Corona to Ombudsman: Resign after I prove your claims are a 'lantern of lies'

MANILA, Philippine - Impeached Chief Justice Renato Corona on Monday dismissed Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales' presentation before the Senate impeachment court as a "lantern of lies," saying he was ready to debunk all her claims.

Corona also urged the Ombudsman, his former colleague at the Supreme Court, to step down from her post after the chief justice proves that all her presentations are wrong.

“The number of accounts alone is at best ridiculous. Her PowerPoint diagram is a lantern of lies which only messed up her presentation, contrary to what some believe now as damning evidence,” Corona said in a statement.

“Either she does not know what she is talking about, or is purposely misleading the Impeachment Court and the public. Is she even privy to how the AMLC [Anti-Money Laundering Council] arrived at the bloated numbers?” he added.

He said that his camp would be ready to "debunk all" of the Ombudsman's "bloated numbers."

"And once she is proven wrong, I urge her to immediately resign from her post for allowing herself to be used by this Administration and making a laughingstock of ‘government auditing'."

During Monday's trial, the Ombudsman disclosed that as of 2012, Corona maintained 82 dollar accounts in five different banks with "transactional balances" of at least $10 million.

Carpio-Morales' information was based on data from the AMLC.  She said Commissioner Heidi Mendoza of the Commission on Audit had helped her analyze the transcations allegedly made by Corona in his accounts.

According to Mendoza, in a span of eight years, nearly $29 million or roughly P1.2 billion went into the four main alleged dollar accounts of Corona.

She said the four accounts had a total inflow of $28,740,497.93 that included deposits, credit memos, fund transfers, and internal remittances.

Meanwhile, the total outflow in the same accounts, which included withdrawals, debit memos, purchases, and outward remittances, amounted to $30,758,878.51 or about P1.3 billion, according to Mendoza.

The COA official said the withdrawal appeared bigger because it did not show the beginning balance of the accounts.

But Corona said the allegations were similar to the "LRA hoax." He was referring to the Land Registration Authority's computer-generated data that showed that the chief justice had 45 properties.

This was later debunked by Corona's defense team saying the chief justice only had five properties as stated in his Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth.

Source: http://www.interaksyon.com/article/31899/corona-to-ombudsman-resign-after-i-prove-your-claims-are-a-lantern-of-lies

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2,000 lost homes in Cebu flames

Video streaming by Ustream

Common cause

Initial theories included a plugged-in rice cooker that was left unattended, a charcoal fire, and electrical misuse.

Based on a report from the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), 601 out of 7,324 fires were electricity-related.

Ronaldo Orbeta, officer-in-charge of the Regional Operations Division of the BFP, also advised the public to get rid of fire hazards like paint and stacks of old newspapers.

“We must practice good housekeeping. Let’s keep away materials that might easily catch flame,” he said.

Around 16 policemen were fielded in the fire site and temporary shelter to protect the survivors.

“Despite their grief and loss, the people remained orderly,” said Police Officer 1 Pacheco Lugo of the Mabolo Police Station.

Inside Barangay Luz Elementary School, several residents underwent medical examination on Saturday. Many of the elderly residents suffered from high blood pressure, while children were coughing as a result of the incident.

“They were immediately given medicines,” said health worker Clarisse Borces.

Source: SunStar.com.ph

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Sex scenes 'normal' in Puerto Galera beaches?

PUERTO GALERA, Philippines - Photos of sexual acts conducted publicly on White Beach, Puerto Galera, have angered officials of the popular tourist spot. However, a Bayan Patroller who took the photos of a foreigner and his Filipino partner in the early hours of April 15 insists locals shrugged off the incident as “normal.”

A couple having sex in public on a Puerto Galera 

beach ignore people watching them. BMPM photo

"Imposible to kasi sa dami ng taong iyan may magsusumbong sa amin noon,” Ohrie said. (Impossible because with so many people there, someone would have complained.) Mayor said members of the tanod or local village safety volunteers do regular rounds and would have trained their flashlights on any one engaged in public sex.

“Wala silang violent reaction,”  “Normal lang sa kanila. Dumadaan, nakakitang ay may ginagawa sila: ‘okay, ay ganito lang pala dito’. Yung iba, nanonood lang sila, wala lang, nagtatawanan sila.”

(There was no violent reaction. It seemed normal for them. People would pass by, see it and remark, ‘okay, this happens here.’ Others just watched and laughed.)

A foreigner and his partner having sex in public in 

Puerto Galera. BMPM photo

“Ay, walang effect. Hindi umalis. Mas naging wild pa sila. Alam nilang kinukunan sila.” (It had no effect on them. They did not leave. They became wilder. They knew people were taking photographs.)









Source: BMPM

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PH must prepare for war, says Enrile

While most of the senators are calling for a peaceful resolution, Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile said the Philippines must be prepared for a possible war with China.

“That is already an indication that China is grabbing the place from us. Nagiging grabber na ang China,” Enrile said, commenting on the rising number of Chinese vessels in the disputed Panatag shoal. 
 
“We must prepare. We better buy war equipment. We better buy our weapons, our means of defense,” Enrile told reporters.

But in a separate interview, Senator Antonio Trillanes IV said the Philippines has no capability to wage war.

Trillanes pointed out that the law which was supposed to ensure military modernization has failed due to corruption.

Some senators meanwhile urged the government to refrain from aggravating the tension with China.

Senators Trillanes, Loren Legarda, and Manny Villar said although it is clear that Scarborough belongs to the Philippines, the standoff should be resolved through diplomatic means.

“Hindi na kailangang palalain ang away sa China. Tumahimik na lang muna tayo. Hindi naman pagkaduwag iyon. Maliwanag na atin iyang Scarborough. Ito ay talagang sa diplomasya lang natin mareresolba,” Villar told reporters.

Legarda also urged both countries to “focus on what builds, not on what destroys” as any act of violence would only compromise peace and security in the region.

“Scarborough Shoal clearly belongs to the Philippines as it is within the 200 miles exclusive economic zone of the country and the Philippines has exercised effective jurisdiction and effective occupation over the area,” added Legarda, head of the Senate committee on Foreign Relations.

The standoff started when Chinese ships blocked a Philippine navy crew from arresting Chinese fishermen who were spotted taking marine species.

Based on its historical map, China claims sovereignty over the Panatag Shoal, which it refers to as Huangyan Island.

Nevertheless, Legarda said the current dispute over Scarborough Shoal will not affect the bilateral relations between the two countries.


YahooPH

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Philippines says US to protect it in South China Sea

AFP The Philippines said Wednesday the United States had pledged to protect it from attacks in the South China Sea, a day after China issued a warning over a territorial row in the waters.

Defence Secretary Voltaire Gazmin said he had received the assurances during talks in Washington last week in which the Philippines' increasingly tense dispute with China over rival claims to a shoal in the sea were discussed.

Gazmin said US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Defence Secretary Leon Panetta stressed they were not taking sides in the dispute, but they assured the Philippines the United States would honour a 1951 mutual defence treaty.

"It includes armed attack... (on) island territories in the Pacific (region)," Gazmin said, citing conditions for the allies coming to each other's aid.

In answer to a question about the dispute with China over Scarborough Shoal, Gazmin said he had interpreted remarks by Clinton to mean the United States would protect the Philippines from any attack in the South China Sea.

"Overall, with these statements, they cover our problem in the West Philippine Sea," he said, using the Philippine name for the waters.

China and the Philippines have had vessels stationed at Scarborough Shoal for more than a month in an effort to assert their sovereignty over the area.

China claims virtually all of the South China Sea as its own, even waters close to the coasts of other Asian countries.

The Philippines insists it has sovereignty over the shoal because it falls within its 200-nautical-mile exclusive economic zone.

The shoal sits about 230 kilometres (140 miles) from the Philippines' main island of Luzon and 1,200 kilometres northwest from the nearest major Chinese land mass, according to Filipino navy maps.

Taiwan, Brunei, Vietnam and Malaysia also claim parts of the South China, which is believed to sit atop vast oil and gas resources, making the area one of Asia's potential military flashpoints.

China warned on Tuesday it was prepared for "any escalation" in the dispute with the Philippines, which followed an editorial in a newspaper run by the ruling Communist Party calling for a small-scale war to end the stand-off.

Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario also issued a statement on Wednesday saying that Clinton and Panetta had reaffirmed during the Washington talks US commitment to the mutual defence treaty with the Philippines.

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Death toll in Butuan City fire reaches 17, three hurt, 1 missing

BUTUAN CITY, May 9 (PNA) -- Personnel of the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) retrieved 17 charred bodies from the quarters of the Novo Jeans and Shirts Company located on the 3rd floor of the Lamberto Tan Building here that was razed by fire before dawn Wednesday.
Authorities said one personnel remained missing as of 1:30 p.m. Wednesday while the three injured were confined at a local hospital here.

“This is based on the accounts of Novo Jeans and Shirts Enterprises management that there are 21 sales ladies and personnel staying in at Novo’s living quarters located on the third floor of Lamberto Tan Building, which the Novo Store is renting,” BFP Caraga regional director Fire Senior Supt. Mario Socorro C. Timonera said.

Butuan City Fire Marshall Aldrick Gomez told the Philippines News Agency (PNA) that the 17 remains of store workers were so far found by his firefighters and the Butuan Search and Rescue Team (BUSART) of the Butuan City government.

Timonera and Gomez identified 12 of the workers found  dead as Bella Rose Dumagpit, 26, married and six months pregnant; Princess Grace Sari, 19, who hailed from Tangub City; Judilyn Ori, 23, of Dipolog City; Pinky Disipulo, 19, from Tandag City; Jessie Duyuhan, 25, from Agusan del Sur; Marites Morgado, 30, from Santiago, Agusan del Norte; Mylene Larasan, 26, from Zamboanga del Norte; Liezl Dalaygon, 21, from Ozamis City; Gladys Saavedra, 24, from Ozamis City; Maribel Buyco, 22, married, from Bukidnon; and Junalyn Amor, 27.

A Novo store supervisor who hailed from Surigao City was also found dead. He was only known with her nickname Krang-Krang.

Gomez said three sales ladies were able to escape from the third floor of Tan Building which served as their sleeping quarters but suffered burns. The three are now confined at the Elisa R. Ochoa Memorial Maternity and General Hospital here.

These sales ladies were identified as Vicky Velez, 21, from Tangub City; Grace Canoy, 22, a resident of Pagadian City; and Marilyn Tulo, 24, from Aurora, Zamboanga del Sur.

Novo Department Store is owned by Chinese nationals, says Amy Delegiro, one of the assistant store supervisors in their branch in this city.

Delegiro, a stay-out personnel, told the PNA at the fire scene here, that there are 21 sales ladies who were staying in on the third floor of Novo Department Store. She said most of the stay-ins were not residents of Butuan City.

Gomez said they received a fire alarm around 3:55 a.m. Wednesday. Fire trucks from nearby towns in Agusan del Norte also arrived to help.

“The fire was put out after more than two hours of fire fighting initiatives from 15 fire trucks from Butuan City, Cabadbaran City and other towns in Agusan provinces,” Gomez said PNA at the fire scene Wednesday morning.

Of the 10 towns and one city of Agusan del Norte, only four towns have fire trucks.Butuan City has four fire trucks but only three are serviceable at the moment. (PNA)
DCT/RMA/LAM/BS/utb http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=&sid=&nid=&rid=424748

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Former President Estrada moves to Manila residence

PNA: MANILA, May 9 (PNA) -– In a bid to meet the one-year residency requirement for an election candidate, former President Joseph Ejercito Estrada moved on Wednesday from his long-time San Juan house to his new residence in Sta. Mesa, Manila.


Sporting an orange jacket, the former leader personally drove a modified jeep from his North Greenhills residence to Manila house at around 10 a.m. He was accompanied by his wife former First Lady Luisa Ejercito and Manila Vice Mayor Isko Moreno.




According to report, Estrada has confirmed that he is running for mayor of Manila in the 2013 elections with Moreno as his running mate. Both Estrada and Moreno were born in Tondo, Manila.
As expected, Estrada’s supporters had gathered near his new residence to welcome the former president.


Meanwhile, Senate president Juan Ponce Enrile said the decision of Estrada to move to his Manila residence has a purpose.


”Anyone will not spent such huge money to transfer residency if he has no purpose. That’s common sense. That’s my opinion,” said Enrile.


”If I am in the place of Estrada, why not run if I want to run. He is the former president who was elected also by the people of Manila,” he added.


Both Estrada and Enrile are members of the political party Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino (PMP) which recently formed alliance with Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan or PDP-Laban of Vice President Jojomar Binay under United Nationalists Alliance or UNA.
Estrada, 75, used his popularity as an actor for political gains that made him mayor of San Juan, senator, vice president and eventually president. (PNA)
DCT/FFC/jfm

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BDO submits new EIB rehab plan

MANILA, May 9 (PNA) – The Philippine Deposit Insurance Corp. (PDIC) is now reviewing the new rehabilitation program proposal of Banco de Oro Unibank (BDO) for the closed Export and Industry Bank (EIB).

In a statement, the state deposit insurer said the proposal had “certain conditions”, thus, the agency “is reviewing the legal and economic viabilities of said proposal.”

“Some of the conditions as proposed are not within the authority of PDIC,” it said.

PDIC said that as a receiver, the agency had 90 days to “determine the rehabilitation proposal that is most advantageous to depositors, creditors and taxpayers.”

It also plans to “come up with a terms of reference for all interested parties to consider as well as engage the services of a financial auditor to help PDIC determine the valuation of Export & Industry Bank (EIB).”

“These will be submitted to the PDIC Board and the Monetary Board that will ultimately approve the rehabilitation proposal,” it said.

”The immediate concern now is to take stock of the deposit liabilities of EIB and conduct payout for all valid insured deposits as soon as possible,” it said.

PDIC said EIB account holders who have complete information on the bank’s record, have account amounting not more than P10,000 and have no outstanding loan with the bank, woulad start to receive the deposit insurance by the end of this month.

On the other hand, servicing for account holders with more than P10,000 deposits is expected to start “no later than end of June 2012.”

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) placed EIB under PDIC receivership on April 26, 2012 after EIB officials requested the central bank to take over the bank’s operations due to insolvency issue.

EIB, which as of December last year has about 50,092 accounts, sent a letter to BSP to inform monetary officials that the commercial bank, which is listed with the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE), will declare a bank holiday on April 27, 2012.

EIB is a 50-unit bank with head office in Exportbank Plaza, Chino Roces Avenue corner Sen. Gil Puyat Avenue, Makati City. As of December 31, 2011, the bank has total deposit liabilities of P15.98 billion.

Despite EIB’s closure, the BSP said the country’s banking system “remains sound and stable with ample liquidity and high level of capitalization.”

“The closure of EIB is not expected to adversely affect the Philippine banking system considering its relatively small size. Its total assets is equivalent to only about 0.3 percent of the total assets of the banking system,” the BSP said in a statement. (PNA)

RMA/JS/utb - Joan Santiago

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Urgent passage of Batas Kasambahay bill urged

A NON-GOVERNMENT organization in Negros strongly supports the passage of Batas Kasambahay for the welfare of domestic helpers.

The bill is long overdue, said Romualdo Señeres II of the Visayan Forum Foundation Incorporated, which is lobbying for the immediate passage of Batas Kasambahay.

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Señeres said in a forum initiated by the Philippine Information Agency in Negros Oriental Tuesday that unless the proposed bill is passed, the rights and protection of the domestic helpers will still be denied.

He said the Labor Code of the Philippines allegedly defines that helpers is for the “enjoyment” and “personal satisfaction” of the employers.

Señeres stressed that some employers treated their helpers as slaves who worked more than 12 hours every day. Others have no day off and others were sexually abused.

Sandra Delfin, of the Department of Labor and Employment (Dole), said although the minimum wage of a house helper is P800 for Metro Manila and P500 to P600 a month in the provincial level, some employers give the helpers not less than P1,000 a month.

Delfin also said that domestic helpers were enrolled in the Philippine Health Insurance. She stressed, however, that majority of the household helpers do not enjoy this health benefit, as well as the benefit provided by the Social Security System (SSS) and Pag-Ibig.

