MANILA, Philippines – It may not be too obvious to viewers, but Melisa “Melai” Cantiveros, Pinoy Big Brother (PBB) Double Up Big Winner, is also bothered by her poor grasp of the English language.
The 21-year-old undergrad student from General Santos City took up Bachelor of Education major in English at the Mindanao State University to perfect her skill. But a lot still needs to be done for her to speak the language fluently, she said.
She said she is nervous that her professors might get infuriated every time they see her on television bungling her English.
"Magaling talagang magturo ang mga teacher doon kaya nga ako nag-aral ng major in English para matuto ako. Kaya lang ngayon hindi pa ako natututo kaya kailangan ko ng matuto," Cantiveros said.
Cantiveros, the "Inday Kengkay of GenSan," has often been ridiculed by her inability to speak straight English.
"Alam niyo sa written okay lang pero pag-iisipan ko pa talaga. Pero kapag tanungan na talaga doon ako nara-rattle sa English," Cantiveros added.
Cantiveros was named PBB’s Big Winner during the show's finale at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium on February 13.
Garnering the highest text votes of 32.08%, Melai took home P1 million cash prize, P2.5 million worth of house and lot, a water refilling station franchise, and a 40-inch LCD TV screen among other prizes. Her chosen charity group also received P1 million.
Pokwang loves to work with Melai
Meanwhile, host-comedienne Pokwang said she is willing to work with Cantiveros, who is perceived by many as her rival in the comedy department.
"Sa tingin ko mukhang masarap siyang kasama at mukhang masayahing bata naman siya. Looking forward to work with her kung anuman ang trabahong yon," Pokwang told “SNN: Showbiz News Ngayon.”
Pokwang, one of “Wowowee’s” female hosts, said Cantiveros reminds her of herself when she was still starting in show business. "’Yong napaka-hyper na magsalita. Dati ganyan ako na sobrang bilis kong magsalita.”
On Monday Cantiveros downplayed persistent talk that she will eventually outshine comedianne Pokwang.
Cantiveros, whose loud and bubbly personality earned her the moniker “Inday Kengkay ng GenSan,” pointed out that Pokwang is already an established comedienne in the industry. Thus, she said, it is impossible for her to become a threat to Pokwang’s career.
"Ano parang bomb threat? Hindi naman ako bomb threat? Siyempre ibang level naman si Pokwang. Nahihiya naman ako. Bakit naman ako ang threat? I can't believe it,” Cantiveros told abs-cbnNEWS.com.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Charge cops in death of 16 in Parañaque shootout—CHR
Filed Under: Paranaque shootout, Police, Crime
MANILA, Philippines—(UPDATE 3) The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) on Monday recommended the filing of administrative and criminal charges against 18 policemen including two police generals, who were involved in the fatal shootout with robbers inside a Paranaque subdivision that killed 16 persons over a year ago.
In a CHR resolution, Chairperson Leila De Lima said that those to be charged both criminally and administratively include 18 members of the elite police unit Highway Patrol Group (HPG) and three police officials.
The CHR said the policemen committed “multiple human rights violations” during the 40-minute shootout last December 5, 2008, which led to the death of six civilians, including seven-year old Lea Alyanna De Vera, at the United Parañaque Subdivision 4 in Barangay (Village) Marcelo Green.
The three police officials recommended for criminal and administrative charges for “obstruction of justice” are: Superintendent James Cristobal; Chief Superintendent Perfecto Palad, the former chief of the HPG and Chief Superintendent Orlando Mabutas, current chief of the HPG.
De Lima said the three officials failed to institute sanctions against the policemen involved, particularly in the killing of De Vera and her father Alfonso.
The policemen recommended for criminal and administrative charges for the deaths of De Vera and Ronaldo Eusebio were: Chief Insp. Joel L. Mendoza; Chief Insp. Lawrence B. Cajipe; Insp. Gerardo B. Balatucan; Insp. Doroteo R. Tolentino; Police Officer 3 Jolito P. Mamanao Jr.; PO3 Fernando Rey S. Gapuz; PO2 Eduardo G. Blanco; PO1 Josil Rey I. Luceña; PO2 Edwin C. Santos; and PO1 Elybeer Cayaban.
Others included are Senior Police Officer 1 Jayson A Galimba; PO3 Arvin S. Ramos; PO3 Edwin C. Cuadra; PO3 Jesus S. Pascual; PO2 Fidel Quirejero; PO2 John I. Idio; and PO1 Wilfredo B. Reyes.
De Lima said the CHR was “greatly alarmed at the ease with which PNP personnel under investigation can conceal weapons subject of firearms identification and examination by the PNP Crime Laboratory.”
In its investigation, the CHR revealed that members of the HPG failed to surrender their firearms to the Crime Laboratory for testing.
De Lima denounced the statement from the policemen who said they failed to surrender their firearms because the weapons they were carrying at the time of the shootout were not used.
“This position cannot explain the discovery of at least seven 5.56mm shells for M16 rifles recovered near the body of Alfonso De Vera, or the high-velocity bullet that killed Lia Alyanna,” De Lima said.
“We find the members of Team II of the HPG most probably liable not only for murder, but for obstruction of justice as well, for knowingly and deliberately concealing and failing to surrender the long firearms they used in the killing of Lia Allana and Alfonso De Vera consisting of, as testified by Hilario Indiana, M16s, baby armalites and M14s,” she added.
The CHR added several police operational procedures (POP) were violated in the encounter such as the rule on moving vehicles.
Under Rule 8 of the POP, “Moving vehicles may not be fired upon solely to disable them. The driver or other occupant of a moving motor vehicle may be fired upon if the police have probable cause to believe that the suspects pose an imminent danger of death to the police or other persons.”
However, De Lima said policemen still fired upon the vehicle of the De Vera family “although they do not present any threat to the HPG men.”
Also violated by the operatives during the shootout were Rules 6 and 7, on the use of deadly force and on reasonable force, said De Lima, who stressed the De Veras pose no threat to authorities.
“The police operation became out-of-hand, there was no respect for the human rights of the victims,” De Lima said in a radio interview following a news conference where she released the findings of the body.
The commission, however, withheld any recommendation on police operatives involved in the deaths of the three other civilians in the same shootout pending further investigation.
Lilia De Vera, the wife of Alfonso, said she was satisfied with the recommendations of the CHR and hoped the prosecution would start immediately.
“We are happy that the CHR saw that the police were the ones involved in the death of my husband and my daughter,” she said in a separate radio interview.
The widow earlier filed a complaint against the 18 policemen before the Department of Justice.
MANILA, Philippines—(UPDATE 3) The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) on Monday recommended the filing of administrative and criminal charges against 18 policemen including two police generals, who were involved in the fatal shootout with robbers inside a Paranaque subdivision that killed 16 persons over a year ago.
In a CHR resolution, Chairperson Leila De Lima said that those to be charged both criminally and administratively include 18 members of the elite police unit Highway Patrol Group (HPG) and three police officials.
The CHR said the policemen committed “multiple human rights violations” during the 40-minute shootout last December 5, 2008, which led to the death of six civilians, including seven-year old Lea Alyanna De Vera, at the United Parañaque Subdivision 4 in Barangay (Village) Marcelo Green.
The three police officials recommended for criminal and administrative charges for “obstruction of justice” are: Superintendent James Cristobal; Chief Superintendent Perfecto Palad, the former chief of the HPG and Chief Superintendent Orlando Mabutas, current chief of the HPG.
De Lima said the three officials failed to institute sanctions against the policemen involved, particularly in the killing of De Vera and her father Alfonso.
The policemen recommended for criminal and administrative charges for the deaths of De Vera and Ronaldo Eusebio were: Chief Insp. Joel L. Mendoza; Chief Insp. Lawrence B. Cajipe; Insp. Gerardo B. Balatucan; Insp. Doroteo R. Tolentino; Police Officer 3 Jolito P. Mamanao Jr.; PO3 Fernando Rey S. Gapuz; PO2 Eduardo G. Blanco; PO1 Josil Rey I. Luceña; PO2 Edwin C. Santos; and PO1 Elybeer Cayaban.
