francis Escudero said he would also hold another press conference to expose more evidence of cheating.

Inquirer Headlines

DoJ eyes rebellion raps vs retired police general
House to do the Charter change without Senate
President pays hush-hush visit to new CBCP head
Maliksi: My suspension is for Remulla brothers' votes
Arroyo firm not to postpone 10% VAT on oil, power
Palace appoints solons' brods to plum posts
Impeachment bid in limbo

Enrile laments slow pace of legislative work
Soaring price of oil poses security threat in RP
Int'l school still hasn't paid back wages, says labor dep't
Arroyo can invoke police power to stop eVAT--Gonzalez
Arroyo firm on E-VAT implementation
House approves joint session with Senate on Charter change
CA paves way for Napocor rate hike
PCGG to sell Imelda Marcos' diamonds
House to deliberate on impeach complaints, Charter change
Cam claims receiving bribe offers
Osmeña bares Garcillano bribe list

Drought, typhoons cost agriculture P953M
Cavite governor stays after suspension order served late
Police officer runs amuck; kills 3 colleagues, self
Hospitals churn out 7,800 kilos of harmful wastes daily
6 alleged Abu Sayyaf members nabbed in Sulu
Gonzalez shuffles prosecutors in Nida Blanca slay case
US-RP war games start; 1,200 US troops arrive
Syndicate on fake dollar notes busted in Mindanao
Communist rebel killed, 8 captured in Cordillera
DepEd teachers, workers to undergo random drug tests
DoH declares dengue alert
Magazine editor files raps vs actress Barreto
153 French citizens died in Venezuela plane crash--execs
Internet conmen target British tsunami victims' families
Malaysia, Singapore call for ASEAN response to haze crisis
Australia seeks 20,000 skilled immigrants
Japanese quake 7.2 on Richter scale--Strasbourg observatory
Catholics gather in Germany to await Pope
Moderate quake shakes northern Japan
Cambodian PM blames foreign countries for cellphone porn
Japan's ruling party calls up 'Net whizkid for snap polls
Urine-powered micro battery invented by Singapore institute
 

Toxic Waste

Hospitals churn out 7,800 kilos of harmful wastes daily

Veronica Uy
INQ7.net

THE COUNTRY'S 200 hospitals produce an estimated 7,800 kilos of biomedical waste every day and most are not properly disposed of, Senator Pia Cayetano said Tuesday.

During a hearing on biomedical and hazardous wastes, Cayetano said only six disposal facilities are available in the country: five in Luzon, and one in the Visayas. Not a single facility is available in Mindanao, she said.

Cayetano said these biochemical and hazardous wastes are just thrown "anywhere," endangering people's health and the country's environment.

The hearing seeks to institute mechanisms to regulate and manage proper disposal of these wastes, said Cayetano, head of the Senate committee on health and demography and environment and natural resources.

Biochemical wastes include injection needles, used cotton, and internal organs removed during surgery. Hazardous wastes include batteries of cars, mobile phones, and wrist watches; toilet cleaners; and fluorescent bulbs.

Department of Health

Senate

Agri Loss

Drought, typhoons cost agriculture P953M

Christine Gaylican cgaylican@inquirer.com.ph
Inquirer News Service

WEATHER disturbances in the past weeks have affected the agriculture sector resulting in an estimated production loss of 953 million pesos, the Department of Agriculture said Tuesday.

The onslaught of tropical typhoons "Gorio" (international codename: Matsa) and "Huaning" (international codename: Sanvu) and the insufficient rainfall in Northern Luzon from July until the first week of August affected the planting and harvest of rice, corn, vegetables, fisheries, livestock and poultry.

The DA said damage to corn accounted for 5 percent of the national annual production target of 5.5 million metric tons, while damage to rice accounted for 0.2 percent of the national annual rice target of 14.75 million metric tons.

"The decrease in the production of rice and corn in the affected regions can be partially compensated by the projected good production in Mindanao," the DA report said.

Rehabilitation of affected areas are already underway and affected farmers have been given seeds for planting.

Typhoon "Huaning" affected towns in the provinces of Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, Apayao and Mt. Province resulting in a production loss of 16 million pesos.

Continuous rains affected areas in Southern Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao resulting in a production loss of 70.8 million pesos, of which 80 percent was damage to palay.

Insufficient rainfall in Regions I and II also resulted in production loss placed at 866.4 million pesos.

Cloud seeding operations were conducted in the affected areas between July 28 to August 5 to save the standing crops and prevent additional damages.

Urine Power

Urine-powered micro battery invented by Singapore institute

Agence France-Presse

SINGAPORE -- A Singapore scientific institute on Tuesday said it has invented a urine-powered micro battery that can be used in disposable test kits for diabetes and other diseases.

The state-funded Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology said a drop of urine placed on the paper battery will generate enough electricity to power a "biochip device" that can analyze the urine sample for disease "biomarkers."

"We are striving to develop cheap, disposable credit card-sized biochips for disease," the institute's principal research scientist Dr. Lee Ki Bang said in a press statement.

"Our battery can be easily integrated into such devices, supplying electricity upon contact with biofluids such as urine," Lee added.