SSS branch head Ireneo Villaflor, in the same forum, said Republic Act 7655 provides that household employees like driver, baby sitter, cook and nannies, among others, who received not less that P1,000 a month should be enrolled in the system.

Like farmers, fisherfolk and cigarette vendors, household helpers with an income of at least P1,000 a month and not over 60 years of age will fall under the mandatory coverage of the Home Development Mutual Fund Law of 2009, said Pag-Ibig branch head Julio Carmel Alfarero.

PhilHealth officer-in-charge Marites Que, for her part, said house helpers and drivers over 21 years of age should be enrolled in the health insurance for their hospitalization benefits as well as for their beneficiaries.

In this connection, Marlene Pepino, of the VFFI, said to level up the “Kasambahay,” they started to organize the domestic helpers and educate them to stand their rights.

She said the group has lined up activities for the household helpers this May in connection with the “Kasambahay” day last April 29.

Among the activities are the skills and enhancement trainings, counseling, values formation and medical mission.

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Judge lets go of Apas dispute

By Gerome M. Dalipe, Linette C. Ramos and Rebelander S. Basilan

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

JUDGE Soliver Peras Jr. inhibited himself yesterday from hearing the case of about 168 families from Barangay Apas, Cebu City whose houses stand to be demolished.

Peras, the pairing judge of the Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 9, cited “personal reasons” for wanting to be released from the case. He declined to elaborate when reporters tried to interview him after the proceedings.

Have something to report? Tell us in text, photos or videos.

“Considering that portions of the camp, as indicated by court sheriff El Cid Caballes…are included in this case, the undersigned deems it necessary to voluntarily inhibit from the case,” the judge wrote in his one-page order released yesterday.

He sent the case records back to the raffle committee. Cebu City RTC Executive Judge Silvestre Maamo is expected to issue the next order to move the case forward.

In the meantime, Cebu City Hall’s lawyers are preparing to file petitions in court that will allow the City Government to be a party to the case.

At the center of the dispute is a 4.6-hectare property close to a booming cluster of office towers for the business process outsourcing industry.

The court, in 2002, declared the Godinez family the rightful owner of the property. The occupants, however, say it belongs to the government, having been declared a socialized housing site in 1999 by the City Government.

Mayor Michael Rama said that after the trial court and the Court of Appeals dismissed their motions for reconsideration, the City will move to intervene in the case.

“We have to find a way for the City to be included in this, for us to be a party to the case. There are many possible options that we can take, but we first need to get the consent of the homeowners so our actions will not be misinterpreted,” Rama said, after a meeting with the lawyers.

Benjamin Militar, counsel for the Archangels Residents Mergence Inc. (Armi), said he respects Judge Peras’s decision.

Since Peras merely “noted without action” the pleading of the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG), Militar said they are still hoping that the next pairing judge will act in their favor and call off the demolition.

The OSG has asked for 30 days to present new evidence that the property belongs to the state.

Sun.Star Cebu tried but failed to get a statement from Roberto Palmares, counsel for lot owner Mariano Godinez.

A day before he inhibited, Judge Peras ordered two police officials to comment in three days on the court sheriff’s request for police assistance during the demolition.

The judge gave Chief Supt. Marcelo Garbo, Police Regional Office Central Visayas director, and Senior Supt. Ramon Melvin Buenafe, City police chief, three days to comment on the sheriff’s request.

Meanwhile, Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma said he has assigned “discernment groups” to study the plight of the Apas residents.

Palma said he couldn’t make an official statement on the matter until he receives a report from these groups.

But the residents should be allowed to protest, as long as they do so peacefully, Palma told reporters yesterday.

“In every event, people are always free to voice out their concerns,” he said.

“For me, all actions or projects or events should be seen in a context of the particular circumstances, against the background of faith,” Palma said.

Published in the Sun.Star Cebu newspaper on May 09, 2012.

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Cebu Archbishop makes parish an archdiocesan shrin

Palma

 CEBU CITY, May 7 (PNA) – Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma has decreed that the Sacred Heart Parish Church along D. Jakosalem St., Cebu City, is now known as the Archdiocesan Shrine of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus.