Others included are Senior Police Officer 1 Jayson A Galimba; PO3 Arvin S. Ramos; PO3 Edwin C. Cuadra; PO3 Jesus S. Pascual; PO2 Fidel Quirejero; PO2 John I. Idio; and PO1 Wilfredo B. Reyes.
De Lima said the CHR was “greatly alarmed at the ease with which PNP personnel under investigation can conceal weapons subject of firearms identification and examination by the PNP Crime Laboratory.”
In its investigation, the CHR revealed that members of the HPG failed to surrender their firearms to the Crime Laboratory for testing.
De Lima denounced the statement from the policemen who said they failed to surrender their firearms because the weapons they were carrying at the time of the shootout were not used.
“This position cannot explain the discovery of at least seven 5.56mm shells for M16 rifles recovered near the body of Alfonso De Vera, or the high-velocity bullet that killed Lia Alyanna,” De Lima said.
“We find the members of Team II of the HPG most probably liable not only for murder, but for obstruction of justice as well, for knowingly and deliberately concealing and failing to surrender the long firearms they used in the killing of Lia Allana and Alfonso De Vera consisting of, as testified by Hilario Indiana, M16s, baby armalites and M14s,” she added.
The CHR added several police operational procedures (POP) were violated in the encounter such as the rule on moving vehicles.
Under Rule 8 of the POP, “Moving vehicles may not be fired upon solely to disable them. The driver or other occupant of a moving motor vehicle may be fired upon if the police have probable cause to believe that the suspects pose an imminent danger of death to the police or other persons.”
However, De Lima said policemen still fired upon the vehicle of the De Vera family “although they do not present any threat to the HPG men.”
Also violated by the operatives during the shootout were Rules 6 and 7, on the use of deadly force and on reasonable force, said De Lima, who stressed the De Veras pose no threat to authorities.
“The police operation became out-of-hand, there was no respect for the human rights of the victims,” De Lima said in a radio interview following a news conference where she released the findings of the body.
The commission, however, withheld any recommendation on police operatives involved in the deaths of the three other civilians in the same shootout pending further investigation.
Lilia De Vera, the wife of Alfonso, said she was satisfied with the recommendations of the CHR and hoped the prosecution would start immediately.
“We are happy that the CHR saw that the police were the ones involved in the death of my husband and my daughter,” she said in a separate radio interview.
The widow earlier filed a complaint against the 18 policemen before the Department of Justice.
PNP recalls all 1,600 security escorts
Filed Under: Eleksyon 2010, Elections, Police
MANILA, Philippines—(UPDATE) The Philippine National Police has recalled all its 1,600 police escorts assigned to over 700 VIPs, government officials, and other private individuals for accounting and redeployment for the upcoming elections in May.
Chief Superintendent Lina Sarmiento, chief of the PNP Police Security and Protection Group, said that in line with Commission on Elections Resolution 8714, all deployed security escorts were immediately recalled on Sunday and were brought back to their main units at their respective police headquarters.
Sarmiento said this was the first time all security escorts were ordered recalled for accounting. However, she assured all individuals, especially witnesses and kidnap victims, that the PNP would not abandon them.
“We cannot abandon them. Those that are securing, we will not abandon them. [The recall] is just one way of forcing them to immediately apply [to the Comelec],” she added.
Under Comelec Resolution 8714, the letter orders issued to security escorts were cancelled leaving them unauthorized to serve as security detail to officials or VIPs.
“There is a need to account or inventory all PSPG personnel considering that without the necessary letter order, the [security escorts] are not anymore authorized to serve as security detail to their respective VIPs and that officially they are now assigned back to their respective PSPG units,” Sarmiento said.
Sarmiento said that applicants, regardless if they are candidates or private individuals, should first seek the approval of the Joint Security Control Center of the Comelec before they could again acquire police escorts.
The application for police escorts and other security personnel began on January 10. Each applicant must pay a filing fee of P5,000 addressed to the Comelec when applying for a security escort.
At the same time, Sarmiento said she has met with representatives from the House of Representatives, Senate, and other diplomatic and consular services to discuss the existing Comelec resolution as well as the process in applying for security escorts.
Subject to Comelec approval, candidates for the presidential and vice presidential positions are allowed a maximum of 20 security escorts. Meanwhile, senatorial candidates are allowed a maximum of 12 security escorts. Candidates for the congressional level down as well as other private individuals are allowed a maximum of four.
Application for security escorts will also be subjected to the approval of the Comelec.
Under the same Comelec resolution, only legitimate security escorts in proper uniform are allowed to carry firearms.
MANILA, Philippines—(UPDATE) The Philippine National Police has recalled all its 1,600 police escorts assigned to over 700 VIPs, government officials, and other private individuals for accounting and redeployment for the upcoming elections in May.
Chief Superintendent Lina Sarmiento, chief of the PNP Police Security and Protection Group, said that in line with Commission on Elections Resolution 8714, all deployed security escorts were immediately recalled on Sunday and were brought back to their main units at their respective police headquarters.
Sarmiento said this was the first time all security escorts were ordered recalled for accounting. However, she assured all individuals, especially witnesses and kidnap victims, that the PNP would not abandon them.
“We cannot abandon them. Those that are securing, we will not abandon them. [The recall] is just one way of forcing them to immediately apply [to the Comelec],” she added.
Under Comelec Resolution 8714, the letter orders issued to security escorts were cancelled leaving them unauthorized to serve as security detail to officials or VIPs.
“There is a need to account or inventory all PSPG personnel considering that without the necessary letter order, the [security escorts] are not anymore authorized to serve as security detail to their respective VIPs and that officially they are now assigned back to their respective PSPG units,” Sarmiento said.
Sarmiento said that applicants, regardless if they are candidates or private individuals, should first seek the approval of the Joint Security Control Center of the Comelec before they could again acquire police escorts.
The application for police escorts and other security personnel began on January 10. Each applicant must pay a filing fee of P5,000 addressed to the Comelec when applying for a security escort.
At the same time, Sarmiento said she has met with representatives from the House of Representatives, Senate, and other diplomatic and consular services to discuss the existing Comelec resolution as well as the process in applying for security escorts.
Subject to Comelec approval, candidates for the presidential and vice presidential positions are allowed a maximum of 20 security escorts. Meanwhile, senatorial candidates are allowed a maximum of 12 security escorts. Candidates for the congressional level down as well as other private individuals are allowed a maximum of four.
Application for security escorts will also be subjected to the approval of the Comelec.
Under the same Comelec resolution, only legitimate security escorts in proper uniform are allowed to carry firearms.
‘Time for Arroyo to speak up on Morong 43
Filed Under: Military, Human Rights, Justice & Rights, insurgency, Healthcare Providers, Torture
MANILA, Philippines—The Commander in Chief should speak up.
President Gloria Macapagal-arroyo was assailed on Tuesday for her continuing silence on the two doctors and 41 other health workers detained at a military camp who were taken at gunpoint by state forces from a training seminar in Morong, Rizal.
Sen. Loren Legarda, vice presidential candidate of the Nacionalista Party (NP), said the President should use her powers as Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces to get to the bottom of the charges of sexual molestation and torture of the so-called “Morong 43” leveled at members of the Army’s 2nd Infantry Division.
The soldiers are headquartered at Camp Capinpin in Tanay, Rizal, where the 43 health workers have been held since Feb. 6 on suspicion of membership in the communist New People’s Army (NPA).
Political harassment
“As Commander in Chief and proclaimed champion of women’s rights, the President should look into [these charges],” Legarda, a lieutenant colonel in the Air Force Reserve Corps, told the Inquirer in a phone interview.
She said the issue was close to her heart as she had been pushing for the protection of barangay and community health workers.
