Bayan Muna general counsel Neri Javier Colmenares has come out with a legal memorandum that explains and debunks what he describes as “grossly erroneous” preliminary remarks made by the chair of the House committee that hears the impeachment complaint against President Arroyo.

For Colmenares and Bayan Muna, Defensor has misinterpreted and has practically redefined the constitutional process (impeachment) and the rules governing it.

Those supporting the impeachment complaint and the larger cause of holding Arroyo for her many crimes, this legal memo comes in very handy.

While countries worldwide are taking “extraordinary” and “bold” steps to confront the global economic crisis and the recession that grips the biggest economies, President Arroyo and Congress have agreed to resort merely on enacting a national budget for 2009 that did not consider the meltdown.

What’s in store for the Philippines in the next few months? Let’s see from an economic briefing provided by Albay Gov. Joey Salceda to President Arroyo. The briefing paper and presentation are dated Nov. 12, 2008, and I’m publishing both documents here so anyone interested may take a look and analyze them.

I wasn’t able to attend and witness it (bummer) and so I opted for the next best thing: Ask his office for a copy of the speech Bayan Muna Rep. Satur Ocampo delivered today, July 10, at the University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City.

The speech is part of the UP Centennial Lecture Series, one of the events marking 100 years of UP.

Full text of Ocampo’s speech titled “UP will forge through risk-filled neoliberal terrain; so will militant activism persist: An Outsider’s View of the University of the Philippines” follows:

Before we begin, may I invite everyone to stand up for three minutes of silence in honor of the former students of the University of the Philippines who gave up their lives in the continuing struggle for national liberation, economic emancipation, social justice, equitable development and genuine and lasting peace for the Filipino people.

Congratulations to Gabriela, the country’s national alliance of women’s organizations, and to advertising company DDB DM9 JaymeSyfu for winning the bronze in the prestigious Cannes Lions 2008!

See the winning Gabriela ad entry here, titled “Duct Tape” which deals with “action against spousal abuse”. The bronze won by the ad is said to be the first Cannes Lion won by a Philippine advertising company.

Crew members of the Bloggers Kapihan today sat down with Senate star witness Rodolfo Noel “Jun” Lozada at the comfy lounge of the La Salle Greenhills‘ Brothers’ House. Attendance: JM, Sarah, Mong, Jhay and me.

Lozada was relaxed and comfortable during our two-hour sit-down with him. He spoke intensely about the important role of young people in finding out the truth, and small and big things that have happened since he dared spoke out the truth and was –to his surprise — proclaimed a hero for doing so.

Young people, said Lozada, should step up and stake their claim the truth. He said that like political freedom, truth is not simply handed down to us. We must ask for it. We must fight for it.

Lozada said that he intends to hit the ground running at the start of the new school year; forums are now being organized in scores of schools.

My impression is that Lozada has practically launched his own movement for truth. His call is for the people to abandon the ideology of hopelessness and selfishness that is being spread by the status quo, and lay claim and build the bright future we all aspire for. His aversion to talk about any plan to run for public office sounded sincere, and stressed by way of example, that he merely wants the young people to discover that they may — or should — act and be the leaders themselves. He said he was so happy one time when he saw shirts printed with this question: “Sino ang ipapalit?” and right there on the same shirt was the answer “ako!”

Lozada was not alluding to himself. He was just saying that young people should lead the movement for change.

Below are more pictures I took during the talk:

Members of online community PinoyPSP quietly launched this week a web ad campaign titled “PSP is better than sex”, featuring photos of Sony Playstation Portable users in provocative poses while playing their favorite handheld.

The photo set by amateur photographer Mark Baul of darckedesigns has received compliments from members of the Digital Photographer Philippines online forum.

Mark said that he used a Nikon D40 with the 18-55mm lens and improvised lights from several lamps. The photos were shot at an old house along Vito Cruz in Malate, Manila.

Models’ names are Pola, Rogel, Jamirxp, Dhez, Mcoy, Anne, Reese, Chadchad. Except for Pola, all are PinoyPSP members.

The entire shoot took five hours, Mark said, adding that photos are principally aimed to help launch PinoyPSP’s 3rd edition community shirts.

Sony PR executives should be rejoicing as this effort cuts down ad expenses. PSP users themselves are helping raise awareness of Sony gaming handheld.

Photos at the jump.

The Arroyo government sent a 45-member official delegation to the United Nations Human Rights Council’s recent session in Geneva which placed the Philippines under a “universal periodic review”.

Human rights lawyer Edre Olalia of the People’s UPR Watch and president of the International Association of People’s Lawyers, furnished us a copy of a list of individuals who formed part of the Philippine delegation.

The list, which came from the UNHRC, includes the following:

  1. Eduardo Ermita, executive secretary
  2. Enrique Manalo, undersecretary, Department of Foreign Affairs
  3. Erlinda Basilio, Philippine Permanent Representative to the UN in Geneva
  4. Edwin Enrile, deputy executive secretary
  5. Cecilia Rachel Quisumbing, undersecretary, Office of the Executive Secretary
  6. Ricardo Blancaflor, undersecretary, Department of Justice

At least seventeen countries grilled and questioned Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita‘s “universal periodic review” report before the United Nations
Human Rights Council on Friday in Geneva, Switzerland.

Ermita, who led a big official Philippine delegation to the UPR session on the country, is now under attack both in Geneva and in Manila from human rights watchdogs for claiming “success” in defending the Arroyo government’s bloody human rights record.

Atty. Edre U. Olalia, president of the International Association of People’s Lawyers (IAPL) and a member of the People’s UPR Watch delegation to Geneva, said that representatives of at least 17 countries “incessantly questioned” Ermita over extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, women and children’s rights, migrant rights, indigenous people’s rights, corruption and on the reason why the Philippines has not signed or ratified instruments against torture and disappearances.

“Stripped of the usual diplomatic courtesies, this sizable number sends a strong message that the Philippine human rights record is both under the microscope and within the radar of the international community,” said Olalia.

Among the questions raised on the Philippines where on the absence of convictions of perpetrators of 901 political killings.