The Judicial Branch of Government

[RonnieR]

Originally Posted by 3cr

Ma. Lourdes Sereno is new Chief Justice
InterAksyon.com
http://www.interaksyon.com/article/4...-chief-justice

MANILA, Philippines - As speculations swung between "insiders" and "outsiders", President Aquino has appointed as Chief Magistrate a sitting justice who was as close to being an outsider within the Supreme Court. Justice Ma. Lourdes Sereno was on Friday named the 24th Chief Justice of the Republic of the Philippines.

Sereno, 52, is the youngest member of the High Court. She was appointed by President Aquino in August 2010. She will potentially occupy the seat of Chief Justice until the mandatory retirement age of 70, giving her a potential 18-year-term.

Sereno beat out seven other candidates, namely Acting Supreme Court chief justice Antonio Carpio; associate justices Roberto Abad, Arturo Brion, and Teresita Leonardo De Castro; Solicitor General Francis Jardeleza, ex-Ateneo Law School Dean Cesar Villanueva and former congressman Ronaldo Zamora.

"In the midst of this period of deep mourning for the loss of Interior and Local Government SecretaryJesse Robredo, the President is cognizant of his constitutional duty to appoint the next Chief Justice of the Philippines," presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said on Friday.

"The President is confident that Chief Justice Sereno will lead the judiciary in undertaking much-needed reforms. We believe the judicial branch of government has a historic opportunity to restore our people’s confidence in the judicial system," Lacierda added.

Sereno was Aquino's first appointee to the Supreme Court and the youngest among the nominees to replace Chief Justice Renato Corona.

Sereno completed her law degree at the University of the Philippines in 1984 as Class Valedictorian and cum laude. She took up AB Economics at the Ateneo De Manila University where she graduated in 1980.

Sereno obtained her post-graduate degree at the UP School of Economics and in 1993, she completed another masteral degree, this time, Master of Laws, at the University of Michigan, Michigan, USA.

Sereno started her career in private practice as a junior associate of the Sycip Salazar Feliciano and Hernandez law firm in 1986.

Starting in1994 up to 2008, she served as legal counsel of various government offices such as the Office of the President, Office of the Solicitor General, Manila International Airport Authority, and the Department of Trade and Industry. She also previously headed the Information and Public Division office of the UP Law Complex.

Aquino appointee pala eto. There is a burden on her part to prove that she is not biased.

[wolfram74]

Sereno is one of the high court justices who pushed for a higher compensation for the Cojuangcos in the Hacienda Luisita ruling.

Sereno, in her opinion on the high court’s Hacienda Luisita ruling, said that the valuation of the land should be based on current fair market value, at the time HLI was issued a Notice of Coverage on Jan. 2, 2006.

If the valuation of the land would be based on the 2006 fair market value, HLI would have to be compensated some P10 billion for the total 4,915.7466 hectares up for distribution.

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/257098/...-chief-justice

[-SNPKLSDMBLDR-]

goodluck na lang sa Hacienda Luisita farmers.

[whatuwan]

so a puppet of the Cojuangcos was made chief justice... this is gonna hurt.

[amigo32]

tuwid ang daan



pay back time

siya rin kasi isa sa hindi nagpaalis ng duwende para magpagamot sa ibang bansa

[anone]

hoy hwag kayong ganyan dahil hindi corrupt si Noy.

i love Noy na talaga dahil dami nyang napapaniwala sa kanyang "tuwid na daan" lalo na yung isang taga tate.

[bartstrife99]

mas gusto ko si lailai de lima maging CJ

[wolfram74]

CJ nominees get low grade in mental test
Manila Times

TWO frontrunners in the race for the chief justice got very poor marks in the psychological test recently given by the Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) to nominees for the position.

Of the eight nominees in the JBC shortlist, Supreme Court Associate Justice Ma. Lourdes Sereno and Solicitor General Francis Jardeleza got the lowest psychological evaluation rating.

Based on an 11-page Psychiatric and Psychological Report submitted to the JBC by a group of two medical psychiatrists and two psychologists, Sereno and Jardeleza got a grade of “four” after the tests.

An unimpeachable source, who disclosed the contents of the documents, said that the report was verified and noted by a lawyer whose name shall not be revealed in accordance with the doctor-patient confidentiality rule. Copies of the psychological report were distributed to JBC members during their July 19, 2012 preliminary meeting. The report bore the markings “Strictly Confidential.”

On the first page, it was explained that all of the candidates who applied for the position of chief justice shall be graded under the “Five Point Numerical Rating System.” A grade of 1 shall be considered as the highest or most superior, 3 shall be the median and five shall be the lowest or a failing mark.

A court insider lamented that JBC is becoming a “puppet” of Malacañang because of the inclusion of candidates who almost flunked the psychological test in its shortlist.

“I cannot understand JBC right now. It is very clear that if an ordinary lawyer, judge or justice applying for promotion got a grade of four in their psychiatric test, they will not be recommended. But in this case, the ones applying want the chief justice position and the Council still managed to vote for those who got low marks in their psychiatric tests. That is a dangerous precedent,” the source said.

President Benigno Aquino 3rd has until August 27 to appoint a new chief justice.

Depressive

Sereno was interviewed on July 18, 2012, but despite her low mark, the JBC included her in the shortlist of nominees after she got six votes.

Under the existing policy of the JBC, an applicant to any position in the judiciary who garnered a grade of 4 will no longer be recommended. A candidate who got a grade of 5 shall automatically be rejected for being “mentally disturbed.”

In the case of Sereno, the report said that she keeps a smiling face to project that she is happy.

According to the report, Sereno is “dramatic and emotional, she appears energetic and all smiles and agreeable, but with religious preoccupation in almost all significant aspects of her life.

She projects a happy mood but has depressive markers too. There is a strong tendency to make decisions based on current mood thus, outcome is highly subjective and self-righteous,” the report said.

During the JBC voting, two noted jurists—Supreme Court Justice Diosdado Peralta and retired Justice Regino Hermosisima— did not vote for Sereno.

Those who voted for Sereno were Undersecretary Michael Musngi—representing the Executive Department, Sen. Francis Escudero and Rep. Niel Tupas Jr. of Iloilo province— who represent Congress, Jose Mejia—representing the Academe, Milagros Fernan-Cayosa—representing the IBP and retired Court of Appeals Justice Aurora Santiago-Lagman—representing the private sector.

