Palace assures fair trial for government prosecutor
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
MANILA — Malacañang has assured a fair trial for Special Prosecutor Wendell Barreras Sulit in its probe into the plea bargain deal government prosecutors entered with a former military comptroller.
Sulit was suspended for 90 days and charged with graft and betrayal of public trust before the Office of the President.
The formal charges were filed before the Office of the Deputy Executive Secretary for Legal Affairs (Odesla).
The President’s office will investigate Sulit’s possible liability in former military general Carlos Garcia’s plea bargain deal despite facing a P303-million plunder case before the anti-graft court.
“We can assure Special Prosecutor Sulit that she will be accorded due process and fair play in this investigation,” presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said.
Lacierda said the Office of the President has authority to discipline special prosecutors as granted by the Ombudsman Act.
Sulit was directed to file her answer within 10 days from receipt of the formal charge against her. She was furnished a copy of the formal complaint Tuesday.
“Pending investigation of said charges, respondent (Sulit) is hereby placed under preventive suspension for a period of 90 days, effective upon receipt hereof, considering the seriousness of the charges, the existence of prima facie case against respondent that she is probably guilty thereof which warrants her removal from the service and respondent’s continuance in the office may pose threat to the safety and integrity of the record and other evidence,” read the formal charge released to the media Wednesday.
Malacañang pointed out that Sulit violated existing rules and jurisprudence when she “knowingly and willfully” entered into a plea bargain deal with Garcia.
Garcia has been allowed by the Sandiganbayan to post bail after pleading guilty to a lesser offense of direct bribery as part of the plea bargain agreement.
The Palace alleged that Sulit, together with her deputies, “impaired deliberately the case for the prosecution by ignoring and abandoning evidence favorable to the interest of the government and presenting evidence adverse to its cause.”
It added that Sulit failed to discharge her mandated duty of prosecuting erring public officials with utmost responsibility, integrity and professional competence.
Sulit was also accused of causing undue injury to the government and gave unwarranted benefits to Garcia through “manifest partiality, evident bad faith and gross inexcusable negligence.”
The administrative case against Sulit was an offshoot of an investigation conducted by the committee on justice of the House of Representatives into the plea bargain agreement between the Office of the Ombudsman and Garcia.
The House committee recommended that Sulit be dismissed from service for culpable violation of the Constitution and betrayal of public trust.
The chairman of the House justice committee lauded Malacañang’s decision, which came almost four months after it passed a resolution recommending Sulit’s dismissal.
“Her preventive suspension is necessary to prevent her from tampering with documents related to the Garcia case,” justice committee chair and Iloilo Representative Niel Tupas Jr. told reporters in a text message.
“We hope that the OP (Office of the President) decides on the main case of removing Prosecutor Sulit for gross negligence and betrayal of public trust soonest so as to give way to a new leadership at the OSP (Office of the Special Prosecutor),” Tupas added.
House justice committee vice chairman Lorenzo Tanada III said the hearings conducted by the panel showed that Sulit “did not do her homework and exposed how lazy their office is in trying to look for additional evidence to pin down the people they are prosecuting.”
A progressive group also welcomed the announcement of the Palace, hoping it would pave the way for a probe on Sulit’s role in other bungled cases, such as the multi-billion peso tax-credit scam involving Faustino and Gloria Chingkoe.
“The Ombudsman has only filed one case so far before the Sandiganbayan and it was dismissed, which we feel may also be due to Sulit’s incompetence,” Renato Reyes, Bagong Alyansang Makabayan secretary general, said in a text message.
Reyes believes that Sulit also allowed Faustino Chingkoe, the main respondent, to leave the country.
“No extradition proceedings have been taken against Faustino Chingkoe who is now in Canada. No forfeiture of assets has been undertaken as well,” he noted.
Last March, the Sandiganbayan dismissed the P74-million plunder case against the Chingkoes over their alleged involvement in a tax credit fraud.
Senator Teofisto Guingona III, chairman of the Senate Blue Ribbon committee, also welcomed the filing of graft and betrayal of public trust charges against Sulit.
“This is the way it should be done. The Senate Blue Ribbon Committee comes out with its findings and the Executive branch of government implements the recommendations so that justice is achieved,” he said.
A committee report that he sponsored on the Senate floor last week scored Sulit and other government prosecutors over the plea bargain agreement.
In March, he released a preliminary report that recommended charges against them for their “lack of prosecutorial zeal” on the Garcia case.
“They abandoned the case, they weakened the case, they flip-flopped on the case,” he said then. (Jill Beltran/Kathrina Alvarez/Jonathan de Santos/Sunnex)
Source: http://www.sunstar.com.ph/manila/local-news/2011/06/15/palace-assures-fair-trial-government-prosecutor-161355
Over the holidays, travelers from Manila going to the north for a getaway destination choose Pampanga Angeles City and Clark Philippines as a popular holiday location. Aside from day-time sports and other activities, visitors look for a good wine shop to buy some good wine to celebrate a special occasion or just to make the holiday and vacation more enjoyable. Many wine lovers pick up some good bottles from Clark Wine Center to bring to dinner in some of the good restaurants in Angeles City, Clark Pampanga. Yats Restaurant is one of the most famous fine dining restaurants outside of Manila, located in Mimosa Leisure Estate inside Clark Airbase or Clark Freeport Zone as it is now called. This popular restaurant has become a tourist attraction, a place to visit for those who are in Pampanga, Subic, Angeles City and of course, Clark Philippines. The famous wine shop called Clark Wine Center supplies this famous restaurant in Clark Philippines as well as other good restaurants in Angeles City Pampanga with good wines of all price ranges.
