JOIN CRUSADE TO CHANGE JUSTICE SYSTEM IN RP
WE seek to establish a jus-
tice system whereby it is
the people themselves
who exercise the power to
say who must be arrested
and brought to trial and
who exercise the power to
judge if those brought to
trial are guilty or not.
The power to say who
should be tried in court is
now exercised by the
prosecutors in the Philip-
pines. So that if the one
being accused of rape,
murder or corruption is
influential, which is most
likely, the prosecutors can
VOL. I NO. 26
JUSTICE FOR
AMPATUANS!
By TOTO CAUSING
FAIR is fair. There is no other
thing that is fair but such
thing that is consistent with
truth. And truth is truth.
There is only one truth and
nothing else.
While the whole country
cries for justice for the mas-
sacred women, two lady
lawyers and 30 journalists,
they reverberate around the
globe. This is one rare mo-
ment when the Philippines
land in the headlines in any
part of the world, courtesy
of the evidence of impunity
and the goriest manner ever
the crimes were committed.
Privileged Spits
The plot for Gloria to stay in power
(Editor’s Note: This is the
analysis the author wrote be-
fore the marital law was de-
clared in Maguindanao for
email groups and this has
been circulated for a thousand
times in many websites and
groups. There is a necessity
for all people to know this to
be aware of the unfolding of
next politically-relevant
events.)
AN analysis, in the wake
of the Ampatuan murders, by
Berteni “Toto” Causing, a
member of the board of the
easily be intimidated or
bought. BUT if we put this
power in the hands of a
Grand Jury, usually com-
posing 23 persons selected
by raffle from a voters’ list
and whose names and
faces are kept secret, we are
foreclosing any opportu-
nity for the influential crime
doer to use his power,
money and influence. The
role of the fiscal shall be lim-
ited to the presentation of
evidence in court. The
Grand Jury is vested with
the power to compel intimi-
dated or bought witnesses
Immediately after the dis-
covery of the November 23,
2009 massacre where 22 of
the victims’ bodies were
found scattered beside the
vans and the rest dug up
from the huge graves dug
earlier by a backhoe marked
“Province of Maguinda-
nao,” Presidential Assistant
for Mindanao Jess Dureza
managed to negotiate for the
surrender of the principal
suspect, Andal Ampatuan
Jr., mayor of Datu Unsay
town in Maguindanao.
Right after the surrender,
Malacañang declared a state
National Press Club of the Phil-
ippines and also legal consult-
ant for the National Press Club.
Mr. Causing is a columnist
both of Hataw and Police Files
Tonight. With the kind permis-
sion of Paul Brinkley-Rogers.
ANALYSIS
You must know that
Norberto Gonzales as Defense
Secretary is a “terror” opera-
tor and if he is to work with
political operator Ronaldo
Puno, they become a dreaded
to speak up or he will be
jailed until they agree to
speak up by the power of
contempt; law enforcers
will be compelled to gather
evidence or they will be
held in jail in contempt un-
til they agree to work as
detectives.
Now, the power to say
whether an accused is guilty
or not is exercised by one
judge in the Philippines;
may be of a regional trial
court or a municipal trial
court. As we know or hear,
the powerful and rich ac-
cused can easily influence
DECEMBER 7 - 13, 2009
of emergency in Maguin-
danao, authorizing the
President to call in the mili-
tary to assist the police and
National Bureau of Investi-
gation (NBI) agents gather-
ing evidence, including tes-
timonies of witnesses, most
of whom were afraid to
speak up due to fear of the
Ampatuans.
While the investigations
were being conducted the
cries for justice continued
from the society whose con-
science clearly revolted
against the impunity by
which the crimes were com-
mitted based on the appear-
ances of the victims and the
fact that they were buried in
pair.
Remember that Gonzales
came from National Intelligence
Security Agency, from where
came the Vidal Doble who taped
Garcillano’s talks with Gloria.
Also remember that Puno (the
bad one) was instrumental in
making Miriam Santiago lose
to FVR and in Garci operations
in Mindanao.
You must also know that
before the Ampatuan massacre,
there were hell-bent planning
sessions on how Gloria could
possibly hold over, de facto or
or buy decisions. BUT if we
place this power in the
hands of a Trial Jury, a group
of 12 ordinary persons cho-
sen at random from the vot-
ers’ list and whose faces and
names are kept secret, we
are also foreclosing any op-
portunity for the decision to
be bought or influenced.
Here, ordinary persons are
tasked only to know what is
true and what is false; the
application of laws shall be
the duty of the judge who is
learned in law.
The fact that we are fore-
closing opportunities for
The silence of Noli de Castro
Noynoy’s surprise decision to run made
the vice-president decide against running?
IF the elections were made
many months earlier, Vice-
President Noli “Kabayan”
De Castro would have been
the president of the coun-
try today. Surveys con-
ducted during those months
showed De Castro as the
consistent choice of the
graves along with the vans
they were riding before they
were commandeered by
more than 100 armed men.
The three battalions of
soldiers in Maguindanao
were augmented with one
more battalion to support
the police conducting in-
vestigations and the sol-
diers watching over near the
houses of the Ampatuans
to prevent them from leav-
ing.
The state of emergency
was pronounced to be not
enough.
So that the Malacañang,
through Executive Secretary
Eduardo S. Ermita, issued on
December 4, 2009 Proclama-
By TOTO CAUSING
de jure.
They were looking at how
they can foment war in Mus-
lim areas to have a justification
for sinister plots.
Instead of launching war
against MILF and MNLF
which is expensive, what
Gonzales did was to make
“chismis” circulating between
two possible warring clans.
The timing was perfect because
Datu Andal Sr. was so worried
how he can stay in power be-
cause of the three-term limit.
To page 5
tampering with justice, we
are sure that the abusive
and corrupt shall learn to toe
the line and observe the rule
of law.
The vision here is we
see everybody to be
“PATAS SA BATAS.”
With jury, all laws can
now be implemented. If we
have laws against discrimi-
nation by one tribe against
another, or by Christians
against Muslims, or by the
rich against the poor, we can
say that rebellions (by NPA
and MILF) will die because
the root that is discrimina-
By TOTO FETALINO
people as to whom they
would entrust the leadership
of the government.
But where is De Castro
now?
Many waited for his
plans until the deadline for
tion 1959 placing the Prov-
ince of Maguindanao in the
“State of Martial Law,” ex-
cept those areas identified
as being held by the Moro
Islamic Liberation Front
(MILF).
With the “state
of martial law”
declaration,
the Army
led the
raids on
different
s u s -
pected
places
where arms
and ammu-
nition cache
To page 2
tion is being attacked by
the Jury Systems.
With all corruption
laws assured of implemen-
tation, the usually corrupt
officials will be compelled
to stop stealing people’s
money. The swindlers will
stop because they know
the long arm of the law will
surely reach them.
Businessmen will deal
fairly with the consumers
because the assurance of
implementation of the laws
keeps them at bay.
Sign up at http://
philjury.ning.com.
the filing of certificate of
candidacy came. The dead-
line passed and the public
never saw De Castro at the
Comelec.
It is obvious now that De
Castro is not joining the
elections next year, barring
unexpected substitution.
Contrary to speculations
that he will formally express
his plan to seek the presi-
dency or reelection as vice-
president at the very last
minute, De Castro kept many
asking as to why he decided
not to run.
There are many probable
reasons why De Castro
stepped back from the po-
litical race. Let us try to find
out why many are puzzled
about his decision.
First, as earlier pointed
out, De Castro was the trail-
blazer during the early sur-
veys.
During these periods, no
politician was still paying for
expensive advertisements
on TV, radio, and print me-
dia to promote himself.
In other words, in an
equal and fair playing field,
De Castro was the choice of
To page 2
 By REPORTORIAL TEAM

2 DECEMBER 7 - 13, 2009

Justice for Ampatuans!

From page 1
were found. The soldiers
also arrested the
Ampatuans, particularly
Maguindanao Governor
Andal Ampatuan Sr. and his
son Autonomous Region
for Muslim Mindanao
(ARMM) Governor Zaldy
Ampatuan.
However, wonders of all
wonders. The arrests were
made on charges of rebel-
lion and not multiple mur-
der.
Was there ever rebel-
lion?
It was so clear that the
purpose of the crime was not
to deprive the government
of any authority in any of-
fice or any place in the prov-
ince of Maguindanao.
It was also clear that the
crime was done solely for
the purpose of preventing
Buluan town Vice-Mayor
Toto Mangudadatu from
running for governor of
Maguindanao.
The secondary purpose
was to instill extreme fear
among all other Maguinda-
naons from challenging the
Ampatuans in the race for
the governorship of the
province.
It is of common knowl-
edge that the Ampatuans
have ruled Maguindanao
province for more than 10
years already and they have
run in every election with-
out any opponent.
