Senate to Ligot: Cooperate or stay detained

By Christina Mendez (The Philippine Star) Updated March 26, 2011 12:00 AM Comments (15)

MANILA, Philippines - Former military comptroller Jacinto Ligot would be under Senate custody indefinitely or until the next hearing on the alleged corruption in the military, Senate Blue Ribbon committee chairman Teofisto Guingona III said yesterday.

Guingona said it would now depend on Ligot and his wife Erlinda to decide to end their ordeal and face the Senate truthfully.

“It’s not up to me, it’s up to them. If they don’t want to cooperate, what can we do?” Guingona said.

Ligot was arrested Thursday night and detained at the Senate following the issuance of an order citing him for contempt.

The Senate cited Ligot and his wife Erlinda for contempt for feigning sickness when they failed to attend Thursday’s hearings at the Blue Ribbon committee investigating alleged corruption in the military.

The Senate spared Mrs. Ligot from detention because of her medical condition.
On his first day of detention, Ligot’s blood pressure was monitored at normal and stable levels.

Since Ligot is suffering from diabetes and hypertension, Senate physician Renato Sison recommended the former general be given a strict diet. Two nurses were also checking on Ligot regularly.

Ligot had a breakfast of fried chicken bought from a nearby fast-food store but Sison advised that the former general should be given proper meals from then on.

Apart from his lawyers, no relative visited Ligot on his first day in detention.
One of Ligot’s lawyers said the former general was doing fine but has not rested very well, slept barely two hours because he is not accustomed yet to his detention cell.

Since there was no television inside the detention room, Ligot was busy reading some books when lawyers came to see him.

At one point, he asked his security personnel to turn down the air-condition unit because he was already too cold.

Ligot, former comptroller during the term of the late Gen. Angelo Reyes, is also facing tax evasion charges recently filed by the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) on a motion filed by Sen. Franklin Drilon who exposed the alleged 740-million peso and dollar deposits under their various accounts.

Some of the money was allegedly stashed in the account of Erlinda’s brother, Edgardo Yambao who has also been grilled in the past Senate hearings.

‘Enough is enough’
Guingona told a press conference yesterday that the Senate has been considerate to the Ligot couple in the past hearings.

He said the decision to cite the couple in contempt came about when the Ligots skipped the hearing last Thursday and feigned sickness in an apparent attempt to evade the proceedings.

“I think that it was time that they have to respect the processes of the Senate, especially now that we are searching for truth in these investigations. It was a very clear attempt that they wanted to evade the hearings. Enough is enough,” Guingona said.

Guingona said the contempt order on the couple remains until they satisfactorily answered all the questions of the Senate.

The tentative date set for the hearing is on Wednesday next week, which means that the former general will have to spend at least five more days in the 3 by 4 square-meter windowless air-conditioned room at the Senate’s basement parking area.

Even if the Congress is on legislative break, Guingona said it could continue public hearings.

Guingona clarified the contempt on the Ligots stemmed from their deliberate effort to evade the Senate hearing last Thursday.

He noted the separate pending motion by Senate President Pro-Tempore Jinggoy Estrada who also wanted the couple cited for contempt for refusing to answer the questions relevant to the investigation.

Guingona said these questions could have been resolved had the Ligots attended the hearing.

Mrs. Ligot repeatedly invoked her right against self-incrimination in the last hearing when Estrada asked her about her foreign trips and who paid for her travels, details on her first travel abroad in 1981 as well as the identity of her constant travel companion in the 42 times that she left abroad in early 2000.

“Again, if they invoke, the process is, we will establish if they are invoking the right against self-incrimination properly or not. If the invocation is not proper, then we will rule that it is not proper,” Guingona explained.

Guingona said the Senate has formed the legal panel to identify the questions in the past hearings, and classify those questions if they infringe on the right against self-incrimination.

The guiding principle “is that you cannot be forced to be a witness against yourself,” Guingona said.

“It’s not very easy. You have to read the question again and find out if there is a case against them, and what are the elements of the crime that they are charged with and if there is a connection between what you are asked to answer and the elements of the crime,” Guingona explained.

