Supreme Court of the Philippines (SCOTP) Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno.
Supreme Court of the Philippines (SCOTP)) Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno on Monday said President Rodrigo R. Duterte’s announcement of an informal investigation on the alleged involvement of seven judges in the illegal drugs trade “was premature”.
”The SC would consider it important to know the source and basis of any allegation that specific judges are involved in the illegal drugs trade,” Sereno said in her four-page letter to President Duterte.
She expressed alarm over the announcement of the narco-judges, saying that judges are vulnerable to extra-judicial killings and this would have an impact on the performance of the judges’ “adjudicative role”.
Sereno emphasized the importance of the good reputation and credibility of judges.
She said they are expecting this to have an effect on the schedule of trials and conferences of the judges.
Admitting that the President’s announcement sprang a surprise on them, the Chief Justice said it would have been better if the High Court was given the opportunity to conduct preventive measures before the announcement was made.
Sereno also disclosed that the SC is investigating a judge who may be involved in the trade of illegal drugs but is not in the list of President Duterte.
President Duterte has earlier named Judge Lorinda Toledo-Mupas of Dasmarinas, Cavite; Judge Reyes of Baguio City; Judge Savilo of Iloilo City Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 13; Judge Casipli of Kalibo, Aklan Municipal Trial Court (MTC); Judge Rene Gonzales of Iloilo City Municipal Trial Court in Cities (MTCC); Calbayog City, Samar RTC Judge Navidad; and Dapa, Siargao MTC Judge Ezekiel Dagala.
Of the seven judges, Mupas was dismissed in 2007, Navidad was shot to death in 2008, and Gonzales retired in January 2016.
Judge Roberto Navidad of Regional Trial Court 32 in Calbayog City of Samar province, identified by President Duterte as narco judge was killed by an assasin on January 15, 2008 while inside his car in Calbayog.
The Navidad murder is still a police cold case file as the killer remains unidentified and at large.
The relatives of the slain judge were shocked upon learning of President Duterte’s announcement.
Elias Navidad Acosta, the slain judge’s nephew now employed as court sheriff at the RTC-Branch 7 in Calbayog expressed exasperation and disbelief.
“He was my uncle. I know him from head to foot. He was not a drug protector. He was a drug eliminator or a drug buster. That is why he was shot dead by these syndicates,” Acosta said, as quoted by the report.
The slain judge was formerly at the helm of RTC-7 in Tacloban for 10 years, then RTC-32 in Calbayog for over five years prior to his assasination. He was the mayor of MacArthur town from 1972 to 1979.
The younger Navidad claimed his uncle was shot to death because the judge fought the drug lords in Calbayog.
The judge’s family have relocated to the US since.
Meanwhile, the Armed Forces of the Philippines on Monday confirmed that four military personnel included in President Rodrigo R. Duterte’s “narco list”, are no longer connected with the AFP.
Reports coming from different units indicate that Cpl. Alfrenz Gurias Abedin, Pfc. Dalimama Ipad, Pfc. Philip Miro and CAFGU (militiaman) Casimiro Castro have been discharged from the service for sometime now, AFP public affairs office chief, Col. Edgard Arevalo, said, noting that the exact date of their discharge still has to be ascertained.
The fourth, retired Brig. Gen. Leoncio Daniega, had already died on May 8, 2010.
Records from the AFP Pensions and Gratuity Management Center showed that Daniega retired from service in December 1994 and his last known address was in Caloocan City.
