Dutch court to issue verdict on Joma's freedom next month
A Dutch court will issue next month its decision on a petition of the Dutch prosecution panel challenging the court’s decision to release Philippine communist leader Jose Maria Sison from prison while he undergoes pre-trial investigation, ABS-CBN Europe News Bureau reported Thursday.
The report said the decision by the Court of Appeals in The Hague will be out on October 3 after a hearing on the petition took place on Wednesday.
The hearing, where Sison's wife, Juliet, was allowed inside the court for the first time, lasted an hour.
Sison appeared before a panel of three Court of Appeal judges in the Hague in connection with the public prosecutor’s appeal against the district court's decision on September 13 to release him from detention.
The founding chairman of the Communist Party of the Philippines was ordered released after more than two weeks of detention at the Scheveningen prison.
Sison’s camp, however, was confident that the Dutch court will eventually dismiss the murder charges against him, noting that the prosecution panel does not have any new evidence to pin him down.
"Confident ako (I’m confident). I'm innocent. As I told the court, there can be no direct evidence or sufficient evidence so, yeah I think.. I'm confident the result will be good," Sison said.
"I'm sure they (the prosecution) will try everything they can to get him back into prison but if the court decides against the prosecution, it's gonna be a terrible blow for them and for the whole investigation. We have to wait and see," Sison’s lawyer, Michiel Pestman, said.
"But we are very positive about the outcome," the Dutch lawyer added.
Pestman also said the pieces of evidence presented were not strong enough to start a court proceeding.
Sison was arrested on August 28 on charges that he ordered the murders of his former associates in the Philippine communist movement Arturo Tabara and Romulo Kintanar.
According to Dutch law, Sison was detained pending investigation. The investigative judge decided on August to keep Sison in solitary confinement for another 14 days, noting that Sison might opt to escape should he be given temporary release.
On September 7, the investigation procedure against Sison entered the second stage when the prosecution requested that he be detained further for 90 days.
The court, however, decided to set Sison free while the pre-trial investigation continues.
With a report from Loui Galicia, ABS-CBN Europe News Bureau
SOURCE: WWW.ABS-CBNNEWS.COM
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/storypage.aspx?StoryId=94141
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Leftists in Europe ask Dutch govt to leave Joma alone
By LOUI GALICIA
ABS-CBN Europe News Bureau
Supporters of Jose Maria "Joma" Sison from European countries want the Dutch government to stop any and all proceeding against the Communist Party of the Philippines founding chairman, ABS-CBN Europe News Bureau reported.
Apart from familiar Filipino personalities that have been present in protests held during Sison’s court appearances during his detention, foreign supporters of the Filipino communist leader joined a peaceful protest in front of the Palace of Justice in The Hague.
Around fifty protesters, majority of which were non-Filipinos, braved the heavy rains as they stood outside the Palace of Justice, demanding the investigations against Sison to stop.
A Dutch national, who only want to be identified as Nick said that the Dutch government should stop the whole procedure immediately.
"I think it’s quite unjust to do this," he told ABS-CBN Europe News Bureau.
"I support the Philippine liberation movement and I support all Dutchmen who are fighting for democratic rights in the Netherlands too. This arresting of Sison is a threat not only to the Philippine liberation movement but also to the democratic movement in the Netherlands, when they say that the Marxist-Leninist is a criminal or is a terrorist. They say it about Sison but they can say it about a Dutch activist in the labor movement and democratic movement," he added.
Another foreigner who also wants to be identified only by her first name Anne, traveled all the way from Germany to show her solidarity with Sison.
"It could also happen to me or anyone else who will be taken to custody without any reason and if it was me, I’m sure anybody else would show his solidarity," she said.
She is from the Solidarity International movement and is also a representative of the Marxist-Leninist Party of Germany and she’s still confident that there will be justice for Sison.
"I think if there is any justice here, Joma will stay free. There is no reason to take him back to prison again," she said.
A member of the National Democratic Front, Aldo Gonzales, said that indeed Sison has a big following all over the world and that this is because many are sensitive to any injustice done to any individual regardless of his race.
"Maraming foreigners ang sumusuporta kay Joma dahil nga sa injustice na ginagawa sa isang tao na wala namang kasalanan at malinaw na tumutulong din sa mga mahihirap sa Pilipinas sa mga kababayan na inaapi (A lot of foreigners support Joma because of the injustice to a person who has not committed a crime and who clearly works to help his poor and exploited countrymen)," Gonzales said.
"Maraming supporter si Joma. Yung mga hindi nakapunta dito, at least nag-e-express ng support sa email, sa pakikipagsulatan sa kanya, sa pagtawag (He has a lot of supporters. Those who have not been able to come here have at least expressed their support through email, through correspondence and through calls," he added.
Almost all of Sison’s supporters who seem to be regular fixtures in every protest action for the communist leader were present, except for NDF Chair Luis Jalandoni, who is recovering from an appendectomy on Saturday.
SOURCE: WWW.ABS-CBNNEWS.COM
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/storypage.aspx?StoryId=94115
By LOUI GALICIA
ABS-CBN Europe News Bureau
Supporters of Jose Maria "Joma" Sison from European countries want the Dutch government to stop any and all proceeding against the Communist Party of the Philippines founding chairman, ABS-CBN Europe News Bureau reported.
Apart from familiar Filipino personalities that have been present in protests held during Sison’s court appearances during his detention, foreign supporters of the Filipino communist leader joined a peaceful protest in front of the Palace of Justice in The Hague.
Around fifty protesters, majority of which were non-Filipinos, braved the heavy rains as they stood outside the Palace of Justice, demanding the investigations against Sison to stop.
A Dutch national, who only want to be identified as Nick said that the Dutch government should stop the whole procedure immediately.
"I think it’s quite unjust to do this," he told ABS-CBN Europe News Bureau.
"I support the Philippine liberation movement and I support all Dutchmen who are fighting for democratic rights in the Netherlands too. This arresting of Sison is a threat not only to the Philippine liberation movement but also to the democratic movement in the Netherlands, when they say that the Marxist-Leninist is a criminal or is a terrorist. They say it about Sison but they can say it about a Dutch activist in the labor movement and democratic movement," he added.
Another foreigner who also wants to be identified only by her first name Anne, traveled all the way from Germany to show her solidarity with Sison.
"It could also happen to me or anyone else who will be taken to custody without any reason and if it was me, I’m sure anybody else would show his solidarity," she said.
She is from the Solidarity International movement and is also a representative of the Marxist-Leninist Party of Germany and she’s still confident that there will be justice for Sison.
"I think if there is any justice here, Joma will stay free. There is no reason to take him back to prison again," she said.
A member of the National Democratic Front, Aldo Gonzales, said that indeed Sison has a big following all over the world and that this is because many are sensitive to any injustice done to any individual regardless of his race.
"Maraming foreigners ang sumusuporta kay Joma dahil nga sa injustice na ginagawa sa isang tao na wala namang kasalanan at malinaw na tumutulong din sa mga mahihirap sa Pilipinas sa mga kababayan na inaapi (A lot of foreigners support Joma because of the injustice to a person who has not committed a crime and who clearly works to help his poor and exploited countrymen)," Gonzales said.
"Maraming supporter si Joma. Yung mga hindi nakapunta dito, at least nag-e-express ng support sa email, sa pakikipagsulatan sa kanya, sa pagtawag (He has a lot of supporters. Those who have not been able to come here have at least expressed their support through email, through correspondence and through calls," he added.
Almost all of Sison’s supporters who seem to be regular fixtures in every protest action for the communist leader were present, except for NDF Chair Luis Jalandoni, who is recovering from an appendectomy on Saturday.
SOURCE: WWW.ABS-CBNNEWS.COM
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/storypage.aspx?StoryId=94115
Dutch prosecutor drags Joma to court again
Dutch prosecutor drags Joma to court again
By LOUI GALICIA
ABS-CBN Europe News Bureau
Jose Maria Sison will appear before a bench of three Court of Appeal judges in the Hague Wednesday in connection with the public prosecutor’s appeal against the district court's decision on September 13 to release him from detention.
The founding chairman of the Communist Party of the Philippines was ordered released after more than two weeks of detention at the Scheveningen prison.
Wim de Bruin, a spokesman of the public prosecutor's office who confirmed previously to ABS-CBN that charges against Sison are not being dropped, said that Wednesday's hearing that begins at 3 p.m. (Netherlands time, 9 p.m. in Manila) will tackle their previous request for respondent's detention which was turned down by the court.
“The court of appeal will decide whether the decision of the [District] court stands or will be overruled.
In that case Mr. Sison will be detained again,” de Bruin told ABS-CBN.De Bruin said that all parties, the prosecution, defense and Sison will be present at the proceedings.
“The court of appeal is dealing with the Sison case but we don’t expect a decision today and maybe it will come tomorrow or later in the week,” de Bruin said.
If the appellate court decides in favor of Sison, he will remain free but de Bruin said it will not mean that the case is over.
“He will still be a suspect and the investigation will be continued. In the end there will be a court case,” de Bruin said.
Sison was arrested on August 28 on charges that he ordered the murders of Arturo Tabara, Romulo Kintanar and two other men in the Philippines.
According to Dutch law, Sison was detained pending investigation. The investigative judge decided on August to keep Sison in solitary confinement for another 14 days, noting that he believes Sison may opt to escape should he be given temporary release.
On September 7, the investigation procedure against Sison entered the second stage when the prosecution requested that he be detained a further 90 days.
The court, however, decided to set Sison free.
The ball and the right to appeal, meanwhile, are now in the prosecution’s court.
According to a source who explained the proceedings under Dutch law, this simply means that government lawyers are letting the law take its course.
Even if the appellate court of Appeal decides against Sison’s detention, the prosecution can still appeal. The source explained that the process does not stop because behind this sequence of events, there is such a thing as “principle of opportunity” in the Dutch justice system.
“They will only prosecute all the way up to the Supreme Court if necessary, if they see, if their calculation is that this has a liveable ground for surviving this trial. They don’t go to trial unless they have that guarantee. So to have that guarantee, the judge has no other recourse but to allow the prosecution to appeal because otherwise how will they get their evidence,” the source said.
“So it is a matter of letting the law take its course so at the end of the day whatever the judge decides there are still no winners or losers because the real fight has not yet begun. This is just a preliminary step. And the only logic of this is to give both parties the chance to prepare their case. This is really still in the preparation stage,” the source added.
The source also explained that the Dutch justice system is primarily based on paper.
“You can do anything as long as you have tangible evidence,” the source said.
The source also explained that Sison’s previous solitary confinement is a normal practice in the Netherlands and that it is not the type of solitary confinement accorded to convicted criminals.
“He’s not in solitary confinement as a punishment but as a matter of routine. In Dutch prison, it is customary to have one prisoner per cell and it is a matter of debate now that the prisons are crowded, they even have to pass a law to allow the prisoners to join cells,” the source explained.
Sison is not yet a prisoner in technical terms because he has not been convicted yet. He is only detained for investigative purposes and everything that is happening now is still in the preparatory investigative stage.
The court case has yet to begin.
In a related development, Sison’s sympathizers have scheduled another protest in front of the Palace of Justice to coincide with the start of the proceedings at the appellate court.
