Written on 6:49 AM by yahoo
MOBILE, Alabama (AP) -- Between ads for hamburgers and liposuction, the giant digital billboards flashed an image of Oscar Finch's face taken by a surveillance camera. The young man wasn't selling anything. He was running from police.
A billboard on Airport Blvd just west of Interstate 65 shows a wanted poster of Oscar Finch.
Finch was a suspect in a bank robbery last month. More than a week after the crime, authorities obtained the photo and immediately posted it on 12 digital billboards in Mobile, using the eye-catching electronic signs as digital wanted posters.
The billboard showed a grainy mugshot of Finch taken during the November 20 heist. The image, which was mixed in with commercial ads, included his name, his alleged offense and a phone number to contact police.
The 21-year-old Finch, who was the first suspect featured on an electronic billboard in Mobile, surrendered on December 1 -- just a day after his picture appeared. Police spokeswoman Nancy Johnson said he apparently turned himself in after seeing news coverage of the billboards.
"We had been looking for this individual for 10 days and turned it around in 24 hours," Johnson said. "So we're thinking it's going to be highly effective. I think it's a great asset for us."
Wanted posters have been used to find suspects for generations. Sketches of criminals in the Wild West were tacked onto trees and buildings. In more recent years, photos of the FBI's most wanted fugitives have been displayed in post offices.
With digital billboards, police can now display a suspect's face to thousands of people, sometimes almost immediately after a crime is reported.
"We can be up in 15 minutes" of getting a suspect's photo, said Troy Tatum, general manager of Lamar Advertising, the Baton Rouge, Louisiana-based company that provided free use of the billboards in Mobile as a public service.
When the electronic boards aren't showing suspects, they display regular advertising in moving, full-color images that stand 14 feet tall and 48 feet wide. They can also be used for AMBER Alerts for missing children and to deliver weather bulletins.
"We have a special slot set up for local emergencies," Tatum said.
Mobile Police Chief Phillip M. Garrett doesn't want to give such prominent display to "every lawnmower thief" wanted by police. He said the billboards will be used only in high-profile cases or in searches for missing people.
Only a fraction of U.S. billboards are digital -- 500-plus out of an estimated 450,000 total signs, according to the industry. But production of electronic boards is expected to grow.
Police in other parts of the country are also beginning to use the billboards.
In September, Florida authorities arrested a drug suspect two weeks after his photo was displayed on a billboard in Daytona Beach. A tipster who saw the suspect's picture found him sitting in a McDonald's.
The billboards have also been useful in disasters. When an interstate bridge collapsed in August in Minneapolis, billboards displayed an emergency message within 15 minutes.
The signs also have critics. Mobile City Council member Connie Hudson has proposed a temporary moratorium on any new billboards, saying the city needs safety regulations to control the number and spacing of the signs because they may distract drivers.
The full council has not acted on Hudson's concerns.
Ken Klein, vice president of the Outdoor Advertising Association of America Inc., in Washington, D.C., said billboard wanted posters became more common after a young woman was slain in 2002 in Leawood, Kansas.
The victim's father, Roger Kemp, approached Lamar Advertising for help, and the company posted a composite sketch of the suspect on a conventional billboard. A tipster who saw the sketch led authorities to Benjamin Appleby, 31.
Appleby was convicted in 2006 and sentenced to life in prison for killing 19-year-old Ali Kemp.
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Written on 11:03 PM by yahoo
LONDON, England (CNN) -- The wife of a British man who reappeared five years after he was thought to have drowned in a kayaking accident knew he had been alive all along, British media reported Thursday.
Darwin was arrested late Tuesday in the southern English county of Hampshire.
John Darwin, 57, was arrested on suspicion of fraud late Tuesday after showing up at a central London police station on Saturday claiming he was suffering amnesia.
Darwin was presumed to have died in 2002 after the remains of a kayak he paddled into the North Sea off the coast of Seaton Carew in northeastern England washed up on shore.
British tabloid newspaper the Daily Mirror published a photograph that it claimed showed Darwin on holiday in Panama City last year with his wife, Anne.
His wife, who claimed Wednesday not to have seen her husband since he went missing, moved to the Panamanian capital six weeks ago, according to British media reports.
But in its Thursday editions, the Daily Mirror reported that Anne Darwin broke down crying when she was shown the photograph -- which has a date stamp of July 14, 2006.
"My sons are never going to forgive me," the paper quoted Mrs. Darwin as saying to a reporter at her home in Panama.
"They are going to hate me."
The paper said she would not say how often or when her husband made contact with her after his supposed disappearance, but that she acknowledged they had spent time together in Panama, including a number of short vacations there.
The manager of a holiday firm in Panama said the couple rented a room in the Panamanian capital and agreed to pose for the picture for the company's Web site, the Daily Mirror reported.
Police are investigating the authenticity of the photo.
In an appeal for public help, Detective Superintendent of the Cleveland Police, Tony Hutchinson, said: "There will be people out there who know exactly where he has been, what he has been doing and where he has been living."
Hutchinson said police reopened the investigation into the disappearance three months ago, when information about Darwin's finances came to light.
"One side is that he has suffered amnesia, but the other side is that some criminal case has occurred," he said.
Darwin, a prison officer and former teacher, was declared dead by a coroner in 2003, 13 months after he went missing. A massive air and sea rescue operation was launched in March 2002 and within 24 hours, his kayak paddle was recovered by police near the area where he was thought to have gone missing.
Two months later the remains of his kayak washed up on the coast.
Hutchinson said there had been one alleged sighting of Darwin in his hometown in 2005.
According to widespread media reports, Darwin told police that he did not remember where he had been for the last five years.
Following his reappearance, Darwin was reunited with his two sons, Mark, 31, and Anthony, 29, who released a joint statement saying their father claimed to have no memory of the last seven years.
"We have spoken with John and he appears to be in good health, however he currently has no memory of events since June 2000," his sons said in the statement.
The sons said the reappearance of their father was "a huge shock."
