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.  

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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

A Special Occurrence On Sunday Evening

(An Excerpt...)

Diocesan Shrine. 6:00 p.m.

It was just after the procession, the sun had already set through the sky remained illuminated by the vibrant colors of dusk. I was sprinkling the people with holy water, and for some good reason, I noticed that they were shouting and saying goodbye while looking at the direction towards the Sacred Heart Pastoral Center, the residence of the Bishop of the Diocese.

I thought that their hands were just trying to reach out for the holy water I was blessing them with.

But moments afterwards when I had completed my task, people began telling me about a miraculous thing they saw. I didn't see it myself. But a lot of people said that they witnessed a special occurrence like an image of the Mahal na Birhen ng Biglang-Awa on the horizon while I was blessing them with holy water. Many of them were dumbfounded, some could not speak, others were awed.

Among those who shared their experiences with me regarding this occurrence were Congresswoman and Hermana "Ate"Gina Reyes; Provincial LMD-PESO Manager Erma Reyes, Arlete Mapacpac, Tita Florence Agcaoili, Marivic Miciano, Crispy Martinez, Kathleen Fajardo, Pauline Manguera and other PESO Staff then in charge of candle distribution; Choir members of the Immaculate Conception Parish; members of the Legion of Morions; and many other employee of the provincial government. I was told that they saw a black smoke ascending from the structure of the Shrine and went towards the top of the Pastoral Center, and eventually such smoke turned into the image of the Mahal na Birhen ng Biglang Awa, the same image displayed in the shrine. The image, according to the witnesses, was there for about twenty to thirty seconds.

While this was occurring, many could not say anything. They were so dumbfounded, that some of them who were wanting to, could not immediately get their cameras to record such special occurrence. All I heard was a commotion, and I actually wondered why they were raising their hands. MANY OF THEM BELIEVED THEY SAW THE MAHAL NA BIRHEN NG BIGLANG AWA. And I believed them. 

Rev. Fr. Renato M. Sapungan

Rector, 

Diocesan Shrine of Ang Mahal na Birhen ng Biglang - Awa

Boac, Marinduque

House panel okays resolution on HRET power over poll cases

MANILA, Philippines - The House committee on suffrage and electoral reforms has approved a resolution reiterating the exclusive authority and jurisdiction of the House of Representatives Electoral Tribunal (HRET) over electoral protest cases.

Passed by the panel was House Resolution No. 597 “reiterating adherence to the time-honored principle on the exclusivity of jurisdiction of the House of Representatives Electoral Tribunal over all contests relating to the election, returns and qualifications of its members to preserve the integrity, dignity and reputation of the House of Representatives and its members.”

It was filed by Oriental Mindoro Rep. Reynaldo Umali and co-authored by 171 other lawmakers.

The filing of the resolution stemmed from the decision of the Supreme Court (SC) declaring Lord Allan Velasco the winner during the 2013 congressional race in the lone district of Marinduque, and not Regina Reyes, who was the one proclaimed by the local Commission on Elections (Comelec) after the canvassing.

Umali said the HRET should handle and hear the election protest of Velasco against Reyes and not the SC as the latter already took her oath as Marinduque representative.

Reyes was earlier proclaimed by the poll body as the winner with a margin of over 4,000 votes against Velasco, son of SC Associate Justice Presbitero Velasco.

On Tuesday night, Cavite Rep. Elpidio Barzaga, Velasco’s partymate in the National Unity Party, took the cudgels for the defeated congressional candidate, saying not respecting the decision of the SC could trigger a constitutional crisis.

He said the SC upheld the decision of the Comelec’s First Division to cancel Reyes’ certificate of candidacy for allegedly making material misrepresentations on her residency and citizenship.

The SC, according to Barzaga, “has spoken with finality. I appeal to reason and sense of fair play of every member of this honorable chamber to uphold the rule of law and the Constitution. I urge everyone, regardless of political affiliation, to abide by that final decision of the Court.”

Umali and Reps. Doy Leachon and Josephine Sato immediately stood up and contradicted Barzaga.

They said all election-related protests against proclaimed congressmen must be under the jurisdiction of the HRET, including Reyes’ case.

Leachon and Umali also said that it is clear that the SC decision was suspicious and doubtful since it was issued only 18 days after the case was filed.

They even cited the opinion of SC Associate Justice Arturo Brion who said that it looked like the decision was hastened to favor the son of a colleague.

For her part, Sato urged her colleagues to support and stand for the mandate of Congress to defend its dignity.

The SC has ordered the House of Representatives to answer Velasco’s bid to assume the post as representative of the lone district of Marinduque.

In their session the other day, the SC justices approved the issuance of an order directing the House to submit a comment on the petition filed by Velasco last month seeking the issuance of a writ of mandamus ordering Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. to recognize him as duly elected winner in last year’s congressional race and administer his oath of office.

The SC gave the House 10 days from receipt of notice to comply with its order.

