House urged to ask SC to replace 3 justices in HRET

HRET JUSTICES (LtoR:) Justice Diosdado Peralta, Justice Presbitero Velasco Jr., Justice Lucas Bersamin

MANILA, Philippines - Marinduque Rep. Regina Reyes yesterday urged the leadership of the House of Representatives to ask Chief Justice Ma. Lourdes Sereno to replace the three Supreme Court justices sitting in the House of Representatives Electoral Tribunal (HRET) to protect the independence of the chamber.

Reyes made the call in her privilege speech after the SC junked her petition to disqualify Associate Justices Presbitero Velasco Jr., Diosdado Peralta and Lucas Bersamin from sitting as members of the HRET, where a disqualification complaint was lodged against her.

Velasco chairs the HRET.

The complaint alleges that Reyes is a US citizen and therefore ineligible to run for public office.

The complainant is reportedly close to Velasco’s son, former Marinduque congressman Lord Allan Velasco, who was defeated by around 4,000 votes in the 2013 congressional elections.

Reyes said she received a copy of a draft resolution on her disqualification case penned by one of the justices in the HRET that effectively unseats her and installs the younger Velasco in her place as Marinduque representative.

 “The attendant collateral damage of this ruling is its encroachment on the commencement of the terms of office of the members of Congress to the fourth Monday of July or when the Speaker administers the oath of office in open session,” she said.

The draft HRET resolution makes it possible for the Commission on Elections and the SC to retroactively annul the terms of office of members of Congress during the three-year term.

“These Supreme Court justices sitting in the HRET do not only not represent the interest of the Supreme Court, they represent far worse,” Reyes said. “The justices are castrating the powers of HRET.”

She said Velasco claims to have inhibited himself from the case involving his son.

“The chairman of the HRET who, as he steps out of the hearing chambers, reminds all the other members of the HRET that the case before them involves his very own son. Being a member of a political family involved in congressional elections as his wife is also a congresswoman, Justice Velasco’s mere chairmanship of the HRET is a conflict of interest,” Reyes noted.

She also said Bersamin not only comes from a political family in Abra, but also voted against her petition in the SC where a disqualification case was filed against her, and thus has “effectively prejudged my case, continues to sit in the HRET cases against me.”

She added that while an election case against her was pending in the SC, Peralta did not act on them. But when the House leadership appeared to be siding with her, Peralta “revived” the case against her in the HRET.

Mababasa dito. (PhilStar)

Sa Laban ni Congw. Ate Gina Reyes at Allan Velasco? Sinong Talo?

Bukas nakatakdang pag desisyonan ng House of Representative Electoral Tribunal o HRET ang usapin ukol sa kaso ng ating Congresswoman Ate Gina Reyes at sa talunang si Allan Velasco.

Nakakatuwang isipin na hanggang sa ngayon ay hindi parin matanggap ni Allan Velasco na hindi na siya gusto ng mamamayang Marinduqueño, noong natalo siya ng higit kumulang na Apat na Libong Boto laban kay Congresswoman Ate Gina Reyes. Nakakatuwa ding isipin kung gaano kakapal ang mukha nito upang hindi IRESPETO ang naging boses ng kanyang boss – ang mga Marinduqueño!

Noong nakaraang linggo ay lumabas sa mga pahayagan ang di umano’y pagkalat ng Desisyon sa mga miyembro ng HRET at ng House of Representative na magiging pinal na ang desisyon sa pagkaka diskwalipika sa nanalong Kongresista.

KAWALAN NG HUSTISYA

Anu na kaya ang nangyari sa Maguindano Massacre? Kamusta na kaya ang paggulong ng kasong ito? Halos mag lilimang taon na noong nangyari ito, ngunit hanggang sa ngayon ay hindi parin nakakamit ng 58 pamilya ang kanilang hustistya.

Sa mga kaso kaya ng dating Pangulong Gloria Macapagal Arroyo? Anu na kaya ang nangyari? Nagkaroon na rin kaya ng desisyon sa kanyang patong patong na plunder case?

Ilan lamang po yan sa mga halimbawa kung gaano katagal ang gulong ng kaso sa ating bansa. Kaya nakakagulat na sa usapin ni Congresswoman Ate Gina Reyes at Allan Velasco ay tila nailagay ito sa 

EXPRESS LANE.