Anne Darwin said she collected life insurance payouts on her husband and sold the couple's family properties for 400,000 pounds (US$820,000), the newspaper reported Wednesday.
Darwin's 90-year-old father, Ron, said the last time he saw his son was just a few days before he went missing, reported his local newspaper, the Hartlepool Mail.
"The people were in to put in a television and he was round for a chat, but the house was full. He said 'tell you what dad, see you later,' and I said 'cheerio' and that was the last time I saw him," the newspaper reported the father as saying.
His father said he was looking forward to seeing his son and giving him "a nice hug and kiss."
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Written on 9:42 PM by yahoo
Declaration
We, the Officers and Members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police, loyal to God and country and to our duty under the Constitution, do hereby make the following declaration:
A crisis of extreme proportions now confronts our people. The economy, the rule of law and the moral order lie in ruins. Political, judicial and economic power, as well as the power of the mass media, has been perverted to inflict and justify high crimes against the Filipino people. More and more among our people no longer eat, while the idle rich and the corrupt live like kings. Minority rule has replaced majority rule. The three branches of government are now in total disarray, the entire system has broken down, thanks to a President whose legitimacy is denied by the vast majority of our people.
Corruption has not only become a way of life among those in power. It has also become the most effective means of destroying our country and people. Mrs. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has played a key role in promoting corruption to its present levels. In her mad desire for power, she has corrupted and destroyed all institutions. She has promoted a policy of loot and plunder while hypocritically announcing a war against corruption.
She has corrupted the justices of the Supreme Court, the entire Commission on Elections, the mass media, some members of the military, the police and the clergy, and countless teachers who took part in counting the votes in the last elections. She is not only the most corrupt official in the country today. She is also its No. 1 corruptor.
We cannot stand idly by while the rule of law, the moral order, the integrity of our institutions, the very future of our country and the people, and our own professional careers are destroyed by this bogus President. We cannot afford to do nothing while she and her cohorts turn our government into a criminal syndicate. We cannot allow ourselves to be used as a tool of injustice and oppression. We must act, and we must act now.
Pursuant, therefore, to our constitutional duty as “protector of the people and the state,” we have today withdrawn our support from Mrs. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, in order to end her unconstitutional and illegal occupation of the Presidency.
This we have done to restore the rule of law and public morality, the legitimacy and accountability of government, the integrity of our public institutions, the sanctity of the democratic process, and the trust and confidence of our people and the rest of the world.
We call on all our comrades-in-arms to discharge their genuine responsibilities to our people with full dedication and fervor. We call on our people to support the men and women at the forefront of this undertaking. We call on Mrs. Arroyo to accept gracefully the formation of a new government.
As soldiers, we do not seek political power for ourselves. But we shall not allow anyone to use political power to commit crimes against our people or to pursue their own personal agenda, at the expense of the national interest. We shall maintain law and order, prevent any group from taking advantage of the situation, and protect the innocent from all possible harm. We shall leave the actual business of governing the nation in the hands of professionally competent, morally upright, patriotic, trustworthy and self-sacrificing Filipinos whom we now invite to form a new government.
This may be our last chance to correct our past mistakes. We cannot afford to fail. We must not fail.
We appeal to everyone to give this effort a chance to succeed. We appeal to all our people to unite and extend all the support and counsel which the new government will need from them. We pray to Almighty God to bless our efforts and keep us pure and strong in this hour of need.
Mabuhay ang Pilipinas!
Brig. Gen. Danilo Lim
Regiment Commander
First Scout Ranger Regiment
============
The Oakwood Agreement
The following are the terms of the Oakwood Agreement, which was approved by the so-called Magdalo soldiers and the government represented by Gen. Roy Cimatu (Ret.):
· Only the five (5) leaders named will suffer the consequences of the actions of the whole group at Oakwood. The five (5) are: Cpt Gary Alejano PN(M), Cpt Gerardo Gambala PA, Cpt Milo Maestrecampo PA, LTSG James Layug PN and LTSG Antonio Trillanes IV. All the rest shall only be admonished under the provisions of AW 105.
· There will be an independent investigation on the status of RSBS.
· There will be an independent investigation on the selling of arms and ammunition to the enemies of the state.
· There will be an independent investigation on the bombings in Davao and other areas in Mindanao.
· There will be an independent investigation on the extent of corruption in the AFP.
The agreement was witnessed by Mr Max Soliven, VADM Ruben Domingo, COMMO Tirso Danga, BGEN Danilo Lim, CAPT Feliciano Anggue PN, COL Oban PAF, Usec Abraham Purugganan, and Gen Dionisio Santiago (Ret). The above terms were approved by GMA through a phone call made by Gen Cimatu. As further proof of Malacanang’s approval of the Oakwood Agreement, the terms were broadcasted live on national TV by then AFP Chief of Staff Gen Narciso Abaya before the Magdalo soldiers agreed to stand down.
Starting 29 July 2003 all officers and EP who participated in the Oakwood Incident were detained in direct contravention of the agreement.
A few weeks after the incident, the Maniwang and Feliciano Commissions were created by the government to conduct the investigations as stated in the agreement. Both commissions exonerated both the GMA administration and the AFP of any wrongdoing.
In Aug 2003, two (2) Marine officers testified in the Senate regarding the selling of arms and ammunition to lawless elements in Jolo. In fact, a marine company was even directed by Southcom to transport and deliver the said items to a drop-off point at a roadside. This was admitted by then Southcom Chief LTGEN Padiernos. The tragic irony is that these same guns and ammunition may have been the same ones used against the Marines in the recent clashes in Jolo, which killed at least 12 and wounded more than 20 of them.
In Oct 2006, Defense Sec. Avelino Cruz declared that because of its bankruptcy, the RSBS would shut down its operation.
----------------------------------------
Alleged coup plotter finds ally in former vice president
By Joel Guinto, INQUIRER.net, 11/08/2007
MANILA, Philippines -- (UPDATE) Colonel Ariel Querubin, one of the alleged leaders of the botched February 2006 coup, found an ally in former vice president Teofisto Guingona, who attended the officer’s habeas corpus hearing at the Court of Appeals on Thursday.
