February 8, 2001, ABS-CBN, 5:43 PM, Gov't wants open trial for Erap,
February 21, 2001, ABS-CBN, 12:13 AM, Estrada mistress backs out,
May 2, 2001, ABS-CBN, 12:04 PM, 2 kidnapped Agusan bets rescued,
May 27, 2001, ABS-CBN, Philippines Gunmen Seize 20 Hostages From Tourist Resort on Palawan Island.
[June See: Texts: ABS-CBN: June, 2001,]
September 1, 2001, 11:10 PM, FVR was told about AFP link with Abu, by Cher Jimenez,
September 2, 2001, ABS-CBN, 11:14 PM, Joker to Blas: 'On whose side are you, anyway?',
September 3, 2001, ABS-CBN, 10:09 PM, 'Ping's boys seized, bled drug traffickers' by Malou Talosig,
September 3, 2001, ABS-CBN, 7:00 PM, FBI report on Ping to lead off gov't probe,
September 3, 2001, ABS-CBN, 3:54 PM, Rosebud exposes 'biyahe' execution,
September 6, 2001, ABS-CBN, 12:05 AM, Akbar: I heard of ransom, but had no role in payment,
September 7, 2001, ABS-CBN, 10:04 PM, Examine 2 Chan reports–Lacson,
September 13, 2001, ABS-CBN, 12:09 AM, PNP exec links US attacks to 1995 Manila terrorist plot,
September 23, 2001, ABS-CBN, 9:49 PM, Abu Sayyaf buys speedboat,
October 5, 2001, ABS-CBN, 1:42 PM, Imelda's gems may be sold soon,
October 5, 2001, ABS-CBN, 8:00 PM, Malacañang launches government website,
October 5, 2001, ABS-CBN, 7:05 AM, Sharon says Israel won't roll over for US,
October 30, 2001, ABS-CBN, 7:48 PM, 'R.P. asked U.S. for help to fight ASG',
October 31, 2001, ABS-CBN, 3:16 AM, U.S. issues new 'terror' list of 200 names,
November 1, 2001, ABS-CBN, 10:59 PM, Abu leader slain as Sabaya sends feelers,
November 8, 2001, ABS-CBN, 8:39 PM, GMA meets with Guardians, denies coup,
November 8, 2001, ABS-CBN, 11:01 PM, Defense finds holes in Arellano story,
November 11, 2001, ABS-CBN, 10:56 PM, Brains behind sale of ballots known to Comelec probers,
November 16, 2001, ABS-CBN, 7:30 PM, GMA to seek U.S. military aircraft,
November 16, 2001, ABS-CBN, 7:30 PM, DOJ to ask Switzerland for help in recovery of Marcos wealth,
November 17, 2001, ABS-CBN, 03:52 PM, ASG split between Janjalani, Sabaya,
November 17, 2001, ABS-CBN, 2:14 PM, BID: Filipinos linked to Mideast terrorists are back,
November 17, 2001, ABS-CBN, 9:05 PM, Integration of 5,000 MNLF into AFP seen,
November 18, 2001, 12:01 AM, abs-cbnNEWS.com staff 'hostaged', by Yasmin Lee G. Arpon,
___________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
February 8, 2001, ABS-CBN, 5:43 PM, Gov't wants open trial for Erap,
QUEZON CITY (ABS-CBN)--Just like the impeachment trial, the government wants proceedings on ex-President Joseph Ejercito Estrada's cases at the Sandiganbayan to be open to the public.
In an interview with dzMM, Justice Secretary Hernando Perez said that it is the public's right to witness the proceedings. "I am hoping that full media coverage will also be allowed once the cases are already at the Sandiganbayan," Perez said.
Perez also disclosed that Ombudsman Aniano Desierto has already agreed to have the preliminary investigation proceedings be televised.
Estrada is facing before the anti-graft court charges of economic plunder, misuse of funds, violations of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, perjury, bribery and possession of unexplained wealth.
Estrada has until Feb. 12 to file his reply to the Office of the Ombudsman before oral arguments on the six graft charges start on Feb. 15. Once the Ombudsman finds prima facie evidence on the charges, it transmits the cases to the Sandiganbayan.
On state witnesses
Quezon Rep. Wigberto Tañada said government prosecutors should be careful in accepting witnesses on the Estrada case. Tañada was a member of the prosecution panel at Estrada's impeachment trial that the Senate declared closed on Wednesday.
"I think we should listen to them, but we should be very careful because they may just want to become state witnesses so they can go scot-free despite the fact that they are not the least innocent or the least guilty among those accused of the crime," Tañada said.
"I would rather that before they make any decision as to whether they will be made a state witness... they should find out how crucial and critical (the testimony is) and then determine if he is the least guilty; and if the finding is that he is and that his testimony is very crucial and critical to establishing the case against the respondent or the accused, then that is the time they can make the decision. But they should not rush into making a decision," he added.
Tañada also said that they may no longer need to accept any state witness for the bribery case against Estrada since Ilocos Sur Governor Luis "Chavit" Singson's testimony is already sufficient.
"Because there are other witnesses who have corroborated the testimony of governor Singson and so another person coming out and asking to be state witness would not be needed or necessary. Now, in the other cases, for example, the malversation of public funds we have to still determine what this new witness has to say and as I said, if it turns out that his testimony is not crucial, I think the government should not be open to having him as a state witness," he said.an and Martin were abducted by the rebel group in July and August 1999.
Ermita said the government has yet to establish a venue for the peace talks as they are now concentrating on establishing contact with CPP founder Jose Ma. Sison who is now in exile in the Netherlands.
"Well that is something we have to consider because you know the leaders of the NDF Joma Sison and Fr. Jalandoni are in abroad so we will see how we can invite them over. But, the most important thing is we must first establish the link and let them know that these are the new policies," Ermita added.
_____________________________________________________________
February 8, 2001, ABS-CBN, 5:43 PM, Gov't wants open trial for Erap,
QUEZON CITY (ABS-CBN)--Just like the impeachment trial, the government wants proceedings on ex-President Joseph Ejercito Estrada's cases at the Sandiganbayan to be open to the public.
In an interview with dzMM, Justice Secretary Hernando Perez said that it is the public's right to witness the proceedings. "I am hoping that full media coverage will also be allowed once the cases are already at the Sandiganbayan," Perez said.
Perez also disclosed that Ombudsman Aniano Desierto has already agreed to have the preliminary investigation proceedings be televised.
Estrada is facing before the anti-graft court charges of economic plunder, misuse of funds, violations of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, perjury, bribery and possession of unexplained wealth.
Estrada has until Feb. 12 to file his reply to the Office of the Ombudsman before oral arguments on the six graft charges start on Feb. 15. Once the Ombudsman finds prima facie evidence on the charges, it transmits the cases to the Sandiganbayan.
On state witnesses
Quezon Rep. Wigberto Tañada said government prosecutors should be careful in accepting witnesses on the Estrada case. Tañada was a member of the prosecution panel at Estrada's impeachment trial that the Senate declared closed on Wednesday.
"I think we should listen to them, but we should be very careful because they may just want to become state witnesses so they can go scot-free despite the fact that they are not the least innocent or the least guilty among those accused of the crime," Tañada said.
"I would rather that before they make any decision as to whether they will be made a state witness... they should find out how crucial and critical (the testimony is) and then determine if he is the least guilty; and if the finding is that he is and that his testimony is very crucial and critical to establishing the case against the respondent or the accused, then that is the time they can make the decision. But they should not rush into making a decision," he added.
Tañada also said that they may no longer need to accept any state witness for the bribery case against Estrada since Ilocos Sur Governor Luis "Chavit" Singson's testimony is already sufficient.
"Because there are other witnesses who have corroborated the testimony of governor Singson and so another person coming out and asking to be state witness would not be needed or necessary. Now, in the other cases, for example, the malversation of public funds we have to still determine what this new witness has to say and as I said, if it turns out that his testimony is not crucial, I think the government should not be open to having him as a state witness," he said.
_________________________________________________________________
February 21, 2001, ABS-CBN, 12:13 AM, Estrada mistress backs out,
MANILA (ABS-CBN)--Justice Secretary Hernando Perez on Tuesday disclosed that one of the mistresses of ousted president Joseph Estrada has decided to back out from testifying against the ousted leader.
Perez said the negotiation between the Department of Justice and representatives of the Estrada mistress have failed.
The DOJ had been attempting to secure the testimony of the said mistress to boost graft charges being readied against Estrada.
Perez claimed that the mistress grew wary of the possibility of being continuously hounded by reporters.
He, however, declined to identify the mistress.
To recall, former Philippine Airlines flight attendant Rowena "Weng" Lopez reportedly offered to testify before the impeachment court. Lopez's lawyers reportedly talked to prosecutors at Estrada's impeachment trial to seal a deal for her to testify.
Before Lopez could testify, however, the impeachment trial was abruptly suspended following the historical 11-10 Senate vote on the second bank envelope that contained additional evidence against Estrada.
The Senate vote spurred mass protests against Estrada who was forced out of office on Jan. 20.
Perez earlier disclosed that the mistress has approached the DOJ expressing her interest to testify right after Estrada's ouster
_____________________________________________________________
May 2, 2001, ABS-CBN, 12:04 PM, 2 kidnapped Agusan bets rescued,
CAGAYAN DE ORO (ABS-CBN) - Military troops rescued Monday two of the three remaining local candidates abducted by suspected New People's Army (NPA) guerrillas in Bayugan, Agusan del Sur late last month.
Philippine Army's Fourth Infantry Division spokesman Maj. Johnny Macanas said members of the military's Task Force Diamond rescued Bayugan vice mayoralty bet Vicente Insendencia and Francisco Sarmiento, a candidate for municipal councilor.
The two are running under the Lakas-NUCD party of the administration's People Power Coalition (PPC).
"Our military operation rescued two of the three hostages during continued pursuit operations against the rebels," he said.
The victims were abducted last April 17 after a campaign rally in Barangay Salem. Several hours before the abduction, reelectionist Bayugan Mayor Lope Asis was gunned down by the NPA.
Bayugan mayoral candidate Lorna Amora, who was with Incendencia's group, managed to slip past the kidnappers.
Macanas confirms the military has continued offensive operations against the NPA in the Agusan provinces, particularly after candidates complained of extortion from the rebels.
"We are also conducting preemptive measures to ensure the NPA does not interfere with the May 14 elections," Macanas added.
See also: LDP bet killed, 4 PPC bets snatched in Agusan
________________________________________________________________
May 27, 2001, ABS-CBN, Philippines Gunmen Seize 20 Hostages From Tourist Resort on Palawan Island,
Gunmen have raided a tourist resort on the southern Philippine island of Palawan seizing 20 people, including
three American tourists.
The chairman of the Philippine's Security Council says the kidnappers have been spotted in a boat with the hostages off the southern coast of Palawan near Malaysia.
Police said about 20 men, armed with assault rifles, carried out Sunday's (May 27) raid at about 5 am (2100 GMT Saturday) on Dos Palmas resort on Arrecifi island, near the Palawan provincial capital of Puerto Princessa.
On arriving at the resort, about 600 kilometres (375 miles) southwest of Manila, the raiders casually walked to a pavilion where several staff members were working and held them at gunpoint, resort guards said.
Others went to cottages built on stilts over the water and grabbed guests who were sleeping inside.
Three Americans, thirteen domestic tourists, including an eight-year-old boy, and four resort guards and staff were abducted.
Police identified the three Americans as Martin Burnham and his wife, Gracia, both missionaries of the congregation New Tribes Mission.
They have been working with cultural minorities in the Philippines for 15 years and were vacationing at the resort.
The other American, a tourist, was vacationing at the resort with his Filipina girlfriend.
The raiders took them both.
The raiders were also apparently hungry because refrigerators had been ransacked, and some of them went to the resort kitchen to forage for more food, officials said.
Witnesses said many of the 10 women tourists who were among the hostages taken were in tears as their captors forced them at gunpoint into a motorboat that took them to an unknown destination.
Hours after the attack on Dos Palmas resort, a motorboat believed to be carrying the gunmen and their hostages was spotted by military aircraft near the maritime border with Malaysia, said national security adviser Roilo Golez.
"The armed forces have already dispatched a hot pursuit team and the latest is that a vessel of that description, suspected to be the vessel used in the hostage-taking, has been sighted near Buksug Island near the southern tip of Palawan. The surveillance was done by the Philippine Airforce and the Navy has already dispatched ships to intercept this vessel...we don't know but if ransom is their motive we want to emphasise that the policy of the Arroyo administration is no ransom and no negotiation with armed bandits", Golez said.
Golez could not confirm whether the kidnappers were members of the fundamentalist Abu Sayyaf rebel force, a separatist group whose avowed goal is to set up an Islamic state in the south of the mainly Roman Catholic country.
The Abu Sayyaf last year seized more than 40 foreigners and Filipinos from two tourist resorts in nearby Malaysia and from Jolo island in the southern Philippines.
Many of the victims were released by the Abu Sayyaf after big ransoms were paid.
Some were rescued by soldiers and others escaped.
One Filipino resort worker kidnapped last year is still held.
Police reports said the raiders were talking in Tausog, a dialect usually spoken by Muslims on Jolo island, where the Abu Sayyaf rebels operate.
Police said the raiders left in the two boats with their victims.
One of the boats was seen speeding off to the northeast, in the direction of other tourist resorts in the area.
All other tourist resorts on Palawan have been put on alert and Navy ships as well air force helicopters had stepped up security around the island, the military said.
Reference 5615/01
Tape 7218
Issue
Can
Source REUTERS/ABS CBN
WORLD 5 27 MAY 2001 EDIT: 716
Restrictions Restrictions on certain uses may apply, and may vary from those listed.
PART NO ACCESS PHILIPPINES
Time code 15.59.43 - 16.01.54
Date original MAY 27, 2001+ FILE
Duration 2.10
Technical
Subset Reuters Television
Location ARRECIF ISLAND, PALAWAN/ MANILA, PHILIPPINES
Sound NATURAL WITH ENGLISH SPEECH
Colourbw COLOUR
Barcode
Master
Dub
Vhs
ARRECIFI ISLAND, PALAWAN , PHILIPPINES (FILE) (ABS CBN - NO ACCESS PHILIPPINES)
1.
GVS: WIDE OF DOS PALMAS RESORT/ TOURISTS AT RESORT/ PEOPLE GETTING KEYS/ BOATS OFF COAST OF RESORT/ PAN ACROSS RESORT/ WIDE OF LOBBY AREA/ LONG SHOT OF RESORT/ POOL (11 SHOTS)
0.28
MANILA, PHILIPPINES (MAY 27, 2001) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL)
2.
CU: SOUNDBITE (English) NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL CHAIRMAN ROILO GOLEZ SAYING: "At about 0520 this morning a group of armed men went to the resort Dos Palmas in Honda bay near Puerto Princessa and took twenty hostages 2 Americans, one Spanish, 12 Philipino-Chinese and took them away on a motorised Banca. The armed forces have already dispatched a hot pursuit team and the latest is that a vessel of that description, suspected to be the vessel used in the hostage-taking, has been sighted near Buksug Island near the southern tip of Palawan. The surveillance was done by the Philippine Airforce and the Navy has already dispatched ships to intercept this vessel... we don't know but if ransom is their motive we want to emphasise that the policy of the Arroyo administration is no ransom and no negotiation with armed bandits" (Question - Are they Abu Sayyaf?) "We have no idea, we don't want to speculate, we will find out."
September 2, 2001, ABS-CBN, 11:14 PM, Joker to Blas: 'On whose side are you, anyway?',
September 3, 2001, ABS-CBN, 10:09 PM, 'Ping's boys seized, bled drug traffickers' by Malou Talosig,
September 3, 2001, ABS-CBN, 7:00 PM, FBI report on Ping to lead off gov't probe,
September 3, 2001, ABS-CBN, 3:54 PM, Rosebud exposes 'biyahe' execution,
September 6, 2001, ABS-CBN, 12:05 AM, Akbar: I heard of ransom, but had no role in payment,
September 7, 2001, ABS-CBN, 10:04 PM, Examine 2 Chan reports–Lacson,
September 13, 2001, ABS-CBN, 12:09 AM, PNP exec links US attacks to 1995 Manila terrorist plot,
September 23, 2001, ABS-CBN, 9:49 PM, Abu Sayyaf buys speedboat,
October 5, 2001, ABS-CBN, 1:42 PM, Imelda's gems may be sold soon,
October 5, 2001, ABS-CBN, 8:00 PM, Malacañang launches government website,
October 5, 2001, ABS-CBN, 7:05 AM, Sharon says Israel won't roll over for US,
October 30, 2001, ABS-CBN, 7:48 PM, 'R.P. asked U.S. for help to fight ASG',
October 31, 2001, ABS-CBN, 3:16 AM, U.S. issues new 'terror' list of 200 names,
November 1, 2001, ABS-CBN, 10:59 PM, Abu leader slain as Sabaya sends feelers,
November 8, 2001, ABS-CBN, 8:39 PM, GMA meets with Guardians, denies coup,
November 8, 2001, ABS-CBN, 11:01 PM, Defense finds holes in Arellano story,
November 11, 2001, ABS-CBN, 10:56 PM, Brains behind sale of ballots known to Comelec probers,
November 16, 2001, ABS-CBN, 7:30 PM, GMA to seek U.S. military aircraft,
November 16, 2001, ABS-CBN, 7:30 PM, DOJ to ask Switzerland for help in recovery of Marcos wealth,
November 17, 2001, ABS-CBN, 03:52 PM, ASG split between Janjalani, Sabaya,
November 17, 2001, ABS-CBN, 2:14 PM, BID: Filipinos linked to Mideast terrorists are back,
November 17, 2001, ABS-CBN, 9:05 PM, Integration of 5,000 MNLF into AFP seen,
November 18, 2001, 12:01 AM, abs-cbnNEWS.com staff 'hostaged', by Yasmin Lee G. Arpon,
___________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
February 8, 2001, ABS-CBN, 5:43 PM, Gov't wants open trial for Erap,
QUEZON CITY (ABS-CBN)--Just like the impeachment trial, the government wants proceedings on ex-President Joseph Ejercito Estrada's cases at the Sandiganbayan to be open to the public.
In an interview with dzMM, Justice Secretary Hernando Perez said that it is the public's right to witness the proceedings. "I am hoping that full media coverage will also be allowed once the cases are already at the Sandiganbayan," Perez said.
Perez also disclosed that Ombudsman Aniano Desierto has already agreed to have the preliminary investigation proceedings be televised.
Estrada is facing before the anti-graft court charges of economic plunder, misuse of funds, violations of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, perjury, bribery and possession of unexplained wealth.
Estrada has until Feb. 12 to file his reply to the Office of the Ombudsman before oral arguments on the six graft charges start on Feb. 15. Once the Ombudsman finds prima facie evidence on the charges, it transmits the cases to the Sandiganbayan.
On state witnesses
Quezon Rep. Wigberto Tañada said government prosecutors should be careful in accepting witnesses on the Estrada case. Tañada was a member of the prosecution panel at Estrada's impeachment trial that the Senate declared closed on Wednesday.
"I think we should listen to them, but we should be very careful because they may just want to become state witnesses so they can go scot-free despite the fact that they are not the least innocent or the least guilty among those accused of the crime," Tañada said.
"I would rather that before they make any decision as to whether they will be made a state witness... they should find out how crucial and critical (the testimony is) and then determine if he is the least guilty; and if the finding is that he is and that his testimony is very crucial and critical to establishing the case against the respondent or the accused, then that is the time they can make the decision. But they should not rush into making a decision," he added.
Tañada also said that they may no longer need to accept any state witness for the bribery case against Estrada since Ilocos Sur Governor Luis "Chavit" Singson's testimony is already sufficient.
"Because there are other witnesses who have corroborated the testimony of governor Singson and so another person coming out and asking to be state witness would not be needed or necessary. Now, in the other cases, for example, the malversation of public funds we have to still determine what this new witness has to say and as I said, if it turns out that his testimony is not crucial, I think the government should not be open to having him as a state witness," he said.an and Martin were abducted by the rebel group in July and August 1999.
Ermita said the government has yet to establish a venue for the peace talks as they are now concentrating on establishing contact with CPP founder Jose Ma. Sison who is now in exile in the Netherlands.
"Well that is something we have to consider because you know the leaders of the NDF Joma Sison and Fr. Jalandoni are in abroad so we will see how we can invite them over. But, the most important thing is we must first establish the link and let them know that these are the new policies," Ermita added.
_____________________________________________________________
February 8, 2001, ABS-CBN, 5:43 PM, Gov't wants open trial for Erap,
QUEZON CITY (ABS-CBN)--Just like the impeachment trial, the government wants proceedings on ex-President Joseph Ejercito Estrada's cases at the Sandiganbayan to be open to the public.
In an interview with dzMM, Justice Secretary Hernando Perez said that it is the public's right to witness the proceedings. "I am hoping that full media coverage will also be allowed once the cases are already at the Sandiganbayan," Perez said.
Perez also disclosed that Ombudsman Aniano Desierto has already agreed to have the preliminary investigation proceedings be televised.
Estrada is facing before the anti-graft court charges of economic plunder, misuse of funds, violations of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, perjury, bribery and possession of unexplained wealth.