Sereno was the first appointee of President Benigno Aquino 3rd to the High Tribunal and the youngest appointee to the high court at 50 in the post Martial Law era. Before her appointment as associate justice, she was the executive director of the Asian Institute of Management. She graduated from the Ateneo De Manila University with a degree of Economics. She earned her Bachelor of Laws from the University of the Philippines College of Law and graduated as valedictorian. Sereno took her Master of Laws at the University of Michigan.

(snipped)

Confidential

Mejia neither confirmed nor denied the report. However, he wondered how the Times was able to get a copy of it.

“Super confidential ‘yan,” was all he could say.

(snipped)



ilabas na rin ang psychological report ni Noy manang mana sa amo pala tong si Sereno....may tama siya

[bartstrife99]

pati ba ung nag post??

[3cr]

Bwahahaha... That's Funny!

[todjikid]

Sereno is one of the most respected academicians in Malcolm, UP college of law.

[Schizic Man]

Originally Posted by todjikid

Sereno is one of the most respected academicians in Malcolm, UP college of law.

With all due respect to our new Chief Justice, I would have preferred Carpio for the post. With time comes experience, and with experience follows expertise.

Bias or not, all we can do is to hope an appointee does his work well and fair.

[3cr]

I agree with what you said though problem with choosing Carpio is he would have been branded as an Aquino puppet along the same lines as what Corona was to GMA. P-Noy will not get the kind of flak for choosing Sereno as he would have gotten if he chose Carpio instead. But I agree Carpio would have been my preferred pick as well given the same reasons you posted but Sereno was the safer pick for P-Noy given the circumstances. She wouldn't have made the cut if she wasn't qualified so now she can show what she is made of as the country's first woman Chief Justice. Anyway I wish our new Chief Justice the best.


First woman Chief Justice Sereno vows judicial reforms
Philippine Daily Inquirer
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/257098/...hief-justice-2

As the nation mourned, President Benigno Aquino III made a historic appointment.

Mr. Aquino on Friday appointed the Philippines’ first female Chief Justice, Supreme Court Associate Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno.

Sereno becomes the country’s 24th Chief Justice. At 52, she is the second youngest to be appointed Chief Justice (the first was Chief Justice Manuel Moran, who was 51 when he was appointed in 1945).

With 18 years to go before she retires, her service will span the terms of three more presidents after President Aquino.

Supreme Court justices serve until they turn 70.

Sereno spoke to reporters on Friday afternoon after leaving her office in the company of her staff. She said she was “overwhelmed” when she learned that she was the President’s choice for the new Chief Justice.

“I would like to thank the President for the trust he has reposed in me, but most of all I give all the glory to God from whom all this goodness has happened,” Sereno said.

Asked about her independence, she replied, “Everyone can be assured that will be something that they will see.”

She added: “I would like to assure our countrymen I will keep my oath of office faithfully to the end of my term. We will deliver to the people our priorities and schedules in due time.”

Sereno said she would emulate the good governance started by Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo, whose death in a plane crash on Aug. 18 the nation is mourning.

Like Robredo’s governance

The nation, she said, “can be assured that the good governance initiatives started from the life of a very good man will find resonance here in our court.”

Sereno said: “We will deliver to the people our priorities and schedules in due time. You will know about it soon.”

Sereno was President Aquino’s first appointee to the Supreme Court. He appointed her to serve on the court as associate justice on Aug. 16, 2010.

Sereno replaces former Chief Justice Renato Corona, whom the House of Representatives impeached last December for violation of the Constitution and the Senate fired after finding him guilty on May 29 at the end of a four-month trial.

Despite mourning

Presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda announced Sereno’s appointment on Friday, saying President Aquino was confident Sereno would lead judicial reforms.

Lacierda issued a terse statement announcing Sereno’s appointment while President Aquino and his Cabinet were attending a necrological service in Malacañang for Robredo.

Even amid national mourning for the passing of Robredo, Lacierda said Mr. Aquino was “cognizant of his constitutional duty to appoint the next Chief Justice of the Philippines.”

The Constitution requires the President to fill a vacancy in the Supreme Court within 90 days of its occurrence.

Mr. Aquino beat his Aug. 27 deadline by three days.

Sereno beat seven other nominees for Chief Justice recommended by the Judicial and Bar Council (JBC): Acting Chief Justice Antonio Carpio, Supreme Court Associate Justices Roberto Abad, Arturo Brion and Teresita Leonardo-de Castro, Solicitor General Francis Jardeleza, former Rep. Ronaldo Zamora and former Ateneo College of Law dean Cesar Villanueva.

Judicial reforms

“The President is confident that Chief Justice Sereno will lead the judiciary in undertaking much-needed reforms,” Lacierda said. “We believe the judicial branch of government has a historic opportunity to restore our people’s confidence in the judicial system.”

Sereno’s elevation to Chief Justice leaves another vacancy in the Supreme Court, which the President must fill within the next 90 days.

At first, Lacierda and his deputy, Abigail Valte, refused to brief reporters on Sereno’s appointment, saying they were in mourning.

Lacierda, however, grudgingly made himself available after being criticized for favoring television stations.

No Luisita connection

Lacierda defended the President’s choice, quickly dispelling suggestions of any connection with the Hacienda Luisita case in the Supreme Court, where Sereno voted in favor of the compensation package Mr. Aquino’s relatives, who controlled the sugar estate, was asking.

He stressed that the case was closed and that the Supreme Court had already said it would not entertain any further motions to save the hacienda from coverage of the agrarian reform law.

In spite of the mourning for Robredo’s death, Mr. Aquino managed to sit down with the nominees for Chief Justice. “He interviewed the nominees for the position of Chief Justice,” Lacierda said. He added that the President interviewed the nominees “in a span of two days,” but that he didn’t know exactly when.

Lacierda sought to justify Sereno’s potentially long tenure on the Supreme Court by saying, “Obviously, this is the first time that someone as young as Justice Sereno, who’s only 52, has been appointed as Chief Justice. So the President believes that Justice Sereno would be the most able to institute reforms in the judiciary. That is the consideration of the President in appointing the next Chief Justice.”

Welcome to lawyers

The Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP), the association of all lawyers in the country, welcomed Sereno’s appointment, but the most outspoken legal expert in the Senate, Miriam Defensor Santiago, said she must “come down from her ivory tower” of outstanding academic background to face the real problems of a Third World judicial system.