Guingona, who wore a button pin bearing Querubin’s face, sat beside the colonel during the proceedings.
“I give full support to Colonel Querubin because I know how it means to be imprisoned,” Guingona told reporters after the hearing.
“I think justice will be served… I think we will get out of this soon,” Querubin said.
Mrs. Querubin questioned her husband's detention citing the pre-trial advice (PTA), which was not signed by Armed Forces Chief of Staff General Hermogenes Esperon Jr.
In the PTA, Esperon approved the filing of mutiny charges against Querubin and 27 other Marine and Army Scout Ranger officers, overturning recommendations by military prosecutors to charge them only with lesser charges.
"The confinement is not only unlawful, it also has no basis in fact and in law," Querubin's lawyer, Sigfrid Fortun, told the three justices of the appellate courts 5th division.
Fortun said the PTA was the equivalent of an indictment in criminal courts, without which, suspects could not be detained.
"This is about a valid indictment. If there is no valid indictment, Colonel Querubin should be allowed to go scot-free," he said.
He said this should apply to Querubin's case, even if he is under military law. "[Soldiers] are not a class of people with separate rights. They have rights under the Constitution."
"One and a half years of this soldier's productive life has been lost," Fortun said, adding. "He is not a flight risk, with seven children and a homemaker wife. He should be allowed to go [out of detention]."
Fortun said Querubin should freed, since if the original recommendation of military prosecutors was to charge him only for violation of Articles of War 96 (conduct unbecoming an officer and a gentleman) and 97 (conduct prejudicial to good order and military discipline).
Querubin and his co-accused have been detained at a maximum security facility in Camp Capinpin in Tanay town, Rizal province, since mid-2006.
Arguing the case of the government, Assistant Solicitor General Amparo Cabotaje-Tang, said Esperon did not need to sign the PTA, since there was an "amended charge sheet" that included mutiny.
"Even without signing [the PTA]. It was effectively and legally approved," Tang said.
The presiding justice, Martin Villarama, grilled Tang on her argument.
"He can just put a line there. Approved or disapproved. Why do you think is the reason?" Villarama said.
To, which, Tang replied: "I was not informed of the reason [why Esperon did not sign]."
Villarama then said: "Effectively approved? Why did he not say so? It will only take him two seconds [to sign]."
Tang also accused Querubin's camp of "forum shopping," saying he also has a pending petition for certiorari, questioning the legality of the court martial trying him.
Fortun countered, saying his client's detention and the jurisdiction of the court martial were two different issues.
Villarama gave both sides 15 days from Wednesday to submit memoranda, for Querubin's camp to prove that they were not forum shopping, and for the Solicitor General to cite precedents when a PTA was not needed to send a case to court martial
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SIGN ONLINE PETITION
MANIFESTO
CALLING FOR THE IMMEDIATE RESIGNATION OF GLORIA MACAPAGAL-ARROYO AND NOLI DE CASTRO AND FOR THE HOLDING OF SPECIAL (“SNAP”) ELECTIONS WITHIN 60 DAYS
WHEREAS, because of the numerous unresolved scandals involving the present administration, including but not limited to the “Hello Garci” Election controversy, the ZTE , North Rail Project, Diosdado Macapagal Highway scandals, the Joc-joc Bolante Fertilizer scam, Jose Pidal caper, hundreds of unresolved extra-judicial killings and the latest Malacañang Bribery Incident, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has completely lost her moral authority to govern this country;
WHEREAS, the GMA has lost public sympathy and support in the light of her tainted electoral mandate and her responsibility for the numerous controversies hounding her administration, as consistently shown by survey after survey conducted by reputable polling entities;
WHEREAS, Vice President Noli De Castro is a member of the Arroyo cabinet and is a beneficiary of the cheating perpetrated during the May 2004 Elections and is also considered to be a silent partner in crime of GMA not only because of his close personal association and unflinching support for GMA but also because of his failure to stand-up against and denounce the abuses and excesses of the Arroyo regime;
WHEREAS, the recent Glorietta bombing incident appears to be a signal for the more violent phase in the regime of GMA;
WHEREAS, the sham impeachment case filed by personalities connected with Malacanang effectively sabotages and ridicules the impeachment process;
WHEREAS, the only peaceful, legal and constitutional option available to the Nation under the circumstances and to prevent the situation from developing into a full-scale conflict or civil strife is for GMA and Noli De Castro to resign from their respective positions as President and Vice-President, of the Republic of the Philippines;
WHEREAS, the 1987 Constitution, under Section 10, Article VII, expressly provides that:
“Sec. 10. The Congress shall, at ten o’clock in the morning of the third day after the vacancy in the offices of the President and Vice-President occurs, convene in accordance with its rules without need of a call and within seven days enact a law calling for a special election to elect a President and a Vice-President to be held not earlier than forty-five days nor later than sixty days from the time of such call. Xxx.”
NOW, WHEREFORE, We the undersigned citizens, taxpayers and voters of the Republic of the Philippines, in our capacity as the true sovereign of the Nation, DO HEREBY:
1. Call upon Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and Noli De Castro to spare the country from further turmoil and violence by immediately resigning from their respective positions as President and Vice-President of the Philippines;
2. Demand the holding of a Special Presidential and Vice-Presidential Election within Sixty (60) Days from the date of the resignation of GMA and Noli de Castro, pursuant to Section 10, Article VII of the 1987 Constitution;
May God bless our Great Nation!
DONE in Metro Manila, Philippines on this 21st day of October 2007.
SIGN ONLINE PETITION
--------------------------------
No Plea Bargain
This statement is intended to explain why I refuse to enter into any form of plea bargaining in any of my cases arising from the Oakwood incident.
To begin, I must make it clear that I respect my co-accused, and hold no adverse opinion on their decisions to consider or enter into plea bargains. Their beliefs are their own, as is their right to chart the courses of their own lives.