Filipinos from the different organizations such as Rice & Rights, Defend, Migrante, Liga ng Kabataang Pilipino, Makibaka and National Democratic Front as well as solidarity groups from different countries such as Turkey Arbeiders Ver., ATIK from Turkey, ICAD (International Organisations Against Disappearances), VEKSAN-AVEG-KON, ILPS (International League of People’s Struggle) and Anti-Imperialist Platform-Surinam previously held protests in all of Sison’s court appearances.
SOURCE: WWW.ABS-CBNNEWS.COM
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/storypage.aspx?StoryId=94039
By LOUI GALICIA
ABS-CBN Europe News Bureau
Jose Maria Sison will appear before a bench of three Court of Appeal judges in the Hague Wednesday in connection with the public prosecutor’s appeal against the district court's decision on September 13 to release him from detention.
The founding chairman of the Communist Party of the Philippines was ordered released after more than two weeks of detention at the Scheveningen prison.
Wim de Bruin, a spokesman of the public prosecutor's office who confirmed previously to ABS-CBN that charges against Sison are not being dropped, said that Wednesday's hearing that begins at 3 p.m. (Netherlands time, 9 p.m. in Manila) will tackle their previous request for respondent's detention which was turned down by the court.
“The court of appeal will decide whether the decision of the [District] court stands or will be overruled.
In that case Mr. Sison will be detained again,” de Bruin told ABS-CBN.De Bruin said that all parties, the prosecution, defense and Sison will be present at the proceedings.
“The court of appeal is dealing with the Sison case but we don’t expect a decision today and maybe it will come tomorrow or later in the week,” de Bruin said.
If the appellate court decides in favor of Sison, he will remain free but de Bruin said it will not mean that the case is over.
“He will still be a suspect and the investigation will be continued. In the end there will be a court case,” de Bruin said.
Sison was arrested on August 28 on charges that he ordered the murders of Arturo Tabara, Romulo Kintanar and two other men in the Philippines.
According to Dutch law, Sison was detained pending investigation. The investigative judge decided on August to keep Sison in solitary confinement for another 14 days, noting that he believes Sison may opt to escape should he be given temporary release.
On September 7, the investigation procedure against Sison entered the second stage when the prosecution requested that he be detained a further 90 days.
The court, however, decided to set Sison free.
The ball and the right to appeal, meanwhile, are now in the prosecution’s court.
According to a source who explained the proceedings under Dutch law, this simply means that government lawyers are letting the law take its course.
Even if the appellate court of Appeal decides against Sison’s detention, the prosecution can still appeal. The source explained that the process does not stop because behind this sequence of events, there is such a thing as “principle of opportunity” in the Dutch justice system.
“They will only prosecute all the way up to the Supreme Court if necessary, if they see, if their calculation is that this has a liveable ground for surviving this trial. They don’t go to trial unless they have that guarantee. So to have that guarantee, the judge has no other recourse but to allow the prosecution to appeal because otherwise how will they get their evidence,” the source said.
“So it is a matter of letting the law take its course so at the end of the day whatever the judge decides there are still no winners or losers because the real fight has not yet begun. This is just a preliminary step. And the only logic of this is to give both parties the chance to prepare their case. This is really still in the preparation stage,” the source added.
The source also explained that the Dutch justice system is primarily based on paper.
“You can do anything as long as you have tangible evidence,” the source said.
The source also explained that Sison’s previous solitary confinement is a normal practice in the Netherlands and that it is not the type of solitary confinement accorded to convicted criminals.
“He’s not in solitary confinement as a punishment but as a matter of routine. In Dutch prison, it is customary to have one prisoner per cell and it is a matter of debate now that the prisons are crowded, they even have to pass a law to allow the prisoners to join cells,” the source explained.
Sison is not yet a prisoner in technical terms because he has not been convicted yet. He is only detained for investigative purposes and everything that is happening now is still in the preparatory investigative stage.
The court case has yet to begin.
In a related development, Sison’s sympathizers have scheduled another protest in front of the Palace of Justice to coincide with the start of the proceedings at the appellate court.
Filipinos from the different organizations such as Rice & Rights, Defend, Migrante, Liga ng Kabataang Pilipino, Makibaka and National Democratic Front as well as solidarity groups from different countries such as Turkey Arbeiders Ver., ATIK from Turkey, ICAD (International Organisations Against Disappearances), VEKSAN-AVEG-KON, ILPS (International League of People’s Struggle) and Anti-Imperialist Platform-Surinam previously held protests in all of Sison’s court appearances.
SOURCE: WWW.ABS-CBNNEWS.COM
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/storypage.aspx?StoryId=94039
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Reyes, Bustamante struggle to defend World Cup Pool title
Reyes, Bustamante struggle to defend World Cup Pool title
By LOUI GALICIA
ABS-CBN Europe News Bureau
Efren "Bata" Reyes and Francisco "Djungo" Bustamante recovered from a possible defeat from their Scottish opponents to win their first match at the PartyPoker.net World Cup Pool tournament held on Tuesday at the Outland nightclub in Rotterdam, Netherlands.
The Pinoy legends are the defending champions of the $250,000 scotch doubles tournament in a winner-break format which feature a total of 31 participating countries.
Reyes and Bustamante gained an easy lead of 6-1 during the first 7 rounds of the race to eight, leaving Michael Valentine and Pat Holz to scramble to shoot their balls successively.
The ninth round saw the Scottish pair gaining back their game as they scored 3-6 and continuously won the rounds to a score of 6-7 while Reyes and Bustamante continuously missed shots and made mistakes.
But, as if luck played a vital role for the Pinoys, Valentine missed a long pot on the 7-ball, giving the Reyes and Bustamanete the thriller win of 8-6.
"Di kami nahirapan sa kalaban. Nahirapan kami sa tira naming (We didn’t have a difficulty with our opponents. We had difficulty with our shots)," sighed Reyes.
The Pinoy who is dubbed as the "magician" seemed to have lost momentarily his magic during the games, but some of his best shots awed his adoring fans and spectators.
"Well alam mo naman si Efren (you know Efren), pride of the Philippines. He brings pride to the Philippines," RP Ambassador to the Netherlands Romeo Arguelles said.
The two high-caliber pool pros can’t help but admit that they were very nervous throughout the game.
"Kaya lang sobrang buenas sila. Pero sabi ko noong nakakuha sila ng anim, ninenerbyos na kami (They were very lucky, We got nervous when they got six rounds)," Bustamante said.
"Nerbyos na nerbyos kami. Namumutla na nga ako (We were extremely nervous. I even became pale)," added Reyes.
A large number of Pinoys from the different parts of the Netherlands came to Outland to show their support to the two legends.
Notably present is a Pinoy who is playing for Canada who came to support his idol Reyes and couldn’t believe the difficulty that the two players had encountered.
"Laro ni Efren, pressure na yun. Humabol yung mga kalaban. Buti nalang namintis si ano [Valentine] kung hindi talo sila (Especially to Efren, that’s pressure. Their opponents came near. It was good Valentine missed or else they would have lost)," Edwin Montar said.
"Possibleng matalo kanina. Malaki kasi yung break parating pasok yung bola sa corner eh. Kung natalo sila dun, siguradong talo sila sa susunod [last round] (They could have lost. There was that big break when the balls always went in the corner. Had they lost they would surely lose the next round)," Montar added.
The Philippines will face Croatia on Thursday.
SOURCE: WWW.ABS-CBNNEWS.COM
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/storypage.aspx?StoryId=93981
By LOUI GALICIA
ABS-CBN Europe News Bureau
Efren "Bata" Reyes and Francisco "Djungo" Bustamante recovered from a possible defeat from their Scottish opponents to win their first match at the PartyPoker.net World Cup Pool tournament held on Tuesday at the Outland nightclub in Rotterdam, Netherlands.
The Pinoy legends are the defending champions of the $250,000 scotch doubles tournament in a winner-break format which feature a total of 31 participating countries.
Reyes and Bustamante gained an easy lead of 6-1 during the first 7 rounds of the race to eight, leaving Michael Valentine and Pat Holz to scramble to shoot their balls successively.
The ninth round saw the Scottish pair gaining back their game as they scored 3-6 and continuously won the rounds to a score of 6-7 while Reyes and Bustamante continuously missed shots and made mistakes.
But, as if luck played a vital role for the Pinoys, Valentine missed a long pot on the 7-ball, giving the Reyes and Bustamanete the thriller win of 8-6.
"Di kami nahirapan sa kalaban. Nahirapan kami sa tira naming (We didn’t have a difficulty with our opponents. We had difficulty with our shots)," sighed Reyes.
The Pinoy who is dubbed as the "magician" seemed to have lost momentarily his magic during the games, but some of his best shots awed his adoring fans and spectators.
"Well alam mo naman si Efren (you know Efren), pride of the Philippines. He brings pride to the Philippines," RP Ambassador to the Netherlands Romeo Arguelles said.
The two high-caliber pool pros can’t help but admit that they were very nervous throughout the game.
"Kaya lang sobrang buenas sila. Pero sabi ko noong nakakuha sila ng anim, ninenerbyos na kami (They were very lucky, We got nervous when they got six rounds)," Bustamante said.
"Nerbyos na nerbyos kami. Namumutla na nga ako (We were extremely nervous. I even became pale)," added Reyes.
A large number of Pinoys from the different parts of the Netherlands came to Outland to show their support to the two legends.
Notably present is a Pinoy who is playing for Canada who came to support his idol Reyes and couldn’t believe the difficulty that the two players had encountered.
"Laro ni Efren, pressure na yun. Humabol yung mga kalaban. Buti nalang namintis si ano [Valentine] kung hindi talo sila (Especially to Efren, that’s pressure. Their opponents came near. It was good Valentine missed or else they would have lost)," Edwin Montar said.
"Possibleng matalo kanina. Malaki kasi yung break parating pasok yung bola sa corner eh. Kung natalo sila dun, siguradong talo sila sa susunod [last round] (They could have lost. There was that big break when the balls always went in the corner. Had they lost they would surely lose the next round)," Montar added.
The Philippines will face Croatia on Thursday.
SOURCE: WWW.ABS-CBNNEWS.COM
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/storypage.aspx?StoryId=93981
Thursday, September 20, 2007
MediaQuest Holdings eyes foothold on RP mobile TV
MediaQuest Holdings eyes foothold on RP mobile TV
By LOUI GALICIA
ABS-CBN Europe News Bureau
A team from MediaQuest Holdings Inc., part of the PLDT Group, went to the capital of the Netherlands recently to study the latest in mobile television technology and, hopefully, set a record in harnessing the technical skills of Filipinos.
The team visited Amsterdam to attend the International Broadcasting Convention in Amsterdam to look for the latest revolution in broadcast technology.
"We’re launching mobile television in the Philippines very soon. In fact we’re rolling out our network. We’re trying to validate some of the basic principles we’re doing and we're looking likewise to network with other countries who have experiences related to mobile TV," said Jose Benjamin Fernandez, MediaQuest technology and management head.
Fernandez said MediaQuest is proud that the Philippines, through its company, is one of only three or four countries in Asia that will offer mobile television and one of the first countries in the world to launch the service.
He said MediaQuest wants to get first-hand information on mobile TV technology from vendors in Europe. He said he also hopes to see what the company can bring back to the Philippines in terms of training local engineers.
Fernandez said that he is optimistic that it would be a "déjà vu" experience in terms of developing local talents to become experts in the technology.