To read the full story please click HERE.

LP stalwart threatens to impeach justices anew

Posted in Manila Bulletin
By: Ben Rosario

Manila, Philippines — A close Malacañang ally in Congress raised anew the sword of Damocles over the heads of Supreme Court  (SC) justices as he revived his threat to impeach magistrates whom he accused of abusing the power of judicial review and violating the principle of separation of powers.

In a privilege speech, Mindoro Oriental Rep. Reynaldo Umali appealed to witnesses of alleged judicial abuses and irregularities in the judiciary to come out in the open to help the executive and legislative branches of government cleanse the courts of bad eggs.

Delivering his second SC bashing in three months, Umali assailed several High Court decisions which he claimed to have flip-flopped on past rulings, saying that these were reached by magistrates in the guise of “judicial elasticity.”

In his first anti-SC privilege speech, the administration lawmaker vowed to push for the impeachment of two Supreme Court members, telling journalists later that the complaint will be filed in January 2014.

In his latest blast against the SC, Umali did not state reasons for failing to pursue the impeachment cases, but he reiterated his accusations that certain members of the judiciary were guilty of betrayal of public trust which is an impeachable offense.

“As the highest tribunal in the land, the Supreme Court should be the stronghold of integrity and impartiality.  Yet how can we trust a Supreme Court that changes its mind whenever such change appears to be convenient?” asked Umali, who takes pride of having authored impeachment resolutions that led to the resignation of former Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez and the ouster of former SC Chief Justice Renato Corona.

He detailed a number of cases which he said have been shrouded with judicial controversies due to reversals of previous decisions.

But his main criticism appeared to be aimed at the case of Marinduque Rep. Regina Reyes whose proclamation as congressional race winner over former Rep. Lord Allan Velasco has been ordered nullified by the Court.

Failing to get Speaker Feliciano Belmonte to acknowledge the ruling, Velasco, son of SC Associate Justice Presbitero Velasco, filed  a Petition for Mandamus seeking to compel Belmonte to administer his oath of office and direct Secretary General Emilia Barua-Yap to remove Reyes’ name from the roll of members  of the House.

Citing a House resolution signed by majority of congressmen and jurisprudence, Umali, himself a lawyer, stressed that the Supreme Court no longer has jurisdiction over the electoral controversy because the decision is already under the jurisdiction of the House of Representatives Electoral Tribunal which Justice Velasco chairs.

“Surely, a full blown constitutional crisis will ensue at a huge cost to our political system on account of a flip-flopping , albeit, unwarranted decision of the High Court to favor a  son of a sitting magistrate, which I submit constitute betrayal of public trust, a clear ground for impeachment,” Umali said.

Reyes case was “motu propio” decided in record time of 18 days, without even requiring the sitting solon to comment, he said.

“It is very unusual how the Supreme Court was able to decide the Reyes case so swiftly when some, if not most, cases remain for years in the court dockets despite its mandate under the 1987 Constitution to resolve cases within 24 months from the date of submission,” Umali said.

Read the full article: click here

100% Marinduqueño Smile!

L to R: Dr. Raymond Sulit, PP , Dr. Gerry Caballes, Provincial Administrator Bong Raza, RC-MN Rotarian Agnes Espino,
 PE Coun. Antonio Mangcucang III, RC-MN Rotarian Elsie Magturo, RC-Roxas PP Melrose S. Lunn, 

Dr. Dick Herndershot, Governor Carmencita O. Reyes, Dr. Steve Krebs, RC-PSA PE Theda Collantes

Ayon sa pinakahuling tala ng World Health Organization (WHO) ang Pilipinas ang pangalawa sa may pinakamataas na kaso ng cleft lip at cleft palate (pagka bingot) sa buong mundo, nangunguna dito ang bansang Columbia.

Sinasabing isa sa mga pangunahing dahilan nito ay ang kakulangan ng wastong nutrisyon ng bata habang siya ay sinapupunan palang ng kanyang ina. Marami ding nagsasabihing ito ay namamana at dahil din sa iba’t ibang environmental factors.

Taong 1985 pa noong nagkaroon ng libreng operasyon ang ating probinsya para sa mga kabataang mayroong ganitong “facial deformities”.

Sa pangunguna ng Uplift Internationale, Rotary Club of Paranque Saint Andrews, Rotary Club of Roxas, Office of Congresswoman Regina Ongsiako Reyes at sa kanilang pakikipagtulungan at ugnayan sa Governor’s Office, Provincial Health Office at Rotary Club of Marinduque North, kanilang ilulunsad ang Operation Taghoy (Taghoy, salitang Cebuano na ang ibig sabihin ay to whistle).

Ito ay libreng surgical operation para sa mga kabataang Marinduqueño edad 21 taon pababa upang palakasin ang kanilang kompyansa sa sarili, mabigyan ng perpektong ngiti at maayos ang kanilang pagsasalita.

