|
For the past 17 years, The Filipino Express has provided the Filipino American community the best news, arts and entertainment coverage from around the United States and the Philippines.
|
|
This website includes selected articles from this week's edition of the Filipino Express. Not all the stories published in the printed version appear on this site.
|
|
|
|
To tell us what you think about Filipino Express Online or to comment on the stories published here, E-mail us at Filexpress@aol.com
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Pinoy Nurse gets 11 years imprisonment
|
|
|
|
INCARCERATED. A mugshot of confessed burglar Raymond Marquez after being given an 11-year prison sentence for his crimes.
|
|
|
|
Chicago, ILLINOIS --- A Filipino surgical nurse was sentenced to suffer a prison term of 11 years after he admitted burglarizing the homes of seven people in six Chicago suburbs in Lake County.
Lake County Circuit Judge Fred L. Foreman also told a sobbing and remorseful Raymond Marquez that he will also be deported to the Philippines after serving his sentence. Marquez, who is not a US citizen, has lived in the U. S. since 1996 and was employed as a nurse at Lake Forest Hospital for two and a half years.
Marquez, 31, pleaded guilty on June 7 to committing five counts of burglaries and two theft cases from houses of his patients or relatives of patients he met on the job.
Assistant State’s Attorney Eric Kalata told this reporter that although Marquez has 30 days within which to file an appeal from the time of his plea, his guilty plea makes it very difficult for him to mount a successful appeal.
Marquez’s private defense lawyer Steve Samonian, who returned a call by this reporter, seeking comment, refused to make any statement.
Marquez broke into the homes in Lake Bluff, Lindenhurst, Highwood, Long Grove, Gurnee, Waukegan and Libertyville between July and December last year and stole electronic equipment, jewelry, computers and other valuables worth more than $10,000 (ten thousand US dollars), according to court records.
Police arrested him after they identified him from some of the stolen merchandise that had been sold at a Waukegan pawn shop that listed Marquez as the seller.
Marquez forced himself into homes of his patients recovering from surgery whose homes were empty.
Lake Forest Hospital fired him when the allegations surfaced, and the Illinois Department of Professional Regulation indefinitely suspended his nursing license a few weeks later.
Marquez faced a mandatory prison sentence of four to 15 years for each burglary had he been convicted after a trial.
After getting information from Lake Forest Hospital that several of its patients were victims of burglaries in their homes, Lake County Sheriff investigators tracked a wireless personal lap top computer that had been taken from a Long Grove residence on Dec. 8 through the help of an Internet Service Provider. The investigators found the lap top computer in Marquez’s home and invited him for questioning.
Marquez posted $6,000 (six thousand US dollars) of his $60,000 (sixty thousand US dollars) bond to gain temporary liberty.
Investigators said that Marquez would get information from his surgical patient and once he was sure that there was nobody home in the patient’s residence, he would break into the home through rear windows and doors, and would skim off valuables.
Marquez, who has been employed by the Lake Forest Hospital in suburban Lake Forest, Illinois for two-and-half years, was also accused of breaking into a doctor’s home after learning that the doctor was attending a Christmas party.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
NEW YORK --- Citing harassments and violation of freedom of expression, some members of Philippine Forum are planning to file a suit against parade organizers and police for ejecting them and threatening to arrest them during the Philippine Independence Day parade last June 5th.
Robert Roy, executive director of Philippine Forum said the Philippine Independence Day Council, Inc. (PIDCI) violated their basic human rights for free expression. He said they would decide if they would file a suit as a group or as individuals.
“All we wanted was to seek an explanation from Consul General Cecilia Rebong about her renting a $10,000-a-month condominium at the posh Trump Tower. All we wanted was to express our displeasure with what we consider as lavish spending, especially in view of the worsening economic crisis in the Philippines,” said Roy.
Philippine Forum members and officials and Consul Edgar Badajos held a dialogue Sunday, allowing the Philippine Consulate to explain their side.
More than 100 people, mostly members of the Philippine Forum attended the townhall meeting held at the gym of the Philippine Forum at 54-05 Seabury St., Elmhurst, Queens. Consul Edgar Badajos represented the Consulate. The meeting lasted for two hours from 3-5 pm.
Badajos promised to bring the concern and displeasure of Philippine Forum members to Consul General Cecil Rebong over the $10,000-a-month condominium unit at Trump Tower;
Badajos also promised to discuss the barring of Philippine Forum members from the Independence Day Parade with the Philippine Independence Day Council Inc. (PIDC). He promised to report the outcome of his meeting with PIDC officials to Philippine Forum members.
Badajos explained that the Consulate General had nothing to do with the PIDC’s throwing Philippine Forum members out of the parade last June 5;
Contrary to his earlier statement to the press on June 5 that he did not see what happened to the Philippine Forum during the parade, Badajos admitted that he saw officers of the PIDC stop members of the Philippine Forum from further participating in the parade.
Over 100 officers and members of Philippine Forum were ejected from the parade. They marched in “Katipunero” costumes to show their indignation over lavish spending of the Consulate.
The Philippine Embassy issued a statement defending the ritzy apartment of Rebong. Evan Garcia of the Embassy said the Philippine Consul General needs every available means to market and build confidence in the Philippines as a solid trade partner, a promising investment destination and an inviting tourism site. A strategically located official residence is an essential infrastructure for that purpose. Many developed and developing countries, competitors of the Philippines, utilize their residences precisely for this end.
