Two Air Force pilots died after a bomber plane crashed while engaged in a military exercise with United States counterparts at the Crow Valley in Capas town in Tarlac province Wednesday afternoon.

Killed in the plane crash were Capt. Jose Enriquez Leonardo Corpuz and 1Lt. Apollo Carandang. Their bodies are due to be brought tonight to the Villamor Air Base, home of the Philippine Air Force in Pasay City, officials said.

Maj. Gen. Lino Horacio Lapinid, commander of the 1st Air Division, said an investigation will be conducted why the OV-10 plane crashed at 2:45 p.m.

Lapinid said the plane took off from Clark Air Base in Angeles City to take part in the Teak Piston, a joint exercise with the US, that commenced early this month.

“It was involved in an air to ground delivery of bomb… It was carrying practice bomb, we use practice bombs during such exercise,” he said.

He said no Philippine or US aircraft was flying with the ill-fated aircraft at the time of the simulated bombing run. Last Jan. 28, a Nomad plane of the Air Force crashed in Cotabato City while transporting military commanders who attended a command conference. Eight military personnel died in the incident, including 3rd Air Division chief Maj. Gen. Mario Butch Lacson.

Lapinid could not immediately say what caused the crash. “As of now, we have to wait for the results of the investigation. Definitely, an investigation will be conducted. I have nothing to say but we’ll have to wait for the results of the investigation,” he said.

Last Jan. 4, an OV-10 malfunctioned while landing at the Davao City airport during a regular Maintenance Operations Check Flight. The landing gear of the aircraft collapsed during the landing. No one was killed or injured in the incident.

Air Force spokesman Lt. Col. Gerardo Zamudio said all their OV-10 planes were grounded as a result. “As a standard procedure, all OV-10 aircraft are grounded, pending the result of an investigation by a team that was immediately sent by the PAF,” he said. The Air Force has two remaining OV-10s. (PNA)
DCT/VR

Appearing at a jampacked Quezon City Regional Trial Court (QCRTC) on a stretcher, road rage murder suspect Jason Ivler pleaded not guilty to the charges filed against him for the killing of Renato Victor Ebarle Jr.

The late Ebarle Jr. is the Presidential Management Staff Undersecretary Renato Ebarle Sr. He was allegedly shot by Ivler last November 18, 2009 during a traffic altercation in Barangay Valencia, Quezon City.

Ivler is also facing separate charges of attempted murder, frustrated murder and illegal possession of firearms.

Ebarle Sr. said in a statement they still have faith in the country’s justice system.

“We thank the police authorities, especially the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) which tracked down and arrested the murderer at the risk of their agents’ personal safety,” Ebarle Sr. said in the statement.

Christina Ebarle-Mercado, aunt of the late Ebarle Jr., said they hope to that justice will prevail on her nephew’s murder case. She represented Undersecretary Ebarle who was not able to attend the hearing.

Volunteer Against Crime and Corruption (VACC) chair Dante Jimenez said he does not believe the alibi of Ivler’s mother, Marlene Aguilar.

Ivler entered the not guilty plea during his arraignment at the Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 76 presided by Judge Alexander Balut. The preliminary conference hearing is set on Monday and Tuesday, February 25 and 26. Pre-trial is on March 2.

Ivler’s mother and stepfather Stephen Pollard thanked the media for giving them a chance to be heard.

The road rage killing suspect was immediately taken to a waiting ambulance and was brought back to the Quirino Memorial Medical Center (QMMC) in Project 4, Quezon City, where he has been confined since his arrest last January 18.

There was confusion and bedlam when Ivler was brought out of the courtroom. Alex Mendoza, a photojournalist of the Hataw Tabloid, fell on a Philippines News Agency (PNA) reporter from an elevated portion of the corridor, but both were unhurt.

The prosecution intended to have Ivler transferred to a regular detention cell, but Dr. Romulo Abery of the QMMC said the murder suspect remains unfit for incarceration at the Quezon City jail.

“Right now his recovery is very much improving. But the exit point of his wound is still open. As of now he still has sutures on the abdomen. Still needs medical assistance for about two to four weeks,” Abery told reporters.

Balut, on the other hand, said Ivler remains under NBI custody at the QMMC, pending a discharge order from the hospital.

In the meantime, Ivler’s camp said they are satisfied that he won’t be transferred to a regular cell yet due to his health condition. (PNA)V3/JCA

The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) on Friday afternoon furnish the Senate with copies of arrest warrant against Sen. Pamfilo Lacson in connection with the killing of publicist Salvador “Bubby” Dacer and his driver Emmanuel Corbito in November 2000.