"In a very short span of time, two to three years, the global community noticed the technical expertise of Filipino engineers to the point that they started hiring Filipino engineers for GSM. Kasi mura yung rate [nila], magaling naman, experiensado. [Their rates were affordable, they were good and experienced] Now we’re seeing a repeat again with mobile TV," Fernandez said.
"We’re one of the first globally...to launch mobile TV. And I think it will be again another source of technical pride for the Filipinos. Good reach, highly-educated, highly skilled, again a good source of export talent," he added.
Fernandez said that the company is confident about the potential impact of mobile television in the Philippines in the same way that cell phones became an instant phenomenon in the country.
At present, there are about 48 million mobile phone subscribers in the Philippines.
MediaQuest consultant Erwin Galang said he expects mobile TV to modify the viewing habit of Filipinos.
He said several studies show that Filipinos watch an average of four hours of TV a day.
With the advent of mobile TV, this could translate to more sales for the company.
"Unang-una, napakataas ng mobile phone penetration sa Pilipinas. Tapos lahat ng tao mahilig. Mahilig sa prepaid, mahilig sa cellular phone. Mahilig sa telebisyon. Tong technology na to ang magbibigay ng access para sa mga kababayan natin na gustong magkaroon ng television na madadala nila (First of all, mobile phone penetration in the Philippines is very high and a lot of people really want cell phones. They want prepaid. They want television. This technology will give our countrymen access to television that they can carry anywhere)," he said.
Galang noted that Filipinos are not yet ready to abandon their regular television sets and switch exclusively to mobile TV.
"Well it is not really switching. You are actually extending your television at home to wherever you are, whether you are in the car, traffic or waiting for the bus," he said.
"Since the technology has just started, it is still expensive. Eventually it will go down," he added.
SOURCE: WWW.ABS-CBNNEWS.COM
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/storypage.aspx?StoryID=93260
By LOUI GALICIA
ABS-CBN Europe News Bureau
A team from MediaQuest Holdings Inc., part of the PLDT Group, went to the capital of the Netherlands recently to study the latest in mobile television technology and, hopefully, set a record in harnessing the technical skills of Filipinos.
The team visited Amsterdam to attend the International Broadcasting Convention in Amsterdam to look for the latest revolution in broadcast technology.
"We’re launching mobile television in the Philippines very soon. In fact we’re rolling out our network. We’re trying to validate some of the basic principles we’re doing and we're looking likewise to network with other countries who have experiences related to mobile TV," said Jose Benjamin Fernandez, MediaQuest technology and management head.
Fernandez said MediaQuest is proud that the Philippines, through its company, is one of only three or four countries in Asia that will offer mobile television and one of the first countries in the world to launch the service.
He said MediaQuest wants to get first-hand information on mobile TV technology from vendors in Europe. He said he also hopes to see what the company can bring back to the Philippines in terms of training local engineers.
Fernandez said that he is optimistic that it would be a "déjà vu" experience in terms of developing local talents to become experts in the technology.
"In a very short span of time, two to three years, the global community noticed the technical expertise of Filipino engineers to the point that they started hiring Filipino engineers for GSM. Kasi mura yung rate [nila], magaling naman, experiensado. [Their rates were affordable, they were good and experienced] Now we’re seeing a repeat again with mobile TV," Fernandez said.
"We’re one of the first globally...to launch mobile TV. And I think it will be again another source of technical pride for the Filipinos. Good reach, highly-educated, highly skilled, again a good source of export talent," he added.
Fernandez said that the company is confident about the potential impact of mobile television in the Philippines in the same way that cell phones became an instant phenomenon in the country.
At present, there are about 48 million mobile phone subscribers in the Philippines.
MediaQuest consultant Erwin Galang said he expects mobile TV to modify the viewing habit of Filipinos.
He said several studies show that Filipinos watch an average of four hours of TV a day.
With the advent of mobile TV, this could translate to more sales for the company.
"Unang-una, napakataas ng mobile phone penetration sa Pilipinas. Tapos lahat ng tao mahilig. Mahilig sa prepaid, mahilig sa cellular phone. Mahilig sa telebisyon. Tong technology na to ang magbibigay ng access para sa mga kababayan natin na gustong magkaroon ng television na madadala nila (First of all, mobile phone penetration in the Philippines is very high and a lot of people really want cell phones. They want prepaid. They want television. This technology will give our countrymen access to television that they can carry anywhere)," he said.
Galang noted that Filipinos are not yet ready to abandon their regular television sets and switch exclusively to mobile TV.
"Well it is not really switching. You are actually extending your television at home to wherever you are, whether you are in the car, traffic or waiting for the bus," he said.
"Since the technology has just started, it is still expensive. Eventually it will go down," he added.
SOURCE: WWW.ABS-CBNNEWS.COM
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/storypage.aspx?StoryID=93260
Sunday, September 16, 2007
Pinoys, others troop to Europe's 'largest flea market'
Pinoys, others troop to Europe's 'largest flea market'
By LOUI GALICIA
ABS-CBN Europe News Bureau
The first weekend of September, despite being very busy with most of the summer vacationers returning home from their holidays and with students preparing for the start of the new school year, over a million people including Pinoys, still managed to travel from all over Europe to a small town in France.
Lille, which is near the border of Belgium, is home to "La Grande Braderie," considered as the largest flea market in Europe.
People flock to the streets to browse the seemingly endless stalls that line around 200 kilometers of pavements throughout Lille.
For antique lovers, like a Pinoy couple from Brussels, this is the place to go hunt for paintings and various antique items like clocks, furniture and decorative pieces.
Sammy Ambrocio has made the one-and-a-half-hour drive from Brussels as a pilgrimage to Lille every year with his wife.
“Nagtitingin ako ng antiques dito kasi nandito ang pinaka-malaking braderie sa buong France. Dinadayo namin 'to. Marami na kaming nabili,” Ambrosio said.
Hiking through the never-ending line of stalls and squeezing into the thick crowd, one can be amused finding very odd and old collectors’ items such as a French woman’s magazine that was dated 1950 and old coins, beer glasses, helmets, giant perfume bottles, toys, cars and pins.
Thousands of stalls sell just about anything, even junk.
Ambrocio’s wife, Jopay, who says she is a sucker for antiques, always goes to this flea market because she finds a lot of the older stuff here than in Belgium.
“Nagtitingin ng mga lumang gamit. Mas luma [dito] kesa sa Belgium,” she said.
Belgium is also known for flea markets and the most popular is the regular weekend antique market at Le Grand Sablon, considered as one of Europe’s best.
Pinoys, however, go to Lille for its carnival-like atmosphere and because of children's rides, countless beer stands and restaurants serving specialty dishes.
And at the end of the day, Pinoys go home, bringing with them not only the antiques that they have bought but also the stories for behind these items.
SOURCE: http://www.abs-cbnnews.com
Thursday, September 13, 2007
ABS-CBN continues preparation for digital TV
ABS-CBN continues preparation for digital TV
By LOUI GALICIA
ABS-CBN Europe News Bureau
AMSTERDAM, The Netherlands - Television giant ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corp. begins its hunt for suppliers and equipment worldwide, in preparation for the rollout of its digital terrestrial TV project in January 2008.
A team of ABS-CBN engineers, headed by managing director for broadcast operations Ruben Jimenez, accompanied ABS-CBN Global chief operating officer Raffy Lopez to the International Broadcasting Convention (IBC) in Amsterdam.
The IBC, held from Sept. 6-11, is an annual exhibition showcasing the latest hardware and software in the world of television.
With over 1,300 exhibitors this year, the IBC provided the most comprehensive display and demonstration of the latest technology and business ideas in broadcasting and new media.
The ABS-CBN team’s presence at the IBC gives a strong signal that it is going full speed to be the first to launch digital television in the Philippines.
“We’re very excited about launching a new digital terrestrial service in the Philippines. It’s going to give a much clearer signal, much better quality of service, much better transmission. It’s really a way of the future when in the future we should be switching from analog to digital…so we want to be in the forefront,” Lopez said in an exclusive interview.
“We want to be right at the leading edge of this technology and that’s always been our style at ABS-CBN... is whenever new technologies come out, anytime new platforms come out, we want our contents to be …so we do that globally, in the Philippines and anywhere where there are Filipinos,” Lopez added.
With the planned rollout of the first set-top boxes in Metro Manila next year, ABS-CBN is not wasting any time between now and December.
“We’re talking to the different suppliers. We’re taking to different vendors and this is a good venue because they’re all together in the same area so it’s easy to talk to them. So right now were gathering a lot of information. A lot of technical information, commercial terms, things like that from the different suppliers. So we’re going to the process of choosing who our suppliers and vendors would be for this digital terrestrial product,” Lopez explained.
However, Lopez explained that there is a specific requirement for their would-be supplier.
“Suppliers come from all over. We’re talking to people from Europe. We’re talking to people from Asia as well as people from the U.S. As you know, we’re really a global company so what we prefer is a supplier that is able to… that has a global presence so that they can give us the support that we need,” Lopez said.
The engineers of ABS-CBN are busy learning new technology and absorbing as much knowledge related to the giant step the company is taking.
“We’ll be launching it by January next year for provincial stations around Mega Manila. We will put up transmitters around Metro Manila, para ma-receive ng (so it can be received in) TV households,” ABS-CBN’s Deo Jordan said.
The manager of digital terrestrial television, or DTT, explained that it will be a free-to-air TV that will replace analog television, which is initially set to be turned off by 2015.
The National Telecommunications Commission will be giving television broadcast companies until Dec. 31, 2015, to fully convert from analog to digital technology, in line with the worldwide shift towards the use of DTT in broadcasting. Jordan explained that digital will be much better than analog.
“One thing since we are in a lower television frequency, it’s very noisy so disadvantage yun ng Channel Two especially in Metro Manila. So compared to our competition, disadvantage 'yun, 'yung pagiging nasa Channel Two natin, sa (our being on Channel Two which is on the) lower band of the VHF [very high frequency],” Jordan said.
“We will have more advantages in digital television since we can in one frequency allocated to us, we can deliver three channels as opposed to one is to one in analog.
So instead na Channel Two lang sa isang frequency, pwede kang mag-Channel Two, (So instead of just one frequency Channel Two, you can have [in DTT] Channel Two and) then you have two additional channels. So it’s more channels to the viewers, more selections of channels,” Jordan explained.
With its plan to implement the DVB-T European standard or digital video broadcasting-terrestrial, the company has engaged the help of Dutch company Impeq Technologies as one of its consultants in designing digital TV in the Philippines.
“You have to consider all technical difficulties that you will be facing as analog transmissions…these transmissions are completely different technology. We started with providing them [ABS-CBN] consultancy with network design and set-top box selection,” Impeq Technologies’s President and CEO Dick Hamann said.
Though the Philippines still uses analog, Hamann doesn’t think that the country is too far behind other countries which have switched to digital TV.
“It’s not a matter of being behind. Digital television is big, worldwide. All the countries are watching this. And compared for example with Europe, you sure are a little bit behind but it’s not so far behind. l think it’s time that you start now to move to this. It has many advantages and I think ABS-CBN is determined and dedicated to start the roll out of this terrestrial television in the Philippines very soon,” Hamann said.
He also reiterated the advantages of a digital TV.
“It would be interesting also to educate the Philippine television viewers. To give pleasure to watch TV. Instead, you have a set-top box at home so you don’t use your antenna anymore or cable connection to plug it to the television,” Hamann explained.
He also thinks it’s the right time for the Philippines to invest in digital television because the price of the set-top box will decrease.
