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Lapu-Lapu attack: Man, who punched, molested boy, nabbed
LAPU-LAPU CITY, Cebu — A 25-year-old man was arrested after he allegedly mauled and sexually molested a 7-year-old child and student in a barangay in Lapu-Lapu City on Monday afternoon, February 12, 2024. The man claimed to have a learning disability and a person with a disability (PWD). Lapu-Lapu police arrested the suspect after the.....»»
4 attack barangay captain over group chat
Four people – a man and three women – were arrested for allegedly attacking a barangay captain over a social media group chat in Tondo, Manila before dawn yesterday......»»
Man dies in motorcycle attack
Police arrested a delivery rider who allegedly ran over a 33-year-old man in the compound of a hospital in Quezon City Tuesday......»»
Malaybalay attack vs NPA a showcase of latest military assets
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (MindaNews / 27 December)—The attack against the New People’s Army (NPA) in neighboring Malaybalay City before dawn on Christmas Day, where 10 rebels were allegedly killed, was a showcase of the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ (AFP) latest military assets. Used in action were the Philippine Air Force’s (PAF) A-29 Super […].....»»
15-year-old boy shot in head by minor
CEBU CITY, Philippines — A 15-year-old boy, who was playing games inside a computer shop in Cebu City, was shot in the head twice by another minor on Wednesday, December 13, 2023. The attack allegedly stemmed from personal conflicts related to the illegal drug trade. Fortunately, the victim, a Grade 7 student, survived and is.....»»
3 wanted suspects fall in Rizal sting
Three wanted persons were arrested in separate manhunt operations on Tuesday, the Rizal police provincial office said Wednesday. Rizal police provincial director P/Col. Rainerio de Chavez said the three individuals were nabbed for various cases in the towns of Rodriguez and Tanay, and Antipolo City. In Rodriguez, the 42-year-old accused, identified only as alias Zaldy, was arrested by operatives of the Rodriguez Municipal Police Station by virtue of a warrant of arrest for the crime of frustrated murder. It can be recalled that the accused was allegedly tagged behind the stabbing incident against alias Ryan who miraculously survived the attack after he was rushed to a nearby hospital. In Antipolo, rape suspect alias Junior was nabbed by the police by virtue of a warrant of arrest issued by Judge Jose Bayani Usman of Puerto Princesa City Regional Trial Court Branch 50 (Family Court) for the crime of two counts of rape, acts of lasciviousness, and violation under Republic Act 7610 or the Anti-Child Abuse Law. The post 3 wanted suspects fall in Rizal sting appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
US condemns latest attack on Cuban embassy
The United States on Monday condemned the latest attack on Cuba's embassy in Washington, in which a man allegedly threw two Molotov cocktails at the mission. The communist nation described the incident Sunday night as a "terrorist attack." No one was injured. "All attacks and threats against diplomatic facilities are unacceptable," State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters. "We are in contact with Cuban embassy officials and, consistent with our obligations under the Vienna Convention, the department is committed to the safety and security of diplomatic facilities and the diplomats who work in them," he said. He said the State Department was coordinating with Washington police in the investigation. Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez earlier wrote on social media that an individual threw two Molotov cocktails in the "terrorist attack." Ambassador Lianys Torres Rivera said the embassy had "immediately communicated with United States authorities, who were given access to the mission to take samples of the Molotov cocktails." The attack took place hours after Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel returned to Havana after attending the United Nations General Assembly in New York and other activities with Cubans in the US. In New York, Cubans had demonstrated against Diaz-Canel's presence at the UN, according to posts and videos shared on social media. "The anti-Cuban groups resort to terrorism when feeling they enjoy impunity, something that Cuba has repeatedly warned the US authorities about," said Rodriguez after Sunday's attack. It was the second attack against the Cuban mission in Washington in recent years, after a man opened fire on the building in April 2020. There were no injuries from that attack either. At the time, the Cuban foreign minister summoned the then-US charge d'affaires in Havana, Mara Tekach, to express his "energetic protest" over what he called a "terrorist aggression" against his embassy. That shooting left bullet holes in exterior walls and columns, broke a street lamp and damaged several panes of glass and moldings on the front of the building. US authorities arrested Alexander Alazo over the shooting, charging him with multiple offenses including "a violent attack on a foreign official or official premises using a deadly weapon," according to the US Justice Department. The Cuban embassy reopened as a full mission after a reconciliation bid by former US president Barack Obama. His successor, Donald Trump, backed by staunchly anti-communist Cuban Americans, reversed many of Obama's overtures. The post US condemns latest attack on Cuban embassy appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Ombudsman vindicates (2)
