n BUSINESS / B1 n NEWS / A16 n ACROSS / A8 n ENTERTAINMENT / A2-1

US investment bank: RP Court rejects bid Basque separatist Kris Aquino now endorser
outlook positive, economy to defer 4 GIs’ trial; group declares of 17 products; she gets

to grow faster in ’06
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Gringo sighted here,
there and everywhere
By PDI Visayas,
Mindanao Bureaus
FUGITIVE GREGORIO
“Gringo” Honasan may be
in more places than his
pursuers can keep up
with.
A former official of Pani-
tan town in Capiz yesterday
GRINGO/ A4
INQUIRER
rape victim pickets permanent ceasefire mom to buy them
Senga warns of more coup
P H I L I P P I N E D A I L Y attempts by Left, Right, rebs
By Dona Pazzibugan
EXPECT MORE COUP ATTEMPTS AGAINST PRESI-
dent Macapagal-Arroyo.
The warning came from Armed Forces Chief of
Staff Gen. Generoso Senga who said that the al-
liance between the military and leftist rebels to
B A L A N C E D N E W S , F E A R L E S S V I E W S oust Ms Arrroyo has already taken root.
“We may have not seen the last of the attempts
at a power grab,” Senga said in a speech before
Thursday, March 23, 2006 HH 4 sections / Vol. 21 / No. 105 P18 website: www.inq7.net SENGA/ A4

Palace to regulate all gov’t ad budgets

By Gil C. Cabacungan Jr.
and TJ Burgonio
A NEWLY CREATED COMMUNI-
cation Group under the Office of
the President will consolidate the
multibillion-peso advertising
budget of all government agen-
cies, including state-owned cor-
porations, banks and pension
funds—a move that a senator
says could be used by Mala-
cañang to threaten media compa-
“The Communication Group
shall guide, integrate and super-
vise the public information activi-
ties, including advertisements, of
all departments, bureaus, offices
and agencies in the executive
branch of the government, in-
cluding government financial in-
stitutions (GFIs) and govern-
ment-owned and-controlled cor-
porations (GOCCs), in close con-
sultation with the head of these
entities,’’ President Macapa-
March 6.
The Communication Group
shall be chaired by Press Secre-
tary Ignacio Bunye with Cerge
Remonde, the government media
chief, and Conrado Limcauco, di-
rector general of the Philippine
Information Agency, as members.
Ms Arroyo said there was “a
need for a body to guide, inte-
grate and supervise the operation
of these entities, with respect to
their public information activi-
Senate Minority Leader Aquilino
Pimentel Jr. said all government
ads would now be approved by
Bunye.
“This is choking the media. EO
511 in effect prevents the govern-
ment from using any media criti-
cal of the government,’’ Pimentel
said in a phone interview.
Pimentel said the order was
“direct pre-censoring” of the me-
dia.
In an interview, Bunye said

Garci passport
nies critical of the administration gal-Arroyo said in Executive Or- ties.’’ that more than controlling the
with an ad boycott. der No. 511, which she signed on Quoting Malacañang insiders, PALACE/ A6

faked, says BSP

‘Central bank finding shows conspiracy’
By Michael Lim Ubac Remulla said he felt “vindicat- a certification issued yesterday by
ed,” saying the BSP findings the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas,
ONE OF THE PASSPORTS SUBMITTED BY FOR- “strongly indicate a conspiracy to through BSP Deputy Governor
mer Election Commissioner Virgilio Garcillano to a cover up” the alleged election
fraud in 2004.
Armando Suratos, to the five
committees, which requested the
joint House inquiry is “fake,” belying his claim that Garcillano’s second passport examination of the two passports
he did not leave the country at the height of the (No. JJ243816) “does not conform
to standard” on six counts, but his
in February.
It is the BSP that prints all the
“Hello Garci” poll fraud scandal last year, the for- previous passport (No. BB602533) blank passports for the Depart-
mer lead chair of the probe said yesterday. “conforms to standard,” the chairs ment of Foreign Affairs. AT LAST. After five years, former President Estrada takes the
of the five House committees that The BSP certification “weak- witness stand to tell his side of the story, which he hopes will
“It’s fake, it’s fake! I told you the leadership of the chamber looked into the scandal announced ens, severely injures and inflicts a validate him. As he testified, riot police kept hundreds of his
so,” Cavite Rep. Gilbert Remulla would “not let pass this case of at a press conference. severe blow to the credibility of supporters away from the Sandiganbayan. Already, they proclaim
said. He expressed the hope that outright contempt of the House.” The findings were contained in GARCI/ A4 their idol “not guilty.”

