Page 29 - SEPTEMBER 2017 B ISSUE

September 2017 / Fortnightly – No. 18 • UK & Europe Edition
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MANILA – The 54-year-old taxi
driver who claimed that he was
robbed by Carl Angelo Arnaiz before
the latter was killed by the Caloocan
police was among those charged in the
killing of the 19-year-old teener and
his companion, 14-year-old Reynaldo
“Kulot” de Guzman.
Public Attorney’s Office (PAO)
chief Persida Rueda Acosta said the
families of the slain youngsters charged
Tomas Bagcal as co-conspirator of
police officers Jeffrey Perez and Ricky
Arquilita, who were accused of double
murder, torture, and planting of
evidence.
Acosta said Bagcal had conflicting
statements about Arnaiz’s killing
that allegedly made his credibility past 3 a.m. of August 18. In his second
questionable.
The PAO chief noted that in his vehicle at 3:20 a.m. But according to
first affidavit, Bagcal said Arnaiz rode a police blotter, Arnaiz hailed the cab
his cab on a highway in Navotas City at 2 a.m. but at 1:28 a.m., the teener
Rep. Vilma Santos not in favor of House-
approved budget of P1,000 for CHR
VILMA Santos-Recto is not in
favor of the measly P1,000 budget
that the House of Representatives had
allotted for the the Commission on
Human Rights for 2018.
Responding to a Facebook post
by talent manager Noel Ferrer, the
actress and Batangas 6th district
representative said she was not
present when the House voted on the
CHR budget on Tuesday due to an
ulcer attack, but said she would have
voted No if she had the chance.
“I am against cutting the budget
of the CHR. The Commission has a
duty to perform its Constitutional
mandate. With so many crimes/ EJK—
it needs more resources for these
investigations. Ito ang isang Ahensya
na tumutulong sa karapatang pang
tao!! (This is an agency that helps
human rights.),” she said in a message
to Ferrer.
InterAksyon earlier mistakenly
Rep. Vilma Santos-Recto
In this file photo, taxi driver Tomas
Bagcal shows reporters the mark of
the wound on his right hand, allegedly
inflicted by Carl Arnaiz when he held
him up. Bernard Testa, Interaksyon
affidavit, he said the teenager rode the
reported that the unverified Twitter
account of the actress-solon confirmed
to a Twitter user that she was one
of those who voted yes for the
controversial CHR budget and later
defended her stand. The account’s
profile description read, “The mother
of Batangas Governor Viilma Santos
Recto.”
Officially, only 32 congressmen
opposed the House’s controversial
proposal which was endorsed by 119
representatives.
In March, Vilma lost her committee
chairmanship on civil service and
professional regulation as a result of
her vote against the death penalty.
Her husband, Ralph Recto, was
among the senators who pushed for
the Senate approval of a P678-million
budget for CHR on Monday — one
day before the House vote.
The approved 2018 budget,
however, was P47 million lower
NEWS
was already dead.
“Naholdap siya diumano sa
isang statement 3:00, sa isa 3:20, sa
blotter 2:00, eh as of 1:28 patay na
si Carl [In one statement, he said he
than CHR’s P724.9 million budget
for 2017 but it also included a
P28.565-million budget for the
Human Rights Violations Victim’s
Memorial Commission.
House Speaker Pantaleon
Alvarez, a staunch ally of President
Rodrigo Duterte, had vowed to give
zero budget to CHR “for always
criticizing the government.”
The CHR — which is mandated
by the Constitution to protect
ordinary citizens against abuses by
the police, the military and other
agents of the state — has been
vocal about the rise of extrajudicial
killings in the country brought
on by Duterte’s all-out campaign
against the illegal drug trade.
However, its efforts to
investigate EJK cases have so
far been thwarted by officials of
the Philippine National Police,
reportedly on Duterte’s orders.