When the patriarch of the
Mangudadatu clan, Rep. Pax
Mangudadatu of Sultan
Kudarat province, ex-
pressed in March of 2009
that their family would field
their candidate for the gov-
ernorship of Maguindanao,
the Ampatuan clan cannot
accept it.
Actually, the Ampatuans
sent out warnings to the
Mangudadatu that their
candidate would be killed
once he sets foot in Shariff
Aguak, the capital of the
province of Maguindanao,
to file a certificate of candi-
dacy.
In other words, there was
clear indication of murder
and not rebellion on the part
of Ampatuan.
If ever they and their men
would resist arrests or
tamper with evidence, it is a
matter of ordinary crimes of
murder and obstruction of
justice.
But what the police and
the soldiers have been do-
ing has been arresting the
Ampatuans for rebellion
and charging them with re-
bellion.
Will this not muddle the
search for justice of the vic-
tims’ families?
While Dyaryo Magdalo
hopes the administration of
Arroyo is not using the
crime as a justification for
martial law, it fears more of
the likelihood that the mas-
sacre victims would be de-
nied justice.
The victims’ families
would be denied justice if
the charges of rebellion
would prove to be a scheme
to give a way out for the
Ampatuans.
Can we imagine the pos-
sibility of acquittal from re-
bellion charges because the
court would find that there
was no rebellion, consider-
ing that evidence show it
was not rebellion?
Yes, it is possible that
rebellion charges would
end up dismissed. And if it
would be dismissed, then
the Ampatuans cannot be
charged anymore with
crimes based on the same
act of murder. This is be-
cause it will violate the con-
stitutional prohibition
against double jeopardy.
The saving grace is if
those crimes of massacre or
multiple murder were to be
made as part of the charges
of rebellion, the court may
still convict the guilty be-
cause of the fact that the
kind of rebellion to be
charged included the acts
of massacre.
trial, from rebellion to mur-
der, without offending the
double jeopardy rule.
With this, it looked more
of a strategy of Malacañang
to use rebellion charges as
a means of pinning down
the Ampatuans, assuming
that Gloria Macapagal Ar-
royo is not paying back for
the votes Ampatuans gave
her in 2004 and the 12-0 vic-
tory of Gloria’s senatorial
candidates in 2007.
Now, if we talk about jus-
tice, there is only one jus-
tice and that is justice.
And if there is justice for
the victims by means of
punishment against the
guilty, the Ampatuans also
deserve justice.
And what is justice for
the Ampatuans?
They should be charged
with “multiple murder” and
not “rebellion.”

The silence of Noli de Castro

From page 1
Vice President Noli de Castro
the people definitely be-
cause he behaved and per-
formed his duty as the next
highest official of the land.
De Castro was the natu-
ral choice of the people for
so many months. Despite
this, he refrained from run-
ning.
Second, De Castro is the
vice-president. He is just
one step away from the
presidency. Two of his pre-
decessors, presidents Gloria
Macapagal Arroyo and Jo-
seph Estrada, were in his
shoes before they became
presidents. More or less,
the trend then encouraged
him to take the next big step
forward.
The next big step forward
was easy to do. In fact, it
came to De Castro so many
times to offer itself.
But those who had a lot
of sense like the silent riv-
ers that run deep took their
hats off for De Castro for
letting everybody know that
he was not inclined to take
the short cut to Malaca-
ñang.
If there is anybody who
is closer to the Palace and
does not need too much run-
ning, it is De Castro.
Still, he declined to join
the race and that is another
puzzle.
Third, like Erap, De
Castro has millions of sup-
porters who have remained
loyal to him ever since he
became a celebrated radio
commentator and news TV
anchor. These are the people
who brought De Castro to
the Senate and made him the
number one senator. They
he is already out of public
service.
The job De Castro as
chairman of the Housing
and Urban Development
Coordinating Council stra-
tegically took him early to
every corner of the archi-
pelago to promote the hous-
ing program of the govern-
ment.
During these official
trips, De Castro established
relationships with local of-
ficials and their constitu-
ents. These relationships
could have been vital had
he bid for president or what-
ever national position.
But not even this advan-
tage convinced De Castro
to participate in the elec-
tions.
Fourth, De Castro
brought back to life the
housing industry in the
country. In fact, housing is
one of the industries that
kept the economy afloat
during the global crisis. The
private sector credited the
robust state of the housing
industry to the reforms in-
troduced by De Castro.
Many believe that had De
Castro ran, the rich devel-
opers, contractors and
realtors all over the country
could have bonded together
to bankrol his campaign.
But the same business-
men are at a loss why the
man they admire refused to
run for president in 2010.
I realized there is no need
for this long story if De
Castro himself would only
answer that question.
But the problem is he just
would not say so.
He would not even talk
As another option, the
prosecutors may amend the
charges in the middle of the
Witness who showed
To page 7
ence of the club dates back
when Kabayan was still a
senator.
Members of the club are
said to be really friends of
each other. It is composed
of De Castro, Villar, Senators
Kiko Pangilinan and Joker
Arroyo, and come-backing
Ralph Recto.
They helped each other
when necessary. This au-
thor was a witness on how
the Vice-President threw his
support to his friends dur-
ing the 2007 senatorial elec-
tions. De Castro is definitely
a good friend.
Nevertheless, Villar sud-
denly announced that he
was gunning for the presi-
dency. In fact, he was the
first to do so. I am not sure
if Villar told his friends about
his plans prior this an-
nouncement. But even be-
fore the declaration, it was
pretty much obvious that
Manny was really inter-
ested in the highest post.
This might have put De
Castro in a very uncomfort-
able situation. This is be-
cause while he is silently
being considered as the
“next in line” being the Vice-
President, a close friend has
publicly expressed serious
G/F Volets Commercial Building, Gen. E. Aguinaldo Highway,
plans for the presidency. Dasmariñas, Cavite 4115
So serious was Manny (046) 416.6521 • dyaryomagdalo@yahoo.com
that as early as the start of
Rm. 305-A, National Press Club Bldg., Magallanes Drive
the year, TV ads of the sena-
tor were already aired con-
sistently. It did not take long
before he overtook De
Castro in the surveys. MAGDIWANG
It was said Manny is the
most prepared for Malaca- PUBLICATIONS
ñang because he has the
money. On the other hand, Publisher:
De Castro, who has been RONALDO E. RENTA

Remember the Hyatt 10
and other events that could
have catapulted him to
Malacañang? He turned it
down in the name of consti-
tutionality.
The few narrow-minded
pretending to be smart
called him stupid for letting
a chance of a lifetime pass.
will vote for Kabayan
whether we like it or not.
Aside from these people,
there are the thousands of
poor railway families that
benefited from the national
relocation program imple-
mented by De Castro. Ma-
jority of these families will
remember De Castro even
about it to the staff closest
to him. Most of the people
around him have to be con-
tented with speculations.
One speculation was
that De Castro did not like
the idea of a head-on colli-
sion with Manny Villar, his
long-time friend from the
Wednesday Club. The exist-
“on the job training” for al-
most six years, said that he
is prepared to assume the
presidency if a need arises.
But there is a very expen-
sive election to deal with be-
fore one gets to Malaca-
ñang. And during elections,
the moneyed is often fa-
To page 3
Editorial:
TOTO CAUSING RONALD B. HERICO
Editor-In-Chief Associate Editor
Disclaimer:
All news articles and opinions expressed by the writers are en-
tirely their own and do not reflect the opinion of the publisher, the
management or the editor of this publication.
All Rights Reserved:
No part of this publication may be copied or reproduced nor trans-
lated in any language or form for commercial purposes without prior
written permission from the publisher and its writers or colum-
 DECEMBER 7 - 13, 2009
AWESOME HOUSE OF AMPATUAN IN DAVAO
By AYO G. GUNTING
I HAVE been to the
Ampatuan house in
Davao after the grand
wedding I featured.
Two-feet-thick con-
crete fences and 15-inch
thick walls surround the
palace. It has a lot area big
enough for 20 upper
middle-class homes, or
100 low-cost housing
units or 200 tanks.
I gawked in awe at the
enormity of the Ampatuan
mansion in Juna Subdivi-
sion in Davao City, one of
at least 13 that the clan
owns in this city.
This one is owned by
Zaldy Ampatuan, the gov-
ernor of the Autonomous
Region in Muslim
Mindanao.
To describe how huge
the house was, I said in
jest that if a food is to be
brought to one of the
rooms upstairs, it would
be spoiled by the time it
reached its destination.
The opulence of the
2,000-square-meter struc-
ture, still under construc-
tion, came into full view.
I couldn’t help but
comment on how inordi-
nately rich the Ampatuans
were: “Grabeng yaman
naman ng mga ito.”
Although still under
Heroism is giving all
what one has little
LAST Saturday night, I
watched the two-hour All-
Star Tribute to Heroes pre-
sented by CNN and was
deeply touched by Efren
Penaflorida’s demeanor and
message. There in a limelight
for all the world to see and
hear stood an unassuming
Filipino, humble in his
“barong” but extremely
proud of what he does for
the street urchins and elo-
quently telling all that
there’s a hero in each of us
waiting to be unleashed.