Urine is widely used to test for signs of various diseases and as an indicator of a persons general state of health, the institute said. The concentration of glucose in urine is a useful diagnostic tool for diabetics.

The battery unit consists of a cathode sandwiched between an anode and an electron-collecting layer. These are then held in place through a lamination process which coats the battery unit between transparent plastic films.

Lee said that someday, people would be able to monitor their health easily at home, seeking medical attention only when necessary, thanks to the patented invention.

"These fully integrated biochip systems have a huge market potential," he said.

Singapore is pouring billions of dollars into cutting-edge research and development programs in a bid to expand its biomedical sciences industry and reduce its dependence on assembly-line manufacturing.

A government-appointed panel has recommended that Singapore raise its research and development spending to 12 billion Singapore dollars over the next five years.

The amount proposed is more than double the five billion dollars spent on research and development from 2001 to 2005.

Loaded Day

House to deliberate on impeach complaints, Charter change

Maila Ager
INQ7.net

THE IMPEACHMENT complaints against President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and Charter change will be discussed separately at the House of Representatives this Tuesday.

Cagayan Representative Constantino Jaraula's committee on constitutional amendments is scheduled to meet at 9:30 a.m. to review and approve a report on concurrent Resolution 14 calling on the Senate and the House to constitute themselves as a constituent assembly and institute changes in the Charter.

At 12:00 noon, the committee on justice will resume impeachment proceedings at the session hall.

The committee, which Maguindanao Representative Simeon Datumanong heads, will decide whether the original complaint filed by lawyer Oliver Lozano, the revised complaint of the opposition bloc, or the one filed by lawyer Jose Rizalino Lopez, should be heard and deliberated on by the body.

Professor Jose Abueva, former president of the University of the Philippines, said that the people would be unburdened by the painful impeachment proceedings should there be a change in the form of government.

Abueva said that under the parliamentary system, a prime minister could be removed by a simple vote of "no confidence."

"It's very simple, somebody will just have to move for a vote of no confidence and if it will be carried by the ruling party then the prime minister will be removed," he explained in a phone interview.

The movant need not present evidence against the prime minister to justify the "no confidence" vote, Abueva said.

Imelda's $10M

PCGG to sell Imelda Marcos' diamonds

Alcuin Papa
Inquirer News Service

THEY had been variously described as exquisite, even fabulous. After nearly two decades, the government is letting them go.

By year's end, the Presidential Commission on Good Government hopes to finally auction off pieces of jewelry owned by former first lady Imelda Marcos, one of its officials said.

PCGG spokesman Nick Suarez said the agency expected to recover around 10 million dollars from the sale.

The jewelry, held in escrow in a vault at the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (Central Bank of the Philippines), has been independently appraised and found to be genuine.

The PCGG is finalizing the conditions and details of the auction, including the venue and date of the auction, Suarez said.

"It is all being discussed at high levels. We hope to have the jewels disposed of before the year ends," he said.

There were no details on what sort of jewelry would be auctioned off but a 2002 report by the Inquirer said the collection consisted of 89 pieces when they were inventoried and valuated by famed auction house Sotheby's in 1990.

At that time, the saleroom estimated value of the jewelry pieces was placed by Sotheby's between a low of 4,194,920 dollars and a high of 5,736,600 dollars.

The report had described the jewelry pieces as "works of art" by themselves because of their exquisite designs, breathtaking size, and the superb quality of the gems.

It said the collection included a yellow gold 30.71-carat diamond-studded bracelet with a central marquise cut diamond crafted by Bulgari. When appraised by Sotheby's in 1990, it was reportedly valued conservatively from 800,000 dollars to 1.2 million dollars.

According to the report, the collection included jewelry pieces seized in 1986 from Greek national Demetrious Roumeliotes, supposedly a close friend of Marcos. Roumeliotes denied they were owned by Marcos and claimed that the pieces were made of paste.

Suarez said at least two international auction houses, which he did not identify, were interested in selling off the jewelry.

A source in the PCGG said that the agency was determined to trace the backgrounds of the bidders to prevent the jewelry from falling back into the hands of Marcos.

Now in her early 70s, Marcos faces several graft cases before local courts. The cases are linked to her stint as housing minister and governor of Metro Manila.

The 18-year-old PCGG has recovered Marcos-linked assets in the Philippines amounting to 50 billion pesos and 683 million dollars from Swiss bank accounts.

Glo's Generals

WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

Inquirer News Service

FOLLOWING are the people who had served either as Armed Forces chief of staff or Philippine National Police chief in the Arroyo administration:

AFP Appointed as Term Angelo Reyes July 1999-Mar 2001 Secretary, Department of National Defense (March 2001-August 2003) Ambassador-at-large for counterterrorism (October 2003-July 2004) Head, National Anti-Kidnapping Task Force (October 2003-July 2004) Secretary, Department of the Interior and Local Government (July 2004 - present)

Diomedio Villanueva March 2001 - May 2002 Director and general manager, Public Estates Authority (October 2002-December 2003) Postmaster general and CEO, Philippine Postal Corp. (January 2003 - present)

Roy Cimatu May 2002-September 2002 Special envoy to the Middle East (September 2002 - present)

