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For the past 21 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.
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MANILA-- Security forces in the Philippines were placed on full alert amid the discovery of a plot to assassinate President Gloria Macapagal- Arroyo, officials said.
Announcement of the plot came a day before Arroyo's political opponents were to stage a major protest to call for her resignation over allegations of corruption linking the first family.
Arroyo's security chief, Brig. Gen. Romeo Prestoza, said the plot was being hatched by "extremists Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) and the Abu Sayyaf Group," referring to Muslim militants with reported links to Al-Qaeda.
"It is not just the President, there are other targets," he said, adding that Mrs. Arroyo has been informed of the threat, forcing her to cancel a scheduled trip to the northern resort city of Baguio Friday.
"If they want to launch it, they can do it anytime," Prestoza told reporters.
He said the plot appeared not to be connected to an opposition rally at the Makati business district in Manila, also planned for Friday.
Armed Forces chief Gen. Hermogenes Esperon said the plot "had become the basis of our action for putting the Armed Forces of the Philippines in full state of preparedness."
He said elements composed of militants from the Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiyah were also planning to hit "high value targets" around Manila. Both groups are known to operate in the southern island of Mindanao and have been blamed for the Philippines' worst terrorist attacks in recent years. They are however known to field "cells" responsible for bombings around Manila in the past as well.
Army spokesman Capt. Carlo Ferrer earlier Thursday said they have separately received intelligence reports that elements from the communist New People's Army (NPA) rebel group may infiltrate the ranks of protesters Friday and instigate violence. He said there were intelligence reports that the rally might be sabotaged by the rebels.
The NPA is the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines, which has been waging a Maoist rebellion since 1969.
Arroyo's critics have been holding daily protests around Manila calling on her to resign over fresh claims that her husband and a political ally tried to get millions of dollars in kickbacks from a telecoms deal with a Chinese firm. The 329-million-dollar deal for a national broadband network with China's state-run ZTE has since been cancelled by Arroyo.
Some business groups have warned that the scandal could plunge the country into a new round of political instability and dampen investor confidence.
Leaders of the influential Roman Catholic Church, business leaders and even lawyers' groups have expressed support for the protest planned in the Makati business district.
The presidential palace has called for calm amid the turmoil and challenged Arroyo's opponents to file charges in court.
On Thursday, US envoy to Manila Kristie Kenney said any protest should be put in the "framework of the constitution and the rule of law."
However, she said the "right to public protest to express views and opinions is fundamental to all of us.
"It's important for government and for the private sectors to see that," Kenney said.(MNS)
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COLMA - Larry Formalejo, the first Filipino mayor of Colma, stepped down from his post Wednesday after an incident stemming from his son’s DUI arrest became public.
In his resignation letter to City Manager Diane McGrath, which he read aloud at a packed Town Council meeting, Formalejo said that in 2006, his son was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving. Called to the police station by his son on the night of the incident, Formalejo said he attempted to seek “assistance with the officer in charge on how to help me with my son’s situation.”
Although he resigned from his seat as mayor, Formalejo will keep his seat on the Town Council.
“I am sorry we had to get to this because we take our job very seriously,” Vice Mayor Helen Fisicaro said Wednesday night. She will take over as mayor.
An investigation into Formalejo is continuing, and a report will be issued during the council’s next meeting on March 12.
It is unclear what Formalejo, who was then a council member, said to the officer after the arrest of his 21-year-old son, Dustin Formalejo. In his letter, he said, “I took some actions that may have been perceived as in conflict with my ethical obligations as a City Councilman at that time.”
City Attorney Roger Peters said he thought resigning was the right thing to do “to avoid any perception of improper behavior.”
“I am very sad he resigned. He is the first Filipino mayor and I am just getting to know him,” said Josephine Mirando-Aquino, a member of the Filipino American Association of Colma and one of the many Formalejo supporters who crowded Wednesday night’s council meeting.
City staff had remained tight-lipped after releasing a report Friday calling for an investigation into Formalejo’s alleged misconduct. Peters explained that he did not reveal any details about the mayor’s inappropriate behavior prior to the meeting because he wanted to give Formalejo a chance to explain himself.
Formalejo is the third high-ranking town official that has been embroiled in controversy in recent years. Last year, former Mayor Philip Lum and former Councilmember Ronald Maldonado were indicted on corruption charges for accepting first-class airline tickets from Lucky Chances Casino owner Rene Medina for trips to the Philippines.
Formalejo’s friend and mentor Alice Bulos, an active member of the Filipino community, said Monday that she was surprised to hear of the accusations because the mayor was a role model for local Filipino-Americans.
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