“On the other hand, we are still in the process of determining the whereabouts of SSg Vic Dela Cruz and Cpl. Cusinan Lopez. The AFP is checking with other units that may have SSg Dela Cruz and Lopez in their roster,” Arevalo said. (With reports from PNA)
Tell us your thoughts on this article. If logged in with any of your Wordpress.com, Twitter, Facebook, Google+, or registered on this site before, then you can simply write your comment below. Thanks and appreciate your feedback. Cancel reply
Her story resembles that of a script lifted direct from a tele-novela. This video is another installment in our continuing coverage of ordinary people sharing their experience during their married life. The resource speaker on this video supports the passage of the divorce bill in the Philippine congress. The speaker […]
Did regret came too late? A girl who transitioned to becoming a boy during teenage year speaks of great regret for having done so. Charlie Evans “became” male for close to ten years before making a turn-around from a decision made. Evans detransitioned in 2018. But will it recoup the […]
This is only a passing question for residents living around the City of Naga and also of towns nearby, and maybe of Camarines Sur province, too. Have you visited the Jesse Robredo museum yet? If not, then come on, let’s join Vice-President Leni Robredo show us around. The VPOP is […]
Canadians react with disdain on government officials, which include PM Justin Trudeau and Environment Minister Catherine McKenna, due to garbage dumping in the Philippines. Watch how independent conservative YouTube channel shares reaction and more below: [At 1:40, notice the government official sitting right of President Duterte make face, reacting to […]
Sharing here the attendance of Vice President Leni Robredo during the 121st Independence Day rites this morning at Rizal Park in Manila. And below is the commemorative message of the vice president for the occasion: Sa araw na ito, bilang nagkakaisang lahi, ipinagdiriwang natin ang ika-isangdaan at dalawampu’t isang taon […]
A short clip derived from a PBS (US tv channel) documentary highlights a woman acquiring a “sense of peace” after aborting her two (twin) babies. The woman was shown getting clear instruction from the doctor on the dosage and timing of taking “medical” abortion pills. The doctor was so blatant […]
The most important and relevant documentary movie drops today. Will it be truth bites the plight of mass migration hurting Europe? We are referring to the much awaited “Borderless” movie by independent Canadian activist-journalist Lauren Southern and her team. After months enduring the rigors (and danger) of (clandestine) location filming, […]
Some world leaders, and even the mainstream media, didn’t get it. But at least, Pope Francis on Easter Sunday speaking after the special Easter ‘Urbi et Orbi’ message and blessing, expressed his “heartfelt closeness to the Christian community [of Sri Lanka] wounded as it was gathered in prayer, and to […]
Daring independent journalist Lauren Southern is on the hot trail of the illegal immigration happening now in most of Europe. On this her latest reportage the daring Canadian exposes the alleged human smugglers and traffickers operating in Greece as NGO’s like the Emergency Response Center International. ERCI is a self-described […]
This should be the first walking tour for inmotion channel, I mean, a walking exploration. So here I was at the churchyard of the main Catholic church in my hometown which is the Parish church of Our Lady of La Porteria. Welcome to inMotion. And many thanks and appreciate for […]
Yes, totally true. The epic fails in Ilocos Norte. One of which was the “cable cart” ride which amused the passengers at first. Then afterwards lost the interest for the operator obviously had difficulty maneuvering the cart up its destination and back. But hey, it was a good try. The […]
Culled from the online news portal itself, Rappler reports agents from the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) arrested Rappler CEO and executive editor Maria Ressa early Wednesday evening, February 13. The arrest was done in connection with a cyber libel case filed by the justice department. NBI officers in civilian […]
This Philippine province of almost two million people, or 1.9 (1,952,544) million warm bodies according to the official census count of 2015 is the biggest in the Bicol region in terms of population and land area. While it is rich in natural resources and beautiful scenic places, majority of its […]
I am back, yet again, after a long hibernation of sorts. I fixed some personal issues, settled what should have been done before and still in the process of accepting and facing some other health circumstances that is part of life. And then I completely pushed aside into the backburner […]
After posting the article covering the much vaunted Pantao regional port located in Libon town of Albay province we dig a foot deeper and decided to go ahead with an update and rejoinder about the project. Envisioned to boost a “robust economic corridor in southern Luzon, specifically for Daet, Naga […]
Time magazine’s 2018 acknowledged person(s) of the year (POY) received mixed reaction from netizens. Before the end of year, the US-based news magazine picks a POY of their choice who has done the most to influence the events of the year. This 2018, it came out with not one, but […]
As many expected, former Philippine senator Bong Revilla on Friday was acquitted by the Sandiganbayan of the plunder case in relation to the misuse of P224 million pork barrel funds. Pork barrel funds were coated as Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) of previous administrations. His co-accused, bussinesswoman Janet Lim Napoles […]
We get it. Bicolanos and travelers to and from the region will have to get used to flying and landing on four dated airports, one each in Legazpi, Pili (for Naga), Virac and Masbate. The one and only, but much vaunted, Bicol International Airport, or the Southern Luzon International Airport, […]
The domestic airport in Pili serving metropolitan Naga and the provinces of Camarines Sur and Camarines Norte will soon be capable of catering to evening flight take-off and landing operations. The Naga airport, which is operated by the Air transportation Office (ATO) of the Department of Transportation and Communications, has […]