The Ombudsman was correct in his unsolicited recommendation that Audit Observation Memorandum or AOMs should not be published to prevent prejudging those involved. But AOMs with biased, political undertones and color, if released within a conspired time frame and raising issues as critical as huge Department of Health or DoH money intended to combat Covid-19 being stolen, can cause a rebellion. More than ever, these justify graft buster Martires’ anger over the publication of AOMs. Amazingly, this scenario reappeared with an almost repeat performance by the same personalities like the lady who poured out her tears over the plea bargaining agreement, Heidi Mendoza, who suddenly appeared from nowhere crying again and asking everyone to pray for the soul of her colleague, UN Auditor, Atty. Jake Cimafranca, who worked hard on the DoH report, died of a heart attack. She posted about it in time for Cimafranca’s burial. Also suddenly appearing was Grace Pulido Tan of the “kahindik-hindik (hideous)” PDAF audit report, echoing the same statement of her tandem Heidi that the release of the DoH audit report was regular and not premature. Astonishing everyone, including CoA state auditors, was the rebuff by no less than CoA Chair Michael Aguinaldo of the directive of President Duterte telling him to audit the Philippine National Red Cross. He said the CoA needed more authority to audit the PNRC. State auditors were shocked by the answer of their chief to a presidential order. Something must be cooking. And there emerged the resounding call for an immediate investigation by the senators of the Republic on the DoH’s P67.32- billion fund intended to fight Covid-19. Soon, the call for an inquiry sounded worldwide. The internet showed news flashes in the world’s capital cities of allegedly massive Department of Health funds of the Philippines intended to protect the people of the archipelago from the onslaught of Covid-19 being stolen. But former fiscal and President Rodrigo Duterte could not be intimidated. “Pure bullshit”: Duterte says CoA-flagged DoH funds not stolen. Duterte tells Cabinet secretaries to ignore CoA reports: “Nothing will happen there.” All probes against DoH “can continue,” Palace says after Duterte scores CoA. In effect, Fiscal Digong was saying, you can go on with your investigation. Catch the crooks, but do not hinder government efforts to provide our people with the supplies they need to protect them from Covid-19. Here is how it all started. The annual audit report on the accounts and financial operations of the Department of Health for the calendar year ending 31 December 2020 disclosed, among other things, the following most significant observations contained in one of the collections of AOM released as an annual audit report on 11 August 2021: “1. Various deficiencies involving some P67,323,186,570.57 worth of public funds and intended for national efforts of combatting the unprecedented scale of the Covid-19 crisis were noted. These deficiencies contributed to the challenges encountered and mixed opportunities by the DoH during the state of calamity and national emergency and cast doubts on the regularity of related transactions. “We requested that the SoH (Secretary of Health) implement the recommendations contained in the Consolidated Management Letter on the audit of Covid-19 funds for the year ending 31 December 2020 and submit a status report on the actions taken on the audit recommendations stated therein.” On 11 August 2021, the preceding observation was reported by a local stream media as a blazing headline: “CoA finds DoH lacking in managing P67.32-B Covid funds.” “The Commission on Audit found deficiencies in how the Department of Health managed the P67.32 billion fund to fight the Covid-19 pandemic, adding that it contributed to challenges that the country faced during the crisis. “CoA’s annual audit report for DoH in 2020 revealed that the deficiencies are caused by non-compliance with pertinent laws and regulations, which led to missed opportunities for the department primarily tasked with managing the pandemic.” (To be continued) The post Ombudsman vindicates (2) appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Gag Trump, prosecutor asks court
Former United States president Donald Trump’s inflammatory rhetoric have gotten prosecutors threatened and may influence jurors and witness testimony, a special counsel argued in seeking a gag order on him. Special Counsel Jack Smith made the request on Friday ahead of Trump’s trial for election subversion. Smith enumerated Trump’s menacing comments posted on social media since his 1 August indictment for allegedly upending the results of the 2020 US election in a concerted effort that led to the violent 6 January 2021 attack by his supporters on the Capitol. “IF YOU GO AFTER ME, I’M COMING AFTER YOU!” read one of Trump’s posts. Trump, who is running for president in next year’s election, also labeled trial judge Tanya Chutkan a “fraud” and “Trump-hating,” Smith’s office a “team of thugs” and Washington “filthy and crime-ridden” with a population “over 95 percent anti-Trump,” Smith added. Trump’s statements “could have a material impact on the impartiality of the jury pool while simultaneously influencing witness testimony,” Smith’s filing with the Washington federal court stated. “It is clear that the threats are prompted by the defendant’s repeated and relentless posts,” the filing added. The ex-president is also accused of seeking to disenfranchise American voters with his false claims that he won the November 2020 presidential election. Trump has pleaded not guilty, and has formally asked Chutkan to recuse herself from the case, accusing her of bias against him. WITH AFP The post Gag Trump, prosecutor asks court appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Ilocos cops nab stabbing suspect