Despite reports that Lacson has already left the country, NBI Regional Director Ricardo Diaz, chief of the NBI Counter Terrorism Unit (CTU), said the bureau operatives proceeded to the offices of the Senate President and the Sergeant-of Arms, to formally hand down copies of Lacson’s arrest warrant.

“We furnish the Office of the Sgt.-of-Arms a copy of warrant. Then, NBI operatives proceeded to the office of Senate President. Only the janitor who accepted the copy of the warrant of arrest because no staff there maybe because there was no session. The office of Senator Lacson was locked and NBI operatives even knocked at the door,” he said in an interview.

Diaz personally led the NBI operatives to enforce the warrant of arrest. “The NBI still gave the copies of warrant of arrest at the Senate as formality. From the Senate, we proceeded to the house of Lacson in Ayala Alabang in Muntinlupa City to serve the warrant and hope that we will be able to give copy at the household members there,” he said.

Judge Myra V. Garcia-Fernandez, of the Manila RTC 18, issued the warrant of arrest against Lacson. She set no bail.

The judge also ruled the consolidation of the case against Lacson to that of the case against the earlier batch of the respondents in Dacer-Corbito case. The judge also denied the prayer of Lacson to exclude the information for the two counts of murder.

The judge cited the affidavits and testimonies of former police Sr. Supt. Cezar Mancao II and the former police Supt. Glenn Dumlao as one of the basis in issuing the warrant of arrest. The court noted the existence of probable cause. (PNA)
RMA/JES

Rescuers have so far retrieved nine bodies from the crash site of a Philippine Air Force (PAF) plane at Virgo Subdivision here Thursday.

At least two houses were also burned while three local residents were hurt when a 12-seater PAF Nomad plane with body number 68 crashed at the heart of the residential area shortly before noon.

Cpl. Troy Fronda, one of the Army personnel securing the crash site, identified those killed as Maj. Gen. Butch Lacson of the PAF 3rd Air Division; a certain Maj. Patuboy; Lts. Valdez and Lipae; and Sgts. Lamera, Mejia, Guzom and Ordonio.

The charred body of a civilian identified only as “Inday” was also retrieved from one of the burned houses.

Civilians wounded in the incident were Guila Dumiton, Rogelio Daet, and Gapor Camlian.

The ill-fated military plane took off from the Awang airport in Datu Odin Sinsuat, Maguindanao, around 11:45 a.m. bound for Zamboanga when it mysteriously went down.

Tomas Tubo, a carpenter working at one of the houses in the area, said he and his companions heard a midair explosion prior to the crash.

An update said rescuers have also retrieved the plane’s “black box recorder” that contains the last minute communication of the pilots to the Awang airport tower. (PNA)
LAP/NYP/JPD

Road rage slay suspect Jason Ivler and his mother, book author Marlene Aguilar, were arrested by agents of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) before dawn Monday at their family residence in Blue Ridge, Quezon City.

Ivler is the prime suspect in the killing of Renato Victor Ebarle Jr., Malacañang official’s son, last Nov. 18, 2009. He has was shot in the shoulder and ribs when he resisted arrest and exchanged gunfire with the NBI arresting team.

Aguilar was also arrested by NBI agents for obstruction of justice.

They were taken to the NBI headquarters on Taft Avenue, Ermita, Manila.

Two NBI agents, one of them identified as Ana Labao, were wounded in a shootout. They were brought to the Quirino Labor Memorial Medical Center on Katipunan Avenue Extension, Quezon City.

Ivler was arrested after two months in hiding after the fatal road-rage shooting of a Malacañang official’s son was arrested in Quezon City.

QCPD homicide head Chief Inspector Benjamin Elenzano said an investigation on the shootout is being conducted. (PNA)
LDV/JCA

Agents of the National Bureau of Investigations (NBI) finally nabbed Jason Ivler, the suspect in the fatal road-rage shooting of a Malacañang official’s son, Monday morning in Quezon City.

NBI spokesman Ricardo Diaz said Ivler was arrested in Blue Ridge, but added a female NBI agent was wounded in the operation.

“We arrested Ivler but one of our agents was injured in the process. The reports I am getting are still sketchy,” Diaz said.

Ivler, who traded shots with NBI agents, was hit in the back and was unconscious when he was rushed to the Quezon City Memorial Medical Center.

An NBI agent identified as Ana Labao was also hurt but suffered only a graze. She was also rushed to the same hospital.