When I went to Oakwood, four years ago, it was clear to me that in order for me to bring the truth to my countrymen, I could stand to lose my life, my career or everything I hold dear. Standing trial and facing possible conviction for various offenses are natural consequences of my decision to tell the truth. Thus, I hold no rancor for those who must compel me to submit to the legal processes, even as I expect no justice to come out of such processes.
Years later, it is to my sorrow that no significant changes have taken place despite our warnings, our concerns and our acts in Oakwood. The system is as corrupt as ever, the military is now more politicized than ever before and the highest executive in the land holds office in spite of the absence of a clear mandate. Even sadder, our soldiers are still needlessly dying out there.
I have since learned that I must cast my lot with the majority of the Filipino people who, despite the recent electoral exercises, remain outside of the decision making processes exercised by our public officials, and therefore remain powerless. - PILIPINO.ORG was born from this difficult lesson.
With these in mind, I refuse to bargain with the dubious authorities who exercise power without conscience and who are responsible for the ills that I felt compelled to report to my countrymen. At any rate, an agreement of this nature would be a tacit ratification or recognition of Presidential powers that lie uneasily in the wrong hands.
If this refusal to bargain means a prison term or the loss of my life, I am prepared, now, as much as I was four years ago, to pay the price for telling the truth.
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Written on 8:16 PM by yahoo
SENATOR ANTONIO TRILLANES, BRIG. GEN. DANILO LIM, MAGDALO SOLDIERS, THEIR GUARDS AND THE PEOPLE ARE NOW IN MANILA PENINSULA.
THE PEOPLE ARE CALLED UPON TO CONVERGE IN MAKATI TRIANGLE, AYALA AND MAKATI AVENUE NOW TO BRING FORTH A NEW GOVERNMENT!
RISE UP AND BE COUNTED
We presently find in existence a dangerous concept where the armed forces now owe their primary allegiance and loyalty to those who temporarily exercise the authority of the executive branch of the government rather than to the country and the Constitution they have worn to protect.
That is a concept we defy and struggle to eradicate.
If you believe you are a man of will and courage with unselfish motives and brave enough to fight against such tyranny, RISE UP AND BE COUNTED!
Para sa Bayan
(PSB)
===============
"A revolution may be conducted against a national government, if such a government has abused the power placed at its disposal by the people, with the purpose of having injustice administered, by using this power to drown out the public voice and at the same time to administer to its own convenience or caprice...
Apolinario Mabini
===============
VOICES FROM TANAY:
Dahil Ba Sa Kami ay EP Lamang
Heneral Esperon sir, kami ay EP (Enlisted Personnel) lamang subalit hindi ibig sabihin na kaming lahat ay mangmang. Kami ay iyong ipinatanggal sa serbisyo pagkatapos mo kaming ikinulong sa Tanay ng halos dalawang taon na walang asunto o kaso. Kung sa iyong paniniwala kami ay nagkasala dahil sa pagsunod sa legal na utos ng mga nakapangyayari sa amin, hindi ba dapat kami ay imbestigahan din kasama ang aming mga opisyal? Sa kasalukuyan, ang aming mga opisyal ay humaharap pa sa paglilitis, subalit kami ay iyong hinatulan na ma-discharge. Dahil ba sa hindi mo kaya ang magigiting at marangal naming mga opisyal, kung kaya’t kami ay ang iyong pinagbalingan? Dahil ba sa kami ay EP lamang.
Kung iyong maalaala, kami ang mga inaasahan mong mga sundalo noong tayo ay nasa Central Mindanao at Basilan. Buong tapang kaming nakikipaglaban at isinaalangalang ang aming sarili sa kapamahakan para sa demokrasya ng ating bayan. Nasabi mo pa ng dahil sa mga nagawa namin ay nakamit mo ang mga bituin sa iyong balikat. Tiningala namin ang mga bituin na noon sa aming paningin ay tanging nagniningning at umasa na siyang magsisilbing ilaw sa ating sandatahang lakas.
Sa iyong pakakadawit sa Hello Garci scandal, kami ay nalungkot at umasa na ikaw ay hindi kasama. Sumuporta kami sa panawagan ng isang kapanipaniwalang imbestigasyon, na sya ring gusto ng aming mga pinuno, upang sa gayun ay hindi lalong mabahiran pa ang reputasyon ng mga kasundaluhan. Kami ay naniniwala na ang botohan ay siyang batayan ng demokrasya at kailanman di dapat lapastanganin at babuyin ng sinuman. At lalong hindi dapat maging kasangkapan ang sundalo sa anumang dayaan dahil ang kanyang serbisyo ay para sa bayan at hindi para sa isang tao o grupo lamang.
Kami ay naghintay na sana lumabas ang buong katotohanan. Sa pagtatago ninyo sa Mayuga Report, lalo ninyong ibinaon ang inyong reputasyon sa putikan at umayon sa mga ganid sa kapangyarihan, pera at kamunduhan. Iginuhit ninyo ang inyong pangalan sa kasaysayan kasama ang inyong grupo bilang Hello Garci generals na nagdulot ng matinding kahihiyan sa hukbong sandatahan.
Sir, malapit ka nang magretiro at magkakasama din tayo bilang sibilyan. Sa iyong paglabas, bawat makasalamuha mong tao ay kikilalanin ka bilang Hello Garci heneral at ang namumukod tanging heneral na umiiyak sa harap ng telebisyon dahil sa hindi kuno pagtakbo sa halalan ng isang sinungalin na politiko. Ang tanging namumunong heneral ng sandatahang lakas ng Pilipinas na binato ng bugok na itlog at kamatis ng mga estyudyante. Ito ba sir ang iyong pabaon sa iyong paglisan sa hukbong sandahatan?
Para sa amin, ang pagkatanggal sa serbisyo ay tanging mga kabuhayan ng aming mga pamilya ang naapektuhan nguni’t hindi ang dignidad ng aming pagkatao. Taas noo pa rin kaming haharap sa sambayanang Pilipino sapagkat ang aming serbisyo ay walang bahid ng katiwalian KAHIT NA KAMI AY MGA EP LAMANG!