ILOCOS NORTE — San Nicolas cops conducted a hot pursuit operation against an unidentified male who had allegedly stabbed Kevin Louise Deus, 29, a resident of Barangay 51-A Nangalisan in Laoag City on Friday morning. In the official report of the Philippine National Police, on 1 September 2023, at approximately 8:20 a.m., Liza Deuz, personally reported to the San Nicolas Municipal Police Stations that her son, Kevin Louise Deus, had been stabbed by an unidentified male individual in front of a store in Barangay 1 San Francisco in San Nicolas. According to the account of the victim's mother and his friends, they were purchasing liquor when two unidentified men, who had arrived in an orange Ford with license plate number IAE6527, confronted "Joel", a 29-year-old teacher residing in Brgy 52 A San Mateo, Laoag City. Without any apparent reason, one of the unidentified males punched Joel twice and retreated. Deus attempted to intervene and pacify the situation but was subsequently stabbed in his lower left abdomen by one of the unidentified suspects. Following the attack, the unidentified suspects fled in a southward direction aboard the orange vehicle. The victim was immediately transported to Mariano Marcos Memorial Hospital for medical treatment and is currently in stable condition. Following the report, personnel from the San Nicolas PNP conducted a hot pursuit operation to apprehend the suspect. Just a few minutes before lunch, they were able to arrest Mark Jun Arzaga, 30, a butcher and a resident of Barangay 22, San Guillermo in San Nicolas town. In an exclusive interview with Daily Tribune, Arzaga admitted that he stabbed Deus. However, Arzaga said, in his defense, he was disrespected by the group of Deus which prompted him to retaliate and alighted from his vehicle and stabbed Deus. The post Ilocos cops nab stabbing suspect appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Trump rants on judge’s early trial date
Former United States president Donald Trump angrily reacted to a judge’s decision to set the date for his election subversion conspiracy trial to 4 March 2024. Trump and his lawyers were hoping for a 2.5-year delay or April 2026 trial but US District Court Judge Tanya Chutkan’s chosen date declared in a Monday hearing in Washington is the eve of “Super Tuesday,” when more than a dozen states will pick between Trump and one of his rivals to be the 2024 Republican presidential nominee. “Today a biased, Trump Hating Judge gave me only a two-month extension, just what our corrupt government wanted, SUPER TUESDAY. I will APPEAL!” he said on his social network Truth Social, although trial dates are usually not appealable. “Setting a trial date does not depend on the defendant’s professional obligations so Mr. Trump will have to make a date work,” Chutkan said. The case before Chutkan accuses Trump of conspiracy to defraud the US and conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding — the 6 January 2021 joint session of Congress that was attacked by a mob of Trump supporters. He is also accused of seeking to disenfranchise American voters with his false claims he won the 2020 election. Trump pleaded not guilty to the charges in an early August court appearance and was not required to attend Monday’s procedural hearing. The frontrunning Republican nominee for next year’s presidential election is now facing a busy legal calendar. He is to go on trial in New York later in March on charges of paying election-eve hush money to a porn star. His trial for allegedly mishandling top secret government documents is in May in Florida. Trump and 18 co-defendants also face racketeering charges in Georgia over their efforts to overturn the 2020 election result in the southern state and are due to enter pleas at an arraignment next Wednesday. The judge presiding over the Georgia case has not yet set a firm date for that trial to begin. The 61-year-old Chutkan, who was appointed by former Democratic president Barack Obama, has handed down some of the stiffest sentences to participants in the attack on the US Capitol, and Trump has accused her of being “highly partisan” and “very biased.” Chutkan also has a legal history with Trump — she ruled against him in a November 2021 case, notably declaring that “presidents are not kings.” WITH AFP The post Trump rants on judge’s early trial date appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Suspected Syria bomber jumps to death from building
A man suspected of bombing a Shiite shrine in Syria last month died after he jumped from the seventh floor of a building where he was allegedly hiding from pursuers. Wissam Dalla, a Syrian in his early twenties, “threw himself from the seventh floor” of a building where he had been staying with relatives “after learning his location had been discovered,” Hezbollah said in a statement sent to Agence France-Presse. Dalla was “responsible for the explosion in the Sayyida Zeinab area” south of the Syrian capital last month, the Shiite Muslim group added. AFP was unable to independently confirm the allegations against Dalla. Hezbollah was pursuing Dalla late Friday south of the Lebanese capital, the Iran-backed group said. The group had pursued Dalla amid fears he could carry out another attack, the statement added, saying he was taken to hospital but died. “Relevant bodies” in Hezbollah were informed that he had entered Lebanon secretly, the statement said. The apparent suicide took place in Hay al-Sellom, an impoverished neighborhood in Beirut’s southern suburbs — a Hezbollah stronghold. Shiite shrines are a frequent target of attacks by Sunni Muslim extremists, not only in Syria but also in neighboring Iraq. WITH AFP The post Suspected Syria bomber jumps to death from building appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Targeted Christians found shelter with Muslims during Pakistan rampage