“The DVB-T has been accepted and adopted in most of the countries which should bring up production of boxes for a while. So you see, thousands of boxes are being produced a week and that will decrease the price,” said Hamann.
A lot of companies are scrambling to introduce new technology to improve TV technology in developing countries.
Funke Antenna managing director Stan Baayens said his company has developed just the right model of antenna for the Philippines that can even withstand a typhoon.
“It has a very strong construction and of course also in relation to typhoon, it is quite a small device. So you won’t have any loss during typhoon because it’s a very small. It won’t be destroyed by the wind even if a strong typhoon is coming up,” Baayens said.
Baayens thinks this small antenna, which he assures is not more expensive than a normal antenna, will revolutionize TV in the Philippines.
“I think it’s very important and to start with those products because the people there can start to receive digital terrestrial TV without problems that other countries do have in the very beginning due to the fact that they underestimate the importance of the antenna,” Baayens said.
SOURCE: http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/storypage.aspx?StoryId=92374
By LOUI GALICIA
ABS-CBN Europe News Bureau
AMSTERDAM, The Netherlands - Television giant ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corp. begins its hunt for suppliers and equipment worldwide, in preparation for the rollout of its digital terrestrial TV project in January 2008.
A team of ABS-CBN engineers, headed by managing director for broadcast operations Ruben Jimenez, accompanied ABS-CBN Global chief operating officer Raffy Lopez to the International Broadcasting Convention (IBC) in Amsterdam.
The IBC, held from Sept. 6-11, is an annual exhibition showcasing the latest hardware and software in the world of television.
With over 1,300 exhibitors this year, the IBC provided the most comprehensive display and demonstration of the latest technology and business ideas in broadcasting and new media.
The ABS-CBN team’s presence at the IBC gives a strong signal that it is going full speed to be the first to launch digital television in the Philippines.
“We’re very excited about launching a new digital terrestrial service in the Philippines. It’s going to give a much clearer signal, much better quality of service, much better transmission. It’s really a way of the future when in the future we should be switching from analog to digital…so we want to be in the forefront,” Lopez said in an exclusive interview.
“We want to be right at the leading edge of this technology and that’s always been our style at ABS-CBN... is whenever new technologies come out, anytime new platforms come out, we want our contents to be …so we do that globally, in the Philippines and anywhere where there are Filipinos,” Lopez added.
With the planned rollout of the first set-top boxes in Metro Manila next year, ABS-CBN is not wasting any time between now and December.
“We’re talking to the different suppliers. We’re taking to different vendors and this is a good venue because they’re all together in the same area so it’s easy to talk to them. So right now were gathering a lot of information. A lot of technical information, commercial terms, things like that from the different suppliers. So we’re going to the process of choosing who our suppliers and vendors would be for this digital terrestrial product,” Lopez explained.
However, Lopez explained that there is a specific requirement for their would-be supplier.
“Suppliers come from all over. We’re talking to people from Europe. We’re talking to people from Asia as well as people from the U.S. As you know, we’re really a global company so what we prefer is a supplier that is able to… that has a global presence so that they can give us the support that we need,” Lopez said.
The engineers of ABS-CBN are busy learning new technology and absorbing as much knowledge related to the giant step the company is taking.
“We’ll be launching it by January next year for provincial stations around Mega Manila. We will put up transmitters around Metro Manila, para ma-receive ng (so it can be received in) TV households,” ABS-CBN’s Deo Jordan said.
The manager of digital terrestrial television, or DTT, explained that it will be a free-to-air TV that will replace analog television, which is initially set to be turned off by 2015.
The National Telecommunications Commission will be giving television broadcast companies until Dec. 31, 2015, to fully convert from analog to digital technology, in line with the worldwide shift towards the use of DTT in broadcasting. Jordan explained that digital will be much better than analog.
“One thing since we are in a lower television frequency, it’s very noisy so disadvantage yun ng Channel Two especially in Metro Manila. So compared to our competition, disadvantage 'yun, 'yung pagiging nasa Channel Two natin, sa (our being on Channel Two which is on the) lower band of the VHF [very high frequency],” Jordan said.
“We will have more advantages in digital television since we can in one frequency allocated to us, we can deliver three channels as opposed to one is to one in analog.
So instead na Channel Two lang sa isang frequency, pwede kang mag-Channel Two, (So instead of just one frequency Channel Two, you can have [in DTT] Channel Two and) then you have two additional channels. So it’s more channels to the viewers, more selections of channels,” Jordan explained.
With its plan to implement the DVB-T European standard or digital video broadcasting-terrestrial, the company has engaged the help of Dutch company Impeq Technologies as one of its consultants in designing digital TV in the Philippines.
“You have to consider all technical difficulties that you will be facing as analog transmissions…these transmissions are completely different technology. We started with providing them [ABS-CBN] consultancy with network design and set-top box selection,” Impeq Technologies’s President and CEO Dick Hamann said.
Though the Philippines still uses analog, Hamann doesn’t think that the country is too far behind other countries which have switched to digital TV.
“It’s not a matter of being behind. Digital television is big, worldwide. All the countries are watching this. And compared for example with Europe, you sure are a little bit behind but it’s not so far behind. l think it’s time that you start now to move to this. It has many advantages and I think ABS-CBN is determined and dedicated to start the roll out of this terrestrial television in the Philippines very soon,” Hamann said.
He also reiterated the advantages of a digital TV.
“It would be interesting also to educate the Philippine television viewers. To give pleasure to watch TV. Instead, you have a set-top box at home so you don’t use your antenna anymore or cable connection to plug it to the television,” Hamann explained.
He also thinks it’s the right time for the Philippines to invest in digital television because the price of the set-top box will decrease.
“The DVB-T has been accepted and adopted in most of the countries which should bring up production of boxes for a while. So you see, thousands of boxes are being produced a week and that will decrease the price,” said Hamann.
A lot of companies are scrambling to introduce new technology to improve TV technology in developing countries.
Funke Antenna managing director Stan Baayens said his company has developed just the right model of antenna for the Philippines that can even withstand a typhoon.
“It has a very strong construction and of course also in relation to typhoon, it is quite a small device. So you won’t have any loss during typhoon because it’s a very small. It won’t be destroyed by the wind even if a strong typhoon is coming up,” Baayens said.
Baayens thinks this small antenna, which he assures is not more expensive than a normal antenna, will revolutionize TV in the Philippines.
“I think it’s very important and to start with those products because the people there can start to receive digital terrestrial TV without problems that other countries do have in the very beginning due to the fact that they underestimate the importance of the antenna,” Baayens said.
SOURCE: http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/storypage.aspx?StoryId=92374
Joma release triggers RP alert vs Reds
Joma release triggers RP alert vs Reds
National Security Adviser Norberto Gonzales said security forces have been alerted in Metro Manila due to reports that the New People's Army will launch an attack in the capital region "in the coming days."
"We have received information that the CPP-NPA is planning a major attack in Metro Manila in the coming days," Gonzales told ABS-CBN News.
At the same time, President Arroyo's chief security adviser said he has ordered additional bodyguards for high-ranking government officials that might be the subject of assassination attempts.
The intensified security was also implemented on the widows of Arturo Tabara and Romulo Kintanar, the slain former colleagues of Jose Maria Sison, the founding chairman of the ommunist Party of the Philippines.
The widows of Tabara and Kintanar were the ones who filed the murder charges against Sison.
On Thursday a district court in The Hague released Sison after his arrest and subsequent detention on August 28.
Police arrested Sison on charges that he ordered the assassination of Philippine-based Tabara, Kintanar and two other former comrades in the CPP.
A rough translation of the press release and decision from the District Court of The Hague, meanwhile, said Sison's case was decided "in camera" and that the accused "should be released from custody immediately."
"The District Court established that these serious offenses have been committed in the Philippines and relate to disagreements inside the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and that the decision to commit these murders was taken within the party structure of the CPP," the press release said.
"Furthermore, the Court recognized that there are many indications in the files which support the point of view that the accused is still playing a leading role in the Central Committee [CC] of the CPP as well as in the military branch of the CPP, the New People's Army (NPA)," it added.
The court also said that: "The files pertaining to the accused do not include indications that Sison, while in the Netherlands, committed the offenses he is charged with in deliberate and close co-operation with the perpetrators in the Philippines."
It added that the Sison's files do not contain information that he incited others to commit serious offenses according to the accusations.
Not yet off hook
In a related development, the Dutch justice ministry said it will not drop the case against Sison.
Wim de Bruin, spokesman of the public prosecutor's office, told Loui Galicia of ABS-CBN Europe News Bureau that the prosecution will appeal the court's decision.
“The investigation will be continued. And Mr. Sison is still a suspect and Prosecutor's office will appeal the decision of the court this morning," de Bruin said.
De Bruin said that the charges are not being dropped.
"The court thought there was not enough [evidence] to keep Mr. Sison in custody," de Bruin said.Sison's release from detention followed a related report that he will remain in solitary confinement in the Netherlands for another 90 days.
The Philippine government and the NDF, meanwhile, immediately issued statements following Sison's release.
Jalandoni welcomed the news about Sison’s release from Dutch prison.“We are happy about the news but we are here now outside the prison awaiting his definitive release,” Jalandoni said.
He said that Sison’s lawyer called him up after receiving information about the release from prison due to insufficient evidence against him.
“The lawyer called that he would try to have Joma released about 12:30 that's 6:30 p.m. there. So were not sure of the final arrangement being made by the lawyers. We are now waiting for his release anytime now,” Jalandoni said.
He said Sison’s lawyer is still trying to set an appointment with them on Friday morning to discuss the details of the decision and to talk about the next steps to be taken.
“What is clear is that the court has ordered the immediate release of Prof. Sison because there is insufficiency of evidence on the charge that was made against him,” he said.
Shortly after his release from prison at noon, Sison was reunited with his wife, Julie, and chief negotiator Luis Jalandoni of the National Democratic Front.
As of last report, the three were on their way back to Sison's base in Utrecht. Dutch treat?
For his part, Jesus Dureza, President Arroyo's adviser on the peace process, said Sison’s arrest and release was a Dutch initiative.
“We should never be surprised when we have been saying that this is a Dutch initiative and this is violation of Dutch laws being handled by the Dutch courts,” Dureza said.
Dureza said that the decision of the Dutch court should be respected.
“We want a logical conclusion, of course. But as to what the conclusion will be is totally with the hands of the Dutch court,” he said.
Dureza added that he would rather not speculate if Sison would avail of the government’s amnesty program saying that “it is something that will have to be voluntarily done by the applicant.”
“Anyone who would wish to avail of it and they fall within the coverage and have committed the crimes as covered by the proclamation (1377) can avail of it,” he said.
Sison and a number of NDF officials have been in self-exile in the Netherlands since the late 1980s.The CPP, together with the NPA as its armed wing, are under the political umbrella of the NDF.
With a report from Willard Cheng and ABS-CBN News
SOURCE: WWW.ABS-CBNNEWS.COM
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/topofthehour.aspx?StoryId=92379
National Security Adviser Norberto Gonzales said security forces have been alerted in Metro Manila due to reports that the New People's Army will launch an attack in the capital region "in the coming days."
"We have received information that the CPP-NPA is planning a major attack in Metro Manila in the coming days," Gonzales told ABS-CBN News.
At the same time, President Arroyo's chief security adviser said he has ordered additional bodyguards for high-ranking government officials that might be the subject of assassination attempts.