As reported by InterAksyon,
a partial and unofficial list of House
representatives who voted “No” on
approving the P1,000 budget for
CHR did not include Santos-Recto.
It is not yet known if other
entertainers-turned-politicians like
Leyte Rep. Lucy Torres-Gomez
and Quezon City 5th District Rep.
Alfred Vargas voted in favor of the
P1,000 budget or if they were just
not present during the voting.
Accounting for individual voting
was difficult because legislators
were merely called to stand for a
headcount. n Edwin P. Sallan, InterAksyon |
September 13, 2017, 12:53 PM
www.hello-philippines.com
was robbed at 3:00, in another at 3:20,
in the blotter it was 2:00 but as of 1:28,
Carl was already dead] said Acosta.
“Sinong Carl nagholdap sa
kanya [Who was the Carl that robbed
him]?” the PAO chief added.
Acosta said Bagcal should show up
and clear his name so he could still have
the chance to become state witness.
“Linisin niya pangalan dito, lumitaw
siya dito. Baka gawin pa siyang state
witness.”
During a press conference on Sept.
10, Bagcal said he had turned over a
“live” Arnaiz to police at Caloocan’s 9th
Avenue Precinct but was told to proceed
to C-3 Road, where the teenager was
shot dead.
He said the police’s killing of Arnaiz
“seemed staged or scripted.” But
authorities said Arnaiz died during a
‘IMBES NA I-ABOLISH, I-SUPPORT’
CHR finds aly in DND chief Lorenzana
MANILA – The Commission
on Human Rights found an ally in
Delfin Lorenza after the chief of the
Department of National Defense
(DND) on Thursday said the CHR was
created under the 1987 Charter and
thus should be supported.
“Imbes na i-abolish nila ‘yan,
they have to support. Kasi it’s a
constitutional body na nand’yan.
Ginawa ng batas ‘yan, Constitution pa
‘yan eh, di ba….’Yong head nga hindi
mo p’wedeng tanggalin…” Lorenza
told reporters.
[Instead of abolishing it, they have
to support. Because it’s a constitutional
body. It was created through a law,
through the Constitution…It’s head
can’t be ousted.]
The DND secretary, a Mindanaoan
and a graduate of the Philippine
Military Academy Class 1973, said he
had a smooth relationship with the
CHR even when he was still a field
29
shootout with arresting officers.
Meanwhile, Reynaldo’s brother had
taken back his statement that the body
retrieved last Sept. 5 from a creek in
Brgy. San Roque, Gapan, Nueva Ecija
did not belong to his brother.
Edgardo claimed that he was just
misquoted in earlier reports saying the
face of the cadaver was not similar to
that of Reynaldo and unlike his brother,
was not circumcised.
“Mariin ko pong tinatanggi na ako
ang nagbigay ng komento kahit kanino
man ukol sa bangkay. ‘Di ako nagkaroon
ng pagkakataon na makita ang bangkay
ni Kulot,” said Edgardo.
[I strongly deny that I was the one
who gave the comment to anyone about
the cadaver. I did not have the chance to
see Kulot’s remains.] n J.V. Arcena, News5 |
InterAksyon September 14, 2017, 10:11 PM
Romeo Ranoco file photo of
DND chief Delfin Lorenzana
officer, including as commander of
the Second Scout Ranger Battalion
in Malagos, Davao, where he was
instrumental in clearing the city of
insurgents, sparrow units, and other
criminal groups.
“When I was in the field, when I
was a commander, I had a very healthy
relationship with the CHR sa [in the]
region,” adding that he had invited
the commission’s officials and staffers
to train soldiers on human rights.
According to Lorenzana, the CHR
is needed to keep on eye on the police
and the military.
“Sa government officials, especially
the military and the police…medyo
ingat sila sa ginagawa nila,” adding
that they became more cautious
and avoided violating the “rights of
another person” because they knew
that they would be “liable to rights
violations.” n InterAksyon | September 14, 2017,
8:16 PM