Pastor Javed Bhatti was roused from his sleep by the mosque's loudspeaker -- not the usual Islamic call to prayer, but a thundering call to protest against alleged blasphemy by Christians. Instinctively, he gathered his family and ran to the street, where fellow Christians were already spilling from their homes into narrow alleyways. "Some were running barefoot and some fled in rickshaws. There was chaos everywhere," he told AFP on Thursday, a day after hundreds of Muslim men rampaged through the streets, burning homes and churches. "The children were shouting, 'Run, run, the clerics are coming! They will attack us'," his sister Naila Bhatti added. Blasphemy is a flashpoint issue in Pakistan, where vigilante mobs have killed people accused of insulting Islam or the Prophet Muhammad. Christians make up around two percent of the population and occupy one of the lowest rungs in Pakistani society. More than 5,000 live in the Christian quarter in Jaranwala, most of them sanitary workers on meagre wages who occupy cramped homes shared by up to 18 relatives. As panic spread across the neighborhood, Muslims also rushed to the streets to warn and shelter their neighbors. "The crowd came from outside (this area), but the local Muslims here helped us and tried to save us," Pastor Bhatti said. Tariq Rasool, in the same narrow street as Bhatti, said Muslims had quickly pinned Koranic verses on the doors of Christian homes in the hope they would be spared the violence. "Two women were running. I opened the door of my house for them and let them inside. They were very worried but I consoled them," the 58-year-old Muslim told AFP. The mob swelled in size and anger throughout the day, with hundreds at its peak rioting through the streets. By nightfall, at least four churches and a dozen houses and shops had been burned and ransacked, according to an AFP team at the scene. Imran Qadri, a bearded Muslim, opened his home to two Christian women. "They are still inside our house. My family helped them, provided them with food and they spent the night with us," Qadri said, standing alongside Bhatti. Parveen Bibi fled with her eight family members after being woken up by her young children screaming: "Muslims are coming to burn our houses!" "We took rickshaws to the home of our Muslim neighbors. The door was open and we all went inside. I was accompanied by women, my two daughters-in-law and children. The women said, 'You are safe here, don't worry'," she explained tearfully, standing in the rubble of her home. Several Christians who returned to their houses on Thursday to survey the damage told AFP that more than 300 people had fled in the initial hours of the riot, but hundreds more evacuated at night and on Thursday to stay with relatives in other towns. Police have arrested more than 100 people allegedly linked to the violence and are searching for two Christian brothers accused of desecrating the Koran. Though the mob has dispersed and hundreds of police now guard the neighborhood, many are too fearful to return home yet. For Pastor Bhatti, returning has brought more pain for his family: "My own house was destroyed. This was our entire life's earnings. Now how will we live here again?" The post Targeted Christians found shelter with Muslims during Pakistan rampage appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Iran reporter who interviewed Amini father says freed from jail
An Iranian journalist handed a two-year jail sentence after interviewing the father of the woman whose custody death sparked months of protests said Sunday she had been released from prison. After her release from Tehran's Evin prison, Nazila Maroufian defiantly posted a picture of herself on social media without a headscarf, flouting the Islamic Republic's strict dress code for women. "Don't accept slavery, you deserve the best," she wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, and Instagram. The picture showed her clutching flowers in one hand with her other hand raised in a victory sign. Maroufian, whose age is given by Persian media outside Iran as 23, in October published an interview on the Mostaghel Online news site with Amjad Amini. He is the father of Mahsa Amini, whose death in custody last September after she allegedly violated the dress rules sparked months of protests. In the interview, Amjad Amini accused authorities of lying about the circumstances of his daughter's death. Iranian authorities have indicated she died because of a health problem, but the family and activists have said she suffered a blow to the head while in custody. Maroufian, a Tehran-based journalist but from Amini's hometown of Saqez in Kurdistan province, was first arrested in November. Health scare She was later released but in January said she had been sentenced to two years in jail, suspended for five years, on charges of propaganda against the system and spreading false news. According to rights groups, Maroufian was again ordered back to Evin prison in early July. There was major concern over her health earlier this month when supporters said she had been taken from prison to hospital. But in her social media post, Maroufian denied having had a heart attack and said she had suffered "shortness of breath and heart palpitations" and was now "fine". Iran has reacted harshly to reporting inside the country on the Amini case. The two women journalists who helped to bring the story to the world's attention have now spent almost a year in Evin after being arrested in September. Niloufar Hamedi reported for Iran's Shargh newspaper from the hospital where Amini languished in a coma for three days before she died, and Elahe Mohammadi, a reporter for the Ham Mihan newspaper, went to Saqez to report on Amini's funeral. Both are now on trial on charges of violating national security, which they vehemently deny. According to the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists, 95 reporters were arrested in the crackdown on the Amini protests, although most have now been released on bail. Last week the Iranian authorities summoned the British ambassador, Simon Shercliff, after he called on Tehran to release detained journalists, in social media post to mark National Journalists' Day in Iran. The post Iran reporter who interviewed Amini father says freed from jail appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Ecuadoran presidential candidate shot dead after rally
