Local Government
Why overrule Devanadera’s verdict?
Apr 18th
Acting Justice Secretary Alberto Agra’s order dropping the charges against Zaldy Ampatuan, the suspended governor of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, and his cousin Akmad Ampatuan, the former acting vice governor of Maguindanao Province, was uncalled for and only reinforces the prevailing fears of a possible whitewash of the case in the minds of the families of the massacre victims.
Given the sensitivity of the case, Secretary Agra should have allowed the private prosecutors to present the evidence in court and let the judge decide whether the murder charges against Zaldy and Akmad Ampatuan would be dropped or not.
The More >
Lack of concern hurting fishing industry
Feb 22nd
Today, I want to assure the people of Gen San that I will vigorously and relentlessly pursue efforts toward boosting our local fisheries industry and at the same time work on achieving peace and development in Southern Philippines.
I feel for the fishery sector as much as I share the peace and development aspirations for Mindanao. The South Cotabato area alone is rich in natural resources and has enormous potential for eco-tourism. I encourage the people of Gen San to explore all possibilities and pursue opportunities.
We need to renegotiate the bilateral Fishing Agreement with Indonesia that will allow Filipino fishermen to More >
The C-5 and-a-Half Land Conversion Scandal
Feb 13th
I challenge Senator Manuel Villar to open the books of his real estate companies and reveal to the Filipino people how many favorable land conversion orders he was able to secure from the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) ever since he became a high government official.
At the Kapihan sa Sulo breakfast forum Saturday morning, I reiterated the disclosure I made in Iloilo Friday that Villar illegally converted prime rice lands in Pavia town in Iloilo City into a residential subdivision despite lack of a permit from the DAR.
I called this land conversion the C-5 and-a-Half scandal.
Villar’s company, Crown Communities, bought about More >
