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Sep
5
They don’t have a Twitter account so here are the contact details of Maynilad just in case you want to escalate your complaints to them:
MAYNILAD
MWSS Compound, Katipunan Avenue, Balara, Quezon City
Head Office Trunkline: 981-3333
Customer Complaints and Inquiries: Maynilad Hotline 1626
E-mail Address : customer.helpdesk@mayniladwater.com.ph.
Sep
5
MUNTINLUPA CITY, Philippines – Wearing only basketball shorts and a polo, Richard “Tommy” Brodett looked comfortable while coming out of their house in Ayala Alabang, Muntinlupa city Monday afternoon, 3 days after he and the other “Alabang Boys” got an acquittal from drug charges.
Brodett said he’s still trying to adjust to his new life after staying in prison since 2008.
“I slept early on Friday evening cause I’m tired the whole day. But I wake up early, gising-preso pa din” he said, as he smiled while trying to recall the experience he had during his 3-year detention.
Brodett said he wakes up before 7 a.m. and is still not adjusted to normal life, because at prison, he has to rise before 7 a.m. and prepare for the morning head count of jail guards.
Asked if he feels that his life was wasted because of detention, he said “no.”
“I’ve learned so much from those 3 years and I feel those lessons are golden, invaluable” Brodett said.
As one of the controversial “Alabang Boys,” he said the time he spent in detention also gave him the chance to know who his true friends are — those who did not leave him and even stayed with him and offered support during his hardships.
Brodett is still shy to go out and mingle with other people.
He recalled a moment Saturday when his mom wanted him to go with them on an errand, doing groceries and some shopping, but he refused because of fear of possible reactions he might get when people see him on the streets.
“That label will stay with me. It’s not like you can write a CV and people will forget who you are” he said. He is still trying to get a feel of his environment –the tranquility of their home, life without the detention regimen, and the liberty that he can now enjoy.
He has no plans yet and is still trying to understand the situation.
He clarifies that he has no hatred for Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency officers who arrested him and got him locked up.
He won’t even seek legal action against the law enforcers.
“If I meet them, I’ll just say that I am a Christian and Christian should be like Christ, who bears no grudge against his fellow man” Brodett said.
‘Alabang Boys’ a lesson to DOJ
Meanwhile, Department of Justice (DOJ) Secretary Leila de Lima said Monday that the “Alabang Boys” case should serve as a lesson to the DOJ, especially that there is a “very dismal performance” on drug conviction.
The current conviction rate is only 1%.
De Lima said she will order a senior DOJ prosecutor to review the failed “Alabang Boys” case to determine the performance of government prosecutors in the case.
She said prosecutors should have presented in court former Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) chief Dionisio Santiago and Chief Inspector Ferdinand Marcelino, head of the PDEA special enforcement service.
They could have sufficiently provided a justification before the judge on the aspect of PDEA’s presentation of the seized drugs from the accused during the time when the said evidence was supposed to have been undergoing laboratory examination.
This would have explained the “breach” in the chain of custody presented by the defense, which the judge upheld.
De Lima said the regional trial court decision was a “fairly well-written decision,” even as she said that certain provisions of the Comprehensive Drugs Act should be relaxed. - with a report from Ina Reformina, ABS-CBN News
Sep
5
Appeal vs. “Alabang Boys”, an uphill battle – DOJ chief
Filed Under Muntinlupa, News | Leave a Comment
By Edu Punay (The Philippine Star) Updated September 03, 2011 12:00 AM
MANILA, Philippines – Justice Secretary Leila de Lima admitted yesterday that the decision to appeal the acquittal of two of the three “Alabang boys’” by the Muntinlupa Regional Trial Court is an “uphill move.”
“We feel it’s worth filing a motion for reconsideration, worth taking that remedy – although it’s an uphill thing because it’s not allowed in the general rule,” she told reporters.
Richard Brodett and Jorge Joseph, who were arrested by agents of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) in Ayala Alabang Village in 2008, were acquitted by Muntinlupa Judge Juanita Guerrero of drug trafficking charges for lack of evidence.
Asked about the chances of the lower court reconsidering its decision, De Lima replied: “Let’s just wait and see.”
Under the double jeopardy rule in the Constitution, an accused acquitted by the court can no longer be tried for the same crime.
The only exemption so far to this rule was the case of the members of the defunct Aviation Security Command tagged in the assassination of the late Sen. Benigno Aquino Jr. on Aug. 21, 1983.
De Lima moved to challenge the rule after a closed-door meeting with the prosecution panel handling the case and former PDEA chief Dionisio Santiago and Maj. Ferdinand Marcelino, leader of the team responsible for arresting Brodett, Joseph and another accused Joseph Tecson.
“We cannot just accept what we believe is an error committed by the judge just because there’s this double jeopardy rule. Remember that the acquittal was not because they (Brodett and Joseph) are innocent,” she stressed.
The justice chief lamented how the judge went “over technical” in focusing on the issue of chain of custody of evidence.
De Lima said they would argue that there was no break in the chain of custody of evidence, contrary to the findings of the court.
“The judge made a lot of fuss about the press conference held by Gen. Santiago and Maj. Marcelino. The forensic chemist clearly explained this issue twice during trial – that what was presented during the press con was representative samples only, which is allowed in the law,” she explained.
The DOJ chief earlier said that they would question how the court made a complete turnaround on the handling of the evidence seized by the PDEA from Brodett and Joseph.
She also cited an earlier ruling of the court junking the motion to post bail filed by the accused, where Judge Guerrero even found “the evidence as strong to warrant the conviction of the accused.”
“To warrant a conviction, it’s practically saying already the guilt is beyond reasonable doubt,” she stressed.
Meanwhile, PDEA Director General Undersecretary Jose Gutierrez Jr. yesterday welcomed the DOJ plan to appeal the acquittal of Brodett and Joseph.
“It’s a positive development,’” Gutierrez said.
He said the sudden turn of events helped lift the morale of drug enforcement officers who risk their lives every time they conduct anti-drug operations.
He thanked the DOJ for supporting the anti-drug campaign.
The court said the arrest of the two high-profile suspects was valid but noted that the chain of custody of evidence had been broken, resulting in the acquittal of the accused.
Gutierrez said that the PDEA would extend to the DOJ all necessary assistance in filing a motion for reconsideration. – With Reinir Padua