Sereno is a former professor at the University of the Philippines College of Law.

“We would like to congratulate the President for choosing Justice Sereno as the new Chief Justice,” said Roan Libarios, president of the IBP. “In our mock elections in the IBP, she was our Number 2 choice because we believe she has the capability to undertake the required reforms in the judiciary. She has the idealism and required capacity to implement reforms.”

Santiago, too, said she believed Mr. Aquino made the right choice, as the country’s first female Chief Justice is not identified with big business and does not owe her appointment to any lobby group.

“I understand that she has not been appointed to any judicial post,” Santiago said. “She will therefore have to take into consideration the viewpoint of trial judges as distinguished from her own outstanding academic background.”

Biggest challenge

That will be Sereno’s biggest challenge, Santiago said. “She is fully acquainted with the law as it ought to be. She has to raise the level of her awareness of the law as it is. In other words, she will have to come down from her ivory tower and prepare herself to confront the problems of a Third World country.”

Santiago said she did not see any problem with Sereno’s age. “She is certain to ensure continuity in Supreme Court policy because she is very young,” she said.

Santiago defended Sereno from critics who saw her appointment as President Aquino’s ensuring a Supreme Court friendly to his administration.

“That is too facile a conclusion,” Santiago said. “The Chief Justice can very well stand on her own merits. That she’s also acquainted with the thinking of the President on certain legal issues is a big plus.’

New face but insider

“It’s a well-deserved appointment,” said Sen. Franklin Drilon, chair of the Senate committee on finance and a former secretary of justice.

“This is an opportunity for her to institute real reforms in the judiciary,” he said.

Sen. Francis Pangilinan, a former chair of the Senate committee on justice, said, “Nothing less than sweeping reforms will do to ensure that the crisis facing the judiciary will be overcome. We will need the energy, creativity and stamina of a new generation of jurists to do that.”

“The President made it his personal mission to reform the judiciary … I hope she’ll build on the gains of the impeachment of Corona,” Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano said.

“Associate Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno is a good choice,” House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte said. “A new face yet an insider with a reputation for competence and independence. She will prove to be an effective leader of the judiciary.”

[3cr]

Originally Posted by wolfram74

ehem...dissenting opinion on the high court's decision to lift the travel ban imposed by the government on PGMA??...remember??

Sus intriga ka na agad. Actually dapat naman talaga na hindi pinayagan makaalis si GMA eh kasi may mga pending na kaso siya. Maski doctor naman ni GMA eh dinedeny na pinayuhan si GMA pumuntang America para magpagamot duon (see article below). Bakit naman kailangan pa niyang magpagamot sa America eh pwede naman siya gamutin dito sa sariling bansa. US Accredited naman yung hospital ng Makati Med at St.Luke's BGC at may mga doctor/specialist sila duon na kaya naman gawin yung operation na gusto ipagawa kay GMA sa America. There's really no reason for GMA to leave kanya tama yung dissenting opinion ni Chief Justice Sereno in that respect. Now her "Luisita valuation" on the otherhand I don't agree with.


Cardiologist apologizes for claims about Arroyo’s neck ailment
Philippine Daily Inquirer
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/256366/...s-neck-ailment

MANILA, Philippines—Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s cardiologist, Dr. Roberto Anastacio, has apologized for claims he made regarding the former President’s condition and the kind of treatment she should be getting, after being rebuked by the Philippine Medical Association, PMA officials said Thursday.

PMA spokesman Dr. Mike Aragon said Anastacio was called by the organization’s ethics committee to a meeting on Wednesday night that went on until midnight to determine if he had violated PMA rules.

Aragon said Anastacio was made to explain his remarks to the media last week that his patient condition was deadly and she had no other choice but to go abroad for cervical spine surgery because the surgical team that could carry it out was not available in the Philippines.

Dr. Leo Olarte, a PMA governor and an orthopedic surgeon, said Anastacio might have breached the PMA’s Code of Ethics when he told the media what kind of treatment Arroyo needed even though he was not a bone expert. “You should stick to your field especially in sensitive cases,” Olarte said.

Anastacio apologized to the organization for stating that Arroyo had to undergo a neck operation as soon as possible abroad. He also told the media that the country did not have the kind of specialists who could perform the type of surgery the former president needed.

Anastacio, according to Olarte, told the ethics committee that he did not mean to malign his Filipino colleagues and that he spoke out of his expertise.

“He apologized for what he said. He said he was misinterpreted by the media,” Olarte said, adding the PMA accepted the apology.

Anastacio told the ethics committee that he did not advise Arroyo to go to the United States for surgery and that he only mentioned Austria because of recent findings he read in a medical journal that it has breakthrough research regarding his patient’s condition.

The ethics committee also asked Anastacio details behind his press conference last week. Anastacio said he did not know who paid for the restaurant in Makati City where the briefing was held.

Arroyo has been struggling with cervical spondylosis, a degenerative condition of the cartilage of the vertebrae in the neck caused by the chronic erosion and age. Since July last year, Arroyo has had three operations and received titanium plate implants in the cervical spine.

The Aquino administration has charged her electoral sabotage, breach of ethics and plunder and government officials feared that Arroyo would not return to the Philippines if allowed to leave for treatment abroad.

Filipino orthopedic surgeons have urged “conservative treatment” for the former president. In a previous interview, Dr. Antonio Sison, president of the Philippine Orthopedic Society, said he knew of Arroyo’s condition only from media reports.

If the screws on the former president’s neck are loose and causing her pain as claimed by her doctors, perhaps it is best to remove them than do a full reconstruction, he said.

Olarte said Arroyo’s rehabilitation should be done only after her bones are stable and solid.


Traveling 'bad' for Arroyo's health
Rappler.com
http://www.rappler.com/nation/11144-...rroyo-s-health

MANILA, Philippines – Former President Arroyo's doctor claims she needs to travel to save her life, but an executive of the Philippines' largest doctors' association thinks otherwise.

Traveling, in fact, can even worsen Mrs. Arroyo's condition, said Philippine Medical Association (PMA) general assembly chair Dr Leo Olarte on Friday, August 24. He was reacting to a claim by Mrs Arroyo's doctor that she needs overseas treatment for her "aggressive, progressive" bone problem.

