by: Leila B. Salaverria PDI 05/11/12

MANILA, Philippines- The government is not content with the $50 million that businessman Herminio Disini has been ordered to repay the government for his role in defrauding the country of billions of pesos through the corrupt-ridden Bataan Nuclear Power Plant (BNPP) deal.

It also wants the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos, who it said had acted in conspiracy with Disini, to similarly be made to make restitution for the anomalous contracts and concessions he gave to his associates in the scuttled project.

The Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) has filed a motion for partial reconsideration with the Sandiganbayan 1st Division for the antigraft court to also order Marcos to return the ill-gotten commissions that he in conspiracy with Disini had allegedly obtained through the anomalous contract.

by Philip C. Tubeza, PDI May 09, 2012

MANILA, Philippines – The glitches in the PCOS voting machines the Commission on Elections (Comelec) is buying for P1.8 billion have been fixed, the solicitor general told the Supreme Court Tuesday, and the Comelec is prepared to operate the machines on its own in next year’s elections.

At the resumption of oral arguments on a petition to nullify the contract between the Comelec and Smartmatic, Solicitor General Francis Jardeleza told the high court the glitches that were discovered when the precinct count optical scan machines (PCOS) were used in the 2010 elections had been repaired.

THE arrival of a representative of the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) is welcome relief for residents on sitio San Miguel in barangay Apas, Cebu City, who are racing for time against a court-ordered May 7 demolition.

Members of the Archangel Residents Mergence Inc. (Armi) vowed to resist the demolition.According to Cebu City Rep. Tomas Osmeña, lawyer Charina Soria of the OSG will attend the hearing today in the Regional Trial Court Branch 9.

“We see now a little opening. And we have an ally from the OSG and so we would be fighting so that they would be able to own the lot in Apas,” Osmeña said.

Meanwhile, Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama questioned the intervention of Osmeña, who represents the south district, in the Apas lot dispute.“What do they want City Hall to do, withdraw? This will just confuse the judge,” said Rama.

Osmeña said the national government asserts in a document that several documentary evidence were recently unearthed that proves the state’s ownership of the property and raises questions about the legality of the ownership claim of Mariano Godinez.

“The Solicitor General also suspects something because as mentioned in the statement, that it seems there was no signed authority of these people to file a case,” said Osmeña.

Congressman Osmeña is pushing for ownership of the land by the 168 settlers, while Rama wants at least 30 days postponement of the demolition. According to Choy de la Sala, 58, the help from the OSG is a “good move.”“Mao na last call nga nakatabang namo (This is our last call, the one that will help us),” he said. He later warned: “Basta naay matangtang sa amo balay gubot gyud. Naa gyud mahitabo (If anyone of us gets dislocated, there will be violence. Something will happen).”

Settlers in the lot near Camp Lapu-Lapu include many families of retired and active police and military personnel. /Correspondent Tweeny M. Malinao and Chief of Reporters Doris C. Bongcac

Source: Cebu Daily News