Vox Bikol

MANILA, Philippines (May 15, 2012) - In a testimony that lasted five hours, Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales presented evidence yesterday of alleged “circuitous” bank transactions of Chief Justice Renato Corona involving millions of dollars that he did not declare in his official asset statement.

A report submitted to Morales by the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) noted “abnormal balances… multiple accounts created for a similar purpose” and “circuitous movement of funds” in the bank transactions, with deposits and withdrawals made on the same day.

The AMLC report showed that in 2003, Corona opened one dollar-denominated account. By 2005, he had opened 23 dollar accounts.

Naga City (12:00 AM Sunday April 29, 2012) - It shall be rainy in Mindanao today, as a low pressure area over Philippine Sea thought to have dissipated 24 hours suddenly regenerated and is now gaining convective rainbands as it nears Southern & Eastern Mindanao targetting Davao Provinces.

The center is located about 480 km East-Southeast of Davao City or 509 km East of General Santos City (6.0N 129.8E) and is moving Northwest at 15 kilometers per hour towards Eastern Mindanao. Maximum winds is expected to be within 30 to 40 kilometers per hour.

This weather disturbance is expected to bring scattered to widespread rains with squalls and thunderstorms across Mindanao today. (typhoon2000.com)

The largest gathering of Bikol literary luminaries, the Fourth Pagsurat Bikolnon 2012, is set to happen again on April 29-30 at the Ateneo de Naga University, with the theme Paghurop-hurop, Paghuron-huron (Thoughts and Convergence). First held in Aquinas University of Legazpi in 2000 and coordinated by the office of Dr. Jazmin Badong Llana, this year’s Pagsurat aims to re-gather Bikol writers, strengthen linkages, and establish critical engagements among Bikol writers, visual artists, filmmakers, teachers and scholars based in the region, in Manila and abroad.

CAMP SIMEON OLA, LEGAZPI CITY (Mar 4, 2012) – THE Philippine National Police (PNP) Regional office has ordered the deployment of an estimated 100 police personnel in the coastal town of Siruma, Camarines Sur to secure the special election for the town's mayoralty post.

Earlier last month in a Memorandum Order Number 32 addressed to PNP and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), signed by Executive Secretary Paquito N. Ochoa Jr. on February 16, President Aquino directed the law enforcement agencies and instrumentalities of the government to be on watch and perform their duties during the political exercise to elect a new local chief executive for Siruma, Camarines Sur.

IRIGA CITY (Feb 9, 2012) - President Benigno S. Aquino III has declared Saturday (Feb. 11) a special “non-working day” in this city as the Tinagba Festival, a harvest offering feast of pre-Hispanic origin, is celebrated.

Proclamation no. 319, signed by Executive Secretary Paquito N. Ochoa Jr., by authority of the president, aims to enable the locals to fully celebrate this tradition of thanksgiving, which also coincides with the Catholic Church's Feast of the Lady of Lourdes.

The Department of Tourism (DOT) also declared Tinagba Festival 2012 a regional tourism event that shall feature the colorful “10th Gayon Bicol,” a showdown of the 11 best festivals that are celebrated in the six provinces of Bicol.

The health insurance coverage of around 5 million families identified and provided by their Local Government Units (LGUs) and /or sponsors under the Sponsored Program in CY 2011, whose expiry date was December 31, 2011, is hereby extended to March 31, 2012 at no cost to the LGU.

This development will ensure continued health insurance coverage for over 10 million poor and low-income families under the Sponsored Program of the National Health Insurance Program (NHIP), including the 5.2 million poor families determined as poor by the National Household Targeting System for Poverty Reduction (NHTSPR) of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) who had also been provided health insurance coverage with National Government funding.

MANILA, Philippines (Jan 28, 2012) - The prosecution team is lining up 100 witnesses who shall testify against Chief Justice Renato Corona for culpable violation of the Constitution and betrayal of public trust in the ongoing impeachment trial.

The prosecution submitted yesterday a 39-page document that contains the list of possible witnessesand documentary evidence that it likes to present during the impeachment trial. The witnesses listed reportedly include 5 justices of the Supreme Court and journalists.

MANILA, Philippines (Jan 26, 2012) – Despite persistent opposition of the defense on technicalities, Internal Revenue Commissioner Kim Jacinto-Henares was able to present the tax records of Chief Justice Renato Corona and his wife, Cristina, at the resumption of the Corona impeachment trial yesterday.

The decision to allow Henares' testimony was arrived at yesterday morning in a closed door caucus of senators, acting as impeachment court judges, who allowed the prosecution to present and mark the evidence on properties Corona acquired while in government service. The senators, however, did not allow the presentation of evidence on Corona's alleged ill-gotten wealth mentioned in paragraph 2.4 of the Article 2 of the 8 Articles of Impeachment. The presentation of the tax records of the Corona children and in laws was also disallowed.