To get a good grasp of the illegal immigrant crisis in the United States (America), and in Europe (European Union), we are sharing below two video coverage, one for each. These are different takes on the massive migrant caravan that began marching from Central America, mostly coming from Honduras, with […]
The town of Daraga in Albay province, has total assets of P1.029 billion making it to the top of the list among the richest municipal local government units (LGU) for 2017, besting 106 others in Bicol region, according to the Commission on Audit (COA). Daraga, aside from topping the list, […]
Ownership of the University of Nueva Caceres change hands. Kind of. For decades, the Hernandez family of Naga city and Libmanan town used to own and manage the first and largest university in Bicol. But not anymore as the education arm of the Ayala Corporation, the AC Education, Inc., (AEI) […]
Naga City, Bicol’s financial, business, educational and religious capital now has a total net worth of over P4.675 billion, making it the richest local government unit (LGU) in the region, according to the Commission on Audit (COA). The City of Ligao, in Albay province, followed far second, with a total […]
Why Fuentebella’s Partido Development Administration got the axe. The administration is cleaning up the mess of the past. Or, so it seems. Recently, Malacañang abolished a Bicol-based Government Owned or Controlled Corporation (GOCC) created during the administration of former president Fidel V. Ramos. The Partido Development Administration (PDA) was snapped […]
While I am not required to explain why I am using English as the medium or language of this channel, I am too happy to explain why. Also, I think it is time to share our reason. Hello friends, Thank you for dropping by and watching this post. At the […]
Today, I temporarily place under my drawer the primary concern of growing more subs. Because today we go Chinese. I mean, I will talk in passing about the Chinese Zodiac as very soon the Chinese New Year will come with a bang on Feb 16, 2018 and end on Feb […]
The Malacanang palace on Saturday made known an official denial it has got no hand in the subpoenas issued by the National Bureau of Investigation to online xocial news network publisher Rappler chief executive officer (CEO) Maria Ressa and two others over cybercrime raps, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said on […]
President Rodrigo Duterte has designated Undersecretary Rosalina Bistoyong as Officer-In-Charge of the Department of Agrarian Reform. She will occupy the vacated post of Rafael Mariano whose nomination was rejected by the powerful joint congressional Commission on Appointments last September 6. Bistoyong is a career executive service professional in the government […]
The residence of Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog of Iloilo city on Thursday afternoon was the subject of initial inspection from a team of the National Bureau of Investigation.. Witness to the arrival of the inspection team include Ariel Castañeda, the head of the Local Economic Enterprise Office (LEEO) of the […]
My English classes in Grade Six will be the first set of pupils under the K-12 curriculum moving up to Grade 7 come March this school year. At this point, even while it is too early, I try to foresee the probable challenges and impact on their learning curve due […]
President Rodrigo Duterte’s blogger-supporter and now amply rewarded as Assistant Secretary in the office of Presidential Communication Operations Office has courted, again, the ire of netizens, specifically Twitter users. This time, tweets criss cross the internet calling for the ouster or removal of the former sexy dancer from her Malacanang […]
Thanks to the long known advocacy of the Greeenpeace group, the 4th Annual sky lantern flying activity in Legazpi city was eventually canceled by its organizers. The organizers of the 4th Annual sky lantern flying activity have decided today to cancel the event after it was met with strong opposition […]
Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas wants you to know that it would be very difficult to produce a counterfeit of the new generation Philippine bank notes now in circulation. With the very stringent process, the bank note paper used made up of cotton with Philippine abaca, and all other security features […]
In its disclosure with the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE) Monday, the Banco de Oro Unibank Inc. (BDO) registered a P13.3-billion net income in the first half of 2017, much higher than the PHP11.7 billion in the same period in 2016. The leading unibank of the country traced the improvement of […]
This should confirm the long suspected plunge of the peso vis-à-vis the US dollar. Now the peso is seen to weaken further beyond the range of 48-50 until the end of year 2017. If it does, which is srongly possible, President Rodrigo Duterte’s economc managers are missing something. Yet, it […]
View this post on Instagram A post shared by Korina Sanchez-Roxas (@korina) ABS-CBN news anchor and host Korina Sanchez-Roxas is being referred to as “Imeldific” and a “trapo” after her appearance and participation in distribution of checks and farm equipments to farmers in Mindanao. The broadcaster wife of Liberal Party […]
Sunday, September 17, 1972. At a distance, yesterday, the Colgante bridge looked beautiful, with colorful buntings and lighted with different colored bulbs. As the day’s sun descended, the bridge’s silhuette on the Naga river provided a lovely backdrop for the still unfolding culmination of the Peñafrancia religious festivities.
MANILA – The country’s flag carrier Philippine Airlines and the Department of Budget and Management’s Procurement Service signed on Tuesday a general fares agreement on domestic travel for an initial 23 national government agencies. The agreement covers only official domestic trips of government officials, employees and personnel which will get […]
DAVAO CITY — What’s in a name of an old government department or agency? Rody Duterte’s incoming labor secretary, Silvestre Bello III, is into deep thoughts of renaming the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE). Bello told reporters in a Davao City press briefing he is suggesting for the department […]
The giving of nickname is popular among Bicolano families. Or I would rather say a part of our culture. I grew up in a family where calling someone the real name is a “crime” for a seemingly unsound connotation.