Olarte told Rappler that Mrs Arroyo is now “on the road to recuperation” in relation to her cervical spine surgery in July 2011. He said her cervical spine, which is now aided by a titanium implant, would need another 6 months to be stable.

Fitted in her spine during that operation, her titanium implant causes her current “life-threatening” condition, claimed her physician Dr Roberto Anastacio. A cardiologist, Anastacio said Mrs Arroyo has “no option” but to have this worsening condition treated abroad. “I would not wait until she cannot travel,” he said.

But Olarte said the conditions associated with traveling – like sudden brakes and humps on the road – can hamper the former president's recovery. “Mayayanig masyado ang kanyang leeg,” said Olarte, an orthopedic surgeon. (Her neck can be affected.)

“'Yung kanya kasing kondisyon ay dapat hindi laging magta-travel. Nakikita natin siya laging nagta-travel sa Lubao sa Pampanga, sa Tagaytay. Masama 'yon para sa kanyang kondisyon,” he explained. (People with her condition shouldn't always be traveling. We always see her traveling to Lubao in Pampaganga, to Tagaytay. That's bad for her condition.)

For critics, seeking treatment abroad could be Mrs Arroyo's escape from separate electoral sabotage, plunder, and graft charges that are hounding her. She is now bound by 3 hold-departure orders in connection to these cases.

Life-threatening?

Olarte said Mrs Arroyo, for now, needs to rest at home, do physical therapy, and remain careful about her food.

He also refuted Anastacio's claim that Mrs Arroyo's condition is life-threatening.

“Batay sa aking obserbasyon sa kanya, sa telebisyon, panay travel, at talagang nakangiti siya at nagbibigay ng talumpati doon sa distrito niya sa Pampanga, paakbay-akbay pa siya doon sa kanyang mga kababayan. Masasabi natin na hindi delikado ang kanyang kalagayan,” he said, citing his "clinical eye."

(Based on my observation of her, on television, she keeps traveling, and she gives this wide smile and delivers speeches in her district in Pampanga, and wraps her arms around her townmates. We can say her condition is not dangerous.)

Olarte admitted, nonetheless, that Mrs Arroyo's condition should be “guarded.”

Busy Arroyo

Mrs Arroyo, however, has kept herself busy since she tasted temporary freedom from hospital arrest at the Veterans Memorial Medical Center (VMMC) last July 25. While Anastacio claimed she had a life-threatening condition even when she was under hospital arrest, Mrs Arroyo kept traveling after her release.

A day after she posted bail, she immediately went to Tagaytay to seek “alternative treatment” for her condition.

The day after this, July 27, she returned to VMMC for an unscheduled physical therapy session. She headed to Pampanga on the same day.

On July 31, she surprised fellow solons and attended a congressional session for the first time in months. She then said she's “not physically and emotionally ready for surgery.” “It can be substituted in the meantime. I'm quoting from the medical bulletin. The substitute for now is intenstive physical therapy," Mrs Arroyo said.

In one of her latest public appearances, Mrs Arroyo distributed relief goods in Pampanga, which was declared under state of calamity due to the recent monsoon rain.

Treatment in PH

Meanwhile, Olarte addressed Anastacio's concern that Mrs Arroyo needs not just doctors, but a “complete support structure” that includes biomedical engineers and neurophysiologists. “Meron tayo dito sa Pilipinas niyan. Besides, hindi pa naman kailangang operahan ngayon,” Olarte said. (We have those in the Philippines. Besides, she doesn't need an operation now.)

He also said Filipino doctors respect Mrs Arroyo's option to choose the physician she wants.

“Pero huwag lang sana gamitin ang katwiran na kaya siya pupunta sa labas ay dahil walang doktor (sa Pilipinas) na magagaling at marunong gumamot sa kanyang kondisyon,” Olarte explained. “Sa totoo lang marami tayong espesyalista na makakagamot sa kanyang kalagayan, at mga ospital na fully equipped for her condition.”

(But she shouldn't use the excuse that she is leaving the country because there there are no doctors in the Philippines who are skilled and knowledgeable in addressing her condition... Truth is, we have many specialists who can remedy her concerns, and hospitals that are fully equipped for her condition.)

Earlier this week, the PMA summoned Mrs Arroyo's doctor, Anastacio, for claiming she needs urgent medical treatment abroad because of the lack of competent physicians in the Philippines. Olarte said Anastacio should stick to his expertise, cardiology, and not diagnose conditions related to orthopedics.

The PMA, however, will no longer investigate Anastacio because he has apologized to their group. Olarte said Anastacio claimed to be misquoted by media.

[absinthe_888]

If the SC reverses itself and orders that the land value of the Hacienda should be based on its current market value, ALAM NA.

Grabe, 18 years. Presidente na si Binay at Jinggoy sha padin CJ e

Sereno is also The One's first appointee to the SC.

[-SNPKLSDMBLDR-]

this is relevant to the thread because...?

balik GMA na naman ang usapan the question is, bakit sya in favor sa mga Cojuangco regarding Hacienda Luisita? para ba sa personal ambitions nya kaya dapat laging happy si Mr. President at ang KKK?

Originally Posted by 3cr

Sus intriga ka na agad. Actually dapat naman talaga na hindi pinayagan makaalis si GMA eh kasi may mga pending na kaso siya. Maski doctor naman ni GMA eh dinedeny na pinayuhan si GMA pumuntang America para magpagamot duon (see article below). Bakit naman kailangan pa niyang magpagamot sa America eh pwede naman siya gamutin dito sa sariling bansa. US Accredited naman yung hospital ng Makati Med at St.Luke's BGC at may mga doctor/specialist sila duon na kaya naman gawin yung operation na gusto ipagawa kay GMA sa America. There's really no reason for GMA to leave kanya tama yung dissenting opinion ni Chief Justice Sereno in that respect. Now her "Luisita valuation" on the otherhand I don't agree with.


Cardiologist apologizes for claims about Arroyo’s neck ailment
Philippine Daily Inquirer
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/256366/...s-neck-ailment

MANILA, Philippines—Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s cardiologist, Dr. Roberto Anastacio, has apologized for claims he made regarding the former President’s condition and the kind of treatment she should be getting, after being rebuked by the Philippine Medical Association, PMA officials said Thursday.

PMA spokesman Dr. Mike Aragon said Anastacio was called by the organization’s ethics committee to a meeting on Wednesday night that went on until midnight to determine if he had violated PMA rules.