“We cannot tolerate the fact that they are being harassed politically when they reach out [to people] in the hinterlands. We don’t have adequate and quality health care in the rural areas, and we owe it to the community health workers who provide these services,” Legarda said.
But she stressed that “due process must be [observed].”
“And that’s for both the volunteer workers, whom the military suspects of being members of the NPA, and the soldiers, whom one of the female detainees has accused of touching her private parts, as well as those of her companions,” she said.
Pressure to deny
One of the detained health workers is Jane Ballante, a granddaughter of the late congressman and labor leader Crispin Beltran.
According to Jane’s mother, Ofelia Beltran-Ballante, her daughter whispered that the jailers had touched her and the other female detainees’ private parts while they were in the toilet.
Jane Ballante subsequently denied the Philippine Daily Inquirer report, but the mother said at a press conference Tuesday that she was standing by her statement that the female detainees were sexually abused by their jailers.
“I understand her retraction. Her captor was right beside her, and there was pressure to deny it,” the mother said in a mix of Filipino and English.
Legarda said “it’s time” Ms Arroyo stepped in “because human rights violations were reportedly committed, and a mother has said that her daughter was abused.”
“If there’s a human rights violation, it must be proven and the culprits brought to justice,” she said.
She also rejected Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita’s statement that an investigation was not necessary because the allegations were mere propaganda by leftist groups.
The senator, a former broadcaster, said her political rivals would probably accuse her of speaking out on the issue “because I’m running for the vice presidency.”
“But remember that I was also a full-time journalist before I entered politics. We just want to get to the truth in this issue without anyone violating anyone else’s rights,” she said.
‘Not lying’
At the press conference in Quezon City, Ofelia Ballante said she was “not lying or misquoted” regarding the sexual abuse of her daughter.
“I stand by the statement I made to a newspaper that my daughter has been a victim of sexual abuse in detention,” she declared, adding that Jane had also told her two sisters about her ordeal.
Ballante said her daughter told her about the abuse during her first visit on Feb. 9, when the detainees’ kin were allowed to stay for five minutes, and repeated it on Feb. 10, when they were allowed to stay a little longer.
She said her daughter was not an NPA member, and that she understood why the latter denied the purported sexual molestation.
The mother added that Jane’s military escort, to whom she was handcuffed, took her to reporters covering the habeas corpus hearing to issue a denial.
“I understand her. I could feel that she was afraid of retaliation because she is still under military custody. But I stand by my statement that she and the other detainees were sexually tortured,” Ballante said.
The Supreme Court had earlier issued a writ of habeas corpus for the Morong 43 in response to a petition filed by their kin. It ordered the military to present the detainees to the Court of Appeals on Feb. 12. But it was only on Feb. 15 that the military did so.
Repeated ordeal
Holding back tears, Ballante said her daughter explained the ordeal she had to go through every time she used the toilet in handcuffs.
“Someone pulls her underwear down, washes her private parts, and pulls the underwear up again. My daughter found it very degrading and humiliating,” she said.
The Army has denied the charge of sexual molestation, and said only female soldiers or personnel were assigned to guard and assist female detainees, especially in using the toilet.
But Ballante said the gender of the soldier-escort did not matter.
She said that “since [my children] were three years old, they have been trained to do their [ablutions] in private.”
“It was torture for Jane to have someone present in her private moments,” she said. “I maintain that it’s not normal to have someone else with you in the toilet, particularly if it’s against your will.”
Ballante said Jane had apologized to her for the denial.
She said her daughter was suffering from the prolonged and repeated interrogations.
She also announced that a case against the military would be filed with the Commission on Human Rights in behalf of her daughter and the other female detainees.
“Those responsible should be held accountable,” she said.
Counseling needed
Gabriela party-list Representatives Liza Maza and Luz Ilagan, who were present at the press conference, also denounced the purported sexual abuse and called for the immediate release of the 43 health workers.
Ilagan said the health workers, especially the women, now needed psychological counseling.
“We can only imagine the mental and emotional torment the detained female health workers go through every minute they are held captive, knowing the historical and institutionalized notoriety of the military in abusing political captives,” Ilagan said.
Maza, a senatorial candidate of the NP, said: “Sexual abuse as form of torture is a serious allegation that warrants an immediate and impartial investigation. It is extremely disturbing to think of what the victims, most especially the women, have to go through day by day in the presence of their tormentors.”
“It is wrong for the military to issue a statement that the sexual abuse did not take place. It should be investigated based on the statement of the victim, not the suspect.”
‘Bounty-hunting’
Another senatorial candidate, Martin “Dr. Balikbayan” Bautista of the Liberal Party, condemned the arrest of the 43 health workers and said doctors were required to help anyone in need.
“Should a doctor be arrested and detained for treating ‘communists?’ When we took our oaths as physicians, we swore to care for all humanity,” Bautista said.
“I cannot accept the idea of 43 civilians being forced into a corner by a hundred-strong army of trained soldiers. They may be accused of being dissidents, but where proper protocol ended and blatant disregard of human rights began is what alarms me,” he said.
Bautista said the arrests resembled “the ruthlessness of bounty-hunting.”
“As a doctor, I cannot imagine being accused of such a grave offense when the nature of my profession revolves around providing medical attention and saving people’s lives, regardless of their political leanings,” he said.
MANILA, Philippines—The Commander in Chief should speak up.
President Gloria Macapagal-arroyo was assailed on Tuesday for her continuing silence on the two doctors and 41 other health workers detained at a military camp who were taken at gunpoint by state forces from a training seminar in Morong, Rizal.
Sen. Loren Legarda, vice presidential candidate of the Nacionalista Party (NP), said the President should use her powers as Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces to get to the bottom of the charges of sexual molestation and torture of the so-called “Morong 43” leveled at members of the Army’s 2nd Infantry Division.
The soldiers are headquartered at Camp Capinpin in Tanay, Rizal, where the 43 health workers have been held since Feb. 6 on suspicion of membership in the communist New People’s Army (NPA).
Political harassment
“As Commander in Chief and proclaimed champion of women’s rights, the President should look into [these charges],” Legarda, a lieutenant colonel in the Air Force Reserve Corps, told the Inquirer in a phone interview.
She said the issue was close to her heart as she had been pushing for the protection of barangay and community health workers.
“We cannot tolerate the fact that they are being harassed politically when they reach out [to people] in the hinterlands. We don’t have adequate and quality health care in the rural areas, and we owe it to the community health workers who provide these services,” Legarda said.
But she stressed that “due process must be [observed].”
“And that’s for both the volunteer workers, whom the military suspects of being members of the NPA, and the soldiers, whom one of the female detainees has accused of touching her private parts, as well as those of her companions,” she said.
Pressure to deny
One of the detained health workers is Jane Ballante, a granddaughter of the late congressman and labor leader Crispin Beltran.
According to Jane’s mother, Ofelia Beltran-Ballante, her daughter whispered that the jailers had touched her and the other female detainees’ private parts while they were in the toilet.
Jane Ballante subsequently denied the Philippine Daily Inquirer report, but the mother said at a press conference Tuesday that she was standing by her statement that the female detainees were sexually abused by their jailers.
“I understand her retraction. Her captor was right beside her, and there was pressure to deny it,” the mother said in a mix of Filipino and English.
Legarda said “it’s time” Ms Arroyo stepped in “because human rights violations were reportedly committed, and a mother has said that her daughter was abused.”
“If there’s a human rights violation, it must be proven and the culprits brought to justice,” she said.
She also rejected Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita’s statement that an investigation was not necessary because the allegations were mere propaganda by leftist groups.
The senator, a former broadcaster, said her political rivals would probably accuse her of speaking out on the issue “because I’m running for the vice presidency.”
“But remember that I was also a full-time journalist before I entered politics. We just want to get to the truth in this issue without anyone violating anyone else’s rights,” she said.
‘Not lying’
At the press conference in Quezon City, Ofelia Ballante said she was “not lying or misquoted” regarding the sexual abuse of her daughter.