I thought without hesi-
tation that the universal rec-
ognition of Efren’s lowly
pushcart in Cavite slums
The silence of Noli de Castro
From page 2
vored over the performer.
Another speculation is
that De Castro must have
finally agreed with the
thought that if ever he be-
comes the standard bearer
of the administration party,
his candidacy is doomed
owing to what many point
out as the “kiss of death.”
They say that whoever
President Gloria Macapagal
Arroyo endorses shall turn
out to be the biggest loser
when judgment day comes.
Granting the administra-
tion candidate for president
construction, signs of just
how grand the house was
screamed for attention be-
yond its white, pale yel-
low and mocha paint—
shiny marble floors,
fences as tall as two men
with one standing on top
of another, a dressing
room about the size of a
bachelor’s pad, 22 air-con-
ditioning machines, a 20-
by-30-feet swimming pool
shaped like the number 8.
The main room in the
house is 300 square
meters, big enough to
build a small house on it.
The main house is sur-
rounded by what looked
like servants’ quarters but
could pass for first-class
two-story apartment units.
At the back are nipa
huts that are not out of the
ordinary except for the
airconditioners that jut
out of them.
Juna Subdivision,
where lots go for P7,500
per square meter, is no
stranger to display of
opulence. It is known in
Davao City as an enclave
of the so-called “old rich
of Davao.” But the
Ampatuan mansion still
stands out.
“You will be over-
whelmed” is the best de-
By BOB LIM
deserves greater acclaim
than a pair of boxing gloves
in a Las Vegas casino.
His simple act has
touched and changed the
lives of the miserable. That
of the other has touched a
few and might have
changed the lifestyle of an
aspiring starlet.
Efren’s $100,000 cash re-
ward scarcely fills a bucket
to continue his heroic mis-
sion. That of the ring icon
brims in a sea of purses to
build grander mansions,
sponsor more cockfight der-
bies and perhaps fuel his
survives and wins, it was
also believed that he had to
deal with every single mem-
ber of the party who will be
knocking at the doors of
Malacañang for payback.
A respected broadcaster
for 20 years before entering
government service, De
Castro would never be the
type who would entertain
politicians like the Ampat-
uans who massacred civil-
ians and members of the
media in Maguindanao re-
cently.
In all probabilities, the
scription of the Palace.
The one under con-
struction sits on a lot next
to an existing mansion of
the Ampatuans, which is
owned by Andal Ampat-
uan Sr. on Kasuy Street in
the said subdivision. It
also sits on a 2,000-
square-meter lot.
Another house, smaller
by the standards of the
Ampatuans, is across the
street and serves as living
quarters for bodyguards
and drivers.
political drive.
Why do lives of millions
freeze for hours and the na-
tion literally stands still to
watch the national fists
pummel some face to distor-
tion?
Why do thousands shell
out hundreds to catch it live
in pricy restaurants and cin-
emas or persevere in end-
less commercials to view it
late?
Why do congressmen
and kibitzers troop to the
“Sin City” to watch it in
flesh, suspending pressing
matters back home? Why do
national media scramble to
splash pages upon pages of
entry of Senator Noynoy
Aquino in the presidential
race must be the biggest fac-
tor that changed the course
of De Castro’s political ca-
reer.
Noli may have consid-
ered a friend and a kiss-of-
death theory against joining
the political contest. But his
biggest consideration went
to Aquino’s surprise deci-
sion to run for president.
With that decision,
Aquino threatened the
“winnability” of frontrunner
To page 7
AMPATUAN MANSION -- The Ampatuan Mansion located inside an exclusive
subdivision known as an enclave of the so-called “old rich in Davao.” It stands out due
to its enormity and majesty.
a pugilist’s journey and tri-
umph, relegating other wor-
thy news to paltry sen-
tences?
And why do marketers
brashly elbow each other to
push endorsement deals,
goading us to shift to an-
other hair shampoo or
branded water?
CNN is broadcast world-
wide to almost countries and
billions of people in four
major languages. Yet the
telecast hardly stirred a
whimper among Filipino
viewers, the vast majority of
whom in all likelihood
switched to telenovelas and
showbiz buzz.
It’s sad that most of us
worship heroes with
clenched fists to vanquish
foes rather than open palms
to defeat poverty and illit-
eracy.
It’s equally sad that our
leaders still pump bare
knuckles rather than out-
stretched hands to clasp
those of adversaries and
end conflicts. And it’s inex-
plicable as well that many
flex their fingers to pull
deadly triggers rather than
raise them to teach kids how
to count.
Manny Pacquiao is no
less a hero to us. True, he
inspires the poor and dis-
advantaged who identify
themselves in him as an
epitome of a rags-to-riches
achiever. Never mind if it’s
through violent sports.
He makes all Filipinos
beam with pride after every
wallop, how fleeting it may
be. Each of his win is a ca-
thartic relief to us who have
been long starved of con-
quests that bring national
honor after being shamed
globally for nine years by a
scandal-plagued regime.
Without doubt, his im-
pact on the national scene,
for the good of many or for
the interest of a few, is pal-
pable.
But is he a hero in a truer
sense? I’m not so sure. He
could be a flash in the na-
tional pan whose glint
3
would have been agonizing
in defeat as it had been ec-
static in victory.
Indeed, he’s a ring icon
as deserving as “The Great-
est” and the “Bronx
Bomber.” But aside from
boxing feats, Ali is largely
adored because he saw war
and tried to stop it and Louis
is avidly idolized because
he saw prejudice and tried
to overcome it.
The Pacman in contrast
seems an enigma, profess-
ing concern for the masa but
has done practically noth-
ing to show off.
Worse, he intends to en-
ter a different arena, where
below-the-belt blows are
common, dirty tactics
abound and referees and
judges are often bribed.
Will he see wrong and try
to right it as Robert
Kennedy did? Rarely heroes
continue to be one in poli-
tics and only in death.
Meanwhile, most of us
looked the other way when
To page 7
 4 DECEMBER 7 - 13, 2009

TRAILBLAZER Cash, cars and condo:

By RONALDO E. RENTA
THE second knottiest chain
to unshackle in the dissolu-
tion or declaration of nullity
of marriage is partition or dis-
tribution of property belong-
ing to the “ex-couple.”
The first knotty chain is
on custody of children, which
we discussed in my last ar-
ticle. Even lawyers disagree as
to how properties should be
divided between and among
stakeholders of marital union
(including properties belong-
ing to children). Division of
property after the severance
of union is not a mere ques-
tion of liberality or greed of
spouses. It is rather more of a
question of what property
relations the spouses opted
during their partnership as
husband and wife.
If a couple has less prop-
erty or without any property
at all, the question of who
gets what is not a problem
after all. Thus, the new be-
atitude that says “Blessed are
those poor couples for they
don’t have property to quar-
rel about” is for them. This is
the situation that you would
not envy those propertied
couples. And dissolution or
declaration of nullity of mar-
riage of those couple who
have less in life shall definitely
be more expeditious than
those who have more.
Parties to the contract of
marriage cannot stipulate terms
and conditions of their union
in accordance with their whims
and caprices. The law explic-
itly prohibits this. Thus, it is
illegal and unlawful for husband
and wife to stipulate as to until
when they marriage should last
or to agree that it is renewable.
They cannot just agree before
signing their marriage contract
as to who should have custody
over the children for the law on
marriage grants unto both the
husband and the wife equal and
solidary parental authority and
responsibility.
The law makes marriage as
a special contract of union be-
tween a man and a woman for
it considers it as impressed
with public policy. It is the in-
terest of the state to preserve
marriage in the unwavering be-
lief that only with strong fami-
lies we can have a strong re-
public.
However, spouses can agree
as to how they would relate to
each other with respect to the
property of the husband and
wife, including earnings from
work and interest or profits from
their respective capitals. But
without any agreement made ex-
cept for the marriage contract,
the law presumes that the prop-
erty relations between the hus-
band and wife are of “absolute
community.”
Practically, the newlyweds
Who gets what?
can agree as to what kind of
relation they should have when
they get married. The only limi-
tations provided by law are
that these should go by the prin-
ciple of mutual respect, mutual
support, mutual protection and
avoid giving one of them undue
moral ascendancy.
The Family Code provides
three kinds of property rela-
tions between the husband and
the wife. The first that is con-
sidered by law as the general
rule is “absolute community of
property.” The second is “con-
jugal partnership of gains.” The
third is “absolute separation of
property.”