Aragon said Anastacio was made to explain his remarks to the media last week that his patient condition was deadly and she had no other choice but to go abroad for cervical spine surgery because the surgical team that could carry it out was not available in the Philippines.

Dr. Leo Olarte, a PMA governor and an orthopedic surgeon, said Anastacio might have breached the PMA’s Code of Ethics when he told the media what kind of treatment Arroyo needed even though he was not a bone expert. “You should stick to your field especially in sensitive cases,” Olarte said.

Anastacio apologized to the organization for stating that Arroyo had to undergo a neck operation as soon as possible abroad. He also told the media that the country did not have the kind of specialists who could perform the type of surgery the former president needed.

Anastacio, according to Olarte, told the ethics committee that he did not mean to malign his Filipino colleagues and that he spoke out of his expertise.

“He apologized for what he said. He said he was misinterpreted by the media,” Olarte said, adding the PMA accepted the apology.

Anastacio told the ethics committee that he did not advise Arroyo to go to the United States for surgery and that he only mentioned Austria because of recent findings he read in a medical journal that it has breakthrough research regarding his patient’s condition.

The ethics committee also asked Anastacio details behind his press conference last week. Anastacio said he did not know who paid for the restaurant in Makati City where the briefing was held.

Arroyo has been struggling with cervical spondylosis, a degenerative condition of the cartilage of the vertebrae in the neck caused by the chronic erosion and age. Since July last year, Arroyo has had three operations and received titanium plate implants in the cervical spine.

The Aquino administration has charged her electoral sabotage, breach of ethics and plunder and government officials feared that Arroyo would not return to the Philippines if allowed to leave for treatment abroad.

Filipino orthopedic surgeons have urged “conservative treatment” for the former president. In a previous interview, Dr. Antonio Sison, president of the Philippine Orthopedic Society, said he knew of Arroyo’s condition only from media reports.

If the screws on the former president’s neck are loose and causing her pain as claimed by her doctors, perhaps it is best to remove them than do a full reconstruction, he said.

Olarte said Arroyo’s rehabilitation should be done only after her bones are stable and solid.


Traveling 'bad' for Arroyo's health
Rappler.com
http://www.rappler.com/nation/11144-...rroyo-s-health

MANILA, Philippines – Former President Arroyo's doctor claims she needs to travel to save her life, but an executive of the Philippines' largest doctors' association thinks otherwise.

Traveling, in fact, can even worsen Mrs. Arroyo's condition, said Philippine Medical Association (PMA) general assembly chair Dr Leo Olarte on Friday, August 24. He was reacting to a claim by Mrs Arroyo's doctor that she needs overseas treatment for her "aggressive, progressive" bone problem.

Olarte told Rappler that Mrs Arroyo is now “on the road to recuperation” in relation to her cervical spine surgery in July 2011. He said her cervical spine, which is now aided by a titanium implant, would need another 6 months to be stable.

Fitted in her spine during that operation, her titanium implant causes her current “life-threatening” condition, claimed her physician Dr Roberto Anastacio. A cardiologist, Anastacio said Mrs Arroyo has “no option” but to have this worsening condition treated abroad. “I would not wait until she cannot travel,” he said.

But Olarte said the conditions associated with traveling – like sudden brakes and humps on the road – can hamper the former president's recovery. “Mayayanig masyado ang kanyang leeg,” said Olarte, an orthopedic surgeon. (Her neck can be affected.)

“'Yung kanya kasing kondisyon ay dapat hindi laging magta-travel. Nakikita natin siya laging nagta-travel sa Lubao sa Pampanga, sa Tagaytay. Masama 'yon para sa kanyang kondisyon,” he explained. (People with her condition shouldn't always be traveling. We always see her traveling to Lubao in Pampaganga, to Tagaytay. That's bad for her condition.)

For critics, seeking treatment abroad could be Mrs Arroyo's escape from separate electoral sabotage, plunder, and graft charges that are hounding her. She is now bound by 3 hold-departure orders in connection to these cases.

Life-threatening?

Olarte said Mrs Arroyo, for now, needs to rest at home, do physical therapy, and remain careful about her food.

He also refuted Anastacio's claim that Mrs Arroyo's condition is life-threatening.

“Batay sa aking obserbasyon sa kanya, sa telebisyon, panay travel, at talagang nakangiti siya at nagbibigay ng talumpati doon sa distrito niya sa Pampanga, paakbay-akbay pa siya doon sa kanyang mga kababayan. Masasabi natin na hindi delikado ang kanyang kalagayan,” he said, citing his "clinical eye."

(Based on my observation of her, on television, she keeps traveling, and she gives this wide smile and delivers speeches in her district in Pampanga, and wraps her arms around her townmates. We can say her condition is not dangerous.)

Olarte admitted, nonetheless, that Mrs Arroyo's condition should be “guarded.”

Busy Arroyo

Mrs Arroyo, however, has kept herself busy since she tasted temporary freedom from hospital arrest at the Veterans Memorial Medical Center (VMMC) last July 25. While Anastacio claimed she had a life-threatening condition even when she was under hospital arrest, Mrs Arroyo kept traveling after her release.

A day after she posted bail, she immediately went to Tagaytay to seek “alternative treatment” for her condition.

The day after this, July 27, she returned to VMMC for an unscheduled physical therapy session. She headed to Pampanga on the same day.

On July 31, she surprised fellow solons and attended a congressional session for the first time in months. She then said she's “not physically and emotionally ready for surgery.” “It can be substituted in the meantime. I'm quoting from the medical bulletin. The substitute for now is intenstive physical therapy," Mrs Arroyo said.

In one of her latest public appearances, Mrs Arroyo distributed relief goods in Pampanga, which was declared under state of calamity due to the recent monsoon rain.

Treatment in PH

Meanwhile, Olarte addressed Anastacio's concern that Mrs Arroyo needs not just doctors, but a “complete support structure” that includes biomedical engineers and neurophysiologists. “Meron tayo dito sa Pilipinas niyan. Besides, hindi pa naman kailangang operahan ngayon,” Olarte said. (We have those in the Philippines. Besides, she doesn't need an operation now.)

He also said Filipino doctors respect Mrs Arroyo's option to choose the physician she wants.

