3 Infants Burned at Cebu Public Hospital

CEBU, Philippines - Three infants suffered burn injuries when a lamp at the pediatric Intensive Care Unit of the Cebu City Medical Center (CCMC) accidentally exploded Sunday morning.
It was only yesterday morning that the hospital authorities transferred the three infants, one of whom was seriously injured, to Chong Hua Hospital upon the instruction of Mayor Michael Rama, who visited the victims yesterday.
The three victims were placed at the ICU for sepsis neonatorum.
CCMC director Eduardo Sedoripa said that there are about 20 infants placed at the pediatric ICU for treatment.
But at around 2:30 to 3:00 a.m. last Sunday February 20, a goose neck lamp exploded accidentally, seriously injuring 19-day-old Baby Boy Villarico, who suffered third-degree burns around his body.
Two other infants also suffered burn injuries but are now out of danger. Baby Boy Ibañez has 13 percent of his body injured while Baby Girl Maglasang only sustained injury to her left hand.
“The incident last Sunday seems that the bulb exploded was the reason behind the incident. It was purely an accident,” said Sedoripa, who assumed as the hospital’s officer-in-charge last January 3.
According to Sedoripa, Baby boy Villarico has been closely monitored because of his serious injuries.
A woman who just gave birth at the pediatric ward told The FREEMAN that the incident broke out when everybody was resting.
“Nagkaguliyang ug nagkagubot gyud ang ospital. Kalit ra man kaayo ang hitabo kay naa man mibuto unya miaso gyud dayon,” she said.
Sedoripa said they did not immediately transfer the babies to the private hospital since CCMC has doctors who immediately attended to the babies.
He downplayed reports that they wanted to cover up the incident by not reporting it immediately to the mayor.

“We informed the mayor about the incident and we are doing our best to help the victims. But it does not mean right now that we transfer them to Chong Hua, wala na’y capability ang atong mga doctors,” he said.

Sedoripa suspected that the lamp at the ward was overused, saying that it has been used for almost a day when it should only be used for a maximum of 13 hours.
The accident prompted south district Rep. Tomas Osmeña to renew his calls to close down the city-run hospital.
When he was still the mayor, Osmeña had announced his plan to shut down or sell the CCMC, claiming that he was fed up with criticisms over poor performance of its personnel.
Osmeña said the incident was no longer an isolated case.
He recalled an incident in which their driver died at the hospital due to what he claimed as negligence of its personnel.
The congressman said critics accused him of being anti-poor for wanting to close down the hospital.
“It’s not an isolated case. I’ve been accused that I’m not caring for the poor. Now, you will see more things here. Remember, my driver died at CCMC,” Osmeña said.
Rama said the city will shoulder all expenses of the victims. He asked CCMC officials to submit to him details of their investigation into the incident.
Visiting the victims at the hospital, City Councilor Margot Osmeña and north district Rep. Rachel “Cutie” del Mar said they were sad over the incident.
“We visited along with Councilor Alvin Dizon the babies immediately after we found out about the incident,” Margot said.
She said they already requested Sedoripa to furnish them a report on the incident.
The City Council also wants to know why the parents of the babies were asked to sign a waiver.
“After the report, we will decide what to do,” Margot said.
Del Mar, for her part, said her office is willing to extend financial and medical assistance to the victims.

(Source: Freeman)

Alarming: Another 5-yr old girl kidnapped in Cebu Pier!

 CEBU CITY -- A soldier lost his gun, cash and laptop on Wednesday to a man who befriended him, then took the items along with his five-year-old daughter.
Corporal Edwin Bataan, 31, spent two hours frantically searching for his child, with the help of the Mobile Patrol Group (MPG) of the Cebu City Police Office.


The search ended inside a fastfood chain's outlet in downtown Cebu City, where the child was found in the establishment's play pen.

The child said the man told her to play and wait for him to bring back some burgers.

"Hindi na siya bumalik. Iniwan ako (He never came back. He left me)," she said.
Police began a manhunt Wednesday afternoon, after Bataan of the Philippine Army and his daughter identified the suspect through the rogues' gallery kept by the Theft and Robbery Section. The gallery is a file of photographs of felons previously arrested by the police.

Bataan's ordeal began at 2 p.m. He found his daughter about two hours later, but his bag was nowhere in sight.