The intensified security was also implemented on the widows of Arturo Tabara and Romulo Kintanar, the slain former colleagues of Jose Maria Sison, the founding chairman of the ommunist Party of the Philippines.
The widows of Tabara and Kintanar were the ones who filed the murder charges against Sison.
On Thursday a district court in The Hague released Sison after his arrest and subsequent detention on August 28.
Police arrested Sison on charges that he ordered the assassination of Philippine-based Tabara, Kintanar and two other former comrades in the CPP.
A rough translation of the press release and decision from the District Court of The Hague, meanwhile, said Sison's case was decided "in camera" and that the accused "should be released from custody immediately."
"The District Court established that these serious offenses have been committed in the Philippines and relate to disagreements inside the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and that the decision to commit these murders was taken within the party structure of the CPP," the press release said.
"Furthermore, the Court recognized that there are many indications in the files which support the point of view that the accused is still playing a leading role in the Central Committee [CC] of the CPP as well as in the military branch of the CPP, the New People's Army (NPA)," it added.
The court also said that: "The files pertaining to the accused do not include indications that Sison, while in the Netherlands, committed the offenses he is charged with in deliberate and close co-operation with the perpetrators in the Philippines."
It added that the Sison's files do not contain information that he incited others to commit serious offenses according to the accusations.
Not yet off hook
In a related development, the Dutch justice ministry said it will not drop the case against Sison.
Wim de Bruin, spokesman of the public prosecutor's office, told Loui Galicia of ABS-CBN Europe News Bureau that the prosecution will appeal the court's decision.
“The investigation will be continued. And Mr. Sison is still a suspect and Prosecutor's office will appeal the decision of the court this morning," de Bruin said.
De Bruin said that the charges are not being dropped.
"The court thought there was not enough [evidence] to keep Mr. Sison in custody," de Bruin said.Sison's release from detention followed a related report that he will remain in solitary confinement in the Netherlands for another 90 days.
The Philippine government and the NDF, meanwhile, immediately issued statements following Sison's release.
Jalandoni welcomed the news about Sison’s release from Dutch prison.“We are happy about the news but we are here now outside the prison awaiting his definitive release,” Jalandoni said.
He said that Sison’s lawyer called him up after receiving information about the release from prison due to insufficient evidence against him.
“The lawyer called that he would try to have Joma released about 12:30 that's 6:30 p.m. there. So were not sure of the final arrangement being made by the lawyers. We are now waiting for his release anytime now,” Jalandoni said.
He said Sison’s lawyer is still trying to set an appointment with them on Friday morning to discuss the details of the decision and to talk about the next steps to be taken.
“What is clear is that the court has ordered the immediate release of Prof. Sison because there is insufficiency of evidence on the charge that was made against him,” he said.
Shortly after his release from prison at noon, Sison was reunited with his wife, Julie, and chief negotiator Luis Jalandoni of the National Democratic Front.
As of last report, the three were on their way back to Sison's base in Utrecht. Dutch treat?
For his part, Jesus Dureza, President Arroyo's adviser on the peace process, said Sison’s arrest and release was a Dutch initiative.
“We should never be surprised when we have been saying that this is a Dutch initiative and this is violation of Dutch laws being handled by the Dutch courts,” Dureza said.
Dureza said that the decision of the Dutch court should be respected.
“We want a logical conclusion, of course. But as to what the conclusion will be is totally with the hands of the Dutch court,” he said.
Dureza added that he would rather not speculate if Sison would avail of the government’s amnesty program saying that “it is something that will have to be voluntarily done by the applicant.”
“Anyone who would wish to avail of it and they fall within the coverage and have committed the crimes as covered by the proclamation (1377) can avail of it,” he said.
Sison and a number of NDF officials have been in self-exile in the Netherlands since the late 1980s.The CPP, together with the NPA as its armed wing, are under the political umbrella of the NDF.
With a report from Willard Cheng and ABS-CBN News
SOURCE: WWW.ABS-CBNNEWS.COM
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/topofthehour.aspx?StoryId=92379
Joma on way back to Utrecht post-release-BREAKING NEWS
Joma on way back to Utrecht post-release
Self-exiled Philippine communist leader Jose Maria Sison was scheduled to return to Utrecht base in the Netherlands after being released by Dutch prison authorities, ABS-CBN News reported.
The report sent by correspondent Loui Galicia of ABS-CBN's Europe News bureau said shortly before 3 p.m. in the Netherlands (9 p.m., Manila time), Sison was already with his wife Julie, and Luis Jalandoni, chief negotiator of the National Democratic Front.
Galicia said Sison, his wife and Jalandoni were already preparing for the one-hour trip to Utrecht from the prison in The Hague.
Sison was ordered released after more than two weeks of detention on suspicion that he ordered the murders of two former colleagues in the Philippines.
Wim de Bruin, a spokesman of the Dutch public prosecutor's office, confirmed to Galicia that Sison was scheduled to be released.
The founding chairman of the Communist Party of the Philippines was arrested on August 28 on charges that he ordered the murders of Arturo Tabara, Romulo Kintanar and two other men.Sison and a number of NDF officials have been in self-exile in the Netherlands since the late 1980s.
A rough translation of the press release and decision from the District Court of The Hague, meanwhile, said Sison's case was decided "in camera" and that the accused "should be released from custody immediately."
"The District Court established that these serious offenses have been committed in the Philippines and relate to disagreements inside the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and that the decision to commit these murders was taken within the party structure of the CPP," the press release said.
"Furthermore, the Court recognized that there are many indications in the files which support the point of view that the accused is still playing a leading role in the Central Committee [CC] of the CPP as well as in the military branch of the CPP, the New People's Army (NPA)," it added.
The court also said that: "The files pertaining to the accused do not include indications that Sison, while in the Netherlands, committed the offenses he is charged with in deliberate and close co-operation with the perpetrators in the Philippines."It added that the Sison's files do not contain information that he incited others to commit serious offenses according to the accusations.
The court also believed that the presumptions that Sison ordered the assassinations of his two former comrades as stated by the widows and alleged triggermen “were insufficiently concrete”.
“The statements of the widows and the marksmen, to which the [Dutch] Public Prosecution Service appeals, only refer to the fact that they assume that the murders have been committed by order of the CC of the CPP and therefore an order originating from the accused being the chairman,” said the court decision.
Case won't be dropped
Meanwhile, de Bruin said that the Prosecution will appeal the Court's decision.
“The investigation will be continued. And Mr. Sison is still a suspect and Prosecutor's office will appeal the decision of the court this morning," de Bruin said.
De Bruin said that the charges are not being dropped."The court thought there was not enough [evidence] to keep Mr. Sison in custody," de Bruin said.Sison's release from detention followed a related report that he will remain in solitary confinement in the Netherlands for another 90 days.
The Philippine government and the NDF, meanwhile, immediately issued statements following Sison's release.Jalandoni welcomed the news about Sison’s release from Dutch prison.
“We are happy about the news but we are here now outside the prison awaiting his definitive release,” Jalandoni said.
He said that Sison’s lawyer called him up after receiving information about the release from prison due to insufficient evidence against him.
“The lawyer called that he would try to have Joma released about 12:30 that's 6:30 p.m. there. So were not sure of the final arrangement being made by the lawyers. We are now waiting for his release anytime now,” Jalandoni said.He said Sison’s lawyer is still trying to set an appointment with them on Friday morning to discuss the details of the decision and to talk about the next steps to be taken.
“What is clear is that the court has ordered the immediate release of Prof. Sison because there is insufficiency of evidence on the charge that was made against him,” he said.
Till Christmas?
Jalandoni earlier said that the court decided to extend Sison's detention until Christmas while he undergoes pre-trial investigation for allegedly ordering the assassination of his former comrades.
Jalandoni said he received the information from Michiel Pestman, Sison's chief legal counsel, who in turn said the information came from a clerk of court.
Jalandoni said Dutch authorities violated Sison's recognized right to receive visits from his family and his doctor during his detention.
He added that solitary confinement is inhuman and a disgrace to a government that claims to respect human rights, democracy and the rule of law.
For his part, Jesus Dureza, President Arroyo's adviser on the peace process, said Sison’s arrest and release was a Dutch initiative.
“We should never be surprised when we have been saying that this is a Dutch initiative and this is violation of Dutch laws being handled by the Dutch courts,” Dureza said.
Dureza said that the decision of the Dutch court should be respected.“We want a logical conclusion, of course.
But as to what the conclusion will be is totally with the hands of the Dutch court,” he said.
Dureza added that he would rather not speculate if Sison would avail of the government’s amnesty program saying that “it is something that will have to be voluntarily done by the applicant”.
“Anyone who would wish to avail of it and they fall within the coverage and have committed the crimes as covered by the proclamation (1377) can avail of it,” he said.
With a report from Danny Buenafe, ABS-CBN Europe News Bureau chief
SOURCE: WWW.ABS-CBNNEWS.COM
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/topofthehour.aspx?StoryId=92350
Self-exiled Philippine communist leader Jose Maria Sison was scheduled to return to Utrecht base in the Netherlands after being released by Dutch prison authorities, ABS-CBN News reported.
The report sent by correspondent Loui Galicia of ABS-CBN's Europe News bureau said shortly before 3 p.m. in the Netherlands (9 p.m., Manila time), Sison was already with his wife Julie, and Luis Jalandoni, chief negotiator of the National Democratic Front.
Galicia said Sison, his wife and Jalandoni were already preparing for the one-hour trip to Utrecht from the prison in The Hague.
Sison was ordered released after more than two weeks of detention on suspicion that he ordered the murders of two former colleagues in the Philippines.
Wim de Bruin, a spokesman of the Dutch public prosecutor's office, confirmed to Galicia that Sison was scheduled to be released.
The founding chairman of the Communist Party of the Philippines was arrested on August 28 on charges that he ordered the murders of Arturo Tabara, Romulo Kintanar and two other men.Sison and a number of NDF officials have been in self-exile in the Netherlands since the late 1980s.
A rough translation of the press release and decision from the District Court of The Hague, meanwhile, said Sison's case was decided "in camera" and that the accused "should be released from custody immediately."
"The District Court established that these serious offenses have been committed in the Philippines and relate to disagreements inside the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and that the decision to commit these murders was taken within the party structure of the CPP," the press release said.
"Furthermore, the Court recognized that there are many indications in the files which support the point of view that the accused is still playing a leading role in the Central Committee [CC] of the CPP as well as in the military branch of the CPP, the New People's Army (NPA)," it added.
The court also said that: "The files pertaining to the accused do not include indications that Sison, while in the Netherlands, committed the offenses he is charged with in deliberate and close co-operation with the perpetrators in the Philippines."It added that the Sison's files do not contain information that he incited others to commit serious offenses according to the accusations.
The court also believed that the presumptions that Sison ordered the assassinations of his two former comrades as stated by the widows and alleged triggermen “were insufficiently concrete”.
“The statements of the widows and the marksmen, to which the [Dutch] Public Prosecution Service appeals, only refer to the fact that they assume that the murders have been committed by order of the CC of the CPP and therefore an order originating from the accused being the chairman,” said the court decision.
Case won't be dropped
Meanwhile, de Bruin said that the Prosecution will appeal the Court's decision.
“The investigation will be continued. And Mr. Sison is still a suspect and Prosecutor's office will appeal the decision of the court this morning," de Bruin said.