A popular Ecuadoran presidential candidate was shot dead while leaving a rally in the nation's capital on Wednesday, prompting President Guillermo Lasso to declare a state of emergency and blame the assassination on organized crime. Fernando Villavicencio, a 59-year-old anti-corruption crusader who had complained of receiving threats, was murdered as he was leaving a stadium in Quito after holding a campaign rally, officials said. Lasso declared a two-month state of emergency early Thursday following the assassination, but said general elections slated for 20 August would be held as scheduled. "Outraged and shocked by the assassination of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio," the president said in a statement on X, formerly known as Twitter, blaming the killing on "organized crime." "For his memory and for his fight, I assure you that this crime will not go unpunished." Villavicencio was the second most popular candidate in the presidential race, according to recent opinion polls. "The Armed Forces as of this moment are mobilized throughout the national territory to guarantee the security of citizens, the tranquility of the country and the free and democratic elections of August 20," Lasso said in a YouTube address. The president also declared three days of national mourning "to honor the memory of a patriot, of Fernando Villavicencio Valencia." "This is a political crime that acquires a terrorist character and we do not doubt that this murder is an attempt to sabotage the electoral process," he added. Lasso has said he will not seek re-election. President of the National Electoral Council Diana Atamaint said "the date of the elections scheduled for August 20 remain unalterable." Nine other people were injured in the shooting attack, including a candidate running for the national legislature and two policemen, prosecutors said. One of the alleged attackers was shot and killed by security personnel. And police detonated an explosive device planted in the area, said chief investigator Alain Luna. Carlos Figueroa, a friend of Villavicencio's who was with him at the time of the attack, told local media that the assailants fired around 30 shots. "They ambushed him outside" the sports center, Figueroa said. "Some (of those present) even thought they were fireworks." The country's main newspaper, El Universo, reported that Villavicencio was assassinated "hitman-style and with three shots to the head." Prosecutors later said six other suspects were arrested in raids carried out in southern Quito and in a neighboring town, and that Villavicencio's body was brought to a police department and would undergo an autopsy. 'Full weight of the law' In recent years, Ecuador has been hit by a wave of violence linked to drug trafficking which, in the midst of the electoral process, has already led to the death of a mayor and a parliamentary candidate. The homicide rate has doubled between 2021 and 2022. "Organized crime has gone too far, but the full weight of the law will be applied to them," Lasso said in his post. According to the latest polls, Villavicencio, a former journalist who wrote about corruption and served in parliament, polled at 13 percent behind lawyer Luisa Gonzalez, who is close to former left-wing president Rafael Correa. Gonzalez and other presidential candidates denounced the murder and said they were suspending their campaigns, local media reported. "We will never allow such acts to go unpunished. When they touch one, they touch all. When one's life is at risk, everyone's life is at risk," Gonzalez wrote on X. National Court of Justice president Ivan Saquicela called Villavicencio's murder "very painful for the country." "I am very hurt and very worried about Ecuador," he said. The United States, Spain, Chile and the Organization of American States observer mission have also condemned the crime. "We are horrified by the tragic attack... Violence cannot win. Democracy can," European Union ambassador to EcuadorCharles-Michel Geurts said on X. As a journalist, Villavicencio uncovered a corruption scheme for which former president Correa (2007-2017) was sentenced to eight years in prison. Villavicencio later served as president of the legislative oversight commission, where he continued to denounce corruption. The politician had complained this month that he and his team were receiving threats allegedly coming from the leader of a criminal gang linked to drug trafficking. "Despite the new threats, we will continue fighting for the brave people of our #Ecuador," he posted on X at the time. Atamaint, head of the electoral council, also said that several members of her organization, which is responsible for supervising the ballot, had received death threats. President Lasso sent a message to Villavicencio's family. "My solidarity and my condolences with his wife and his daughters," he said in his post. The post Ecuadoran presidential candidate shot dead after rally appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Man survives shooting attack in Dumanjug by estranged hubby of his live-in partner
CEBU CITY, Philippines — A 30-year-old man survived a shooting attack allegedly done by the estranged 47-year-old husband of his live-in partner in the evening of August 3 in Barangay Liong, Dumanjug town in southwestern Cebu. Police Captain Jan Ace Layug, chief of the Dumanjug Police Station, said in a report, that Erick John Fernandez […] The post Man survives shooting attack in Dumanjug by estranged hubby of his live-in partner appeared first on Cebu Daily News......»»