Bataan, who is with the 1st Light Armor Battalion under the 1st Infantry Division based in Pagadian City, said his bag contained his .45 pistol, which was personal property; an Asus laptop worth P35,000; P50,000 cash; and assorted jewelry worth around P50,000.

Bataan and his daughter arrived in Cebu from Ozamis City on Wednesday morning. He told reporters he and his daughter were heading for Pangasinan, where Bataan comes from, for a vacation.
His wife stayed in Zamboanga del Sur with their younger child, a one-year-old boy.
From the port area, he and his daughter went to the Cebu Ferries Terminal on Wednesday to buy tickets for Manila. It was past 8 a.m. when they got there.

Acting
It was at the terminal that they met the suspect, whom the child later identified only as "Kuya Rex."
The man asked Bataan and other people at the terminal about a vessel schedule for Manila, saying he wanted to go to Batangas.
Bataan said he informed the man that he and his daughter transferring to the Sulpicio Lines Terminal because one of its vessels was scheduled to leave for Manila at 8 p.m.
The suspect went with them and befriended them.
From 9 a.m. to past 1 p.m., Bataan, his daughter and the man stayed at the terminal in Pier 5.
Bataan said he was forced to leave the terminal when his daughter asked for food. He decided to go to a nearby mall to get a fastfood meal.
Before leaving, however, he told his daughter to take care of their belongings and never to walk away from the area.
Bataan said the suspect also went with him, saying he, too, needed some food.
When they reached the mall, however, "Kuya Rex" parted with Bataan, saying he wanted to check some items in the department store.
When Bataan returned to the terminal, his daughter and his things were no longer there.
"Sabi ng mga tao du'n kinuha na raw ng kasama ko (The other people there told me my companion took my daughter and my things)," he said.

Search
Bataan said he reported his loss to the Mabolo Police Station, which in turn spread the news to other police units.
The search lasted for about two hours, before the police received a call about a child inside the fastfood chain in downtown Cebu City.
In an interview at the police station, Bataan's daughter said "Kuya Rex" arrived at the terminal and told her he would bring her to her father.
"Alis na tayo. Punta na tayo sa Papa mo," the child said, quoting the suspect. They boarded a taxi.

He took more than P200 from her for the cab fare and supposedly to buy some food. He then left her in the play pen.

SPO2 Fe Altubar of the women's desk of the Mabolo Police Station, who interviewed the child, said she believes the suspect was after only the cash and valuables and didn't intend to kidnap the girl.
After learning the incident, the Central Command through its spokesperson, Major Christopher Tampus, provided Bataan and his daughter shelter at Camp Lapu-Lapu.
Tampus said that Bataan will press charges against the suspect before he leaves Cebu.

(Source: Sunstar)

Alarming! 6-year-old Girl Brutally Murdered in Cebu Town

CEBU CITY -- A grade 1 pupil was found dead in a cliff along the national highway in Barangay Sayaw, Barili town, southern Cebu Province, 61.6 kilometers from this city. Ellah Joy Pique, 6, of Calajoan, Minglanilla town, and believed to be a victim of trafficking, suffered a big crack in the head, which may have caused her death. Her body was found at 7:55 a.m. by a resident who was about to gather grass in the area.
Her naked body was tightly wrapped in two blankets. The blankets were tied with gray Internet cable wires.
Her clothes and school supplies were found in a nearby barangay. Among those recovered were two P50 bills, which surprised the father as he or the victim's mother did not give her money. A foreigner and a Filipina reportedly fetched Pique outside the school.

AN autopsy on Ellah Joy Pique revealed that the six-year-old girl was not raped but she had bruises around her mouth and near her right jaw. “Pressure contusions” were found on her body, which medico-legal officer Nestor Sator said indicated that she could have been tightly held by her captors. The bruises around her mouth indicated that she could been slapped and her mouth clamped. Ellah Joy might have bitten the hand of her captor, which she was wont to do with her brothers when provoked. She had a big and long fracture at the back of her head, which Sator said could have been caused by being hit by a hard object such as a piece of wood, a pipe or a rock. She may have died at 11 p.m., some eight hours after she was last seen being picked up at school by a couple 4 p.m. of Feb. 8.