Estrada has until Feb. 12 to file his reply to the Office of the Ombudsman before oral arguments on the six graft charges start on Feb. 15. Once the Ombudsman finds prima facie evidence on the charges, it transmits the cases to the Sandiganbayan.
On state witnesses
Quezon Rep. Wigberto Tañada said government prosecutors should be careful in accepting witnesses on the Estrada case. Tañada was a member of the prosecution panel at Estrada's impeachment trial that the Senate declared closed on Wednesday.
"I think we should listen to them, but we should be very careful because they may just want to become state witnesses so they can go scot-free despite the fact that they are not the least innocent or the least guilty among those accused of the crime," Tañada said.
"I would rather that before they make any decision as to whether they will be made a state witness... they should find out how crucial and critical (the testimony is) and then determine if he is the least guilty; and if the finding is that he is and that his testimony is very crucial and critical to establishing the case against the respondent or the accused, then that is the time they can make the decision. But they should not rush into making a decision," he added.
Tañada also said that they may no longer need to accept any state witness for the bribery case against Estrada since Ilocos Sur Governor Luis "Chavit" Singson's testimony is already sufficient.
"Because there are other witnesses who have corroborated the testimony of governor Singson and so another person coming out and asking to be state witness would not be needed or necessary. Now, in the other cases, for example, the malversation of public funds we have to still determine what this new witness has to say and as I said, if it turns out that his testimony is not crucial, I think the government should not be open to having him as a state witness," he said.
_________________________________________________________________
February 21, 2001, ABS-CBN, 12:13 AM, Estrada mistress backs out,
MANILA (ABS-CBN)--Justice Secretary Hernando Perez on Tuesday disclosed that one of the mistresses of ousted president Joseph Estrada has decided to back out from testifying against the ousted leader.
Perez said the negotiation between the Department of Justice and representatives of the Estrada mistress have failed.
The DOJ had been attempting to secure the testimony of the said mistress to boost graft charges being readied against Estrada.
Perez claimed that the mistress grew wary of the possibility of being continuously hounded by reporters.
He, however, declined to identify the mistress.
To recall, former Philippine Airlines flight attendant Rowena "Weng" Lopez reportedly offered to testify before the impeachment court. Lopez's lawyers reportedly talked to prosecutors at Estrada's impeachment trial to seal a deal for her to testify.
Before Lopez could testify, however, the impeachment trial was abruptly suspended following the historical 11-10 Senate vote on the second bank envelope that contained additional evidence against Estrada.
The Senate vote spurred mass protests against Estrada who was forced out of office on Jan. 20.
Perez earlier disclosed that the mistress has approached the DOJ expressing her interest to testify right after Estrada's ouster
_____________________________________________________________
May 2, 2001, ABS-CBN, 12:04 PM, 2 kidnapped Agusan bets rescued,
CAGAYAN DE ORO (ABS-CBN) - Military troops rescued Monday two of the three remaining local candidates abducted by suspected New People's Army (NPA) guerrillas in Bayugan, Agusan del Sur late last month.
Philippine Army's Fourth Infantry Division spokesman Maj. Johnny Macanas said members of the military's Task Force Diamond rescued Bayugan vice mayoralty bet Vicente Insendencia and Francisco Sarmiento, a candidate for municipal councilor.
The two are running under the Lakas-NUCD party of the administration's People Power Coalition (PPC).
"Our military operation rescued two of the three hostages during continued pursuit operations against the rebels," he said.
The victims were abducted last April 17 after a campaign rally in Barangay Salem. Several hours before the abduction, reelectionist Bayugan Mayor Lope Asis was gunned down by the NPA.
Bayugan mayoral candidate Lorna Amora, who was with Incendencia's group, managed to slip past the kidnappers.
Macanas confirms the military has continued offensive operations against the NPA in the Agusan provinces, particularly after candidates complained of extortion from the rebels.
"We are also conducting preemptive measures to ensure the NPA does not interfere with the May 14 elections," Macanas added.
See also: LDP bet killed, 4 PPC bets snatched in Agusan
________________________________________________________________
May 27, 2001, ABS-CBN, Philippines Gunmen Seize 20 Hostages From Tourist Resort on Palawan Island,
Gunmen have raided a tourist resort on the southern Philippine island of Palawan seizing 20 people, including
three American tourists.
The chairman of the Philippine's Security Council says the kidnappers have been spotted in a boat with the hostages off the southern coast of Palawan near Malaysia.
Police said about 20 men, armed with assault rifles, carried out Sunday's (May 27) raid at about 5 am (2100 GMT Saturday) on Dos Palmas resort on Arrecifi island, near the Palawan provincial capital of Puerto Princessa.
On arriving at the resort, about 600 kilometres (375 miles) southwest of Manila, the raiders casually walked to a pavilion where several staff members were working and held them at gunpoint, resort guards said.
Others went to cottages built on stilts over the water and grabbed guests who were sleeping inside.
Three Americans, thirteen domestic tourists, including an eight-year-old boy, and four resort guards and staff were abducted.
Police identified the three Americans as Martin Burnham and his wife, Gracia, both missionaries of the congregation New Tribes Mission.
They have been working with cultural minorities in the Philippines for 15 years and were vacationing at the resort.
The other American, a tourist, was vacationing at the resort with his Filipina girlfriend.
The raiders took them both.
The raiders were also apparently hungry because refrigerators had been ransacked, and some of them went to the resort kitchen to forage for more food, officials said.
Witnesses said many of the 10 women tourists who were among the hostages taken were in tears as their captors forced them at gunpoint into a motorboat that took them to an unknown destination.
Hours after the attack on Dos Palmas resort, a motorboat believed to be carrying the gunmen and their hostages was spotted by military aircraft near the maritime border with Malaysia, said national security adviser Roilo Golez.
"The armed forces have already dispatched a hot pursuit team and the latest is that a vessel of that description, suspected to be the vessel used in the hostage-taking, has been sighted near Buksug Island near the southern tip of Palawan. The surveillance was done by the Philippine Airforce and the Navy has already dispatched ships to intercept this vessel...we don't know but if ransom is their motive we want to emphasise that the policy of the Arroyo administration is no ransom and no negotiation with armed bandits", Golez said.
Golez could not confirm whether the kidnappers were members of the fundamentalist Abu Sayyaf rebel force, a separatist group whose avowed goal is to set up an Islamic state in the south of the mainly Roman Catholic country.
The Abu Sayyaf last year seized more than 40 foreigners and Filipinos from two tourist resorts in nearby Malaysia and from Jolo island in the southern Philippines.
Many of the victims were released by the Abu Sayyaf after big ransoms were paid.
Some were rescued by soldiers and others escaped.
One Filipino resort worker kidnapped last year is still held.
Police reports said the raiders were talking in Tausog, a dialect usually spoken by Muslims on Jolo island, where the Abu Sayyaf rebels operate.
Police said the raiders left in the two boats with their victims.
One of the boats was seen speeding off to the northeast, in the direction of other tourist resorts in the area.
All other tourist resorts on Palawan have been put on alert and Navy ships as well air force helicopters had stepped up security around the island, the military said.
Reference 5615/01
Tape 7218
Issue
Can
Source REUTERS/ABS CBN
WORLD 5 27 MAY 2001 EDIT: 716
Restrictions Restrictions on certain uses may apply, and may vary from those listed.
PART NO ACCESS PHILIPPINES
Time code 15.59.43 - 16.01.54
Date original MAY 27, 2001+ FILE
Duration 2.10
Technical
Subset Reuters Television
Location ARRECIF ISLAND, PALAWAN/ MANILA, PHILIPPINES
Sound NATURAL WITH ENGLISH SPEECH
Colourbw COLOUR
Barcode
Master
Dub
Vhs
ARRECIFI ISLAND, PALAWAN , PHILIPPINES (FILE) (ABS CBN - NO ACCESS PHILIPPINES)
1.
GVS: WIDE OF DOS PALMAS RESORT/ TOURISTS AT RESORT/ PEOPLE GETTING KEYS/ BOATS OFF COAST OF RESORT/ PAN ACROSS RESORT/ WIDE OF LOBBY AREA/ LONG SHOT OF RESORT/ POOL (11 SHOTS)
0.28
MANILA, PHILIPPINES (MAY 27, 2001) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL)
2.
CU: SOUNDBITE (English) NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL CHAIRMAN ROILO GOLEZ SAYING: "At about 0520 this morning a group of armed men went to the resort Dos Palmas in Honda bay near Puerto Princessa and took twenty hostages 2 Americans, one Spanish, 12 Philipino-Chinese and took them away on a motorised Banca. The armed forces have already dispatched a hot pursuit team and the latest is that a vessel of that description, suspected to be the vessel used in the hostage-taking, has been sighted near Buksug Island near the southern tip of Palawan. The surveillance was done by the Philippine Airforce and the Navy has already dispatched ships to intercept this vessel... we don't know but if ransom is their motive we want to emphasise that the policy of the Arroyo administration is no ransom and no negotiation with armed bandits" (Question - Are they Abu Sayyaf?) "We have no idea, we don't want to speculate, we will find out."
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ARRECIFI ISLAND, PALAWAN , PHILIPPINES (FILE) (ABS CBN - NO ACCESS PHILIPPINES)
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GV/PAN: PAN ACROSS GOLF COURSE AT RESORT/ PEOPLE PADDLING KAYAKS/ WIDE SHOT OF WATER (2 SHOTS)
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September 1, 2001, 11:10 PM, FVR was told about AFP link with Abu, by Cher Jimenez,
TODAY Reporter
When they were in office, former President Fidel Ramos and former interior secretary Rafael Alunan III knew of the military's involvement with the Abu Sayyaf but did nothing to stop the then fledgling bandit group.
In an exclusive interview with Fr. Cirilo Nacorda by The Monitor, the official newsletter of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines, the twice-kidnapped priest of Lamitan, Basilan, recounted his experience with the bandits when he was first held hostage in 1994.
"In Zamboanga I could no longer control myself. When I met the President [Ramos], I immediately told him, 'Mr. President, I would like you to please pull out the Marines in Basilan because they are involved with the group of the Abu Sayyaf and especially in the selling of firearms.' Nauubos 'yung mga kahoy namin sa bundok because they are also involved in illegal logging," Nacorda said.
Nacorda met Ramos at the inauguration of the Zamboanga International Airport shortly after he was released by the bandits. The townsfolk raised P2 million to pay his ransom.
He said some Cabinet officials and military officers were present when he talked to Ramos.
"He [Ramos] just listened to me. He was thinking [that] I was still traumatized by my experience, so I didn't know what I was talking about. But he visited us again in Lamitan on August 13 [1994] and I submitted a written report to him for possible action. It was a confidential background about the movement of the Abu Sayyaf, the people behind it—the people supporting the band, the information on the firearms I had overheard, and the involvement of a former congressman and other local government officials. Nothing happened. I know he read it, at least I saw that he scanned it then," Nacorda said.
After reading the report, Ramos gave it to Alunan, the priest said.
When he was the parish priest in Matarling, Basilan, Nacorda was kidnapped by the bandits in 1994 and held for two months. During his captivity and after befriending his guards, including the bands's commander Barahama Sali, he gathered information about their links with the military.
"At the time I saw that all their arms and ammunition were marked DND [Department of National Defense]. Later on I learned from their men that they bought these firearms from the Armed Forces—it must have been from the Marines. From this same band I also learned that somebody from Basilan was facilitating the sale of these firearms. He was a former congressman, but at the time he was an ordinary citizen but still very influential in our province, particularly among the Christians," Nacorda recounted.
The priest said the bandits did not mind talking about serious matters in front of him, because they didn't know he could speak and understand Tausug and Yakan.
Tausug is the dialect in Sulu, Yakan the dialect in Basilan.
Nacorda learned of the former congressman's involvement in the sale of firearms not only from the bandits but from some of the Marines themselves.
"At first they [bandits] were hesitant to talk but later on, when I had befriended them, some of them confided that they were buying these from the Armed Forces, especially from the Marines. I actually heard them once talking about a B-57 that they expected to arrive," Nacorda said.
A B-57 is an antiaircraft and armor weapon.
"From some soldiers I had talked to I learned later on that these were some of the firearms used by the Marines during the 1989 coup attempt. After the negotiations, the men went back to their barracks but never returned the arms. They took them somewhere to a safe house. And these were the firearms they sold to this band of the Abu Sayyaf facilitated by this former congressman," Nacorda added.
He hinted that the P2-million ransom paid for his freedom was used to buy the weapon, which costs P1 million.
Besides the P2-million ransom, the bandits set four conditions for his release. They told him they would not kidnap him again if he would resign from the priesthood and not come back to Matarling; or he could come back but would have to marry a Muslim or become a Muslim himself; or give support in cash or in kind.
Even after his release, Nacorda said he continued to receive threats from his captors.
He was given Scout Rangers to protect him.
"Bishops Romulo de la Cruz and Jose Maria Querexeta and I had asked President Ramos to pull out the Marines because of my earlier charges," said Nacorda.
Relatedly, Army Brig. General Romeo Dominguez, caught in the center of Nacorda's accusations, has sought the guidance of the Catholic Church in an effort to expose the "truth."
Dominguez yesterday said he met with Manila Archbishop Jaime Cardinal Sin to seek guidance as Congress continues its inquiry. He said he asked Sin not to let Nacorda's allegations build a wall between the military and the Catholic Church, for soldiers, like ordinary men, are God-fearing people.
"We will continue working with the Church to make programs more successful. We soldiers are God-fearing," he said.
Dominguez noted that Cardinal Sin is not taking sides and only supports the truth that will put all minds at peace once again.
He also refrained from disclosing the other details of the meeting, especially those concerning Nacorda. Some military officers had earlier sought a church investigation of Nacorda on grounds that he might have been turned into an Abu Sayyaf sympathizer after being kidnapped twice by the group.
Dominguez said he has nothing to hide as he is innocent. He said the allegations might have been mere rumors circulated among Basilan residents.
He said the issues have affected his family so much but he is very much willing to cleanse his name again, for there is nothing to hide and nothing to be afraid of. M. Punongbayan/ TODAY
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September 2, 2001, ABS-CBN, 11:14 PM, Joker to Blas: 'On whose side are you, anyway?', by Butch Fernandez, TODAY Reporter
Sen. Joker Arroyo has opposed opposition Sen. Blas Ople's move to wrap up the Senate inquiry into the allegations against Sen. Panfilo Lacson before "insidious forces" succeed in destroying the nation's institutions.
Ople and Sen. Teresa Oreta earlier called for the termination of the tricommittee inquiry to enable senators to focus on pending priority bills, including those endorsed by President Arroyo before the joint session of Congress on July 23.
Ople on Friday said he will file a resolution Monday formalizing his call for the Senate to put a cap on the current inquiry, adding that the case could be handled more appropriately by the justice department, the Ombudsman and the courts.
But Arroyo warned that Ople's resolution may trigger public outrage if the Senate inquiry into Lacson's case, which is being covered live on radio and television, is aborted prematurely.
Moreover, Arroyo added that terminating the hearings may be unfair to Lacson, who has yet to give his side on the charges lodged by Col. Victor Corpus, military intelligence chief, and other witnesses who have already testified before the three investigating committees.
"Senator Ople should think very seriously his insistence that the joint committee hearings on the alleged involvement of Senator Lacson in certain syndicated crimes be terminated now," said Arroyo, adding that "if adopted, it would immeasurably prejudice Senator Lacson."
Arroyo said that all the evidence so far presented before the committee inquiry were against Lacson. "If we are to close the proceedings now, these are the only evidence that the tricommittee can evaluate and consider in its findings."
He added that Lacson's side cannot be considered, since it has not yet been given—his turn not having come yet.
"The Ople proposal in effect forecloses Lacson's right to present his side of the controversy. One starts to wonder, on whose side is Senator Ople?" said Arroyo.
In a news conference before the weekend, Ople warned that the Senate in pursuing the inquiry—where surprise witnesses turned up with explosive, often undocumented allegations against other senators and ranking police officers—"may have declared an open season for the destabilization of the government."
Ople explained that he is not advocating an abrupt end to the inquiry.
"We need to put a cap to these hearings, say, at the end of September, otherwise we are licensing any one to destroy our leading institutions and creating a dangerous vacuum in which threats to the national security and stability can only flourish," said Ople.
He added that the sooner the charges against Lacson are referred to the courts "the better for the nation."
According to Ople, whatever intentions Corpus may have in charging Lacson with involvement in criminal activities, "it is the enemies of the State who are reveling in these accusations which in the final analysis could only be settled in a court of law."
Relatedly, a group of retired generals warned that the controversial inquiry may prompt military adventurism to replace a discredited civilian government.
At the same time, Ople shared the concern of Director General Leandro Mendoza, National Police chief, that the integrity of the 115,000-strong police force has been maligned and the morale of policemen seriously affected by the still-to-be proven allegations aired by witness Mary Ong. TODAY
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September 3, 2001, ABS-CBN, 10:09 PM, 'Ping's boys seized, bled drug traffickers' by Malou Talosig, TODAY Reporter
Former police spy Mary "Rosebud" Ong dropped more bombs at the Senate hearing Monday, implicating Sen. Panfilo Lacson's former police aides in many other crimes including kidnap for ransom and murders of suspected Chinese drug traffickers.
MARY ONG alias Rosebud points to the photographs of suspected Chinese drug traffickers who were allegedly kidnapped then killed by the men of now Sen. Panfilo Lacson, when he was still the commander of the Presidential Antiorganized Crime Task Force. BY BEN AVESTRUZ
At the continuation of her testimony, Ong revealed that police officers belonging to the defunct Presidential Antiorganized Crime Task Force and the PNP Southern Tagalog Command abducted and killed seven members of drug syndicates from 1998 to 2000.
Among the police officers implicated by Ong were Chief Supt. Reynaldo Acop, Chief Supt. Francisco Zubia, Supt. Francisco Villaroman, Supt. John Campos, Supt. Michael Ray Aquino, Senior Insp. Julius Mana and Capt. Avelino Abogado.
Ong on Monday gave detailed but oftentimes confusing statements at the Senate hearing, which is looking into Lacson's alleged involvement in illegal drug trade.
Interviewed by ABS-CBN, Sen. Rene Cayetano noted that much of the evidence was circumstantial, although the chairman of the public order committee, Sen. Robert Barbers, said Ong's direct participation in some of the activities she detailed gave her headway in terms of credibility.
Ong, however, could not give exact statements that would establish Lacson's supposed link with the new crimes she had exposed.
She only said she once overheard Lacson berating Acop over the phone for letting go of an abducted Chinese instead of having him killed.
Ong alleged that Acop's group murdered suspected Chinese drug smugglers Wong Kam Chong, Chan Ka Tseung, Chong Hiu Ming, Wang Li Zhang Chua, Wu Lui Lao and Wang Li Zhang alias David Ong.
Acop had told a couple of television talk-show hosts that Ong was dropped as an agent after it became clear she was "planted" by the Hong Kong Triad to destroy the antidrug campaign of the National Police.
He said she was good at weaving "a little truth with a little lie" and this is why—besides her good looks and articulateness—she could get an audience in many places.
At the Senate, Ong also alleged that the task force members killed Angelito Sy, a Chinese Filipino who worked as interpreter for the task-force, when he uncovered a drug shipment allegedly by a Chinese drug lord Kim Wong—earlier identified by intelligence chief Col. Victor Corpus as the source of Lacson's cellular phone.
Ong also accused some agents of the National Bureau of Investigation's antinarcotics group of being in cahoots with the task force members.
In May 1998, Ong said, NBI special agent Martin Soriano abducted her as she was delivering one kilo of shabu to a drug dealer in Quezon City as part of the police efforts to penetrate the syndicates.
Ong said Soriano had mistaken her for a drug supplier.
Ong said she was tortured, and then locked up inside a basement of a security agency.
Campos, whom Ong had tagged as her lover then, called Soriano and told the NBI agent that she was a government agent. "Tao ko 'yan. Pag 'di mo pinakawalan iyan, giyera tayo," Ong quoted Campos as telling Soriano.
She said Soriano's and Campos's groups had a "turf war" because both were supplying drugs to the same person.
Ong said the police officers' kidnap-for-ransom activities and killing sprees began when the Operation Plan Cyclops was launched.
The operation was targeting Wong Kam Chong, the suspected source of 220 kilos of shabu seized in Mindoro in 1999.
The task force intercepted Wong riding a white Mercedes Van with license plate URX 928 on March 26, 1999. Wong was accompanied by four others—Zeng Jiaxuan alias Agong, Zeng's wife Hong Zhen Qiao alias Pinky, 16-year old son Zeng Kang Fang and Chinese Filipino driver James Ong.
The task force abducted all members of Wong's group for ransom, Ong said.
Except for Wong, the four other Chinese were released on April 15, 1999, when the P2-million downpayment for a P10-million ransom demand was delivered.
Campos demanded a P20-million ransom for Wong's release.
Wong called Zeng Jiaxuan and three other Chinese, including Yu Yuk Lai, the alleged drug queen who was locked up in Camp Crame but could get in and out of jail to gamble.
Zeng and Wong's wife deposited P2.1 million into the account of Campos and Ong.
On August 1999 Acop hosted a meeting in Greenhills, San Juan, where he confirmed that three Chinese victims were biyahe and that "the bodies were chopped into pieces before they were burned and their bones pulverized."
Besides Wong, the two other Chinese victims in the biyahe were Chan Ka Tseung and Chong Hiu Ming.
Chan was the reported contact of Macau's "Big Boss" named Mr. Lee. He was allegedly "arrested" on July 25, 1999, and brought to Tanay, Rizal. His wife paid P5 million for his release.
Chong was introduced to Ong by her contact in the 14K gang in Hong Kong. She fetched him on December 30, 1998. Two days after, Campos's men kidnapped him. Chong's wife paid about P2.4 million to Campos's bank account.
Meanwhile, Zeng was "rekidnapped" and was tortured with five holes in his anus, thighs and legs on December 1999, Ong said. The task force claimed that the Hong Kong Triad was responsible for this "rekidnapping."
Supt. Michael Ray Aquino, Lacson's former aide, had staged the "rescue operation" in Baguio on July 8, 2000. At least 26 kilos of shabu were reportedly seized from this operation that resulted in the killing of Shanghai Chua, Wu Lui Yao. TODAY
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September 3, 2001, ABS-CBN, 7:00 PM, FBI report on Ping to lead off gov't probe,
The Office of the Ombudsman will use a report submitted by the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) on Sen. Panfilo Lacson's alleged accounts abroad as its lead in the investigation that it will soon launch on the lawmaker, it was learned Monday.
Ombudsman Aniano Desierto, however, declined to detail the contents of the "confidential" report. However, his claim was supported by Department of Justice (DOJ) Secretary Hernando Perez, who added that the document is now in the hands of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI).
In fact, Perez said, the NBI had gotten hold of the report last March, when rumors on Lacson's alleged overseas bank accounts first became public.
Perez said the government still needs a report from the US Attorney General detailing the amounts of money deposited in the accounts since the FBI report does not provide such information.
He also said authorities have written the Senate to continue with its probe on Lacson's alleged drug trafficking and money laundering activities after its two-week recess. Congress will go on a break starting September 8 and resumes session on September 24.
Perez expressed confidence that the DOJ will receive supporting documents from the US government by the time lawmakers return from their break.
Execution
As this developed, controversial witness Mary "Rosebud" Ong exposed before a Senate hearing Monday that at least one summary execution of a suspected drug dealer was carried out by anti-narcotics cops related to a drug surveillance operation that went sour in May 1999.
Ong referred to the execution in law enforcement jargon as biyahe, which means "journey" or "trip" in Tagalog.
Ong claimed that suspected Chinese drug lord Wong Kam Chong was the victim of a summary execution carried out by the group of Supt. John Campos on orders of Chief Supt. Reynaldo Acop, former chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP) Narcotics Group.
The surveillance operation was dubbed "Operation Cyclops," which went from a legitimate police stakeout to kidnap-for-ransom and, finally, summary execution, Ong said.
She said that the Chinese national being tailed by police was abducted by Camos' group to persuade him to disclose the location of the warehouse where a large shipment of shabu (methamphetamine crystals) was stashed.
Wong was detained in a "safehouse" along Roxas Boulevard for about two months. His hands became sore from being tied to a window grill for a long time, Ong recalled.
Relatives of the victim were reportedly asked to produce P10 million in ransom.
After they failed to extract the information from Wong, police operatives were ordered to execute him, Ong said.
Long trip
"On May 19, 1999, John Campos told me to tell Wong to dress up. He thought that he was going to be released, but he was actually going on a long trip to be executed," Ong said.
She disclosed that Acop suggested Wong's execution. Acop was then head of the PNP Southern Tagalog command, which had carried out Operation Cyclops jointly with the now-defunct President Anti-Organized Crime Task Force, then headed by Lacson, then-PNP chief.
Acop was reportedly concerned that Wong's abduction might become public knowledge after lawyer Rodolfo Tablante went to his office at Camp Vicente Lim in Canlubang, Laguna, requesting that the Chinese be released from detention.
Not satisfied with his meeting with Acop, Tablante went on to meet with Campos at the Public Safety College. During the meeting, Tablante asked Campos to release Wong, only to be told that he was only following orders from Acop.
Alarmed
The follow-up by Tablante "alarmed Acop," said Ong, "so he called for a meeting to solve the problem."
Campos suggested a shootout inside a van, Ong continued, but the idea was rejected because the subject had already been in detention too long for a shootout scenario to be credible.
"Acop finally decided to carry out a biyahe," Ong said. She said the issue was discussed at Camp Vicente Lim "inside the office of General Acop, on May 18."
The next day, Wong was killed, Ong said. "They drilled Wong's buttocks, thighs and legs. Another victim was chopped into pieces and the body parts burned."
Prior to the execution, Ong said, "Acop called Lacson from that office. I was there -- we were all there -- and he told Lacson about the decision on the biyahe. Lacson got angry, demanding to know why after all this time he was still alive."
Until the day of Wong's execution, Ong pointed out, she never knew for sure if he was, indeed, a drug lord. "We never arrested or saw him with drugs."
Blue book
Ong also presented before senators a copy of an alleged drug dealer's "blue book" detailing various drug transactions.
She said the blue book was recovered from a raid in Quezon City in December 1998 by a team of anti-narcotics police officers led by Campos. It recorded transactions involving an estimated 850 kilos of shabu over a two-month period.
Ong said that a certain Mr. Lee, who reportedly had links to a Triad gang in Hong Kong, even offered P3 million for the recovery of the book.
She also presented cassettes of voice recordings to the Senate, which she claimed contained bugged telephone conversations of Chinese drug dealers in various transactions in the country.
Ong underscored that some operatives of the Philippine National Police were involved not only in kidnapping cases and drug trafficking, but also wiretapping. abs-cbnNEWS.com
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September 3, 2001, ABS-CBN, 3:54 PM, Rosebud exposes 'biyahe' execution,
Controversial witness Mary "Rosebud" Ong exposed before a Senate hearing Monday that at least one summary execution of a suspected drug dealer was carried out by anti-narcotics cops related to a drug surveillance operation that went sour in May 1999.
Ong referred to the execution in law enforcement lingo as "biyahe", which means journey, or trip, in the Filipino vernacular.
Ong claimed that suspected Chinese drug lord Wong Kam Chong was the victim of a summary execution carried out by the group of Supt. John Campos on orders of Chief Supt. Reynaldo Acop of the PNP Narcotics Group.
The surveillance was dubbed "Operation Cyclops", which went from a legitimate police operation to kidnap-for-ransom and, finally, to summary execution, Ong explained.
She said that Wong, after being tailed by police operatives was abducted by Campos' group to persuade him to disclose the location of the warehouse where a large shipment of shabu (methamphetamine) was stashed.
Wong was detained in a safehouse along Roxas Boulevard for about two months. His hands became sore from being tied to a window grill for a long time, Ong recalled.
Relatives of the victim were reportedly asked to produce a ransom of P10 million.
After they failed to extract the information from Wong, police operatives were ordered to execute him, Ong said.
Long trip
"On May 19, 1999, John Campos told me to tell Wong to dress up. He thought that he was going to be released, but he was actually going on a long trip -- to be executed," Ong said.
She disclosed that the idea to execute Wong was suggested by Acop, then head of the Philippine National Police (PNP) regional command in Southern Tagalog, which had carried out Operation Cyclops jointly with the defunct President Anti-Organized Crime Task Force, then headed by Deputy Dir. Gen. Panfilo Lacson.
Acop expressed concern that the abduction of Wong might become public knowledge after lawyer Rodolfo Tablante went to his office at Camp Vicente Lim in Laguna requesting that he be released from detention.
Not satisfied with his meeting with Acop, Tablante went on to meet with Campos at Public Safety College. During the meeting, Tablante asked Campos to release Wong, only to be told that he was only following orders from Acop.
Acop alarmed
The follow-up by Tablante "alarmed Acop," said Ong, "so he called for a meeting to solve the problem."
Campos suggested a shootout inside a van, Ong continued, but the idea was rejected because the the subject has already been in detention too long for a shootout scenario to be credible.
"Acop finally decided to carry out a viaje [summary execution]," Ong said. She said the issue was discussed at Camp Vicente Lim "inside the office of General Acop, on May 18."
The next day, Wong was killed, Ong said.
Prior to the execution, Ong said: "Acop called Lacson from that office. I was there -- we were all there -- and he told Lacson about the decision on the viaje. Lacson got angry, demanding to know why after all this time he was still alive."
Until the day of Wong's execution, Ong pointed out, she never knew for sure if he was, indeed, a drug lord: "We never arrested or saw him with drugs."
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September 6, 2001, ABS-CBN, 12:05 AM, Akbar: I heard of ransom, but had no role in payment,
Basilan Gov. Wahab Akbar denied Wednesday links with the Abu Sayyaf, saying allegations that he was one of the main backers of the bandits in Mindanao were meant to destroy him.
Facing congressmen at a hearing of the House Committee on National Defense, Akbar said he did not deliver any ransom to the Abu Sayyaf in exchange for the release of some hostages.
Akbar, however, said he believed some hostages were freed after paying ransom. He said even before the kidnappers entered the town of Lamitan in Basilan, reports of a payoff reached him.
The Basilan governor denied also that he was in the hospital where at least two witnesses had claimed to have seen him with two attaché cases supposedly containing money.
From June 2 to 3, Akbar said he was at the house of Lamitan Mayor Inocente Ramos together with some witnesses, one of them a Manila-based television reporter.
According to Akbar, the only time he was able to talk to the hostages who were freed was when Ramos brought them to his house. From there, he added, he proceeded to Lamitan church to check the damages.
"Those who are saying these [allegations of connivance with the Abu Sayyaf] are the enemy of the state," Akbar told the committee.
At the Senate, the defense committee said Catholic priest Cirilo Nacorda and other witnesses are set to testify Thursday in a separate inquiry into the military-Abu Sayyaf collusion.
Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel Jr. said he is asking Sen. Ramon Magsaysay, committee chairman, to also invite former President Fidel Ramos to shed light on Nacorda's claim that he reported the collusion to Ramos.
"Father Nacorda agreed to come to Manila with 20 other witnesses to testify directly before the defense committee and explain the circumstances of his allegations that certain military officers have been in cahoots with the Abu Sayyaf, enabling the bandits to escape from a hospital compound supposedly surrounded by soldiers in Lamitan Basilan on June 2," said Pimentel.
Asked if the Thursday hearing would not duplicate the House inquiry into the same issue, Pimentel explained that Nacorda and other witnesses "promised to reveal many things for the first time."
Pimentel added that some of the witnesses have received death threats to silence them, "but they are taking the risk to be able to tell the truth." R. Acosta, B. Fernandez/TODAY
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September 7, 2001, ABS-CBN, 10:04 PM, Examine 2 Chan reports–Lacson,
Opposition Sen. Panfilo Lacson and his accusers traded more charges Friday, with the senator advising his enemies in the military intelligence service to put their act together when they "manufacture" evidence to prove his role in drug dealing and laundering drug money. In turn, sources in the military said Lacson paid P1.5 million for a "report" supposedly damning a key witness against him, former policy spy Mary "Rosebud" Ong.
"[Col. Mario] Chan should coordinate with his boss [Col. Victor] Corpus so they would not give conflicting statements. Their case, which is built on lies, is crumbling," said Lacson
The senator recalled that Corpus virtually admitted in an interview on Wednesday that Chan had submitted a report containing the assessment of the US Customs that Ong was a "witness without credibility."
Lacson was referring to a report where Corpus admitted he did not release the derogatory report written by Chan about Ong, because it was written just after the two had a heated argument while they were in the US. Then, he said, there was a final official report, and this was not the one Lacson read into the Senate record.
Lacson said he will ask the joint Senate committee inquiry to summon Chan to the next hearing to clarify the conflicting versions of the same report.
On Friday, however, Chan said Lacson either faked his copy of the report—the version critical of Ong—or had gotten a bum steer.
Sources said Friday Lacson allegedly coughed up P1.5 million just to obtain the document he earlier presented, showing US Customs officials dismissing Ong as a "witness without credibility."
The document allegedly "bought" by the senator was dubious, because it was unsigned, according to sources who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Sources said the supposed report of Colonel Chan, the leader of the AFP-PNP team who went to the United States in June to inquire into Lacson's alleged secret bank accounts, was fed by an asset of Chief Supt. Reynaldo Acop, who was linked by Ong to the illegal drugs trade.
Sources said Acop's asset talked to one Aileen Pascua, reportedly a member of the People's Movement Against Poverty and working at the office of Lacson, and informed her about the document.
"Acop's asset told Pascua that the senator can have the document for P1.5 million," sources said.
Sources said Pascua then told Lacson about the document and upon reading it, the senator paid the asset—in cash or check, it was not known.
"The statement given by Mary Ong in Hong Kong to US Customs officials were full of inconsistencies, half-truths and half- lies . . . In fact, she was telling US Customs agents in San Francisco details of drug trafficking in the US that were in fact deliberately fed to her by US Customs Internal Affairs people in Hong Kong. Unfortunately, she fell for this simple debriefing technique by the US Customs authorities," read Lacson from the Chan report on Wednesday.
But Corpus said the letter Lacson read was "not the original copy. "You're reading from an unofficial report. That's a different document than what we have."
The joint inquiry being conducted by the public order, defense and blue-ribbon committees will resume hearings on September 24, when the Department of Justice is supposed to submit evidence to bolster Corpus's charges of money laundering against Lacson.
The DOJ earlier asked for two weeks to collate proof of bank records of Lacson in the US.
Reacting to Ong's claim that she still has more bombshells to drop against Lacson at the hearings, Lacson said: "They have two weeks to concoct more tall tales and fabricate evidence before Congress resumes its session. I suggest they do it well because they have definitely failed miserably to come up with credible evidence to support their claims," Lacson said.
Relatedly, Ong revealed Friday an alleged attempt by Lacson's camp to bribe her to drop the drug-trafficking charges against Acop and the senator.
Ong said Acop initially tried to bribe her with P2 million in November 27 last year, barely seven days after she exposed Acop's and Lacson's link to criminal activities—kidnap for ransom, drug trafficking and murders of suspected drug Chinese traffickers.
The bribe tries, she said happened twice last year and a few weeks before she testified before the Senate.
Ong said Lacson's camp also offered her P10 million two weeks before her appearance in the Senate.
Relatedly, people's organizations along with retired military and police officers reiterated their demand for Lacson's expulsion.
Speaking at the Ugnayang Pambansa weekly news forum, People's Consultative Assembly (PCA) Secretary General Linda Olaguer Montayre said they are exercising their rights and duties as citizens to call on erring public officials to step down once they violate the public trust.
Interior Secretary Joey Lina said the National Police Commission (Napolcom) is now fast-tracking the criminal and administrative charges against the high-ranking police officers believed to be involved in illegal drug trade.
"We are just taking the transcript of the testimonies of Mary Ong during the Senate investigation," Lina said.
He promised to observe due process to ensure that the rights of the accused police officers will not be violated.
Lacson said that Corpus and his men are now trying to convince two drug traffickers, one of them a former comrade of Corpus in the Communist Party, to come up with perjured testimonies linking the senator to the illegal drug trade. B. Fernandez, F. Marasigan, P. Atienza/TODAY
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September 13, 2001, ABS-CBN, 12:09 AM, PNP exec links US attacks to 1995 Manila terrorist plot, by Fernan Marasigan, TODAY Reporter
The attack on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon in the United States could be part of the terror plot known as "Project Operation Oplan Bojinka," according to a local police official who made a big contribution in the conviction of terrorist Ramzi Ahmed Yousef by a New York court for the 1993 World Trade Center bombing.
One of the police officials, Chief Supt. Avelino Razon, Central Visayas police director, said the evidence was seized by the police from the safe house of suspected international terrorists in 1995.
"This could be part of an overall plot [Bojinka or land explosions]," Razon said in telephone interview.
Razon, then chief of the Manila police led a raid at the terrorist safe house at Room 603 Josefa Apartment, Quirino Avenue in Malate, Manila, in 1995 and seized four sets of explosives, several documents and a laptop supposedly storing well-detailed plans of terrorist activities, including the bombing of a Philippine Airlines flight from Cebu to Narita which served as a test run of sorts.
The evidence and the testimonies of some police officers, particularly that of Supt. Alex Monteagudo, led to the conviction of Yousef in September 6, 1996.
Razon is scheduled to fly to the US soon to attend an antiterrorist program, where he will discuss the 1995 raid on the hideout of Yousef in Manila.
Razon suspects that the attack on the US was timed with the anniversary of Yousef's conviction.
"Ang tingin namin dyan, parang itinyempo doon sa conviction ni Ramzi Yousef. Parang retaliation din doon sa conviction," Razon told Today.
The evidence the police seized also opened up the link of international terrorist Osama bin Laden to local terrorists here. Bin Laden is a brother-in-law of Mohammad Jafal Khalifa, who is maintaining a semilegal organization in Mindanao.
Bin Laden reportedly was married to a Filipina, who is a cousin of Abu Sayyaf leader Abu Sabaya.
These organizations authorities believed are being used as fronts by the local terrorists here.
Six years ago, the bin Laden-led international terrorist group have been planning and plotting on how to use commercial airlines to attack the key targets in the United States.
Conceptualized in 1994, Bojinka has its key players like Yousef Abdul Hakim Murad and Wali Khan.
Except for bin Laden, who is now being eyed as the principal suspect of the recent smashing US attacks, the three are now detained in a New York jail after they were convicted of conspiracy in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing.
Yousef was arrested in Pakistan, Murad was nabbed in Manila, and US agents in coordination with local Malaysian intelligence operatives arrested Khan in Kuala Lumpur.
Other intelligence sources said that originally, Bojinka under the guidance of Yousef, will hijack commercial aircrafts flying to the United States from the Philippines, South Korea, Japan, Thailand, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Singapore, and crash-land them on key US targets.
Philippine authorities uncovered all these plots following the January 7, 1995, raid in Quirino Avenue, Malate, Manila.
It was in this operation that authorities arrested Murad, a Pakistani.
Joint interrogation on Murad by agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the local police, would later confirm his claims that bin Laden, through Yousef, had been planning to use commercial airlines to hit US targets.
Murad also told the joint US and Philippine police investigators, that among the key targets by their group would be the FBI headquarters and CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia.
Before to his arrest, Murad also admitted that he together with several colleagues, had been frequenting the Philippines to establish a cell for their group. In his confession, he also claimed that he took flying lessons in the country.
The establishment of the terrorist cell was confirmed on Wednesday by Armed Forces spokesman Brig. Gen. Edilberto Adan. TODAY
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September 23, 2001, ABS-CBN, 9:49 PM, Abu Sayyaf buys speedboat,
ZAMBOANGA (ABS-CBN) - The extremist Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) has acquired new speedboats from local fishermen in the province, Brig. Gen. Glicerio Sua of the 1st Infantry Battalion said Sunday.
Sua added that his men are checking out the report because some members of the ASG might be planning to sneak out of the province.
The military is also investigating some fishermen and speedboat owners as they might be in cahoots with the bandits.
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October 5, 2001, ABS-CBN, 1:42 PM, Imelda's gems may be sold soon,
MANILA (Reuters) - Former first lady Imelda Marcos' fabled gems, worth an estimated $20 million and including a tiara studded with diamonds, may be up for sale soon.
"We agreed to sell the jewelry items of Mrs. Marcos through an international auctioneer," commissioner Jorge Sarmiento of the Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG) told reporters on Thursday.
The auction, preferably through Sothebys, rival Christie's or others, could take place in the United States, Hong Kong or Singapore hopefully within 45 days, Sarmiento said.
The jewelry pieces were among items seized by the government shortly after late dictator Ferdinand Marcos was ousted in a 1986 "people power" revolt which forced the Marcoses to flee to Hawaii, where he died three years later.
Besides a diamond-studded tiara, the jewelry included rubies, emeralds, bracelets, earrings, necklaces and evening bags adorned with precious gems, Marcos family aides have said.
Some of it was bought from impoverished European royalty, they said.
The government in 1996 tried to auction the jewelry but the Marcos family opposed it, saying the public sale would violate a 1993 deal it struck with PCGG officials which allowed the Marcoses to keep 25 percent of their assets seized by the state.
A Philippine court later disallowed such a deal.
The jewelry represents only a portion of a huge fortune amounting to billions of dollars which the government alleged Marcos and his associates amassed during his 20 years in power.
Ownership of the assets, including accounts in banks in Switzerland, has triggered bitter legal battles between the government and the Marcoses. Many of the lawsuits have remained unresolved for more than a decade.
The PCGG, a state agency charged with tracking down Marcos-linked assets, said it had recovered over 30 billion pesos ($588 million) worth of such assets since its hunt began 15 years ago. They included shares of stocks, real estate and art pieces.
Sarmiento said that before the jewelry could be auctioned off abroad, the PCGG and the Bureau of Customs -- the two agencies holding the items in custody -- must consult the Department of Justice because customs rules require that assets seized in the Philippines should be sold within the country.
PCGG chairman Haydee Yorac, in a letter to the customs bureau made public on Thursday, said the government must ensure the Marcoses would not get the jewelry back through the auction.
"We wish to thwart the possibility that the Marcoses themselves would directly or indirectly participate in the bidding of these pieces of jewelry, and end up owning them again," Yorac said in her letter.
Imelda Marcos has denied charges that her family had illegally amassed wealth, saying her husband was a rich man before he became president, building a fortune by trading in gold after the end of World War Two. abs-cbnNEWS.com
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October 5, 2001, ABS-CBN, 8:00 PM, Malacañang launches government website,
President Arroyo on Friday launched the government's official internet web site during her regular press conference in Malacañang Palace.
Arroyo said that the web site, www.gov.ph, is the fastest way to access news and information about the various government agencies and institutions under the Office of the President.
Statements and speeches of President Arroyo are prominently featured on the site, which also incorporates a search facility for topic-related items in its Past News section.
Aside from press releases from the Office of the Press Secretary, the site also has a State of the Nation section that features the accomplishments of the Arroyo administration vis-a-vis the goals set during Arroyo's SONA last July.
The SONA targets are divided into eight sections: Food, Jobs and Livelihood, Housing, Education and other Social Services, Infrastructure, Peace and Order and Security, Business and Economy and Governance.
Links to various government websites and different media organizations, both local and foreign, can also be accessed at the website.
The site also features the latest GNP and GDP statistics, as well as the current employment rate in the country, as reported by the National Statistical Coordination Board and the National Statistics Office.
As an interactive tool for citizens, the government web site also provides a link to www.spokenverve.com, which provides message boards for relevant topics, such as youth participation in government, government efficiency, poverty alleviation, corruption, quality of education, globalization and the like.
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October 5, 2001, ABS-CBN, 7:05 AM, Sharon says Israel won't roll over for US,
JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli leader Ariel Sharon said after a Palestinian shooting attack that US efforts to win Arab support for a war on terrorism would not stop Israel from taking "all necessary measures" to defend its citizens.
"Do not try to appease the Arabs at our expense," the prime minister said at a news conference on Thursday (Friday in Manila) after a Palestinian gunman, posing as an Israeli soldier, killed three people at a bus station in the northern Israeli town of Afula.
Israel's national mood darkened further after an Air Sibir plane with 66 passengers, many of them Russian-born Israelis, and 12 crew crashed in the Black Sea on a flight from Tel Aviv to Novosibirsk, Siberia.
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October 30, 2001, ABS-CBN, 7:48 PM, 'R.P. asked U.S. for help to fight ASG',
The Philippine government asked the United States for help to fight the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG), U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld revealed on Tuesday.
Rumsfeld said the U.S. military personnel who are currently in Basilan are providing "advice and assessment" to the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).
"We were asked by the Philippines government -- as we are by dozens and dozens of governments across the globe from time to time -- to have some American military people offering them some advice and assessment as to the kind of problems that the Philippines have been faced with," he said.
Last week, more than two-dozen U.S. military advisers were flown to Basilan where the ASG have been holding Americans and Filipinos hostage from a kidnapping spree that began last May.
The ASG has been linked to the alleged international terror network al-Qaeda and Saudi dissident Osama bin Laden, the "prime suspect" in the September 11 attacks on the U.S.
Philippine military officials have been less candid whether the U.S. advisers volunteered their help or were invited to the country.
Earlier, AFP spokesman Brig. Gen. Edilberto Adan told abs-cbnNEWS.com that the arrival of the U.S. advisers "is based on the Mutual Defense Agreement" between the Philippines and the United States, "wherein each nation will seek ways to strengthen its capability to resist aggression and fight threats to its security."
"With the renewed drive against international terrorism as a result of the attack in the U.S., the U.S. government has upped the tempo of the campaign," Adan said.
Adan was categorical in saying that the U.S. team of "evaluators and coordinators" are in the Philippines "to assess, evaluate our planning systems, position making systems, our operations and equipment in our present campaign against terrorism in Mindanao."
"They are here not to fight because they are all officers. They are specialists," Adan said.
AFP Southern Command (Southcom) chief Lt. Gen. Roy Cimatu, meanwhile, described as "fruitful" the visit of the U.S. team in Mindanao.
"At present, they are visiting the Marine contingent in Maluso, Basilan. On Wednesday, they will have their exit briefing at the Southcom where we expect them to give us their initial feedback of the visit," Cimatu said.
The military, meanwhile, reported that special forces, trained and equipped by the U.S. military, have scored notable successes against the ASG.
Reports said more than 50 of bandits were killed since the start of the month, both in Basilan and on the nearby island of Sulu. abs-cbnNEWS.com
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October 31, 2001, ABS-CBN, 3:16 AM, U.S. issues new 'terror' list of 200 names,
LONDON - The United States has released a new list of some 200 individuals it suspects of having links to September's attacks, Britain's financial regulator said on Tuesday.
Britain has received the list, compiled by the US Federal Bureau of Investigation and is sharing it with banks but has decided against formally issuing it due to "sensitivities" with the content, Patrick Humphries, a spokesman for the British Financial Services Authority said.
"There is a new list and we have received it," Humphries said. "But it is not something that will be made public"
"We will give the list to the banks to see if any names match but there are some sensitivities attached to it. It is a confidential list," he added but declining to give more details. Reuters/abs-cbnNEWS.com
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November 1, 2001, ABS-CBN, 10:59 PM, Abu leader slain as Sabaya sends feelers, by Michael Punongbayan, TODAY Correspondent
Soldiers hunting the Abu Sayyaf bandits killed another of their leaders, Ali Manabo, who had a P1-million price on his head, and another bandit in a clash in Basilan Wednesday night. Two other bandits were killed in another encounter in the same province.
The Southern Command chief, Lt. Gen. Roy Cimatu, said Manabo and Jatar Alfa were killed in the first encounter in a village in Lantawan. In Tipo-Tipo, 18th Infantry Battalion soldiers led by Lt. Col. Dan Lucero killed the other two in a clash with the band led by Suhod Tanajalin.
In the capital, Isabela, officials said a senior bandit leader indicated he might surrender and hand over hostages in his control, but the government remains skeptical of his offer.
The officials identified the leader as the self-appointed spokesman for the bandits, Abu Sabaya, whose band is said to be holding the two Americans kidnapped from Palawan and at least eight Filipinos.
Sabaya has a reputation for ruthlessness, and some accounts have tagged him as having raped, tortured and executed some captives.
Col. Hermogenes Esperon, commander of the troops hunting the bandits, said Sabaya and his men must surrender and hand over the hostages without conditions or the military hunt would continue.
Sabaya has said he is holding Wichita, Kansas, missionaries Martin and Gracia Burnham and eight coconut farmers seized from a plantation and used as shields against soldiers.
Sabaya is also blamed for the murder of Corona, California, resident Guillermo Sobero, whose beheaded body was found in early October.
On the renewed clashes, Col. Roland Detabali, chief of military operations on Basilan Island, said none of his men were injured. The recent battles have inflicted heavy casualties on the Abu Sayyaf, with nearly 50 of them being killed.
Army spokesman Lt. Col. Jose Mabanta Jr. said soldiers were patrolling the village of Bacud in Tipo-Tipo when they spotted some 20 bandits, who engaged them in a firefight that killed the two terrorists. "The last encounter we had with the bandits was five days ago. This actually breaks the long lull."
Mabanta said the soldiers located the bandits with the help of informants from the community itself, which is a big help to them. They are pursuing and closing in on them. He expressed confidence that the terrorists would be neutralized soon.
The military could not say if the hostages were with the bands they had encountered.
In Manila, the AFP chief of staff, Gen. Diomedio Villanueva, said the military lacks equipment to fight terrorism and defend the country from outside attackers, a situation that the visiting American military consultants "can see very clearly."
Villanueva, speaking in Camp Aguinaldo, said the assessment made by the 23-man US military group could result in a grant by the US of military aid in the form of equipment and vehicles to the AFP.
The team returned to the United States by way of Honolulu, Hawaii, where they will report to US Adm. Dennis Blair, the commander of American forces in the Pacific.
Villanueva said the AFP lacks vital land and air transport such as helicopters, trucks and modern weapons, electronic trackers and other high-tech gadgets.
The military also lacks "imaging equipment" to allow soldiers to see in the dark, especially in the jungles. All these the military consultants found out.
Villanueva said the US experts did not find everything disappointing, for they have found the country's military very well trained.
The US team was satisfied with the way soldiers led by Cimatu and other commanders were handling the situation in Mindanao, but it was dismayed by the outmoded equipment, like Vietnam-vintage helicopters, and the shortage of equipment," Villanueva said.
Before leaving the country, the team met with Villanueva at the AFP General Headquarters in Camp Aguinaldo yesterday morning. With AP/TODAY
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November 8, 2001, ABS-CBN, 8:39 PM, GMA meets with Guardians, denies coup,
President Arroyo admitted meeting with leaders of the Guardian Brotherhood Inc. in Malacañang Palace on Wednesday night, but denied that the meeting was connected with the alleged coup plot against her administration.
Irked about reports linking the meeting to the rumored coup plot, Arroyo said it was not the first time that Guardian leaders came to Malacañang. She said the Guardians sometimes meet with Brig. Gen. Alberto Braganza, Arroyo's senior military aide, because they were mistahs at the Philippine Military Academy.
Wednesday's meeting with the Guardians was arranged by Braganza and facilitated by Army Brig. Gen. Marcial Collao Jr., chief of the Army's Headquarters Support Group at Fort Bonifacio.
Collao is said to be the acknowledged leader of the brotherhood, which is composed of at least 400,000 active and retired military and police personnel.
Arroyo denied that the alleged coup plot was discussed during Wednesday's meeting, adding that the Guardians is now a non-government organization committed to support the Arroyo administration.
Arroyo admitted that she was frustrated with the coup reports, especially because it gave a negative impression on country's stability.
Collao earlier said his group has no plans of mounting a coup because "we do not wish to contribute to the problems of the society."
"We do not want to get involved in politics. How can we help the people if we join this reported coup?" Collao said. "We are redirecting our efforts towards livelihood and development programs like cooperativism," he added.
The Guardians first gained prominence after it was involved in the coup d'etat against former president Corazon Aquino. abs-cbnNEWS.com
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November 8, 2001, ABS-CBN, 11:01 PM, Defense finds holes in Arellano story,
The Estrada defense in the plunder case being heard by the Third Division of the Sandigabayan scored Thursday when it got former Social Security System (SSS) president Carlos Arellano to say that a questioned transaction was not illegal.
This transaction is the so-called behest purchase of Belle Resources shares from which the deposed President, Joseph Estrada, allegedly gained the benefit of a multimillion-peso commission.
Testifying for the second day Thursday, prosecution witness Arellano came under cross-examination during which defense lawyer Serafin Cuevas elicited from him the statement that it was his decision to acquire the stocks valued at P784 million with SSS money.
The day before, Arellano said he was pressured by Estrada to buy the shares. He was called by Estrada three times asking him to hurry up the deal and even called him to Malacañang to stress the necessity of buying the shares quickly.
The sales of the shares had come under scrutiny because at that time, its price had skyrocketed and then plunged, so that suspicions of manipulation arose.
Another Estrada lawyer, Cleofe Verzola, said that with this testimony of Arellano, the defense no longer needs to discredit him as a witness.
But it may be too early for the defense to claim victory because the point of the plunder case was the kickback that Estrada got from the transaction.
In his testimony, Arellano also said the former President did not specify how much the SSS is supposed to buy. And that the acquisition was made with the approval of the SSS board.
Based on documents shown to reporters by the defense, the SSS appeared to have—even before Estrada was said to have pressured it into buying—bought shares 51 times from the gaming firm. For the whole month of October alone it bought a total 329.8 million shares for P1.3 billion.
A month before that, SSS also had 100 transactions with Belle. Overall, the pension fund had traded with Belle 299 times during 1999. R. Acosta/TODAY
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November 11, 2001, ABS-CBN, 10:56 PM, Brains behind sale of ballots known to Comelec probers, by Cher Jimenez, TODAY Reporter
A high-ranking official of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) is behind the illegal sale of ballots in the May 14 national elections.
An insider from the commission who requested anonymity said the poll body is now gathering evidence to pin down the mastermind of the anomaly who will also be charged in court.
"We are now in the process of readying evidence and once we complete them we will file the necessary charges before the appropriate court," said the poll official.
If proven guilty, the well-placed official may be imprisoned and barred from further holding any government office, according to the source.
Besides documents proving the official's involvement in the anomalous sale of election ballots, some witnesses are also willing to testify, said the source.
"We have confirmed reports that a top poll official was behind the illegal sale of ballots during the recently held senatorial elections," the official said.
The list of voters in the May 14 senatorial election was found to be padded by more than 500,000, fanning speculations that the political exercise was marred by cheating in favor of some administration candidates.
Two months before the elections, a Comelec casual employee named Antonio Galang was caught trying to steal original ballots from the National Printing Office where the poll body prints the forms.
Galang, who was ordered to watch the printing of ballots, was caught selling them at P25 each. It was not known why a casual employee like Galang was tasked to do such a sensitive duty.
He was charged with qualified theft at the Quezon City Prosecutor's Office.
Speculations have long swirled that a syndicate called Black Samurai, headed by a top official, is behind illegal transactions inside the commission. TODAY
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November 16, 2001, ABS-CBN, 7:30 PM, GMA to seek U.S. military aircraft,
President Arroyo will seek utility helicopters, gunships and C-130 troop transports during her visit to Washington next week, Defense Secretary Angelo Reyes said on Thursday in San Francisco (Friday in Manila).
President Arroyo is on official working visit to the United States. She was to fly to New York from San Francisco, the first leg of her seven-day visit.
Reyes said he was looking for joint ventures to develop former Clark air base as an aerospace industry center and Subic Bay naval station as a regional ship repair hub.
The Philippines opened the two facilities as staging points for the U.S.-led military campaign that drove Afghanistan's Taliban rulers from Kabul this week, Reyes told a forum at the Heritage Foundation, a research group in Washington.
Arroyo was one of the first leaders who declared an all-out support to the effort against terrorism and the military strike on Afghanistan.
"There will be no more foreign bases in the Philippines," he said, citing a constitutional ban. "But we are open to other arrangements short of permanent bases."
Lockheed Martin Corp., the biggest U.S. defense contractor, is involved in a joint-venture repair facility at Clark, with the potential to serve a wide range of aircraft used by neighboring countries, Reyes said.
Authorities were also exploring possible joint ventures that would open Crow Valley gunnery range inside Clark for practice bombing runs by allied fighter pilots, Reyes said.
The overall goal, he said, was to broaden the country's defense industrial base and make it more self-reliant as part of a military modernization drive.
Previewing Arroyo's visit to Washington next Monday and Tuesday, Reyes said Manila wanted the Textron Inc. Bell UH-1 "Huey" helicopters for close air support missions in the drive against enemies such as the bandit Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG), which U.S. and Philippine officials say are linked to bin Laden's al Qaeda network.
Hopeful
The President expressed hope that the two American hostages held captive by the ASG will be rescued before her meeting with U.S. President George W. Bush next week, Presidential Spokesman Rigoberto Tiglao said.
Arroyo, who will meet Bush Tuesday, has also ordered troops to intensify their operations against the bandit group through the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, Tiglao told reporters in a teleconference from the U.S.
The announcement came a day after seven Filipino hostages were recovered unharmed by pursuing troops, leaving ASG with only three hostages - Christian missionary couple Martin and Gracia Burnham of Kansas and a Filipina nurse.
"She's congratulating the military for the relentless pursuit of the Abu Sayyaf," Tiglao said. "Right now the orders to the military are to continue their operations but they have to keep in mind the safety of the hostages," he said.
Asked if Arroyo was confident that the military could safely recover the remaining hostages before meeting with Bush, Tiglao said: "We're very hopeful."
He added that Arroyo is also calling on the ASG to release the hostages as soon as possible" without any conditions.
Military southern command chief Lt. Gen. Roy Cimatu declined to give specific details of the operation, but stressed "it would be a white Christmas for the couple", suggesting the Burnhams would be reunited with their families soon.
"We are there and we will not stop until we have rescued all the hostages and destroyed the Abu Sayyaf," Cimatu told reporters.
The Burnhams and another American, Peru-born Guillermo Sobero, were seized along with 17 Filipinos from the Dos Palmas resort in Palawan last May 27.
The ASG freed most of the hostages allegedly after ransom payments, but snatched more people as they fled across Basilan.
The bandits beheaded Sobero in June, while they also murdered more than a dozen Filipino captives.
The seven hostages freed Thursday were Friday flown to Manila and presented to Vice President Teofisto Guingona.
Two of them on Friday reportedly claimed they were freed after ASG spokesman Abu Sabaya was convinced by Sairin Karno, a former Malaysian senator, and Samsamin Ampatuan, a local official advising Manila on Muslim affairs.
Last year, Karno was instrumental in obtaining the release of the Malaysian captives among 21 foreign and local hostages seized by the Abu Sayyaf from a Malaysian resort and held in the island of Jolo.
Cimatu, however, stressed their recovery was the result of military pressure on the ASG, which was linked by Manila and Washington to Saudi dissident Osama bin Laden, the prime suspect in the September 11 terror attacks in the U.S.
Maria Fe Rosadeno and Angie Montealegre, two of those freed on Thursday, had been forced to convert to Islam during their captivity and still wore their Islamic veils on their heads, saying they were not comfortable taking them off.
Stockholm syndrome
Cimatu earlier warned that they still suffered from "Stockholm Syndrome," a condition where hostages identify with their captors.
Montealegre, who was among the original hostages seized in May, said of her abductors, "we used to consider them enemies but as [our captivity] got longer, they became friends and we became close to them."
Rosadeno, who was the girlfriend of the slain Sobero, sobbed and was wracked by emotion and said she was sorry about her lover's fate.
"All I can say to [Sobero's] family, parents and friends is that I'm so sorry. I'm sorry that this thing had to happen. I love him very much and it's so painful to me now," she said. "I hate them so much, I condemn them."
Meanwhile, Prof. Julkipli Wadi of the University of the Philippines Institute for Islamic Studies said that Arroyo's visit to the U.S. is a significant event in the Philippine history.
Wadi told abs-cbnNEWS.com that Arroyo will be the first Philippine president to address the U.N. General Assembly.
Wadi added that the U.S. offer to help the Philippine military fight local terrorist groups has been hastened by the September 11 attacks in the U.S.
In New York, Arroyo is scheduled to also visit Ground Zero, the site of the World Trade Center tragedy following the September 11 terrorist attacks. She will meet New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani and New York Governor George Pataki.
The President will then proceed to Washington for talks with President Bush.
Arroyo said she expects to raise the issue of chemical waste left behind after the United States abandoned Clark Air Base and Subic Naval Base, the welfare of children abandoned by American servicemen in the Philippines and Filipino war veterans.
On her way home from Washington, the President will make a side trip to Mexico City to address the Leaders' Meeting of the Christian Democrats International.
MOUs
Also on Thursday, Arroyo witnessed the signing of three memorandums of understanding (MOUs) designed to further promote the information and communications technology in the Philippines.
The signing of the MOUs, arranged by Trade and Industry Secretary Manuel Roxas II, was part of the President's activities on the first day of the New York leg of her working visit to the United States.
The President arrived in New York from San Francisco, her port of entry in her working visit which will bring her to Washington, D.C. and Mexico City.
Earlier, the President received at the Presidential Suite of the Waldorf Astoria Hotel Ambassador John Negroponte, U.S. permanent representative to the United Nations.
The President also met with the U.S.-based members of the International Board of Advisers (IBA).
During her visit to Tokyo in mid-September, the President also met with the Japanese members of the IBA, namely Minoru Makihara, chairman of Mitsubishi Corporation, and Junichiro Miyazu, president of Nippon Telegraph & Telephone Corporation(NTT)
One of the MOUs signed MOU was between the Philippines' Immequire and the U.S. Tele Response Center, Inc. (TRC). Signatories were Immequire president Stuart Discount and TRC president William Lo and TRC director Aaron Perez-Daple.
Under this MOU, Immequire, on behalf of the TRC, will conduct an outbound telemarketing campaign to raise funds for U.S.-based nonprofit organizations.
Since l988, TRC has developed and implemented successful programs for highly respected charities and nonprofit organizations nationally, regionally and locally. TRC has been ranked 45th among the top 50 outbound teleservices agencies in the March 2000 issue of Call Center Solutions magazine.
The second MOU was between the Philippines' ICCP Venture Partners, Inc. (IVPI) and the US Ambergris Solutions, Inc. (ASI). The signatories were Guillermo Luchangco, chairman and chief executive officer of IVPI, and Karl Gossen, president of ASI.
This MOU is expected to generate additional foreign currency earnings for the country some 1,500 high-value employees in year 2002.
The third MOU was between the Philippines' Customer Contact Center, Inc. (CCCI) and the US Source One Communications (SOC) signed by Manuel Lopez, chairman of CCCI, and W. Sam Chandola of SOC.
Source One Communications is a leading provider of customer service and database management services worldwide, with headquarters in New Jersey.
The MOU is expected to bring the Philippines ahead of India, Singapore, and Australia as a location of choice for outsource call center services in the Asia-Pacific Region.
This will also help develop the sunshine call center industry in the Philippines and bring in more foreign investments to the country. abs-cbnNEWS.com with Reuters
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November 16, 2001, ABS-CBN, 7:30 PM, DOJ to ask Switzerland for help in recovery of Marcos wealth,
Department of Justice (DOJ) officials will meet with their counterpart from Switzerland on Tuesday to draft a mutual legal assistance treaty that would expedite the recovery of alleged Marcos ill-gotten wealth.
DOJ Secretary Hernando Perez said Friday he would also discuss possible assistance on the issue of money laundering.
"One of the important issues that they want discussed is...money laundering. The discussions will start on Tuesday and we will try our best to finish...on the same day," Perez said.
Perez, however, stressed that the main concern will still be the recovery of the Marcos wealth. "There is a possibility that Switzerland could be used as a haven for money laundering so it is better to discuss the issue," he said.
Perez said justice officials from both governments will try to finish the draft in Manila, saying the country will send representatives to Switzerland if ever they fail to wrap up discussions here.
The Marcoses reportedly held various accounts in Union Bank of Switzerland (UBS).
Early this year, Irene Marcos-Araneta allegedly attempted to transfer $13.2 billion in ill-gotten deposits from UBS to two private banks in Liechtenstein, Liechtensteiner Landesbank AG and Verwaltungs-und Privatbank in Germany.
The transfer was supposedly done to prevent the government from withdrawing the deposits.
Meanwhile, Perez welcomed the resignation of former Solicitor General Francisco Chavez as special counsel for the DOJ.
The other day, Chavez tendered his irrevocable resignation, citing as reason the DOJ's alleged lack of interest in pursuing the government's recovery efforts of the alleged ill-gotten wealth of the Marcoses.
He said he does not want to be part of the so-called "Ateneo mafia," a group of former students of Perez who are reportedly running the department.
Perez, however, denied Chavez allegations. He said the DOJ has already submitted its reports and recommendations to Malacañang after the trip to Germany last June of the Philippine delegation, including Chavez, to verify reports of the alleged transfer.
"It is not correct to say that we have not done anything about this. No one could claim a monopoly of the desire to pursue the Marcos wealth. Attorney Chavez is interested and so are we, which is the reason why we have initiated discussions for a mutual legal aid treaty with Switzerland," he said. abs-cbnNEWS.com
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November 17, 2001, ABS-CBN, 3:52 PM, ASG split between Janjalani, Sabaya,
Armed Forces Southern Command chief Lt. Gen. Roy Cimatu has confirmed that Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) leaders Khadaffy Janjalani and Abu Sabaya have severed ties.
Cimatu said Janjalani now leads about 25 bandits while Sabaya has a bigger group of more than 70 armed members.
Cimatu added that Janjalani is still in Basilan amid earlier reports he is in Central Mindanao. He said Janjalani is seeking a possible link-up with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. abs-cbnNEWS.com monitor
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November 17, 2001, ABS-CBN, 2:14 PM, BID: Filipinos linked to Mideast terrorists are back,
Immigrations officials on Saturday said some 50 Filipinos with possible connections to terrorist groups in the Middle East were able to slip back to the Philippines, mostly through backdoors in the South.
The Bureau of Immigration at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport said the terrorist trainees began arriving in the country after forces of the Northern Alliance began taking control of most cities in Afghanistan.
Authorities assured the terrorist trainees are being monitored by the international police and the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA).
They admitted there is no basis as of yet to hold those suspected of having links with foreign terrorist groups. abs-cbnNEWS.com monitor
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November 17, 2001, ABS-CBN, 9:05 PM, Integration of 5,000 MNLF into AFP seen, by Jodeal Cadacio, TODAY Reporter
The government's program to integrate former guerrillas of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) to the Armed Forces will not be derailed by the threat of former MNLF chairman Nur Misuari to again take up arms against the government, the chairman of the powerful House Committee on Appropriations said Saturday.
Lakas Rep. Rolando Andaya Jr. of Camarines Sur said there are sufficient funds to oversee the full integration of the more than 5,000 MNLF fighters into the Armed Forces under the Malacañang-proposed P780.8-billion national budget for year 2002
Andaya said a total of P657.8 million will be earmarked for the "MNLF Integration Program" under the Armed Forces' proposed budget for next year.
"Nur Misuari's saber-rattling and the loud propaganda shots being lobbed by the former rebel-turned-government official will have no bearing on the government's commitment to integrate Misuari's former men into the Armed Forces," Andaya said.
Andaya was reacting to threats made by Misuari last week that he will return to his "old ways" because of the government's failure to honor its commitments to him when the MNLF signed a peace agreement with the government in 1997 after almost 30 years of waging a secessionist war in Mindanao.
But Andaya said Misuari's grumbling will have no bearing on the government's intention to fund the integration of former Moro rebels into the Army.
For next year, P658 million will be allocated to train and employ MNLF integrees. The amount will be used for the training needs of some 2,870 former rebels.
So far a total of 2,880 former guerrillas have been taken in as regular Army personnel. Under the 1997 peace agreement, a total of 5,750 former MNLF rebels were to join the Armed Forces.
Andaya said Misuari's present status should not be used as an excuse to freeze the MNLF integration program.
Besides being chairman of the MNLF, Misuari is also the incumbent governor of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.
The falling-out between Misuari and the government came after Malacañang dropped him as its candidate for the election for armm governor scheduled on November 26. The Palace has endorsed presidential adviser Farrouk Hussin as its official candidate. TODAY
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November 18, 2001, 12:01 AM, abs-cbnNEWS.com staff 'hostaged', by Yasmin Lee G. Arpon,
LONDON – It was a lovely cold afternoon for a drive to the countryside, so we all filed into the jeep eagerly.
I found myself seated on the edge of the backseat, facing Radek who was from the Czech Republic.
I could not remember what we were talking about as Mik drove us through a dirt road. We were all sleepy after a sumptuous lunch at an English manor house. But what happened next took away the drowsiness that descended upon us.
Suddenly, the jeep we were riding stopped. I saw five masked men surround the car. I froze as I watched in terror one of the armed men opened the door, which we unfortunately left unlocked, and yanked Radek out of the car.
I knew I was next. I was the second person closest to the door. I cringed close to Anupa, my friend from the United Arab Emirates. But one of the men forced me out of the car and threw me on the muddy ground.
It rained that afternoon and there were puddles of water all over. But it didn't matter anymore as I fell on the ground, my face kissing the soft mud.
There was confusion and chaos.
"Get down! Get down!" the men were shouting. I heard gunshots, which broke the calmness of the afternoon.
Somebody pulled a hood over my face and pushed my head back on the ground. I was confused. What was happening?
When I sensed that no one was watching me, I knelt and tried to pull the hood off.
It was a foolish thing to do, I realized belatedly. A man cursed and pulled my hood back. He pushed me rather roughly on the ground. But for a few seconds I saw that my companions were also on the ground around me.
"Didn't I tell you to keep down?" a man shouted.
My mind was racing. The masked men were ordering us around. "Who are they? What do they want?"
I tried to focus and breathe evenly, but it was difficult with the hood over my face. "Am I going to die?"
Hostile environment
Welcome to the Reuters Foundation's training on how to survive in a hostile environment. It was conducted by Centurion Risk Assessment Services, a group composed of retired British Royal Navy officers.
We were in the London suburbs. That morning, we just had a crash course on how it is to be in a minefield. Howie, our instructor, introduced us to the world of mines, trip wires and grenades.
The first time I heard an explosion, I remained standing, just like some of my ten other classmates who came from all over the world for the training. If it were a real war, I would have been shot to death.
We were in overalls, which, for my Asian size, was too big to move around in. But I managed. Did I have any choice? I didn't want to die. Soon enough, the blue outfit was full of mud, and so were my shoes. Walking was difficult.
We were supposed to be television journalists walking in a forest in search of our crew. All we knew was that there were armed men around and we didn't want to be caught in a crossfire.
Then it happened. While walking in the middle of a clearing, we heard gunshots. They were shooting at us. I imagined bullets whizzing over our heads as we lunged on the ground for dear life. The nearest cover was hundreds of meters away. It was just impossible to go for it and not be spotted by the snipers.
"Remember, mother nature is your best protector," Howie, the instructor, told us several times earlier.
Bearing that in mind, I tried to fit myself in small hollows on the ground, never mind if my face was on the shoes of one my classmates or someone's face was on my butt.
Then I almost missed the trip wire, a very fine thread normally attached to a mine or a bomb.
We saw the TV camera of our crew, abandoned near the trees. Nearby was a piece of bloodied cloth. We could only conclude that someone was hurt, but we didn't know who it was. We hoped it was not our crew.
"Does anyone here feel that someone has been watching us?" Howie asked us, as we stood inspecting an abandoned weapon in the nearby trees.
We looked around, but no one saw the dummy soldier hidden behind a trunk. Obviously, we would have been all dead by then.
Explosions all over
As morning turned to noon, I have heard enough explosions. I learned to throw myself on the ground every time I heard a blast.
Work with your instincts, our instructor told us.
Indeed, it was instinct that saved me when we were taken hostage. I behaved and did not put up a fight.
I thought of the Abu Sayyaf back home and their brazen hostage-taking activities. I knew they were not exactly pleasant bandits and would not appreciate uncooperative hostages. I thought of American hostage Guillermo Sobero.
I felt myself lifted from the ground as one of the goons pulled me up by my anorak. I flayed my arms over me. It was bad enough that I had to wear the hood, but it was worse to be carried around like a shirt on a hanger.
I was dropped on the ground suddenly and my arms were forcefully extended before me. The goon was trying to put my palms up in a certain manner that my thumbs were pointed upwards.
After some time, my arms were starting to feel the strain. I tried to put my arms down to ease the growing pain. But before I could move, someone pulled them back up.
There was silence all around me. The only thing I could hear was the shuffling of shoes on the ground.
Just as I was wondering if I was still with the group, someone's hands were placed on my shoulders. Relief flooded over me. I was not alone.
A few minutes passed. Someone started to lead me by the thumb to God-knows-where. I felt that we passed by some low-lying trees, went down a hill, climbed another, until someone pushed me to a wall, my arms spread before me. The hands on my shoulder were suddenly gone. Again, I felt so alone.
I could feel the roughness of the wall. I was breathing heavily. Someone pushed my feet apart and tilted my head up. Maybe someone is trying to help me breathe easily, I thought. I wouldn't know. I didn't think that our kidnappers would start to get nice on me.
My arms were really starting to get numb. I was starting to inch them down the wall when I heard a gunshot. Are they shooting someone?
I heard two or more gunshots. My imagination was getting the better of me. I was going to die in a foreign country, I thought. I wondered if my friends back home would cover my funeral. Maybe my colleague who just wrote a book about the Abu Sayyaf would write one about me.
My thoughts were interrupted by someone feeling my pockets. My small wallet was there as well as some coins. In England, coins are no laughing matter. They matter a lot. I felt grim as my small possession were all taken away -- my week-long travel card and my credit card. Next went my watch, which was a gift for my 25th birthday.
All the while, I knew I had no choice but to play along. But when they robbed me, I thought, something wrong must have happened along the way. Maybe Mik was taken too, maybe these were real kidnappers, maybe I was REALLY going to die.
Hanny, an Egyptian, later told us that when they took his wedding ring, he felt violated and wanted to fight back. Anupa, however, decided to cooperate. When the man who was trying to take off her watch was having a difficult time, she offered to help him.
It must have been some time that I stood against that wall. I was already thinking that they were killing us one by one. I sought solace in the sound of Alla, a Czech, who cleared her throat from time to time. At least I knew someone else was alive.
My thoughts wandered back to the person who was earlier behind me on the line. He, who kept on squeezing my shoulders every time I walked fast as I kept up with the kidnapper who was dragging me by my thumbs. The goon could as well have been dragging me by the nose.
I thought, maybe that was the last time I would feel someone's compassionate touch. His hands on my shoulders provided comfort, an assurance that I wasn't alone in my ordeal.
Then, all of a sudden, someone dragged me away from the wall. They will kill me now, I thought. I sensed that I was being led into a clearing. The gunshots I heard earlier must have killed my classmates. Our trip to the famous English countryside had turned out to be a nightmare.
I knew I had to be strong. It's just too bad, I told myself, that if I die I would not be able to write about what I have been through.
Then it was over
As I was led to the clearing, someone pulled the hood off my head. I squinted. The sunlight was too much. But then I saw Mik peering at me. "Are you alright?" he asked.
I was too numb to scream. "Do you think I am alright?" I wanted to say. But all I could do was nod. Is it over now? I'm not going to die after all?
Mik pointed to a clearing where a huge plastic container was sitting. "Don't make a sound, all your belongings are there," he whispered.
I saw Radek coolly smiling and watching the others who were still standing against the wall. I walked toward the container, still in a daze, the trembling now uncontrollable. I wanted to laugh hysterically as I collapsed on the grass.
Mai, the Vietnamese girl, couldn't help herself and kept on giggling when she was released, especially when we saw Thomas, a classmate from Ghana, being led into the clearing. He was wearing a Mickey Mouse hood!
It was the perfect way to end the ordeal as we collapsed in laughter.
Mik told us later that our tenet should be "don't panic" when placed under a similar situation. Panic makes people do stupid things that could anger kidnappers.
Mik explained that you wouldn't want to be singled out by the kidnappers. He said that being ordinary and unmarked means being relatively safe and that could save your life.
He also advised that when going on coverage, especially when safety would be critical, we should not take along valuables such as wedding rings or watches with a sentimental value. Take only the essentials.
One should not give the kidnappers power over us. Nor should we give them a glimpse of our personal life. Pictures of family, boyfriends or girlfriends were no-nos.
We learned that a lot of personal gestures mattered during the ordeal, which we estimated to have lasted only 15 to 20 minutes. For me, it seemed eternity.
Comfort
Anupa said Miriam's pat on the shoulder as we were being led across the forest assured her. She identified Miriam through the texture of her sweater.
Some of us were trying to identify the person before us by feeling the clothes, and sometimes, even talking and asking who was there. The latter of course did not sit well with our captors.
For those like me who was ahead of the line, my security blanket was the person behind. I found out later that it was Radek. He later admitted that it was him who tried to pull me back by the shoulders whenever I walked fast. Little did he know that his touch kept me sane throughout the ordeal.
Our batch was just among the many journalists who have gone through the course. Similar trainings have become a necessity these days following the September 11 attacks in the United States. Much more in my country where Abu Sayyaf Group kidnappings seemed to have become an industry.
Centurion itself noted an increasing number of journalists are killed or injured every year while covering assignments in hostile environments, which range from civil, military or political unrests, terrorist activities, unfriendly governments or regimes, harsh climatic conditions to natural or man-made disasters.
We all know about the ongoing strikes in Afghanistan. We read the stories everyday, see them unfold on television. We should not forget, however, that there are journalists there risking their lives to cover what is happening and inform the world about it.
To some journalists, it could be the biggest story of their career. I sometimes wonder, though, is any story, for that matter, ever worth one's life?
As Peter Mosley said at the beginning of our course on Writing International News sponsored by the Reuters Foundation, "These are challenging times for journalists."
Choosing this profession means accepting the risks that come with the territory, including covering wars and putting one's life at risk.
A day, however, is not enough to learn everything on how to survive. But I have learned a few that could help me in case I get assigned to a hostile environment.
As soon as we stepped out of the train later that evening in London, there was an explosion (harmless though) at the terminal. Hanny wanted to lunge on the ground.
I realized then that the way I perceive things will never be the same from here on. abs-cbnNEWS.com
(Photos were taken from the Centurion Risk Assessment Services website.)
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ARRECIFI ISLAND, PALAWAN , PHILIPPINES (FILE) (ABS CBN - NO ACCESS PHILIPPINES)
3.
GV/PAN: PAN ACROSS GOLF COURSE AT RESORT/ PEOPLE PADDLING KAYAKS/ WIDE SHOT OF WATER (2 SHOTS)
2.10
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September 1, 2001, 11:10 PM, FVR was told about AFP link with Abu, by Cher Jimenez,
TODAY Reporter
When they were in office, former President Fidel Ramos and former interior secretary Rafael Alunan III knew of the military's involvement with the Abu Sayyaf but did nothing to stop the then fledgling bandit group.
In an exclusive interview with Fr. Cirilo Nacorda by The Monitor, the official newsletter of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines, the twice-kidnapped priest of Lamitan, Basilan, recounted his experience with the bandits when he was first held hostage in 1994.
"In Zamboanga I could no longer control myself. When I met the President [Ramos], I immediately told him, 'Mr. President, I would like you to please pull out the Marines in Basilan because they are involved with the group of the Abu Sayyaf and especially in the selling of firearms.' Nauubos 'yung mga kahoy namin sa bundok because they are also involved in illegal logging," Nacorda said.
Nacorda met Ramos at the inauguration of the Zamboanga International Airport shortly after he was released by the bandits. The townsfolk raised P2 million to pay his ransom.
He said some Cabinet officials and military officers were present when he talked to Ramos.
"He [Ramos] just listened to me. He was thinking [that] I was still traumatized by my experience, so I didn't know what I was talking about. But he visited us again in Lamitan on August 13 [1994] and I submitted a written report to him for possible action. It was a confidential background about the movement of the Abu Sayyaf, the people behind it—the people supporting the band, the information on the firearms I had overheard, and the involvement of a former congressman and other local government officials. Nothing happened. I know he read it, at least I saw that he scanned it then," Nacorda said.
After reading the report, Ramos gave it to Alunan, the priest said.
When he was the parish priest in Matarling, Basilan, Nacorda was kidnapped by the bandits in 1994 and held for two months. During his captivity and after befriending his guards, including the bands's commander Barahama Sali, he gathered information about their links with the military.
"At the time I saw that all their arms and ammunition were marked DND [Department of National Defense]. Later on I learned from their men that they bought these firearms from the Armed Forces—it must have been from the Marines. From this same band I also learned that somebody from Basilan was facilitating the sale of these firearms. He was a former congressman, but at the time he was an ordinary citizen but still very influential in our province, particularly among the Christians," Nacorda recounted.
The priest said the bandits did not mind talking about serious matters in front of him, because they didn't know he could speak and understand Tausug and Yakan.
Tausug is the dialect in Sulu, Yakan the dialect in Basilan.
Nacorda learned of the former congressman's involvement in the sale of firearms not only from the bandits but from some of the Marines themselves.
"At first they [bandits] were hesitant to talk but later on, when I had befriended them, some of them confided that they were buying these from the Armed Forces, especially from the Marines. I actually heard them once talking about a B-57 that they expected to arrive," Nacorda said.
A B-57 is an antiaircraft and armor weapon.
"From some soldiers I had talked to I learned later on that these were some of the firearms used by the Marines during the 1989 coup attempt. After the negotiations, the men went back to their barracks but never returned the arms. They took them somewhere to a safe house. And these were the firearms they sold to this band of the Abu Sayyaf facilitated by this former congressman," Nacorda added.
He hinted that the P2-million ransom paid for his freedom was used to buy the weapon, which costs P1 million.
Besides the P2-million ransom, the bandits set four conditions for his release. They told him they would not kidnap him again if he would resign from the priesthood and not come back to Matarling; or he could come back but would have to marry a Muslim or become a Muslim himself; or give support in cash or in kind.
Even after his release, Nacorda said he continued to receive threats from his captors.
He was given Scout Rangers to protect him.
"Bishops Romulo de la Cruz and Jose Maria Querexeta and I had asked President Ramos to pull out the Marines because of my earlier charges," said Nacorda.
Relatedly, Army Brig. General Romeo Dominguez, caught in the center of Nacorda's accusations, has sought the guidance of the Catholic Church in an effort to expose the "truth."
Dominguez yesterday said he met with Manila Archbishop Jaime Cardinal Sin to seek guidance as Congress continues its inquiry. He said he asked Sin not to let Nacorda's allegations build a wall between the military and the Catholic Church, for soldiers, like ordinary men, are God-fearing people.
"We will continue working with the Church to make programs more successful. We soldiers are God-fearing," he said.
Dominguez noted that Cardinal Sin is not taking sides and only supports the truth that will put all minds at peace once again.
He also refrained from disclosing the other details of the meeting, especially those concerning Nacorda. Some military officers had earlier sought a church investigation of Nacorda on grounds that he might have been turned into an Abu Sayyaf sympathizer after being kidnapped twice by the group.
Dominguez said he has nothing to hide as he is innocent. He said the allegations might have been mere rumors circulated among Basilan residents.
He said the issues have affected his family so much but he is very much willing to cleanse his name again, for there is nothing to hide and nothing to be afraid of. M. Punongbayan/ TODAY
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September 2, 2001, ABS-CBN, 11:14 PM, Joker to Blas: 'On whose side are you, anyway?', by Butch Fernandez, TODAY Reporter
Sen. Joker Arroyo has opposed opposition Sen. Blas Ople's move to wrap up the Senate inquiry into the allegations against Sen. Panfilo Lacson before "insidious forces" succeed in destroying the nation's institutions.
Ople and Sen. Teresa Oreta earlier called for the termination of the tricommittee inquiry to enable senators to focus on pending priority bills, including those endorsed by President Arroyo before the joint session of Congress on July 23.
Ople on Friday said he will file a resolution Monday formalizing his call for the Senate to put a cap on the current inquiry, adding that the case could be handled more appropriately by the justice department, the Ombudsman and the courts.
But Arroyo warned that Ople's resolution may trigger public outrage if the Senate inquiry into Lacson's case, which is being covered live on radio and television, is aborted prematurely.
Moreover, Arroyo added that terminating the hearings may be unfair to Lacson, who has yet to give his side on the charges lodged by Col. Victor Corpus, military intelligence chief, and other witnesses who have already testified before the three investigating committees.