Benjamin Defensor September-November 2002 Chair, Counter Terrorism Task Force of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation/ambassador-at-large for counterterrorism (November 2004 - present)

Dionisio Santiago November 2002-April 2003 Director, Bureau of Corrections (May 2003-November 2004) Executive Director, Dangerous Drugs Board (November 2004 - present)

Narciso Abaya April 2003-October 2004 President & CEO, Bases Conversion Development Authority (October 2004 - present)

Efren Abu October 2004-August 2005 PNP Leandro Mendoza January 2001-June 2002 Secretary, Department of Transportation and Communications (June 2002 - present)

Hermogenes Ebdane June 2002-August 2004 National Security Adviser (August 2004-February 2005 Secretary, Department of Public Works and Highways (February 2005 - present)

Edgardo Aglipay August 2004-March 2005

Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP)

Philippine National Police (PNP)

Garci List

Osmeña bares Garcillano bribe list

Juliet Labog-Javellana
Inquirer News Service

CONTROVERSIAL Election Commissioner Virgilio Garcillano himself wrote down the amounts of money that were paid to election officials to rig the results of the 2004 election, according to opposition Senator Sergio Osmeña III.

Osmeña said this was contained in Garcillano's handwritten notes which Michaelangelo Zuce, former assistant of presidential political liaison officer Jose Maria Rufino, submitted to the Senate committees conducting the jueteng inquiry.

Zuce has testified he was present in the La Vista residence of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo when Commission on Elections (Comelec) regional directors and provincial supervisors were given money by Lilia Pineda, wife of suspected gambling lord Rodolfo "Bong" Pineda.

Osmeña said that during the latter part of last week's jueteng hearing, Zuce "authenticated" a document handwritten by Garcillano showing how the money was distributed among the Comelec officials. He said the one-page document was almost hidden among the documents Zuce submitted.

Zuce confirmed that Garcillano scribbled the names of Comelec officials from the provinces of Basilan, Maguindanao, Sulu, Lanao del Sur and Tawi-Tawi who received amounts ranging from P10,000 to P40,000, Osmeña said.

He said that according to Zuce, Garcillano made the list during a consultation meeting at the Grand Boulevard Hotel on Jan. 10, 2004, before Garcillano and Zuce brought the officials to dinner with Ms Arroyo in her private residence.

Osmeña said the list revealed that as much as P550,000 in cash changed hands in just one meeting.

Copies of Garcillano's list were given to Senate reporters.

Osmeña admitted that Garcillano's handwriting had yet to be authenticated.

But he said this showed that testimonial evidence about the payoffs of election officials from jueteng money was growing.

"The details of the election fraud are steadily unfolding, perhaps to the dismay of the spin doctors making vague or evasive denials," Osmeña said.

SMS Abuse?

Malaysia to register pre-paid cellphones to curb SMS abuse

Agence France-Presse

KUALA LUMPUR--Malaysia will register millions of pre-paid mobile phone subscribers to prevent the untraceable handsets being used to send threatening or slanderous SMS text messages, reports said Monday.

Communications Minister Lim Keng Yaik said the cabinet had agreed to make it compulsory for telecommunications companies to register the existing 14 million pre-paid subscribers, as well as all new users.

Lim said the registration would begin next month in southern Malacca state and northern Penang, and be completed nationwide by the end of the year.

"Fourteen million is a huge number of users and some of them are foreigners. So it is a difficult exercise," he said according to the New Straits Times.

"But we have to start doing this as pre-paid phone card users pose a security threat because nowadays terrorists are using cellphones to detonate bombs," he said.

Members of parliament last year called for mandatory registration of prepaid mobile phone users following complaints that some users were abusing the service by sending poison text messages.

Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi last week called on Malaysians to stop rumor-mongering through SMS (short-messaging service) and lambasted people for abusing the technology.

His critical remarks came after rumors were spread by SMS about the health of his wife, Endon Mahmood, who is undergoing treatment for breast cancer.

In another case that has fueled debate on the issue, police in Penang earlier this month arrested two Indonesians on suspicion of sending bomb hoaxes to the local airport through SMS.

GSIS Checks

Public warned against fake GSIS checks

Jani Arnaiz
Inquirer News Service

MAASIN CITY-The Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) has warned the public against fake GSIS checks after owners of a furniture shop here became the latest victims of a modus operandi involving fake checks.

Francisco Ang and his wife Tita, owners of Tita's gift shop, said two men went to their shop in the morning of Aug. 6 and asked if they could purchase some items using their GSIS checks.

They identified themselves as Ramon Rosales and Paulo Magat and claimed they were from Malitbog town, about 45 km south of here.

They said they were the payees of two checks worth P44,410, which came from their salary loan from the GSIS.

One check was dated July 26, 2005, valued at P25,800, while the other was issued on July 22, 2005, worth P18,610.

The couple agreed. The two then endorsed the two checks and wrote down their addresses and mobile phone numbers at the back of these checks.

They then bought items worth P23,000. The Ang couple gave the two P21,410 in cash as change for their P44,410.

The two men, however, did not take the items with them when they rode their motorcycle. Instead, they told the Angs that they would come back as soon as they could find a vehicle to transport their purchases.