‘No intent to disrespect Senate’
Ligot’s counsels Rafael Zialcita and Pocholo del Rosario, on the other hand, appealed to the Senate to lift the contempt charges against Ligot and release him from detention.
Zialcita said the former general is ready to attend the next hearing and that the Ligots promised to cooperate if their medical condition would allow.

“We decided that he will just give an appeal to the Senate Blue Ribbon committee more specifically Senator Guingona to lift the detention,” Zialcita said.

“It was not his (Ligot’s) intent to disrespect the Senate,” he added.

Zialcita said they are not bringing the issue before the court until all efforts are exhausted at the Senate.

“I don’t really want to consider it until necessary. We are weighing our options first. What we are doing now is to appeal,” he said.

Del Rosario submitted the two-page letter appeal – signed by Ligot himself --addressed to Guingona yesterday. Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile was furnished a copy of the letter.

“It was never my intention to evade any Senate hearing and/or disrespect the ongoing proceedings,” Ligot said.

“I have been actively attending the hearings dated January 27, February 3, February 7, February 18, February 24, March 3, March 10 and March 21, and that I cooperated in the investigation to the best of my ability without necessarily prejudicing my legal rights.
“As a matter of fact, it was only yesterday’s hearing that I failed to attend. I reiterate that I was not lying when I declared that I had the flu. Perhaps, at the time that I was being checked by the Senate doctors, the medicines were taking effect,” Ligot explained in his letter.

Ligot added there was never an instance that the Senate had to issue a subpoena to force him to attend the hearings.

“In this regard, it is my appeal to you and the Honorable Senate that the detention order against me be lifted at the soonest possible time,” Ligot said.

“At the time that the Ligots invoked their rights against self-incrimination, we honestly believed that the invocation is proper. The question now is if and when the senators decide that the invocation was proper or not, if whether we will accept that,” Zialcita said. “But we will cross the bridge when we get there.”

Zialcita said he requested a copy of the so-called matrix of questions.

Asked for example about Mrs. Ligot’s refusal to name her “constant companion” in her travels abroad in early 2000, Zialcita said their honest assessment was that “it was proper invocation.”

An official of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) yesterday urged Ligot to use his detention as an opportunity to think things over and cooperate with the Senate.

“My appeal to General Ligot is that he should participate in the investigation (on the military corruption),” Manila Auxiliary Bishop Broderick Pabillo said.
“How would we know the truth and implement changes in the system if those who are involved would not cooperate. He should show his love for the country. If he committed any irregularities then he should admit them,” he said.

On the other hand, anti-corruption advocate and former finance secretary Jesus Estanislao said it is unfair to judge the military because of the allegations against Ligot.
Estanislao said the new military leadership is committed to reforms and that significant changes have been implemented in the system.

“I think it’s unfair (to judge the military because of Ligot) because they have been doing quite a lot of things,” Estanislao said in an interview.

“I think what you have to do is put a timeline. (The incident involving) Gen. Ligot happened in the early 2000 and since then a lot of things have happened in the Armed Forces,” he added.

Estanislao believes the current military leaders are different from the top brass that were accused of irregularities.

“You have reform-minded officers who are now on top… they are putting into that pathway of succession guys who are really committed to reforms,” the former finance chief said. –With Alexis Romero, Evelyn Macairan

Prayer for the People of Japan

THIS WONDERFUL PRAYER WAS PASSED ON TO US SO WE ARE PASSING IT ON. EVERY LITTLE BIT HELPS!

Lord, I just want to say THANK YOU,
Because this morning I woke up and knew where my children were.

Because this morning my home was still standing,
Because this morning I am not crying
Because my spouse, my child, my brother or sister, my parent does not need to be buried or to be pulled out from underneath a pile of concrete,

Because this morning I was able to drink a glass of water,
Because this morning I was able to turn on the light,
Because this morning I was able to take a shower,
Because this morning I was not planning a funeral,

But most of all I thank you this morning because I still have life and a voice to cry out for the people of Japan .
Lord I cry out to you, the One that makes the impossible, possible,
The One that turns darkness in to light,
I cry out that You give those mothers strength,

That You give them peace that surpasses all understanding,
That You may open the streets so that help can come,
That You may provide doctors, nurses, food, water, and all that they need in a blink of an eye.