The change was declared through a decree of conferment signed by Palma on April 3, 2012 and offer spiritual benefits for pilgrims who would visit the new shrine.

The parish priest, Fr. Benjamin Sim, SJ, views the declaration as an opportunity to integrate good elements of the Filipino culture and Chinese culture “to enrich both cultures.”

The Filipino-Chinese community, who began celebrating mass in 1952 at a chapel where the Cebu Cathedral Museum stands, built the church in the 1960s.

Their first chapel was dedicated to Our Lady Queen of China.

It was in 1987 that Archbishop Emeritus Ricardo Cardinal Vidal created a territorial parish wherein people living in the vicinity were encouraged to go to mass at the church.

Sim said an archdiocesan shrine is a privileged place of prayer and devotion.

There are indulgencies for pilgrims who visit the place.

Through the decree, rights and privileges are bestowed, including plenary indulgencies to each pilgrim who visits the shrine on special days such as every Friday of the month, novena days and feast day of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, feast day of Christ the King and Corpus Christi.

Fr. Jason Dy, SJ, assistant parish priest, said there are preparations for the community’s participation in the "Gabii sa Kabilin" (Night of Heritage) at the end of the month as well as their parish anniversary.

There would be three additional altars at the shrine dedicated to the first visionaries of Jesus, namely: St. Margaret Mary of Alacoque, St. Faustina Kowalska of the Divine Mercy devotion and St. John Eudes and St. Claude Colombiere.

The church offers unique religious services including a place for individual and small group retreats at the Manresa prayer room, an art gallery for artists given a competitive grant and an ancestral veneration altar for Chinese families who wish to light incense to honor their ancestors.

Other unique features are the chandelier inside the main church that were designed by international furniture entrepreneur Kenneth Cobonpue.

The architecture of the church itself is a notable work of art as an example of modern architecture.

Dy said they are yet to get an architectural marker, but the church could be considered the first geometric design church in Cebu City. (PNA)

DCT/FFC/EB/re

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Four soldiers wounded in series of encounters with rebels in Agusan Sur

CAMP PANACAN, Davao City, May 7 (PNA) -- Four soldiers were wounded following a series of encounters with communist rebels in Barangay Salvacion, Trento, Agusan del Sur near the boundary of Compostela Valley.


Major Jacob Thaddeus Obligado, commanding officer of the 10th Civil-Military Operations Battalion, said members of the 25th Infantry Battalion engaged the rebels initially at 9 a.m. Monday after they responded to the information from the residents about the presence of the rebels in the area.
He said the initial encounter lasted for one hour and 30 minutes resulting in the wounding of four soldiers.

Obligado declined to name the soldiers as medical evacuation was going on.

He said the rebels fled during the initial encounter that led soldiers to recover three improvised landmines and a hand grenade.

The wounded were airlifted for immediate medical treatment, Obligado said.

Obligado said at 12:30 p.m. another encounter happened as pursuing troops tracked the rebels still in the vicinity of the barangay.

Obligado said blood stains were seen in the holding ground of the rebels, indicating that they also sustained several wounded comrades.

He vehemently denied that the soldiers sustained a large number of fatalities.

“We honor our soldiers especially those who offered the supreme sacrifice. We have no reason to hide their fate if ever soldiers incur fatalities in the battlefield,” Obligado said. (PNA)
RMA/Joey Sem G. Dalumpines/ldp

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IT WAS TULFO - WITNESS

MANILA, Philippines (3rd UPDATE) - Brothers of Ramon Tulfo on Monday vowed to exact revenge against celebrity couple Raymart Santiago and Claudine Barretto for allegedly mauling the columnist in a melee at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3 on Sunday.

Erwin Tulfo said on their T3 show on TV5 that Santiago should expect he and his brothers to go after him. "Abangan mo ang bwelta ng Tulfo brothers," he said.

He also said that Santiago's wife, Claudine, will also feel the Tulfos' wrath.