The two, however, did not return to the furniture shop. The Angs repeatedly called the cellular phone numbers listed at the back of the checks, but there was no reply.

The couple became suspicious and called a nearby GSIS office to inquire about the checks.

Fortunately, the cashier was at the GSIS office, said Socrates Maderazo, GSIS-Maasin legal counsel.

He said the checks looked real because they appeared to have the proper markings and name of the signatories.

But when the cashier held the checks, she said they were fake because the paper was thin compared to the genuine checks.

Pinoys 3rd Most Avid Reader

Filipinos are among world's most avid readers

Inquirer News Service

Reading is not a lost art in the Philippines—this was indicated by the results of a recent survey conducted on 30,000 consumers over the age 13 in 30 countries.

In the NOP World Culture Score index, Filipinos ranked third as the world's most avid readers (reading 7.6 hours a week), trailing closely after the Indians (10.7 hours) and the Chinese (8 hours), and beating Americans (23th at 5.7 hours), Brits (26th at 5.3 hours) and Japanese (29th at 4.1 hours) by a long margin.

The results of the survey confirm what local publishers have been observing: Filipinos are developing a greater appreciation for reading. More and more bookstores are opening, the magazine industry is steadily rising, and there is bigger demand for reading materials in the Philippines today.

The Manila International Book Fair (MIBF) celebrates its 26th year with the theme "It's Hip to Read!" Slated Aug. 31-Sept. 4 at the World Trade Center, Pasay City, MIBF once again unites local and foreign publishers, wholesalers, retailers, book lovers and collectors, librarians, authors, publishers' representatives, and every major player in the publishing industry in its continuing efforts to promote books and reading.

The book fair is organized by Primetrade Asia, Inc., in partnership with Asian Catholic Publishers, Inc.; Book Development Association of the Philippines; Philippine Booksellers Association, Inc.; and Publishers Representatives Organization of the Philippines. It is supported by the Philippine Educational Publishers Association; Book Exporters Association of the Philippines; and Christian Booksellers Association-Philippine Chapter.

Call 8900661 or 8960682. E-mail bookfair@primetradeasia.com

Rio Alma National Artist for Literature "Reading is good exercise for the eyes and the mind. Books most especially are good for the mental health."

Bam Aquino National Youth Commission chair and morning-show host "Reading is interesting, exciting and enriching. It can ground you to reality or help you escape. In both cases, it sets you free. Reading is essential to a person's growth, an ingredient in a person's development. It makes a person engaging and attractive. It's the ultimate turn-on, the gift that keeps on giving!"

Chico Garcia RX 93.1 DJ "It's hip because you're a step in front of the rest of the pack. Everyone's watched the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy, but how many people do you know read it?"

Jones Campos Head, public relations, Globe Telecom "Reading preempts a movie blockbuster. It keeps you smiling and notably aware all throughout the screening, just munching away at the popcorn on hand."

Lisa Macuja-Elizalde Prima ballerina "It's cool to read because you can transform into anything and anyone you want or dream of becoming. You can go to any place you want to be. You can learn about any subject you can think about. You can change your very being. Just think about all that power!"

Kip Oebanda Founder, Child Laborers Advocates for Social Participation, Ten Outstanding Students of the Philippines (TOSP) awardee "It's hip to read because you can learn interesting things, like how to be hip or how to shape your hips. You can even read about learning how to read. There are so many blessings in reading, but the most important of them all is the ability to experience another person, another world and another reality in the comfort of your room."

Joseph Patrick Echevarria Valedictorian, Ateneo de Manila University Batch 2005 and TOSP awardee "When I was 12, my father used to read to me stories by Edgar Allan Poe, like 'The Cask of Amontillado.' More than 10 years later, I can still see Fortunato following the flickering flame, going deeper and deeper into the catacombs… Reading captures the imagination and allows us to witness whole lives, centuries of experiences, and even dreams of the future. And it is often through them that we learn what it means to love, to yearn, to hope—what it means to be human. It is one of those rare acts that not only make us feel alive, but also make us better people."

Arnold Clavio Broadcaster "Because you can create a world you want to be [in] kahit na for a moment lang. You can be a hero or a villain without any worries on how people will judge you. Syempre, stock knowledge yun. It's a good mind exercise that might help prevent you from having Alzheimer's disease.

Marian Catedral Caltex Phils., policy, government and public affairs head "It's cool to be eating alone in a restaurant while reading a book. Reading is the foundation of one's future success."

Barge Ramos Fashion designer "It's hip and cool to read because reading keeps your mind young, inquisitive, logical and always with a sense of wonder about people, God and the world around us."

Irene Rada Head, public relations, Cultural Center of the Philippines "Reading opens new avenues of reflection which makes one a better person."

Ramon Rocha III CEO, OMF Literature "Reading not only develops a person's intelligence; it broadens one's perspective as well, allowing the reader to venture into different worlds, step into the lives of the characters, and share their experiences and emotions. Leaders are readers. One cannot go very far without reading, and by cultivating a love for reading, we develop a healthy nation and intelligent population."

Gerard Salonga Composer/arranger "Reading is to one's mind and soul as working out at the gym is to one's body. Our bodies fade and fall apart, but a powerful mind lasts much longer. There's nothing hipper or cooler than someone with a rich soul and a powerful mind."