De Bruin said that the charges are not being dropped."The court thought there was not enough [evidence] to keep Mr. Sison in custody," de Bruin said.Sison's release from detention followed a related report that he will remain in solitary confinement in the Netherlands for another 90 days.
The Philippine government and the NDF, meanwhile, immediately issued statements following Sison's release.Jalandoni welcomed the news about Sison’s release from Dutch prison.
“We are happy about the news but we are here now outside the prison awaiting his definitive release,” Jalandoni said.
He said that Sison’s lawyer called him up after receiving information about the release from prison due to insufficient evidence against him.
“The lawyer called that he would try to have Joma released about 12:30 that's 6:30 p.m. there. So were not sure of the final arrangement being made by the lawyers. We are now waiting for his release anytime now,” Jalandoni said.He said Sison’s lawyer is still trying to set an appointment with them on Friday morning to discuss the details of the decision and to talk about the next steps to be taken.
“What is clear is that the court has ordered the immediate release of Prof. Sison because there is insufficiency of evidence on the charge that was made against him,” he said.
Till Christmas?
Jalandoni earlier said that the court decided to extend Sison's detention until Christmas while he undergoes pre-trial investigation for allegedly ordering the assassination of his former comrades.
Jalandoni said he received the information from Michiel Pestman, Sison's chief legal counsel, who in turn said the information came from a clerk of court.
Jalandoni said Dutch authorities violated Sison's recognized right to receive visits from his family and his doctor during his detention.
He added that solitary confinement is inhuman and a disgrace to a government that claims to respect human rights, democracy and the rule of law.
For his part, Jesus Dureza, President Arroyo's adviser on the peace process, said Sison’s arrest and release was a Dutch initiative.
“We should never be surprised when we have been saying that this is a Dutch initiative and this is violation of Dutch laws being handled by the Dutch courts,” Dureza said.
Dureza said that the decision of the Dutch court should be respected.“We want a logical conclusion, of course.
But as to what the conclusion will be is totally with the hands of the Dutch court,” he said.
Dureza added that he would rather not speculate if Sison would avail of the government’s amnesty program saying that “it is something that will have to be voluntarily done by the applicant”.
“Anyone who would wish to avail of it and they fall within the coverage and have committed the crimes as covered by the proclamation (1377) can avail of it,” he said.
With a report from Danny Buenafe, ABS-CBN Europe News Bureau chief
SOURCE: WWW.ABS-CBNNEWS.COM
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/topofthehour.aspx?StoryId=92350
Thursday, September 6, 2007
Joma faces Dutch court anew over murder raps
Joma faces Dutch court anew over murder raps
By LOUI GALICIA
ABS-CBN Europe News Bureau
Jose Maria Sison will appear Friday before the Dutch “Raadkamer,” a kind of deliberating chamber consisting of three judges, to determine if he will remain in jail for allegedly ordering the assassination of two former comrades in the Philippine communist underground movement.
The hearing on Friday is the second stage of the investigation procedure on the murder cases against Sison.
He was arrested on August 21 for the slays of Romulo Kintanar and Arturo Tabara. Sison, the founding chairman of the Communist Party of the Philippines, is detained at the Hague prison in Scheveningen.
The procedure at this stage will not be made public. The press judge from the Paleis van Justitie (Palace of Justice) in the Hague -- the only person who may speak to the public about the case -- has remained quiet about Sison’s case.
A source from the Paleis van Justitie, speaking to ABS-CBN on condition of anonymity, said that publicizing Sison's detention was uncommon.
“In normal criminal cases we practically never made that (detention) public,” the source said.
Last week, Sison was put before an investigating judge to see if the prosecution has enough evidence to keep him in jail for the next two weeks.
The hearing on Friday last week saw the judge deciding in favor of the prosecution's request to detain Sison for another 14 days.
The judge reasoned that Sison might escape by flying out of the Netherlands.
The source explained that the closed-door court proceedings Friday follows the normal standard operating procedure under Dutch law.
“In this procedure, you have an investigating stage. A man like him [Sison] should be before the investigating judge. Then he will be before the Raadkamer because you can’t have a person in prison for a long period of time. It’s kind of checked by the court but it’s still not the real public part of the procedure. It will only begin after the prosecution has done their investigations,” the source said.
“The three judges will decide if he’s going to stay a further three months. If they think there is enough serious reason to keep him during the investigation and in most murder cases, yeah, if this is the case they will do that,” the source added.
“This is in the law. If it’s a very small case, it will not be the procedure. For every defendant that’s kept in prison during the investigation, this is the standard procedure and it’s in the law,” the source said.
The source said the Sison's case is not a high-profile issue.“He’s accused of two murder cases and that’s the [heaviest] thing in Dutch law. In every murder case in town, this will be the procedure,” the source explained.
“We have had war criminals also, war criminals accused of crimes in Iraq,” the source added.
The source said that the judgment may or may not be issued Friday because the judges will still have to deliberate.
Meanwhile, Public Prosecutor Wim de Bruin sad in a telephone interview that he expects the judgement to be delivered on Monday, September 10.
The source, on the other hand, said that if the judges decide to keep Sison for a further three months, then they will seek to finish the investigation.
Investigations in big cases such as Sison's, however, usually take a long time to finish.
Cases such as these require periodic checks every three months for the accused while in detention.
“As long as the investigation is not finished, these sessions will be pro-forma court sessions.
In big cases, as they have to do a lot of investigations, it can take a lot of time,” the source said.
SOURCE: http://www.abs-cbnnews.com
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/storypage.aspx?StoryId=91391
By LOUI GALICIA
ABS-CBN Europe News Bureau
Jose Maria Sison will appear Friday before the Dutch “Raadkamer,” a kind of deliberating chamber consisting of three judges, to determine if he will remain in jail for allegedly ordering the assassination of two former comrades in the Philippine communist underground movement.
The hearing on Friday is the second stage of the investigation procedure on the murder cases against Sison.
He was arrested on August 21 for the slays of Romulo Kintanar and Arturo Tabara. Sison, the founding chairman of the Communist Party of the Philippines, is detained at the Hague prison in Scheveningen.
The procedure at this stage will not be made public. The press judge from the Paleis van Justitie (Palace of Justice) in the Hague -- the only person who may speak to the public about the case -- has remained quiet about Sison’s case.
A source from the Paleis van Justitie, speaking to ABS-CBN on condition of anonymity, said that publicizing Sison's detention was uncommon.
“In normal criminal cases we practically never made that (detention) public,” the source said.
Last week, Sison was put before an investigating judge to see if the prosecution has enough evidence to keep him in jail for the next two weeks.
The hearing on Friday last week saw the judge deciding in favor of the prosecution's request to detain Sison for another 14 days.
The judge reasoned that Sison might escape by flying out of the Netherlands.
The source explained that the closed-door court proceedings Friday follows the normal standard operating procedure under Dutch law.
“In this procedure, you have an investigating stage. A man like him [Sison] should be before the investigating judge. Then he will be before the Raadkamer because you can’t have a person in prison for a long period of time. It’s kind of checked by the court but it’s still not the real public part of the procedure. It will only begin after the prosecution has done their investigations,” the source said.
“The three judges will decide if he’s going to stay a further three months. If they think there is enough serious reason to keep him during the investigation and in most murder cases, yeah, if this is the case they will do that,” the source added.
“This is in the law. If it’s a very small case, it will not be the procedure. For every defendant that’s kept in prison during the investigation, this is the standard procedure and it’s in the law,” the source said.
The source said the Sison's case is not a high-profile issue.“He’s accused of two murder cases and that’s the [heaviest] thing in Dutch law. In every murder case in town, this will be the procedure,” the source explained.
“We have had war criminals also, war criminals accused of crimes in Iraq,” the source added.
The source said that the judgment may or may not be issued Friday because the judges will still have to deliberate.
Meanwhile, Public Prosecutor Wim de Bruin sad in a telephone interview that he expects the judgement to be delivered on Monday, September 10.
The source, on the other hand, said that if the judges decide to keep Sison for a further three months, then they will seek to finish the investigation.
Investigations in big cases such as Sison's, however, usually take a long time to finish.
Cases such as these require periodic checks every three months for the accused while in detention.
“As long as the investigation is not finished, these sessions will be pro-forma court sessions.
In big cases, as they have to do a lot of investigations, it can take a lot of time,” the source said.
SOURCE: http://www.abs-cbnnews.com
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/storypage.aspx?StoryId=91391
Pinoy film to screen at Venice and Toronto Film festivals
Pinoy film to screen at Venice and Toronto Film festivals
By LOUI GALICIA
ABS-CBN Europe News Bureau
The latest Lav Diaz opus “Death in the Land of Encantos” has been chosen to screen at the prestigious Venice and Toronto Film Festivals. Both festivals will screen a total of fifteen feature films from Rotterdam’s co-production market CineMart, backed by the Hubert Bals Fund.
"Death in the Land of Encantos," shot shortly after typhoon Reming hit the Philippines in November 2006, was a recipient of the International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) Hubert Bals Fund for post production.
“We are honored to have a grant and [we have] supported Lav Diaz in making this film because we feel that he earns this support. We have shown a lot of his work in Rotterdam. He is a remarkable filmmaker and he represents for us one of the best filmmakers of the Philippines,” IFFR Press Director Bert-Jan Zoet said.
Death in the Land of Encantos is the story of a poet who lived in Russia but returns to his hometown to bury his mother, father and sister killed in the devastation wrought by typhoon Reming.
The fund’s grants (for script development, post production or distribution in the country of origin) act as a film project’s seal of approval, making it easier to attract additional co-producers and financiers.
The Hubert Bals fund provides grants annually in two rounds. Diaz won a grant for post production in the spring round.
“Twice a year we receive around 300 to 325 application so it’s quite remarkable to get selected for a grant. Each round may be around 20 to 25 projects. But only less than 10% only gets the grant,” Zoet explains.
Zoet finds Diaz to be outstanding especially that his film has been included in the two film festivals.
“Remarkable. First of all to get into the Venice film fest, selection is quite an achievement already because too many filmmakers so want this and the Venice film program is not that huge and is a very top selection,” Zoet said.
“And also to be selected for Toronto is quite good because then all of the North American industry will take notice of it and can see the film,” he added.
The 64th Venice Film Festival started on August 29 and will close on September 8. The 32nd Toronto International Film Festival will be held on Sept. 6 -15. The International Film Festival Rotterdam will be held on January 23 to February 3, 2008.
(Photos by Laurel Penaranda)
WWW.ABS-CBNNEWS.COM
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/storypage.aspx?StoryId=91358
By LOUI GALICIA
ABS-CBN Europe News Bureau
The latest Lav Diaz opus “Death in the Land of Encantos” has been chosen to screen at the prestigious Venice and Toronto Film Festivals. Both festivals will screen a total of fifteen feature films from Rotterdam’s co-production market CineMart, backed by the Hubert Bals Fund.
"Death in the Land of Encantos," shot shortly after typhoon Reming hit the Philippines in November 2006, was a recipient of the International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) Hubert Bals Fund for post production.
“We are honored to have a grant and [we have] supported Lav Diaz in making this film because we feel that he earns this support. We have shown a lot of his work in Rotterdam. He is a remarkable filmmaker and he represents for us one of the best filmmakers of the Philippines,” IFFR Press Director Bert-Jan Zoet said.
Death in the Land of Encantos is the story of a poet who lived in Russia but returns to his hometown to bury his mother, father and sister killed in the devastation wrought by typhoon Reming.