“Pero huwag lang sana gamitin ang katwiran na kaya siya pupunta sa labas ay dahil walang doktor (sa Pilipinas) na magagaling at marunong gumamot sa kanyang kondisyon,” Olarte explained. “Sa totoo lang marami tayong espesyalista na makakagamot sa kanyang kalagayan, at mga ospital na fully equipped for her condition.”

(But she shouldn't use the excuse that she is leaving the country because there there are no doctors in the Philippines who are skilled and knowledgeable in addressing her condition... Truth is, we have many specialists who can remedy her concerns, and hospitals that are fully equipped for her condition.)

Earlier this week, the PMA summoned Mrs Arroyo's doctor, Anastacio, for claiming she needs urgent medical treatment abroad because of the lack of competent physicians in the Philippines. Olarte said Anastacio should stick to his expertise, cardiology, and not diagnose conditions related to orthopedics.

The PMA, however, will no longer investigate Anastacio because he has apologized to their group. Olarte said Anastacio claimed to be misquoted by media.

[3cr]

Originally Posted by -SNPKLSDMBLDR-

balik GMA na naman ang usapan the question is, bakit sya in favor sa mga Cojuangco regarding Hacienda Luisita? para ba sa personal ambitions nya kaya dapat laging happy si Mr. President at ang KKK?

SAGOT SA TANONG MO...

Sereno is new CJ
Manila Times
http://www.manilatimes.net/index.php...reno-is-new-cj

ASSOCIATE Justice Ma. Lourdes Sereno made history after she was named the country’s first female chief justice of the Supreme Court (SC) by President Benigno Aquino 3rd on Friday.

Sereno, the youngest member of the High Tribunal at 52 and President Aquino’s first appointee to the SC, is also the 24th chief magistrate, a position she will be holding for 18 years or until she reaches the retirement age of 70 unless she is impeached.

She is taking her oath of office before President Aquino at 10 a.m. today in Malacañang.

“In the midst of this period of deep mourning for the loss of Interior and Local Government Secretary Jesse Robredo, the President is cognizant of his constitutional duty to appoint the next chief justice of the Philippines. He has therefore decided to appoint Associate Justice Maria Lourdes Punzalan Aranal-Sereno as the 24th Chief Justice of the Supreme Court,” Palace spokesman Edwin Lacierda said in a statement.

“The President is confident that Chief Justice Sereno will lead the judiciary in undertaking much-needed reforms. We believe the Judicial Branch of government has a historic opportunity to restore our people’s confidence in the judicial system,” he added.

Mr. Aquino seems very comfortable with Sereno, considering that she could protect the interests of the Cojuangco clan in the 6,000-hectare sugar estate, Hacienda Luisita in Tarlac province.

In an interview, Sereno thanked the President for her appointment but shied away from questions concerning Hacienda Luisita.

“God is good . . . today is a day for thanksgiving,” she told reporters.

Sereno is probably best known for issuing a dissenting opinion in the Hacienda Luisita case where she and three others argued that the valuation of the land should be based on the fair market value of the property on January 2, 2006, the day Luisita owners were given notice of coverage.

Mr. Aquino, although resigned to the decision to distribute the land to the farmers, wanted a higher valuation, saying that the payment to the Cojuangco and Aquino family would be used for more development in the area.

Six justices voted for land valuation based on November 21, 1989, the day the stock option was granted, which has a lower valuation.

Reports said that the family of the President wanted a P10-billion compensation but farmer groups are against it.

“First of all, there were no numbers in that decision. Not a single one put numbers that should be applied in Hacienda Luisita. What I gave was a uniformly applied formula for computing just compensation under CARP [Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program],” Sereno told the Judicial Bar Council (JBC) when asked about her stand on the Hacienda Luisita.

Sereno also delighted Aquino was when she issued a dissenting opinion on the temporary restraining order (TRO) on the watch list order against former president and now Rep. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo of Pampanga province when she tried to leave for abroad last year.

The TRO was issued by the then Corona court.

When asked by JBC if she would not feel burnt out once selected as new CJ due to her younger age, Sereno said that her next 18 years will be colorful and challenging.

“Bakit ako magkakaroon ng burnout kung napaka colorful ng aking naging 52 years. Bakit po ako mabobore kung magaganda ang pahiwatig ng next 18 years? [Why should I experience burnout if my 52 years have been very colorful. Why should I get bored if the next 18 years will be promising]?” she pointed out.

She also dismissed worries of the possibility of leading a group of more senior members of the High Court.

“Ang pag-preside sa mga taong nakatatanda sa akin ay hindi na bago sa akin [Presiding over people older than me is not new to me],” she said.

[3cr]

Eto Pa.

Sereno relished tangling with senior justices
InterAksyon
http://www.interaksyon.com/business/...enior-justices

If past judicial decisions provide a glimpse of the future, then expect more barbed dissenting opinions within the Supreme Court under new Chief Justice Ma. Lourdes Sereno, thanks to the country's first female chief magistrate herself.

From the landmark Hacienda Luisita to Gloria Arroyo's botched airport departure to UP Law faculty contempt case to the Manila Bay cleanup issue, Sereno was not content to merely cast dissenting votes but instead sallied on to explain why her stand should be the superior alternative to the majority position.

Her "concurring and dissenting" opinion on Luisita, for instance, was 41 pages, twice as long as then-Chief Justice Renato Corona's, and nearly upstaging the 47-page en banc resolution.

Sereno's position that the valuation of the Cojuangco sugar estate should be reckoned at 2006 land rates instead of 1989's so as to give PNoy's relatives "real, full and ample compensation" proved too much for another female, more senior justice, Teresita Leonardo-de Castro.

A fellow UP Law honor graduate, Leonardo-de Castro set aside judicial niceties when she expressed her "vehement disagreement with Justice Sereno's opinion which will put the land beyond the capacity of the farmer to pay, based on her strained construction/interpretation of the law."

It was Leonardo-de Castro, incidentally, who wrote the "show cause" decision why the UP Law faculty should not be cited for contempt for their intemperate language relating to the plagiarism charge against Justice Mariano del Castillo.

Not only did Sereno contravene the majority. The youngest, and so far lone, PNoy appointee to the high court said her senior colleagues "betray a Court that is bent on seeing itself redeemed not by hard and honest work...but by showing who, in the land of lawyers, has power."

This, and Sereno's public excoriation of Del Castillo, prompted Justice Roberto Abad in turn to enumerate cases where Sereno was herself supposed to have copied without attribution passages from other foreign legal experts.