Peachy Guioguio Manager, public relations, ABS-CBN "Reading is a great way to enhance our knowledge. It can stimulate us mentally and gives us the opportunity to learn about things, places and culture. Besides, reading is the most hassle-free way to go to your favorite destination. You don't even have to leave the comforts of your home. You just have to use your imagination."

Panch Alcaraz Children's book illustrator "Reading makes you smarter and increases your vocabulary. [It] opens up your mind and fuels your imagination."

Marvin Agustin Actor "Because it's good for the soul to read every day. I believe that if I stick with the things I already know and not open myself up to other people, then I will for sure stagnate and deprive myself of the fulfillment of learning."

Gas Prices All Time High

Gas prices surged 20 cents over the past three weeks to an all-time high of $2.50 per gallon of self-serve regular, according to a national survey.

The price surge "does smash the all-time record high for the third time this year," Trilby Lundberg, publisher of the Lundberg Survey, said.

"Crude oil has caused this jump at the pump," she said of the survey, taken August 12 at about 7,000 gas stations in every state.

"And even at the current record-breaking pump prices, gasoline demand, while not galloping, is still growing."

Oil prices rose to record highs of $67 a barrel Friday, amid concerns that demand was straining the world's capacity to pump and refine crude oil. ( Full story)

Lundberg noted that if the crude oil supply remains undisrupted, "the gasoline price surge itself will probably be ending soon, if it has not already."

"Our demand for gasoline is always highest for June, July and August," she said of the summer months, when families typically take vacations. She said gasoline demand is expected to taper off after August.

Lundberg said the lowest average price in the August 12 survey was in Cheyenne, Wyoming, where a gallon of self-serve regular cost $2.31. The highest was in San Diego, California, where a gallon cost $2.76.

Though a record in absolute terms, the price is still well shy of a record, if adjusted for inflation. The peak price would have been set during the Iranian revolution in March 1981, when a gallon of gas cost about $3 in today's dollars, Lundberg said.

White House Chef Is Pinay

WACO, Texas (AP) -- After a six-month search, First Lady Laura Bush announced Sunday that the new head chef at the White House will be Cristeta Comerford -- the first woman to take the top spot in the executive kitchen.

 

Comerford has been an assistant chef at the White House for 10 years, working under former executive chef Walter Scheib III, who resigned in February.

Mrs. Bush has been trying out applicants for the job in recent months, asking them to prepare test meals at special functions and private meals at the residence.

Comerford developed the menu for last month's honorary dinner for Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. The 134 dinner guests dined on chilled asparagus soup and lemon creme; pan-roasted halibut, ginger-carrot butter, basmati rice with pistachio nuts and currants and herbed summer vegetables; and salad of Bibb lettuces and citrus vinaigrette.

"I am delighted that Cris Comerford has accepted the position of White House Executive Chef," Mrs. Bush said in a statement. "Her passion for cooking can be tasted in every bite of her delicious creations."

A naturalized U.S. citizen from the Phillipines, Comerford has a bachelor's degree in Food Technology from the University of the Philippines. She has worked at Le Ciel in Vienna, Austria and at restaurants in two Washington hotels -- the Westin and the ANA.

While being executive chef at the White House has its share of prestige, the job also can be grueling. As many as 2,000 guests per month are fed there, and Mrs. Bush has signaled her intent to do more entertaining than in the first term, when the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks curtailed festivities.

The head chef is responsible for designing and executing menus for state dinners, social events, holiday functions, receptions and official luncheons hosted by the president and first lady.

Hillary Clinton hired Scheib, a California native and graduate of the prestigious Culinary Institute of America, in April 1994 because she wanted to feature American cuisine after years of French cooking ushered in by Jacqueline Kennedy.

Mrs. Bush's statement said Comerford has been trained in French classical techniques and specializes in ethnic and American cuisine and has experience working with chefs in San Francisco and the California wine country.

AFP's New Chief

Senga takes over as Arroyo's 8th military chief of staff

Luige A. del Puerto Dona Z. Pazzibugan TJ Burgonio
Inquirer News Service

LIEUTENANT GENERAL Generoso Senga, a tough rebel fighter who served as the voice of the military during the ouster of President Joseph Estrada, takes over a restive military today amid demands by rebellious officers for a purge of officials implicated in allegations President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo cheated in last year's election.

Senga will replace General Efren Abu, whose retirement as Armed Forces chief of staff was delayed for 21 days by Ms Arroyo as she battled to overcome the worst political crisis of her 4-year-old presidency.

The Army commanding general becomes the eighth military chief of staff to serve Ms Arroyo, a record for a sitting president. A member of Philippine Military Academy Class of 1972, the 55-year-old Senga will be AFP chief for less than a year, retiring on July 21, 2006.

Senga had served as AFP Southern Command chief. As commander of the 6th Infantry Division, he led the campaign against the Moro Islamic Liberation Front that led to the capture of its base at the Buliok Complex in Central Mindanao.

He was also AFP spokesperson during the "people power" revolt against Estrada in 2001.

Senga said in a brief interview on Friday that he would continue Abu's policy of keeping the 130,000-strong AFP "apolitical" in the current political controversy.