The fund’s grants (for script development, post production or distribution in the country of origin) act as a film project’s seal of approval, making it easier to attract additional co-producers and financiers.
The Hubert Bals fund provides grants annually in two rounds. Diaz won a grant for post production in the spring round.
“Twice a year we receive around 300 to 325 application so it’s quite remarkable to get selected for a grant. Each round may be around 20 to 25 projects. But only less than 10% only gets the grant,” Zoet explains.
Zoet finds Diaz to be outstanding especially that his film has been included in the two film festivals.
“Remarkable. First of all to get into the Venice film fest, selection is quite an achievement already because too many filmmakers so want this and the Venice film program is not that huge and is a very top selection,” Zoet said.
“And also to be selected for Toronto is quite good because then all of the North American industry will take notice of it and can see the film,” he added.
The 64th Venice Film Festival started on August 29 and will close on September 8. The 32nd Toronto International Film Festival will be held on Sept. 6 -15. The International Film Festival Rotterdam will be held on January 23 to February 3, 2008.
(Photos by Laurel Penaranda)
WWW.ABS-CBNNEWS.COM
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/storypage.aspx?StoryId=91358
Tuesday, September 4, 2007
Fanatics in Belgium fear for 'Wowowee'
Fanatics in Belgium fear for 'Wowowee'
By Loui Galicia
ABS-CBN Europe News Bureau
Pinoys in Belgium are worried about the possibility that ABS-CBN’s noontime show "Wowowee" will be pulled off air because of the alleged cheating at its Wilyonaryo segment, reported ABS-CBN Europe News Bureau.
At a big community event on Sunday in Brussels celebrating the Philippine Chaplaincy’s anniversary and where about 200 Pinoys attended, the topic in almost all Pinoy groupings was the ongoing battle between "Wowowee" host Willie Revillame and "Eat, Bulaga!’s" Joey de Leon, and the planned investigation of the Department of Trade and Industry.
"Wowowee" is avidly watched by subscribers of ABS-CBN Global’s The Filipino Channel in Europe.
A lot of overseas Filipino workers are addicted to the show and have become fans of Willie.
Hotel worker Teresita Serafico is one of them. "
Fan ako ni Willie. Araw-araw ako nanonood ng 'Wowowee.' Nakakatanggal ng problema," Serafico says of her favorite show on TFC.
(I'm a fan of Willie. I watch "Wowowee" every day. It helps me forget my problems.)
The Pinoys fear that any pending investigation will result with the program being pulled off air, leaving their nights miserable.
On weekdays, "Wowowee" is first aired on TFC channel in Europe at noon and replayed at 9:00 pm and it is this second airing which is watched by most Pinoys because majority are working during the day.
"Ay di pwede mawala ang 'Wowowee' kasi mahal na mahal namin si Willie. Eh kasi napamahal na siya. Kailangan siyang pumunta sa Europe….kailangan pumunta siya sa Belgium once, for once sa Europe naman, huwag laging sa [United] States. Na-mimiss din naman namin siya," Raquel Condon says.
(They can't cancel 'Wowowee' because we love Willie so much. He's endeared himself to us. He needs to go to Europe... he should got to Belgium, for once let him go to Europe, not always in the United States. We all miss him.)
Condon, also a hotel worker, says she loves Willie very much and even taps her chest everytime she mentions "Willie."
"Hindi, hindi nandadaya [si Willie]. [Tinutulungan ni Willie] Yung mga mahihirap at para sa kabutihan ng mga bata. Kaya please Willie, Willie, nasa likod mo kami," Condon said.
(No, no Willie did not cheat. He helps the poor and for the good of the children. So please, Willie, we're all behind you.)
Nobody here believes that Willie or 'Wowowee' is involved in any form of cheating and restaurant worker Cornelia Villa-Segers shares this sentiment.
"Ay sa tingin ko dahil araw-araw ay napapanood ko ang "Wowowee" ay di naman nandaya dahil lahat tayo ay nagkakamali," Villa-Segers said.
(I watch 'Wowowee' every day. I don't think there was any cheating, just an honest mistake. We all make mistakes.)
She is also a Wowowee fanatic and one time, she said she went nuts when she missed "Wowowee" for a week because her TFC was disconnected due to a delayed monthly payment.
She will not accept anything bad that may happen to "Wowowee" and appointed herself as a spokesman for all the Pinoys in Europe.
"Ang mga kababayan natin dito sa Europa ay di papayag na mawala ang 'Wowowee' dahil yan lang ang kaligayahan nila, ang mapapanood ang 'Wowowee'. Kami lahat dito sa Europa ay magsusuporta kay Willie para ipagpatuloy ang 'Wowowee,' Villa-Segers declared.
The continued on-air exchange between the hosts of the rival show is also not funny anymore to some Pinoys.
"Pero ang masasabi ko lang sa kanila, ma-reconcile kung anong dapat nilang pag-usapan. Huwag nang darating sa ere kasi maraming nakikinig so yun lang…para sa ikakaganda ng show nila," Saloy Garaygay said.
He also has a message for de Leon.
"Ang masasabi ko lang ke Joey, huwag naman na akusahan niya ng ganyan kasi meron din naman siyang show. Pwedeng manggaling sa ibang tao pero huwag manggaling dun sa isang show," Garaygay said.
The Pinoys in Belgium will be closely watching the developments in the "Wowowee" investigation and will support Willie no matter what.
The members of the newly formed Casa Ilonggo group has only one message for Willie.
"Wowowee, Willie, nasa side mo kami," shouted the members in unison.
SOURCE: WWW.ABS-CBNNEWS.COM
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/storypage.aspx?StoryId=91077
By Loui Galicia
ABS-CBN Europe News Bureau
Pinoys in Belgium are worried about the possibility that ABS-CBN’s noontime show "Wowowee" will be pulled off air because of the alleged cheating at its Wilyonaryo segment, reported ABS-CBN Europe News Bureau.
At a big community event on Sunday in Brussels celebrating the Philippine Chaplaincy’s anniversary and where about 200 Pinoys attended, the topic in almost all Pinoy groupings was the ongoing battle between "Wowowee" host Willie Revillame and "Eat, Bulaga!’s" Joey de Leon, and the planned investigation of the Department of Trade and Industry.
"Wowowee" is avidly watched by subscribers of ABS-CBN Global’s The Filipino Channel in Europe.
A lot of overseas Filipino workers are addicted to the show and have become fans of Willie.
Hotel worker Teresita Serafico is one of them. "
Fan ako ni Willie. Araw-araw ako nanonood ng 'Wowowee.' Nakakatanggal ng problema," Serafico says of her favorite show on TFC.
(I'm a fan of Willie. I watch "Wowowee" every day. It helps me forget my problems.)
The Pinoys fear that any pending investigation will result with the program being pulled off air, leaving their nights miserable.
On weekdays, "Wowowee" is first aired on TFC channel in Europe at noon and replayed at 9:00 pm and it is this second airing which is watched by most Pinoys because majority are working during the day.
"Ay di pwede mawala ang 'Wowowee' kasi mahal na mahal namin si Willie. Eh kasi napamahal na siya. Kailangan siyang pumunta sa Europe….kailangan pumunta siya sa Belgium once, for once sa Europe naman, huwag laging sa [United] States. Na-mimiss din naman namin siya," Raquel Condon says.
(They can't cancel 'Wowowee' because we love Willie so much. He's endeared himself to us. He needs to go to Europe... he should got to Belgium, for once let him go to Europe, not always in the United States. We all miss him.)
Condon, also a hotel worker, says she loves Willie very much and even taps her chest everytime she mentions "Willie."
"Hindi, hindi nandadaya [si Willie]. [Tinutulungan ni Willie] Yung mga mahihirap at para sa kabutihan ng mga bata. Kaya please Willie, Willie, nasa likod mo kami," Condon said.
(No, no Willie did not cheat. He helps the poor and for the good of the children. So please, Willie, we're all behind you.)
Nobody here believes that Willie or 'Wowowee' is involved in any form of cheating and restaurant worker Cornelia Villa-Segers shares this sentiment.
"Ay sa tingin ko dahil araw-araw ay napapanood ko ang "Wowowee" ay di naman nandaya dahil lahat tayo ay nagkakamali," Villa-Segers said.
(I watch 'Wowowee' every day. I don't think there was any cheating, just an honest mistake. We all make mistakes.)
She is also a Wowowee fanatic and one time, she said she went nuts when she missed "Wowowee" for a week because her TFC was disconnected due to a delayed monthly payment.
She will not accept anything bad that may happen to "Wowowee" and appointed herself as a spokesman for all the Pinoys in Europe.
"Ang mga kababayan natin dito sa Europa ay di papayag na mawala ang 'Wowowee' dahil yan lang ang kaligayahan nila, ang mapapanood ang 'Wowowee'. Kami lahat dito sa Europa ay magsusuporta kay Willie para ipagpatuloy ang 'Wowowee,' Villa-Segers declared.
The continued on-air exchange between the hosts of the rival show is also not funny anymore to some Pinoys.
"Pero ang masasabi ko lang sa kanila, ma-reconcile kung anong dapat nilang pag-usapan. Huwag nang darating sa ere kasi maraming nakikinig so yun lang…para sa ikakaganda ng show nila," Saloy Garaygay said.
He also has a message for de Leon.
"Ang masasabi ko lang ke Joey, huwag naman na akusahan niya ng ganyan kasi meron din naman siyang show. Pwedeng manggaling sa ibang tao pero huwag manggaling dun sa isang show," Garaygay said.
The Pinoys in Belgium will be closely watching the developments in the "Wowowee" investigation and will support Willie no matter what.
The members of the newly formed Casa Ilonggo group has only one message for Willie.
"Wowowee, Willie, nasa side mo kami," shouted the members in unison.
SOURCE: WWW.ABS-CBNNEWS.COM
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/storypage.aspx?StoryId=91077
Saturday, September 1, 2007
ABS-CBN Breaking News on Jose Maria Sison's Initial Court Appearance Before Hague Court
14 more days in detention for Sison
Communist leader Jose Maria Sison will remain in detention for 14 more days, ABS-CBN Europe News Bureau reported.
Sison, who is detained at the Scheveningen prison in The Hague appeared Friday before a court at the Palace of Justice which is located at the center.
The initial report by Danny Buenafe, ABS-CBN Europe News Bureau chief said Sison’s lawyer relayed the information to National Democratic Front negotiating panel chief Luis Jalandoni that the decision was made after evidences were presented by the prosecution panel.
Sison’s lawyer reportedly described the decision as "ridiculous" because the evidences presented by the prosecution have already been addressed in a ruling by a July 2 ruling of the Philippines’ Supreme Court which dismissed the multiple charges against Sison.
Sison was arrested by Dutch policemen in The Netherlands for allegedly ordering the assassination of former communist leaders Romulo Kintanar and Arturo Tabara in 2003 and 2004.
Earlier, Loui Galicia, ABS-CBN Europe News Bureau correspondent, reported that the Public Prosecutor’s Office said that it will seek that Sison be incarcerated for an additional fourteen days.
"We will ask the investigative judge to extend the custody [of Sison] for fourteen days. That’s the normal procedure under Dutch law.
And in the end of the period, a court that will consist of three judges will make a decision about further detention," spokesman Wim de Bruin said.
Sison’s allies were confident that he will be released Friday.
