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GLORIA SHOULD ALSO BE HANGED!
THEDURIANBEAT
ROGER M. BALANZA
After the conviction on graft charges by the Impeachment Court of former Chief Justice Renato Corona, the next to be hanged for corruption should be former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.
And the Sandigan and the local court handling GMA’s case should take a cue from the speed with which the Impeachment Court meted the verdict on Corona.
The Impeachment Court voted—after a 43-day trial— to kick out Corona as Chief Justice mainly on his failure to declare his wealth in his Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALN). Of course, Corona has been accused of decisions favoring GMA but that should be decided in future cases that should be levelled against him.
GMA has done more evil things than Corona.
She is facing charges of electoral sabotage, plunder and graft at the Sandiganbayan and Pasay City Regional Trial Court.
Crocodiles like the human specie have right to equality in law. If Corona was punished, so must GMA be made to answer for her sins to the people.
If GMA has a lapdog in Corona, certainly President Aquino has lapdogs in the judiciary willing to do a Corona.
And they should also take a cue from what Aquino said in Davao City last month, ahead of the Corona conviction.
Aquino said that GMA’s conviction would be the culmination of his fight against graft and corruption, a presidential campaign promise he made in 2010.
The militant progressive group Bayan has summed up people’s clamor that the anti-corruption drive should not stop at the Corona conviction and should reach up to the level of GMA if Aquino is to be believable.
The Senate should push for the prosecution of former president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo after Corona who was one of the most influential limbs of Arroyo who was installed for her protection. The Senate must challenge the Aquino government to push for the prosecution of Arroyo, who despite crimes on plunder, political killings and other human rights abuses and electoral fraud remains comfortable in her hospital suite, said Bayan Southern Mindanao spokesperson Sheena Suazo in wake of the Corona convition.
As her pawn and crony, CJ Corona’s crimes clearly point to the gross extent of GMA’s plunder. Justice will remain wanting, without GMA, as the mastermind, convicted. And the test to Aquino’s political will is putting someone like Arroyo behind bars, said Suazo.
Aquino made the remarks about pushing charges against GMA, who could go abroad on appeal in the courts, at the sidelines of the Mindanao Rural Development Program II People’s Organizations Congress held at Grand Regal Hotel in Davao City middle of last month ahead of the Corona conviction.
Do we see the Aquino NOYNOYING SYNDROME in action here?
“Kung sakaling iutos ng korte ay gagawa naman tayo ng kaukulang hakbang para masigurado naman po na hindi mauudlot ‘yung ating sistema ng katarungan, na ma-postpone indefinitely hanggang desisyunan niyang bumalik dito [If the courts would allow (Arroyo to travel) we will make sure that justice will not be delayed by indefinitely postponing (trial) until (Arroyo) decides to return],” Aquino said.
But he gave assurances that the government will respect whatever decision the court would arrive at.
His lapdogs in judiciary—lapdogs at these times are heroes—should again take the cue from Aquino: IF IT HAS TO MAKE A DECISION ON GMA, THAT DECISION SHOULD BE THAT GMA LIKE CORONA SHOULD BE HANGED! NOW!
SAGITTARIUS MINES, INC. REPORTS ON TAMPAKAN PROJECT’S 2011 SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT PERFORMANCE
Sagittarius Mines, Inc. (SMI) on Thursday, May 31, 2012, in Manila announced the publication of its 2011 Tampakan Copper-Gold Project Sustainability Report.
MARK WILLIAMS in an international mining conference in Manila last year
SMI General Manager for External Relations Mark Williams presented the 2011 Sustainability Report as part of the company’s commitment to open and transparent business reporting.
“The sustainability report discloses our economic, safety, health, environmental and social performance for the year. Through this report we share our goals, achievements, successes and challenges, as well as case studies that illustrate best practice sustainable development (SD) programs.
“Xstrata’s involvement in the Tampakan Project continues to enable us access to a wide-range of global expertise and experience in responsible mining and we have applied this capability to the unique environment we operate in,” Williams said.
