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SATURDAY DECEMBER 4, 2010


2 SECTIONS 16 PAGES VOL. 112 NO. 055


Lacson arrest warrant stays T


CA denies fugitive’s appeal for legal relief


HE Court of Appeals (CA) has denied Sen.


Panfilo “Ping” Lacson’s request to suspend the arrest warrant issued against him by the Manila


Regional Trial Court (RTC) in connection with the Dacer-Corbito case.


In its two-page decision dated November 26, the CA Sixth Division found no necessity in granting the prayer for injunctive relief sought


Australia lifts attack warnings on Manila


AUSTRALIA on Friday lifted warnings of an “imminent” ter- rorist attack in the Philippines, several weeks after Manila dis- puted the assessment. The new travel bulletin continues to advise Australian citi- zens to exercise a high degree of caution but no longer cites a specific, immediate danger. “Terrorist attacks could occur at any time, anywhere in the Philippines, including in Manila,” said the revised advisory, issued by the Australian foreign and trade ministry on Friday.


➤WarningsA7


President ready to join ‘cold’ club


BY CRIS G. ODRONIA REPORTER


PRESIDENT Benig- no Aquino 3rd on Friday admitted that, like other sin- gle and unattached people, he was ex- pecting a “cold” Christmas this year despite reports that he continues to go on dates. “Sa ngayon, oo


■ President Benigno Aquino 3rd ➤ClubA6


Ceasefire prelude to new peace talks


BY CRIS G. ODRONIA REPORTER


MALACAÑANG on Friday declared an 18-day unilateral cease- fire with communist rebels during the Christmas season. During a briefing at the Palace, Alexander Padilla, the head of the government peace panel, announced the approval of the 18-day unilateral suspension of offensive military operations (SOMO) against the Maoist guerrillas from the New People’s Army (NPA). The ceasefire, according to Padilla, would pave the way for resumption of peace talks between the communist rebels and the government in February next year. He said that the SOMO would be effective from December


➤PeaceA2


Arsenic 6th element for life – study


BACTERIA that thrive on arsenic have been scooped from a California lake, a discovery that redefines the building blocks of life and offers new hope in the search for other


organisms on Earth and beyond. Not only do the bacteria survive, they grow by swapping


»feature


phosphorus for arsenic in their DNA and cell membranes, said the study funded by the US space agency National Aeronautics and Space


➤ElementA6


■ Relatives and friends of the


“Morong 43” stage a rally at the Department of Justice in Manila on Friday to demand the freedom of the detained health workers. PHOTO BY RENE H. DILAN


‘MORONG 43’ GOES ON HUNGER STRIKE


WITH the “Morong 43” now on a hunger strike, Malacañang on Friday assured the families of the detained health workers that the Aquino government was doing some- thing to rectify their situation.


Justice Secretary Leila de Lima also on


Friday said that she will make another pro- posal to President Benigno Aquino 3rd on


the “Morong 43’s” case.


“I can say that it [hunger strike] comes as a surprise, but we would like to assure the ‘Morong 43’ and their families that some- thing is already being done about this to rectify the situation because even President Aquino has already said that there seems to be something wrong with the warrant that


covered their arrest,” Malacanang deputy spokesman Abigail Valte said. Valte, however, refused to discuss details of what the Palace was doing for the de- tained workers. “I would like to tell them that they have the government’s attention, there is adequate


➤StrikeA2 Ex-investment banker new president of UP BY FRANK LLOYD TIONGSON REPORTER


AN investment banker and former presi- dent of the University of the Philippines (UP) Alumni Association was elected on


Friday to head the country’s premiere state university as its next president. Alfredo Pasucal, who also used to do consulting work for the Asian Develop- ment Bank (ADB), won during the first


»PERENNIAL PROBLEM


Statistical data and a map of Metro Manila’s road network are flashed before an audience during the Transport Summit held at the Philippine Social Science Center in Quezon City on Friday. PHOTO BY


MIGUEL DE GUZMAN


round of voting by the UP Board of Re- gents, the university’s highest governing and policy-making


➤PresidentA6


»See related story on A4


■ Alfredo Pascual


Floyd Jr. out of birthday ‘hit list’ of Pacquiao


MANNY “PACMAN” PACQUIAO will meet with trainer Freddie Roach and promoter Bob Arum in two weeks for his 32nd birthday party and ponder a trio of possible future foes excluding Floyd Mayweather Jr. Arum said that the Filipino boxing superstar will fight next on April


16 at Las Vegas, his first bout there since November of last year, against a foe to be determined. Fans have longed to see Pacquiao, 52-3 with two drawn and 38


knockouts, in a showdown with unbeaten American Mayweather, 41- 0 with 25 knockouts. But the US boxer faces a January arraignment over a dispute with a former girlfriend. With a Mayweather deal unlikely, Arum said that Pacquiao will


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by the fugitive Lacson.


President Benigno Aquino 3rd refused to give his personal opinion on the Lacson case so as


not to interfere, he explained, in the hunt for the senator.


“I don’t think I can advance any opinion. It will be deemed as interfering in the work- ings of a co-equal branch [the judiciary],” President Aquino said during a chance inter- view in his home province of Tarlac. “Whatever I say might affect the work of the people who are tasked to do certain things, among them who served the warrant


➤WarrantA2


■ Sen. Panfilo Lacson


➤BirthdayA6


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