Ka Satur Ocampo, the respected leftist statesman running for the Senate this year, doesn’t look and act like he’s 70 years old, which he already is. His endurance is obvious in his active leadership and participation in street protests. He’s young at heart, remaining true to the hopefulness of the ranks of young Filipinos to which he once proudly belonged.

Secretary Esparanza Cabral, formerly of the DSWD and currently with the Department of Health. Photo grabbed from the DSWD website.

Secretary Esperanza Cabral is apparently harassing the blogger who blogged about the relief goods stockpiled in warehouses of the agency she used to head in the aftermath of supertyphoon Ondoy (Ketsana). She has filed a libel case against Ella Ganda for supposedly defaming her, the men and women of the Department of Social Welfare and Development and the agency itself.

Cabral is committing a grave mistake for which she would probably shame herself before the court which will hear the libel case. The subsequent events after Ella Ganda published her controversial post — Cabral admitting that there indeed were plenty of relief goods in DSWD warehouses and Cabral accepting the offer of citizens to help in repacking them to speed up distribution, the online community’s response to such call for volunteers — would only confirm what the blogger wrote. In fact, Ella Ganda did the country a favor by ensuring speedy and transparent distribution of these relief goods for their intended recipients.

Thank you dear readers and friends for your support last 2009. I look forward to be with you too this 2010. I look up to you for inspiration (see picture, hehe).

I also started writing for AsianCorrespondent.com last 2009 on a blog I titled Bullet Points, hoping to give the international audience my take on what’s happening in our country and the world. I was able to write 59 articles there and I am proud of each one of them.

I hope to write more in 2010 and for this, I’d love to hear your suggestions on topics and issues you wish to see here and on AsianCorrespondent.com.

Happy new year! Manigong bagong taon!

Christmas is just two days away and 2010 is not far behind. I hope this list is not too late!

Here’s my wishlist — the key word here being “wish”. I wish to have some or all of them as we work through the final days of 2009 and take things as cool and composed as possible in 2010. They’re all things and gadgets, most of them rather expensive. And so I make these wishes today — and hope that they find their way to me soon.

kabataanpartylist2010In a decision promulgated and announced today, the Supreme Court granted the petition of Kabataan Partylist Rep. Raymond Palatino and several new voters and national youth organizations to compel the Commission on Elections to extend the voter registration until January 9, 2010 as provided for by law.

The court decision is “immediately executory”.

This is clearly a victory for new voters and Kabataan Partylist, and a slap on the face of the Comelec which has refused to abide by the law and illegally shortened the period of registration by 70 days.

Below is the full text of the Supreme Court decision:

supremecourt
Any citizen may question the imposition of martial law before the Supreme Court. (Photo grabbed from WikiPilipinas.)

The National Union of People’s Lawyers, Bayan Muna Rep. Satur Ocampo, Gabriela Rep. Liza Maza, Bayan Secretary-General Renato Reyes Jr. and this blogger today went to the Supreme Court to file “A Very Urgent Petition for Certiorari and Prohibition with Very Urgent Application for a Temporary Restraining Order and/or Preliminary Injunction” at the Supreme Court.

Docketed as G.R. 190301, the petition asks the Court to nullify Proclamation 1959 on two grounds:

  1. It is unconstitutional; and
  2. It adversely affects and jeopardizes the people’s demand for justice forthe victims of the Maguindanao massacre.

Here is the full text of the petition:

President Arroyo with ARMM Governor Zaldy Ampatuan and Maguindanao Governor Andal Ampatuan Sr. (right) -- Photo grabbed from the Times of London
President Arroyo with ARMM Governor Zaldy Ampatuan and Maguindanao Governor Andal Ampatuan Sr. (right) -- Photo grabbed from the Times of London

Here is the full text of President Arroyo’s declaration placing Maguindanao under martial law:

PROCLAMATION NO. 1959

PROCLAIMING A STATE OF MARTIAL LAW AND
SUSPENDING THE PRIVILEGE OF THE WRIT OF
HABEAS CORPUS IN THE PROVINCE OF
MAGUINDANAO, EXCEPT FOR CERTAIN AREAS

martiallaw

This is a second tragedy in two weeks: First, a massacre of at least 57 innocent civilians. Now, a massacre of the Constitution and everything we supposed to have learned from martial law.

President Arroyo’s Proclamation 1959 is obviously unconstitutional: There is no invasion or rebellion to warrant martial law. What we have is transparent incompetence on the part of law enforcers to enforce the law, to rein in the suspected brains and masterminds of the November 23 massacre and to restore and maintain peace and order and the rule of law in Maguindanao.

Photo grabbed from Arkibong Bayan.
Photo grabbed from Arkibong Bayan.

The nation is still in a state of shock over the grisly Maguindanao massacre. With the Arroyo government dragging its feet even in the face of nationwide and international uproar, several groups and individuals met over the weekend and formed the November 23 Movement.

Below is their joint statement which they hope would be published in newspapers across the country on Dec. 1:

eeepc_mobilebroadband
Photo grabbed from igadgetlife.com

Smart and Globe are fighting over the title of having the “fastest mobile broadband service”. As they fight themselves in the media, I thought that perhaps its better to make my own study of the three competing mobile broadband products.

To do the tests, I made use of a Compaq Presario notebook computer running on Windows 7 Ultimate, a single openline Huawei E156C dongle/modem and a generic Mobile Partner software dialer to connect to the internet. I got the SmartBro SIM pack from a package I bought last August. I also bought a Sun Broadband Wireless prepaid SIM SIM pack for P50 and a Globe Tattoo SIM pack for P40.

saturocampo4senatorThe following is the statement of Bayan Muna Rep. Satur Ocampo as he filed today at the Commission on Elections his certificate of candidacy for senator in the 2010 elections:

“Today, I am filing my certificate of candidacy for senator of the Republic full of hope for our people and our nation. Through the coming elections, the time is ripe to end nine years of misrule under the Arroyo administration. Our people yearn for change, and now is the perfect opportunity for us to make that change.

I am running for the position of Senator of the Republic for three reasons: