Bernad surprised on Ocampos’ name in LP ticket

PHILIPINE Politics really has a way of making even classmates and bosom buddies become strange bedfellows and for Vice Mayor Carlos Patricio Bernad, it may take a while before he gets used to shaking hands with his friend and former ally, Gov. Loreto Leo Ocampos.

Ocampos, who was formerly a staunch Arroyo supporter and the titular head of the provincial council of Lakas Kampi, recently bolted out of the administration party and joined Sen. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino’s Liberal Party in his quest for the congressional post in next year’s polls.

Sworn in with Ocampos is mayoralty candidate and Ozamiz councilor Maria Constancia Lim.

“Ocampos may have gained the backing of Senator Aquino but not mine,” said Bernad, who is LP’s current provincial chair.

The vice mayor added that he was “surprised and disappointed” of Ocampos’ membership in LP, adding he was not consulted by it and was only informed last Wednesday that the governor has taken his oath as the province’s standard bearer for congressman in the second district.

Ocampos’ decision in defecting Lakas was said to be borne out of his displeasure on the selection process of the ruling party which rejected his demands that all “favored candidates” in his faction “must be included” in the 2010 elections under the ruling party.

Ocampos, in his earlier disclosure to the media, said that he pushed for Lim to be the mayoralty standard bearer for Lakas in accordance with party principles and guidelines but it was not granted. He also recommended several names as candidates for the two districts but again it was not approved.

It was also learned that the governor’s decision to bolt out of Lakas came four days after Mayor Reynaldo Parojinog and his daughter, Nova Princess Echavez, received their respective certificates of nomination as Lakas’ official candidate for congressman and mayor.

“Nalipay na lang sad ko nga gipahibalo ko nila. Sa ato pa, wala na pangayoa ang akong recommendations ug diretso na lang gidawat didto,” Bernad told this paper, saying further that had he been given time to evaluate Ocampos’ request for affiliation with LP, he will give his negative views and a two thumbs down to the governor.

Saying likewise that it did not go into normal procedures, Bernad surmised that Ocampos was readily accepted because “he is the incumbent governor” and “the president of the governors’ league.”

To recall, Bernad has said that Ocampos “has a loyalty problem” with Lakas Kampi and he doesn’t want that the same will happen to the LP.

Although he said he will not question Ocampos’ entry to LP, Bernad asserts he has already committed his full support to both Parojinog and Echavez.

REPORT BY NEPTALIE BATOLENIO & MICHAEL MEDINA

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NUJP-CDO statement on Maguindanao massacre

National Union of Journalists of the Philippines

Cagayan de Oro Chapter

No words can describe our shock and grief over Monday’s massacre in Maguindanao. The carnage, committed by men against their fellowmen, is simply incomprehensible. The killings were, indeed, senseless and dastardly.

We mourn over the loss of journalists whose only fault—if that was ever a fault—was to go on field in hopes of finding a story to tell. Instead of telling a story, they became the story themselves. They were out to tell a story about a politician who dared to challenge another politician. They would never tell their story because beasts silenced them forever.

How can we say that the Philippines has the “freest press in Asia” when the massacre corroborated claims that our country is among the most dangerous places in the world for journalists today? The country now holds the record of having the most number of journalists killed in a single day.

The carnage and other senseless killings before raise too many questions about the kind of democracy we have. The Philippines is emerging as a classic case of a failed democracy. Sad to say, Philippine democracy is now on trial.

Strong physical evidence and clear motive have led into the identification of the brains and the group responsible for the slaughter. There is therefore no reason the dastards could not be arrested and brought to justice.

Enough with the government’s motherhood statements; we demand swift action and not a state of emergency in Maguindanao. We demand that the full force of the law fall upon the perpetrators and masterminds of Monday’s carnage without fear or favor. We call on the government to do its duty in enforcing our laws without any political consideration. We demand that the killers be arrested and tried. We want government to send a strong message that crime does not pay. We want it done not tomorrow but TODAY.

NUJP-Cagayan de Oro

25 November 2009

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Police bares bomb plot in Zambopen

A plot to perpetrate bombings in the Zamboanga Peninsula region and in three other provinces by terrorist groups having links with al-Qaeda was uncovered by authorities the other day.

