Day: January 14, 2009
NBI Clears Gonzalez in “Alabang Boys” scandal
Related story: Arroyo names herself drug czar
by VERA Files
The National Bureau of Investigation has cleared Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez and is excluding him from its investigation into the alleged multi-million peso bribe, supposedly paid to secure to release of three suspected drug pushers known as the “Alabang boys.”
Arnel Dalumpines, head of the NBI Special Task Force investigating the reported bribery of justice officials and personnel of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), told VERA Files Gonzalez was not in his list of people to be summoned for questioning.
“We are not investigating Secretary Gonzalez because he was the one who ordered the investigation,” Dalumpines said.
Asked if, in effect, Gonzalez has been cleared of any involvement in the bribery case, Dalumpines said, “Yes, he is cleared.”
Please click to Vera Files for the rest of the story.
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Whoa, 2008…you were such a colorful year!
This year-ender is coming a bit late, since another year is obviously beginning. But it feels poignant to reminisce how full of milestones and pitfalls my 2008 was. For 2009, I can only wish for peace, stability and of course, never-ending love. Best wishes to us all!
January - New Year, New Dear. My online knight in shining armor flies into town to spend New Year’s with me, and we do so at Sofitel’s New Year Countdown by the bay. Sparks fly, literally. We go on a long drive with the kids to Baguio, and afterwards decide to fly by our twosome to Batanes.
Little did we know that what awaited us as we struggled to get out of the island-paradise. Our three days and two nights vacation package became eight days and seven nights ’stranded in no-man’s land’ package. Our travel agency rescues us by wiring money from Manila, since there were limited ATMs, plus Visa & Mastercard were unheard of in the island. In the meantime, we were so tortured waiting for the flights to resume that we joked about going to Taiwan instead, since it was nearer to Batanes than Manila. The much-maligned Asian Spirit would eventually become Zest Air.
February - A generally quiet month. By the time Valentine’s Day approached, I get accustomed to the wonders of ‘online delivery.’ I reciprocate by posting pics of a meal I prepared for him. At around this time, the Sweetheart wins an online ‘Tell Your Love Story’ Contest 
March - More food trips. The family just spends Holy week in Manila. The blogosphere is agog with the expose on the Gucci Gang, and I get to have an interview with Brian Gorrell.
April - We watch the amazing show “Wanders” for the first time in the PAGCOR Theater. I also get to have first dibs with the DSLR the bf bequeathed me. Until now, I still have to master it 
May - Unblogged: The family moves to our own house in the Paranaque suburbs. It feels great to be seeing trees and wide roads, even as I adjust to the long drive. Suddenly, I become a homebody.
June - I visit Singapore for the first time to cover a Nokia event. I feel posh, and shop till I drop The dreamy plan of the boyfriend and I to vacation in the US is shattered after the US embassy refuses to renew my visa. Unbelievable. I witness first-hand how some consuls have MBAs (Masters in Being A$$klowns). With the US in recession a few months later, you get karma. I’d rather be in Paris than see you MBAs again. The boyfriend and I celebrate nonetheless with a family vacation in Hong Kong.
July - Unblogged: Dear Boyfriend Pops the Question and I become the happiest girl in the world. He buys me a Tiffany engagement ring, rather prematurely because not even FedEx would accept it. And so I’d see it in Flickr and in Plurk. Tiffany, ang ganda mo.
August - My post on the rudeness of US Embassy staff becomes one of the top results in Google when people search for US Embassy Manila visa interviews . I consider this my belated contribution to Philippine nationalism. Heh.
September - Blogger coverages are at its peak. I get to to have a face-to-interview with Matt Mullenweg. Unblogged: I also transfer to a new office which means I sleep at sane hours and have my weekends back. Joy!
October - A busy month for travelling as I tour Laguna, Quezon, Cebu and Davao. The most awful thing happened because my bag was snatched, with all my valuables in it. The culprit turns out to be a Manila policeman 
Shame, shame, shame! He’s freed after posting bail in less than 24 hours. The incident made me lose faith in the city I love, and made me wish I was based somewhere else.
November - I join Litratong Pinoy for the first time, and get obsessed with writing in the native language again. I taste “dinuguan” for the first time in Kanin Club, and my foodie adventures reach full circle. Eating isaw should be next on the list. LOL.
December - I get my belated birthday, early Christmas gift of a custom-built bike from Bike Friday. Still Plurking, and in kasal windang mode. Whatta year, is all I can say.