In the first kind, it means
that upon the moment of sign-
ing the marriage contract or
saying of “I do,” it means that
what the wife owns is also
owned by the husband, and
what the husband owns is also
owned by the wife. This also
means that what the wife earns
from work is also owned by
the husband, and what the hus-
band earns from his work is also
owned by the wife. This also
means that what capital that
has been brought into the mar-
riage by the husband is also
now the capital owned by the
wife, and vice versa. And what
profits earned from the capital
brought in by the husband are
also owned by the wife, and
vice versa. The only property
that is exempt is a property
inherited by any of the spouse,
and which property is called
“paraphernal” property.
In the second kind, only the
gains or interests of capital or
earnings from work are consid-
ered as being absolutely owned
in common by the husband and
wife. The capital brought in by
the husband remains with the
husband and the capital
brought in by the wife remains
with the wife. For instance, the
husband provided the capital
for a convenience store, all the
profits earned by the store shall
be owned by the wife and the
husband, but the capital re-
mains with the husband. In this
class, the salaries earned by the
husband from work are also
owned by the wife, and vice
versa; this is because the capi-
tal here is the talent, the skills
and body that works and the
gain is the money paid for each
work done.
In the third kind, it is a rela-
tion where the husband and wife
are “to each his own” or “kani-
kanyang baon sa pag-aasawa.”
In sharing the expense of fam-
ily, the husband and the wife
just give contributions. The
amount of contribution each
will give depends on the amount
of wealth a husband or the wife
has. If they are equal in terms
of wealth, they will contribute
50-50.
You can see that there is no
problem as to how the marriage
property shall be divided when
the husband and wife live un-
der the regime of absolute sepa-
ration of property.
Problem arises when there
are properties that need to be
determined how to be divided.
This usually occurs in cases of
“absolute community of prop-
erty” and in “conjugal partner-
ship of gains.” Here, we can see
issues of who should get what.
In dividing their property,
husband and wife are encour-
aged to come up with condi-
tion or consensus that both
parties shall be agreeable
though always disagreeing on
their shares of property. Op-
posing lawyers may be of help
in clarifying contentious issues
with their clients and propose
a win-win position in order to
expedite resolution.
And after determining how
much property was accumu-
lated during the marriage, the
first order of the day is to pay
to the creditors the debts owed
by the marriage. The next thing
to be attended to is to give unto
the children the presumed legi-
time of the children.
By “presumed legitime,” it
means an assumption of how
much a child gets as share in
inheritance assuming that the
parents are dead.
After subtracting the shares
of the children, the balance of
the property shall then be
distributed to the spouses.
Nevertheless, on the
questions of who will get the
cash, the cars and the condo
shall largely depend upon
what on the following con-
siderations.
1. Regime – What regime
or relation as to the property
that governed during the mar-
riage?
2. Restriction – What re-
striction does your property
have? Is it a paraphernal
property?
3. Respect – In all prop-
erty relations, the most im-
portant consideration is
that after you have gotten
the properties you want or
you think you deserved to
get, is your self-respect still
intact?
Couples, no matter how
acrimonious or amiable the
separation is, must maintain
their self-respect.
Going out from a bad
marriage with your self-re-
spect intact is better than go-
ing out from bad marriage
with all the wealth you
amassed and yet you loose
your self-esteem.
Properties can always be
acquired or reacquired but
once you lose your self-re-
spect it is too difficult to re-
cover.

Jerry’s Blogs ‘Balimbingan’ and ‘sulutan’

By JERRY S. YAP
THE saying that says “it pays to be loyal” is not true in the
case of Pasay City Councilor ONIE BAYONA, who is now
running for vice mayor of Pasay City.
By the way, Bayona is No. 1 in the survey for vice mayor.
From the ranks of United Opposition, (UNO), PASAY VICE
MAYOR (to be) ONIE BAYONA was already confirmed by
Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino (PMP) secretary general Horacio
“Boy” Morales as the Chairman of PMP and its candidate for
vice mayor in Pasay City.
With this, Bayona immediately organized his lineup, with
him as the vice mayor and 12 others as his candidates for coun-
cilor in the two districts of the city.
However, after his lineup was completed, from vice-mayor
to all councilors, a former congresswoman in the person of
CONNIE DY, known to be very, very close to PGMA entered
into the picture and grabbed the position of chairmanship of
PMP from Onie Bayona.
When the ship of Madam Gloria Arroyo was sinking, Connie
Dy immediately jumped out of it and boarded JEEP ni ERAP.
And as she landed in PMP, she pushed ONIE over.
This left Bayona without a party. The party to whom he
has been loyal to for years was now the one that deserted him.
So, he fell out of the party of ERAP.
I am wondering why the memory of MANONG ERAP has
become too short. Did he not remember that when CONNIE
was a congresswoman she has been a solid supporter of PGMA
and she was also one of those who signed the IMPEACH-
MENT against Erap?
Pasayeños know fully well that from the beginning, LADY
CONNIE has been with Lakas-NUCD-Kampi. She ran for mayor
under this party in 2007 but she was defeated by Mayor Pee-
wee Trinidad.
Actually, many are wondering why Connie Dy abandoned
the ship of Gloria.
Is Manang Connie a “SEGURISTA”?
She knows that so plenty, particularly the Pasayeños, are
mad at Madam PGMA.
Well, if she will run under LAKAS-KAMPI, the anger of
the voters might be poured on her.
So, LADY CONNIE decided that it was better to hook on
to “JEEP ni ERAP” Is this a wise decision?
What is worse, LADY CONNIE even delisted the name of
Councilor Bayona from the list of original UNO members.
Tsk tsk tsk … Mr. Horacio “Boy” Morales might have
forgotten that in the eyes of the voters, it is not possible to
divide the camp into two. This must be the biggest shame of the
party established by Erap boys.
Pasayeños will never forget how BAYONA sacrificed to
fight for the restoration of democracy in Pasay City.
in Pasay City
When BAYONA and his group fought hard for democracy, he
suffered all kinds of pain in his body. They were hosed out using
a fire truck, beaten up with a nightstick and pushed hard by riot
policemen.
But the group of ONIE BAYONA did not surrender and they
got back Pasay City Hall.
Did PMP Sec. Gen. Horacio “Boy” Morales think that they
can count on the LOYALTY of LADY CONNIE when her
“KUMARE” and “PATRON” has long been left behind by time
that Connie left her in times of difficulties?
After all, PMP Sec. Gen. Boy Morales is an original DEFEC-
TOR. Is it not? From Marcos administrator to National Demo-
cratic Front (NDF): Do you still remember those days?
PAGCOR employees sleepless again?
KA JERRY, maraming salamat sa iyong patuloy na
pagbulabog sa iregularidad at katiwalian dito sa operasyon ng
PAGCOR. Ako po ay isang empleyado na halos 25 taon na sa
PAGCOR. Kabilang ako sa sector na dati ay walang pakialam
sa kung ano-anong katiwalian sa gobyerno ni PGMA dahil
iniisip ko hindi naman ako apektado dahil maayos ang sweldo
at benepisyo namin. Pero mula nang maupo si GENUINO
nagkaroon na kami ng ANXIETIES. Lalo na noong tumakbo sa
2004 eleksiyon ang dalawang anak niya. Talagang kami pong
mga empleyado ang nasakripisyo nang husto. Tapos nag-
prodyus pa ng pelikula. Kami na naman ang nadale. Ngayon
po hindi na naman kami mapagkatulog kasi tatakbo na naman
ang dalawang anak niya sa Makati at sa Los Baños.
Susmaryosep, Ka Jerry, ilog man ‘e natutuyot din. Wala bang
KAHIHIYAN talaga ‘yan si PGMA at ang mga ALIPORES niya?
Maawa naman sila sa mga pangkaraniwang empleyado na
gaya namin. Maraming salamat po. – Concern PAGCOR
employee +639187399 - - - -
PAGCOR CHAIRMAN EPHRAIM ‘BIDA’ GENUINO, I
hope you read this grievance of the employees of PAGCOR.
When they learned that your two children are running for
elective posts in May 2010, they again suffer sleepless nights.
They cannot forget their bad experience when your children
ran in Makati City in 2007. The employees felt they also suf-
fered when your children lost the elections.
Now, the employees are apprehensive. It seems you did not
learn a lesson from those defeats of your children. You again
caused them to run and the employees fear that their campaign
funds shall be taken from PAGCOR.
These employees actually got some relief after knowing that
PAGCOR COO BUTCH FRANCISCO withdrew from his am-
bition to run for congressman of Pasay City.
This is just an unsolicited advise: It is better Chairman
GENUINO for you to RESIGN from PAGCOR to avoid sus-
picions that you are using your position to use the funds for the
campaigns of your children.
Just take a balm of relief that you are already in the
GUINNESS BOOK OF WORLD RECORDS.
Is it possible?
Davao City, now a Nograles country?
RESIDENTS of Davao City now want normal life that they
now want Speaker of the House PROSPERO ‘BOY’
NOGRALES as their mayor.
They believe that if Boy Nograles is their mayor, the peace
they have been longing for would come true.
It is not like the present situation where the city is peaceful
and quiet but they fear that they do not know who would be
salvaged tomorrow.