"Senator Ople should think very seriously his insistence that the joint committee hearings on the alleged involvement of Senator Lacson in certain syndicated crimes be terminated now," said Arroyo, adding that "if adopted, it would immeasurably prejudice Senator Lacson."
Arroyo said that all the evidence so far presented before the committee inquiry were against Lacson. "If we are to close the proceedings now, these are the only evidence that the tricommittee can evaluate and consider in its findings."
He added that Lacson's side cannot be considered, since it has not yet been given—his turn not having come yet.
"The Ople proposal in effect forecloses Lacson's right to present his side of the controversy. One starts to wonder, on whose side is Senator Ople?" said Arroyo.
In a news conference before the weekend, Ople warned that the Senate in pursuing the inquiry—where surprise witnesses turned up with explosive, often undocumented allegations against other senators and ranking police officers—"may have declared an open season for the destabilization of the government."
Ople explained that he is not advocating an abrupt end to the inquiry.
"We need to put a cap to these hearings, say, at the end of September, otherwise we are licensing any one to destroy our leading institutions and creating a dangerous vacuum in which threats to the national security and stability can only flourish," said Ople.
He added that the sooner the charges against Lacson are referred to the courts "the better for the nation."
According to Ople, whatever intentions Corpus may have in charging Lacson with involvement in criminal activities, "it is the enemies of the State who are reveling in these accusations which in the final analysis could only be settled in a court of law."
Relatedly, a group of retired generals warned that the controversial inquiry may prompt military adventurism to replace a discredited civilian government.
At the same time, Ople shared the concern of Director General Leandro Mendoza, National Police chief, that the integrity of the 115,000-strong police force has been maligned and the morale of policemen seriously affected by the still-to-be proven allegations aired by witness Mary Ong. TODAY
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September 3, 2001, ABS-CBN, 10:09 PM, 'Ping's boys seized, bled drug traffickers' by Malou Talosig, TODAY Reporter
Former police spy Mary "Rosebud" Ong dropped more bombs at the Senate hearing Monday, implicating Sen. Panfilo Lacson's former police aides in many other crimes including kidnap for ransom and murders of suspected Chinese drug traffickers.
MARY ONG alias Rosebud points to the photographs of suspected Chinese drug traffickers who were allegedly kidnapped then killed by the men of now Sen. Panfilo Lacson, when he was still the commander of the Presidential Antiorganized Crime Task Force. BY BEN AVESTRUZ
At the continuation of her testimony, Ong revealed that police officers belonging to the defunct Presidential Antiorganized Crime Task Force and the PNP Southern Tagalog Command abducted and killed seven members of drug syndicates from 1998 to 2000.
Among the police officers implicated by Ong were Chief Supt. Reynaldo Acop, Chief Supt. Francisco Zubia, Supt. Francisco Villaroman, Supt. John Campos, Supt. Michael Ray Aquino, Senior Insp. Julius Mana and Capt. Avelino Abogado.
Ong on Monday gave detailed but oftentimes confusing statements at the Senate hearing, which is looking into Lacson's alleged involvement in illegal drug trade.
Interviewed by ABS-CBN, Sen. Rene Cayetano noted that much of the evidence was circumstantial, although the chairman of the public order committee, Sen. Robert Barbers, said Ong's direct participation in some of the activities she detailed gave her headway in terms of credibility.
Ong, however, could not give exact statements that would establish Lacson's supposed link with the new crimes she had exposed.
She only said she once overheard Lacson berating Acop over the phone for letting go of an abducted Chinese instead of having him killed.
Ong alleged that Acop's group murdered suspected Chinese drug smugglers Wong Kam Chong, Chan Ka Tseung, Chong Hiu Ming, Wang Li Zhang Chua, Wu Lui Lao and Wang Li Zhang alias David Ong.
Acop had told a couple of television talk-show hosts that Ong was dropped as an agent after it became clear she was "planted" by the Hong Kong Triad to destroy the antidrug campaign of the National Police.
He said she was good at weaving "a little truth with a little lie" and this is why—besides her good looks and articulateness—she could get an audience in many places.
At the Senate, Ong also alleged that the task force members killed Angelito Sy, a Chinese Filipino who worked as interpreter for the task-force, when he uncovered a drug shipment allegedly by a Chinese drug lord Kim Wong—earlier identified by intelligence chief Col. Victor Corpus as the source of Lacson's cellular phone.
Ong also accused some agents of the National Bureau of Investigation's antinarcotics group of being in cahoots with the task force members.
In May 1998, Ong said, NBI special agent Martin Soriano abducted her as she was delivering one kilo of shabu to a drug dealer in Quezon City as part of the police efforts to penetrate the syndicates.
Ong said Soriano had mistaken her for a drug supplier.
Ong said she was tortured, and then locked up inside a basement of a security agency.
Campos, whom Ong had tagged as her lover then, called Soriano and told the NBI agent that she was a government agent. "Tao ko 'yan. Pag 'di mo pinakawalan iyan, giyera tayo," Ong quoted Campos as telling Soriano.
She said Soriano's and Campos's groups had a "turf war" because both were supplying drugs to the same person.
Ong said the police officers' kidnap-for-ransom activities and killing sprees began when the Operation Plan Cyclops was launched.
The operation was targeting Wong Kam Chong, the suspected source of 220 kilos of shabu seized in Mindoro in 1999.
The task force intercepted Wong riding a white Mercedes Van with license plate URX 928 on March 26, 1999. Wong was accompanied by four others—Zeng Jiaxuan alias Agong, Zeng's wife Hong Zhen Qiao alias Pinky, 16-year old son Zeng Kang Fang and Chinese Filipino driver James Ong.
The task force abducted all members of Wong's group for ransom, Ong said.
Except for Wong, the four other Chinese were released on April 15, 1999, when the P2-million downpayment for a P10-million ransom demand was delivered.
Campos demanded a P20-million ransom for Wong's release.
Wong called Zeng Jiaxuan and three other Chinese, including Yu Yuk Lai, the alleged drug queen who was locked up in Camp Crame but could get in and out of jail to gamble.
Zeng and Wong's wife deposited P2.1 million into the account of Campos and Ong.
On August 1999 Acop hosted a meeting in Greenhills, San Juan, where he confirmed that three Chinese victims were biyahe and that "the bodies were chopped into pieces before they were burned and their bones pulverized."
Besides Wong, the two other Chinese victims in the biyahe were Chan Ka Tseung and Chong Hiu Ming.
Chan was the reported contact of Macau's "Big Boss" named Mr. Lee. He was allegedly "arrested" on July 25, 1999, and brought to Tanay, Rizal. His wife paid P5 million for his release.
Chong was introduced to Ong by her contact in the 14K gang in Hong Kong. She fetched him on December 30, 1998. Two days after, Campos's men kidnapped him. Chong's wife paid about P2.4 million to Campos's bank account.
Meanwhile, Zeng was "rekidnapped" and was tortured with five holes in his anus, thighs and legs on December 1999, Ong said. The task force claimed that the Hong Kong Triad was responsible for this "rekidnapping."
Supt. Michael Ray Aquino, Lacson's former aide, had staged the "rescue operation" in Baguio on July 8, 2000. At least 26 kilos of shabu were reportedly seized from this operation that resulted in the killing of Shanghai Chua, Wu Lui Yao. TODAY
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September 3, 2001, ABS-CBN, 7:00 PM, FBI report on Ping to lead off gov't probe,
The Office of the Ombudsman will use a report submitted by the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) on Sen. Panfilo Lacson's alleged accounts abroad as its lead in the investigation that it will soon launch on the lawmaker, it was learned Monday.
Ombudsman Aniano Desierto, however, declined to detail the contents of the "confidential" report. However, his claim was supported by Department of Justice (DOJ) Secretary Hernando Perez, who added that the document is now in the hands of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI).
In fact, Perez said, the NBI had gotten hold of the report last March, when rumors on Lacson's alleged overseas bank accounts first became public.
Perez said the government still needs a report from the US Attorney General detailing the amounts of money deposited in the accounts since the FBI report does not provide such information.
He also said authorities have written the Senate to continue with its probe on Lacson's alleged drug trafficking and money laundering activities after its two-week recess. Congress will go on a break starting September 8 and resumes session on September 24.
Perez expressed confidence that the DOJ will receive supporting documents from the US government by the time lawmakers return from their break.
Execution
As this developed, controversial witness Mary "Rosebud" Ong exposed before a Senate hearing Monday that at least one summary execution of a suspected drug dealer was carried out by anti-narcotics cops related to a drug surveillance operation that went sour in May 1999.
Ong referred to the execution in law enforcement jargon as biyahe, which means "journey" or "trip" in Tagalog.
Ong claimed that suspected Chinese drug lord Wong Kam Chong was the victim of a summary execution carried out by the group of Supt. John Campos on orders of Chief Supt. Reynaldo Acop, former chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP) Narcotics Group.
The surveillance operation was dubbed "Operation Cyclops," which went from a legitimate police stakeout to kidnap-for-ransom and, finally, summary execution, Ong said.
She said that the Chinese national being tailed by police was abducted by Camos' group to persuade him to disclose the location of the warehouse where a large shipment of shabu (methamphetamine crystals) was stashed.
Wong was detained in a "safehouse" along Roxas Boulevard for about two months. His hands became sore from being tied to a window grill for a long time, Ong recalled.
Relatives of the victim were reportedly asked to produce P10 million in ransom.
After they failed to extract the information from Wong, police operatives were ordered to execute him, Ong said.
Long trip
"On May 19, 1999, John Campos told me to tell Wong to dress up. He thought that he was going to be released, but he was actually going on a long trip to be executed," Ong said.
She disclosed that Acop suggested Wong's execution. Acop was then head of the PNP Southern Tagalog command, which had carried out Operation Cyclops jointly with the now-defunct President Anti-Organized Crime Task Force, then headed by Lacson, then-PNP chief.
Acop was reportedly concerned that Wong's abduction might become public knowledge after lawyer Rodolfo Tablante went to his office at Camp Vicente Lim in Canlubang, Laguna, requesting that the Chinese be released from detention.
Not satisfied with his meeting with Acop, Tablante went on to meet with Campos at the Public Safety College. During the meeting, Tablante asked Campos to release Wong, only to be told that he was only following orders from Acop.
Alarmed
The follow-up by Tablante "alarmed Acop," said Ong, "so he called for a meeting to solve the problem."
Campos suggested a shootout inside a van, Ong continued, but the idea was rejected because the subject had already been in detention too long for a shootout scenario to be credible.
"Acop finally decided to carry out a biyahe," Ong said. She said the issue was discussed at Camp Vicente Lim "inside the office of General Acop, on May 18."
The next day, Wong was killed, Ong said. "They drilled Wong's buttocks, thighs and legs. Another victim was chopped into pieces and the body parts burned."
Prior to the execution, Ong said, "Acop called Lacson from that office. I was there -- we were all there -- and he told Lacson about the decision on the biyahe. Lacson got angry, demanding to know why after all this time he was still alive."
Until the day of Wong's execution, Ong pointed out, she never knew for sure if he was, indeed, a drug lord. "We never arrested or saw him with drugs."
Blue book
Ong also presented before senators a copy of an alleged drug dealer's "blue book" detailing various drug transactions.
She said the blue book was recovered from a raid in Quezon City in December 1998 by a team of anti-narcotics police officers led by Campos. It recorded transactions involving an estimated 850 kilos of shabu over a two-month period.
Ong said that a certain Mr. Lee, who reportedly had links to a Triad gang in Hong Kong, even offered P3 million for the recovery of the book.
She also presented cassettes of voice recordings to the Senate, which she claimed contained bugged telephone conversations of Chinese drug dealers in various transactions in the country.
Ong underscored that some operatives of the Philippine National Police were involved not only in kidnapping cases and drug trafficking, but also wiretapping. abs-cbnNEWS.com
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September 3, 2001, ABS-CBN, 3:54 PM, Rosebud exposes 'biyahe' execution,
Controversial witness Mary "Rosebud" Ong exposed before a Senate hearing Monday that at least one summary execution of a suspected drug dealer was carried out by anti-narcotics cops related to a drug surveillance operation that went sour in May 1999.
Ong referred to the execution in law enforcement lingo as "biyahe", which means journey, or trip, in the Filipino vernacular.
Ong claimed that suspected Chinese drug lord Wong Kam Chong was the victim of a summary execution carried out by the group of Supt. John Campos on orders of Chief Supt. Reynaldo Acop of the PNP Narcotics Group.
The surveillance was dubbed "Operation Cyclops", which went from a legitimate police operation to kidnap-for-ransom and, finally, to summary execution, Ong explained.
She said that Wong, after being tailed by police operatives was abducted by Campos' group to persuade him to disclose the location of the warehouse where a large shipment of shabu (methamphetamine) was stashed.
Wong was detained in a safehouse along Roxas Boulevard for about two months. His hands became sore from being tied to a window grill for a long time, Ong recalled.
Relatives of the victim were reportedly asked to produce a ransom of P10 million.
After they failed to extract the information from Wong, police operatives were ordered to execute him, Ong said.
Long trip
"On May 19, 1999, John Campos told me to tell Wong to dress up. He thought that he was going to be released, but he was actually going on a long trip -- to be executed," Ong said.
She disclosed that the idea to execute Wong was suggested by Acop, then head of the Philippine National Police (PNP) regional command in Southern Tagalog, which had carried out Operation Cyclops jointly with the defunct President Anti-Organized Crime Task Force, then headed by Deputy Dir. Gen. Panfilo Lacson.
Acop expressed concern that the abduction of Wong might become public knowledge after lawyer Rodolfo Tablante went to his office at Camp Vicente Lim in Laguna requesting that he be released from detention.
Not satisfied with his meeting with Acop, Tablante went on to meet with Campos at Public Safety College. During the meeting, Tablante asked Campos to release Wong, only to be told that he was only following orders from Acop.
Acop alarmed
The follow-up by Tablante "alarmed Acop," said Ong, "so he called for a meeting to solve the problem."
Campos suggested a shootout inside a van, Ong continued, but the idea was rejected because the the subject has already been in detention too long for a shootout scenario to be credible.
"Acop finally decided to carry out a viaje [summary execution]," Ong said. She said the issue was discussed at Camp Vicente Lim "inside the office of General Acop, on May 18."
The next day, Wong was killed, Ong said.
Prior to the execution, Ong said: "Acop called Lacson from that office. I was there -- we were all there -- and he told Lacson about the decision on the viaje. Lacson got angry, demanding to know why after all this time he was still alive."
Until the day of Wong's execution, Ong pointed out, she never knew for sure if he was, indeed, a drug lord: "We never arrested or saw him with drugs."
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September 6, 2001, ABS-CBN, 12:05 AM, Akbar: I heard of ransom, but had no role in payment,
Basilan Gov. Wahab Akbar denied Wednesday links with the Abu Sayyaf, saying allegations that he was one of the main backers of the bandits in Mindanao were meant to destroy him.
Facing congressmen at a hearing of the House Committee on National Defense, Akbar said he did not deliver any ransom to the Abu Sayyaf in exchange for the release of some hostages.
Akbar, however, said he believed some hostages were freed after paying ransom. He said even before the kidnappers entered the town of Lamitan in Basilan, reports of a payoff reached him.
The Basilan governor denied also that he was in the hospital where at least two witnesses had claimed to have seen him with two attaché cases supposedly containing money.
From June 2 to 3, Akbar said he was at the house of Lamitan Mayor Inocente Ramos together with some witnesses, one of them a Manila-based television reporter.
According to Akbar, the only time he was able to talk to the hostages who were freed was when Ramos brought them to his house. From there, he added, he proceeded to Lamitan church to check the damages.
"Those who are saying these [allegations of connivance with the Abu Sayyaf] are the enemy of the state," Akbar told the committee.
At the Senate, the defense committee said Catholic priest Cirilo Nacorda and other witnesses are set to testify Thursday in a separate inquiry into the military-Abu Sayyaf collusion.
Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel Jr. said he is asking Sen. Ramon Magsaysay, committee chairman, to also invite former President Fidel Ramos to shed light on Nacorda's claim that he reported the collusion to Ramos.
"Father Nacorda agreed to come to Manila with 20 other witnesses to testify directly before the defense committee and explain the circumstances of his allegations that certain military officers have been in cahoots with the Abu Sayyaf, enabling the bandits to escape from a hospital compound supposedly surrounded by soldiers in Lamitan Basilan on June 2," said Pimentel.
Asked if the Thursday hearing would not duplicate the House inquiry into the same issue, Pimentel explained that Nacorda and other witnesses "promised to reveal many things for the first time."
Pimentel added that some of the witnesses have received death threats to silence them, "but they are taking the risk to be able to tell the truth." R. Acosta, B. Fernandez/TODAY
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September 7, 2001, ABS-CBN, 10:04 PM, Examine 2 Chan reports–Lacson,
Opposition Sen. Panfilo Lacson and his accusers traded more charges Friday, with the senator advising his enemies in the military intelligence service to put their act together when they "manufacture" evidence to prove his role in drug dealing and laundering drug money. In turn, sources in the military said Lacson paid P1.5 million for a "report" supposedly damning a key witness against him, former policy spy Mary "Rosebud" Ong.
"[Col. Mario] Chan should coordinate with his boss [Col. Victor] Corpus so they would not give conflicting statements. Their case, which is built on lies, is crumbling," said Lacson
The senator recalled that Corpus virtually admitted in an interview on Wednesday that Chan had submitted a report containing the assessment of the US Customs that Ong was a "witness without credibility."
Lacson was referring to a report where Corpus admitted he did not release the derogatory report written by Chan about Ong, because it was written just after the two had a heated argument while they were in the US. Then, he said, there was a final official report, and this was not the one Lacson read into the Senate record.
Lacson said he will ask the joint Senate committee inquiry to summon Chan to the next hearing to clarify the conflicting versions of the same report.
On Friday, however, Chan said Lacson either faked his copy of the report—the version critical of Ong—or had gotten a bum steer.
Sources said Friday Lacson allegedly coughed up P1.5 million just to obtain the document he earlier presented, showing US Customs officials dismissing Ong as a "witness without credibility."
The document allegedly "bought" by the senator was dubious, because it was unsigned, according to sources who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Sources said the supposed report of Colonel Chan, the leader of the AFP-PNP team who went to the United States in June to inquire into Lacson's alleged secret bank accounts, was fed by an asset of Chief Supt. Reynaldo Acop, who was linked by Ong to the illegal drugs trade.
Sources said Acop's asset talked to one Aileen Pascua, reportedly a member of the People's Movement Against Poverty and working at the office of Lacson, and informed her about the document.
"Acop's asset told Pascua that the senator can have the document for P1.5 million," sources said.
Sources said Pascua then told Lacson about the document and upon reading it, the senator paid the asset—in cash or check, it was not known.
"The statement given by Mary Ong in Hong Kong to US Customs officials were full of inconsistencies, half-truths and half- lies . . . In fact, she was telling US Customs agents in San Francisco details of drug trafficking in the US that were in fact deliberately fed to her by US Customs Internal Affairs people in Hong Kong. Unfortunately, she fell for this simple debriefing technique by the US Customs authorities," read Lacson from the Chan report on Wednesday.
But Corpus said the letter Lacson read was "not the original copy. "You're reading from an unofficial report. That's a different document than what we have."
The joint inquiry being conducted by the public order, defense and blue-ribbon committees will resume hearings on September 24, when the Department of Justice is supposed to submit evidence to bolster Corpus's charges of money laundering against Lacson.
The DOJ earlier asked for two weeks to collate proof of bank records of Lacson in the US.
Reacting to Ong's claim that she still has more bombshells to drop against Lacson at the hearings, Lacson said: "They have two weeks to concoct more tall tales and fabricate evidence before Congress resumes its session. I suggest they do it well because they have definitely failed miserably to come up with credible evidence to support their claims," Lacson said.
Relatedly, Ong revealed Friday an alleged attempt by Lacson's camp to bribe her to drop the drug-trafficking charges against Acop and the senator.
Ong said Acop initially tried to bribe her with P2 million in November 27 last year, barely seven days after she exposed Acop's and Lacson's link to criminal activities—kidnap for ransom, drug trafficking and murders of suspected drug Chinese traffickers.
The bribe tries, she said happened twice last year and a few weeks before she testified before the Senate.
Ong said Lacson's camp also offered her P10 million two weeks before her appearance in the Senate.
Relatedly, people's organizations along with retired military and police officers reiterated their demand for Lacson's expulsion.
Speaking at the Ugnayang Pambansa weekly news forum, People's Consultative Assembly (PCA) Secretary General Linda Olaguer Montayre said they are exercising their rights and duties as citizens to call on erring public officials to step down once they violate the public trust.
Interior Secretary Joey Lina said the National Police Commission (Napolcom) is now fast-tracking the criminal and administrative charges against the high-ranking police officers believed to be involved in illegal drug trade.
"We are just taking the transcript of the testimonies of Mary Ong during the Senate investigation," Lina said.
He promised to observe due process to ensure that the rights of the accused police officers will not be violated.
