Senators Panfilo Lacson and Teofisto Guingona III have filed a resolution seeking to direct the Senate blue ribbon committee to investigate the alleged VIP treatment being given to some privileged inmates in state prisons nationwide.
Senate Resolution No. 497 seeks to investigate reports that officials of the Bureau of Corrections, Bureau of Jail Management and Penology and New Bilibid Prison grant several inmates and criminals special living arrangements and privileges and even facilitate their escape in exchange for bribe money.
"The recent issues and scandals of graft and corruption haunting the Philippine prison system is an insult to the rule of law and should cause alarm not only to the executive department but other constituent units of the state as well," Lacson and Guingona said in the resolution filed May 30.
The senators filed the resolution following the controversial unauthorized "vacation" of former Batangas governor Antonio Leviste, who was convicted of homicide in 2009 for the killing of his friend Rafael delas Alas two years earlier.
Leviste was charged with evasion of service of sentence after he was arrested for leaving the NBP compound without the necessary pass.
BuCor chief Ernesto Diokno told a Department of Justice fact-finding panel that he should not be blamed for the incident because he is only concerned with policy-making matters.
However, he went on leave before the start of the investigation and later on quit his post.
Aside from Leviste, Maguindanao massacre case prime suspect Andal Ampatuan Sr. was also reportedly being allowed to stay outside his detention cell.
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Task Force Vizconde finds Hubert's passport as genuine
The passport that Hubert Webb used when he supposedly left the country in 1991 was found authentic, Justice Secretary Leila de Lima said on Thursday.
De Lima had earlier said that the passport is a crucial piece of evidence because it was what Webb used as a defense when he was being prosecuted for the Vizconde murders.
The Supreme Court, in December 2010, acquitted Webb and six other men previously convicted for the killing of Estrellita, Carmela, and Jennifer Vizconde on June 30, 1991. Webb had claimed that at the time of the killings, he was in the United States.
Speaking to reporters after the Task Force Vizconde's command conference on Thursday, De Lima said that experts from the National Bureau of Investigation and the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas found the passport as authentic.
"We have a new [breakthrough]although we cannot divulge the details yet. What is worth noting is that experts had proven that Hubert Webb's passport was not fake.
"It was a result of the examination of the NBI and the Central Bank. They tested it and found to be true and the materials of the passport was really that of the passport issued by the Foreign Affairs," De Lima said.
The Justice chief added that the passport had to be studied to determine whether or not the information in the document was the truth.
Still, De Lima said: "The passport maybe authentic but was he [Webb] the one who really used it? Did he really leave the country? We don't know and that would be the next task of the task force."
The Parañaque Regional Trial Court had convicted Webb and six other men in 2000. Five years later, the Court of Appeals sustained the guilty verdict. But in December last year, the Supreme Court acquitted Webb and the six other co-accused.
Instead of lending credence to the testimony of star witness Jessica Alfaro, the SC gave weight to Webb's defense of alibi that he was in the United States when the massacre occurred. Among the pieces of evidence Webb presented was photocopies of his passport.
The Supreme Court's decision prompted the government to conduct a reinvestigation of the massacre case to put closure on who were really behind the killings. If the government uncovers the identities of the suspects in the 1991 Vizconde massacre, it only has until June 30 this year to lodge a new case.
This is because the Revised Penal Code (RPC) provides that crimes like the Vizconde massacre carry a "prescription period" of 20 years. A prescription period sets the limit for filing charges from the time that the crime occurred.
De Lima had earlier said that the passport is a crucial piece of evidence because it was what Webb used as a defense when he was being prosecuted for the Vizconde murders.
The Supreme Court, in December 2010, acquitted Webb and six other men previously convicted for the killing of Estrellita, Carmela, and Jennifer Vizconde on June 30, 1991. Webb had claimed that at the time of the killings, he was in the United States.
Speaking to reporters after the Task Force Vizconde's command conference on Thursday, De Lima said that experts from the National Bureau of Investigation and the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas found the passport as authentic.
"We have a new [breakthrough]although we cannot divulge the details yet. What is worth noting is that experts had proven that Hubert Webb's passport was not fake.
"It was a result of the examination of the NBI and the Central Bank. They tested it and found to be true and the materials of the passport was really that of the passport issued by the Foreign Affairs," De Lima said.
The Justice chief added that the passport had to be studied to determine whether or not the information in the document was the truth.
Still, De Lima said: "The passport maybe authentic but was he [Webb] the one who really used it? Did he really leave the country? We don't know and that would be the next task of the task force."
The Parañaque Regional Trial Court had convicted Webb and six other men in 2000. Five years later, the Court of Appeals sustained the guilty verdict. But in December last year, the Supreme Court acquitted Webb and the six other co-accused.
Instead of lending credence to the testimony of star witness Jessica Alfaro, the SC gave weight to Webb's defense of alibi that he was in the United States when the massacre occurred. Among the pieces of evidence Webb presented was photocopies of his passport.
The Supreme Court's decision prompted the government to conduct a reinvestigation of the massacre case to put closure on who were really behind the killings. If the government uncovers the identities of the suspects in the 1991 Vizconde massacre, it only has until June 30 this year to lodge a new case.
This is because the Revised Penal Code (RPC) provides that crimes like the Vizconde massacre carry a "prescription period" of 20 years. A prescription period sets the limit for filing charges from the time that the crime occurred.
Military: Slain NPA rebel in Agusan del Sur was a child
The military on Thursday said the New People's Army combatant killed in an encounter last Saturday in Agusan del Sur was a child.