“TAHIMIK nga pero marami namang NAMAMATAY.”
Davaoeños fear that one day the entire city would become a
MEMORIAL PARK.
Tsk tsk tsk …
Does Chiz have ex-deal with Noynoy?
Sen. Chiz Escudero should give attention to the wild talks in
all coffee shops that he has an EX-DEAL with Presidentiable
Sen. NOYNOY AQUINO.
The talks say that Sen. CHIZ will support Sen. NGOYNOY
‘este’ NOYNOY in exchange for TWO CABINET POSTS?
In short, two cabinet secretaries shall come from the recom-
mendation of Senator CHIZ.
Ah, good!
If this is true, what department do you think will Chiz hold?
Is it DILG? Agriculture? DADDY is fitted here!
Problema with Philhealth
NA-CONFINE Tatay q sa Ospital 72 yrs old retired at
pensyonado na. Nag-apply kami for non-paying ID’s PhilHealth
hndi daw xa qualified kc 48 months lng contribution nya …
+639235693312
Texter dared by Kagawad Digna
GOOD am Sir! Hinahamon nmin ‘yun TXTER SENDER
n’yo dated December 2 na patunayan lht ang akusasyon nya
laban sa BRGY. OPISYAL ng BASECO. Pwede xa
magSUMBONG ky Mayor LIM tuwing Biyernes sa People’s
Day. Magdala ka ng ebidensya para paniwalaan ka. – Kag.
DIANA … +639178234262
DECEMBER 7 - 13, 2009
The plot for Gloria to stay in power
From page 1
Andal Sr. even went to the
Comelec in the Province of
Maguindanao to ask what
should he do to enable him to
run again for the 2010 elec-
tions.
A “bobo” Comelec offi-
cial advised him to take a
leave. Another Comelec of-
ficial advised him to resign.
Confused, Andal Sr. went to
Malacanang and asked an Ar-
royo confidante what to do.
And Andal was told that the
only way for him to hold on
to power is to prevent elec-
tions there from happening.
And he was advised to do
what is necessary. I do not
know what was the advice;
but I surmise that he was
egged on not to give in to the
Mangudadatus who were
hell bent on grabbing power
from him.
In short, “binatirya” or
“tsinismis patalikod ang mga
Mangudadatu kay Andal na
aagawin ang poder sa kanila.”
And once the power is taken
over, the Mangudadatus
would take revenge for the
earlier raids done on them re-
sulting in seizure of firearms.
Obsessed with desire to
keep power revved up by
“chismis”, the Ampatuans
harbored deep hatred and ex-
treme fear of losing power.
And to ensure that no elec-
tion shall occur, the killings
should be done with extreme
brutality to justify “martial
law,” a condition when no
election can be held in the
province.
They were only looking
at killing and burying to no-
where the Mangudadatus
and families so that they
would only be recorded as
missing and would be charged
against the rebels or Abu
Sayyaf, not thinking they
would be including 30 jour-
nalists in their plan for they
did not think that
Mangudadatu would ask for
the help of media men.
And if there would be
The Last
Mohican
By TOTO FETALINO
HOUNDED by poverty and
lack of education, the people
in Mindanao are dependent
on the graces of political
warlords like the Ampatuan
clan.
Hungry and confused, our
Muslim brothers fall prey to
the riches of the warlords.
They will follow the orders
of the clan in exchange for
daily survival.
One would notice that
those captured armed men
belonging to the Ampatuan’s
private army looked like they
haven’t eaten for days. They
were thin and had sunken
eyes. They admitted shoot-
ing the victims of the massa-
cre after they were ordered
to do so by Andal Ampatuan
Jr.
I don’t think those guys
won’t pull the trigger if they
were not starving. Aside from
having an aching stomach,
they could have also been
forced to take drugs before
the massacre.
martial law, the Ampatuans
stay in power under the hold-
over principle.
But their game plot failed
during the execution. Thank
God: before they knew it, Toto
Mangudadatu was able to
know the abduction because
his wife was able to call him
up, prompting Toto
Mangudadatu to call for Army
assistance; the soldiers re-
sponded quick enough that
forced the killers to escape
even though the other victims
were not yet buried, leading
to the discovery of the plan;
thus, the execution failed.
The original plot was just
to make it appear that the vic-
tims disappeared mysteri-
ously so that it can be blamed
to heightened rebellion that
would justify attacks on MILF
which, in turn, would justify
martial law.
Until here, I believe I have
answered now the question
why it should be as brutal as
this. It was the Ampatuans
who did the act and planned
the act. The Gloria government
only happened to have ben-
efited from it to justify mar-
tial rule.
What would be the net ef-
fect when martial law gains
momentum in Maguindanao?
It will embolden the Gloria
machines to do the same in
other Muslim provinces: (a)
Wahab Akbar ’s family vs
Gerry Salappudin’s in Basilan;
(b) Sakur Tan clan vs Tupay
Loong clan in Sulu; (c) Jaafar
clan vs opponents in Tawi-
Tawi; (d) Dimaporo clan in
Lanao Norte against a chal-
lenging clan; and (e) Many
clans in Lanao Sur.
If Norberto Gonzales
would have his way, he wanted
all of them to fight each other
to justify martial law in the
rest of Muslim provinces.
Remember that the total
number of votes in these prov-
inces is substantially big
enough to cause suspension of
proclamation of winners in
In the first place, those men
should not have been with the
private army if they were em-
ployed somewhere else by de-
cent employers. With regular
income, they can feed their
families without committing
any crime.
But what can you expect
from a man who has not even
seen a blackboard throughout
his entire life. How will a child
grow in a community where
he sees more guns than books?
The warlords know that
the people surrounding them
are poorly educated. And they
will keep it that way so they
can stay in power and busi-
ness.
It is good to know that we
have heroes like Efren
Peñaflorida. I suggest that we
send a battalion of men like
Peñaflorida to Maguindao and
I am sure things will change in
that place.
Of course, let us get rid of
the warlords first. Have them
rounded up and shot publicly
Privileged
Spits
By TOTO CAUSING
Presidential, Vice-Presidential
and Senatorial races.
So that when proclamation
cannot be had and it will be
aggravated and prolonged by
creative petitions and protests
to be filed before the Comelec,
the Speaker of the House
(Gloria) would act as Acting
President. Why? Since there
would be no president, vice
president and senators who
would be proclaimed, the
Speaker takes over under the
Constitution. Gloria would
argue that the 12 present sena-
tors cannot choose a Senate
President because it needs at
least 13 votes to elect the Sen-
ate President.
Another plus or bonus for
them: the House of Represen-
tatives will approve to extend
martial law by means of them
voting together with the Sena-
tors where the senator’s vote
is only one. A dummy peti-
tion shall be filed to question
the act of “voting jointly” by
means of outnumbering the
Senators; and hoping the
Gloria-appointees-dominated
Supreme Court would rule that
“voting jointly” means lump-
ing together the senators and
the congressmen and each of
them has only ONE VOTE.
And when the Supreme
Court would go Gloria’s way,
they would now implement
House Resolution 1109 call-
ing for the senators and con-
gressmen to “vote jointly” for
a CON-ASS to pave the way
for a parliamentary govern-
ment. This PLUS or BONUS
may happen before or after the
2010 elections. If it happens
after elections, the picture that
you would see is that the lead-
ing candidates for president,
Education for our Muslim brothers
in Luneta.
Some Ampatuan
massacre gunmen
in Metro Manila
This is for the police intel-
ligence. There are pieces of in-
formation saying that some of
the gunmen in the Ampatuan
massacre are already in Metro
Manila to evade capture.
Reports said the suspects
are hiding in Lupang Arenda in
Taytay, Rizal where many
Muslim families are residing.
There is an ongoing reloca-
tion of families from that area.
Informal settlers in Lupang
Arenda are being resettled to
Calauan, Laguna. As such, the
gunmen are believed to have
been relocated also in that
province.
Natural-looking noselift
Shimmian Manila
SurgiCenter (SMS) is cashing
in on the enhanced demand for
quality and affordable medical
and health/wellness tourism in
the Philippines.
The 15-year-old Shimmian
Manila which is the Philip-
vice-president and senators
cannot be proclaimed because
their margin of leads can still
be overturned by the total
votes in areas where voting
would be deferred till eternity
by Martial Law.
So that this is a GRIM
POSSIBILITY.
Patriotically yours, Toto
Causing
(Editor’s note: On Novem-
ber 8, 2009, the author sent
out a “grim warning” about
the plot to foment war in Mus-
lim areas to justify a declara-
tion of martial law.)
An earlier e-mail to Mr
Brinkley-Rogers by Mr Caus-
ing, which first appeared at a
Pinoy discussion group online.
Please feel free to circulate
my analysis (the analysis writ-
ten above) as you wish. I do
not have any reason for me to
be afraid of getting known as
the author of this piece. To
make this known the farthest
it can and to the largest num-
ber of people possible, the
better it is for the Philippines
and the Filipinos.