For all those that have lost family members, give them peace, give them hope, give them courage to continue to go on!
Protect the children and shield them with your power.
I pray all this in the name of Jesus!!!

To all our email friends, please continue to forward this so that we can pray together for the people in Japan

Duct tape, shotgun, iodide pills

If the Japanese are using helicopters to dump water on the reactors -- its time to PANIC AND GET THE HELL OUTTA THERE!!!

At Chernobyl, they ... pause ... the helicopters pilots (RIP) ... used helicopters to dump concrete to entomb the reactor.

Yesterday, we were chuckling in the lab when we heard Californians were begging pharmacists for Iodide pills. Looks like they are one step ahead of us.

Check out the projected wind pattern from Japan to the U.S. West Coast:

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2011/03/16/science/plume-graphic.html?ref=science

I guess, its time to stock up on survival gear.

Whatever happens, there must be duct tape in the house. Also a shotgun, and definitely, iodide pills. I suppose I can get some reagent-grade potassium iodide in the lab if worse comes to worse.

Hmnn... What if the wind blows southwest?

Pray for Japan

The problem with all these quakes and tsunamies is Hawayah is in the middle of all these things.Any major quakes certainly puts us at risk here. When the Biggie everybody is predicting for California hits, the resulting tidal wave will probably wipe out Hawayah too!

Even this Nuke meltdown can release vapors that will ride the jet stream to Hawaii! A dozen more double digit magnitudes and Canada will have Hawaiian weather! The Earth shifts every time there is a quake.

Hawaii is also in the ring of fire but our volcanoes are active and are able to vent slowly so there is no major build up. It is like flatulence. If you are able to release small test farts, you can be assured there will be no catastrophic explosions later. This is most helpful during after-emergency situations when the toilet paper supply is sold out.

The nuke minister made a press release saying "I must be careful in using the correct words" and then continued to explain that " the water did not reach desired level from the time of the earthquake to the present and that some of the rods were actually bent".

Translation : We screwed up and nobody was checking if the pumps were working. By the time we reacted to it, we already had a meltdown!

I really hope they will be able to contain the damage. Japanese cars in Hawaii are imported from Japan. The recent recalls did not significantly affect the Mazdas, Toyotas, Hondas and Subarus/Suzukis in Hawaii.

Imagine a bunch of cars glowing in the dark!

Philippine humor

We Pinoys have got the best sense of humor in the whole world!!!

• A beauty parlor in San Juan: Cut & Face

• A wholesaler of balut in Sto. Tomas, Batangas: Starduck

• A small Internet café: Cafe Pindot

• A laundry in Manila : Summa Cum Laundry

• A noodle restaurant in Pampanga: Mekeni Rogers

• A restaurant in Marikina: Johnny’s Fried Chicken, The “Fried” of Marikina

• A tombstone maker in Antipolo: Lito Lapida

• A copy center in Sikatuna Village, Quezon City:

Pakopya ni Edgar

• A kambingan: Sa Goat Kita

• A salon somewhere: Curl Up And Dye

• A store selling feeds for chicken along Sucat Road: Robocock

• A shoe repair in Marikina : Dr. Shoe-Bago

• A shoe repair shop along Commonwealth Avenue,

Quezon City : SHOEPERMAN (We will HEEL you,

save your SOLE, and even DYE for you)

• A petshop: Petness First

• A flower shop: Susan’s Roses

• A taxicab: Income Taxi

• A second-hand watch store: 2nd Time Around

• A squid stall in a wet market: Pusit to the Limit

• A lawyer’s extension office: Nota Republic

• A ceiling installer: Kisame Street

• A car-repair shop: Bangga Ka ‘Day!