Maj. Eugenio Julio Osias, spokesman for the Army’s 4th Infantry Division, identified the slain rebel as 17-year-old Richard Paras.
According to Osias, the government troops were on a combat operation when they caught up with several NPA rebels in New Tubigon village in Sibagat town. After a 10-minute firefight, the rebels withdrew, leaving behind the fallen Paras.
Osias said Paras was identified by residents of the barangay with the help of one Julieto Canoy, alias Commander Boom, who government forces captured last April 1.
“This is definitely a violation of the United Nations laws," said Osias, referring to the recruitment of children in an rebel armed movement.
A number of NPA child warriors had been slain by government forces in the past.
Military officials have said that even if the soldiers wanted to avoid killing children employed by enemy forces, it was difficult to distinguish the minors from adult warriors in the actual combat.
“[Paras] death proves that communists are indeed using minors on their frontline, which is a gross violation of the Geneva Convention. We believe that more children had been recruited by the rebels and that we urge our communities to help us put an end to such inhumane treatment of our youth and to immediately report to authorities about such recruitment activities,"said Osias.
For his pat, Maj. Gen. Victor Felix, 4th ID commander, asked the communists to cease from using the children to pursue their goal.
“Children should be left out from the rebel’s senseless fight. They are taking advantage of the child’s innocence and teaching them to be warriors, taking away the youthful progressive years wherein kids are supposed to be in school and learning with the rest of its peers. I call upon the NPA to spare our children; our futures hope and let them grow in peace," said Felix.
Maj. Eugenio Julio Osias, spokesman for the Army’s 4th Infantry Division, identified the slain rebel as 17-year-old Richard Paras.
According to Osias, the government troops were on a combat operation when they caught up with several NPA rebels in New Tubigon village in Sibagat town. After a 10-minute firefight, the rebels withdrew, leaving behind the fallen Paras.
Osias said Paras was identified by residents of the barangay with the help of one Julieto Canoy, alias Commander Boom, who government forces captured last April 1.
“This is definitely a violation of the United Nations laws," said Osias, referring to the recruitment of children in an rebel armed movement.
A number of NPA child warriors had been slain by government forces in the past.
Military officials have said that even if the soldiers wanted to avoid killing children employed by enemy forces, it was difficult to distinguish the minors from adult warriors in the actual combat.
“[Paras] death proves that communists are indeed using minors on their frontline, which is a gross violation of the Geneva Convention. We believe that more children had been recruited by the rebels and that we urge our communities to help us put an end to such inhumane treatment of our youth and to immediately report to authorities about such recruitment activities,"said Osias.
For his pat, Maj. Gen. Victor Felix, 4th ID commander, asked the communists to cease from using the children to pursue their goal.
“Children should be left out from the rebel’s senseless fight. They are taking advantage of the child’s innocence and teaching them to be warriors, taking away the youthful progressive years wherein kids are supposed to be in school and learning with the rest of its peers. I call upon the NPA to spare our children; our futures hope and let them grow in peace," said Felix.
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Microsoft shows off new 'Windows 8' operating system
PALOS VERDES, California - Microsoft Corp showed off a version of its next operating system, highlighting touchscreen features optimized for tablet computers, at the All Things Digital technology conference on Wednesday.
The world's largest software company is expected to launch the new system, code-named Windows 8, in the next 18 months, as it races to catch up with the success of Apple Inc's iPad, which went on sale over a year ago.
In a demonstration at the D9 conference in Palos Verdes, California, a Microsoft executive showed a starting page that resembles Microsoft's latest phone software, with live 'tiles' manipulated by pressing and swiping the screen.
The head of Microsoft's Windows unit, Steven Sinofsky, said the product did not yet have a name, and did not say when it would be available.
The release date is a "Defense Department secret", joked Sinofsky, adding that it would not be this autumn.
Microsoft typically aims for 24 to 36 months between major Windows versions, suggesting a launch date for the next Windows between October 2011 and October 2012.
Sinofsky, who said Microsoft was "not out of the game" in tablets, promised more details at a developers' conference in September.
He did say Microsoft is working to integrate Internet telephone service Skype into the new system, following its agreement to purchase the company last month.
The demonstration shows Microsoft is making progress toward the new operating system, which it promises will run on a range of hardware devices from traditional PCs to laptops and tablets, using both touchscreen and mouse and keyboard commands.
Five months ago, Sinofsky showed off a crude version of the new Windows system working on ARM Holdings chips -- which work better on mobile devices due to their low power requirements -- at the Consumer Electronics Show in January.
That signaled a change in emphasis for Microsoft toward mobile devices, although the new Windows will still run on chips made by traditional partner Intel Corp.
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Miami Leads series 1 in Game 1 Finals
Lebron James score 24 points and Dwayne Wade 22 points
Heat win game 1 over Dallas
Game2: will Dallas ties the series???
or Heat will take game2,,??
Monday, May 30, 2011
NBA Finals 2011
Miami Heat vs. Dallas Mavericks
Best of seven (2-3-2 format)
Game 1 -- Tue May 31, Dallas at /Miami
Game 2 -- Thu June 2, Dallas at Miami
Game 3 -- Sun June 5, Miami at Dallas
Game 4 -- Tue June 7, Miami at Dallas
Game 5* -- Thu June 9, Miami at Dallas
Game 6* -- Sun June 12, Dallas at Miami
Game 7* -- Tue June 14, Dallas at Miami
*If necessary
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