The Public Prosecutor also seemed confident, because de Bruin was already anticipating further interviews with Galicia.
"I think in the coming months, we will have much contact," de Bruin said.
SOURCE: http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/storypage.aspx?StoryId=90661
Communist leader Jose Maria Sison will remain in detention for 14 more days, ABS-CBN Europe News Bureau reported.
Sison, who is detained at the Scheveningen prison in The Hague appeared Friday before a court at the Palace of Justice which is located at the center.
The initial report by Danny Buenafe, ABS-CBN Europe News Bureau chief said Sison’s lawyer relayed the information to National Democratic Front negotiating panel chief Luis Jalandoni that the decision was made after evidences were presented by the prosecution panel.
Sison’s lawyer reportedly described the decision as "ridiculous" because the evidences presented by the prosecution have already been addressed in a ruling by a July 2 ruling of the Philippines’ Supreme Court which dismissed the multiple charges against Sison.
Sison was arrested by Dutch policemen in The Netherlands for allegedly ordering the assassination of former communist leaders Romulo Kintanar and Arturo Tabara in 2003 and 2004.
Earlier, Loui Galicia, ABS-CBN Europe News Bureau correspondent, reported that the Public Prosecutor’s Office said that it will seek that Sison be incarcerated for an additional fourteen days.
"We will ask the investigative judge to extend the custody [of Sison] for fourteen days. That’s the normal procedure under Dutch law.
And in the end of the period, a court that will consist of three judges will make a decision about further detention," spokesman Wim de Bruin said.
Sison’s allies were confident that he will be released Friday.
The Public Prosecutor also seemed confident, because de Bruin was already anticipating further interviews with Galicia.
"I think in the coming months, we will have much contact," de Bruin said.
SOURCE: http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/storypage.aspx?StoryId=90661
Report on Joma Sison's Arrest Aired on ABS-CBN's BANDILA
Joma lawyers tiwalang mapapalaya ang kliyente
Malaki ang paniniwala ng anim na international lawyers ni Communist Party of the Philippines founding chairman Jose Ma. Sison na mapapalaya siya sa Biyernes matapos arestuhin ng Dutch police.
Nakatakda sa Biyernes na dinggin ng judge commissioner sa Den Hag Regional Court ang mga ebidensiya na ihaharap ng Dutch Public Prosecutor's Office.
Simula taong 2006 pa nagkalap ng ebidensya ang Dutch police sa Pilipinas dahil sa akusasyon na may kinalaman si Sison sa hiwalay na pagkakapaslang kina Romulo Kintanar at Arturo Tabara noong 2003 at 2004.
Pitong bahay at opisina, kasama kina Sison at National Democratic Front chairman Luis Jalandoni, ang sinalakay noong Martes ng Dutch police sa Utrecht, Holland.
Tinangay sa NDF office sa sentro ng Utrecht ang limang computers, diskettes, libro at mga dokumento.
Umabot sa 30 Dutch policemen kasama ang isang babaeng judge ang nagsagawa ng raid sa NDF office.
Para kay Jalandoni, walang batayan ang raid kaya malakas ang kaso ni Sison.
Maging mga abogado ni Sison, tinukoy ang Hulyo 2 ruling ng Korte Suprema sa Pilipinas na pagbabasura sa alegasyon ukol sa partisipasyon ni Sison sa Kintanar at Tabara murders.
Pero salungat naman ito sa opinyon ni Wim de Bruin, spokesman ng Dutch Public Prosecutor's Office.
Sa huling panayam kay Sison noong Hulyo 14 kay Europe News Bureau Correspondent Loui Galicia, inamin nito na may tiwala pa rin sa kanya ang progressive force sa Pilipinas.
Ayon kay Jalandoni, nakatakda ang malawakang kilos-protesta ng iba't ibang cause-oriented groups para sa pagpapalaya kay Sison.
Report from Danny Buenafe
SOURCE/ WWW.ABS-CBNNEWS.COM
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/storypage.aspx?StoryID=90396
Malaki ang paniniwala ng anim na international lawyers ni Communist Party of the Philippines founding chairman Jose Ma. Sison na mapapalaya siya sa Biyernes matapos arestuhin ng Dutch police.
Nakatakda sa Biyernes na dinggin ng judge commissioner sa Den Hag Regional Court ang mga ebidensiya na ihaharap ng Dutch Public Prosecutor's Office.
Simula taong 2006 pa nagkalap ng ebidensya ang Dutch police sa Pilipinas dahil sa akusasyon na may kinalaman si Sison sa hiwalay na pagkakapaslang kina Romulo Kintanar at Arturo Tabara noong 2003 at 2004.
Pitong bahay at opisina, kasama kina Sison at National Democratic Front chairman Luis Jalandoni, ang sinalakay noong Martes ng Dutch police sa Utrecht, Holland.
Tinangay sa NDF office sa sentro ng Utrecht ang limang computers, diskettes, libro at mga dokumento.
Umabot sa 30 Dutch policemen kasama ang isang babaeng judge ang nagsagawa ng raid sa NDF office.
Para kay Jalandoni, walang batayan ang raid kaya malakas ang kaso ni Sison.
Maging mga abogado ni Sison, tinukoy ang Hulyo 2 ruling ng Korte Suprema sa Pilipinas na pagbabasura sa alegasyon ukol sa partisipasyon ni Sison sa Kintanar at Tabara murders.
Pero salungat naman ito sa opinyon ni Wim de Bruin, spokesman ng Dutch Public Prosecutor's Office.
Sa huling panayam kay Sison noong Hulyo 14 kay Europe News Bureau Correspondent Loui Galicia, inamin nito na may tiwala pa rin sa kanya ang progressive force sa Pilipinas.
Ayon kay Jalandoni, nakatakda ang malawakang kilos-protesta ng iba't ibang cause-oriented groups para sa pagpapalaya kay Sison.
Report from Danny Buenafe
SOURCE/ WWW.ABS-CBNNEWS.COM
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/storypage.aspx?StoryID=90396
Joma lawyers to use RP high court ruling in defense
Joma lawyers to use RP high court ruling in defense
Six international lawyers of arrested Philippine communist leader Jose Maria Sison believe that he will be a free man again on Friday when the Dutch court begins its proceedings on his case following his arrest Tuesday.
Luis Jalandoni, chief negotiator of the National Democratic Front (NDF), sad the lawyers will cite the July 2, 2007 ruling of the Philippine Supreme Court that cleared Sison and Bayan Muna Rep. Satur Ocampo from the murder of over 60 alleged members of the New People's Army in Leyte province.
Jalandoni said the lawyers are also preparing Sison's defense against charges filed by Dutch authorities regarding the assassinations of Romulo Kintanar and Arturo Tabara in 2003 and 2004, respectively.
The Netherlands-based Jalandoni said the documents will be presented before a court in The Hague during a scheduled hearing on Friday.
The NDF chief negotiator said Sison has an advantage on his case.Sison was arrested Tuesday by members of the International Crime Investigation Team of the Dutch National Criminal Investigation Department for allegedly giving orders from his residence in The Netherlands to have Tabara and Kintanar killed.
The Dutch Prosecutor’s Office is set to submit its case against Sison before the Den Hag Regional Court on Friday.
The Dutch police have been gathering evidence against Sison in the Philippines since 2006 in relation to the Kintanar and Tabara murder cases.
Seven houses and offices, including those of Sison and Jalandoni, were included in the raids that were led by 30 policemen and a female judge.
The Dutch police confiscated five computers, several diskettes, books and documents.Jalandoni said the last report he received about Sison's condition was at 9 p.m. Tuesday (3 a.m. Wednesday in Manila).
He said Sison is being held at a police detention facility near The Hague.He said Sison was made to face two preliminary hearings on his case since his detention.
He said Sison was in good condition and his wife had sent medicine and clothes for the arrested communist leader.Jalandoni earlier told ABS-CBN News that Sison’s arrest was meant to pressure the NDF to go back to the negotiating table and surrender to the Philippine government.
"These trumped up charges are a violation of Sison's rights. This is a form of pressure from the European Union, British ambassador, the US and Arroyo regimes to pressure the NDF to enter peace talks under the terms of capitulation or surrender," he told ABS-CBN.
Jalandoni said Dutch police tricked Sison into thinking that he was being invited to their station to discuss the threats on his life only to be detained. Jalandoni said he was also interrogated by the police for an hour after accompanying Sison to the police station.
He also confirmed reports that the Dutch police raided their houses and the NDF office in Utrecht.
Sison has been living in self-exile in The Netherlands since the late 1980s.
With reports from Danny Buenafe, Loui Galicia, ABS-CBN Europe News Bureau
SOURCE/ WWW.ABS-CBNNEWS.COM
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/storypage.aspx?StoryId=90389
Six international lawyers of arrested Philippine communist leader Jose Maria Sison believe that he will be a free man again on Friday when the Dutch court begins its proceedings on his case following his arrest Tuesday.
Luis Jalandoni, chief negotiator of the National Democratic Front (NDF), sad the lawyers will cite the July 2, 2007 ruling of the Philippine Supreme Court that cleared Sison and Bayan Muna Rep. Satur Ocampo from the murder of over 60 alleged members of the New People's Army in Leyte province.
Jalandoni said the lawyers are also preparing Sison's defense against charges filed by Dutch authorities regarding the assassinations of Romulo Kintanar and Arturo Tabara in 2003 and 2004, respectively.
The Netherlands-based Jalandoni said the documents will be presented before a court in The Hague during a scheduled hearing on Friday.
The NDF chief negotiator said Sison has an advantage on his case.Sison was arrested Tuesday by members of the International Crime Investigation Team of the Dutch National Criminal Investigation Department for allegedly giving orders from his residence in The Netherlands to have Tabara and Kintanar killed.
The Dutch Prosecutor’s Office is set to submit its case against Sison before the Den Hag Regional Court on Friday.
The Dutch police have been gathering evidence against Sison in the Philippines since 2006 in relation to the Kintanar and Tabara murder cases.
Seven houses and offices, including those of Sison and Jalandoni, were included in the raids that were led by 30 policemen and a female judge.
The Dutch police confiscated five computers, several diskettes, books and documents.Jalandoni said the last report he received about Sison's condition was at 9 p.m. Tuesday (3 a.m. Wednesday in Manila).
He said Sison is being held at a police detention facility near The Hague.He said Sison was made to face two preliminary hearings on his case since his detention.
He said Sison was in good condition and his wife had sent medicine and clothes for the arrested communist leader.Jalandoni earlier told ABS-CBN News that Sison’s arrest was meant to pressure the NDF to go back to the negotiating table and surrender to the Philippine government.
"These trumped up charges are a violation of Sison's rights. This is a form of pressure from the European Union, British ambassador, the US and Arroyo regimes to pressure the NDF to enter peace talks under the terms of capitulation or surrender," he told ABS-CBN.
Jalandoni said Dutch police tricked Sison into thinking that he was being invited to their station to discuss the threats on his life only to be detained. Jalandoni said he was also interrogated by the police for an hour after accompanying Sison to the police station.
He also confirmed reports that the Dutch police raided their houses and the NDF office in Utrecht.
Sison has been living in self-exile in The Netherlands since the late 1980s.
With reports from Danny Buenafe, Loui Galicia, ABS-CBN Europe News Bureau
SOURCE/ WWW.ABS-CBNNEWS.COM
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/storypage.aspx?StoryId=90389
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