Nakakagulat na dahil lamang sa isang BLOG na ginamit bilang nag-iisa at tanging ebidensya ay kinatigan na agad ito ng COMELEC, COMELEC EN BANC, Supreme Court at ngayon ng HRET. Na ni minsan ay hindi nagkaroon ng kahit anung imbestigasyon, pag lalatag at pagpiprisinta ng mga ebidensya o hearing ngunit nagkaroon na agad ito ng desisyon.

Na kahit mismo ang isang mahistrado mula sa Supreme Court na si Justice Antonio Brion ay nagulat sa bilis ng pagusad ng kasong ito.  

PALABRA DE HONOR

Kung si Justice Presbitero Velasco ang inyong tatanungin, wala sa kanyang bokabularyo ang salitang ito. Sa kapal ng kanyang mukha ay hindi niya nagawang magbitiw bilang Chairman ng HRET upang kanyang mahokus-pokus at maniobrahin ang kakahinatnan ng kaso ng kanyang anak na si Allan Velasco.

Maliwanag pa sa sikat ng araw na isang CONFLICT OF INTEREST ito kahit na anung pag iinhibit pa ang kanyang gawin.

Bilang isa sa pinakamakapangyarihang tao sa Kataas taasang Hukuman ay walang duda na kayang kaya niyang maimpluwensyahan ang mga taong may kaugnay sa kasong ito.

Paano kaya niya nasisikmura ang mga ito gayong isa siya sa mga kapitapitagang mahistrado ng Supreme Court?

BOSES NG MARINDUQEÑO

Mahigit isang taon na noong naglakad ng pagkalayo layo ang ating mga kababayan para lamang pumunta sa kanikanilang mga presinto, pumila ng pagkahaba haba at nakipag siksikan habang inaantay ang kanilang pagkakataon, tiniis ang init at gutom para lamang maka-boto.

Sana naman ay maisip ito ng mga taong hanggang sa ngayon ay hindi mataggap ang kanilang pagkatalo. Mga taong ganid sa kapangyarihan na gagawin ang lahat ng bagay para sa kanilang pansariling interes. Gagamitin ang kapangyarihang ipinagkaloob sa kanila mismo ng taung bayan upang impuwensyahan at maniobrahin ang boses ng taong bayan.

Dahil kung anu man ang magiging kahihinatnan ng kasong ito sa HRET, wala kina Congresswoman Ate Gina Reyes o Allan Velasco ang talo, kundi ang halos Isang Daang Libong Marinduqueñong  bumoto na naniwalang magkakaroon ng PAGBABAGO!


Para sa naging Privilege Speech ni Congw. Ate Gina Reyes, mababasa dito (Privilege Speech)

HOKUS POKUS!

Halos nakaka-kalahating termino na ang ating Kongreso ngunit "Never Say Die" parin ang drama ng mag-amang Velasco at hanggang sa ngayon ay hindi parin nila matanggap ang kanilang pagkatalo!

Kahapon ay may mga naglabasang mga artikulo sa iba't ibang pahayagan na kumakalat di umano ang Desisyon ng House of Representative Electoral Tribunal (HRET) para sa kaso nila Congresswoman Regina Reyes at Allan Velasco.

Naloko na! Parang premature baby lang na wala pa sa kabuwanan ay lumabas na agad!

Dahil sa August 28 pa dapat maglalabas ng desisyon ang HRET sa kahihinatnan ng kasong ito. Maliwanag na may pag mamani-obra at halatang hindi pinag aralang mabuti ang mga ebidesya na iprinisinta ng magkabilang panig!

Ebidesya 

Para lamang sa kaalamanan ng lahat, ang tanging ebidensya lamang na iharap ng panig ni Allan Velasco ay isang artikulo mula sa blog ni Eliseio Obligacion na alam naman nating lahat na empleyado at sinuswelduhan gamit ang pera ng taong-bayan noong nakaraang termino ng dating kongresista. Ni walang sapat na katibayan ang akusasyong ito kaya't nakakapag takang pinanigan ito ng COMELEC lalong lalo na ang Korte Suprema!

Pag mamani-obra

Hindi rin lingid sa kaalamanan ng lahat na ang ama ng dating kongresista ay isa sa mga makapangyarihang tao sa pinaka mataas na sangay ng hudikatura na may kapal ng mukha at tapang ng sikmurang maki-alam sa kahihinatnan ng kaso, kaya walang duda na tinaguriang "Hoodlum in Robe" ng kanyang mga kasama sa Korte Suprema. Bukod dito, siya rin ang nakaupong Chairman ng HRET kaya walang kaduda-dudang may hokus pokus sa desisyong ito.