“I stand by the statement I made to a newspaper that my daughter has been a victim of sexual abuse in detention,” she declared, adding that Jane had also told her two sisters about her ordeal.
Ballante said her daughter told her about the abuse during her first visit on Feb. 9, when the detainees’ kin were allowed to stay for five minutes, and repeated it on Feb. 10, when they were allowed to stay a little longer.
She said her daughter was not an NPA member, and that she understood why the latter denied the purported sexual molestation.
The mother added that Jane’s military escort, to whom she was handcuffed, took her to reporters covering the habeas corpus hearing to issue a denial.
“I understand her. I could feel that she was afraid of retaliation because she is still under military custody. But I stand by my statement that she and the other detainees were sexually tortured,” Ballante said.
The Supreme Court had earlier issued a writ of habeas corpus for the Morong 43 in response to a petition filed by their kin. It ordered the military to present the detainees to the Court of Appeals on Feb. 12. But it was only on Feb. 15 that the military did so.
Repeated ordeal
Holding back tears, Ballante said her daughter explained the ordeal she had to go through every time she used the toilet in handcuffs.
“Someone pulls her underwear down, washes her private parts, and pulls the underwear up again. My daughter found it very degrading and humiliating,” she said.
The Army has denied the charge of sexual molestation, and said only female soldiers or personnel were assigned to guard and assist female detainees, especially in using the toilet.
But Ballante said the gender of the soldier-escort did not matter.
She said that “since [my children] were three years old, they have been trained to do their [ablutions] in private.”
“It was torture for Jane to have someone present in her private moments,” she said. “I maintain that it’s not normal to have someone else with you in the toilet, particularly if it’s against your will.”
Ballante said Jane had apologized to her for the denial.
She said her daughter was suffering from the prolonged and repeated interrogations.
She also announced that a case against the military would be filed with the Commission on Human Rights in behalf of her daughter and the other female detainees.
“Those responsible should be held accountable,” she said.
Counseling needed
Gabriela party-list Representatives Liza Maza and Luz Ilagan, who were present at the press conference, also denounced the purported sexual abuse and called for the immediate release of the 43 health workers.
Ilagan said the health workers, especially the women, now needed psychological counseling.
“We can only imagine the mental and emotional torment the detained female health workers go through every minute they are held captive, knowing the historical and institutionalized notoriety of the military in abusing political captives,” Ilagan said.
Maza, a senatorial candidate of the NP, said: “Sexual abuse as form of torture is a serious allegation that warrants an immediate and impartial investigation. It is extremely disturbing to think of what the victims, most especially the women, have to go through day by day in the presence of their tormentors.”
“It is wrong for the military to issue a statement that the sexual abuse did not take place. It should be investigated based on the statement of the victim, not the suspect.”
‘Bounty-hunting’
Another senatorial candidate, Martin “Dr. Balikbayan” Bautista of the Liberal Party, condemned the arrest of the 43 health workers and said doctors were required to help anyone in need.
“Should a doctor be arrested and detained for treating ‘communists?’ When we took our oaths as physicians, we swore to care for all humanity,” Bautista said.
“I cannot accept the idea of 43 civilians being forced into a corner by a hundred-strong army of trained soldiers. They may be accused of being dissidents, but where proper protocol ended and blatant disregard of human rights began is what alarms me,” he said.
Bautista said the arrests resembled “the ruthlessness of bounty-hunting.”
“As a doctor, I cannot imagine being accused of such a grave offense when the nature of my profession revolves around providing medical attention and saving people’s lives, regardless of their political leanings,” he said.
Trillanes, Lim get bail but stay in jail
Filed Under: Military, rebellion, Coup d etat, Crime and Law and Justice, Litigation & Regulations, Judiciary (system of justice)
MANILA, Philippines—It’s a case of so near and yet so far for Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV, Brig. Gen. Danilo Lim and 16 other Magdalo rebel soldiers.
Despite Makati Judge Elmo Alameda’s grant of their bail request in connection with rebellion charges involving the siege of Peninsula Manila hotel in 2007, the Armed Forces said they still had to be detained pending the resolution of their court-martial cases for the 2003 Oakwood mutiny.
“According to the Trial Judge Advocate General [Col. Gilbert Roa], they will only be freed until after the military has agreed, because they are still facing general court-martial cases,” Lt. Col. Romeo Brawner Jr., the AFP spokesperson, told reporters Wednesday.
In a 16-page order promulgated on Tuesday, Alameda of the Makati Regional Trial Court Branch 150 said that despite the testimonies of witnesses and evidence presented, the prosecution failed to establish that the accused had mounted an armed uprising against the government.
“The walkout from the court, the marching to Peninsula Manila hotel and the press conference held in the same hotel denouncing the administration of President Gloria Arroyo are not sufficient to prove the nonbailable crime of rebellion,” he said.
He added that at the very least, the incident could be considered “contumacious conduct constitutive of direct contempt, and not rebellion.”
P200,000 bail
Apart from Trillanes and Lim, those covered by the order are Navy Captains Gary Alejano and Segundino Orfiano; Lieutenants Eugene Gonzalez, Andy Torrato, Arturo Pascua Jr., James Layug and Manuel Cabochan; 2nd Lt. Jonnell Sangalang; 1st Lt. Billy Pascua; Ensign Armand Pontejos; Cpl. Clecarte Dahan; and Privates First Class Juanito Jilbury Jr., Emmanuel Tirador, German Linde, Julius Mesa and Cesari Yasser Gonzales.
The court set bail for the accused at P200,000 each, an amount that their lawyer, Ernesto Francisco, hopes to reduce to P40,000 when he files a request as soon as possible.
Sen. Rodolfo Biazon, a former AFP chief of staff, said Trillanes “is not about to go free because there is still the Oakwood case.”
Still, Biazon said, the grant of bail was “one step hurdled in [Trillanes’] legal battle.”
Brawner said Trillanes was still facing court-martial proceedings in relation to the short-lived mutiny in 2003, when the Magdalo group of soldiers took over the Oakwood Premier apartments in Makati City and called on President Macapagal-Arroyo and other officials to step down.
A general court-martial is also trying a number of cases against Lim, a senatorial candidate of the Liberal Party, who is implicated in the Peninsula siege in November 2007 and the Marine standoff at Fort Bonifacio in February 2006.
The cases include conduct unbecoming an officer, conduct prejudicial to good order and military discipline, and disrespect to the President, according to Lim’s lawyer, Vicente Verdadero.
The 16 other Magdalo soldiers are also facing court-martial proceedings for the Peninsula case.
‘Bright spot in judiciary’
In a handwritten statement to the media, Trillanes said: “I am very happy for my companions as their long awaited freedom is finally at hand.
“I thank Judge Elmo Alameda for displaying fairness and impartiality in his decision to grant bail. This proves that there are still bright spots in the judiciary.”
Francisco said he visited Trillanes at his detention cell in Camp Crame, the general headquarters of the Philippine National Police.
“He is confident that there will come a time when he would be able to get out,” the lawyer said by phone.
In his own statement, Lim said that after four years of incarceration, freedom was “just around the corner.”
“The door that has closed us from the outside world and unjustly incarcerated us in our pursuit of truth and meaningful change is slowly opening,” he said.
He added that the grant of bail was “a triumph of hope” within the justice system and “a step in the right direction” in confirming his and his comrades’ innocence of the rebellion charges.
Mini celebration
Alan Tanjusay, Lim’s spokesperson, said the jailed Magdalo soldiers held a “mini celebration” upon hearing of Alameda’s decision.
He said the detainees were “very optimistic and upbeat.”
“I’ve never seen them like that before,” he said.
According to Tanjusay, the group had a lunch of menudo, pork sisig and soft drinks together.
But Brawner said the soldiers would remain detained at Camp Crame as Colonel Roa had yet to study Alameda’s order and make a recommendation to AFP Chief of Staff Gen. Victor Ibrado.