Before Ellah Joy’s kidnap-slaying, a Caucasian man was reportedly seen giving away chocolates and lollipops to young kids in Calajoan. But Minglanilla homicide investigators can’t say if he is the same foreigner who picked up Ellah Joy. If the legislative council approves the proposal, the local government of Minglanilla will put up a bounty of P100,000 on the couple who was resposible for the kidnap and slaying of Ellah Joy. The kidnap-slaying prompted calls for tight security measures in schools such as hiring of security guards and installing a perimeter fence. Officials of a local parents’ group also asked the police to intensify their intelligence network to curb lawless elements from preying on children. The police are coordinating with the Land Transportation Office (LTO) to verify the licensed plate of the sports utility vehicle and with the Bureau of Immigration (BI) to identify the foreigner.

The Minglanilla police released the cartographic sketches of the Filipina and her Caucasian companion who picked up Ellah Joy in school.

The Filipina woman, who persuaded Ellah Joy to board the black Mitsubishi Pajero on the pretext of bringing her home, was described as more than 20 years old, five-foot tall, of regular build, with chinky eyes, having a “morena” complexion and long straight hair.

Her foreigner companion was over 40 years old, 5’8" to 5’10" tall, of regular build, fair-skinned, with blonde hair, straight pointed nose and thin lips.

Here is a cartographic sketch of the suspects for killing a 6 yrs old little girl last Wednesday (Feb 9, 2011). If you have any information on them, do not approach but inform your nearest official. (Source: Sunstar Cebu)

Interview: Reyes A Whipping Boy of Garcia's 'Real Protector'

Former Defense Secretary Angelo Reyes was made a scapegoat of a powerful group that is out to hide the real protector of former military comptroller Carlos Garcia, retired Navy Commodore Rex Robles said on Tuesday.
Robles said Reyes was linked to the Garcia plea bargain deal to divert the focus of the Senate investigation on military corruption instead of identifying the people who benefited from Garcia during his time as military comptroller.

He said Garcia "helped congressmen, senators and crooked businessmen to launder their money abroad."

In a separate interview, Robles said Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV and Parañaque Rep. Roilo Golez actually know the identity of Garcia's mysterious benefactor. He challenged the 2 lawmakers to identify Garcia's protector following Reyes's death on Tuesday.

"The people who are really protecting Garcia, who Golez and Trillanes know but they have lied blatantly to the public, are the ones also behind this. The sooner that Golez and Trillanes reveal the names that they know about, the true names, instead of the lies they are peddling, the better," he told ANC's Dateline Philippines.

Garcia is facing separate congressional probes after a plea bargain deal with the Office of the Ombudsman allowed him to plead guilty to bailable charges and return P135 million in assets to the government. The former military comptroller is accused of salting away P303 million in kickbacks during his time in the military.

Congressman Golez earlier accused Reyes of protecting Garcia, a charge that Reyes vehemently denied. Trillanes later backed up Golez's claim.

Robles said that before Trillanes linked Reyes to the Garcia plea deal, the former defense chief sent a letter to the senator asking him to reveal the name of the person who was protecting Garcia.

Robles said the letter was handcarried by a mistah of Trillanes in the Philippine Military Academy who asked the senator to identify Garcia's protector. Robles said that under PMA tradition, a mistah cannot lie to a fellow mistah.

He said Trillanes told his fellow PMAer: "'Mistah, hindi si Reyes ito."

Reyes died of a gunshot wound after visiting his mother's grave in Marikina City Tuesday morning. Police said the death was a suicide.

Before his death, the former defense chief was accused of pocketing P50 million in "pabaon" (send-off money) before his retirement as Armed Forces chief in 2001. His wife also allegedly received "shopping money" of up to $10,000 from the Office of the Military Comptroller during her various trips abroad.

Arroyo called Reyes before death

Robles, meanwhile, revealed that former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo called up Reyes inquiring about the handcarried letter he sent to Trillanes.

"He told me that he just received a phone call from [former President] Arroyo asking him about this Trillanes thing. The former president wanted to know certain things. I will talk about it at the right time. I don't think I should," he said.

Robles said Reyes sounded worried after Arroyo's phone call.

"I will expect GMA to call him up and assure him of assistance of help or moral whatever. Yung impression ko, he was cross-examined by GMA," he said.

He said the former president even asked Reyes why he (Robles) was attacking Golez. "You can draw your own conclusions," he said.

Arroyo's spokeswoman, Elena Bautista-Horn, meanwhile, said she was surprised by the news that Arroyo allegedly talked to Reyes before his death.

She said there was no meeting between Arroyo and Reyes in the past few days, or any conversation between the 2 over the phone.

