Cebu Pacific Promo for 2011

CEBU PACIFIC cheers on PAL’s 70th year with 70% seat sale. 100,000 seats up for grabs

It’s 70 for Cebu Pacific too.

The number one domestic airline in the Philippines, Cebu Pacific (CEB) roots for Philippine Airlines’ (PAL) 70th anniversary with its historic, two-day 70% off system-wide seat sale from April 1-2, 2010. This is for travel from January 1 to March 15, 2011.

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Comment on this blog post and get a chance to win Exciting Prizes!



© Enrico Dee for BYAHILO, 2010. | Permalink | 6 Byahilo readers have made a comment | Add to del.icio.us

Resignations rock Lakas-Kampi

Related stories Inquirer:

Lakas-Kampi breaking up. Mike Arroyo blamed

NP denies deal with most hated couple

Teodoro: stop sowing intrigues

by Carol Arguillas
Mindanews

A day after Lakas-Kampi-CMD presidential candidate Gilbert Teodoro resigned as party chairman, Sarangani Governor Miguel Dominguez and Francis Manglapus yesterday tendered their resignations as party president and secretary general, respectively.

Statement of Gilbert Teodoro April 1, 2010:

I deny the report (PDI, 1/1,2010) that Cebu Gov. Gwen Garcia allegedly told me that the First Gentleman called up members of her family to withdraw their support to me. I have been going to Cebu to attend One Cebu party to my Presidential bid has always been solid and unconditional. IT HAS NEVER WAVERED.

I appeal to all not to believe in the divisive intrigues being spread around and instead focus on the issues affecting the future of our country.”

In his letter to the national executive committee of Lakas-Kampi-CMD, Dominguez said: “I hereby tender my resignation as party president effective immediately.

“With the recent resignation of our chairman Gilbert C. Teodoro Jr., I would like to give the incoming chairman a freehand to select his new president.

“I would like to thank the National Executive Committee and her Excellency Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo for the trust and confidence given me.”

Read full report in VERA Files

Liberal Party presses alarm bells

It’s very much delayed, but it’s better late than never.

The Liberal party has joined expressions of concern on the automated elections, which have been aired by the Concerned Citizens Movement since last year when it questioned the legality of the Comelec-Smartmatic nationwide automation contract.

VERA Files’ Tessa Jamandre reports on the event. Click here (VERA Files):

Aquino’s remarks:

Una sa lahat, maraming maraming salamat po at kami ay pinaunlakan ninyo sa araw na ito.

Kasama ng aking mga ka-partido sa Partido Liberal, tinatawagan ko ang mga nangangasiwa ng Comelec at ang buong sambayanan na siguraduhing malinis at mapayapa ang darating na eleksiyon.

Marami pa ring kakulangan sa paghahanda ng Comelec, ang institusyon ng ating demokrasya na may iisang layunin: ang siguraduhin na maayos ang sistema ng halalan sa ating bansa.

Sinadya bang patagalin ang pagpapahintulot sa pag-review ng source code, ang verification ng mga ultra-violet marks sa mga balota at ang pagsasagawa ng random manual audit?
• Hindi makatarungan ang disenyo ng kasalukuyang balota
• Walang contingency plans sakaling magkaroon ng systems breakdown

Maaasahan ba natin na magiging maayos ang darating na halalan, gayong marami pa ring problema sa kauna-unahang automated elections sa bansa na hindi pa natutugunan?

Nakataya ang kinabukasan ng sambayanan dito, kaya naman bumubuhos ang kusang loob na pagtulong sa ating People’s Campaign. Ang nais ng lahat ay isang patas na laban, ngunit ito rin ba ang ninanais ng Comelec sa gaganaping halalan?

• Hindi pinayagan ang accreditation ng NAMFREL para sa pagsasagawa ng public official count
• Pinag-iinitan ang Partido Liberal sa pamamagitan ng disqualification ng ilan sa aming mga kandidato
• Naghahanap ang COMELEC ng dahilan para hindi igawad sa Partido Liberal ang status bilang Dominant Minority
Party, kahit na ito ay status na iginawad na sa amin noong 2007.

Dagdag pa rito ang ilang alarming developments na binanggit sa Power Point presentation tulad ng:

• Pagtatalaga kay Gen. Delfin Bangit bilang Chief of Staff
• Ang walang humpay na pagbabalasa ng ilang police directors na tila wala na sa interes ng serbisyo
• Hindi namin maunawaan ang biglaang pagbago ng doktrina ng Korte Suprema hinggil sa pagtatalaga ng susunod na Chief Justice
• Ang pahayag ni Deputy Spokesperson Charito Planas at National Security Adviser Norberto Gonzales tungkol sa pagkakaroon ng military junta at transitional revolutionary government

Hindi maaaring balewalain ng sambayanang gutom sa tunay na demokrasya ang mga pangyayaring ito sapagkat hindi nakakatulong ang mga ito sa pagkamit ng maayos at payapang eleksiyon.

I have asked general campaign manager Butch Abad, and other senior campaign officials, to start conferring with key sectors such as the church, election watch dogs, the diplomatic community, the military and police, and other presidential candidates to close ranks so that together, we can help to ensure peaceful, orderly and clean elections.