Trump indicted for trying to overturn 2020 US election
Donald Trump was indicted on Tuesday over his efforts to upend the results of the 2020 US election -- the most serious legal threat yet to the former president as he campaigns to return to the White House. It is the third criminal indictment of the 77-year-old Trump since March and charges him with three counts of conspiracy and one count of obstruction. Trump, the frontrunner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, is already scheduled to go on trial in Florida in May of next year for allegedly mishandling top-secret government documents. The new charges, two of which carry maximum sentences of 20 years in prison, raise the prospect of Trump being embroiled in more legal proceedings at the height of what is expected to be a bitter and divisive presidential campaign. The indictment brought by special counsel Jack Smith accuses Trump of conspiracy to defraud the United States and conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding -- the 6 January 2021, joint session of Congress held to certify Democrat Joe Biden's election victory. Trump is also accused in the 45-page indictment of seeking to disenfranchise American voters with his false claims that he won the November 2020 presidential election. "Shortly after election day -- which fell on 2 November 2020 -- the Defendant launched his criminal scheme," the indictment, handed down by a grand jury in Washington, said. "The purpose of the conspiracy was to overturn the legitimate results of the 2020 presidential election by using knowingly false claims of election fraud," it said. Smith, a former war crimes prosecutor at the Hague, said the January 6 attack on the Capitol by Trump supporters was "an unprecedented assault on the seat of American democracy." "It was fueled by lies," Smith told reporters in brief remarks. "Lies by the defendant targeted at obstructing a bedrock function of the US government -- the nation's process of collecting, counting and certifying the results of the presidential election." Part of that plan, the indictment alleges, was to have then-vice president Mike Pence use his role as presiding officer over the January 6 joint session to throw out several states' votes. Pence ultimately refused, issuing a public statement saying that he did not believe the Constitution allowed him that power. As Trump's supporters later stormed the US Capitol, where Pence was in hiding, Trump tweeted that his vice president "didn't have the courage to do what should have been done." White House silence The White House on Tuesday maintained silence on Trump's historic indictment. Biden, who is seeking reelection next year, continued his beach vacation in Delaware, dining out with First Lady Jill Biden before seeing the film "Oppenheimer." Trump's campaign, meanwhile, issued a blistering statement, comparing his prosecution to "Nazi Germany in the 1930s" and stating that he had followed "advice from many highly accomplished attorneys" -- a likely line of defense at trial. The indictment mentions six co-conspirators but none are identified and Trump, who is to be arraigned on Thursday, is the only named defendant. The case is expected to be heard by US District Court Judge Tanya Chutkan, an appointee of former Democratic president Barack Obama. Smith said he is seeking a "speedy trial." Trump furious Trump lashed out at the special counsel, calling him "deranged" and accusing him of issuing "yet another Fake Indictment" to "interfere with the presidential election." "Why didn't they do this 2.5 years ago?" Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform. "Why did they wait so long? "Because they wanted to put it right in the middle of my campaign," he said. "Prosecutorial misconduct!" Trump has repeatedly attacked the investigation as a political "witch hunt" by the Department of Justice. Besides the classified documents charges, the former president also faces a criminal trial in New York for allegedly paying election-eve hush money to a porn star. Georgia prosecutors are also looking into whether Trump illegally attempted to overturn the 2020 election outcome in the southern state. As president, Trump was impeached by the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives for seeking political dirt on Biden from Ukraine and over the events of January 6 but he was acquitted by the Senate both times. Pence, who is competing against Trump in the Republican primary, said on Twitter -- now rebranded as X -- that Tuesday's indictment "serves as an important reminder: anyone who puts himself over the Constitution should never be President of the United States." The post Trump indicted for trying to overturn 2020 US election appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Teves,12 others tagged terrorists
The Anti-Terrorism Council or ATC has designated Negros Oriental Rep. Arnolfo “Arnie” Teves Jr. as a terrorist for allegedly masterminding the assassination of Gov. Roel Degamo last 4 March, which also resulted in the deaths of nine others. The ATC named the congressman, who had gone into hiding, as the leader of the Teves Terrorist Group, which allegedly included as members his younger brother, Pryde Henry Teves, and purported bagman Marvin Miranda. Pryde was unseated by the Commission on Elections after a recount of the votes cast in the 2022 Negros Oriental gubernatorial election showed that Degamo had won. Degamo was killed in a commando-style attack at his residential compound in Pamplona town. The slain governor’s wife, Janice, is the mayor of Pamplona. The assault happened just weeks after the Supreme Court upheld the Comelec’s proclamation of Degamo as governor. Also tagged as terrorists were Nigel Electona, Tomasino Aledro, Rogelio Antipolo, Hannah Mae Oray, Rommel Pattaguan, Winrich Isturis, John Louie Gonyon, Dahniel Lora, Eulogio Gonyon Jr. and Jomarie Catubay. In a three-page resolution dated 26 July and signed by Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin that was released yesterday, the ATC said Pryde and Electona “provided material support” to Teves in furtherance of his alleged terrorist activities. “Investigation also revealed that Hannah Mae Sumero Oray handled the operational funds for the killings while Marvin H. Miranda acted as organizer and recruiter of personnel for specific terrorist attacks,” the ATC said. In April, Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla revealed the government’s intention to