NPA subleader killed in
Batangas clash
A RANKING New People’s Army leader who was rescued from the
Batangas provincial jail by his comrades in 2006 was killed last Friday during
an encounter with combined government operatives in Calatagan, Batangas.
A report to Camp Crame identified the slain NPA sub-leader as
Danilo Mayo, alias Ka Gally, a native of Oriental Mindoro and platoon leader of
the Eduardo Dagli Command operating in the first district of Batangas.
Mayo was one of the nine communist terrorists rescued by
their comrades from the Batangas jail on Jan. 14, 2006.
Operatives of the Calatagan police and the Air Force’s 730th
Combat Group were reportedly on a joint patrol when they chanced upon 10
heavily-armed guerillas in Kiloong Creek, Barangay Talibayog in Calatagan. The
government forces drove away the enemy after an hour of fierce fighting which
also resulted in the death of Mayo. No one was hurt on the government side.
Recovered from the encounter site were an MK2 hand grenade, a
rifle grenade, two bandoliers, eight long magazines, several live bullets, 43
empty shells for M14 rifles, nine backpacks, personal items and subversive
documents. – Raymond Africa
Gov’t appeals dismissal of
case vs Kokoy firms
THE Office of the Solicitor General has asked the
Sandiganbayan Fifth Division to reverse its resolution dated Sept. 29, 2008
dropping Palm Avenue Realty and Development Corp. and Palm Avenue Holdings Inc.,
two firms owned by the family of former Ambassador Benjamin "Kokoy" Romualdez,
as defendants in an ill-gotten wealth lawsuit.
Assistant solicitor general Eric Remegio Panga and state
solicitor Walter Junia claimed there was sufficient basis to proceed to trial,
contrary to the graft court’s findings that the complaint filed by the
Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG) did not specify the cause of
action against the Palm companies.
Romualdez, younger brother of former First Lady Imelda
Marcos, is the principal defendant in Civil Case No. 0035 filed in 1987. The
Palm companies were only impleaded as additional defendants in 1991.
Government lawyers said the Palm companies were in fact
impleaded only after the Sandiganbayan ordered it in a ruling issued on June 20,
1989. This was affirmed by the Supreme Court two years later. "The dismissal of
the present case… is not only contrary to law, jurisprudence and the attendant
facts of the case, but likewise stomps on this Honorable Court’s own actual
previous directive to implead the Palm Companies, which directive had been
squarely affirmed by the Supreme Court," Panga and Junia said.
They said the Palm firms were named defendants on the
strength of evidence that their 16,237,339 shareholdings in Benguet Corp.
belonged to Romualdez. Letters written in April 1986 by Palm Avenue Realty
lawyer Jose S. Sandejas and Benguet Corp. director Jovencio Cinco admitted that
Romualdez was the beneficial owner of the said shares. – Peter Tabingo
Makati swears in 204 new
environmental cops
THE Makati City government will swear in 204 newly deputized
environmental police officials today in a bid to further strengthen the
enforcement of environmental laws in the city, Department of Environmental
Services (DES) chief Danilo Villas said yesterday.
Villas said Makati mayor Jejomar Binay will administer the
oath to the new environmental law enforcers at the Makati city hall quadrangle.
He said the 204 environmental enforcers, who come from the city’s 33 barangays,
have undergone rigid environmental police training workshop, as well as the
solid waste management enforcer’s training module, and will reinforce the
existing pool of enforcers. – Ashzel Hachero
Missing Pagcor man
EDDIE DG. Santos, a utility man/messenger of the Philippine Amusement and
Gaming Corp. Heritage branch has been missing since Oct. 10, 2008. Anyone with
information on his whereabouts should please call (02) 854-7343, 854-8751 to 52,
local 211.