Brawner said an assessment of whether the rebel soldiers could be allowed temporary freedom might take a week.
He also pointed out that under the military justice system, “there is no such thing as bail.”
Verdadero confirmed that Lim could not leave detention yet. He said a pleading would be submitted to the military court for Lim’s release.
“We welcome the ruling because with all due respect to the prosecution, it shows that their evidence could not sustain the charges they filed against [the soldiers],” he said.
Prove uprising
Judge Alameda said the standoff at Peninsula between Trillanes’ group and government forces composed of strike teams from the military and police tasked to secure the area did not necessarily mean the accused were “liable for the crime of rebellion.”
He said it was “necessary for the prosecution to at least prove that the accused have risen publicly and taken up arms against the government.”
Alameda also cited the prosecution’s purported failure to establish the ownership of the firearms—four rifles and a pistol—found by the authorities at the hotel after the standoff.
“With limited fire power, it is difficult to discern that the crime of rebellion could be committed since the crime involves a public uprising and the taking up of arms of a multitude or a vast movement of men,” he said.
Like protest rally
The judge also said that the group’s march to the hotel from the court was “no different from the numerous protest [rallies] along the streets of Makati, which is not an unusual occurrence.”
“What made the march peculiar was the presence of known personalities like Senator Trillanes and other detained prisoners … who have just been found guilty of direct contempt for walking out during the hearing of their case,” he said.
Alameda said Lim’s press conference seeking support “does not fall squarely within the ambit of rebellion.”
“The reading of [Lim’s] statement over radio and television did not allow the accused to deprive President Arroyo of her powers and prerogatives to enforce the law,” he said.
Excited and nervous
Speaking with reporters at Camp Crame, Lim’s wife Aloy said that as was her routine in the past four years, she rose at 5 a.m. Wednesday to pray for the court’s favorable decision on her husband’s petition for bail.
“I’m both very excited and nervous. I have mixed emotions about the court’s decision,” she said.
Aloy Lim said she visited her husband at Camp Crame unaware of Alameda’s ruling.
“I’m very surprised. I’m here just for a regular visit,” she said. “I cannot contain my excitement. Even my knees are trembling.” With a report from Marlon Ramos
MANILA, Philippines—It’s a case of so near and yet so far for Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV, Brig. Gen. Danilo Lim and 16 other Magdalo rebel soldiers.
Despite Makati Judge Elmo Alameda’s grant of their bail request in connection with rebellion charges involving the siege of Peninsula Manila hotel in 2007, the Armed Forces said they still had to be detained pending the resolution of their court-martial cases for the 2003 Oakwood mutiny.
“According to the Trial Judge Advocate General [Col. Gilbert Roa], they will only be freed until after the military has agreed, because they are still facing general court-martial cases,” Lt. Col. Romeo Brawner Jr., the AFP spokesperson, told reporters Wednesday.
In a 16-page order promulgated on Tuesday, Alameda of the Makati Regional Trial Court Branch 150 said that despite the testimonies of witnesses and evidence presented, the prosecution failed to establish that the accused had mounted an armed uprising against the government.
“The walkout from the court, the marching to Peninsula Manila hotel and the press conference held in the same hotel denouncing the administration of President Gloria Arroyo are not sufficient to prove the nonbailable crime of rebellion,” he said.
He added that at the very least, the incident could be considered “contumacious conduct constitutive of direct contempt, and not rebellion.”
P200,000 bail
Apart from Trillanes and Lim, those covered by the order are Navy Captains Gary Alejano and Segundino Orfiano; Lieutenants Eugene Gonzalez, Andy Torrato, Arturo Pascua Jr., James Layug and Manuel Cabochan; 2nd Lt. Jonnell Sangalang; 1st Lt. Billy Pascua; Ensign Armand Pontejos; Cpl. Clecarte Dahan; and Privates First Class Juanito Jilbury Jr., Emmanuel Tirador, German Linde, Julius Mesa and Cesari Yasser Gonzales.
The court set bail for the accused at P200,000 each, an amount that their lawyer, Ernesto Francisco, hopes to reduce to P40,000 when he files a request as soon as possible.
Sen. Rodolfo Biazon, a former AFP chief of staff, said Trillanes “is not about to go free because there is still the Oakwood case.”
Still, Biazon said, the grant of bail was “one step hurdled in [Trillanes’] legal battle.”
Brawner said Trillanes was still facing court-martial proceedings in relation to the short-lived mutiny in 2003, when the Magdalo group of soldiers took over the Oakwood Premier apartments in Makati City and called on President Macapagal-Arroyo and other officials to step down.
A general court-martial is also trying a number of cases against Lim, a senatorial candidate of the Liberal Party, who is implicated in the Peninsula siege in November 2007 and the Marine standoff at Fort Bonifacio in February 2006.
The cases include conduct unbecoming an officer, conduct prejudicial to good order and military discipline, and disrespect to the President, according to Lim’s lawyer, Vicente Verdadero.
The 16 other Magdalo soldiers are also facing court-martial proceedings for the Peninsula case.
‘Bright spot in judiciary’
In a handwritten statement to the media, Trillanes said: “I am very happy for my companions as their long awaited freedom is finally at hand.
“I thank Judge Elmo Alameda for displaying fairness and impartiality in his decision to grant bail. This proves that there are still bright spots in the judiciary.”
Francisco said he visited Trillanes at his detention cell in Camp Crame, the general headquarters of the Philippine National Police.
“He is confident that there will come a time when he would be able to get out,” the lawyer said by phone.
In his own statement, Lim said that after four years of incarceration, freedom was “just around the corner.”
“The door that has closed us from the outside world and unjustly incarcerated us in our pursuit of truth and meaningful change is slowly opening,” he said.
He added that the grant of bail was “a triumph of hope” within the justice system and “a step in the right direction” in confirming his and his comrades’ innocence of the rebellion charges.
Mini celebration
Alan Tanjusay, Lim’s spokesperson, said the jailed Magdalo soldiers held a “mini celebration” upon hearing of Alameda’s decision.
He said the detainees were “very optimistic and upbeat.”
“I’ve never seen them like that before,” he said.
According to Tanjusay, the group had a lunch of menudo, pork sisig and soft drinks together.
But Brawner said the soldiers would remain detained at Camp Crame as Colonel Roa had yet to study Alameda’s order and make a recommendation to AFP Chief of Staff Gen. Victor Ibrado.
Brawner said an assessment of whether the rebel soldiers could be allowed temporary freedom might take a week.
He also pointed out that under the military justice system, “there is no such thing as bail.”
Verdadero confirmed that Lim could not leave detention yet. He said a pleading would be submitted to the military court for Lim’s release.
“We welcome the ruling because with all due respect to the prosecution, it shows that their evidence could not sustain the charges they filed against [the soldiers],” he said.
Prove uprising
Judge Alameda said the standoff at Peninsula between Trillanes’ group and government forces composed of strike teams from the military and police tasked to secure the area did not necessarily mean the accused were “liable for the crime of rebellion.”
He said it was “necessary for the prosecution to at least prove that the accused have risen publicly and taken up arms against the government.”
Alameda also cited the prosecution’s purported failure to establish the ownership of the firearms—four rifles and a pistol—found by the authorities at the hotel after the standoff.
“With limited fire power, it is difficult to discern that the crime of rebellion could be committed since the crime involves a public uprising and the taking up of arms of a multitude or a vast movement of men,” he said.
Like protest rally
The judge also said that the group’s march to the hotel from the court was “no different from the numerous protest [rallies] along the streets of Makati, which is not an unusual occurrence.”
“What made the march peculiar was the presence of known personalities like Senator Trillanes and other detained prisoners … who have just been found guilty of direct contempt for walking out during the hearing of their case,” he said.
Alameda said Lim’s press conference seeking support “does not fall squarely within the ambit of rebellion.”
“The reading of [Lim’s] statement over radio and television did not allow the accused to deprive President Arroyo of her powers and prerogatives to enforce the law,” he said.