designate Teves as a terrorist, saying that his group’s alleged “activities that led to the killings are all covered by the Anti-Terror Law, [including] the recruitment, financing, purchase of firearms, and their distribution.” In hiding Teves has refused to come home after being located last in Timor-Leste, claiming his life was in danger. There was talk he was already in the Philippines under the protection of a former high government official. The House of Representatives had twice suspended Teves for refusing to heed Speaker Martin Romualdez’s plea to come home to face the charges against him. The Philippine National Police had filed a separate complaint against Teves before the Department of Justice last March over the alleged political killing of three other persons in Negros Oriental in 2019. A Degamo lawyer said the Teveses could be linked to as many as 60 killings in Negros Oriental. In reaction, Pryde said in a radio interview that his lawyers would appeal the ATC resolution. He expressed dismay that his right to travel and earn a livelihood would be affected by the order. Saying he would not leave Negros Oriental despite the tagging, the younger Teves said he would be the last to resort to terrorism because he had been a victim of violence. Meanwhile, Ferdinand Topacio, a lawyer of Congressman Teves, lambasted the ATC whose order, he said, demonstrated the government’s prejudgment of the case and “desperation” to take his client into custody. “Since day one of the Degamo killing, the government has mobilized all the resources at its disposal, starting with immediately tagging Teves as the mastermind thereof without investigation, conducting illegal searches on his properties, laying siege to his powers and prerogatives as a member of the House, embarking on a massive media campaign to discredit him and prejudice the minds of the public against him, among other things, all in an obsessive attempt to blame him for a crime at the expense of his constitutional rights,” Topacio said. Topacio questioned why the government had to use the ATC against Teves, in a case for which the Anti-Terrorism Law of 2020 was not “designed.” “The agencies of government, having eggs on their faces due to the recantation of all the key witnesses, the lack of evidence against Representative Teves, the public backlash against his obvious persecution, and the embarrassing failure of the authorities to bully him into returning to the country in spite of grave and serious threats to his life has expectedly weaponized the Anti-Terror Act by using it for the purpose for which it was not designed,” he said. When it was first floated that Teves would be tagged as a terrorist, he posted a video of himself wearing Muslim garb and laughing. The post Teves,12 others tagged terrorists appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Graft buster clears Cusi
Citing the presumption of regularity, the Office of the Ombudsman threw out the graft complaint of a New York-based billionaire against former Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi, other Department of Energy officials, Davao City-based executive Dennis Uy, and several others over the sale of 90 percent of the shares of the Malampaya natural gas consortium. On 18 October 2021, US-based geologist Balgamel Domingo and Filipino-American anti-Duterte leaders Rodel Rodis and Loida Nicolas-Lewis filed charges against Cusi, Uy, and the others involved in the sale of the Malampaya stake to the Udenna group of Uy. In a copy of the ruling obtained by the Daily Tribune, the Ombudsman said it could not delve into the complaint on the legality of the transaction since “the authority to make such a determination belongs to the court.” “Seemingly, this complaint is in actuality a collateral attack on the validity of the Share Sale and Purchase Agreement,” it said. The decision declared that “matters of such tenor are not determinable in a preliminary investigation before the Ombudsman’s Office.” “Without any judicial determination decreeing the illegality of the Share Sale and Purchase Agreement, this Office is left with nothing but to acknowledge its validity,” the ruling said. The Ombudsman cited a precedent in the case of Teresita Buenaventura vs Metrobank, in a ruling that stated: “The burden of showing that a contract is simulated rests on the party impugning the contract.” “This is because of the presumed validity of the contract that has been duly executed,” the Ombudsman ruling read. “Wherefore, the criminal charges for violation of Section 3(e) and of Republic Act 3019 against the respondents are dismissed for lack of probable cause.” The ruling was signed by members of a Special Panel of Investigators composed of Ronald Allan Ramos, Josephine Mae Rosapapan, Francisco Alan Molina and Bonifacio Mandrilla. Prime takes control The operation of the Malampaya project was recently assumed by the Razon group’s Prime Energy which bought a 45-percent stake from Malampaya Energy XP, or MEXP, of the Udenna group. MEXP had bought the shares of Shell Philippines Exploration B.V., or SPEX, in the consortium. The Department of Energy had branded the complaint a political move since the two Fil-Am lawyers in the suit were prominent in the “Oust Duterte” movement in the United States. The complaint alleged that Cusi and other energy officials had granted “unwarranted benefits and advantage” to Uy’s UC Malampaya in the buyout of Chevron’s share in the consortium. Udenna, through spokesperson Raymond Zorilla, said there is “no law requiring approval of the transfer of shares of companies that have an interest in Malampaya.” Zorilla said the transfer of Chevron and Shell shares underwent strict bidding processes and due diligence by both multinational oil and gas players. “The share sales were above board and legal and had to pass scrutiny by Philippine regulators, international lenders, and the said private multinationals involved,” Zorilla added. Cusi, in an interview with Daily Tribune, had said the DoE was not involved in choosing the buyer of the shares of Shell and Chevron in the Malampaya project. “The DoE did not get involved in the sale (of shares). We don’t know that they are selling. Our question was what their standards are for choosing Udenna. Why didn’t you choose the big companies, and why Udenna?” he said. Industry experts said the sale of shares was a private transaction that the accusers, who are US lawyers, should have been very familiar with. Cusi said the