"I regret, however, that since she wrote them as an academician bound by the high standards that she and the University of the Philippines where she taught espouse, she may have failed, borrowing her own phrase, to set the correct 'educative and moral directional value' for the young," Abad said.

Abad and Sereno would later tangle again when she disclosed certain details about the Corona court's closed-door discussions on Gloria Arroyo's application to leave the country in late November 2011.

"The Court's deliberations are confidential simply because the Court realizes that only by making it so can the Justices freely discuss the issues before it," Abad said, referring to Sereno by name. "If our deliberations cannot remain confidential, we might as well close down business."

But instead of shirking, Sereno answered not one but three opinions to challenge Abad and the Corona court.

Since 1958, the high tribunal has issued has not shied away from issuing decisions and opinions "disclosing the process and the content of its internal discussions," Sereno said.

"Those disclosures were so detailed as to state opined what, and who changed their vote at the last minute...," Sereno continued."In all those instances, the Court never took action against the disclosures itself by withholding promulgation, or against its author by disciplining the same."

She later qualified that drafts, research materials, internal memorandum, minutes, agenda, recommended actions and other similar documents that are "predecisional " and "deliberative" fall within qualified judicial privilege and cannot be disclosed.

As to Luisita, while Sereno looked favorably on the Cojuangco clan on the valuation issue, the ex-Diliman academician this time came out swinging against another branch of the landed clan, San Miguel chairman Eduardo Cojuangco Jr., especially as to how he had amassed his shareholdings in the country's largest conglomerate.

"Cojuangco’s acquisition of a majority share in SMC during the Marcos regime was built on the sweat of coconut farmers," Sereno said.

"Through his positions in key public agencies and corporations directly collecting and managing the coco levy funds, he was able to convert public funds and take advantage of his position and close relationship with former President Marcos in order to gain considerable profits in a very lucrative business enterprise... (employing) a scheme of corporate layering and multi-level loan transactions to divert public funds in blatant disregard of his fiduciary duties," she said, quoting a similar dissenting opinion of Justice Conchita Carpio-Morales.

"By awarding respondent Cojuangco with regained control of the SMC shares, the majority effectively impedes the gains accomplished by the PCGG’s efforts to retrieve public funds misappropriated by Marcos cronies."

[3cr]

CJ Sereno vows to stay independent and true to her oath
GMA News
http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story...elated_stories

Hours after her appointment as chief magistrate, newly installed Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno emerged from the Supreme Court building in Manila and assured the public of her independence, saying that she would stick to her oath of office throughout her 18-year term.

Sereno is the first female chief justice and, at 52, is the second youngest top judge, next to Chief Justice Manuel Moran who was appointed at age 51 after World War 2.

"I assure our countrymen that I will keep my oath of office faithfully to the end of my term. That would be something they can rely on," Sereno told reporters as she was leaving the SC Friday night.

"Everyone can be assured that independence will be something they will see," Sereno added.

Next only to first Philippine Chief Justice Cayetano Arellano, Sereno will have the longest tenure as chief justice for 18 years, until she reaches the mandatory retirement age of 70.

During her brief interview with the media Friday, Sereno also thanked God, President Benigno Aquino III, and the media for her ascension to the coveted judicial post.

"First of all, I give all the glory to God from whom all these goodness came. The President, I thank you very much for the trust he has reposed in me… and the media for partnering with us, the judiciary," said Sereno, clad in gray blazer over a black attire, surrounded by her staff.

"There are great things that we can do as a nation,” she said.

“We must just rely on the Almighty God whom the Constitution has actually asked us to continue pleading to.

“So let it be something that we can collectively found our thoughts on," she added.

She was chosen by President Aquino from a list of eight names prepared by the Judicial and Bar Council.

During Friday's chance interview with reporters, Sereno also condoled with the family of the late Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo, who was killed in a plane crash in Masbate over the weekend.

"My thoughts are with the family of Secretary Robredo and I can assure that the good governance he showed will also be here," Sereno said.

The chief justice said she would be coming out with a "longer statement" later on.

[s_w_stars]

Originally Posted by 3cr

Sus intriga ka na agad. Actually dapat naman talaga na hindi pinayagan makaalis si GMA eh kasi may mga pending na kaso siya. Maski doctor naman ni GMA eh dinedeny na pinayuhan si GMA pumuntang America para magpagamot duon (see article below). Bakit naman kailangan pa niyang magpagamot sa America eh pwede naman siya gamutin dito sa sariling bansa. US Accredited naman yung hospital ng Makati Med at St.Luke's BGC at may mga doctor/specialist sila duon na kaya naman gawin yung operation na gusto ipagawa kay GMA sa America. There's really no reason for GMA to leave kanya tama yung dissenting opinion ni Chief Justice Sereno in that respect. Now her "Luisita valuation" on the otherhand I don't agree with.


Cardiologist apologizes for claims about Arroyo’s neck ailment
Philippine Daily Inquirer
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/256366/...s-neck-ailment

MANILA, Philippines—Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s cardiologist, Dr. Roberto Anastacio, has apologized for claims he made regarding the former President’s condition and the kind of treatment she should be getting, after being rebuked by the Philippine Medical Association, PMA officials said Thursday.

PMA spokesman Dr. Mike Aragon said Anastacio was called by the organization’s ethics committee to a meeting on Wednesday night that went on until midnight to determine if he had violated PMA rules.

Aragon said Anastacio was made to explain his remarks to the media last week that his patient condition was deadly and she had no other choice but to go abroad for cervical spine surgery because the surgical team that could carry it out was not available in the Philippines.

Dr. Leo Olarte, a PMA governor and an orthopedic surgeon, said Anastacio might have breached the PMA’s Code of Ethics when he told the media what kind of treatment Arroyo needed even though he was not a bone expert. “You should stick to your field especially in sensitive cases,” Olarte said.

Anastacio apologized to the organization for stating that Arroyo had to undergo a neck operation as soon as possible abroad. He also told the media that the country did not have the kind of specialists who could perform the type of surgery the former president needed.

Anastacio, according to Olarte, told the ethics committee that he did not mean to malign his Filipino colleagues and that he spoke out of his expertise.

“He apologized for what he said. He said he was misinterpreted by the media,” Olarte said, adding the PMA accepted the apology.

Anastacio told the ethics committee that he did not advise Arroyo to go to the United States for surgery and that he only mentioned Austria because of recent findings he read in a medical journal that it has breakthrough research regarding his patient’s condition.