"He is a very capable, soft-spoken officer," said a statement issued yesterday by the Southern Luzon Command. "With his character and managerial style, he can unite the Armed Forces."

Taking over as Army chief from Senga on Wednesday is Major General Hermogenes Esperon Jr., chief of the Armed Forces' Special Operations Command.

Esperon is one of several generals whose names cropped up in the "Hello Garci" wiretaps which the opposition says is evidence Ms Arroyo rigged the May 2004 election.

On the eve of the turnover of military command, a group calling itself the Young Officers Union new generation (YOUng) issued a statement warning that Esperon's promotion would "further widen the crack of horizontal division and mistrust" and threatening "to resolve the issue within our level, the rank and file and the sovereign people."

The statement, dated Aug. 14, was faxed to the Inquirer. It was signed by Lieutenant Colonel Arsenio Alcantara, a fictitious name. Alcantara described himself as the spokesperson of the YOUng central command.

Bogus group

Asked for comment, Lieutenant Colonel Buenaventura Pascual, AFP spokesperson, said: "We won't respond to their statement. They're bogus. There is no such group."

Yesterday's statement was YOUng's third since it emerged last month to denounce supposed ills under the Arroyo administration and vowed to bring her down.

Senator Rodolfo Biazon, chairman of the Senate committee on national defense and security, confirmed in an interview with the Inquirer the existence of the group. Biazon said YOUng was composed of active military officers with ties to its predecessor, the YOU.

The YOU provided the backbone of then Colonel Gregorio "Gringo" Honosan's attempted coup in 1989, which Biazon, then the Armed Forces chief of staff, quelled. Around 4,000 soldiers involved in the coup were subsequently given amnesty.

"They share the same ideals," said Biazon, quoting military contacts. He said it was "very, very possible" that the two groups were connected.

In early July, Biazon disclosed that young officers identified with YOU had threatened to go on mass leave to protest the reported involvement of military generals in electoral fraud and their impending promotion.

The accusation was triggered by revelations of wiretapped telephone conversations between Ms Arroyo and former Election Commissioner Virgilio Garcillano, which the opposition said showed Ms Arroyo fixed the balloting. Ms Arroyo has adamantly denied manipulating the vote.

Biazon said he managed to persuade the officers to stay on and to relay their concerns to the President and General Abu. Biazon said Abu promised him he would conduct an investigation "discreetly."

Inquiry

It was only on July 20 that Abu announced that he had ordered an inquiry after Lieutenant General Romeo Dominguez, had assailed, shortly after his retirement as AFP Northern Luzon commander, the military leadership for not investigating those involved in last year's alleged election cheating.

But the six-member fact-finding board headed by Vice Admiral Mateo Mayuga skirted the issue of whether there was cheating in last year's elections.

Mayuga said the panel would look at any "unprofessional conduct" of any officers during the elections.

The probe also did not focus on the four generals and other officers mentioned in the "Hello Garci" tape, but on all officers and enlisted men involved in the elections.

Mayuga did not set a deadline for their findings.

Aside from Esperon, the officials mentioned in the audio recording were Major General Gabriel Habacon, Brigadier General Francisco Gudani and retired Lieutenant General Roy Kyamko, who now heads an anti-smuggling task force.

Mockery

Calling it a "mockery and an insult" to professional officers, the YOUng said Esperon's appointment smacked of politicking.

"Despite his involvement in last year's massive election fraud, he was not investigated, relieved nor suspended. Worse, the commander in chief even rewarded him with a position most sought by Army men," the group said.

"Is this the kind of professionalism the AFP would like to exemplify to its juniors? Are the Army people that helpless, pathetic and gullible to be easily fooled?" the group said.

The YOUng lamented that while military officials implicated in the Garci tapes were not even given a slap on the wrist, ordinary soldiers were routinely "admonished, relieved and suspended" when they protested.

It cited as examples the cases of Army Colonel Arturo Ortiz and Colonel Ricardo Morales.

Ortiz had aggressively protested the awarding of the Medal of Valor to Army Lt. Col. Noel Buan and Staff Sergeant Leopoldo Diokno and resigned from the 15-man Medal of Valor Board. He said the medal had been "prostituted" and resigned as chief of the AFP Joint Operations Center on June 10.

Morales was sacked as commander of the 404th Infantry Brigade based in Mawab town, Davao del Norte province, for criticizing the controversial resort project for the military on the tourist-famous island of Boracay.

Add insult to injury

"The AFP this coming Aug. 17 will once more mock and add insult to injury to the very foundation of military professionalism if the appointment of General Esperon as the new Army chief is not rescinded," the YOUng said.

"His appointment will be a clear manifestation of the existence of a political mafia within the Armed Forces and will further erode the rank and file's dwindling trust (in) the military leadership," it said.

The group said it would "gladly shut our mouths and stay on the line" if the military leadership responded to questions on the alleged irregularities committed by officials.

"Allowing them to go unpunished and be rewarded for their foolishness will eventually force us to resolve the issue within our level, the rank and file and the sovereign people, whose sentiments are loudly reflected in recent surveys.

