Lara (Angelina Jolie) uses a Panasonic SV-A30 multi-function movie camera. The tiny digicam is connected to a headphone with a rectangular monocle-like glass pane propped before her left eye.
That gear connects Lara to her base, live in real time. Whatever the camera catches is transmitted around the globe to base, where another camera is set up. The image captured at base (such as the person talking with Lara) is transmitted in real time and is seen by her on the pane (tiny monitor) hanging about an inch in front of her eye.
The advanced audio-video system makes possible a more sophisticated form of teleconferencing (with other units installed at other sites), or a live monitoring and directing of a combat operation from a central base.
Now, where or how will a low-salaried and supposedly ill-equipped soldier get such exotic equipment? That was not the only high-tech gear brought by the rebels. The officers were also toting satellite phones and other sophisticated equipment not available in the AFP arsenal.
They also brought, without authority, some of the modern combat gadgets that the US military had given them as members of the AFP special forces that trained and fought in Muslim Mindanao.
When soldiers mount a coup d’etat, they generally take up their government-issued weapons and rise against the state. But the Oakwood contingent flaunted materiel that ordinary soldiers can only dream of.
This point alone indicates that the soldiers were not acting on their own, but were moving in conspiracy with a well-financed civilian component.
As almost everybody has been saying, and we don‚t mind repeating it: If Honasan is indeed innocent, as he claims to be, he should confront his accusers right off and give them hell.
His running away from due process is either cowardice, an admission of guilt, or an unfortunate declaration that he has lost faith in the system. In the third case, he should resign his Senate seat, stop drawing his salary, give up his perks – and then, if he so desires, stay underground.
Reader ArchieP pointed out in an e-mail: While it used to be that when one decides to wage rebellion, he ran to the hills, nowadays, rebels avail themselves of the cool comfort of five-star hotels.
He said: "Under the Revised Rules of Criminal Procedure, Rule 112, Section 6, provides that within 10 days from the filing of an information, a judge is required to personally evaluate the fiscal’s (prosecutor’s) resolution and determine for himself the existence of probable cause. If he so believes, then that is the only time he issues a warrant of arrest. This is in line with the 1987 constitutional mandate that judges should make a personal determination of probable cause."
Another lawyer, Alexsandra Jordan, sent the text of said rule: "Sec. 6 – When warrant of arrest may issue. -— (a) By the Regional Trial Court. – Within ten (10) days from the filing of the complaint or information, the judge shall personally evaluate the resolution of the prosecutor and its supporting evidence. He may immediately dismiss the case if the evidence on record clearly fails to establish probable cause. If he finds probable cause, he shall issue a warrant of arrest, or a commitment order if the accused has already been arrested pursuant to a warrant issued by the judge who conducted the preliminary investigation or when the complaint or information was filed pursuant to section 7 of this Rule. In case of doubt on the existence of probable cause, the judge may order the prosecutor to present additional evidence within five (5) days from notice and the issue must be resolved by the court within thirty (30) days from the filing of the complaint or information."
She added that this lent credence to the claim of Ninez that there was undue haste in the issuance of an arrest warrant against her based on criminal libel charges filed by a lawyer of President Arroyo.
The Makati Business Club (MBC), Financial Executives Institute of the Phils. (Finex), Philippine Computer Society (PCS), Federation of Philippine Industries (FPI), Chinese-Filipino Business Club (CFBC), and the Bishops-Businessmen‚s Conference for Human Development (BBC) urge Congress to suspend its investigations into the coup attempt.
The influential business bloc also urged Congress to let the so-called Feliciano Commission to carry out its mandate to look into the coup and the situation that led to it.
The Commission, formed by President Arroyo include retired Supreme Court Justice Florentino Feliciano (chairman), retired Supreme Court Justice Minerva Gonzaga-Reyes, UP political science professor Dr. Carolina Hernandez, Ateneo Law Dean Fr. Joaquin Bernas, SJ, retired Commodore Rex Robles, and retired Air Force Capt. Roland Narciso.
The businessmen recalled the comment of the Supreme Court in Bengzon vs Senate Blue Ribbon Committee:
"To allow the respondent Committee to conduct its own investigation of an issue already before the Sandiganbayan would not only pose the possibility of conflicting judgments between a legislative committee and a judicial tribunal, but if the Committee‚s judgment were to be reached before that of the Sandiganbayan, the possibility of its influence being made to bear on the ultimate judgment of the Sandiganbayan cannot be discounted."
He said the national government payroll will reach P286.4 billion next year, up by P10.4 billion from the current year’s level of P276 billion. It will cost taxpayers P785 million a day to pay for the wages of 1,075,011 workers in the bureaucracy.
Some P33 of every P100 in the proposed P864.8-billion 2004 budget, or a total of P286.4 billion, will be used to pay the basic salary and 18 types of allowances, honoraria and pension -— collectively called "personal services" in the budget.
Recto noted that the proposed government payroll for 2004 is three-and-half times than what was spent for salaries 10 years ago which was only P76.9 billion.