SMI has a strong track-record as a company that works in a responsible manner. In fact, our commitment to corporate social responsibility in the Philippines has been recognized with numerous awards including the 2006, 2009 and 2010 Presidential Environmental Award, the 2010 Award of Distinction from the Safety Organization of the Philippines and recognition in 2010 as the Outstanding Stakeholder from the Department of Education in Region XII.
Williams said that SMI was committed to applying leading sustainable development standards in progressing the Tampakan Project, which were built on responsible partnerships with stakeholders.
“We believe the Tampakan Project can be a powerful vehicle to achieve the common goals we all have for southern Mindanao – namely a vibrant, multifaceted regional economy that provides people with the opportunity to access sustainable employment and agriculture, education and health services to enhance their own lives and those of their children.
“The Tampakan Project represents an unprecedented opportunity to enable a sustainable future for our host communities and help achieve a world-class, sustainable mining industry in the Philippines,” Williams said.
This is the fifth sustainability report published by the Tampakan Project which has been developed in accordance with the internationally recognised Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) G3 guidelines.
GRI is the world’s most widely used sustainability reporting framework which enables our stakeholders to measure our sustainability performance against key indicators and compare it over time and against SMI’s annual targets.
THE TAMPAKAN PROJECT
The Tampakan Copper-Gold Project is located on the southern Philippine island of Mindanao, approximately 50 kilometers north of Gen. Santos City.
The Tampakan Project is situated on the boundaries of four provinces: South Cotabato, Sarangani, Sultan Kudarat and Davao del Sur and lies within several government jurisdictions including two regions (Regions XI and XII) of the Philippine Government. It represents one of the world’s largest undeveloped copper-gold deposits.
The Project is a 2.94 billion metric tonne deposit at a grade of 0.51% copper and 0.19 grams per tonne gold, using a cut-off grade of 0.2% copper. This represents 15 million tonnes of copper and 17.6 million ounces of gold.
The Project is operated by Philippine-based affiliate Sagittarius Mines, Incorporated (SMI), whose 40% controlling equity is a joint venture among Xstrata Copper (62.5%) and Indophil Resources NL (37.5%). The 60% non-controlling equity shareholders of SMI are the Tampakan Mining Corporation and Southcot Mining Corporation (known as the Tampakan Group of Companies).
XSTRATA COPPER
We are the fourth largest global copper producer and one of the world’s largest producers of smelter, refined and recycled copper, including from third party materials.
The copper we produce is essential to our modern society, being used extensively in electronic, consumer and building products, and with its use in green-technologies, anti-microbial applications and ability to be recycled, it is playing a vital role in our sustainable future.
Headquartered in Brisbane, Australia, we have operations and projects in eight countries and employ over 20,000 people. We play an essential role in the communities in which we live and work, by providing jobs, training, infrastructure, income for suppliers and support for social development.
Muslim groups, IPs support GRP-MILF peace talks
The government’s peace initiatives with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) received a big boost when the indigenous peoples (IPs) and Muslim groups in Mindanao threw their all-out support behind the ongoing peace talks to find a genuine and lasting solution to end the long-drawn armed conflict in southern Philippines.
The Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) said on Saturday the two groups manifested their support at the just concluded lst National Muslims and Indigenous People’s Cooperative Summit 2012 held in Davao City on May 27.
The peace panels of the Government of the Philippines (GPH) and the MILF had just completed their 28th exploratory talks in Kuala Lumpur where they discussed substantive issues, particularly wealth and power sharing.
The participants highlighted peace-related issues as among their concerns which they said can be resolved through the peace negotiations between the government and MILF.
During the discussion, Muslim and IP delegates cited the importance of resolving the decades-old armed conflict in southern Philippines as this will help improve their cooperative efforts and usher in development in Mindanao.
The Cooperative Summit aimed to enable the Muslim and IP cooperatives to be positive forces in bringing economic stimulus in their specific areas and thereby strengthen the dividend for peace.