Erap: All lies; I was

RAFFY LERMA

HAGEDORN OUT
All systems go for gov’t
STL to kill illegal game
By Gil C. Cabacungan Jr.
and Norman Bordadora
IT’S ALL SYSTEMS GO FOR THE
Small Town Lottery (STL) pro-
gram.
But the antijueteng czar Mayor
Edward Hagedorn of Puerto
Princesa is no longer on top of it.
Presidential Chief of Staff
Michael Defensor and Interior
Secretary Ronaldo Puno yester-
day gave the green light to a one-
year trial run for STL being spon-
sored by the Philippine Charity
Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) as an
alternative to the illegal numbers
game “jueteng.”
“It is clear that we should not
have any illegal operations while
the STL is in operation. Secretary
Puno has stated all illegal opera-
tors will be arrested,” said Defen-
sor.
“Mayor Hagedorn is not in-
volved in this (STL) because his
role is specifically as antijueteng
czar. (The STL) is just a petition
by the League of Mayors,” he
said.
But Hagedorn announced on
March 21 that he was organizing
a team to monitor STL.
ALL/ A4
convicted in streets
By Nelson F. Flores
JOSEPH ESTRADA LOOKED
Ping: Erap knew
every inch the President that he money for Muslim
was before he was ousted five
years ago in his first appearance youth project came
in his trial yesterday, denying as
“a pack of lies” accusations he
from ‘jueteng’
raided the national treasury. By Philip C. Tubeza
For the show of his life, the ac-
tor-turned-politician wore the FORMER PRESIDENT
trappings of his office—the trade- Joseph Estrada knew that
mark presidential seal on his the money going to his pet
THE FIRST FEMALE US ENVOY TO THE PHILIPPINES white wristband and a Philippine project to educate Muslim
Ambassador Kristie Kenney presents her credentials to President flag lapel pin on his “barong.” youths and send some of
Arroyo on Wednesday. Ms Arroyo says that Kenney, who arrived “These are trumped-up them to Harvard came from
here on March 17, told her she wants to go to Mindanao as soon as charges, a frame-up,” said Estra- “jueteng”—the illegal num-
possible. Her last posting was in Ecuador. (Story on Page A2.) LYN RILLON da when asked about charges bers racket, said his former
that he received P130 million in police chief.

Bulusan
kickbacks from the tabacco excise Sen. Panfilo Lacson said
tax for Ilocos Sur province as Gov.
Mt. Bulusan watch Luis (Chavit) Singson, his main
Estrada wanted to bring
peace to war-torn Mindanao

volcano
accuser, watched from a front by helping young people get
Location Map
row seat. an excellent education, even
“That’s a pack of lies,” he said. helping them go abroad

spews ash
I’ve never asked for commissions. PING/ A13
ERAP/ A13

Mt. Bulusan

By Bobby Q. Labalan Erap and Chavit: Bosom

buddies, mortal enemies
SORSOGON PDI Southern Luzon Bureau
and Blanche S. Rivera
in Manila
By Volt Contreras dent Joseph Estrada—walked in
Philippines SORSOGON CITY—AFTER BE- minutes later, flashing his star-
ing quiet for 11 years, Mount Bu- AFTER MORE THAN FIVE YEARS, quality smile, waving to support-
LUZON IS.
It covers lusan in Sorsogon erupted late the two men whose bitter animosi- ers and visibly relishing the me-
a surface Tuesday night, spewing ash
Area area roughly ty altered the course of the na- dia spotlight denied him in the
Enlarged 400 sq. km. clouds as high as 1.5 km into the tion’s history finally came almost solitude of his Tanay resthouse,
and towers Mt.Mayon sky and prompting government eyeball to eyeball, separated only where he has been detained.
about 1559 warnings to residents not to go by five seats and the dark glasses Estrada ambled to the front
above sea near the volcano. one wore. row as well and sat on the right
MASBATE ALBAY level. The Philippine Institute for The accuser—Gov. Luis “Chav- side.
AFTER 11 YEARS, Bulusan Volcanology and Seismology it” Singson of Ilocos Sur—slipped Yesterday was the first time the
volcano shows signs of explosive Mt.Bulusan (Phivolcs) reported a steam-driv- early into the small, tightly two men—once said to be bosom
activity. It spewed up to a 1.5-km SORSOGON en explosion from the summit of packed courtroom, and seated buddies—found themselves in
high ash column on Tuesday night. the 1,559-meter volcano at 10:58 himself on the left side of the the same room since Singson ac-
San Bernardino Strait p.m. on Tuesday. It lasted 20 min- front row. cused Estrada of receiving illegal
INQGRAPHIC:ESAMBO BULUSAN/ A6 The accused—ousted Presi- ERAP/ A13