The official residence of the Philippine Consul General in New York, accordingly, is not only an attractive, accessible and cost-effective venue for a promotional campaign, it is also in keeping with the rental criteria set by of the Department of Foreign Affairs. Contrary to the image of lavishness which the address may evoke, the Trump Tower official residence of the Philippine Consul General is actually small in terms of living space and is modestly but tastefully furnished to showcase Philippine art and crafts. The official residence is a much cheaper venue to host business meetings than expensive restaurants and function rooms where the competitors of the Philippines also routinely entertain.
The embassy credited Rebong for hosting a reception in her apartment for the successful outsourcing conference held in New York few months ago.
But Philippine Forum remains critical of the posh apartment of Rebong. Roy said the primary mission of Philippine consular offices in the US should be to provide prompt, competent and less expensive services to the Filipino community in the US. Requiring consular officers to perform the duties of trade and commercial attaches is unnecessary and an expensive duplication of duties and must be stopped. “With the crisis we have at home, the Philippine Embassy should streamline its bureaucracy, not complicate it,” he said.
“An apartment that costs $10,000 a month in taxpayer’s money to house the Philippine consul general in New York does not qualify as the “proper equipment” for a “promotional campaign,” said Roy.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Osmeña dares Gonzalez over tapes
|
|
|
DARING. Sen. Osmena displays his copy of the "Gloria-Gate" CD.
|
|
|
|
MANILA --- Sen. Sergio Osmeña III yesterday dared Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez to arrest him and charge him with inciting to sedition as he called on President Arroyo to resign and distributed to Senate media-men CD copies of the wiretapped conversations on alleged cheating in the May 2004 presidential elections.
The CDs were copies of those that Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye played for Palace reporters last week.
In a press conference at his office at the GSIS building where he distributed the CDs, he also said he is using the “Hello, Garci” ring-tone.
“Tell (Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez) to arrest me because sabihin mo may ring-tone ako, meron akong mga CD na dini-distribute,” Osmeña said as he handed over the CDs.
The Anti-Wiretapping Act (RA 4200) says that it is “unlawful... to knowingly possess any tape record, wire record, disc record, or any other such record, or copies thereof, of any communication or spoken word... in the manner prohibited by this law; or to replay the same for any other person or persons; or to communicate the contents thereof, either verbally or in writing, or to furnish transcriptions thereof whether complete or partial, to any other person.”
Violation is punishable with “imprisonment of not less than six months or more than six years and with the accessory penalty of perpetual absolute disqualification from public office it the offender be a public official at the time of the commission of the offense.”
The NBI, which is under the DOJ, on Wednesday filed charges of inciting to sedition against Samuel Ong, former NBI deputy director for intelligence, who made known in a press conference that he has the “mother of all tapes” on the wiretapped conversations. He said it showed Arroyo cheated and asked her to step down.
No wiretapping charge has been filed against him, despite Gonzalez’ repeated announcements. The other day, the NBI filed charges of inciting to sedition against him.
Osmeña dared Gonzalez to file sedition charges against him as he called on Arroyo to step down.
“I’m asking Gloria to resign. ‘Yan, second course of action, inciting to sedition,” he said.
He said he went to San Carlos Seminary in Makati City, where Ong stayed from Friday to Monday after his revelations.
“You know, akala nila hindi na tayo nasanay sa martial law,” Osmeña said, referring to his several years in detention during the 70s.
“Ang ginagawa nila ngayon, mina-martial law nila ang mga Pilipino. Tinatakot ang mga witnesses, mga naglalabas ng katotohanan,” Osmeña said.
“So I’m telling Secretary Gonzales, you either are stretching the law beyond limits to the detriment of our people and our democracy and I will challenge you in any forum for having done this because you are going to pay for this,” Osmeña said.
Mayor JV Ejercito of San Juan also displayed having possession of a copy of the tapes, this time on video cassette, in defiance of Gonzalez’ warning that mere possession is a criminal offense.
Homobono Adaza, Ong’s lawyer, belittled the filing of charges against his client saying that the Arroyo administration should better get a good lawyer if it wants the inciting to sedition charge it filed Wednesday to stick.
“How can there be a case of inciting to sedition when the main precondition for the case which is the call to rise up in arms is not satisfied?” he said.
He said under Article 142 of the Revised Penal Code, one can be charged with inciting to sedition only when there is a public call to rise up by force or intimidation.
“If my client calls on the public to use force to oust Arroyo then it is seditious. But even if you examine all his statements from the very start there is nothing seditious in that,” he said.
Contrary to government’s claim that Ong is afraid to face the charges, it is the government that is in a “state of panic” as shown by its threat to file cases against media entities and anyone airing the tapes, he said.
Adaza also offered an unsolicited advice to President Arroyo. “Sabihin niya kay DOJ Secretary Raul Gonzalez na ituro sa kanya ang tama sa batas as well as to get better lawyers.”
State Prosecutor Emmanuel Velasco said the subpoena issued to Ong is considered served.
Despite the claim of the NBI that it knows Ong’s exact location, the subpoena was served at his last known residence at No. 406 Diamond ave., Green Heights subd. in Novaliches, Quezon City.
Ong sought refuge at the San Carlos Seminary in Guadalupe, Makati, after a press conference Friday where he said he has the “mother of all tapes” on the wiretapped conversations purportedly between Arroyo and Comelec Commissioner Virgilio Garcillano on the alleged cheating in the May 2004 elections. He left the seminary Monday night.
Chief Supt. Leopoldo Bataoil, PNP spokesman, said Ong was tracked to be “hiding” somewhere in the southern part of Metro Manila.
He said a special team is monitoring Ong’s movements, but this is just to make sure Ong would be available once the court calls for him to answer the charges filed against him.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