OPAPP said the Davao summit was held in coordination with the Cooperative Development Authority (CDA) with the theme “Kooperatibang Katutubo: Kaagapay sa Pagsulong sa Matuwid na Daan” that centered on President Benigno S. Aquino III’s “straight path” policy.
At the same time, ARMM-CDA Administrator and Department of Agriculture Assistant Regional Secretary Pendatun Disimban stressed that Muslim and IP cooperatives must continue supporting the GPH-MILF negotiations as it will bring genuine peace and development in their areas.
“Let us join the administration’s quest for peace. Let us support the GPH-MILF peace negotiations that will truly help develop our cooperatives,” he said during his presentation entitled “Determining the Muslims and Indigenous Peoples Priorities for Improving Cooperative Management and Development.”
CDA Administrator Paisalin Tago thanked OPAPP for its support to the Muslim and IP cooperatives in the south.
OPAPP set up an information booth during the summit to enable the participants to give their inputs.
Among those who attended the summit were Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) Governor Mujiv Hataman, National Commission on Muslim Filipinos Secretary Mehol Sadain, ATINGKOOP Partylist Rep. Isidro Lico, CDA Chair Emmanuel Santiaguel, and CDA acting Executive Director Orlando Ravanera.
A workshop was held during the summit that identified issues and action plans in managing the cooperatives. (PNA)
MUSLIMS, INDIGENOUS PEOPLES HOLD COOPERATIVE SUMMIT IN DAVAO CITY
FIRST NATIONAL MUSLIM, INDIGENOUS PEOPLE’S COOPERATIVE SUMMIT 3012
DAVAO CITY – More than two hundred people gathered last May 17, 2012 at Grand Men Seng Hotel, Davao City in the first ever National Muslim and Indigenous People’s Cooperative Summit. The Summit brought together the Cooperative Leaders among Muslims and Indigenous People. They pounded issues and concerns affecting their cooperatives as marginalized sectors of the community and explored opportunities for them to look into the national programs of the government where they can become catalyst of societal transformation.
CDA Administrator Paisalin P. Tago welcomed all the participants and cited the significance of the event. Secretary Mehol K. Sadain of National Commission on Muslim Filipinos (NCMF) and Congressman Isidro Q. Lico of ATINGKOOP Partylist likewise graced the occasion and said their respective pieces of solidarity messages. Acting Executive Director Mr. Orlando R. Ravanera, presented the CDA’s 3-point agenda and shared the 3 zones of transformation, and the Philippine Cooperative Medium Term Plan.
The participants after gaining insights and hindsight from the inputs and the presentation of Director Ravanera, had drawn up an action plan for the sectors and the community they are representing in this summit. Such action plans, as the outputs of the event, is intended to be submitted to concerned government offices, Local Government Units (LGUs), Non-Government Organizations (NGOs) and the private sectors for the potential developmental intervention towards the realization of the overall objectives of the activity of CDA’s Regional Directors who attended the Summit.
Chairman Emmanuel M. Santiaguel on the other hand gave a message of support and encouragement to all those present while ARMM CDA undersecretary Pendatun B. Disimban and Dir. Aleem Siddiqui Guiapal from Bureau of Muslim Economic Affairs talked about Determining the Muslims and Indigenous Peoples Priorities for Improving Cooperative Management and Development. Autonomous Region for Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) Governor Mujiv S. Hataman who gave his unequivocal support to the cooperatives and expressed belief that cooperatives will play a crucial role in improving the quality of life of the people.
CDA top officials – Administrators Nelon B. Alindogan and Felicitas S. Acosido and Department Directors of CDA Central office also attended the Summit as a gesture of support to the cause at the marginalized sectors.
Special recognition were given to the Hon. Hataman through the Officeof the Regional Governor (ARMM) and Secretary Teresita Deles representing Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace Process (OPAPP), for their financial support to CDA that helped achieved the success of the Summit.