Inaasahang humigit kumulang na 100 kabataang Maarinduqueño ang makikinabang sa proyektong ito.

Para sa pagpapalista, Maari lamang po kayong tumawag sa Opisina ni Congresswoman Regina Ongsiako Reyes – (042) 332-0340 at hanapin si Ms. Rowena Tolentino o makipag-ugnayan sa Provincial Health Office.

Justices, solons on collision course

JUSTICES VS LAWMAKERS. There’s no love lost between the two equal branches of government—the House of Representatives and the Supreme Court of the Philippines—over several celebrated cases. INQUIRER PHOTOS

The House of Representatives and the Supreme Court are on a collision course after 169 lawmakers signed a resolution seeking to defy the order of the high court to include a son of Associate Justice Presbitero Velasco Jr. in the congressional rolls and replace Marinduque Rep. Regina Ongsioco Reyes.

Oriental Mindoro Rep. Rey Umali said the “robust support” for his resolution showed that the lawmakers were prepared to stand up to the “bullying” of the Supreme Court.

“I believe that our members have had enough of the Supreme Court’s bullying. This time, they have overstepped their jurisdiction. We will defy them and not honor their decision,” Umali said in a phone interview.

Fifty-eight percent of the 289 House members have supported House Resolution No. 597 “reiterating adherence to the time-honored principle on the exclusivity of jurisdiction of the House of Representatives Electoral Tribunal (HRET) over all contests relating to the election, returns and qualifications of its members to preserve the integrity, dignity and reputation of the House of Representatives and its members.”

Respect coequals

Umali said it was “about time that these despots get down from their high chair and respect their coequals in government. This is a clear show of force on our part. Please, huwag ninyong ipilit (don’t force it).”

Last Dec. 3, Umali gave a privilege speech attacking the high court’s undue interference in election-related issues, specifically the Marinduque election standoff between Representative Reyes, daughter of Marinduque Gov. Carmencita Reyes, and former Rep. Lord Alan Velasco.

Velasco has formally requested Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. to eject Reyes after the Supreme Court rejected with finality on Dec. 3 her appeal for the reversal of its ruling on June 25 last year upholding the Commission on Election’s (Comelec) decision disqualifying her.

Citizenship, residency

The Comelec canceled Reyes’ certificate of candidacy because of questions about her citizenship and her lack of residency to run for the post.

Reyes defeated then Congressman Velasco in last year’s midterm elections by a margin of roughly 3,800 votes, paving the way for her proclamation as representative of Marinduque.

Rightful House member

House leaders led by Belmonte have stood by Reyes as the rightful House member pending the resolution of Velasco’s protest with the HRET, which they argued had the constitutional mandate to rule on electoral protests filed after a winner had been proclaimed.

The HRET is composed of three associate justices of the Supreme Court and nine House members.

Umali suggested that the magistrates just respect each other’s turf. “Anyway, the Supreme Court is well represented in the HRET, so it should allow that body to decide the case.”

Umali said the court decision on Reyes contrasted sharply with a similar case in Quezon province involving another Liberal Party member, Toby Tañada, against proclaimed Rep. Angelina Tan.

“The high court recognizes HRET jurisdiction in the case of Representative Tan but not in the case of Representative Reyes. Where lies the difference?” Umali said.

Flip-flopping

In his privilege speech, Umali railed against the tribunal’s flip-flopping on the pork barrel and made a veiled threat to impeach the magistrates.

He noted that the Supreme Court had long upheld the legality of the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) but only to turn around last November and declare it unconstitutional.

He said the tribunal declared unconstitutional the PDAF largely because of the broad public opposition to the corruption-laced pork barrel system triggered by the exposé on the dubious nongovernment organizations set up by Janet Lim-Napoles, alleged mastermind of the P10-billion pork barrel scam.

Tens of thousands of people staged rallies across the country last year, the biggest of which was the “Million People March” in Rizal Park in Manila, to call for the scrapping of the PDAF.

Whistle-blowers claimed that lawmakers pocketed up to 50 percent of the projects funded by their PDAF allocation.

Before the court ruling, senators received P200 million each in annual PDAF while House members got P70 million each.

‘Playing to the crowd’

“The justices are obviously playing to the crowd to regain credibility after one of their own (former Chief Justice Renato Corona) was stripped of his robes last year,” Umali said.

The House impeached Corona and the Senate impeachment court found him guilty of one of the charges against him for not declaring his dollar holdings in his statement of assets liabilities and net worth.

“They are justices, their decision should be based on the law and not opinion polls. If they want to be popular, they should run for office first,” Umali said.

He said the recent decision of the Supreme Court to issue a temporary restraining order against the rate hike of Manila Electric Co. was another case of the magistrates’ tendency to “ride on” popular opinion.

“They are desperate to regain their credibility even at the expense of justice,” Umali said.

Read More: http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/559787/justices-solons-on-collision-course#ixzz2pm63Szm6