Pala-isip

Don't you just love Japanese game shows?

From the Philippine Daily Inquirer . THE PLEA bargain of retired Maj. Gen. Carlos Garcia, former comptroller of the Armed Forces, reminds us once again of a perennial Philippine problem, namely, our weak institutions of public accountability. Time and again, we have relied on foreign investigators to do our work for us, and the moment they pass the ball to us, we drop it. Look at the historical record. Today, 24 years after Edsa 1, the Marcoses have not been held liable for any human rights violation by any Philippine court. So where instead did the victims file their class action suit? Before a Honolulu federal court which, in 1995, awarded $2 billion in damages to the victims of torture, summary executions and disappearances under the Marcos regime. And when the victims, now called Claimants 1081 (after Proclamation 1081 under which Marcos seized emergency powers in September 1972), tried to collect these damages against the Marcos assets in the Philippines, guess who stood in their ...

From the Philippine Daily Inquirer . MANILA, Philippines—A former mayor sentenced to more than 300 years in jail for rape and murder wants to join the December procession out of prison. Claiming he’s now eligible for either pardon or parole, ex-mayor Antonio Sanchez of Calauan, Laguna, contemplates a return to politics and a long vacation with his family, possibly including a pilgrimage to Israel. And apparently he’s still got the legs for it. “Look at my knees,” Sanchez said on Wednesday in Filipino in an interview with Radyo Inquirer at the New Bilibid Prisons (NBP) in Muntinlupa City. “Yet they say my devotion to the Virgin Mary is just all drama.” He was showing off his knees, which he said had become dark-skinned and calloused after years of Marian devotion and praying the rosary—especially throughout his 18 years behind bars as one of the VIP inmates at the NBP. Sanchez was meted out seven life terms for the 1993 killings of University of the Philippines students and sweethearts ...

Would you pay $209,000 for a saucepan? This saucepan was one of the items displayed at the Moscow Millionaire Fair 2010. Photo source As you've probably guessed, you're not supposed to cook with this saucepan, it's for display only. Check out more pictures of The Millionaire Fair from RT.com

What if Joseph and Mary had Facebook during the birth of Jesus?

From the Philippine Daily Inquirer . The plea bargain that government prosecutors struck with the lawyers of ex-general Carlos Garcia last week is a legal abomination. It violates both the explicit letter of the law and the spirit that gives law life; it makes a mockery of the justice system at the very moment that system is under great stress; not least, it feeds the cynicism of the public, more and more of whom believe that Lady Justice is not blind. When the moneyed are haled to court, she only pretends to close her eyes. Garcia, whose sons were caught in the United States carrying hundreds of thousands of dollars in 2003 and whose wife admitted that their inexplicable family fortune came from bribes, stands (or rather, stood) accused of the non-bailable crime of plunder for accumulating over P300 million in personal wealth while he was still serving in the Armed Forces. Last Saturday, after negotiating a plea bargain and posting bail of P60,000, he walked out of prison. Technically...

‘Family Guy: It's a Trap’ Exclusive Trailer Trailer Park Movies | Myspace Video

Saw this thought it was brilliant. Certainly takes latte art to the next level. Another one.

Here is the link to the Supreme Court Decision on Hubert Webb's acquittal . The concurring opinions by Carpio Morales and Sereno . And the dissenting opinions by Villarama and Brion . Check out Wikipedia for details of this sensational case.

From the Philippine Daily Inquirer . MANILA, Philippines—“This is like a second massacre. Until when will we suffer? Now you know the plight of a victim of the justice system. Why should we still have faith?” Lauro Vizconde said moments after he heard the Supreme Court. The widower’s knees wobbled and his nephews had to help him to a nearby sofa as TV news crews jostled to record a final devastating blow to his search for justice since his wife and two children were brutally stabbed to death in his Parañaque home in 1991. “This is it! This is what I have feared all along. All is lost,” the 72-year-old sobbed as relatives and members of the Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption (VACC) rushed to his three-bedroom bungalow at the upper middle-class BF Homes subdivision. “My God! Where else can we seek justice? I have done my best, why are they scared to give it to us,” Vizconde’s voice shook as he said this in Filipino. “They were declared innocent by our good justices. This shows that ...

From the Philippine Daily Inquirer . MANILA, Philippines—Below are some of the highlights of a murder case that has gripped the nation for nearly two decades: June 30, 1991. A mother and her two daughters are found dead in their own home. Estrellita Vizconde, 47, had 13 stab wounds; 18-year-old Carmela had 17 wounds and was raped before she was killed; 7-year-old Jennifer had 19 wounds. June 1995. Jessica Alfaro, a confessed drug addict, who claims to have witnessed the massacre, testifies in court. August 1995. Based on Alfaro’s account, the justice department finds probable cause and files rape and murder charges against Hubert Webb, Antonio “Tony Boy” Lejano, Michael Gatchalian, Miguel Rodriguez, Peter Estrada, and Pyke Fernandez in the Parañaque Regional Trial Court. Two other suspects, Joey Filart and Dong Ventura, remain at large to this day. 1997. Parañaque RTC Judge Amelita Tolentino turns down Webb’s request for DNA testing to see if the DNA in the recovered semen samples from...

From the Philippine Daily Inquirer . MANILA, Philippines—Hubert Webb and six others were acquitted Tuesday of the grisly 1991 Vizconde massacre by the Supreme Court, which thrashed the testimony of the prosecution’s star witness Jessica Alfaro as “incredible and unbelievable.” So, who did it? Who murdered Estrellita Vizconde and her daughters Jennifer, 7, and Carmela, 18, who was raped before being stabbed to death? Voting 7-4, the high court acquitted Webb, Antonio Lejano, Michael Gatchalian, Hospicio Fernandez, Miguel Rodriguez, Peter Estrada and Gerardo Biong “for failure of the prosecution to prove their guilt beyond reasonable doubt.” All of them have been released. Biong, a former policeman convicted of destroying the evidence at the crime scene, was freed two weeks ago after having completed his sentence. The decision does not cover two other accused, Joey Filart and Artemio Ventura, who have remained at large. The high court’s 38-page decision to acquit Webb et al. revolved mai...

From the Philippine Daily Inquirer . SC acquits ex-senator’s son, 6 others in Vizconde massacre Webb, etal ordered released as soon as possible MANILA, Philippines—(UPDATE 4) The Supreme Court today acquitted former senator’s son Hubert Webb and several others in connection with the celebrated Vizconde massacre case. “The prosecution failed to prove beyond reasonable doubt the guilt of the accused,” court administrator and spokesman Jose Midas Marquez said. Marquez said seven justices who voted for the acquittal are questioning the quality of the prosecution’s main witness. “Jessica Alfaro is an NBI (National Bureau of Investigation) agent, not really an eye witness,” Marquez said. “There were also suspicious details showing inherent inconsistencies, all corroboration cannot be relied on…In all, there is reasonable and lingering doubt on the guilt of the accused,” Marquez said. Aside from Webb, the high court also acquitted Antonio Lejano II, Michael Gatchalian, Miguel Rodriguez, Peter...

Looks like another good movie from Marvel. The Norse God of Thunder, Thor!

For you math geeks out there.

Created by Jason Magbanua Maggie and Victor from Jason Magbanua on Vimeo . And that's just the pre-nup!