THE Court of Appeals (CA) has dismissed the petitions filed by former Army chief Lt. Gen. Romeo Tolentino and Col. Eduardo Año, seeking to quash the subpoenas issued against them by the appellate court requiring their appearance in the ongoing hearing on the petition for the issuance of a writ of amparo in connection with the disappearance of Jonas Burgos.

In a three-page resolution penned by Associate Justice Rosalinda Asuncion-Vicente, the CA’s Former Seventh Division found the testimonies of Tolentino and Año vital in the resolution of the Burgos case.

“After a careful study of the motions to quash and the oppositions thereto, this Court finds the testimonies sought to be relevant to the fact in issue, which bears on the alleged disappearance of petitioner’s [Mrs. Edita Burgos] son, Jonas Joseph Burgos, given the testimony of Capt. George Ventayen at the hearing held on April 7, 2008 in Baguio City,” the CA stressed. The 37-year-old agriculturist and political activist, second son of the late world press freedom icon Jose Burgos Jr., was seized by unidentified men and a woman while eating at a Quezon City mall on April 28, 2007. His family is holding the military responsible for the abduction.

Tolentino and Año were directed to appear and testify at the hearing scheduled 10 a.m. Tuesday and on Wednesday at 2 p.m. at the CA.

Ventayen, the prosecutor in the case of 2Lt. Dick Abletes, testified in executive session on April 7, 2008 in Baguio City on the charges against the latter and his evidence in prosecuting the case.

He admitted that Lt. Abletes has been charged with three violations of the Articles of War for passing off classified information to two members of CPP-NPA.

Mrs. Burgos insisted that Tolentino’s and Año’s testimonies are needed in light of Ventayen’s admission that one of the two members of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army (CPP-NPA) who received the working order of battle from Abletes was identified as a certain “Liza,” which is the alias of one of three witnesses of the police in the Jonas case.

Liza’s true name, according to Mrs. Burgos, is Melissa Concepcion Reyes.

The meeting between Abletes, Liza and her male companion was recorded, according to Burgos lawyer Ricardo Fernandez, on video—which was played at the hearing on April 7.

The petitioner identified Liza to be in fact Melissa Reyes, who was also reported missing on April 28, 2007 at the same time Jonas was reportedly abducted.

Fernandez insisted that Tolentino should testify on what he knew about a certain “Ramon” or Jonas and when he came to know about it.

Año is the head of the Intelligence Services of the Philippine Army mentioned in the Newsbreak article as having admitted that Abletes was caught on March 26 giving classified documents to a “member of the CPP.”

Administration’s flair for secrecy hit

Other than its reported penchant for corruption, there is another trait that distinguishes the Arroyo administration from previous administrations—its flair for secrecy, which is denying the people of their right to information and to be appraised of issues that directly affect them.

NUEVA ECIJA—Panic buying of cheap National Food  Authority (NFA) rice continues in high gear amost everywhere, and in Metro Manila, mayors are now asking the Department of Agriculture to put up more rolling stores and rice-distribution centers in their jurisdictions.

INTERIOR Secretary Ronaldo Puno on Monday ordered an investigation into the alleged link between unidentified officials and employees of the Land Transportation Office (LTO) and the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) and their possible involvement in carjacking.

ZAMBOANGA CITY—The Zamboanga City police has come out with the artist’s sketch of one of the three persons, believed to be Abu Sayyaf bandits, responsible for the two explosions that rocked this city on Sunday morning.

NOTING that the present law on sexual harassment did not deter the commission of that crime, legislators representing the women sector are seeking to add more teeth to the law by amending it and providing for stiffer penalties.

THE nine junior officers who were convicted by a Makati court on coup charges should accept their fate that they could no longer rejoin the military even if President Arroyo grants them executive clemency, defense and military officials said on Monday.

THE heads of the National Police and the military on Monday expressed no objections to the country’s ratification of the 1998 Rome statute that established the International Criminal Court (ICC), but maintained that local courts are capable of handling cases of human-rights abuses, particularly extrajudicial killings.

THE Court of Appeals (CA) has dismissed the petitions filed by former Army chief Lt. Gen. Romeo Tolentino and Col. Eduardo Año, seeking to quash the subpoenas issued against them by the appellate court requiring their appearance in the ongoing hearing on the petition for the issuance of a writ of amparo in connection with the disappearance of Jonas Burgos.