This analysis becomes all
the more necessary to be
known because of the falsity
and illogical premises relied on
in placing Maguindanao prov-
ince under the state of martial
law.
The manifestations dis-
played yesterday by Gloria &
her minions show burning in-
tention to pursue martial law
are getting bolder. It now ap-
pears to be bordering on clear
and present danger to democ-
racy and the Filipino people.
Obama and Hillary must
know this to warn Gloria not
to proceed with the sinister
pines’ first Advanced Recon-
structive Rhinoplasty Clinic
to introduce facial cosmetic
harmony and the Gore-tex
noselift, has put up its third
branch at the Lower ground
floor, CTTN Square, T.
Morato, Quezon City.
It started its operations last
December 3.
What are the valid reasons
why patients should settle for
Shimmian?
Cost, quality, credibility
and accessibility.
Dr. Levi John Lansangan,
Shimmian Manila managing di-
rector, said, we are an affiliate
of Shimmian-Korea in Seoul,
Korea, which has taken the
lead in research and technol-
ogy on nasal reconstruction.
Korea is the first Asian
country to adopt rhinoplastic
surgery to craft in precision
to the nasal anatomy.
Shimmian Manila pioneered
the Gore-tex noselift.
This type of surgery has
been proven in several short-
and long-term studies to be
safe, rejection-free and much
more a natural-looking noselift.
Lansangan said “we will le-
verage on the track record of
plot.
Why will the Gloria cliche
claim there is rebellion while
stating at the same time in the
premises of martial law proc-
lamation that the territories
being held by the rebel Moro
Islamic Liberation Front
(MILF) shall be respected? To
make this clear, let me quote
the proclamation: “Sec. 1:
There is hereby declared a state
of martial law in the province
of Maguindanao except for the
identified areas of the Moro
Islamic Liberation Front as re-
ferred to in the implementing
operational guidelines of the
GRP-MILF agreement on the
General Cessation of Hostili-
ties.
“Moreover, MILF has
been there existing and cam-
paigning actively for more than
a decade now yet in not one
period in the past has martial
law been proclaimed. In other
words, it is very clear in the
proclamation that the Gloria
Arroyo Government is not re-
ferring to the MILF as the rea-
son of rebellion that necessi-
tates martial law.
By deduction, it means
that the Gloria administration
is treating, no matter how il-
logical, the massacre of about
20 women, two lady lawyers
and 32 journalists as an act of
rebellion.
As such, they are treating
the suspected perpetrators of
the goriest-ever massacre as
“rebels.” True, Department of
Justice Secretary Agnes
Devanadera announced that
the charges they were filing
against the Ampatuans are “re-
bellion.”
This was confirmed when
television reports showed in-
terviews of Army officers stat-
ing that they were arresting the
Ampatuans for rebellion.
Is this not out of syntax
when the purpose of the bru-
tal killings were not to topple
the duly-constituted govern-
ment?
Is this not revolting to con-
our team, modern facilities
and very reasonable costs.”
The surgical and medical
team is led by the tandem of
Dr. Levi Lansangan and Ana
Marie Lansangan.
Various trainings in the Phil-
ippines and abroad have given
Dr. Levi the cutting edge in a
very competitive field. His
body of works is a solid proof
of his passion for his craft and
dedication to the field of cos-
metic surgery. Dr. Ana Marie
is a noted dermatologist.
All the Shimmian centers
are strategically located in
commercial districts.
The first Shimmian center
is at the Medical Plaza
Ortigas, Pasig City while the
second branch is on Connecti-
cut, Greenhills, San Juan.
The Philippines is well on
its way to becoming one of the
top medical tourism destina-
tions.
Its advantages are: Foreign
currencies get more peso mile-
age. Medical tourism patients
gravitate towards the Philip-
pines because of its affordable
travel packages and healthcare.
Filipino doctors have gained
prominence for their expertise
5
science to treat them as rebels
when it is very clear there
has been no intention to de-
prive the government of the
right to assert authority in
any place in Maguindanao?
Is it not clear that the pur-
pose of the massacre was
only to scare out or elimi-
nate possible opponents in
the upcoming elections for
governor of the province in
May of 2010?
Is it not clear that the
Ampatuans had a clear in-
tention to run for the elec-
tive posts up for grabs in that
elections and as such there is
no intention to deprive the
national government to exer-
cise authority in
Maguindanao?
Is it not clear that rebel-
lion is an offense against the
government only?
Is it not clear that the
massacre as committed, as-
suming to have been commit-
ted by the Ampatuans, is an
offense against the persons
of the victims, that the state’s
interest in giving justice to
massacre victims is only to
keep its moral obligation to
keep the peace and assuage
the revolting conscience?
In sum, it is very clear
that there is no rebellion.
And the fact that the
Gloria minions are insisting
that there is rebellion and in
fact arrested the Ampatuans
on rebellion charges means
my analysis is jibing with the
clear intention to place
Maguindanao under martial
law to achieve the purpose
of foiling the holding of elec-
tions in this place.
The situation of danger
against Democracy and the
People is CLEAR AND
PRESENT.
So please, Sir Paul, dis-
seminate to the largest pos-
sible audience my analysis
along with this email mes-
sage of mine to you.
Patriotically yours, Toto
Causing
and standards of care. The
Pinoys’ impeccable brand of
hospitality has always been
a come-on.
“Filipino doctors from
different disciplines and sub-
specialties, like cosmetic sur-
gery, have distinguished
themselves for their exem-
plary performance.
The Philippines has the
best doctors, nurses,
medtechs and other health
professionals in terms of ex-
pertise, compassion and
warmth. Shimmian takes
pride in being in this league
and part of the emerging
medical tourism industry,”
said Lansangan.
He added: “Our growing
number of Filipino and for-
eign patients has been the
impetus that strengthened
our resolve to expand.”
The mission of Shimmian
Manila is to deliver quality
cosmetic surgery care to ev-
ery Filipino and foreign pa-
tient in the most affordable
way; and to advance and pro-
mote the latest nasal augmen-
tation techniques to medical
doctors in the field of cos-
metic surgery.
 6 DECEMBER 7 - 13, 2009

R
ISABEL OLI:
ADIANT like you have never seen in
the simple but beautiful face of Isabel
Oli was she during an interview by co-
median-host Joey de Leon in Startalk.
Joey de Leon greeted Isabel as
“ musta na! Buti ikaw pumapayat, ‘yung isa naman
Beautiful
Cebuana
tumataba” and then she laugh because she knew that the
person referred to was the former EB Babe Lian Paz who
reportedly got pregnant by Paolo Contis.
In another interview, she said that she does not care
about her former boyfriend Paolo anymore. She revealed
she was hurt from declarations made by Paolo against
her family. “Yes, oo,” she confessed. “Kaya nga ‘pag
tinatanong ako about Pao, I’d rather say nothing. Parang
no comment na lang ako. Parang iwas na lang. Hayaan
ko na lang. Pero nasasaktan ako kasi may mga
nakakarating pa sa akin. Pero okay lang.”
However, after defending her side, she said that she no
longer feels the pain inside her.
“Wala na. After nung boyfriend and sometimes in the main cast of the Ko- ierrez in Sugo. friend Paolo Contis, Dion
mailabas ko na yun sa on a group date. rean remake of Full House, Other television shows Ignacio, Sandy Andolong,
Showbiz Central, okay Today, she is busy with a comic-drama starred by she had made in GMA Net- Ian Veneracion, Jojo Alejar,
na ako. Kung may tapings, modeling and Richard Gutierrez and work were Love to Love Valerie Concepcion and
sasabihin pang iba, other “raket” in between. Heart Evangelista which Season 9, I Luv New York, the award winning veteran
may sasabihin pa That is why until now she started airing November in 2006 where she played actress Gloria Romero.
ulit, bahala na,” she is still single and has no 30, 2009. the character of Wendy; Her upcoming TV show
responded in the boyfriend yet. Oli also re- She was so happy after Love to Love Season 11 is “Kahit Minsan Lang”
said interview. iterated that the reason for receiving the news from the and Atlantika also in 2006; which will be airing soon
Isabel is now having no boyfriend has top management of the said Mga Mata ni Angelita in on Channel 7.
seen blooming no connection with her sad network that she was cho- 2007; Sine Novela Pre- Isabel Oli has also been
and on the breakup with Paolo, rather, sen as among the main cast sents: Maging Akin Ka featured in different maga-
stages of dat- she is now careful and of the said remake. Isabel lang; Gagambino in the zine and also featured in
ing. She said would not let the past ex- considered it as a blessing last quarter of 2008 where FHM-Philippines and
that she was perience to happen again. to her and she was thank- she played the character of made it to no. 49 in the top
dating with her Ma. Olivia S. Dayta in ful to the management of Bernadeth Albuento; Sud- 100 list Philippine’s sexiest
non-showbiz real life, she was included GMA-Kapuso Network. denly Its Magic, and Dear women of 2006.