26 Scout Ranger discharged EP
05 November 2007
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WE SALUTE YOU MAJOR BASILIO POOTEN (JAGS)
“I am an officer of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and at the same time a lawyer. I will not allow myself to trample upon the rights of the accused gentlemen officers and be a party to the denial of their Constitutional rights. And by these, your Honors, I ask to be excused from these proceedings.”
Fighting words said under the sharp and glaring eyes of Col Marian Aleido, the Law member of the Special General Court Martial #2 trying the twenty-eight (28) Marines and Scout Rangers in Tanay.
We, Marines and Scout Rangers, salute you Major Pooten. You proved yourself to be a true Marine. Being a lawyer, you may not have been a Marine all your career life, but you surely had imbibed that WARRIOR spirit and honor. You have refused to be cowed into toeing the line emanating from illegitimate orders. You humbled us by entertaining thoughts that you will succumb to the whims and caprices of Mister Esperon. How wrong we were. However, we worry for you Major Pooten. Given the vengeful character of the present leadership of the AFP, you might find yourself out in the cold. However, we have no doubt in our minds that you will weather the storm given the kind of stuff you are made of.
Col Marian Aleido, you are a great disappointment. You have been with the Marines also, longer than Major Pooten. We only had great admiration for your sense of justice and fairness and religious fervor then. However, as the trial progressed, we observed a very disturbing transformation in you which is way out of character…way out of what we have always known you. What happened Col Aleido?
The last hearing in Tanay was like a drama played out by comedians under the directorship of Mister Esperon. However, we can credit them for playing their lines to the letter. What Mister Esperon did not anticipate was a serious actor who will play out of line. The actors of Mister Esperon played their parts oblivious to the legal observations, anchored on jurisprudence, of the audience. When asked by the expert critics where they honed their acting skills, the law member cavalierly dismissed the question by stating that, “We don’t have to explain how we arrive at our acting”.
This is not funny….not funny anymore! The moral decay that characterize our nation today has caught up even with people in the AFP whom we perceive as the epitome of uprightness. It is not very difficult to discern how the malaise has started. The cheating, lying and stealing participated in by a few criminal elements in our armed organization introduced the first itch that developed into a festering boil. It needs to be excised NOW.
Major Pooten, you have provided us with an inspiration that there are still decent officers in the AFP. We are aware there are more like you. We call on their moral and professional sense to stop the bastardization of our Military Justice System. We, officers in Tanay, are just collateral victims in this drama. The real victim here is our justice system.
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WALKOUT
"I refuse to avail of the military defense counsel. I am not waiving my right to peremptory challenge. I will only exercise it once the pre-trial advise has been signed," Capt. Isagani Criste, among the 28 officers detained in Camp Capinpin, Tanay.
The accused officers led by ex-Marine commandant Major General Renato Miranda, ex-Scout Rangers chief Brigadier General Danilo Lim, and ex-1st Marine Brigade chief Colonel Ariel Querubin yesterday walked out of the court they call "sham" for proceeding with a trial based on an unsigned pre-trial investigation report (PTIR) and Pre-Trial Advice (PTA). The PTIR is a charge sheet in civilan court while the PTA is the equivalent of indictment in civilian courts. The PTA overturned the recommendation of the PTI , which only recommended the filling of lesser charges against the group. Both documents were unsigned by Armed Forces chief of staff General Hermogenes Esperon Jr. who disposed of his duty to approve or disapprove the PTIR and PTA by merely issuing a memo recommending the convening of a General Court Martial to try the 28 officers for mutiny charges. The military has argued that Esperon "did not need to sign the PTA nor can he be coerced to do such a menial act as signing." Defense counsels argued that such signing meant the lives, liberty and career of these 19 Scout Rangers and nine Marine officers. Gen. Lim and Col. Querubin, supposedly with Miranda's knowledge, allegedly planned to lead soldiers in a mass withdrawal of support from Arroyo on Feb. 24, 2006.)
Both the documents were unsigned by Armed Forces chief of staff General Hermogenes Esperon Jr. who disposed of his duty to approve or disapprove the PTIR and PTA by merely issuing a memo recommending the convening of a General Court Martial to try the 28 officers for mutiny charges. The military has argued that Esperon "did not need to sign the PTA nor can he be coerced to do such a menial act as signing" which the defense counsels argued that such signing meant the lives, liberty and career of these 19 Scout Rangers and nine Marine officers.
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(L-R: Maj. Gen. Renato Miranda, Maj. Basilio Pooten, Lt. Col. Achilles Segumalian and Brig. Gen. Danilo Lim.) Maj. Pooten, junior he may be but he his seniors saluted him after the court martial hearing in Camp Capinpin on Nov.9, 2007 when the 28 officers facing mutiny charges walked out. He was instructed by the court to stand as special counsel for the accused even if the officers refused his services. But he stood his ground that he cannot follow an order that will violate the constitutional right of the officers to a counsel of their choice. When he manifested this in court, an applause was heard. "Basil, I may be higher in rank than you are, but i salute you for the courage you showed to stand by your principles,"- Col. Segumalian.
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"I shudder at the thought that in a civilian court a man is charged with murder based on an unsigned information sheet...And it is unthinkable and absurd for the defense panel here to beg the convening authority of this court to nail our clients in asking him to sign the PTA...I cannot lend my presence to this sham proceeding, sham because the accused are not legally charged . Therefore I recommend that it is the right of these officers not to participate in this sham proceedings," Atty. Frank Chavez, lawyer for Maj. Gen. Renato Miranda said in asking the court's permission to leave. He led the team of exceptional lawyers who left the court during theNov.9, 2007 hearing in Camp Capinpin, Tanay. There were two lawyers who initially stayed behind to ensure their clients rights will be respected but the law member of the court panel, Lieutenant Colonel Marian Aleido, asked Atty. Trixie Angeles and Atty. Gilbert Gallos to represent all 28 accused, the two lawyers reminded the court that it was very unlawful to be even ordered to stand as special counsels to the officers who have the constitutional right to a counsel of their choice. This prompted the two lawyers to leave the court just the same.
