Pasig Road Rage: Lawyer suspect released on bail

Atty. Manuel Hernandez Jr, the lawyer suspected of shooting down and killing Kay Palmero and Ed Canizares after a traffic altercation, has been granted bail this afternoon, October 5th. This was after the Pasig City Prosecutor’s Office agreed to downgrade the charges against Hernandez from two counts of murder to two counts of homicide, which made him eligible for bail.

The suspect was therefore released on bail after posting PhP 80,000, and upon receipt by the Pasig City police of the release order given by Pasig City Regional Trial Court Executive Judge Amelia Manalastas.

This new development has raised a lot of issues especially since Hernandez works for Pasig City Hall as a legal officer.

There won’t be anything much for us to do but wait and, as good citizens, presume that the suspect is innocent until proven guilty in court (if there will ever be a trial) no matter how damning the evidence may be (like several eyewitnesses). But let’s just hope and pray that the truth comes out and that justice be served immediately.

What do you think?

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Personal

Oct 2, 2007

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Pasig Road Rage: Justice and peace for Ed and Kay

An extremely sad and unfortunate event happened yesterday. Two colleagues of mine, Ed Canizares and Kay Palmero, died yesterday afternoon, October 2nd, from several gunshot wounds from a 9mm pistol fired by a certain Atty. Manuel Hernandez Jr. after a traffic altercation in Pasig City.

I was really dumbstruck when I heard of the sickening news since I was still able to strike up a conversation at work with Ed that morning before he left. What’s ironic is that he had just celebrated his birthday the day before (October 1st) and that he had just picked up Kay who arrived from Singapore for his birthday celebration scheduled this week.

I’ve come to realize that when tragic things happen to people you barely know, the typical response would be to feel sorry for the person, followed by a shake of the head, a shrug of the shoulders and finally, indifference. But when that same thing happens to relatives, friends and people close to you, that’s when reality hits home – where it suddenly turns out to be a surreal, hair-raising, knee-weakening, and life-altering experience.

They were victims of road rage and I realize that the same incident could have happened to me in the past because of my temper and pride. And I admit that I am more conscious now and really think twice when it comes to managing stressful driving situations and venting my anger.

I would like to offer my sincerest condolences to the families of Ed and Kay. I hope that justice will be served. And I hope that the man who killed them will pay for this heinous act. May he rot in his cell – a stinky, filthy one.

Please do spare a minute to pray for the eternal repose of Ed and Kay as well as for the families they left behind.

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Politics

Sep 30, 2007

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NBN Scandal: "Sec, may 200 ka dito."

Romulo Neri, the current chair of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) dropped a bombshell at the Senate hearing last week, September 26th, saying that Comelec chairman Benjamin Abalos Sr. allegedly offered him a bribe worth PhP200 million to “facilitate the approval of the NBN project.” The bribe incident allegedly happened around January of this year at the Wack-Wack Golf and Country Club while he and Abalos were alone together on a golf cart. He quoted Abalos saying: “Sec., may 200 ka dito.” Neri was at that time the director general of the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA).

What’s interesting to note is that Neri also testified that when the bribe incident happened, and on the advice of his lawyers, he mentioned Abalos’ offer to President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in a phone conversation. Whereby the president told him not to accept the bribe.

A bribe is a bribe no matter how small or big it is, right? The question is, was there anything done about this? Okay, so Neri is asked to turn down the bribe offer, and then what? He still approves the proposal? You can only imagine the increasing number of questions being formed at the minds of anyone intent on seeking the truth.

And so, until all the questions bugging concerned Filipinos are answered, the shroud of secrecy will continue to put the government in a bad light.

Sources:
Inquirer.net – Neri admits Abalos ‘offer’ on NBN deal
Inquirer.net – Neri says Abalos offered him P200M

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