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Witnesses in Maguindanao Massacre warned vs. ‘Ampatuan Chainsaw Gang’
A government prosecutor said witnesses in the gruesome mass murder in 2009 of 57 people, 32 of them members of the press, in Maguindanao province in southern Philippines could end up being shredded to pieces with a chainsaw by henchmen of the suspects.
A man who testified in court on the Philippines’ worst political massacre was found dead “probably chain-sawed to pieces” in a killing meant to silence other witnesses, the prosecutor said.
“If we mention someone he might also end up dead,” said prosecutor Nena Santos.
Prior to the mass killing, there are widespread reports that people who crossed the path the Ampatuan clan of Maguindanao province would either disappear or their dead bodies found later chopped up apparently with a chainsaw.
Reports about the gruesome killings by the Ampatuan ‘chainsaw gang’ have been morbidly circulating in Maguindanao for years since they took political power in the Moro-dominated province.
The chainsaw gang was an image as fearsome as the graphic image of a massive backhoe that dug up a huge mass grave where the bodies of the victims were dumped and covered with soil in the 2009 mass murder described as thr worst politically-motivated killing that had also members of the press slaughtered en masse.
THE GRUESOME STORY:
A man who testified in court on the Philippines’ worst political massacre was found dead “probably chain-sawed to pieces” in a killing meant to silence other witnesses, an official said Friday.
Esmail Amil Enog went missing in March after he spoke in court last year about the alleged role of a powerful political clan in the November 2009 murders of 57 people, prosecutor Nena Santos told AFP.
“The body was put in a sack and it had been chopped up, probably chain-sawed to pieces,” Santos said, declining to give further details about when and where the body was found as it might endanger lives.
“If we mention someone he might also end up dead.”
Marcelo Pintac, police chief of Maguindanao province where the massacre took place, told AFP Enog was officially reported as missing, but that he was unaware his body had been found.
Enog, an employee of the Ampatuan family of Maguindanao, had told the court that he had driven the clan’s armed followers to a site where 57 victims were later abducted.
The victims, including relatives and lawyers of the Ampatuans’ local political rival Esmael Mangudadatu as well as 32 journalists and media workers, were later found murdered in a mass grave.
Prosecutors allege the killings were intended to prevent Mangudadatu from challenging an Ampatuan clan member in elections for governor.
The massacre shocked the world and forced then-president Gloria Arroyo to crack down on her former allies, the Ampatuans who had ruled the southern province for decades.
Clan patriarch Andal Ampatuan Snr and several of his sons are among 64 people on trial in Manila for the massacre.
However, about 100 other suspects are still at large, many of them armed followers of the Ampatuans who still retain influence in the area.
Santos said Enog could have identified other suspects in the massacre, adding his death would frighten other potential witnesses.
Human Rights Watch researcher Carlos Conde said Santos’s account of the killing fit into the pattern of potential witnesses in the case being intimidated or bribed.
“The murder was intended to send a message, to cause a chilling effect to other witnesses,” he told AFP.
Conde said Enog had refused a government offer of protection, which was an indication something was wrong with the state’s witness protection programme.
Another witness had already been murdered in 2010 and relatives of other witnesses had also been attacked, he added.
CONGRESS SLAMMED FOR ANTI-MEDIA BILL
Senator Angara says bill not meant to gag media, vows to scrap restrictions; but media unconvinced
SEVEN press groups and some lawmakers on Thursday slammed Congress for rushing the passage of a bill with a provision that would carry harsh penalties for journalists.
How to unmuzzle the media. Senator Edgardo Angara assures journalists they will not be gagged.
The Philippine Press Institute, National Union of Journalists of the Philippines, the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster sa Pilipinas, the Manila Overseas Press Club, the National Press Club, the Association of Philippine Journalists (Samahang Plaridel), and the Economic Journalists’ Association of the Philippines demanded that the House and Senate delete the “restrictive provision” of the Data Piracy Act that they said would have a chilling effect on journalists and restrict their reporting.
READ FULL STORY, click below
PRIVACY BILL NOT INTENDED TO GAG MEDIA – Manila Standard …
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