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“I strongly reiterate that in the dispensation of justice, my position is — I be found guilty first before my subordinates are even subjected to the process. My position is to release all those who are currently detained and allow them to either opt to leave the service or continue their service to God, country and people. Current events that have unfolded necessitates a political will on the part of our leadership to allow the pool of talents currently rendered idle in Tanay to be of use for the common good. I have no reason to doubt that these fine gentlemen will deliver, given the proper marching orders. In the meantime, I will fight my own battle in the legal arena.”- Former Marines Commandant Maj. Gen. Renato Miranda, among the 28 officers detained in Camp Capinpin, Tanay, Rizal for a charges of mutiny. Miranda allegedly knew of the alleged plan in February 2006 to lead a mass withdrawal of support from President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, who is accused of rigging the 2004 elections.
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"Patriotic, upright and noble officer," how his lawyer Atty. Vicente Verdadero described Brig. Gen. Danilo Lim during the Makati hearing of the coup d'etat charges against the Magdalo soldiers. When asked how Lim can be a defense witness, lawyer for the accused mutineers Atty Rene Saguisag said the general was part of negotiations for the surrender of the 300 Magdalo officers and enlisted men, who briefly seized the Oakwood luxury apartments building in Makati on July 27, 2003 and who were pomised by the Arroyo government that only five of them would be charged, and only before a court martial, not a civilian court. To prove that there was a breach of that agreement, Saguisag told the court, "there is no doubt about the integrity and credibility of this noble and upright West Pointer who will be very much necessary to find the truth."
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(R-L: Lt. Col. Nestor Flordeliza, Brig. Gen. Danilo Lim; Capt. Frederick Sales and Col. Edmundo Malabanjot) The 3 Rangers and their Commander. In questioning the basis for their detention, the Pre-Trial Advise is yet unsigned by the AFP Chief of Staff, the convening authority of the General Court Martial trying them for mutiny charges in Tanay, Col. Malabanjot said: “Sa PMA, ang pirma hindi lang basta pirma, that involves honor.” Capt. Sales meanwhile has been cited for contempt after he was man enought to admit that he shouted in the court in vocal indignation over the decision to proceed with the trial with an unsigned PTA and a Pre-Trial Investigation Report recommending the dropping of mutiny charges against the 28 officers that was overruled by Esperon. When asked to apologize by the court, Capt. Sales refused, while he insisted, “ papirmahan na lang kay Esperon para wala ng problema."
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LOOK, WHO IS THE COWARD AFTER ALL?
Another lesson learned. “Never put a dare to nor challenge a COWARD for he will expectedly react in a cowardly manner.”
Yesterday, Mister Esperon ordered the illegal discharge from the military service of twenty six (26) of our gallant Enlisted Personnel who had been illegally incarcerated without charges. The worst thing is that, Mister Esperon did not have the “BALLS” to admit that it was he, in fact, who ordered the discharge of our patriotic Enlisted Personnel. Instead, he passed on the responsibility to the Commanding General of the Philippine Army. That was his cowardly response to our dare for him to tell the truth.
True to form and as expected, when he was asked by the media regarding the “Mayuga Report”, he immediately invoked the oft-repeated alibi that the result of the investigation is with the “higher-ups”. Yes, he hid again behind the comfort of that “little skirt”. This is becoming laughable if not downright revolting.
Mister Esperon, we are reminding you that those professional and patriotic Enlisted Personnel were fighting the enemies of the State while some criminal elements in the Armed Forces were scheming to steal the votes in 2004.
Mister Esperon, we are reminding you that those professional and patriotic Enlisted Personnel were putting their lives on the line in defense of the Nation’s territorial integrity while some criminal elements in the Armed Forces were spitting at the Constitution.
Mister Esperon, we are reminding you that those professional and patriotic Enlisted Personnel were subjected to harsh conditions without complaint to attain the AFP’s mission while YOU and the members of your criminal gang have attained the destruction of the AFP as an institution in cahoots with those who have an insatiable lust for power.
Mister Esperon, we are reminding you that while your men are dying out there in the field, your only fervent desire is to gain notoriety in the “Garci Tapes”. May 200 ka ba dahil dyan Mister Esperon?
Mister Esperon, we could not imagine how YOU and your criminal gang could get up every morning and lie to convince yourselves that you have the best interests of the country in mind and stand on better ideals. Yes, your convoluted mind makes you think that interests and ideals are there to hide the truth and mastermind irregularities.
Mister Esperon, you are wrong, VERY WRONG, to think that by discharging our Enlisted Personnel from the service, you have hurt our cause to seek the truth. NO!!! What you have done is to actually thumb the noses of the members of the entire Armed Forces. Yes Mister Esperon, that is your way of challenging the members of the entire Armed Forces to touch you if they can. That is your way of telling them that you can do anything that you please. And that is your way of telling them, “Look, who’s the coward after all”.
Mister Esperon, we agree with you that there are some people in the AFP who have your genes, who puts ambition over and above principles, integrity and decency. However, it is just a matter of time when the vast majority of professional soldiers would say, ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!!!
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FACE-OFF
OR BACK OFF
“Garci Tapes” vs. “Withdrawal Tapes”
Mister Esperon, we challenged you and the members of your criminal gang to TELL THE TRUTH regarding your participation in the “Garci Tapes Scandal”. True to form, you hid again behind your cowardly invocations.
Mister Esperon, your counter-challenge to us is for us to TELL THE TRUTH behind the “Withdrawal of Support” tapes. We accepted that, Mr Esperon. Do you remember your “Lopez Panel, your “PTI”, your “PTA” and your “GCM”?
But the real challenge for both of us, Mr. Esperon is to heed the clamor of 85 million FILIPINOS, whom we owe allegiance to, for the TRUTH!
WE ACCEPT THAT CHALLENGE, Mister Esperon. Do you?
