The exodus begins. Families going to the provinces to spend the Holy Week with relatives wait for their rides in a bus terminal in Cubao, Quezon City.
***
Another China oil
search deal hit Trillanes: Sharing provision
violates Charter
BY JP LOPEZ
DETAINED Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV yesterday
said that aside from the joint marine seismic study in the
Spratly islands, the Arroyo government also entered into an oil
exploration agreement with China in April 2006 that would cover
the Calamian Islands in Palawan.
"The government of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is
again lying to the Filipino people. Contrary to their claim, the
Macapagal administration has actually entered into an oil
exploration agreement with China not only involving Kalayaan
Group of Islands (Spratlys), but within undisputed Philippine
territory," Trillanes said.
Trillanes said the government and China
signed on April 2, 2006 a "farm-in exploration agreement through
state-owned China National Overseas Oil Company (CNOOC) and
Philippine National Oil Company-Exploration Corporation."
No ban? Mass for Lozada in
Cebu
scrapped in absence of priests
BY GERARD NAVAL
CARDINAL Ricardo Vidal, archbishop of Cebu,
never prohibited priests under him from celebrating Mass for
NBN-ZTE star witness Rodolfo Lozada Jr., the archdiocese of Cebu
said yesterday.
Msgr. Achilles Dakay, Vidal's spokesman, said
in a phone interview he does not know where the report came
from. "There is no order, written or verbal, or even a note from
the Cardinal."
But no mass for the so-called caravan for
truth and justice took place as organizers could not find a
priest willing to officiate Mass.
PRESS Secretary Ignacio Bunye yesterday said
President Arroyo will not prevent former Planning Secretary
Romulo Neri from testifying again in subsequent public hearings
by the Senate on the ZTE scandal "in the spirit of the
revocation of Executive Order 464."
"In principle, yes (the President will allow
Secretary Neri to appear)," he said.
The President early this month revoked the
controversial directive, which bars officials of the Executive
branch from attending congressional inquiries without her
permission.