Excited and nervous
Speaking with reporters at Camp Crame, Lim’s wife Aloy said that as was her routine in the past four years, she rose at 5 a.m. Wednesday to pray for the court’s favorable decision on her husband’s petition for bail.
“I’m both very excited and nervous. I have mixed emotions about the court’s decision,” she said.
Aloy Lim said she visited her husband at Camp Crame unaware of Alameda’s ruling.
“I’m very surprised. I’m here just for a regular visit,” she said. “I cannot contain my excitement. Even my knees are trembling.” With a report from Marlon Ramos
Globe, PLDT OK to host ‘secret’ poll data centers
Filed Under: Eleksyon 2010, Computing & Information Technology, Telecommunications Services, Satellite technology
MANILA, Philippines—Secret.
That’s the operative word when Globe Telecoms and Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company (PLDT) Wednesday agreed to host the main data centers for the transmission of results in the May 10 automated elections, officials said.
The decision was reached a day after the telco giants announced they were considering withdrawing their offers to the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to set up the data centers in their main offices, fearing physical and technical attacks.
Where the centers would be located was not disclosed by Renato Garcia, a Comelec adviser, at a news briefing following talks with poll officials and Smartmatic-TIM, which will carry out the country’s first national electronic vote.
“We’ve already agreed on the area on the facilities that will be used and we are just working out the details on how to be able to have a Tier 3 data facility. These are their own facilities,” Garcia said.
He said that the data banks would not be set up in the main offices of Globe and PLDT as first proposed by the Comelec. But because of security issues, he declined where these would be located.
The two companies’ facilities at Clark that they had proposed as alternatives, however, were rejected.
Election tallies
The location of the data banks, which will have the copies of the election tallies, was the main issue on Tuesday at the joint congressional oversight committee on the automated elections.
Globe and PLDT had backed down on their offer of their facilities in Metro Manila to be used as data centers, saying they fear technical and security attacks on their systems. This delayed the signing of a contract between the carriers and the Comelec and Smartmatic-TIM on transmission of election returns.
Garcia said this and other issues were still under discussion.
If no agreement is forged between Smartmatic-TIM and the telecommunications companies in time for the elections, Comelec Chair Jose Melo said he could still force the carriers to agree.
Under the law and during the election period, the Comelec can deputize public utilities to do election activities in the interest of implementing fair and credible elections.
But Melo said the poll body preferred to come to an agreement.
Another thorny issue
Ramon Casiple, a member of the Comelec advisory council, said the other thorny issue between the phone firms and the poll body was the use of bandwidth, which Smartmatic-TIM had proposed. This will be open for two hours on May 10 to transmit results, he said.
The companies, he said, balked at this proposal because it would be a blow to their business.
The rates are still under negotiation, Casiple said, adding that it will be based on National Telecommunications Commission regulations.
With only 80 days to go before the elections, there are other transmission issues to be overcome.
Officials said that additional mobile telecommunications equipment would be ordered, aside from the Broadband Global Area Network (BGAN), to ensure that the transmission of votes from municipalities to the other servers and canvassing centers go smoothly.
The BGAN will be deployed in the polling places to transmit the results if the data are not sent using the first method, which is via cell phone connectivity.
Satellite transmitters
Juan Villa, Smartmatic-TIM chair, said the company had proposed that the Comelec buy very small aperture terminals (VSATs) for use in the municipal canvassing centers, citing unstable signal in the provinces.
VSATs, like the BGAN, use satellite connection to send data from one point to another. The equipment is used in sending credit card and broadband data.
Villa said that the additional equipment was necessary because only 75 percent of the country was covered by cell phone signal.
“We, like other bidders, were all working on the assumption that there was 90-percent coverage,” he said in an interview with the Inquirer, citing the requirements in the bid documents.
Villa noted that satellite transmission was the most reliable mode of transmitting the results from the counting centers to the other servers, as seen in the mock elections last month.
He said 1,000-1,500 VSATs were needed for all municipalities. Since the equipment is portable, it can be transported from one municipality to another.
GSM unreliable
In the tests conducted in several areas nationwide last month, it was revealed that sending the election results through GSM, which is used by the mobile phone companies, was unreliable even in urban centers.
In Taguig City and Pateros, for instance, the election data were not transmitted in the first try and the technicians had to replace the Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) of the election machine before the results could be sent from the precincts to the canvassing centers using Global System for Mobile (GSM) communication system.
In Pateros, the GSM did not work and the technicians had to use the BGAN.
Also on Wednesday, Philippine National Police Director General Jesus Verzosa said that he had not received intelligence reports on possible attacks against Globe and PLDT but said that the companies should confer with the Comelec on their security concerns. With a report from Marlon Ramos
MANILA, Philippines—Secret.
That’s the operative word when Globe Telecoms and Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company (PLDT) Wednesday agreed to host the main data centers for the transmission of results in the May 10 automated elections, officials said.
The decision was reached a day after the telco giants announced they were considering withdrawing their offers to the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to set up the data centers in their main offices, fearing physical and technical attacks.
Where the centers would be located was not disclosed by Renato Garcia, a Comelec adviser, at a news briefing following talks with poll officials and Smartmatic-TIM, which will carry out the country’s first national electronic vote.
“We’ve already agreed on the area on the facilities that will be used and we are just working out the details on how to be able to have a Tier 3 data facility. These are their own facilities,” Garcia said.
He said that the data banks would not be set up in the main offices of Globe and PLDT as first proposed by the Comelec. But because of security issues, he declined where these would be located.
The two companies’ facilities at Clark that they had proposed as alternatives, however, were rejected.
Election tallies
The location of the data banks, which will have the copies of the election tallies, was the main issue on Tuesday at the joint congressional oversight committee on the automated elections.
Globe and PLDT had backed down on their offer of their facilities in Metro Manila to be used as data centers, saying they fear technical and security attacks on their systems. This delayed the signing of a contract between the carriers and the Comelec and Smartmatic-TIM on transmission of election returns.
Garcia said this and other issues were still under discussion.
If no agreement is forged between Smartmatic-TIM and the telecommunications companies in time for the elections, Comelec Chair Jose Melo said he could still force the carriers to agree.
Under the law and during the election period, the Comelec can deputize public utilities to do election activities in the interest of implementing fair and credible elections.
But Melo said the poll body preferred to come to an agreement.
Another thorny issue
Ramon Casiple, a member of the Comelec advisory council, said the other thorny issue between the phone firms and the poll body was the use of bandwidth, which Smartmatic-TIM had proposed. This will be open for two hours on May 10 to transmit results, he said.
The companies, he said, balked at this proposal because it would be a blow to their business.
The rates are still under negotiation, Casiple said, adding that it will be based on National Telecommunications Commission regulations.
With only 80 days to go before the elections, there are other transmission issues to be overcome.
Officials said that additional mobile telecommunications equipment would be ordered, aside from the Broadband Global Area Network (BGAN), to ensure that the transmission of votes from municipalities to the other servers and canvassing centers go smoothly.
The BGAN will be deployed in the polling places to transmit the results if the data are not sent using the first method, which is via cell phone connectivity.
Satellite transmitters
Juan Villa, Smartmatic-TIM chair, said the company had proposed that the Comelec buy very small aperture terminals (VSATs) for use in the municipal canvassing centers, citing unstable signal in the provinces.
VSATs, like the BGAN, use satellite connection to send data from one point to another. The equipment is used in sending credit card and broadband data.
Villa said that the additional equipment was necessary because only 75 percent of the country was covered by cell phone signal.
“We, like other bidders, were all working on the assumption that there was 90-percent coverage,” he said in an interview with the Inquirer, citing the requirements in the bid documents.
Villa noted that satellite transmission was the most reliable mode of transmitting the results from the counting centers to the other servers, as seen in the mock elections last month.
He said 1,000-1,500 VSATs were needed for all municipalities. Since the equipment is portable, it can be transported from one municipality to another.
