By DJ Yap
Inquirer

MANILA, Philippines–The Makati court handling the coup d’etat case against Senator Antonio Trillanes IV will hear on Friday his motion appealing the ruling rejecting his request for furlough to attend Senate sessions.

Judge Oscar Pimentel of the Makati Regional Trial Court Branch 148 will hear the arguments of both parties on whether he should reverse his decision denying Trillanes leave to perform his Senate duties while under detention.

On Thursday, the prosecution panel led by Assistant Chief State Prosecutor Richard Anthony Fadullon and State Prosecutor Juan Pedro Navera filed another pleading opposing Trillanes’ motion, which they said smacked of special treatment.

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GET a life, Senator Lacson!

If you want to run for the presidency, at the very least have the decency of statesmanship. Then again, you are Panfilo Lacson! The very same person who made news at the height of the investigation with regard to the deaths of the Kuratong Baleleng Gang… the very same person who had on-and-off relationship with former president Joseph Estrada… the very same person who, for his entire career as a senator in the 13th Congress, devoted himself to implicating the First Family with countless allegations, which have never really prospered to a full-scale investigation!

Now you have given breath anew to an expose, which is actually old news! Would you go so low as to bask yourself in character assassination in the attempt to put your name and face in all the news magazines and dailies?

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NO way, Mar. You are a pseudo-oppositionist.

You want to align yourself with the opposition because you feel it is the “in” thing nowadays, notwithstanding the fact that opposition contenders for the presidency is already [an] overcrowded [group].

If all of you don’t shape up, you will find yourselves clobbered by Malacanang’s annointed one.

– Wency Gunio, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (via e-mail)

THE WHOLE world saw what Trillanes had done when he and his
cohorts held the Oakwood hotel and its employees hostage to further his “convictions.”

Guts you say? The man was definitely not thinking straight when he launched his campaign of terror. Despite the noblest of intentions, his actions had consequences that so adversely affected the economy that it moved progress some years back.

Trillanes is a military man. He has no business talking the talk of civilians. How he won as senator is so beyond comprehension. Is that how the Filipino voter selects leaders, on good looks and trash talk?

– Arpee Lazaro, Makati City, Philippines (via e-mail)

By INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines–A major media organization assailed reported plans of the Commission on Elections to file charges of electoral sabotage against two media personalities the poll body accused of cooking up stories meant to discredit its reputation.

The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines said it was “appalled” by the threat voiced by election commissioner Nicodemo Ferrer and called it “an assault on press freedom and freedom of expression.”

In a statement signed by chairman Jose Torres Jr., the NUJP called “ridiculous and outrageous” Ferrer’s reason for filing the case — to “cleanse the (journalism) profession” — and his equating the alleged false news and comments of the unnamed journalists to electoral sabotage, a non-bailable offense punishable with life imprisonment.

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I WISH to react to the news story in which the political party Lakas says it wishes to play the role of “kingmaker” in 2010.

How can Lakas be a kingmaker when it could not even manage to secure the victory of Team Unity candidates in the last elections? All over the country, TU was roundly beaten, except in places like Cebu, where no Lakas candidate won in the province.

We need not stray very far. We only need to ask the question — how did the TU fare in Pangasinan, the supposed “baluarte” (bailiwick) of Lakas, JDV being from Pangasinan? It was shameful. Certainly nothing for JDV or Lakas to be proud of.

I think all this talk of “kingmaker” is just a shameless bid for Lakas to stay relevant in 2010. Because with JDV on his last term (and no waging a respectful national campaign), Lakas will just fade away, and its members absorbed by the more viable national parties, like NP or LP or NPC, who all have presidentiables.

So Lakas should not kid itself. The best course to take now is to run for cover.

– Jorge Batoon, Glendale, California (via e-mail)

I CONGRATULATE Judge Pimentel on his ruling denying Mr. Trillanes free rein to attend Senate hearings.

If Mr. Trillanes thinks he can escape the consequences of his actions by hiding behind the skirts of an election victory, the law still has proven him wrong. He tried to gain power by stepping over our laws and now he uses the same system to try to bail himself out.

Mabuhay ang Pilipinas.

– Jerry Lalic, Ontario, Canada (via e-mail)

THIS is in regard to the recently concluded Senate presidency voting that was won by Senator [Manuel] Villar.

I am not against Mr. Villar or the opposition senators that voted for him, [but] these opposition senators should have thought about it over and over again before they voted for him. Since Mr. Villar spoke to the administration senators, does this mean that most of the important committees will be given to them and not to the opposition? The opposition senators that voted for him keep saying that they still oppose President [Gloria Macapagal-]Arroyo, but how can you do check and balance in the Senate if you do not have the power or position to do so?

I think these opposition senators threw away what the Filipino people has given them. They have to realize that people got hurt and even died to give them this mandate because they want some changes and they want to stop GMA from doing whatever she pleases. I think the end result of this will show in the next election. The people will now think twice before voting for the opposition because it really does not matter anyway who sits in power. They (politicians) do not think about the welfare of the people, or what the people want, but only what the politicians want to do.

I take off my hat to the remaining opposition senators who remain with the true opposition. It does not matter what their true reason is for doing so, at least we can be sure that they will
oppose any wrongdoing of this present administration.

– Ed Tuason, Santa Maria, California (via e-mail)

WHEN I learned that Juan Miguel Zubiri got the twelfth spot in the senatorial elections, I was shocked.

Although I am here in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, I manage to sporadically watch the news from GMA Pinoy TV and read it on INQUIRER.net. I knew that a few weeks ago just after the elections, Comelec [Commission on Elections] Chairman Benjamin Abalos
said that they will declare a failure of elections in Maguindanao because of witnesses coming out and [talking about] instances of massive cheating in the area.

I don’t know why the Comelec did continue counting the votes there which helped Zubiri win the last spot. Anyway it’s all done, nothing for us to do in the meantime about the results of the elections.

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I HAVE been following the last midterm elections and was elated that the people finally let their voices be heard by voting for change.

Historically, during elections, whoever has the most money and influence gets the seat; thankfully that trend has changed — at least for the last election. Now, what I cannot believe is how does a bunch of senators voted into office not because people want them to be senators but because they represent the opposition, have turned their back to their ideologies and to what they promised to the people that voted for them that there will be change if they win the election.

How can they do the changes they promised if all of the important committees will still be controlled by the administration?

Deep in my heart, I would like to commend Senator [Antonio] Trillanes [IV] and hopefully he will stay as a true servant to the people and serve his mandate with dignity! To the following
Senators (Escudero, Estrada, Cayetano), there is no way you can save your mandate to the people now that you’ve joined the administration!

– Ed Tuason, Santa Maria, California (via e-mail)