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| 12 SEPTEMBER 2007 | ||
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| 12 SEPTEMBER 2007 | ||
| Statement of Secretary Ignacio R. Bunye: The Verdict |
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We bow to the decision of the Sandiganbayan. We hope and pray that the rule of law will prevail. Meantime, we have a country to run, an economy to grow, and a peace to win. We hope that this sad episode in our history will not permanently distract us from these goals. |
| PGMA confers Order of Sikatuna on outgoing Japanese Ambassador |
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President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo conferred this
morning the Order of Sikatuna, Rank of Datu, on outgoing Japanese Ambassador
to the Philippines Ryuichiro Yamazaki who is winding up his diplomatic
posting in the country on Sept. 15 Ambassador Yamazaki’s Philippine tour of duty was “highlighted by high-level dialogues between the Philippines and Japan, and the holding of various activities marking the 50th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic relations” between the two countries, the Malacañang protocol office said. The Palace also acknowledged “the active participation of the government of Japan in the Southern Philippines peace process, and the gradual resumption of Japanese loans and grants to the Philippines” during Yamazaki’s assignment in the country. The President, in a powder-blue coat dress, and Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo, wished Ambassador Yamazaki well in his future endeavors. With Yamazaki during the ceremony held at the Music Room of Malacañang were other Japanese embassy officials led by Elichi Oshima, deputy head of mission and Japan’s consul general to the Philippines; Hidenobu Sobashima, head of the Japanese chancery; Yoshihisa Ishikawa, first secretary; Akira Sugiyama, minister of economic affairs, and Yasunori Nakayama, minister of political affairs. |
| Erap verdict a strong warning to corrupt in gov't -- Apostol |
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Presidential Legal Counsel Sergio Apostol said
today the conviction of former President Joseph Estrada serves as a strong
warning to all holders of public office that the Sandiganbayan and the
Ombudsman are dead serious in going after grafters in government. In an ambush interview with media at the steps of the New Executive Building (NEB) in Malacañang shortly after the Sandiganbayan announced its verdict on the Estrada plunder case, Apostol said all government officials and employees are duly warned that they must always follow the straight and narrow path of honest public service or risk the fate of the former President. “That (guilty verdict) is a good signal to everybody in public office that the Sandiganbayan and the Ombudsman are not joking. They are ready to prosecute plunder and corruption cases,” Apostol said. “This (verdict) is a very good warning (to all public government workers),” he added. The Sandiganbayan Special Division on Wednesday found the former President guilty beyond reasonable doubt of the charge of plunder and sentenced him to reclusion perpetua at his resthouse in Tanay, Rizal “until further orders.” At the same time, the anti-graft court ordered the freezing of Estrada’s accounts estimated at $87 million or P4.089 billion. The funds, including protection money from illegal gambling operators, embezzled tobacco taxes, and commissions from insider trading, will be "forfeited" in favor of the government, the anti-graft court ruled. |
| ULAP calls for sobriety on wake of Erap verdict |
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Following is a statement from the Union of Local
Authorities of the Philippines (ULAP) as e-mailed to the Office of Press
Secretary and Presidential Spokesperson Ignacio R. Bunye We are appealing to our people to remain calm and sober in the face of the Sandiganbayan's verdict on the case against former President Joseph Estrada. It is imperative for our people to let the rule of law prevail at this time because the decision of the anti-graft court is a milestone that underlines the constitutional precept that no man is above the law. However unfortunate or painful as this episode may be for us, it sends a resounding message to our nation that law is stern and applies to all Filipinos, regardless of class and status. With our country on the verge of an unprecedented economic takeoff, our people need to work as one - now more than ever - in pursuit of the national vision to transform the Philippines into a First-World economy by the year 2020. Hence, we are calling on all sectors to abide by this decision of the Sandiganbayan and pray for natural reconciliation. We have to allow the rule of law to take its due course and bear in mind that the former Chief Executive can, and is likely to exhaust all legal options available to him in pursuing the final resolution of his case. This is the only way for us to further strengthen our democratic system and keep our economy on its upward trajectory, more so because ex-President Estrada himself has publicly declared on the eve of the Sandiganbayan decision, that his principal concern now is not his own freedom but our people's search for truth and their fight against poverty. GOV. ERICO AUMENTADO ULAP, National President GOV. LEO OCAMPOS LPP, National President MAYOR RAMON N GUICO, JR. LMP, National President MAYOR BENHUR ABALOS LCP, National President VICE GOV. JULIUS HERRERA LVGP, National President VICE MAYOR HENRY DY VMLP, Interim National President COUN ARECIO RENOOR JR PCL Interim National President VINCENT PIOCIO PBMLP National President COUN COSETENG NMYL National President _____________________________________________________________
Statement of Mandaluyong City Mayor Bejamin Abalos, Jrl, |