"Once again, we appeal to all patriotic soldiers to be more vigilant against Malacañang and its predators and aristocrat cheaters who are trying to hold private strings on us and destroy our professionalism. We should not allow them to perpetuate themselves in power."

Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP)

CBCP Favors Impeachment

Bishops say impeach bid must go on despite pain

Nestor P. Burgos Jr. Christine O. Avendaño
Inquirer News Service

THE INCOMING president of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) wants the impeachment proceedings against President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to continue, "no matter how painful they may be."

"I hope that everybody -- congressmen, senators as well as our President -- will stand to the truth," Iloilo Archbishop Angel Lagdameo told reporters in Iloilo City after rites commemorating the 25th anniversary of his episcopal ordination on Friday.

Lagdameo said the CBCP was standing by its earlier position that the political crisis could be resolved either through a truth commission or the impeachment or voluntary resignation of Ms Arroyo.

In a separate interview, Cebu Archbishop Ricardo Cardinal Vidal, who was among those who attended the commemoration, called on legislators to continue the impeachment proceedings.

"I hope the impeachment would go on because it's the only way we will know the truth as far as the Constitution is concerned. We hope that our congressmen will not stop the impeachment process," Vidal said.

Several impeachment complaints have been filed against the President, accusing her of culpable violation of the Constitution, corruption and fraud in connection with the presidential election last year.

On Wednesday, the House committee on justice suspended its first hearing on the impeachment complaints because of bickering over procedures. It is expected to resume its hearing tomorrow to start determining whether the complaints are sufficient in form.

But Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said last week that the President and her men were giving their all to prevent Ms Arroyo from being impeached.

Lawyer Romulo Macalintal, spokesperson of Ms Arroyo in the impeachment case, yesterday said that all the impeachment complaints should be dismissed because they were "defective."

An amended impeachment complaint has been signed by 41 members of the House of Representatives, short of the 79 votes or one-third of the 236-member chamber, to send the case to the Senate for trial. The opposition claimed that it had gained 10 more votes but was not revealing the names just yet.

Aquino, Drilon in Iloilo

Former President Corazon Aquino, who was in Iloilo City Thursday, also called for the continuation of the impeachment proceedings.

"I hope that they will give an opportunity for all of us Filipinos to know the truth. And it would appear that it will be through the impeachment proceedings that we will be able to arrive at the truth," she said.

Aquino, who last month asked Ms Arroyo to step down from office, said the proceedings should be open to the public and not only to the committee members.

She said she was standing by her earlier call for the President to resign. If Ms Arroyo's resignation was not possible, then Aquino said she would opt for the impeachment process.

"We're hoping there will be no impediment to the impeachment proceedings because the President herself had said that she preferred the impeachment proceedings to the resignation that we were asking for," she said.

The former President said the impediments included the need to gather the support of at least 79 members of the House for the impeachment complaint to prosper.

She also pointed to the move to limit the number of participants in the deliberations of the committee on justice.

Asked if she would be willing to reconcile with Ms Arroyo, Aquino said it should be "reconciliation based on justice."

Surprise visit

Aquino, along with Senate President Franklin Drilon, paid Lagdameo a surprise visit on Thursday at the prelate's office. They were accompanied by Drilon's wife Mila, resigned Agrarian Reform Secretary Rene Villa and Iloilo Governor Niel Tupas Sr.

Drilon, who also asked Ms Arroyo to step down, and Aquino said they greeted Lagdameo on the 25th anniversary of his ordination as a bishop.

Reporters were not allowed to cover the unannounced meeting. Aides accompanying Aquino and Drilon at first asked photographers and reporters not to take pictures and conduct interviews.

Lagdameo, who described the meeting as a "very friendly visit," said he was surprised when he was informed that the former President would be coming.

He said his visitors did not ask him to support calls for the President to resign.

The bishop pointed out that the voluntary resignation of the President was among the options covered by the CBCP statement on resolving the political crisis.

Abad in Dumaguete

In Dumaguete City, resigned Education Secretary Florencio Abad yesterday warned against the danger posed by the administration-dominated House throwing out the impeachment complaint because of a technicality.

Abad, one of the 10 officials in the Arroyo Cabinet who resigned on July 8, said at a forum organized by the Negros Oriental Network of NGOs (Negornet) that the impeachment process should be given due course to bring out the truth.

"My concern is if (the impeachment complaint) is thrown out on a technicality, then you have closed a constitutional option. That is, to me, dangerous," Abad said.

"The President has already closed the resignation option. What remains is either 'people power' or the other anti-constitutional alternatives peddled by some retired generals," he said.

He said that as a member of the Liberal Party, which had called on Ms Arroyo to step down, he was encouraging party members in the House to sign the amended impeachment complaint. He said there were still 15 undecided LP members in the House.

10 impeachment complaints

In a phone interview, Macalintal said there were actually 10 impeachment complaints filed and not three as reported in media.

He said lawyer Oliver Lozano first filed a complaint but amended it seven times, and Lozano later joined another amended complaint this time endorsed by 29 members of the House. Then there's the complaint filed by lawyer Jose Lopez, according to Macalintal.

He said none of these would be able to pass the first test in the impeachment process -- whether a complaint was sufficient in form.

He noted that none of these complaints were properly verified in compliance with the impeachment rules.