Isabel played the char- Friends: Bakasyonista, She was also featured in
acter of Elaine Medrano, Rosalinda; the defunct Maxim men’s
the famous fashion de- Isabel Oli was sup- magazine in 2007, and took
signer and stylist of Jus- posed to be one of the the no. 17 spot in the top
tin, played by Richard main villains in Darna, she 100 hottest women on the
Gutierrez. She was in love was considered to play the planet.
with Luigi (Patrick Garcia) role of Babaing Tuod but Born on October 20,
but unable to leave Justin. eventually went to Fran- 1981 in Cebu City, Isabel is
She was to mediate in the cine Prieto when she the youngest among her
relationship of Justin turned down the project siblings. Isabel was a
and Jessie (Heart due to her father’s illness. graduate of University of
Evangelista). She was previously seen San Jose-Recoletos in
Isabel has the on Kaya Kong Abutin Ang Cebu with a degree in In-
character of a Langit where she played formation Technology.
slight vil- as the antagonist of Iza Isabel Oli’s favorite
lain in the Calzado but later her char- hobbies are swimming and
s a i d acter was killed due to a playing basketball. Her fa-
prime- more suitable character in vorite pet dog is her best
By time TV Full House. friend.
OMAY E. program. She has made one Her favorite past-time is
However, movie since the sart of her reading in which the bible,
RENTA she was not showbiz career. she claimed, is her most
the bad vil- She was included in a treasured item. Isabel Oli’s
lain, but only classic romantic tale Mo- screen name was made be-
on the relation- ments of Love starred by fore she entered showbiz:
ship between Dingdong Dantes, Iza Oli came from her first name
Justin and Jessie. Calzado and Karylle. Olivia. It was coined by her
Actually, the Also starring in the said manager for it sounds
primetime comic-dra- movie was her former boy- unique and classy.
ma remake has been her
15th TV show. She start-
ed her acting career in 2004
at ABS-CBN Network
where she played as one
of the character in the de-
funct TV series It Might Be
You starred by Bea Alonzo
and John Lloyd Cruz and
in an episode of Maalala
Mo Kaya with John Prats.
Isabel Oli captivated the
eyes of viewers in a com-
mercial of a famous restau-
rant with the multi-award-
ed actor Piolo Pascual.
Also it was in the said com-
mercial where she got dis-
covered.
The full stardom of Isa-
bel started in 2005 when
she transferred to GMA
Kapuso Network and
launched her as the lead-
ing lady of Richard Gut-
 DECEMBER 7 - 13, 2009
Justice and peace cannot be won
for the people by generals alone
WITH more firearms re-
leased to members of Civil-
ian Volunteer Organizations
(CVO), the more arm conflict
is bound to escalate. Most
conflicts between neigh-
bors and between politi-
cians will result in being
“settled” with guns and
grenades and more men,
women and children killed.
We all agree that this should
not be the way the Filipino
people live. The result of all
these would be no other
than worsening of Philippine
economy, unemployment
and non-productivity in the
country. Every one will lose
in the final analysis.
No longer will anyone
care of putting up his busi-
ness or cultivate his land and
therefore employment op-
portunity in the private sec-
Heroism is giving all
tor can not be generated. Ul-
timately, mass starvation
Justice for Ampatuans!
From page 2
what one has little
up was present during
the massacre
As of this writing, the
National Bureau of Investi-
gation reported that a wit-
ness who has just showed
up actually witnessed the
massacre of 57 civilians in
Ampatuan, Maguindanao.
Because of this, the NBI
considered the witness as a
“star witness.”
NBI spokesman Ric Diaz
revealed that the witness
has been “sleepless, dis-
traught and racked by
guilt.”
So far, the witness, Diaz
claimed, has been the only
one who gave a complete
picture of how the massa-
cre was planned and con-
ducted.
“He was there when it
happened before, during
and immediately after. No
other witness has said that
they were there,” Diaz said.
This “star witness” was
said to have served as
among the “private army”
for 15 years of Maguin-
The silence of Noli de Castro
From page 2
Villar who immediately slid
down to number 2 in the sur-
vey.
Carrying the names of his
parents, Senator Ninoy
Aquino and former President
Cory Aquino, Noynoy
grabbed one of the biggest
supporters of De Castro, the
broadcasting business giant
ABS-CBN.
Indebted to the Aquinos
who restored the network af-
ter the Marcos regime, the
Lopezes are all-out in sup-
porting the candidacy of
will ensue. Instead of living
in rural areas, people will
need to migrate into urban
areas hoping that they can
pick up food in the garbage
bins of the well to do. If they
cannot find food, the next
thing they will do is steal
from their new urban neigh-
bors.
Arming and instructing
civilians to kill their per-
ceived enemies is not going
to bring peace but more
wars and more killings and
more massacres. Are we go-
ing to let the killings con-
tinue?
With the worsening com-
munity predicament cited
above, it will require a peace-
ful solution in order to
achieve peace. Conflicts
should be settled in the halls
of justice were proper rules
of law will be observed by
everyone concerned, rich or
The backhoe used in burying the victims is a mute witness
to the massacre in Ampatuan, Maguindanao but it can
picture a thousand words when presented in court.
danao Governor Andal
Ampatuan Sr.
The witness said that
during the massacre, he was
wearing a military fatigue
uniform and carrying an M-
16 rifle.
He said that the Am-
patuans plotted the massa-
cre for two weeks.
The witness also said
that he was present when
the mass grave was dug up
before the massacre took
place, confirming the appar-
ent observation that it was
premeditated as proven by
the fact that it will take a day
Noynoy.
If elections were made to-
day, Noynoy could already
be our president.
Yesterday, it could have
been Villar. And it could be
Gibo tomorrow.
Who knows?
Results of the surveys
depend on who appears a lot
in the idiot box or whose par-
ent dies.
This shows the level of
maturity of the Philippine
electorate.
De Castro may have ran
and lost not because he is
By MARLOWE CAMELLO
Homeland, California
poor. The rule of law and
justice should prevail.
Without justice, there
will be no peace and if there
is no peace, there will be no
prosperity.
The peaceful solution is
none other than the adop-
tion of the jury system.
It is the only system
where the voices of both
parties will be heard and
decided with ballots instead
of bullets, and without dis-
crimination by either side.
Many will argue that to-
day is not the time to think
of creating the jury system.
I personally started calling
the attention of the authori-
ties and powerful clergies,
including RP Fr. Robert
Reyes in particular, more
than 10 years ago and 10
for a backhoe to dig those
holes where the victims
were buried.
The said witness claimed
that a day before the mas-
sacre, he was on the na-
tional highway of Ampatuan
town.
The witness detailed the
incident and identified the
persons who actually took
part in the killing and who
masterminded the massacre.
Because of the great
value of his testimonies,
Diaz said that the NBI will
secure the family of the said
witness.
not ready for the presidency.
But because the Filipinos
are not yet ready for him, his
achievements and behavior
over the past five years
showed more who he is and
what he can do for the coun-
try.
Many threw dirt on De
Castro whom they thought
was not capable of running
the country.
But by deciding not to
join in what can be another
dirty political exercise, De
Castro proved to be the early
and biggest winner.
years ago of the necessity
of setting up of the jury sys-
tems but I was told that it
was not the time to create
the jury system. We now
know that the social chaos
in the country is still wors-
ening.
Shall we wait for more kill-
ings before we shall come
to our senses to stop shoot-
ing each other?
Or should we start now
in putting up the jury sys-
tem so that we can begin to
save lives of people from
being felled in ambuscades?
One thing is for sure. It
is foolish to wait for more
massacres to happen in or-
der to create the jury sys-
From page 3
Efren received his award.
No personality accompa-
nied him during the presen-
tation nor welcomed him
with fanfare upon his return.
No government official
paraded him in a motorcade
nor showered him with
ticker tape, brazenly con-
scious that Efren’s juvenile
adherents are disenfran-
chised citizens.
There wasn’t frenzied
media to capture the mo-
ment nor an unruly crowd
to mob him. A genuine hero
arrived as almost incognito
as he left.
To me, there’s an Efren
in every Msuan (the term
coined for anybody who
graduated from Mindanao
State University).
Like him, most Msuans
came from the humblest of
roots. Like what he was in
childhood, an Msuan is a
wellspring of dreams wish-
ing someday he would make
a defining difference in his
life, family and society.
Like how he went through
in his teens, an Msuan
struggled in a mountain of
adversities but survived. And
like what Efren has done af-
ter, an Msuan has in so many
though so small ways
touched the lives of others.
Anonymous, far from
spotlights and unhinged
from material return or pag-
eantry.
There are countless ex-
amples.
Manny Curato, whose
normal life has been dis-
turbed forever for exposing
the truth in 2001 with nary a
nun to surround him.