The ethics committee also asked Anastacio details behind his press conference last week. Anastacio said he did not know who paid for the restaurant in Makati City where the briefing was held.

Arroyo has been struggling with cervical spondylosis, a degenerative condition of the cartilage of the vertebrae in the neck caused by the chronic erosion and age. Since July last year, Arroyo has had three operations and received titanium plate implants in the cervical spine.

The Aquino administration has charged her electoral sabotage, breach of ethics and plunder and government officials feared that Arroyo would not return to the Philippines if allowed to leave for treatment abroad.

Filipino orthopedic surgeons have urged “conservative treatment” for the former president. In a previous interview, Dr. Antonio Sison, president of the Philippine Orthopedic Society, said he knew of Arroyo’s condition only from media reports.

If the screws on the former president’s neck are loose and causing her pain as claimed by her doctors, perhaps it is best to remove them than do a full reconstruction, he said.

Olarte said Arroyo’s rehabilitation should be done only after her bones are stable and solid.


Traveling 'bad' for Arroyo's health
Rappler.com
http://www.rappler.com/nation/11144-...rroyo-s-health

MANILA, Philippines – Former President Arroyo's doctor claims she needs to travel to save her life, but an executive of the Philippines' largest doctors' association thinks otherwise.

Traveling, in fact, can even worsen Mrs. Arroyo's condition, said Philippine Medical Association (PMA) general assembly chair Dr Leo Olarte on Friday, August 24. He was reacting to a claim by Mrs Arroyo's doctor that she needs overseas treatment for her "aggressive, progressive" bone problem.

Olarte told Rappler that Mrs Arroyo is now “on the road to recuperation” in relation to her cervical spine surgery in July 2011. He said her cervical spine, which is now aided by a titanium implant, would need another 6 months to be stable.

Fitted in her spine during that operation, her titanium implant causes her current “life-threatening” condition, claimed her physician Dr Roberto Anastacio. A cardiologist, Anastacio said Mrs Arroyo has “no option” but to have this worsening condition treated abroad. “I would not wait until she cannot travel,” he said.

But Olarte said the conditions associated with traveling – like sudden brakes and humps on the road – can hamper the former president's recovery. “Mayayanig masyado ang kanyang leeg,” said Olarte, an orthopedic surgeon. (Her neck can be affected.)

“'Yung kanya kasing kondisyon ay dapat hindi laging magta-travel. Nakikita natin siya laging nagta-travel sa Lubao sa Pampanga, sa Tagaytay. Masama 'yon para sa kanyang kondisyon,” he explained. (People with her condition shouldn't always be traveling. We always see her traveling to Lubao in Pampaganga, to Tagaytay. That's bad for her condition.)

For critics, seeking treatment abroad could be Mrs Arroyo's escape from separate electoral sabotage, plunder, and graft charges that are hounding her. She is now bound by 3 hold-departure orders in connection to these cases.

Life-threatening?

Olarte said Mrs Arroyo, for now, needs to rest at home, do physical therapy, and remain careful about her food.

He also refuted Anastacio's claim that Mrs Arroyo's condition is life-threatening.

“Batay sa aking obserbasyon sa kanya, sa telebisyon, panay travel, at talagang nakangiti siya at nagbibigay ng talumpati doon sa distrito niya sa Pampanga, paakbay-akbay pa siya doon sa kanyang mga kababayan. Masasabi natin na hindi delikado ang kanyang kalagayan,” he said, citing his "clinical eye."

(Based on my observation of her, on television, she keeps traveling, and she gives this wide smile and delivers speeches in her district in Pampanga, and wraps her arms around her townmates. We can say her condition is not dangerous.)

Olarte admitted, nonetheless, that Mrs Arroyo's condition should be “guarded.”

Busy Arroyo

Mrs Arroyo, however, has kept herself busy since she tasted temporary freedom from hospital arrest at the Veterans Memorial Medical Center (VMMC) last July 25. While Anastacio claimed she had a life-threatening condition even when she was under hospital arrest, Mrs Arroyo kept traveling after her release.

A day after she posted bail, she immediately went to Tagaytay to seek “alternative treatment” for her condition.

The day after this, July 27, she returned to VMMC for an unscheduled physical therapy session. She headed to Pampanga on the same day.

On July 31, she surprised fellow solons and attended a congressional session for the first time in months. She then said she's “not physically and emotionally ready for surgery.” “It can be substituted in the meantime. I'm quoting from the medical bulletin. The substitute for now is intenstive physical therapy," Mrs Arroyo said.

In one of her latest public appearances, Mrs Arroyo distributed relief goods in Pampanga, which was declared under state of calamity due to the recent monsoon rain.

Treatment in PH

Meanwhile, Olarte addressed Anastacio's concern that Mrs Arroyo needs not just doctors, but a “complete support structure” that includes biomedical engineers and neurophysiologists. “Meron tayo dito sa Pilipinas niyan. Besides, hindi pa naman kailangang operahan ngayon,” Olarte said. (We have those in the Philippines. Besides, she doesn't need an operation now.)

He also said Filipino doctors respect Mrs Arroyo's option to choose the physician she wants.

“Pero huwag lang sana gamitin ang katwiran na kaya siya pupunta sa labas ay dahil walang doktor (sa Pilipinas) na magagaling at marunong gumamot sa kanyang kondisyon,” Olarte explained. “Sa totoo lang marami tayong espesyalista na makakagamot sa kanyang kalagayan, at mga ospital na fully equipped for her condition.”

(But she shouldn't use the excuse that she is leaving the country because there there are no doctors in the Philippines who are skilled and knowledgeable in addressing her condition... Truth is, we have many specialists who can remedy her concerns, and hospitals that are fully equipped for her condition.)

Earlier this week, the PMA summoned Mrs Arroyo's doctor, Anastacio, for claiming she needs urgent medical treatment abroad because of the lack of competent physicians in the Philippines. Olarte said Anastacio should stick to his expertise, cardiology, and not diagnose conditions related to orthopedics.

The PMA, however, will no longer investigate Anastacio because he has apologized to their group. Olarte said Anastacio claimed to be misquoted by media.

The war of press releases. I found another version of this event totally the opposite of this. Olarte is a just one director of the PMA out of 31!, not a spokesperson, not even privy to GMA's records and an Akbayan member.