Lacson said that Corpus and his men are now trying to convince two drug traffickers, one of them a former comrade of Corpus in the Communist Party, to come up with perjured testimonies linking the senator to the illegal drug trade. B. Fernandez, F. Marasigan, P. Atienza/TODAY
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September 13, 2001, ABS-CBN, 12:09 AM, PNP exec links US attacks to 1995 Manila terrorist plot, by Fernan Marasigan, TODAY Reporter
The attack on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon in the United States could be part of the terror plot known as "Project Operation Oplan Bojinka," according to a local police official who made a big contribution in the conviction of terrorist Ramzi Ahmed Yousef by a New York court for the 1993 World Trade Center bombing.
One of the police officials, Chief Supt. Avelino Razon, Central Visayas police director, said the evidence was seized by the police from the safe house of suspected international terrorists in 1995.
"This could be part of an overall plot [Bojinka or land explosions]," Razon said in telephone interview.
Razon, then chief of the Manila police led a raid at the terrorist safe house at Room 603 Josefa Apartment, Quirino Avenue in Malate, Manila, in 1995 and seized four sets of explosives, several documents and a laptop supposedly storing well-detailed plans of terrorist activities, including the bombing of a Philippine Airlines flight from Cebu to Narita which served as a test run of sorts.
The evidence and the testimonies of some police officers, particularly that of Supt. Alex Monteagudo, led to the conviction of Yousef in September 6, 1996.
Razon is scheduled to fly to the US soon to attend an antiterrorist program, where he will discuss the 1995 raid on the hideout of Yousef in Manila.
Razon suspects that the attack on the US was timed with the anniversary of Yousef's conviction.
"Ang tingin namin dyan, parang itinyempo doon sa conviction ni Ramzi Yousef. Parang retaliation din doon sa conviction," Razon told Today.
The evidence the police seized also opened up the link of international terrorist Osama bin Laden to local terrorists here. Bin Laden is a brother-in-law of Mohammad Jafal Khalifa, who is maintaining a semilegal organization in Mindanao.
Bin Laden reportedly was married to a Filipina, who is a cousin of Abu Sayyaf leader Abu Sabaya.
These organizations authorities believed are being used as fronts by the local terrorists here.
Six years ago, the bin Laden-led international terrorist group have been planning and plotting on how to use commercial airlines to attack the key targets in the United States.
Conceptualized in 1994, Bojinka has its key players like Yousef Abdul Hakim Murad and Wali Khan.
Except for bin Laden, who is now being eyed as the principal suspect of the recent smashing US attacks, the three are now detained in a New York jail after they were convicted of conspiracy in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing.
Yousef was arrested in Pakistan, Murad was nabbed in Manila, and US agents in coordination with local Malaysian intelligence operatives arrested Khan in Kuala Lumpur.
Other intelligence sources said that originally, Bojinka under the guidance of Yousef, will hijack commercial aircrafts flying to the United States from the Philippines, South Korea, Japan, Thailand, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Singapore, and crash-land them on key US targets.
Philippine authorities uncovered all these plots following the January 7, 1995, raid in Quirino Avenue, Malate, Manila.
It was in this operation that authorities arrested Murad, a Pakistani.
Joint interrogation on Murad by agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the local police, would later confirm his claims that bin Laden, through Yousef, had been planning to use commercial airlines to hit US targets.
Murad also told the joint US and Philippine police investigators, that among the key targets by their group would be the FBI headquarters and CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia.
Before to his arrest, Murad also admitted that he together with several colleagues, had been frequenting the Philippines to establish a cell for their group. In his confession, he also claimed that he took flying lessons in the country.
The establishment of the terrorist cell was confirmed on Wednesday by Armed Forces spokesman Brig. Gen. Edilberto Adan. TODAY
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September 23, 2001, ABS-CBN, 9:49 PM, Abu Sayyaf buys speedboat,
ZAMBOANGA (ABS-CBN) - The extremist Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) has acquired new speedboats from local fishermen in the province, Brig. Gen. Glicerio Sua of the 1st Infantry Battalion said Sunday.
Sua added that his men are checking out the report because some members of the ASG might be planning to sneak out of the province.
The military is also investigating some fishermen and speedboat owners as they might be in cahoots with the bandits.
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October 5, 2001, ABS-CBN, 1:42 PM, Imelda's gems may be sold soon,
MANILA (Reuters) - Former first lady Imelda Marcos' fabled gems, worth an estimated $20 million and including a tiara studded with diamonds, may be up for sale soon.
"We agreed to sell the jewelry items of Mrs. Marcos through an international auctioneer," commissioner Jorge Sarmiento of the Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG) told reporters on Thursday.
The auction, preferably through Sothebys, rival Christie's or others, could take place in the United States, Hong Kong or Singapore hopefully within 45 days, Sarmiento said.
The jewelry pieces were among items seized by the government shortly after late dictator Ferdinand Marcos was ousted in a 1986 "people power" revolt which forced the Marcoses to flee to Hawaii, where he died three years later.
Besides a diamond-studded tiara, the jewelry included rubies, emeralds, bracelets, earrings, necklaces and evening bags adorned with precious gems, Marcos family aides have said.
Some of it was bought from impoverished European royalty, they said.
The government in 1996 tried to auction the jewelry but the Marcos family opposed it, saying the public sale would violate a 1993 deal it struck with PCGG officials which allowed the Marcoses to keep 25 percent of their assets seized by the state.
A Philippine court later disallowed such a deal.
The jewelry represents only a portion of a huge fortune amounting to billions of dollars which the government alleged Marcos and his associates amassed during his 20 years in power.
Ownership of the assets, including accounts in banks in Switzerland, has triggered bitter legal battles between the government and the Marcoses. Many of the lawsuits have remained unresolved for more than a decade.
The PCGG, a state agency charged with tracking down Marcos-linked assets, said it had recovered over 30 billion pesos ($588 million) worth of such assets since its hunt began 15 years ago. They included shares of stocks, real estate and art pieces.
Sarmiento said that before the jewelry could be auctioned off abroad, the PCGG and the Bureau of Customs -- the two agencies holding the items in custody -- must consult the Department of Justice because customs rules require that assets seized in the Philippines should be sold within the country.
PCGG chairman Haydee Yorac, in a letter to the customs bureau made public on Thursday, said the government must ensure the Marcoses would not get the jewelry back through the auction.
"We wish to thwart the possibility that the Marcoses themselves would directly or indirectly participate in the bidding of these pieces of jewelry, and end up owning them again," Yorac said in her letter.
Imelda Marcos has denied charges that her family had illegally amassed wealth, saying her husband was a rich man before he became president, building a fortune by trading in gold after the end of World War Two. abs-cbnNEWS.com
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October 5, 2001, ABS-CBN, 8:00 PM, Malacañang launches government website,
President Arroyo on Friday launched the government's official internet web site during her regular press conference in Malacañang Palace.
Arroyo said that the web site, www.gov.ph, is the fastest way to access news and information about the various government agencies and institutions under the Office of the President.
Statements and speeches of President Arroyo are prominently featured on the site, which also incorporates a search facility for topic-related items in its Past News section.
Aside from press releases from the Office of the Press Secretary, the site also has a State of the Nation section that features the accomplishments of the Arroyo administration vis-a-vis the goals set during Arroyo's SONA last July.
The SONA targets are divided into eight sections: Food, Jobs and Livelihood, Housing, Education and other Social Services, Infrastructure, Peace and Order and Security, Business and Economy and Governance.
Links to various government websites and different media organizations, both local and foreign, can also be accessed at the website.
The site also features the latest GNP and GDP statistics, as well as the current employment rate in the country, as reported by the National Statistical Coordination Board and the National Statistics Office.
As an interactive tool for citizens, the government web site also provides a link to www.spokenverve.com, which provides message boards for relevant topics, such as youth participation in government, government efficiency, poverty alleviation, corruption, quality of education, globalization and the like.
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October 5, 2001, ABS-CBN, 7:05 AM, Sharon says Israel won't roll over for US,
JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli leader Ariel Sharon said after a Palestinian shooting attack that US efforts to win Arab support for a war on terrorism would not stop Israel from taking "all necessary measures" to defend its citizens.
"Do not try to appease the Arabs at our expense," the prime minister said at a news conference on Thursday (Friday in Manila) after a Palestinian gunman, posing as an Israeli soldier, killed three people at a bus station in the northern Israeli town of Afula.
Israel's national mood darkened further after an Air Sibir plane with 66 passengers, many of them Russian-born Israelis, and 12 crew crashed in the Black Sea on a flight from Tel Aviv to Novosibirsk, Siberia.
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October 30, 2001, ABS-CBN, 7:48 PM, 'R.P. asked U.S. for help to fight ASG',
The Philippine government asked the United States for help to fight the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG), U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld revealed on Tuesday.
Rumsfeld said the U.S. military personnel who are currently in Basilan are providing "advice and assessment" to the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).
"We were asked by the Philippines government -- as we are by dozens and dozens of governments across the globe from time to time -- to have some American military people offering them some advice and assessment as to the kind of problems that the Philippines have been faced with," he said.
Last week, more than two-dozen U.S. military advisers were flown to Basilan where the ASG have been holding Americans and Filipinos hostage from a kidnapping spree that began last May.
The ASG has been linked to the alleged international terror network al-Qaeda and Saudi dissident Osama bin Laden, the "prime suspect" in the September 11 attacks on the U.S.
Philippine military officials have been less candid whether the U.S. advisers volunteered their help or were invited to the country.
Earlier, AFP spokesman Brig. Gen. Edilberto Adan told abs-cbnNEWS.com that the arrival of the U.S. advisers "is based on the Mutual Defense Agreement" between the Philippines and the United States, "wherein each nation will seek ways to strengthen its capability to resist aggression and fight threats to its security."
"With the renewed drive against international terrorism as a result of the attack in the U.S., the U.S. government has upped the tempo of the campaign," Adan said.
Adan was categorical in saying that the U.S. team of "evaluators and coordinators" are in the Philippines "to assess, evaluate our planning systems, position making systems, our operations and equipment in our present campaign against terrorism in Mindanao."
"They are here not to fight because they are all officers. They are specialists," Adan said.
AFP Southern Command (Southcom) chief Lt. Gen. Roy Cimatu, meanwhile, described as "fruitful" the visit of the U.S. team in Mindanao.
"At present, they are visiting the Marine contingent in Maluso, Basilan. On Wednesday, they will have their exit briefing at the Southcom where we expect them to give us their initial feedback of the visit," Cimatu said.
The military, meanwhile, reported that special forces, trained and equipped by the U.S. military, have scored notable successes against the ASG.
Reports said more than 50 of bandits were killed since the start of the month, both in Basilan and on the nearby island of Sulu. abs-cbnNEWS.com
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October 31, 2001, ABS-CBN, 3:16 AM, U.S. issues new 'terror' list of 200 names,
LONDON - The United States has released a new list of some 200 individuals it suspects of having links to September's attacks, Britain's financial regulator said on Tuesday.
Britain has received the list, compiled by the US Federal Bureau of Investigation and is sharing it with banks but has decided against formally issuing it due to "sensitivities" with the content, Patrick Humphries, a spokesman for the British Financial Services Authority said.
"There is a new list and we have received it," Humphries said. "But it is not something that will be made public"
"We will give the list to the banks to see if any names match but there are some sensitivities attached to it. It is a confidential list," he added but declining to give more details. Reuters/abs-cbnNEWS.com
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November 1, 2001, ABS-CBN, 10:59 PM, Abu leader slain as Sabaya sends feelers, by Michael Punongbayan, TODAY Correspondent
Soldiers hunting the Abu Sayyaf bandits killed another of their leaders, Ali Manabo, who had a P1-million price on his head, and another bandit in a clash in Basilan Wednesday night. Two other bandits were killed in another encounter in the same province.
The Southern Command chief, Lt. Gen. Roy Cimatu, said Manabo and Jatar Alfa were killed in the first encounter in a village in Lantawan. In Tipo-Tipo, 18th Infantry Battalion soldiers led by Lt. Col. Dan Lucero killed the other two in a clash with the band led by Suhod Tanajalin.
In the capital, Isabela, officials said a senior bandit leader indicated he might surrender and hand over hostages in his control, but the government remains skeptical of his offer.
The officials identified the leader as the self-appointed spokesman for the bandits, Abu Sabaya, whose band is said to be holding the two Americans kidnapped from Palawan and at least eight Filipinos.
Sabaya has a reputation for ruthlessness, and some accounts have tagged him as having raped, tortured and executed some captives.
Col. Hermogenes Esperon, commander of the troops hunting the bandits, said Sabaya and his men must surrender and hand over the hostages without conditions or the military hunt would continue.
Sabaya has said he is holding Wichita, Kansas, missionaries Martin and Gracia Burnham and eight coconut farmers seized from a plantation and used as shields against soldiers.
Sabaya is also blamed for the murder of Corona, California, resident Guillermo Sobero, whose beheaded body was found in early October.
On the renewed clashes, Col. Roland Detabali, chief of military operations on Basilan Island, said none of his men were injured. The recent battles have inflicted heavy casualties on the Abu Sayyaf, with nearly 50 of them being killed.
Army spokesman Lt. Col. Jose Mabanta Jr. said soldiers were patrolling the village of Bacud in Tipo-Tipo when they spotted some 20 bandits, who engaged them in a firefight that killed the two terrorists. "The last encounter we had with the bandits was five days ago. This actually breaks the long lull."
Mabanta said the soldiers located the bandits with the help of informants from the community itself, which is a big help to them. They are pursuing and closing in on them. He expressed confidence that the terrorists would be neutralized soon.
The military could not say if the hostages were with the bands they had encountered.
In Manila, the AFP chief of staff, Gen. Diomedio Villanueva, said the military lacks equipment to fight terrorism and defend the country from outside attackers, a situation that the visiting American military consultants "can see very clearly."
Villanueva, speaking in Camp Aguinaldo, said the assessment made by the 23-man US military group could result in a grant by the US of military aid in the form of equipment and vehicles to the AFP.
The team returned to the United States by way of Honolulu, Hawaii, where they will report to US Adm. Dennis Blair, the commander of American forces in the Pacific.
Villanueva said the AFP lacks vital land and air transport such as helicopters, trucks and modern weapons, electronic trackers and other high-tech gadgets.
The military also lacks "imaging equipment" to allow soldiers to see in the dark, especially in the jungles. All these the military consultants found out.
Villanueva said the US experts did not find everything disappointing, for they have found the country's military very well trained.
The US team was satisfied with the way soldiers led by Cimatu and other commanders were handling the situation in Mindanao, but it was dismayed by the outmoded equipment, like Vietnam-vintage helicopters, and the shortage of equipment," Villanueva said.
Before leaving the country, the team met with Villanueva at the AFP General Headquarters in Camp Aguinaldo yesterday morning. With AP/TODAY
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November 8, 2001, ABS-CBN, 8:39 PM, GMA meets with Guardians, denies coup,
President Arroyo admitted meeting with leaders of the Guardian Brotherhood Inc. in Malacañang Palace on Wednesday night, but denied that the meeting was connected with the alleged coup plot against her administration.
Irked about reports linking the meeting to the rumored coup plot, Arroyo said it was not the first time that Guardian leaders came to Malacañang. She said the Guardians sometimes meet with Brig. Gen. Alberto Braganza, Arroyo's senior military aide, because they were mistahs at the Philippine Military Academy.
Wednesday's meeting with the Guardians was arranged by Braganza and facilitated by Army Brig. Gen. Marcial Collao Jr., chief of the Army's Headquarters Support Group at Fort Bonifacio.
Collao is said to be the acknowledged leader of the brotherhood, which is composed of at least 400,000 active and retired military and police personnel.
Arroyo denied that the alleged coup plot was discussed during Wednesday's meeting, adding that the Guardians is now a non-government organization committed to support the Arroyo administration.
Arroyo admitted that she was frustrated with the coup reports, especially because it gave a negative impression on country's stability.
Collao earlier said his group has no plans of mounting a coup because "we do not wish to contribute to the problems of the society."
"We do not want to get involved in politics. How can we help the people if we join this reported coup?" Collao said. "We are redirecting our efforts towards livelihood and development programs like cooperativism," he added.
The Guardians first gained prominence after it was involved in the coup d'etat against former president Corazon Aquino. abs-cbnNEWS.com
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November 8, 2001, ABS-CBN, 11:01 PM, Defense finds holes in Arellano story,
The Estrada defense in the plunder case being heard by the Third Division of the Sandigabayan scored Thursday when it got former Social Security System (SSS) president Carlos Arellano to say that a questioned transaction was not illegal.
This transaction is the so-called behest purchase of Belle Resources shares from which the deposed President, Joseph Estrada, allegedly gained the benefit of a multimillion-peso commission.
Testifying for the second day Thursday, prosecution witness Arellano came under cross-examination during which defense lawyer Serafin Cuevas elicited from him the statement that it was his decision to acquire the stocks valued at P784 million with SSS money.
The day before, Arellano said he was pressured by Estrada to buy the shares. He was called by Estrada three times asking him to hurry up the deal and even called him to Malacañang to stress the necessity of buying the shares quickly.
The sales of the shares had come under scrutiny because at that time, its price had skyrocketed and then plunged, so that suspicions of manipulation arose.
Another Estrada lawyer, Cleofe Verzola, said that with this testimony of Arellano, the defense no longer needs to discredit him as a witness.
But it may be too early for the defense to claim victory because the point of the plunder case was the kickback that Estrada got from the transaction.
In his testimony, Arellano also said the former President did not specify how much the SSS is supposed to buy. And that the acquisition was made with the approval of the SSS board.
Based on documents shown to reporters by the defense, the SSS appeared to have—even before Estrada was said to have pressured it into buying—bought shares 51 times from the gaming firm. For the whole month of October alone it bought a total 329.8 million shares for P1.3 billion.
A month before that, SSS also had 100 transactions with Belle. Overall, the pension fund had traded with Belle 299 times during 1999. R. Acosta/TODAY
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November 11, 2001, ABS-CBN, 10:56 PM, Brains behind sale of ballots known to Comelec probers, by Cher Jimenez, TODAY Reporter
A high-ranking official of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) is behind the illegal sale of ballots in the May 14 national elections.
An insider from the commission who requested anonymity said the poll body is now gathering evidence to pin down the mastermind of the anomaly who will also be charged in court.
"We are now in the process of readying evidence and once we complete them we will file the necessary charges before the appropriate court," said the poll official.
If proven guilty, the well-placed official may be imprisoned and barred from further holding any government office, according to the source.
Besides documents proving the official's involvement in the anomalous sale of election ballots, some witnesses are also willing to testify, said the source.
"We have confirmed reports that a top poll official was behind the illegal sale of ballots during the recently held senatorial elections," the official said.
The list of voters in the May 14 senatorial election was found to be padded by more than 500,000, fanning speculations that the political exercise was marred by cheating in favor of some administration candidates.
Two months before the elections, a Comelec casual employee named Antonio Galang was caught trying to steal original ballots from the National Printing Office where the poll body prints the forms.
Galang, who was ordered to watch the printing of ballots, was caught selling them at P25 each. It was not known why a casual employee like Galang was tasked to do such a sensitive duty.
He was charged with qualified theft at the Quezon City Prosecutor's Office.
Speculations have long swirled that a syndicate called Black Samurai, headed by a top official, is behind illegal transactions inside the commission. TODAY
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November 16, 2001, ABS-CBN, 7:30 PM, GMA to seek U.S. military aircraft,
President Arroyo will seek utility helicopters, gunships and C-130 troop transports during her visit to Washington next week, Defense Secretary Angelo Reyes said on Thursday in San Francisco (Friday in Manila).
President Arroyo is on official working visit to the United States. She was to fly to New York from San Francisco, the first leg of her seven-day visit.
Reyes said he was looking for joint ventures to develop former Clark air base as an aerospace industry center and Subic Bay naval station as a regional ship repair hub.
The Philippines opened the two facilities as staging points for the U.S.-led military campaign that drove Afghanistan's Taliban rulers from Kabul this week, Reyes told a forum at the Heritage Foundation, a research group in Washington.
Arroyo was one of the first leaders who declared an all-out support to the effort against terrorism and the military strike on Afghanistan.
"There will be no more foreign bases in the Philippines," he said, citing a constitutional ban. "But we are open to other arrangements short of permanent bases."
Lockheed Martin Corp., the biggest U.S. defense contractor, is involved in a joint-venture repair facility at Clark, with the potential to serve a wide range of aircraft used by neighboring countries, Reyes said.
Authorities were also exploring possible joint ventures that would open Crow Valley gunnery range inside Clark for practice bombing runs by allied fighter pilots, Reyes said.
The overall goal, he said, was to broaden the country's defense industrial base and make it more self-reliant as part of a military modernization drive.
Previewing Arroyo's visit to Washington next Monday and Tuesday, Reyes said Manila wanted the Textron Inc. Bell UH-1 "Huey" helicopters for close air support missions in the drive against enemies such as the bandit Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG), which U.S. and Philippine officials say are linked to bin Laden's al Qaeda network.
Hopeful
The President expressed hope that the two American hostages held captive by the ASG will be rescued before her meeting with U.S. President George W. Bush next week, Presidential Spokesman Rigoberto Tiglao said.
Arroyo, who will meet Bush Tuesday, has also ordered troops to intensify their operations against the bandit group through the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, Tiglao told reporters in a teleconference from the U.S.
The announcement came a day after seven Filipino hostages were recovered unharmed by pursuing troops, leaving ASG with only three hostages - Christian missionary couple Martin and Gracia Burnham of Kansas and a Filipina nurse.