Halos isang taon mula noong nagsalita ang ating mga kababayang Marinduqueño ukol sa usaping ito. Humigit kumulang na "Apat na Libong boto" ang nilamang ni Congresswoma Regina Reyes noong nakaraang halalalan, na panalo ultimo sa banyang sinilangan ni Velasco. 

Sana naway magkaroon naman ng kahit konting kahihiyan ang mag-amang ito at irespeto ang boses ng mga Marinduqueño! Hanggat hindi nila natatangap ang kanilang pagkatalo, sa huli ang taong bayan ang talo!

Battle royale between Regina Reyes and Lord Allan Velasco on eve of HRET meet.

The battle royale in the House between incumbent Marinduque Rep. Gina Ongsiako Reyes and defeated rival Lord Allan Velasco is far from over and complicating ramifications involve the Supreme Court where Velasco’s father, Associate Justice Presbitero Velasco, is a member as well as the chair of the House of Representatives Electoral Tribunal (HRET).

To refresh you readers’ memory, the provincial board of canvassers of Marinduque proclaimed Reyes as rightful winner in 2013 and she was proclaimed in a mass-swearing in by no less than the President at Malacanang as well as by Speaker Belmonte at the opening of Congress in July of 2013. Since then Reyes has sat as a member of the House.

The first complication came in when Comelec began questioning her assumption into office, based on the claim on an anonymous blogger that Reyes allegedly is not a Filipino citizen and in fact uses an American passport. On this basis Comelec proclaimed Velasco winner. Reyes has fought this  issue of her alleged US citizenship and interestingly, Comelec Chair Sixto Brillantes himself filed a dissenting opinion stating that evidence on hand vs. Reyes (from the unnamed blogger) is mere hearsay.  

XXX

In answer to this issue, the Reyes camp asserts that Sec. 17, Art. VI, the “Legislative Department,” of the Constitution provides that all questions pertaining to the election of House members fall under the jurisdiction of the HRET. This constitutional principle has been upheld over the past year, enabling Reyes to stay in office.

Recently, however, in anticipation of convening of HRET for the second regular session of the 16th Congress this coming Aug. 28, a “draft decision” is being circulated among HRET members, allegedly prepared by a prominent SC justice-member of the HRET (a copy was sent to Reyes by a concerned House member). The Reyes camp alleges that this “draft decision” aims to convince Comelec and the SC to disqualify her in favor of Justice Velasco's son. Thus, it allegedly seeks "to precondition and influence the disposition by the other (HRET) members” of (this) case."

article from: 
POLITICAL TIDBITS
by BELINDA OLIVARES - CUNANAN

Marinduque lawmaker hits attempts to oust her

MANILA, Philippines - Marinduque Rep. Regina Reyes on Friday denounced what she described as attempts to influence members of the House of Representatives Electoral Tribunal (HRET) to unseat her over a pending poll protest.

In a statement, Reyes said the HRET would hear her case on Aug. 28, but a draft decision is allegedly circulating among HRET members disqualifying her in favor of her rival, former congressman Lord Allan Velasco.

Velasco is the son of Supreme Court Associate Justice Presbitero Velasco, who chairs the HRET.

Reyes did not give details on how the purported draft was circulated, but claimed it was penned by an SC justice with the HRET.

Other members of the HRET are SC Associate Justices Diosdado Peralta and Lucas Bersamin, and Reps. Franklin Bautista, Joselito Andrew Mendoza, Wilfrido Mark Enverga, Luzviminda Ilagan, Ma. Theresa Bonoan and Jerry Treñas.

Reyes said a copy of the draft was given to her by a member of the House whom she refused to identify.

“This incident comes on the heels of a rumor that says a few members of the HRET were wined and dined in New York by a close relative of the Velascos,” she said.

A statement from the Philippine Consul General’s office said the HRET members visited the New York State board of elections and the Schenectady County in Albany to learn about their election rules and procedures in an automated system.

Reyes urged HRET members not to be swayed by what she described as “immoral moves of her rivals and their cohorts.”

She appealed to the HRET to allow her to testify and present evidence to prove she accomplished all requirements needed in the Marinduque congressional race.

The case against Reyes stemmed from a complaint alleging she is a US citizen.

To read more: PhilStar