• An aquatic pet store in Malolos: Fish Be With You

• A fishball cart along P. Campa St., near UST:

Eat MyBalls

• A barber shop in Cagayan de Oro: Pinoy Big Barber

• A resto in Baclaran: The Last Supper

• A party-needs business: Balloon-Balloonan

• A Chinese restaurant in Pasig : Lah-Fang

• A store selling fresh chicken,

apparently owned by a woman named Dina:

Dina Fresh Chicken

• A Hair Salon in Makati:

Hair We Go Again

Lim issues 'shoot to kill' order vs 5 cops in ransom theft case

http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=666279&publicationSubCategoryId=65

By Sandy Araneta and Nestor Etolle (The Philippine Star) Updated March 15, 2011

MANILA, Philippines - Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim issued yesterday an order for law enforcers to “shoot to kill” five Manila Police District (MPD) who disappeared after allegedly stealing P12.1 million from a P16.3-million ransom recovered from suspects in the kidnapping of a Malaysian businessman last week.

Lim, during a press conference held at the Manila City Hall, identified the five MPD Station 5 policemen as Senior Inspector Peter Nervisa, SPO3 Ernesto Peralta, PO3 Jefferson Britanico, PO3 Mike Ongpauco and PO1 Rommel Ocampo.

“I am going to issue now a shoot-to-kill order against these five police officers. It’s a drastic move because these people are armed and have not surrendered their firearms,” he said.

The shoot-to-kill order, according to Lim, would only apply if the policemen resist arrest.

“If in the course of the arrest the apprehending officers are fired at, they have no choice but to protect their own lives,” he said.

Lim said the five policemen have not reported since last Friday and are considered AWOL (absent without official leave). They have been relieved of their duties as policemen of the MPD, he said.

MPD Station 5 commander Superintendent Felipe Cazon Jr. has also been relieved by the National Capital Region Police Office while an investigation is being conducted. MPD director Chief Superintendent Roberto Rongavilla said Cazon will be on floating status at the MPD headquarters in Manila during the investigation.

Lim said Nervisa sent a text message to Cazon castigating him for cooperating with the investigation. He said Nervisa “is now hostile. This one will fight.”

Lim cited that there is a Supreme Court decision stating that any police officer or member of a law enforcement agency, from the moment he commits a crime, ceases to be a member of the law enforcement agency. “And so it could be construed that he (Nervisa) should be considered as an ordinary criminal,” he said.

Lim said the five policemen disappeared while they were being investigated by MPD general assignment section head Chief Inspector Mar Reyes last Friday. “Why did they flee? An investigation goes two ways. They can be cleared… Flight is an indication of guilt,” he said.

Overpopulation in Philippines

Japan was already an economic powerhouse before WW2 and became only at par or lower than the Philippines after WW2 precisely because the war exhausted its economic resources. But because they already had the formula or the experience of becoming an economic power, it was imply a matter of ime before they would regain their economic strength. Hence, population was not a significant factor in their economic downfall but it was their entering into a war that caused it. On the other hand, the Philippines was never an economic power and the "fact" that it was the "stongest" economy IMMEDIATELY after the war was simply a function of US support. It was always an "up and coming" economic tiger but never really achieved that status, hence to compare it to Japan after the war is really a false comparison.

Now, if a high population is indeed a factor to higher development, then why did the Philippines - which was a strong economy immediately after the war - not develop exponentially with the increase in population?

Like I said, development is a complex issue and to reduce this into a caricature within the context of the RH bill vis-a-vis the meaning of population as a factor is to oversimplify matters. On the other hand, we know that we have a high population and the higher it becomes, the poorer the greater segment of that population becomes.

For the opponents of the RH bill to gain credibility to their assertion that population planning is not a factor in development and that development does in fact rely on higher populations, then they should first prove a priori that the bigger the population becomes, the richer we become. And that is something that the facts on the ground simply cannot sustain, especially when about 11 million of that population are overseas and probably the largest factor propping up the economy.