WARRIORS do not hide behind alibis. When the very integrity of your person and the organization you represent is being questioned for participation in the most heinous crime of electoral fraud, for lying, for cheating and for stealing, WARRIORS demand, IN ANY FORUM, HERE AND NOW, that his HONOR be redeemed.
To make it easier for you Mister Esperon, the following is a list that would minimize, if not eliminate, any and all forms of restrictions for the TRUTH regarding the “Garci tapes” and the Withdrawal tapes” to come out. We, the WARRIORS from Tanay, submit ourselves to all and any other conditions that you may wish to add. Your ACCEPTANCE of this challenge, Mr. Esperon, binds us all to these conditions. Please don’t keep the nation waiting.
1. Let us all do away with lawyers. As WARRIORS, we commit to defend ourselves.
2. Let all the TAPES be played in public via all medium. We petition the Supreme Court to remove all legal impediments to this effect.
3. Let us allow the 85 million Filipinos to propound all the questions they may wish to ask. While responding, we all agree that “lie detectors” be attached to us.
4. Let us publish all documents relating to these controversies.
5. Let us allow all witnesses to come forward.
6. Let us not invoke EO 464, “state secret” and other similar cowardly alibis. NAKAKAHIYA para sa isang WARRIOR ang ganyan.
7. In the spirit of TRANSPARENCY, let all proceedings be televised.
8. Let us ACCEPT the verdict of our masters…..THE FILIPINO PEOPLE.
9. More importantly, NO CRYING PLEASE in front of the cameras.
TAPUSIN NA NATIN ITO MR ESPERON. SUKDULAN NA ANG PAGHIHIRAP NA DINARANAS NG ATING MGA KABABAYAN MULA’T SAPUL NG MANGYARI ANG KAWALANGHIYAAN NOONG 2004. SUKDULAN NA RIN ANG KAHIHIYAAN NA DINARANAS NG ATING MAHAL NA ORGANISASYON HABANG PATULOY NA ITINATAGO ANG KATOTOHANAN.
NAKAKASUKANG ISIPIN NA SAMANTALANG ANG ATING MGA SUNDALO AY NAGPAPAKAMATAY SA DIGMAAN, MAY MGA KRIMINAL NA ELEMENTO NG AFP NA NAGSASAWSAW SA PANDARAYA, SA PAGSISINUNGALING AT SA PAGNANAKAW.
NGAYON KA UMIYAK MR ESPERON!!! IYAKAN MO ANG KATOTOHANANG TINATAKAM LAMANG ANG ATING MGA MAHAL NA KASUNDALUHAN SA 150 NA PISO NA KANILANG PINAGHIRAPAN NG PAWIS AT DUGO HABANG ANG 200,000 AT 500,000 NA PISO AY PINANG-MUMUDMOD SA MGA TAONG LAWAY LAMANG ANG PUHUNAN.
NGAYON KA UMIYAK MR ESPERON!!! IYAKAN MO ANG NAPIPINTONG KATOTOHANAN NA ANG MALAMIG AT MAAYAAYANG SIMOY NG HANGIN NG TANAY AY MAGIGING MABAHO SA PAGDATING NG MGA KRIMINAL NA HUHUSGAHAN NG TAONG-BAYAN.
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Mister Esperon!
Never before in the history of the Armed Forces of the Philippines has one man and his criminal gang brought so much shame to our beloved organization. Allegations that this man and a few criminal elements among the ranks of the AFP have allowed themselves to be used to subvert the Constitution and destroy the very essence of democracy have become our collective shame. Nay, it is our collective shame that we failed to STOP them. The thought of this failure reaffirms our resolve to bring them to JUSTICE. That is our covenant with the people and our sworn duty to the Constitution.
We have been repeatedly called by Mr. Esperon as “politicized destablizers” in almost every forum that affords him opportunity. We pose these questions to you Mr. Esperon. Who cried unabashedly in front of national viewers when his mentor announced that she will not covet the Presidency again? Who stands accused of cheating in the elections in 2004? Who stands accused of lying? Who stands accused of stealing votes? Who was mentioned in the “Garci tapes”? Who debased the Armed Forces of the Philippines by being a party to cheating, stealing and lying? Who hides behind EO 464 when given the opportunity to let the truth out? Who vigorously opposes the Mayuga report from being published? Who hides behind that little skirt to save his ass? Who invokes the words “state secret” like a criminal who invokes the Fifth Amendment when caught? And since when has a criminal act become a “state secret”? Pray tell, Mr. Esperon.
Patriotism is not our monopoly Mr. Esperon. No! In fact, the mere mention of this word brings out the inadequacies in us. However, our definition of patriotism does not include involving ourselves in the criminal act of subverting the will of the people. Neither does it include closing our eyes while the crime is being committed. Incarceration is a very small price to pay for that definition.
There are “more good men outside”, you said. We agree Mr. Esperon. We agree. Our sympathies go to those good men who are placed in an unenviable position to clean up the mess that you made. Our sympathies go to those good men who try to rebuild the institution which you had destroyed. Our sympathies go to those good men who are left to pick up the pieces after being victims of a crime themselves.
Allow us to refresh your memory to recent events Mr. Esperon. During the height of the fighting in Central Mindanao, a Marine general offered his own blood so that an enemy may live. Another Marine general took it upon himself to lobby for a humane treatment for Nur Misuari whom we all had the opportunity to cross swords. Do we need to tell you who Nur Misuari is, Mr. Esperon? Those, Mr. Esperon, are acts of honorable men. Those acts distinguish men of courage. Those acts remind us that the AFP as an institution upholds human dignity and the dignity of life. Yes, Mr. Esperon, you may succeed in destroying our physical being but never shall you have the satisfaction of destroying our will and spirit, as well. NEVER!
We have not given up on you Mr. Esperon. There might still be some good left in you. You will be leaving the service in a few months’ time. Please do the nation and your family a favor. Tell the truth. Just tell the truth. You might still earn our salute. Every Navyman worth his salt know why we call you “Mister”……we lost that on you.