GSM unreliable
In the tests conducted in several areas nationwide last month, it was revealed that sending the election results through GSM, which is used by the mobile phone companies, was unreliable even in urban centers.
In Taguig City and Pateros, for instance, the election data were not transmitted in the first try and the technicians had to replace the Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) of the election machine before the results could be sent from the precincts to the canvassing centers using Global System for Mobile (GSM) communication system.
In Pateros, the GSM did not work and the technicians had to use the BGAN.
Also on Wednesday, Philippine National Police Director General Jesus Verzosa said that he had not received intelligence reports on possible attacks against Globe and PLDT but said that the companies should confer with the Comelec on their security concerns. With a report from Marlon Ramos
El Niño drying up farms
From north to south, farmers try to survive
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 00:53:00 02/18/2010
Filed Under: Weather, Agriculture, Water Supply
MANILA, Philippines—Intense heat is drying up farmlands, reservoirs and waterways all over the country, and farmers are scrambling to find ways to cope and survive.
The abnormal signs of El Niño, a weather phenomenon referring to the warmer-than-normal sea-surface temperature in the Pacific Ocean that results in drought in Asia and Australia, and wet winters in the United States, are exacting their toll in the Philippines, according to agriculture officials.
With the lack of rainfall and irrigation water, Filipino farmers are keeping a closer watch over their fields so that whatever available water is used wisely.
Huge clumps of light-brown soil have appeared in the corn fields of Cagayan Valley and Pangasinan, while rice paddies have turned barren in Isabela, Bulacan, Pangasinan, Ilocos Norte, Camarines Sur, Negros, Davao del Sur and other provinces.
The desert-like images have prompted some farmers to stop planting to cut losses.
Isabela, Cagayan and other provinces, as well as in the corn-producing town of Sto. Tomas in Pangasinan and Cauayan City and Ilagan town in Isabela, have been placed under states of calamity to allow local governments to use public funds to help the distressed farmers.
Pangasinan
In Pangasinan, the scene in the agricultural village of Carmen in Rosales town has changed fast in just three months.
Croplands were under several feet of water in October last year. Now, under the scorching sun, the land is parched and cracked.
“If you don’t wear slippers, your feet could get injured as the dried-up soil is so sharp,” said Dhalia Gabor, 23, who is helping her sisters till the land.
The area is covered by an irrigation system, but nothing flows downstream.
When the farmers upstream are done with irrigating their rice lands, water will then be released to the rice fields downstream, according to the “water master,” who is in charge of schedule.
“We are supposed to transplant the palay seedlings already. But there is no water yet. My sisters had to keep the seedlings alive by pumping water from a shallow well, but fuel to run the pump is expensive,” Gabor said.
By the time water reaches the farms, it may be too late to transplant the seedlings.
Gabor’s father, Dominador, 62, decided not to plant in Barangay San Gabriel. He did not want to follow others who were able to do so in December and January, but produced crops that looked unhealthy due to lack of water and expected to harvest only half their yield.
In Pozorrubio town, Board Member Danilo Uy said he had to irrigate his corn fields twice as much than usual.
“Corn needs watering twice or thrice from planting to harvest, but now we have to water them seven or eight times because the land easily dries up. The water evaporates fast,” he said.
Uy said he was lending motor pumps to other farmers to meet their irrigation needs. “But you know, it is really expensive to pump water and there is hardly water coming out of the wells,” he said.
Ilocos Norte
Since rainfall has become scarce beginning late last year, farmers in Pagudpud town in Ilocos Norte are making sure that their rice lands are wet.
During the dry season, more than 500 hectares of rice fields in six villages usually tap the nearby Cabacanan River for irrigation, but now, the river may dry up due to the prolonged drought.
Errol Calivoso, a rice farmer from Barangay Badduang, said crop owners had been spending more time in the fields beginning January to ensure that these were fed sufficiently with water from the river.
“We are drawing more water for our fields. We hope the river does not dry up until we are able to harvest our crops,” he said.
Should the dry spell persist, farmers may resort to planting alternative crops next month, Calivoso said.
Norma Lagmay, provincial agriculturist, said 1,750 hectares of farmlands around Ilocos Norte could no longer be planted with rice.
Instead of the usual cropping period from March to July, farmers now observe it from July to September, she said.
Moreover, they have been told to irrigate their farms only from 5 a.m. to 9 a.m. and from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., and to avoid going to the fields between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.
“The proper hours spent in the fields would lead to proper crop water absorption and protect farmers from the cruel sun,” Lagmay said.
Magat Dam
In Isabela, Narciso Ramones and other rice farmers of Tumauini town have accepted their fate this year.
“We do not have anything for our daily needs. Our palay farms have been drying up, no one would want to loan us money and we do not have collateral because we are very poor,” Ramones said.
Records from the provincial agriculture office showed that at least P1.6 billion worth of rice and corn had been destroyed by the drought.
Administrators of the Magat Dam said they would be forced to shut down the 350-megawatt hydroelectric plant if the reservoir’s water level would drop to 160 meters above sea level (masl) and below.
Michael Hosillos, external affairs manager of SN-Aboitiz Power, said the water level had been continuously decreasing due to the lack of rainfall in the watershed areas.
The drop averages 0.6 meter a day, according to Saturnino Tenedor, dam and reservoir division chief. On Tuesday, the water level read 165 masl, or 28 meters below maximum.
If this reaches 160 masl, Hosillos said the plant would temporarily stop generating electricity.
The Magat facility is just one of the power generators in northern Luzon “so the lack of water here is no cause for alarm in the country,” he said.
“We have coal-fired power plants and other power generators in Luzon to fill up the reserves,” he said.
Tenedor said cloud-seeding operations over the watershed areas did not induce heavy rains.
Pampanga, Nueva Ecija
In Pampanga, Mayor Jerry Pelayo of Candaba town asked farmers to avoid planting rice and resort to growing vegetables, like eggplant, squash and watermelon, which use less water.
In Nueva Ecija, rice farmers in the western part of Guimba town and nearby towns of Cuyapo, Nampicuan and Talugtog will not be using underground irrigation water because they could not afford the high expense for fuel to run the pumps.
In Bulacan, Gloria Carillo, provincial agriculture officer, said palay planted in more than 1,200 hectares of farms in the towns of Bocaue, Balagtas, San Ildefonso and Calumpit have been destroyed due to shortage of irrigation water.
Rice fields in Bulakan, Pulilan, Guiguinto and Plaridel towns have also been drying up.
The Department of Agriculture, Carillo said, would distribute seeds of alternative crops to the farmers to help them recover their losses.
Camarines Sur
In Camarines Sur, the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) and the municipal government of Buhi are wrangling over the priority use of water resources of Lake Buhi as 1,061 rice farms are drying up for lack of irrigation water.
The lake, home of sinarapan (Mistichthys luzonensis), the smallest commercial fish in the world, has an area of 18 square kilometers and an average depth of 8 meters.
William Ragodon, NIA regional director, said he would raise the issue to the National Water Resources Board and to the court as a last resort to resolve the problem on the utilization of water from Lake Buhi.
The NIA wants the municipality to further lower the sluice in the lake’s control structure to 82 meters so that water supply can be increased for irrigation in Iriga City and Bula town. But Buhi Mayor Rey Lacoste maintains that this could affect tilapia production in fish cages.
Western Visayas
The dry spell had already destroyed 13,000 hectares of rice lands in Western Visayas and could affect 42,000 has more, according to Larry Nacionales, agriculture regional director.
Nacionales said damage to agriculture could reach some P500 million.
Cloud seeding will be done in Negros Occidental because wide tracts of its sugarcane fields have been affected, he said, but not over mango and watermelon plantations, and other croplands which could be damaged by the operation.
The agriculture department’s regional office has requested P190 million to rehabilitate irrigation systems and develop other water sources.