Panahon na upang bumangon at mangarap muli. Ito ang tinig ng sambayanan sa darating na eleksiyon. Kami sa Partido Liberal ay nangangako ng tunay na pagbabago, kaya’t anumang balakid sa pagsasakatuparan nito ay aming pipigilin.
Kayo ang aming lakas. Ang inyong walang sawang pagtitiwala at pagsusuporta ang nagpapalakas sa amin. Hinding hindi namin pababayaang masayang ang pagkakataong magsilbi sa inyo. Anumang hadlang sa pagkakaroon ng maayos at payapang eleksiyon, at anumang balak na patahimikin ang boses ng taumbayan ay aming lalabanan.

Maraming salamat po.

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Aliwan 2010 List of Contingents

Twenty two days to go before the Aliwan 2010,  dubbed as the Philippines’ biggest festival, takes the streets anew with over 5,000 streetdancers, craftsmen, and artisans led by their regional muses, vying for the one million peso grand prize.

aliwan fiesta 2010
Kasag Festival, Banate Iloilo

Expect to see the country’s most colorful festivals, the prettiest festival queens, and the most attractive floats gather all in one place!

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Check out some of the exciting events coming up!

Bacolaodiat 2010 | Panagbenga 2010 | Clark Hot Air Balloon 2010 | Paraw Regatta 2010 | Kalilangan Festival 2010 | Kaamulan Festival 2010 | Panaad sa Negros 2010 | Aliwan Fiesta 2010 | List of Philippine Holidays 2010

© Enrico Dee for BYAHILO, 2010. | Permalink | 11 Byahilo readers have made a comment | Add to del.icio.us

Holding Arroyo responsible for the Ampatuans

The dismissal by a Quezon City judge of the rebellion case against Maguindanao governor Datu Andal Ampatuan Sr, his son, ARMM governor Zaldy Ampatuan and 22 others should strengthen the case filed by relatives of journalists who were among those killed in the November 23 massacre before the ASEAN Intergovernmental Human Rights Commission (AICHR).

Nov 23 massacre

Nov 23 massacre

The journalists’ relatives are holding the Arroyo government responsible for the Nov. 23 carnage. In their suit filed last February, the relatives said “Clearly, all of those responsible for the carnage are agents of the Philippine State. Their acts in connection with the 23 November 2009 Maguindanao massacre are attributable under international law to the Republic of the Philippines.”

This week, three of the petitioners, Glen Salaysay, son of Cotabato City journalist Napoleon Salaysay, Noemi Parcon, wife of Koronadal City journalist Joel Parcon, and Feulen Sumagang, cousin of UNTV reporter Julito Evardo, were in Jakarta, where the AICHR is based, to follow up on their suit accompanied by their lawyer, Harry Roque of the CenterLaw Philippines.

They were most disgusted to find out that the Arroyo government has taken the stand that the Maguindanao massacre that has shocked the world and earned for the Philippines the distinction of being the most dangerous place for members of media is “a domestic legal issue” and international human rights bodies have no business meddling in.


Roque disagrees.“It cannot be a domestic issue,” he said, “since the Philippine government has violated its obligations under international law to protect the fundamental rights of its citizens, including the right to life. Such rights are embodied in human treaties to which the government is a party.”

In their petition, the victims’ families said the state also violated its “duty not to provide impunity, considering that its very own agents were behind the slaughter and it failed to prevent them from carrying it out.”

Roque cited the request of the Vice Mayor Esmail “Toto” Mangudadatu, the political rival of Ampatuans for protection, not only from the military but from no less than the defense secretary, but didn’t get any.

“It cannot be a domestic issue,” Roque said,since the Philippine government has violated its obligations under international law to protect the fundamental rights of its citizens, including the right to life. Such rights are embodied in human treaties to which the government is a party.

It is common knowledge that Gloria Arroyo has coddled the Ampatuans despite their corruption and shocking human rights records because the warlords manipulated the results of the 2004 elections in her favor which overturned the lead of her rival Fernando Poe, Jr.

In the 2007 elections, it was 12-0 in favor of the administration senatorial candidates.

Roque also cited the interview of one of the gunmen in the massacre who is now willing to testify which described the closeness of Arroyo and the Ampatuans. The prospective witness who is only known as “Jesse” said when Arroyo visited Maguindanao, she called Andal Sr, “Ama” (father) while Andal Jr, who led the killing of at least 53 people on that terrible day of Nov 23, called Arroyo, “Ina” (mother).

Roque’s connection of Arroyo with the Ampatuans is corroborated by Sen. Aquilino Pimentel, Jr who issued a statement saying it was not surprising that the rebellion charges against the Ampatuans were dismissed by a Quezon City judge.

Pimentel said “rebellion” was the wrong charge.” The massacre was pure and simple multiple murders of innocent people” he said.

Pimentel said rebellion charges were intentionally filed first even if any lawyer would have told the government prosecutors there was no evidence that backed them up just so the Arroyo administration would not be suspected of not doing anything to apply the law against “the family who is one of the most useful tools of manipulating the will of the people in their turf in Maguindanao.”

“It was a non-case, filed with deceptive motives, and pursued with hypocritical zeal that the Arroyo government chose to do in order to mislead the people that it was upholding the law even against the warlords it was coddling in the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao,” Pimentel said.

Roque said since the government enjoys immunity from suit it cannot be sued in Philippine courts without its consent. As such, only an international organization such as the AICHR can assume jurisdiction over the Philippines on matters involving violations of certain fundamental freedoms.

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