---

Brothers,

Just to sharpen our minds and continue the mental gymnastics on this topic. May I say :

The jury is still out on this one because there are valid hard data that supports both sides of the issue. There are several top notch papers on the pros and cons. One such study show that even if Japan's land area is similar to the Philippines, their population at 130 million is a lot higher than the Philippines but their per capita GDP is in the high 50,000 Plus USD compared to the Philippines almost 2000 USD . So the greater population is certainly not a handicap in their case. So we can conclude it must be due to several other factors. Remember, after WW2 economic and political conditions in Asia put the Philippines ahead of the whole caboodle. So what happened ? How did we end up dead last? I do not know.

As Brod mentioned, eventually, the law of diminishing returns will apply and you cannot overpopulate the Earth. It can only support so many people but for purposes of analyzing the UP study, we cannot argue a worst case scenario since the paper is merely commenting on "a proposed present day solution, to a present day problem". To apply the worst case scenario argument is like saying "Why try to save the Earth? The sun will eventually go Nova and destroy our solar system".

Having a massive amount of cheap labor helped the buildup of economic power in India and China. After artificially tampering with their Population Growth, China is in trouble because they now have a shortage of Women. "Sabi Da" , many couples aborted when they determined the baby was a girl. Many preferred males only!

IRRI believes the Philippines can be self sufficient in rice provided the Government gives it 100% support like Thailand, India and China. They concluded that there is still a lot of work to do to educate farmers on the Miracle rice. They even have a site trhat can be accessed by text for advise and assistance, Etc. The only factor that is a problem is Climatic Conditions.

And then there is also the study that says, Miracle Rice itself may have caused its own problems. Since they could plant 2 to 3 crops a year the world surplus in rice is keeping price low. Less than 5% of the entire production is actually exported. Maybe the Philippines is better off importing cheap rice and using the land for producing a cash cow crop like mangoes and even aquaculture or (drum roll please.. One of the Brods would love this..) Bananas!!!


Anyway, I am just playing devils advocate. I have no opinion one way or the other but I though I would just lay whatever I think and see where that takes us.

Hope you are not confused as I am already!

----------------------

I agree with Brod on this. I do not think the RH bill blames everything on population explosion because the nature of development is complex, but population does play a significant role. If true that higher population is key to development, then the Philippines with almost 100 million people should now be rich. And if true that we have natural resources that can support the population, then why is the VAST majority poor - food poor, land poor, development poor?

Why do we import rice? Even if we totally discounted the corruption in procurement of rice and the series of scams involving food security like fertilizers for crops, it is highly doubtful if the available arable land can feed the population. The Philippines is the 12th most populous nation on earth with a land area that is about 2/3 that of California but with a population 5 times as many. Population then becomes a very substantial issue that is simply brushed off by opponents of the RH bill.

It simply does not compute...

Law of Diminishing Returns

There is an economics law of diminishing returns. an example of this law in economics textbooks is: fertilizers will at first increase crop production but there will come a time when adding more fertilizers will no longer increase the production. land has reach its limit of productivity.

land is a limited resource. just as there is a limit to the number of sardines you can pack in a can, there is also a limit on the number of people that can live on land. when the population in pinas was about 40 million, i read a newspaper article on an economic study (by NEDA??) with a prediction that the standard of living in pinas will worsen when the population exceeds 60 million. i don't know if that is true today but surely pinas cannot support a population of 1 billion as in china.

like fertilizers, technology can at first increase production of goods. but eventually when natural resources have reached their limit of productivity, technology can no longer improve the economy.

at present, pinas cannot produce enough rice to be self-sufficient even though rice technology is at her doorsteps, i.e., IRRI (internationa rice research institute) is in los banos. pinas needs technocrats who can apply technology and this takes time to educate them. the RH bill will buy that time before population has reach the critical point, as it is done in china. a mechanical engineer who can REPAIR but cannot DESIGN machines is just a mechanic, not a professional engineer.

nature will not allow man or other creatures to overpopulate the earth. when the popuplation has reached the critical point, the death rate will be more than the birth rate. if diseases and natural disasters will not increase the death rate, crimes and wars will.