"Pakikiramay at katahimikan ang kailangan nila sa panahong ito, hindi intriga. Ipagdasal natin si Secretary Reyes at ang mag-anak niya," she said in a text message.

Robles said Reyes expressed the sentiment that he was being abandoned by his former allies.

"For a long time, as chief of intelligence, marami siyang hawak. Marami siyang assets who tell him what is happening also," he said.

Asked who could be behind the smear campaign against Reyes, Robles said: "I will not speculate but I think it's obvious. It does not matter if the group is in government or not. Sa lakas lang...do you have to be in government to be strong?"

Garcia probe was derailed

Robles said the congressional inquiries on the Garcia plea bargain was effectively derailed when issues about military corruption started cropping up.

He said that while Reyes's case was simple graft, Garcia's case struck at the root of good governance.

"It's very different in quality. But the people in Congress, some of them quite deliberately, try to derail this by pointing to Reyes as a staking horse, as a whipping boy," he said.

He also questioned why the government, through the Sandiganbayan, protected Garcia by setting him free. "Why did the former government or leadership to the highest levels (get) involved in this? Why is the justice system perverted?" he asked.

Robles said he told Reyes to just invoke his right to free speech in the congressional probes since he was considered a guest there.

"You are not a witness neither are you accused. You are just a guest. And that is just a board of inquiry. They can intimidate you to the heavens but in the end, they have to let you go," he said.

He said he was also angry at some of the comments made by some of the lawmakers in the inquiry.

"Sabi kasi ng mga kalaban niya: 'Hindi ka na secretary ngayon. You are just an ordinary citizen.' Nagalit ako dun. Sabi ko 'Ah, ibig sabihin kapag ordinary citizen ka, wala kang kalaban laban?' Hindi ba insulto yan sa rest of the Filipino people? Na hindi ka na Cabinet member, ordinary citizen ka na, kayang-kaya ka na ng powers-that-be?" he said.

Despondent before death Robles said he was with Reyes for several nights last week to talk about the Senate Blue Ribbon committee hearing.

He said Reyes was despondent after news about the latter's alleged involvement in military corruption cropped up in the Senate and House of Representatives inquiries.

"Hindi sila titigil, pare. Marami sila, malakas sila. At wala na silang gagawin kundi ipitin ako. Hindi ito titigil at wala akong magagawa dahil wala naman akong lakas para labanan ito," he quoted Reyes as saying.

"This is an organized group. Mini-meeting-an nila ito. Ang lahat ng mga contact nila sa gobyerno. They will gang up against me. Hindi nila ako lulubayan. Sa tingin nila - wala na ako sa gobyerno, panahon na para yariin ako."

He also revealed that Reyes was still recovering from an operation after allegedly suffering a heart attack.

"He had a heart attack. I don't ask him about it. He cannot hear from his right ear. He cannot see straight because of his medication. When I have to talk to him, I have to tell 2-3 times anything I tell him before he can absorb it. And people think that when he hesitated in Congress, it's because he was guilty. He did not want me to bring this out," he said.

Robles admitted being close to Reyes since the latter was his yearling in the PMA.

"In the PMA, if you are a plebe, you are assigned to a squad. I was the squad leader of Angie Reyes. I was the one, in a manner of speaking, nagpadodo, nagpalit ng lampin niya...until he became a full fledged cadet," he said.

He added Reyes was also godfather to one of his children.

Robles said he has no plans to visit Reyes's wake at Arlington Funeral Home.

"I am not going anywhere. I am not going near Reyes's body. It's private. If I have a friend who died, I never look at the body. I want to remember him at his best," he said. With a report from Henry Omaga-Diaz, ABS-CBN News

"SECRETS" of Jose Rizal's Family

Every family has its secrets, even the Rizals of Calamba, among the most important families in Philippine history.

In the year that he died, 1896, Jose Rizal made his family tree. Interestingly, he left out the branches leading to his mother Teodora Alonzo. What was he trying to hide?

Howie Severino and his documentary team investigate Teodora's roots in Biñan, Laguna where they find her ancestral home still standing but being demolished brick by brick. Their probe reveals stories about betrayal, children out of wedlock, family quarrels, and an attempted murder charge that landed Teodora in jail for two years when Rizal was a child.

Tracking down a descendant of the family, Howie learns of another family secret that may be the most shocking of all.