Maj. Gen. Renato Miranda
Brig. Gen. Danilo Lim
Col. Ariel Querubin
Col. Orlando de Leon
Col. Januario Caringal
Col. Armando Bañez
Lt. Col. Custodio Parcon
Lt. Col. Achilles Segumalian
Lt. Col. Nestor Flordeliza
Lt. Col. Edmundo Malabanjot
Maj.Francisco Domingo Fernandez
Maj. Jason Laureano Aquino
Maj. Jose Leomar Doctolero
Capt. James Sabadan
Capt. Montano Almodovar
Capt. Joey Fontiveros
Capt. Ruben Guinolbay
Capt. Isagani Criste
Capt. William Upano
Capt. Dante Langkit
Capt. Allan C. Aurino
Capt. Frederick Sales
Lt. Belinda Ferrer
Lt. Ervin Divinagracia
Lt. Jacon Cordero
Lt. Homer Estolas
Lt. Sandro Sereno
Lt. Richiemel Caballes
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“A few good men”
What our dying nation needs today are men of will,
Who dare to go against the tyrants and oppressors.
Our nation does not need orators who know just what to say. It does not need authorities to reason a way. But our nation needs just A FEW GOOD MEN.
Men full of compassion and courage;
Men who will face eternity and are not afraid to die;
Men who will fight for freedom, justice and dignity.
Our country calls the one who has the strength
To stand up for the TRUTH.
RISE UP AND BE COUNTED.
Maj. Gen. Renato Miranda, Brig. Gen. Danilo Lim
Col. Ariel Querubin, Col. Orlando de Leon, Col. Januario Caringal, Col. Armando Bañez, Lt. Col. Custodio Parcon, Lt. Col. Achilles Segumalian, Lt. Col. Nestor Flordeliza, Lt. Col. Edmundo Malabanjot,
Maj.Francisco Domingo Fernandez, Maj. Jason Laureano Aquino, Maj. Jose Leomar Doctolero
Capt. James Sabadan, Capt. Montano Almodovar, Capt. Joey Fontiveros, Capt. Ruben Guinolbay, Capt. Isagani Criste, Capt. William Upano, Capt. Dante Langkit, Capt. Allan C. Aurino, Capt. Frederick Sales,
Lt. Belinda Ferrer, Lt. Ervin Divinagracia, Lt. Jacon Cordero, Lt. Homer Estolas, Lt. Sandro Sereno, and Lt. Richiemel Caballes.
Ssgt Reynaldo A. Bala, Ssgt Marciano R. Seraspi III, Ssgt. Alexander G. Verzon,Ssgt Ronnie S. Dizon, Ssgt Rodelio M. Tuazon, Sgt Orlando A. Valencia, Ssgt Nelson V. Alquiza, Sgt Arthur I. Arienda, Sgt. Pastor de Guzman,Sgt Benito S. Baggay, SgtJose T. Famularcano Jr., Sgt Juanito B. Tercero Jr., Sgt Richard B. Javier;
Cpl Reynaldo C. Pacete, Cpl Medel A. Calda, Cpl Dennis F. Marzan, Cpl Walter A Francisco, Cpl Ramon P Perania Jr., Cpl Jorlie V. Espejo, Cpl Zaldy A. Cabico,Cpl Nicomendes P. Fernandez,Cpl Giovanni B. Bonagua;
Pfc Celso P. Castromayor, Pfc Arvin R. Daligdig, Pfc Pinley L. Amarante, Pfc Jerry V. Avila, Pfc Winston M Tingabagab, Pfc Arleen S Garcia, Pfc Rommel S. Puma, Pfc Isidro R. Areja, Pfc Emmanuel M. Derilo; fc Dylan F. Monton, Pfc Robert B. Palaruan, Pfc Kernell F. Pahimnayan, Pfc Aristotle D. Lucena, Pfc Larry A. Quinto, Pfc Leon O. Ones Jr.
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"Reason tells us that we must not waste our time waiting in vain for promises of felicity that ill never come, that will never materialize. Reason tells us that we must rely upon ourselves alone and never entrust our rights and our life to anyone else. Reason teaches us top be united in sentiment, thought and purpose, so that we may acquire the strength necessary to crush the evil that is affecting our people...
Therefore, o my countrymen! Let us scatter the mist that befogs our intellect, and let us consecrate all our strength to the good cause, with unshakable and absolute faith in its success, and in the ultimate prosperity, so anxiously desired by us, of the land of our birth."
Gat Andres Bonifacio
===============
"A revolution may be conducted against a national government, if such a government has abused the power placed at its disposal by the people, with the purpose of having injustice administered, by using this power to drown out the public voice and at the same time to administer to its own convenience or caprice...
Apolinario Mabini
===============
"You fomented social decay without sowing a single idea. From the ferment of vices could only surge revulsion... True, the vices of a government are fatal to it, cause its death, but they also kill society in whose bosom they unfold. An immoral government assumes a demoralized people, an administration without conscience, rapacious and servile citizens in the towns; bandits and brigands in the mountains! Like master, like slave; like government, like country!...
The school of suffering tempers; the arena of combat strengthens the soul. I do not mean to say that our freedom is to be won by the blade of the sword; the sword enters very little now in modern destinies, yes, but we must win it, deserving it, raising the intelligence and the dignity of the individual, loving the just, the good, the great, even dying for it, and when a people reach that height, God provides the weapon, and the idols fall, the tyrants fall like a house of cards and liberty shines with the first dawn...
Where are the youth who will consecrate their golden hours, their illusions, and enthusiasm for the welfare of their country? Where are they who would generously shed their blood to wash away so much shame, so much crime, so much abomination? Pure and spotless the victim has to be for the holocaust to be acceptable!... Where are you, youth who will incarnate in yourselves the vigor of life that has fled from our veins, the purity of ideas that have been soiled in our minds and the fire of enthusiasm that has been extinguished in our hearts?... We wait for you, O youth! Come, for we await you!"
Gat Jose Rizal
(Padre Florentino, El Filibusterismo)
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