Glen Rosauro, who saw
suffering, tried to heal it un-
derground but soon resur-
faced to help those who are
tem, the very system to
settle conflict peacefully,
while there is still some sem-
blance of peace wherein
people are still alive to work
and live together for the
peace of their families and
friends.
It is the only way to go
whether we like it or not.
The words of U.S. Presi-
dent Thomas Jefferson is
still very alive to advise us
today that “the Jury is the
only anchor ever yet imag-
ined by man that can hold
the government to the prin-
ciples of its constitution.”
We think that the Philip-
pine government is a “RUN-
AWAY GOVERNMENT” in
the hands of the corrupt.
The time to start to hold this
government responsible to
left behind.
Frank Rivera, who dis-
covered the richness of
Mindanao culture and has
since continued to intro-
duce it worldwide through
theater arts.
Ruf Ignacio, who is fore-
going his retirement com-
fort, albeit briefly, to return
to the campus after 30 years
to teach for free.
The thousands, who left
to seek their lives overseas
but still look back eagerly
to share their blessings.
The hundreds, who have
opted to remain in all cam-
puses despite drier laurels
and lures of lush pastures.
And lately, Cynthia
Oquendo, who consistently
fought social injustice and
paid the ultimate price.
The worldwide acknowl-
edgment of Efren’s efforts
is unassailable proof that an
act of heroism is not in the
welcomes your comments
and suggestions.
dyaryomagdalo@yahoo.com
7
us, the people, is now--to-
day--not tomorrow.
When I say “govern-
ment” I refer not only to the
national government but
likewise to the regional, pro-
vincial, city, municipal and
barrio governments which
are cradled in the “loving
arms” of their respective
“generals.” Do you think
those generals alone can
win their fight for justice on
behalf of the people? I
DON’T THINK SO--not
within a hundred years.
The fight for justice, like
a conventional war, cannot
be won by generals alone.
They need the dynamic
act of the “privates,” the
platoon of private citizens
in juries, to win that war for
justice.
eye of the molder.
A hero isn’t cast, casu-
ally put on a pedestal like in
ancient Greece, nor trained
to be one. It’s not a con-
scious effort to excel in an
endeavor and expect a prize.
Or during wars, to rush in
bravura and leave one’s fate
to chance, hoping for a gal-
lantry medal. When one
thinks about it, a hero is one
who saves, not kill or hurt,
the unfortunate.
Rather it’s in the heart of
a selfless and well-meaning
individual—spontaneous,
beyond the call of human-
ity, voluntary—to give and
share his time and effort to
change for the better the
world of others.
After all, giving some of
what one has much is plain
charity. Giving all what one
has little is indeed heroism.
As Efren aptly reminded all,
it’s waiting to be unleashed.
Send us your feedback at:
 8 DECEMBER 7 - 13, 2009
SO, SO, SO
HISTORIC!
T
HE 16-year-old
Filipino grand
master Wesley
So lived up to
expectation as
the brightest young star of
the 2009 World Chess Cup
in Khanty-Mansiyk, Russia
when he registered the
greatest moments of his
chess career by ousting
more-fancied and much-ex-
perienced opponents one
after the other.
As a testament, he was
dubbed by the foreign me-
dia in this Siberian winter
paradise as the “fantastic
gold nugget causing the
World Cup irreplaceable
losses with his upset victo-
ries.”
Wesley was fighting
cold, nostalgia and strong
competition in the tourna-
ment with consecutive
match wins over perennial
competitors, including
former world championship
contender Vassily Ivanchuk
(2735) and former World
Championship challenger
and WCC defending cham-
pion Gata Kamsky (2695).
Every chess fan knows
who Invanchuk and
Kamsky are.
“I know that I should
always do my best in the
[two-game] classical
games of each round,” So,
who clinched the prize of
US$30,000 (about P1.46 mil-
lion) for reaching the last 16.
“If I win one [regular]
game, I’m almost there,” So
added.
Depression could be
sensed in the words uttered
by GM Ivanchuk to the in-
Km. 28, Aguinaldo Highway, Salitran 2,
Dasmariñas, Cavite
M
J Junk
Shop
CP: 0912.770.8324
terview conducted after he
was eliminated by GM So in
the second round.
After the loss to Wesley,
the once mighty Ivanchuk
announced he was consid-
ering retirement and become
a chess fun.
But after several days,
Ivanchuk came to his
senses and retracted what
he had stated publicly about
his retirement from chess.
Ivanchuk partly thanked
GM Gata Kamsky who
talked him out of retirement.
“Please forgive me, my
fans, friends and colleagues
in arms and many chess
fans for an emotional inter-
view. I was very upset after
the defeat, but in any case
I’m not going to quit chess!
And I want to refute what
appeared in the media
about my resignation…”
The high school senior
from St. Francis of Assisi
School in Bacoor, Cavite
also ousted GM Gadir
Guseinov (2625) of
Azerbaijan in the first round.
Both GMs split their first two
matches of the round before
So dominated the rapid
matches for a 4-1 victory.
In eliminating Guseinov,
Ivanchuk and Kamsky, So
gained psychological edge
by taking the first game. He
drew both second games
against Kamsky and
Ivanchuk to prevail, 1.5-0.5.
“Generally speaking, I
am okay if the classical
games were drawn. Here the
tiebreak goes. To my mind I
play tiebreaks better than
classical games. But my
previous opponents did not
“W
all e buy
of kind
scr s
ap
” on Wesley’s caper in paral-
By RONALD B.
HERICO
Chess wizard GM Wesley So ponders his move against his 4th round opponent GM Vladimir Malakhov, who
eventually ended his fairy tale-like performance in the 2009 World Chess Cup in Khanty-Mansiyk, Russia. Top
photos show GM Vassily Ivanchuk (left) and GM Gata Kamsky (right), both Wesley waylaid in the tournament.
give me any chance to come
to the tiebreaks,” So told
the official website.
So was earlier hailed by
the media covering the
event as a “perfect posi-
tional player who plays in
the style of a young
Anatoly Karpov.”
But So was quick to re-
act as he gave his comment
to his playing style in this
current tournament.
“So far I play aggres-
sively. I would like to play a
solid game with a solid open-
ing. This is what I want. I
think my style is close to
Vishy Anand. Of course we
have different level.”
As of this moment one
could not help but comment
lel to what Asia’s first GM
Eugene Torre achieved
when he shared first place
in Toluca Interzonal more
than two decades ago.
“I am 16 and the greatest
achievement for me so far is
the second place in one
tournament with average
rating about 2700. At the
moment my rating is 2640. I
dream that sooner or later I
will come to the magical
point 2700. I don’t know
how much time I will need
for that.”
Not only Filipinos all
around the world but also
chess fans and lovers are
taking notice of this young
man who cheer for his
achievements. Beyond the
64-square board, Wesley
So is making his country,
the Philippines, proud.
He achieved the GM title
at the age of 14 years, 1
month and 28 days that
made him the seventh
youngest person to achieve
the GM title in the history
of chess.
Before entering the tour-
nament, Wesley was hold-
ing an ELO rating of 2640,
the highest rank ever
achieved by a Filipino, beat-
ing the 2621 rating recorded
by GM Mark Paragua in
2006.
Wesley deserves every
support he could get to
reach his full potential.
Unlike Manny Pacquiao,
there are no many sponsors
for Wesley So. No Nike, no
HBO, and no Bob Arum.
And there is even no
Roach-like coach in his side.
In a recent interview
posted at the World Chess
Cup official website, he said:
“…Another problem is
that chess is not that famous
in the Philippines. We don’t
get any financial support
from the government. They
don’t give money for tour-
naments, coaches, nothing.
Our National Federation
pays our tickets. That’s it.
You realize at one moment
that to reach some profes-
sional level you need pri-
vate sponsors. I would be
happy with some 20-30
thousand US dollars a
year.”
This comes to mind the
father of another chess
prodigy, GM Mark Paragua,
who pleaded for support
for his son’s training. Mark
had gone a long way then,
competing in tournaments
after another, and winning
even at the turf of the Rus-
sians.
This is not really diffi-
cult. The government, with
all its problems, may not be
able to help.
But maybe, some known
sports-loving corporations
can lend their financial sup-
port.
This 16-year-old is mak-
ing waves at a sport mostly
dominated by a European-
sounding name but be-
cause of sheer talent and
tenacity, Wesley hurdled
every obstacle coming his
way to etch his name
alongside the big guns in
chess.
The young star showed
character. This is important
if he wants to have the
bright future that many ex-
pect. There was no great
player who did not have
strong character.
Chess, like boxing, is
definitely one sport wherein
we Filipinos can excel. And
no one will ever be in dan-
ger of some brain damage
after a match.
Wesley’s very aggres-
sive plays are just like the
knock-out punches of
Manny.
Interestingly, he won
while handling the black
pieces. Ivanchuk and
Kamsky may have their ex-
cuses why they lost to the
younger and lower-rated
So, but they will forever re-
member him.