Statement of Concern

The Palawan Report expresses its concern over the reported disappearance last Saturday (June 8 ) of ABS-CBN reporter Ces Drilon and her crew, Jimmy Encarnacion and Angelo Valderama. Media reports say they went missing while pursuing a story in Sulu and are believed to have been abducted by the Al-Qaeda linked Abu Sayyaf Group.

Journalists who cover areas of conflict are understandably exposed to risks on their personal security. We trust that government authorities are exhausting all possible means to ensure the safety of these journalists.

PGMA’s private Palawan visit

I had gotten wound of this story below by Inquirer columnist Conrad Banal. PGMA was indeed in Bataraza last week for an overnight visit, with the Western Command providing hush-hush security arrangements. Sources said the trip was so private that even local government officials were not apprised what exactly the purpose of the visit was. Speculations like the article below seem to be right on the money, just because in Bataraza, there’s nothing to see but the mines.

By Conrado Banal III
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 02:57:00 06/10/2008

Rumor has it that the grandma at the Palace recently paid a very special visit to a rich nickel mine site in Palawan province, southwest of Manila.

If it is true, Palace watchers in business say the Grandma must be working on something.

Supposedly, the mine site was Rio Tuba, owned by the Zamora brothers, mainly by Buddy Zamora.

Playing host to the Grandma in her visit to the mine site, according to the story, was one of the Zamora brothers, Manny.

World prices of nickel have gone up to the stratosphere in recent years, and talk in business is that the Zamoras’ Rio Tuba has made tens of billions of pesos in profits.

In other words, the Zamora group is loaded. Yet, we are not seeing some big investments from it.

Palawan gov, 2 solons retain Malampaya pork barrel

By Joel San Juan
Business Mirror
June 9, 2008

SAYING that the case was prematurely filed, the Court of Appeals (CA) has dismissed the petition filed by a group of taxpayers seeking to declare as unconstitutional Executive Order (EO) 683 allocating the P6-billion share of Palawan, from the Camago-Malampaya oil and natural gas project as part of the pork barrel of the governor and the two congressmen of the province.

In a seven-page decision penned by Associate Justice Rebecca de Guia-Salvador, the CA’s Eleventh Division also noted that the petition filed by Bishop Pedro Dulay Arigo, Cesar Sarino, Jose Antonio Socrates and lawyer Harry Roque is anchored on the same facts and issues raised in GR 170867, a petition for review pending before the Supreme Court.

The said petition for review seeks the reversal of the December 16, 2005, decision rendered by Branch 95 of the Regional Trial Court in Puerto Princesa, Palawan, declaring that the province of Palawan is entitled to 40-percent share of the national wealth, computed based on revenues generated from the Camago-Malampaya Natural Gas Project since October 16, 2001.

“Because the issue which inextricably links the instant petition and GR 170867 is whether the Camago-Malampaya natural gas reservoir is within the territorial jurisdiction of Palawan, forms part of the national territory of the Philippines, it would be premature for the court to rule on this case when GR 170867 is still up for adjudication before the Supreme Court,” the CA said.