DoE, during his watch, went beyond its mandate by reviewing the technical, legal, and financial aspects of the transactions, the results of which were provided to the public. Political agenda The complaint, he said, had an underlying political agenda connected to his being the head of President Rodrigo Duterte’s Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan or PDP Laban. “It is not only political propaganda against me, but it also has a destabilization background… because I’m the president of the PDP.” The complaints, in turn, stemmed from the unending Senate inquiries on the Malampaya deals. The DoE said the Senate probes and the controversies that resulted from them had caused costly delays in the review process that would ultimately affect the country’s energy security. To refute a recent remark by Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, the DoE, in a statement said: “The inquiries of Senator Gatchalian are causing undue delay to the timeline of the consortium corporations, and this may eventually take its toll and put our energy security at risk.” The DoE’s approval of the sale of shares of stock of Chevron Malampaya LLC, one of the three corporations in the Malampaya Gas Field Project Consortium, had been dubbed by Gatchalian, chairman of the Senate Committee on Energy, as “lutong Macau.” It also backed the Udenna assessment that the deals were above-board. “When the sales were made, both Chevron Philippines, which owned Chevron Malampaya, and Shell Petroleum NV, owner of SPEX, followed rigorous global standards,” the DoE said. Nicolas-Lewis was part of a 25-person delegation from the US-Philippines Society, a private group comprising business executives and diplomats, who met with Duterte a week before his inauguration as president in 2016. Nicolas-Lewis was then accompanied by former Philippine Ambassador to the US Jose Cuisia, PLDT chair Manuel V. Pangilinan, retired American diplomats, and executives of Coca-Cola, SGV, JP Morgan, and other top corporations. Nicolas-Lewis is the sister of former National Anti-Poverty Commission chairperson Imelda Nicolas, who was one of the “Hyatt 10” Cabinet members who turned against then-President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in 2005. Imelda and most of the Hyatt 10 members ended up getting key posts in the administration of President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III. Imelda was made head of the Commission on Filipinos Overseas. Nicolas-Lewis plot bared In February 2018, former President Duterte bared intercepted conversations that indicated Nicolas-Lewis was behind efforts to push the International Criminal Court, or ICC, to probe his war on drugs. Duterte revealed a recorded conversation between Lewis and another political opponent whom he did not name. “I was listening to the tapes of their conversation. It was provided to me by another country, but the conversation was somewhere in the Philippines and New York,” Duterte said. He said that among the recordings was one in which Lewis allegedly told another person: “See you in the headquarters when the case is filed.” Duterte then said in a public address that he was aware of developments on the ICC case and that lawyer Jude Sabio, the main complainant in the case, was a paid hack of Magdalo Senator Antonio Trillanes IV and Rep. Gary Alejano, both failed putschists. Sabio withdrew his complaint before the ICC and revealed that the case was the handiwork of the dirty tricks factory of Trillanes. In 2016, Duterte pointed to Lewis as the financier of an alleged destabilization plot against his administration. Nicolas-Lewis invested heavily in the failed presidential campaigns of Liberal Party bets Mar Roxas in 2016 and Vice President Leni Robredo in 2022. The post Graft buster clears Cusi appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Abiad shooter nabbed at cockpit
The Quezon City Police District disclosed that its operatives have arrested an individual believed to be one of the suspects behind the shooting incident that wounded photojournalist Joshua Abiad, six of his relatives, and a bystander in Quezon City last 29 June. QCPD director Brig. Gen. Nicolas Torre III identified the suspect as Eduardo Almario Legazpi, believed to be a member of a gun-for-hire group. He was arrested at a cockpit in Muntinlupa City last Friday. “He was nabbed after emerging from a cockpit in Muntinlupa,” Torre told Daily Tribune. Torre said Legazpi is allegedly one of the five suspects being hunted by the QCPD. He, however, did not divulge the identities of the other suspects while follow-up operations are ongoing. He added that a certain Nanad, a former barangay chairperson, is the mastermind behind the ambush. Torre said the village chairperson blamed Abiad as the source of negative information against him. To recall, Abiad suffered two bullet wounds during the gun attack while two other occupants of the vehicles, both minors, were also wounded with one of them later died in a hospital. Police investigators already released images of three gunmen based on the CCTV they earlier obtained from nearby establishments. He added that suspect was the gunman who shot several times at the passenger side of the vehicle, where Abiad Online was also seated. Torre said the team diligently reviewed CCTV footage obtained from the hotel where the Abiad family initially came from until they reached the crime scene. Taken also from the same CCTV footage was a clear copy of the image of Legazpi as one of the gunmen. With the information, his men coordinated with the Southern Police District and Police Regional Office and proceeded to Muntinlupa City. The picture of Legazpi was shown to a confidential informant, who led the group to the suspect’s residence and his cohorts at Barangay Ilaya, Alabang, Muntinlupa City. The arrest was made after a tip-off that Legazpi went to a cockpit. Recovered from him was caliber .45 pistol loaded with seven live bullets. His belt bag also contained a fragmentation grenade M26A1. Violations of R.A. 10591 or the Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Act and R.A. 9516 or the Unlawful Possession of Firearms, Ammunition and Explosives have been filed against him before the Muntinlupa City Prosecutor’s Office while cases of Murder and three counts of Frustrated Murder will be filed before the Quezon City Prosecutor’s Office. The post Abiad shooter nabbed at cockpit appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»