The NBI also nabbed Ivler’s mother Marlene Aguilar for trying to block the arrest of his son.

Ivler was found hiding at an underground room in the house while his mother went into hysterics in trying to delay the operations of NBI agents.

Ivler was charged for the shooting of Renato Victor Ebarle Jr. last Nov. 18. Ebarle’s father is an official of the Office of the Presidential Chief of Staff.

The government tapped the International Police Organization’s help after Ivler’s mother claimed he had fled to Hawaii.

Last December, Qatar authorities arrested a namesake of Ivler, Jason Aguilar, and deported him to the Philippines earlier this month.(PNA)
LDV/PFN

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo lifted Proclamation 1959, which placed the province of Maguindanao under martial law, effective 9:00 p.m. Saturday.

Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita, in a media briefing on Saturday at the New Executive Building in Malacanang, said the lifting of martial rule in Maguindanao was based on the recommendation of the National Security Council (NSC) on Saturday, during an NSC emergency meeting where President Arroyo herself presided.

Ermita said President Arroyo approved the recommendations of the Security Cabinet cluster and lifted martial law in Maguindanao effective 9 p.m. Saturday.

Ermita also said that lifting of Proclamation 1959 in Maguindanao also restored the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus.

Mrs. Arroyo called the NSC emergency meeting Saturday afternoon after checking out temporarily from the St. Lukes Medical Center, where she was undergoing her routine regular medical check-up.

Ermita said that the government had already achieved the objectives of declaring martial law in Maguindanao.

He said that charges were already filed, the justice system was now functioning, the local government was now back in governance, authorities had already cleared the former positions of armed groups and all these accomplishments were made during the implementation of martial law in Maguindanao province.

Ermita also told the media briefing that three charges of multiple murders were filed in court while 247 cases were referred by the Philippine National Police (PNP) to the Department of Justice (DOJ).

He also said that 24 people were charged for rebellion, 638 cases were referred to DOJ and 62 suspects were arrested for rebellion while 339 others were in government custody.

But Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief of staff Victor Ibrado said that although martial law was lifted, military troops would remain in Maguindanao to ensure peace and order in the area.

Martial law was declared in Maguindanao on Dec. 4 to quell rebellion in the area as an aftermath of declaration of state of emergency in Maguindanao, Sultan Kudarat and Cotabato City as triggered by the massacre of 57 people, including 30 journalists on Nov. 24 in ampatuan town in Maguindanao. (PNA)
RMA/rudyma

Datu Unsay Maguindanao Mayor Datu Andal Ampatuan Jr. was received by Presidential Adviser for Mindanao Jesus Dureza around 11:30 a.m. Thursday after the former turned himself in for an inquest proceeding in connection with the November 23 massacre in the outskirts of Ampatuan town of the same province.

At least 57 bodies, composed of two female lawyers, over 30 journalists and members of the Mangudadatu family were dug up at a mass grave at Barangay Salman in Ampatuan town the past several days.

The victims were on their way to file the certificate of candidacy for Maguindanao governor of Buluan Vice Mayor Ismael Mangudadatu at the Commission on Elections provincial office in Shariff Aguak, Maguindanao, when stopped by some 100 armed men allegedly led by the mayor.

The mayor is being pitted by the Ampatuan clan against Mangudadatu for the provincial gubernatorial post in connection with the 2010 polls.

The mayor is the son of Maguindanao Governor Andal Ampatuan Sr. and brother of Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) Governor Datu Zaldy Uy Ampatuan.

The ARMM governor personally handed over his brother to Dureza at the grounds of the Maguindanao Provincial Capitol and was ferried by a helicopter towards the General Santos City Airport for a trip to Camp Crame in Manila.

The turnover proceeding was relatively calm and peaceful. (PNA)
LAP/NYP/

Filipinos has triumphed once again in the global arena as Efren Penaflorida was the declared as CNN Hero of the year.

More than 2 million votes were received by CNN from all over the world during the voting period.

An additional $ 100,000 was awarded to Penaflorida for getting the most votes among 9 others who made into the finals.

More of the winning moments of fellow Pinoy can be found on http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/us/2009/11/22/cnnheroes.hero.of.the.year.cnn

Hermogenes E. Ebdane Jr., has confirmed his resignation from the position as Secretary of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to take a crack at the presidency during the May 2010 elections.

Ebdane’s letter of resignation was given to President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo Wednesday night.

In his letter, he said “I will offer myself to our countrymen.”

Ebdane said his resignation would take effect immediately.

He recently met with the President and Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita to tell his plans. (PNA)
ALM/LBV