"Ipagdasal mo lang sana, ipapayo ko sa iyo at sa asawa mo, huwag ka munang lumabas ng bansa dahil kapag nagpangabot tayo sa NAIA Terminal 1, Terminal 2, Terminal 3, tatamaan at tatamaan ka, wala akong pakialam, pati asawa mo tatamaan sa amin. Ipagdasal mo na lamang huwag tayong magkrus ng landas," he said.

Erwin Tulfo added that his brother would not have been mauled by Santiago's group if he was with his brother.

"Siguro kung nagkasabay kami sa eroplano kahapon, pareho kaming galing Davao, nauna lang iyung utol ko, hindi mangyayari iyon pare ko. Dalawa lang patutunguhan noon. Either iinterview ako sa loob ng kulungan o iinterview ako, nagsasalita ako ngayon," he said.

He also accused the couple of lying about what transpired at the terminal.

"Isa lang ang mensahe ko sa iyo, Mr. Santiago at Miss Barretto. Saksakan kayo ng sinungaling. Kahit sa airport, kahit sinong tanungin ninyo doon, natatawa sa inyo dahil hindi nauna iyung kuya ko nagbitaw ng suntok. Lalo na kay Claudine. Wala sa ugali ng Tulfo manakit ng babae. Napakasaksakan ng sinungaling mo at ikaw Mr. Santiago, makalas ang loob mo dahil kinuyog niyo ang kuya namin," Erwin said.

Raffy, another brother of Ramon Tulfo, hurled invectives at Santiago also on T3 and said the actor should hope they they won't meet in public.

He said his brother is an Aikido martial arts expert and wouldn't have been mauled if the fight was one-on-one.

"Sinuwerte lang kayo dahil andami niyo. Huwag lang sana tayong magpang-abot sa mall," he said.

"Idasal mo, hijo de P.I. ka. Huwag lang tayong magkita sa mall, ipagdasal mo iyan. Tumirik ka ng kandila mula ngayon, huwag mag-krus ang landas natin, P.I. ka," he added.

Ben Tulfo, meanwhile, challenged Santiago and his companions to a free-for-all.

"Sa akin, isa lang ang gagawin ko, Raymart pakinggan mo ang sasabihin ko sa iyo. Binabangga ko ang mga kriminal, mga mamamatay tao, pero kung gusto mo, malaking warehouse na sarado, maga-antay ang mga ambulansiya, last man standing, walang lalabas sa loob, magsasara tayo ng pinto, titignan ko ang galing mo. Tandaan mo ito," he said.

Raymart fears for family

Santiago said he now fears for his family.

"Narinig ko po. Normal na tao lang po tayo. Siyempre po natatakot para sa mga anak ko, sa asawa ko," he told TV Patrol on Monday night.

"Hindi naman po ako sanay sa mga ganiyang klaseng away.  Ang sa akin lang po, kaya nangyari iyon, pinrotektahan ko lang po iyung pamilya ko," he added.

Ramon Tulfo, meanwhile, has came to the defense of his brothers for threatening Santiago and Barretto on air.

He said his brothers were merely protecting him because he was the aggrieved party.

“Hindi mo masisisi iyan dahil kadugo ko iyan eh. Isang pusod lang kami, isa lang ang pinanggalingan namin. Pero sinabi ko nga sa kanila dahan-dahan na magsalita dahil tapos na ang pangyayari. Mas malakas ang public opinion kaysa gumanti tayo,” he said.

Ramon Tulfo sues Raymart, Claudine

Ramon has filed charges of grave coercion and physical injury against Santiago and Barretto, as well as a number of their companions, over the brawl at NAIA-3.

Tulfo also blamed NAIA security personnel for the injuries, including a swollen eye, he sustaine.

He appeared before the Pasay prosecutors office on Monday, saying he initially didn't want to file charges against the couple but changed his mind after alleged further verbal abuse from Barreto.

Tulfo said his right temple and jaw are still swelling and also complained of pain in his neck.

He said he only wanted to document Claudine's alleged outburst at an airline employee after their luggage was delayed.

Santiago and Barretto have denied provoking the fight and insisted it was Mon Tulfo who first kicked Barretto. Claudine has also denied cussing at Cebu Pacific ground personnel for their delayed baggages. 

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