"She's congratulating the military for the relentless pursuit of the Abu Sayyaf," Tiglao said. "Right now the orders to the military are to continue their operations but they have to keep in mind the safety of the hostages," he said.
Asked if Arroyo was confident that the military could safely recover the remaining hostages before meeting with Bush, Tiglao said: "We're very hopeful."
He added that Arroyo is also calling on the ASG to release the hostages as soon as possible" without any conditions.
Military southern command chief Lt. Gen. Roy Cimatu declined to give specific details of the operation, but stressed "it would be a white Christmas for the couple", suggesting the Burnhams would be reunited with their families soon.
"We are there and we will not stop until we have rescued all the hostages and destroyed the Abu Sayyaf," Cimatu told reporters.
The Burnhams and another American, Peru-born Guillermo Sobero, were seized along with 17 Filipinos from the Dos Palmas resort in Palawan last May 27.
The ASG freed most of the hostages allegedly after ransom payments, but snatched more people as they fled across Basilan.
The bandits beheaded Sobero in June, while they also murdered more than a dozen Filipino captives.
The seven hostages freed Thursday were Friday flown to Manila and presented to Vice President Teofisto Guingona.
Two of them on Friday reportedly claimed they were freed after ASG spokesman Abu Sabaya was convinced by Sairin Karno, a former Malaysian senator, and Samsamin Ampatuan, a local official advising Manila on Muslim affairs.
Last year, Karno was instrumental in obtaining the release of the Malaysian captives among 21 foreign and local hostages seized by the Abu Sayyaf from a Malaysian resort and held in the island of Jolo.
Cimatu, however, stressed their recovery was the result of military pressure on the ASG, which was linked by Manila and Washington to Saudi dissident Osama bin Laden, the prime suspect in the September 11 terror attacks in the U.S.
Maria Fe Rosadeno and Angie Montealegre, two of those freed on Thursday, had been forced to convert to Islam during their captivity and still wore their Islamic veils on their heads, saying they were not comfortable taking them off.
Stockholm syndrome
Cimatu earlier warned that they still suffered from "Stockholm Syndrome," a condition where hostages identify with their captors.
Montealegre, who was among the original hostages seized in May, said of her abductors, "we used to consider them enemies but as [our captivity] got longer, they became friends and we became close to them."
Rosadeno, who was the girlfriend of the slain Sobero, sobbed and was wracked by emotion and said she was sorry about her lover's fate.
"All I can say to [Sobero's] family, parents and friends is that I'm so sorry. I'm sorry that this thing had to happen. I love him very much and it's so painful to me now," she said. "I hate them so much, I condemn them."
Meanwhile, Prof. Julkipli Wadi of the University of the Philippines Institute for Islamic Studies said that Arroyo's visit to the U.S. is a significant event in the Philippine history.
Wadi told abs-cbnNEWS.com that Arroyo will be the first Philippine president to address the U.N. General Assembly.
Wadi added that the U.S. offer to help the Philippine military fight local terrorist groups has been hastened by the September 11 attacks in the U.S.
In New York, Arroyo is scheduled to also visit Ground Zero, the site of the World Trade Center tragedy following the September 11 terrorist attacks. She will meet New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani and New York Governor George Pataki.
The President will then proceed to Washington for talks with President Bush.
Arroyo said she expects to raise the issue of chemical waste left behind after the United States abandoned Clark Air Base and Subic Naval Base, the welfare of children abandoned by American servicemen in the Philippines and Filipino war veterans.
On her way home from Washington, the President will make a side trip to Mexico City to address the Leaders' Meeting of the Christian Democrats International.
MOUs
Also on Thursday, Arroyo witnessed the signing of three memorandums of understanding (MOUs) designed to further promote the information and communications technology in the Philippines.
The signing of the MOUs, arranged by Trade and Industry Secretary Manuel Roxas II, was part of the President's activities on the first day of the New York leg of her working visit to the United States.
The President arrived in New York from San Francisco, her port of entry in her working visit which will bring her to Washington, D.C. and Mexico City.
Earlier, the President received at the Presidential Suite of the Waldorf Astoria Hotel Ambassador John Negroponte, U.S. permanent representative to the United Nations.
The President also met with the U.S.-based members of the International Board of Advisers (IBA).
During her visit to Tokyo in mid-September, the President also met with the Japanese members of the IBA, namely Minoru Makihara, chairman of Mitsubishi Corporation, and Junichiro Miyazu, president of Nippon Telegraph & Telephone Corporation(NTT)
One of the MOUs signed MOU was between the Philippines' Immequire and the U.S. Tele Response Center, Inc. (TRC). Signatories were Immequire president Stuart Discount and TRC president William Lo and TRC director Aaron Perez-Daple.
Under this MOU, Immequire, on behalf of the TRC, will conduct an outbound telemarketing campaign to raise funds for U.S.-based nonprofit organizations.
Since l988, TRC has developed and implemented successful programs for highly respected charities and nonprofit organizations nationally, regionally and locally. TRC has been ranked 45th among the top 50 outbound teleservices agencies in the March 2000 issue of Call Center Solutions magazine.
The second MOU was between the Philippines' ICCP Venture Partners, Inc. (IVPI) and the US Ambergris Solutions, Inc. (ASI). The signatories were Guillermo Luchangco, chairman and chief executive officer of IVPI, and Karl Gossen, president of ASI.
This MOU is expected to generate additional foreign currency earnings for the country some 1,500 high-value employees in year 2002.
The third MOU was between the Philippines' Customer Contact Center, Inc. (CCCI) and the US Source One Communications (SOC) signed by Manuel Lopez, chairman of CCCI, and W. Sam Chandola of SOC.
Source One Communications is a leading provider of customer service and database management services worldwide, with headquarters in New Jersey.
The MOU is expected to bring the Philippines ahead of India, Singapore, and Australia as a location of choice for outsource call center services in the Asia-Pacific Region.
This will also help develop the sunshine call center industry in the Philippines and bring in more foreign investments to the country. abs-cbnNEWS.com with Reuters
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November 16, 2001, ABS-CBN, 7:30 PM, DOJ to ask Switzerland for help in recovery of Marcos wealth,
Department of Justice (DOJ) officials will meet with their counterpart from Switzerland on Tuesday to draft a mutual legal assistance treaty that would expedite the recovery of alleged Marcos ill-gotten wealth.
DOJ Secretary Hernando Perez said Friday he would also discuss possible assistance on the issue of money laundering.
"One of the important issues that they want discussed is...money laundering. The discussions will start on Tuesday and we will try our best to finish...on the same day," Perez said.
Perez, however, stressed that the main concern will still be the recovery of the Marcos wealth. "There is a possibility that Switzerland could be used as a haven for money laundering so it is better to discuss the issue," he said.
Perez said justice officials from both governments will try to finish the draft in Manila, saying the country will send representatives to Switzerland if ever they fail to wrap up discussions here.
The Marcoses reportedly held various accounts in Union Bank of Switzerland (UBS).
Early this year, Irene Marcos-Araneta allegedly attempted to transfer $13.2 billion in ill-gotten deposits from UBS to two private banks in Liechtenstein, Liechtensteiner Landesbank AG and Verwaltungs-und Privatbank in Germany.
The transfer was supposedly done to prevent the government from withdrawing the deposits.
Meanwhile, Perez welcomed the resignation of former Solicitor General Francisco Chavez as special counsel for the DOJ.
The other day, Chavez tendered his irrevocable resignation, citing as reason the DOJ's alleged lack of interest in pursuing the government's recovery efforts of the alleged ill-gotten wealth of the Marcoses.
He said he does not want to be part of the so-called "Ateneo mafia," a group of former students of Perez who are reportedly running the department.
Perez, however, denied Chavez allegations. He said the DOJ has already submitted its reports and recommendations to Malacañang after the trip to Germany last June of the Philippine delegation, including Chavez, to verify reports of the alleged transfer.
"It is not correct to say that we have not done anything about this. No one could claim a monopoly of the desire to pursue the Marcos wealth. Attorney Chavez is interested and so are we, which is the reason why we have initiated discussions for a mutual legal aid treaty with Switzerland," he said. abs-cbnNEWS.com
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November 17, 2001, ABS-CBN, 3:52 PM, ASG split between Janjalani, Sabaya,
Armed Forces Southern Command chief Lt. Gen. Roy Cimatu has confirmed that Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) leaders Khadaffy Janjalani and Abu Sabaya have severed ties.
Cimatu said Janjalani now leads about 25 bandits while Sabaya has a bigger group of more than 70 armed members.
Cimatu added that Janjalani is still in Basilan amid earlier reports he is in Central Mindanao. He said Janjalani is seeking a possible link-up with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. abs-cbnNEWS.com monitor
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November 17, 2001, ABS-CBN, 2:14 PM, BID: Filipinos linked to Mideast terrorists are back,
Immigrations officials on Saturday said some 50 Filipinos with possible connections to terrorist groups in the Middle East were able to slip back to the Philippines, mostly through backdoors in the South.
The Bureau of Immigration at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport said the terrorist trainees began arriving in the country after forces of the Northern Alliance began taking control of most cities in Afghanistan.
Authorities assured the terrorist trainees are being monitored by the international police and the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA).
They admitted there is no basis as of yet to hold those suspected of having links with foreign terrorist groups. abs-cbnNEWS.com monitor
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November 17, 2001, ABS-CBN, 9:05 PM, Integration of 5,000 MNLF into AFP seen, by Jodeal Cadacio, TODAY Reporter
The government's program to integrate former guerrillas of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) to the Armed Forces will not be derailed by the threat of former MNLF chairman Nur Misuari to again take up arms against the government, the chairman of the powerful House Committee on Appropriations said Saturday.
Lakas Rep. Rolando Andaya Jr. of Camarines Sur said there are sufficient funds to oversee the full integration of the more than 5,000 MNLF fighters into the Armed Forces under the Malacañang-proposed P780.8-billion national budget for year 2002
Andaya said a total of P657.8 million will be earmarked for the "MNLF Integration Program" under the Armed Forces' proposed budget for next year.
"Nur Misuari's saber-rattling and the loud propaganda shots being lobbed by the former rebel-turned-government official will have no bearing on the government's commitment to integrate Misuari's former men into the Armed Forces," Andaya said.
Andaya was reacting to threats made by Misuari last week that he will return to his "old ways" because of the government's failure to honor its commitments to him when the MNLF signed a peace agreement with the government in 1997 after almost 30 years of waging a secessionist war in Mindanao.
But Andaya said Misuari's grumbling will have no bearing on the government's intention to fund the integration of former Moro rebels into the Army.
For next year, P658 million will be allocated to train and employ MNLF integrees. The amount will be used for the training needs of some 2,870 former rebels.
So far a total of 2,880 former guerrillas have been taken in as regular Army personnel. Under the 1997 peace agreement, a total of 5,750 former MNLF rebels were to join the Armed Forces.
Andaya said Misuari's present status should not be used as an excuse to freeze the MNLF integration program.
Besides being chairman of the MNLF, Misuari is also the incumbent governor of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.
The falling-out between Misuari and the government came after Malacañang dropped him as its candidate for the election for armm governor scheduled on November 26. The Palace has endorsed presidential adviser Farrouk Hussin as its official candidate. TODAY
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November 18, 2001, 12:01 AM, abs-cbnNEWS.com staff 'hostaged', by Yasmin Lee G. Arpon,
LONDON – It was a lovely cold afternoon for a drive to the countryside, so we all filed into the jeep eagerly.
I found myself seated on the edge of the backseat, facing Radek who was from the Czech Republic.
I could not remember what we were talking about as Mik drove us through a dirt road. We were all sleepy after a sumptuous lunch at an English manor house. But what happened next took away the drowsiness that descended upon us.
Suddenly, the jeep we were riding stopped. I saw five masked men surround the car. I froze as I watched in terror one of the armed men opened the door, which we unfortunately left unlocked, and yanked Radek out of the car.
I knew I was next. I was the second person closest to the door. I cringed close to Anupa, my friend from the United Arab Emirates. But one of the men forced me out of the car and threw me on the muddy ground.
It rained that afternoon and there were puddles of water all over. But it didn't matter anymore as I fell on the ground, my face kissing the soft mud.
There was confusion and chaos.
"Get down! Get down!" the men were shouting. I heard gunshots, which broke the calmness of the afternoon.
Somebody pulled a hood over my face and pushed my head back on the ground. I was confused. What was happening?
When I sensed that no one was watching me, I knelt and tried to pull the hood off.
It was a foolish thing to do, I realized belatedly. A man cursed and pulled my hood back. He pushed me rather roughly on the ground. But for a few seconds I saw that my companions were also on the ground around me.
"Didn't I tell you to keep down?" a man shouted.
My mind was racing. The masked men were ordering us around. "Who are they? What do they want?"
I tried to focus and breathe evenly, but it was difficult with the hood over my face. "Am I going to die?"
Hostile environment
Welcome to the Reuters Foundation's training on how to survive in a hostile environment. It was conducted by Centurion Risk Assessment Services, a group composed of retired British Royal Navy officers.
We were in the London suburbs. That morning, we just had a crash course on how it is to be in a minefield. Howie, our instructor, introduced us to the world of mines, trip wires and grenades.
The first time I heard an explosion, I remained standing, just like some of my ten other classmates who came from all over the world for the training. If it were a real war, I would have been shot to death.
We were in overalls, which, for my Asian size, was too big to move around in. But I managed. Did I have any choice? I didn't want to die. Soon enough, the blue outfit was full of mud, and so were my shoes. Walking was difficult.
We were supposed to be television journalists walking in a forest in search of our crew. All we knew was that there were armed men around and we didn't want to be caught in a crossfire.
Then it happened. While walking in the middle of a clearing, we heard gunshots. They were shooting at us. I imagined bullets whizzing over our heads as we lunged on the ground for dear life. The nearest cover was hundreds of meters away. It was just impossible to go for it and not be spotted by the snipers.
"Remember, mother nature is your best protector," Howie, the instructor, told us several times earlier.
Bearing that in mind, I tried to fit myself in small hollows on the ground, never mind if my face was on the shoes of one my classmates or someone's face was on my butt.
Then I almost missed the trip wire, a very fine thread normally attached to a mine or a bomb.
We saw the TV camera of our crew, abandoned near the trees. Nearby was a piece of bloodied cloth. We could only conclude that someone was hurt, but we didn't know who it was. We hoped it was not our crew.
"Does anyone here feel that someone has been watching us?" Howie asked us, as we stood inspecting an abandoned weapon in the nearby trees.
We looked around, but no one saw the dummy soldier hidden behind a trunk. Obviously, we would have been all dead by then.
Explosions all over
As morning turned to noon, I have heard enough explosions. I learned to throw myself on the ground every time I heard a blast.
Work with your instincts, our instructor told us.
Indeed, it was instinct that saved me when we were taken hostage. I behaved and did not put up a fight.
I thought of the Abu Sayyaf back home and their brazen hostage-taking activities. I knew they were not exactly pleasant bandits and would not appreciate uncooperative hostages. I thought of American hostage Guillermo Sobero.
I felt myself lifted from the ground as one of the goons pulled me up by my anorak. I flayed my arms over me. It was bad enough that I had to wear the hood, but it was worse to be carried around like a shirt on a hanger.
I was dropped on the ground suddenly and my arms were forcefully extended before me. The goon was trying to put my palms up in a certain manner that my thumbs were pointed upwards.
After some time, my arms were starting to feel the strain. I tried to put my arms down to ease the growing pain. But before I could move, someone pulled them back up.
There was silence all around me. The only thing I could hear was the shuffling of shoes on the ground.
Just as I was wondering if I was still with the group, someone's hands were placed on my shoulders. Relief flooded over me. I was not alone.
A few minutes passed. Someone started to lead me by the thumb to God-knows-where. I felt that we passed by some low-lying trees, went down a hill, climbed another, until someone pushed me to a wall, my arms spread before me. The hands on my shoulder were suddenly gone. Again, I felt so alone.
I could feel the roughness of the wall. I was breathing heavily. Someone pushed my feet apart and tilted my head up. Maybe someone is trying to help me breathe easily, I thought. I wouldn't know. I didn't think that our kidnappers would start to get nice on me.
My arms were really starting to get numb. I was starting to inch them down the wall when I heard a gunshot. Are they shooting someone?
I heard two or more gunshots. My imagination was getting the better of me. I was going to die in a foreign country, I thought. I wondered if my friends back home would cover my funeral. Maybe my colleague who just wrote a book about the Abu Sayyaf would write one about me.
My thoughts were interrupted by someone feeling my pockets. My small wallet was there as well as some coins. In England, coins are no laughing matter. They matter a lot. I felt grim as my small possession were all taken away -- my week-long travel card and my credit card. Next went my watch, which was a gift for my 25th birthday.
All the while, I knew I had no choice but to play along. But when they robbed me, I thought, something wrong must have happened along the way. Maybe Mik was taken too, maybe these were real kidnappers, maybe I was REALLY going to die.
Hanny, an Egyptian, later told us that when they took his wedding ring, he felt violated and wanted to fight back. Anupa, however, decided to cooperate. When the man who was trying to take off her watch was having a difficult time, she offered to help him.
It must have been some time that I stood against that wall. I was already thinking that they were killing us one by one. I sought solace in the sound of Alla, a Czech, who cleared her throat from time to time. At least I knew someone else was alive.
My thoughts wandered back to the person who was earlier behind me on the line. He, who kept on squeezing my shoulders every time I walked fast as I kept up with the kidnapper who was dragging me by my thumbs. The goon could as well have been dragging me by the nose.
I thought, maybe that was the last time I would feel someone's compassionate touch. His hands on my shoulders provided comfort, an assurance that I wasn't alone in my ordeal.
Then, all of a sudden, someone dragged me away from the wall. They will kill me now, I thought. I sensed that I was being led into a clearing. The gunshots I heard earlier must have killed my classmates. Our trip to the famous English countryside had turned out to be a nightmare.
I knew I had to be strong. It's just too bad, I told myself, that if I die I would not be able to write about what I have been through.
Then it was over
As I was led to the clearing, someone pulled the hood off my head. I squinted. The sunlight was too much. But then I saw Mik peering at me. "Are you alright?" he asked.
I was too numb to scream. "Do you think I am alright?" I wanted to say. But all I could do was nod. Is it over now? I'm not going to die after all?
Mik pointed to a clearing where a huge plastic container was sitting. "Don't make a sound, all your belongings are there," he whispered.
I saw Radek coolly smiling and watching the others who were still standing against the wall. I walked toward the container, still in a daze, the trembling now uncontrollable. I wanted to laugh hysterically as I collapsed on the grass.
Mai, the Vietnamese girl, couldn't help herself and kept on giggling when she was released, especially when we saw Thomas, a classmate from Ghana, being led into the clearing. He was wearing a Mickey Mouse hood!
It was the perfect way to end the ordeal as we collapsed in laughter.
Mik told us later that our tenet should be "don't panic" when placed under a similar situation. Panic makes people do stupid things that could anger kidnappers.
Mik explained that you wouldn't want to be singled out by the kidnappers. He said that being ordinary and unmarked means being relatively safe and that could save your life.
He also advised that when going on coverage, especially when safety would be critical, we should not take along valuables such as wedding rings or watches with a sentimental value. Take only the essentials.
One should not give the kidnappers power over us. Nor should we give them a glimpse of our personal life. Pictures of family, boyfriends or girlfriends were no-nos.
We learned that a lot of personal gestures mattered during the ordeal, which we estimated to have lasted only 15 to 20 minutes. For me, it seemed eternity.
Comfort
Anupa said Miriam's pat on the shoulder as we were being led across the forest assured her. She identified Miriam through the texture of her sweater.
Some of us were trying to identify the person before us by feeling the clothes, and sometimes, even talking and asking who was there. The latter of course did not sit well with our captors.
For those like me who was ahead of the line, my security blanket was the person behind. I found out later that it was Radek. He later admitted that it was him who tried to pull me back by the shoulders whenever I walked fast. Little did he know that his touch kept me sane throughout the ordeal.
Our batch was just among the many journalists who have gone through the course. Similar trainings have become a necessity these days following the September 11 attacks in the United States. Much more in my country where Abu Sayyaf Group kidnappings seemed to have become an industry.
Centurion itself noted an increasing number of journalists are killed or injured every year while covering assignments in hostile environments, which range from civil, military or political unrests, terrorist activities, unfriendly governments or regimes, harsh climatic conditions to natural or man-made disasters.
We all know about the ongoing strikes in Afghanistan. We read the stories everyday, see them unfold on television. We should not forget, however, that there are journalists there risking their lives to cover what is happening and inform the world about it.
To some journalists, it could be the biggest story of their career. I sometimes wonder, though, is any story, for that matter, ever worth one's life?
As Peter Mosley said at the beginning of our course on Writing International News sponsored by the Reuters Foundation, "These are challenging times for journalists."
Choosing this profession means accepting the risks that come with the territory, including covering wars and putting one's life at risk.
A day, however, is not enough to learn everything on how to survive. But I have learned a few that could help me in case I get assigned to a hostile environment.
As soon as we stepped out of the train later that evening in London, there was an explosion (harmless though) at the terminal. Hanny wanted to lunge on the ground.
I realized then that the way I perceive things will never be the same from here on. abs-cbnNEWS.com
(Photos were taken from the Centurion Risk Assessment Services website.)
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