Information from a military source based in Zamboanga City obtained by this paper reported that an unidentified urban terrorist group is targeting to bomb key areas around the region, including Zamboanga and Pagadian cities.

Presently, security has been heightened in Zamboanga City as a precautionary measure on the planned bomb attacks after the city was included in the so-called list of 20 cities targeted for attack.

As of press time, the Anti-Terrorism Council in Zamboanga City said it is corroborating the existence of a planned bomb attacks by terror groups as the city police office confirmed preventive measures have already been observed.

Zamboanga City Police Office (ZCPO) Officer In-charge S/Supt. Amador Corpus disclosed that based on the reliable military information, the targets of the said attacks include Regions 9, 10, 11 and the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).

It can be recalled that in April, last year, suspected al-Qaida-linked militants bombed Zamboanga City’s Immaculate Concepcion Cathedral, the Maybank in Veterans Avenue compound and the office of the Foreign Affairs.

Two people were killed while 21 others were injured in that bombing which is being attributed by the military to the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF)’s Special Operations Team (SOT) because of the similarity to explosives allegedly used by the MILF in previous bombings in Mindanao.

Stepping up operations against the reported terror plots, city police at once informed local estaliblishments and security agencies to be wary on individuals with suspicious movements.

Chief Superintendent Angelo Hipolito Sunglao, PNP-9 regional director, said he has already ordered stringent police visibility in all areas in Zamboanga and Pagadian and has been constantly receiving updates on all police operations and security preparations in the mentioned city centers.

Last week, text messages about an impending bombing attack circulated in Zamboanga and Pagadian but this was dismissed by police authorities as a prank.

In the past, the military has blamed the MILF and the Abu Sayyaf as the culprit in their bombing attacks against Christians and foreigners.

But Bayan Muna Rep. Teddy Casiño, in a recently published report by Bulatlat, brushed aside the alleged bombing plot targeting Mindanao cities as a maneuver by the government for the declaration of martial law

“With all the speculations circulating about the possible motives and perpetrators responsible for the bombings, we are appalled and alarmed about the lack of credible information from authorities,” Bayan Muna Rep. Teddy Casiño said as he urged authorities to go beyond the “Muslim terrorist” angle when verifying information on terror plots.

As this developed, there are no advisories issued yet against traveling to Zamboanga Peninsula due to the said bomb threats.

REPORT BY MICHAEL MEDINA

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Drive vs. loose firearms now includes reward

THE Philippine National Police (PNP) will establish a rewards program for persons who can pinpoint the existence of loose firearms after the end of the gun amnesty period on October 31, DILG Sec. Ronaldo Puno said.

Puno said that once these loose or unlicensed guns are confiscated, the PNP might opt to donate them to the local police station in the barangay or town where these were seized.

Puno called on the public to cooperate with the government in its campaign against loose firearms, which he said, will contribute to the country’s peace and order problems.

The DILG chief earlier warned holders of unlicensed firearms that after the one-month gun amnesty period expire on Oct. 31, all guns not properly registered would be confiscated immediately and criminal charges would be filed against the owners in court.

The PNP, he said, has compiled a list of late registrants who will be given the chance during the gun amnesty period from Oct. 1 to 31 to update the registration of their firearms.

Prior to Oct. 1-31 amnesty period, the PNP received applications since Aug. 1 to accommodate those who would like to comply early with the law.

Gun owners who wish to register their unlicensed firearms can visit the PNP registration stations in the different towns and cities nationwide, Puno said.

The DILG and PNP are asking Congress to pass a law making illegal gun possession a non-bailable offense as part of the government’s new drive to reduce, if not totally eliminate, an estimated 1.1 million loose firearms in the country.

EO 817, which provides for a general amnesty for the registration of loose firearms, orders the PNP to conduct active police operations against unregistered firearms through random weapons checks in crime-prone areas; mobile checkpoint and chokepoint operations; intelligence build-up; internal security operations; application of search warrants; and dismantling of private armed groups.

Present PNP estimate places the number of loose firearms nationwide at 1.1 million which are in the hands of threat groups, criminal elements and unauthorized individuals. This number already included guns with expired licenses.

Puno, who visited Pagadian last week to attend the Regional Peace and Order Council (RPOC) meeting and in his dialogue with Gov. Aurora Cerilles and local executives, called on officials to help carry out an information campaign on the gun amnesty program.

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