The indictment by the Ombudsman of former President Aquino over the controversial Disbursement Acceleration Program which has been declared by the Supreme Court as unconstitutional is a warning to those in power that good intentions do not justify shortcutting the law.
By ELLEN TORDESILLAS THE quote of the day from Thursday’s Senate Blue Ribbon hearing was Sen. Miriam Santiago’s “Ignorance can be treated, but stupid is forever. ” Santiago was spot on in her observation that Napoles could not be stupid considering the pork barrel operator’s rise from her humble beginnings in Basilan to her
By ELLEN TORDESILLAS THE speech of Sen. Jinggoy Estrada may not be as explosive as expected but the public is benefitting from it because we are getting a bigger and more realistic picture of how rotten the system is, and how “tuwid na daan” is being drawn with crooked lines. Estrada is one
THE National Bureau of Investigation filed on Monday afternoon plunder and malversation of public funds charges against Senators Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr., Jinggoy Estrada and Juan Ponce Enrile, and businesswoman Janet Lim-Napoles before the Office of the Ombudsman in connection with the misuse of the Priority Development Assistance Fund, more commonly known as “pork barrel.”
By DANA BATNAG IT WILL be a much-anticipated media event, but the filing of complaints against senators and congressmen allegedly involved in the pork barrel scam is unlikely to result in fireworks or other earthshaking political upheavals. That’s because filing a complaint with the Ombudsman is just the start of a long process—one that
THE Philippine National Police released Sunday morning photos of alleged bigtime “pork barrel” operator Janet Lim-Napoles in detention at Fort Sto. Domingo, Sta. Rosa, Laguna. The photos were taken by photographers of the PNP Public Information Office and Special Action Force. Napoles, who is charged with serious illegal detention of whistleblower Ben Hur Luy, surrendered
Slideshow by MARIO IGNACIO IV The “Million People March” social media activists had been cooking up for weeks failed to produce the promised million. But no matter. The message from the almost 100,000 rallyists who descended on Rizal Park on a drizzling Monday morning was crystal clear: Enough of “pork.” From all indications, the motley throng
By REYNARD MAGTOTO LEGAZPI City – The weather was wet and bleak, but some 300 Albayanos marched under the rain on Monday, demanding the scrapping of the pork barrel. Protesters from multisectoral groups endured the 3-kilometer walk from Peñaranda Park, Governor Locsin Street to the Pinaglabanan Monument in Legazpi City, holding up umbrellas and drenched,
By JONATHAN DE SANTOS THE rallyists had their own calls and campaigns and clung to their own advocacies, but for a few hours at least, they were united in calling for the abolition of the Priority Development Assistance Fund and the prosecution of lawmakers and individuals involved in the allocation of public money to fake
By VERA Files Rallies broke out in major towns and cities all over the country in one ofthe biggest spontaneous expressions of outrage the country has seen since the 1986 People Power Revolution. Police estimates say some 80,000 people have gathered at the Luneta Park, the main venue of what was billed to be the