"At the time of filing (of the complaint), it must be sworn and subscribed to before the secretary general of the House, but all the complaints were sworn and subscribed to before a notary public," Macalintal said.

"So all of these appear to be defective and should be dismissed because they did not comply with the rules on impeachment," he said.

Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP)

House of Representatives of the Philippines

Ilonggo Lauded

Honest cabbie recognized by airport authorities

Nikko Dizon
Inquirer News Service

TAXI driver Reio Lance was recognized on Friday by Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) authorities for his honesty when he returned 150,000 pesos cash left behind by his passengers at the domestic airport.

Lance, 28, appeared mildly embarrassed by the attention given him at the MIAA, as photographers asked him to pose with the agency's officials while being handed his rewards: a plaque of recognition and 10,000 pesos cash.

Lance said he was reluctant to receive any reward because he only did what he believes is the right thing to do.

Last Sunday, Lance returned 150,000 pesos in cash to his passengers--Felixberto Angana and Remigia Acosta--who inadvertently left the money in the taxicab after alighting at the Manila Domestic Airport in Pasay City.

The money was to be used for the operation of Angana's daughter who has brain tumor.

Lance, an Iloilo native who lives in Taguig with his family, drives the taxicab during weekends. On weeknights, he sells balut (boiled duck's egg with embyo), earning a measly 150 pesos a day.

During the day, Lance works on his application to become a seafarer.

Witness Assailed

Gonzalez doubts audio expert's credibility

Tetch Torres
INQ7.net

(UPDATE) THE DEPARTMENT of Justice (DoJ) has doubts over the credibility of an audio-recording expert Malacañang presented to media Friday who claimed that controversial wiretapped recordings had been altered.

Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez said Jonathan Tiongco had visited his office twice this year offering his expertise to determine if the alleged conversation between President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and former election commissioner Virgilio Garcillano was authentic.

Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Michael Defensor said in a news conference Friday that Malacañang would ask Congress to throw out the impeachment case against President Arroyo after presenting findings by Tiongco and US experts dismissing the tapes as digitally altered.

"The tapes, as we have clearly shown, have been spliced and I dare the opposition to prove this otherwise," said Defensor, adding that Malacañang would present to the justice committee of the House of Representatives a technical study of the tapes to prove they had been "spliced."

The house committee is conducting an inquiry on the wiretapping, which opposition legislators believe would lend credence to their claims Arroyo cheated in the May 2004 presidential polls.

Gonzalez said Tiongco, a digital sound engineer, offered materials to buttress his claims that the audiotapes were tampered.

"I just told him to leave whatever he had and I will study [it]," Gonzalez said at a press conference, adding that Tiongco even offered his services to the National Bureau of Investigation to help in the probe.

In an affidavit detailing his credentials, Tiongco claimed he was recruited as intelligence consultant and deep penetration agent for the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) in 2000.

He also said he was secretly trained in forensic examination of counterfeit audio material and had been assigned on a few "high risk" and confidential operations to infiltrate big triads in Hong Kong and Macau.

"He might be trying to over blow himself to convince people on his expertise, but the thing is if he is an expert whether he boasts about it or not," Gonzalez said.

But Tiongco brush aside Gonzalez's statements.

Tiongco, who first appeared in the Senate in May when he opposed the confirmation of Defense Secretary Angelo Reyes, said Gonzalez is just "sourgraping," adding that his findings were even confirmed by US-based sound forensic expert Barry Dickey.

In a phone interview with INQ7.net, he said all the credentials he claimed, including working on "high risk" assignments and confidential operations were all supported by documents.

Department of Justice

Dy Snubs Senate

Dy to testify in impeach trial -- Escudero

Philip Tubeza
Inquirer News Service

FORMER Isabela Governor Faustino Dy Jr. will testify against President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo should an impeachment trial be held in the Senate, according to House Minority Leader Francis Escudero.

Escudero said Thursday that Dy assured him when he talked with the former governor in the United States that he was willing to testify in the impeachment court that election officials met at the President's house in La Vista subdivision in Quezon City.

"Based on his statement and our talks, he said that he would come back to the Philippines and testify if he is called by the impeachment court when the charges against the President are brought to the Senate for an impeachment trial," he said.

"In saying that he will testify only in the impeachment trial, it is clear that he will say something big about the charges against President Arroyo in the impeachment complaint," he added.

Escudero said that Dy decided to testify even after several "close friends" of the President discouraged him from doing so.

"While I was there, Governor Dy received many calls from allies and close friends of the President and... also from those who wanted him to testify immediately in the Senate or in the (House) justice committee hearings," he said.

"At this point, I will not yet mention who they are and what was the theme of their conversations although I personally witnessed and heard the calls," he added.

Escudero said that while the former governor was expected to testify against the President, Dy was not keen on testifying in the current Senate investigation on jueteng.

Escudero said he did not promise anything to Dy in exchange for his testimony.

"I am not in a position to promise anything. The man is getting old and he's thinking about his children's future," he said. "He was given a new perspective after the 2004 elections and, the way I see him, I don't think he's interested in politics anymore," he added.

Dy allegedly felt bad that he did not get enough support from the President during the race for governor of Isabela in the May 2004 elections, which he lost.