PNoy’s Aunts blessed by Pope Francis during Malacanang visit. During the courtesy call and visit of the Pope to Malacanang, two sick aunts of the president were around. The sister of President Cory and a sister of Senator Ninoy were blessed by the Holy Father. Presidential sister Kris Aquino confirmed […]
Security during the Holy Week feastivities and summer season is now in place, according to top Philippine National Police Bicol official on Tuesday. Bicol regional director Police Chief Supt. Augusto M. Marquez Jr. said his directive for this purpose stands effective up to May 31. The summer vacation and holy […]
The best promising employment opportunity that awaits a Bicolano willing and eager to work within the region are on the blue collar side. It is because there are more blue collar than white collar job opportunities in Bicol. This is confirmed by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) which pegged the […]
Then I heard about the skyway bridges that will span the river, connecting the towns of Libmanan and Canaman. The structure will be built much farther inside and farther from Balongay. The loss of Calabanga and Cabusao became the gain of Libmanan and Canaman. Lucky folks of these towns.
In an annual survey conducted by New York-based Travel + Leisure magazine, readers were asked to rate destinations all over the world according to their activities, sights, natural attractions, beaches, food, friendliness and overall value. Results revealed that Palawan hurdled the top rank after receiving the highest score among readers […]
According to the Department of Education and Culture-Bicol about 1.6 million students will troop back to the region’s public elementary and high schools in today’s opening of regular classes. Chief administrative officer Jose B. Bonto of DepEd regional office, said this total number of students expected to return to schools […]
The big, influential businesses accumulate profits and get the government’s favorable attention much of the time. On the other side are hapless workers literally wrapped in the palms of big business, choking. Already, they howl and scream on the city streets yet get the caressing water guns of the government. Hence, workers are warped into a time very much comparable when there exist no justice for all but for the people wtih deep pockets and capital.
SC DAP ruling to lead prosecution of erring gov’t officials – CBCP MANILA, Feb 5 — Archbishop Socrates Villegas said people are hoping the recent ruling of the Supreme Court (SC) will pave the way for the investigation and prosecution of those who were involved in the use of the […]
Live Stream: Poe-Llamanzares Vs. Comelec 4rth Oral Arguments at SCOTP This is the fourth live stream coverage of the Poe-Llamanzares Vs. Comelec 4rth Oral Arguments G.R. No. 221697 from the Supreme Court of the Philippines (SCOTP). Follow the update on the disqualification case for the presidential run of Senator Grace […]
This should completely erase the doubt. Senator Grace Poe-Llamanzares is a natural-born Filipino and also complied with the residency requirement to run for president in the May 9, 2016 elections. This was declared by the Supreme Court of the Philippines (SCOTP) in a 47-page decision released on Friday on the […]
MANILA, March 30 — For travellers going to Baguio city this Holy Week, got to read this. The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) is set to implement an experimental one-way traffic scheme at Kennon Road from Holy Tuesday to Good Friday. According to DPWH Secretary Rogelio Singson, the […]
At the edge of the river bank, a waiting shade serves as the landing-terminal point for arriving and departing passengers. One can let time pass just by sitting on the steps or on the cement seats. I did just that and kept awed and bewildered at how huge and overwhelming the Bicol river is.
Just mention The Bicol High School and The Bicol Teachers College and it will trigger enough interest and talk, and more of an endless poignant memory recall of its surviving and now aging students.
MANILA, June 29 — A day before the formal oath taking into office of Vice-President-elect Leni Robredo, Senator Ferdinand “Bong Bong” Marcos, Jr. on Wednesday personally filed before the Supreme Court (SC), as the Presidential Electoral Tribunal (PET), his election protest against the outgoing 3rd District congresswoman of Camarines Sur. […]
The Supreme Court of the Philippines (SCOTP) en banc ruled on Tuesday that Partido Galing at Puso standard bearer Senator Grace Poe-Llamanzares is qualified to run for president in the May 9, 2016 elections. The SC Public Information Office Chief and Spokesman Atty. Theodore O. Te, in a statement, said […]
The last full moon of the year pulled a lot of moon gazers into the beach. And look what they did to the beach afterwards!. In Thailand, the aftermath of the full moon party, produced trash unkempt but left on the beach for others to clean-up, or the waves of […]
What is important, an abandoned old city hall or a new mall in its place? [flexiblemap address=”Old City Hall building, Iriga City, Camarines Sur, Bicol” region=”Bicol” directions=”true” width=”100%” height=”250px” zoom=”18″ ] This is the bone of contention and friction point between four barangay captains of Iriga city against its mayor […]
Watch the live stream feed of the joint congressional oversight committee on the automated election system The agenda for this include: Update from Comelec on the preparations for the 2016 national and local elections minimum system capabilities of the vote counting machines field testing for the transmission of election results. […]
The long wait continues for that dreaded explosion of the beautiful, majestic Mayon volcano for 50 days or so now since Phivolcs raised Alert Level 3. The evacuees are holed in less comfortable camping situation of their lives, on dole outs from the government and private sectors of relief food, […]