It has also encouraged farmers to plant other crops and raise livestock as alternative sources of income. Reports from Yolanda Sotelo, Cristina Arzadon, Estanislao Caldez and Villamor Visaya Jr., Inquirer Northern Luzon; Anselmo Roque, Charlene Cayabyab and Carmela Reyes, Inquirer Central Luzon; Juan Escandor Jr., Inquirer Southern Luzon; and Nestor Burgos Jr., Inquirer Visayas
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 00:53:00 02/18/2010
Filed Under: Weather, Agriculture, Water Supply
MANILA, Philippines—Intense heat is drying up farmlands, reservoirs and waterways all over the country, and farmers are scrambling to find ways to cope and survive.
The abnormal signs of El Niño, a weather phenomenon referring to the warmer-than-normal sea-surface temperature in the Pacific Ocean that results in drought in Asia and Australia, and wet winters in the United States, are exacting their toll in the Philippines, according to agriculture officials.
With the lack of rainfall and irrigation water, Filipino farmers are keeping a closer watch over their fields so that whatever available water is used wisely.
Huge clumps of light-brown soil have appeared in the corn fields of Cagayan Valley and Pangasinan, while rice paddies have turned barren in Isabela, Bulacan, Pangasinan, Ilocos Norte, Camarines Sur, Negros, Davao del Sur and other provinces.
The desert-like images have prompted some farmers to stop planting to cut losses.
Isabela, Cagayan and other provinces, as well as in the corn-producing town of Sto. Tomas in Pangasinan and Cauayan City and Ilagan town in Isabela, have been placed under states of calamity to allow local governments to use public funds to help the distressed farmers.
Pangasinan
In Pangasinan, the scene in the agricultural village of Carmen in Rosales town has changed fast in just three months.
Croplands were under several feet of water in October last year. Now, under the scorching sun, the land is parched and cracked.
“If you don’t wear slippers, your feet could get injured as the dried-up soil is so sharp,” said Dhalia Gabor, 23, who is helping her sisters till the land.
The area is covered by an irrigation system, but nothing flows downstream.
When the farmers upstream are done with irrigating their rice lands, water will then be released to the rice fields downstream, according to the “water master,” who is in charge of schedule.
“We are supposed to transplant the palay seedlings already. But there is no water yet. My sisters had to keep the seedlings alive by pumping water from a shallow well, but fuel to run the pump is expensive,” Gabor said.
By the time water reaches the farms, it may be too late to transplant the seedlings.
Gabor’s father, Dominador, 62, decided not to plant in Barangay San Gabriel. He did not want to follow others who were able to do so in December and January, but produced crops that looked unhealthy due to lack of water and expected to harvest only half their yield.
In Pozorrubio town, Board Member Danilo Uy said he had to irrigate his corn fields twice as much than usual.
“Corn needs watering twice or thrice from planting to harvest, but now we have to water them seven or eight times because the land easily dries up. The water evaporates fast,” he said.
Uy said he was lending motor pumps to other farmers to meet their irrigation needs. “But you know, it is really expensive to pump water and there is hardly water coming out of the wells,” he said.
Ilocos Norte
Since rainfall has become scarce beginning late last year, farmers in Pagudpud town in Ilocos Norte are making sure that their rice lands are wet.
During the dry season, more than 500 hectares of rice fields in six villages usually tap the nearby Cabacanan River for irrigation, but now, the river may dry up due to the prolonged drought.
Errol Calivoso, a rice farmer from Barangay Badduang, said crop owners had been spending more time in the fields beginning January to ensure that these were fed sufficiently with water from the river.
“We are drawing more water for our fields. We hope the river does not dry up until we are able to harvest our crops,” he said.
Should the dry spell persist, farmers may resort to planting alternative crops next month, Calivoso said.
Norma Lagmay, provincial agriculturist, said 1,750 hectares of farmlands around Ilocos Norte could no longer be planted with rice.
Instead of the usual cropping period from March to July, farmers now observe it from July to September, she said.
Moreover, they have been told to irrigate their farms only from 5 a.m. to 9 a.m. and from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., and to avoid going to the fields between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.
“The proper hours spent in the fields would lead to proper crop water absorption and protect farmers from the cruel sun,” Lagmay said.
Magat Dam
In Isabela, Narciso Ramones and other rice farmers of Tumauini town have accepted their fate this year.
“We do not have anything for our daily needs. Our palay farms have been drying up, no one would want to loan us money and we do not have collateral because we are very poor,” Ramones said.
Records from the provincial agriculture office showed that at least P1.6 billion worth of rice and corn had been destroyed by the drought.
Administrators of the Magat Dam said they would be forced to shut down the 350-megawatt hydroelectric plant if the reservoir’s water level would drop to 160 meters above sea level (masl) and below.
Michael Hosillos, external affairs manager of SN-Aboitiz Power, said the water level had been continuously decreasing due to the lack of rainfall in the watershed areas.
The drop averages 0.6 meter a day, according to Saturnino Tenedor, dam and reservoir division chief. On Tuesday, the water level read 165 masl, or 28 meters below maximum.
If this reaches 160 masl, Hosillos said the plant would temporarily stop generating electricity.
The Magat facility is just one of the power generators in northern Luzon “so the lack of water here is no cause for alarm in the country,” he said.
“We have coal-fired power plants and other power generators in Luzon to fill up the reserves,” he said.
Tenedor said cloud-seeding operations over the watershed areas did not induce heavy rains.
Pampanga, Nueva Ecija
In Pampanga, Mayor Jerry Pelayo of Candaba town asked farmers to avoid planting rice and resort to growing vegetables, like eggplant, squash and watermelon, which use less water.
In Nueva Ecija, rice farmers in the western part of Guimba town and nearby towns of Cuyapo, Nampicuan and Talugtog will not be using underground irrigation water because they could not afford the high expense for fuel to run the pumps.
In Bulacan, Gloria Carillo, provincial agriculture officer, said palay planted in more than 1,200 hectares of farms in the towns of Bocaue, Balagtas, San Ildefonso and Calumpit have been destroyed due to shortage of irrigation water.
Rice fields in Bulakan, Pulilan, Guiguinto and Plaridel towns have also been drying up.
The Department of Agriculture, Carillo said, would distribute seeds of alternative crops to the farmers to help them recover their losses.
Camarines Sur
In Camarines Sur, the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) and the municipal government of Buhi are wrangling over the priority use of water resources of Lake Buhi as 1,061 rice farms are drying up for lack of irrigation water.
The lake, home of sinarapan (Mistichthys luzonensis), the smallest commercial fish in the world, has an area of 18 square kilometers and an average depth of 8 meters.
William Ragodon, NIA regional director, said he would raise the issue to the National Water Resources Board and to the court as a last resort to resolve the problem on the utilization of water from Lake Buhi.
The NIA wants the municipality to further lower the sluice in the lake’s control structure to 82 meters so that water supply can be increased for irrigation in Iriga City and Bula town. But Buhi Mayor Rey Lacoste maintains that this could affect tilapia production in fish cages.
Western Visayas
The dry spell had already destroyed 13,000 hectares of rice lands in Western Visayas and could affect 42,000 has more, according to Larry Nacionales, agriculture regional director.
Nacionales said damage to agriculture could reach some P500 million.
Cloud seeding will be done in Negros Occidental because wide tracts of its sugarcane fields have been affected, he said, but not over mango and watermelon plantations, and other croplands which could be damaged by the operation.
The agriculture department’s regional office has requested P190 million to rehabilitate irrigation systems and develop other water sources.
It has also encouraged farmers to plant other crops and raise livestock as alternative sources of income. Reports from Yolanda Sotelo, Cristina Arzadon, Estanislao Caldez and Villamor Visaya Jr., Inquirer Northern Luzon; Anselmo Roque, Charlene Cayabyab and Carmela Reyes, Inquirer Central Luzon; Juan Escandor Jr., Inquirer Southern Luzon; and Nestor Burgos Jr., Inquirer Visayas
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