Wine is becoming increasingly popular in Manila and other cities in the Philippines. Wine lovers in Manila travel to the north to visit Clark, Pampanga to shop for good and rate vintage wines at good duty-free prices. The most frequently visited liquor shop in Manila and wine shop in Pampanga is Clark Wine Center. This highly recommended wine shop located outside Manila near Angeles City, Pampanga in North Luzon is known for offering a great selection of fine vintage wine that is good quality and good value for money also.
This well-known wine shop is a famous shopping destination for wine enthusiasts in Manila and wine lovers from other cities in Asia including Hong Kong, Macau, Shanghai, Beijing, Seoul, Osaka and Tokyo.
Famous Philippines wine supplier known for its line of fine vintage wines, Yats Wine Cellars was established in 2000 to address the requirement of a growing population of wine enthusiasts in the Philippines. This 5-star wine shop caters to the discerning client who requires these qualities in their wines: (1) excellent value, (2) large selection of labels and vintages to choose from and (3) wines properly aged for full enjoyment.
Public wine tastings are held from time to time in Clark and sometimes in Manila. Tickets range from p500 to p1500 for these themed events that are professionally run –no wine merchants sponsorship, pushy salesmen or tacky banners to ruin the evening. Each ticket contains a certain number of stubs that can be redeemed for a tasting pour of a wine among those on a line-up which often contains wines that are quite old and expensive.
http://www.ClarkWineCenter.com
Getting to this wine shop in Pampanga Angeles City Clark Freeport Zone Philippines from Manila
Getting to the Clark Wine Center wine shop from Manila is quite simple: after entering Clark Freeport from Dau and Angeles City, proceed straight along the main highway M A Roxas. Clark Wine Center is the stand-along white building on the right, at the corner A Bonifacio Ave. From the Clark International Airport DMIA, ask the taxi to drive towards the entrance of Clark going to Angeles City. From Mimosa, just proceed towards the exit of Clark and this wine shop is on the opposite side of the main road M A Roxas.
Best place to buy wine in Clark Pampanga outside Manila near Subic and Angeles City Philippines is Clark Wine Center.
Click here to contact Clark Wine Center in Clark Pampanga for inquiries and orders.
Clark Wine Center
Bldg 6460 Clark Observatory Building
Manuel A. Roxas Highway corner A Bonifacio Ave,
Angeles Clark Freeport Zone, Pampanga 2023
0922-870-5173 0917-826-8790 (ask for Ana Fe)
Wine@Yats-International.com
YATS Wine Cellars
Manila Sales Office
3003C East Tower, Phil Stock Exchange Center,
Exchange Rd Ortigas Metro Manila, Philippines 1605
(632) 637-5019 0917-520-4393 ask for Rea or Chay
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While in Clark, it might be a good idea to enjoy an evening of wine-and-dine in the fine dining Yats Restaurant and Wine Bar that features an award winning 2700-line wine list. Highly recommended fine dining restaurant in Manila for special occasion is Yats Restaurant & Wine Lounge located in the famous Mimosa Leisure Estate in Clark Pampanga. Situated near this popular restaurant in Clark is the Mimosa Golf Course as well as the Mimosa Clark Casino. This top rated restaurant near Angeles City Pampanga in Clark Philippines is frequently used for private parties and corporate functions such as board meetings and other gatherings. It is located in Mimosa Leisure Estate of Clark Freeport Zone. For more information, visit http://www.YatsRestaurant.com
YATS Leisure Philippines is a developer and operator of clubs, resorts and high-class restaurants and wine shops in Clark Angeles Philippines http://www.YatsLeisure.com
Looking for famous tourists spots, places to visit and see, relax and unwind in Clark, Pampanga, Philippines? You may want to check out these sites also:
Besides good restaurants to wine and dine near Manila, Subic or in Angeles City Pampanga, Clark Philippines, those requiring assistance for hotel and resort bookings in Clark, Pampanga, Philippines may log on to http://www.HotelClarkPhilippines.com for more information and reservations.
The lifestyle in Clark Pampanga is quite unique. For more information about shopping, sports, golf, leisure, hotel accommodation, where to see and visit, what to do, where to wine and dine and good places to hang out, relax, have a drink with friends, child-friendly establishments, log on to
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Wine lovers looking for a special bottle or something that is of great value and special discounts might log on to this web site to shop for fine vintage wines
http://www.YatsWineCellars.com
Those visitors who plan to relax and unwind in Angeles City, Subic, Pampanga, Clark Philippines might make an effort to book a room at the famous beach and lake resort Clearwater Resort & Country Club. This famous hotel in Clark Pampanga is frequently visited by families with children looking for a good place in Clark to see, a good holiday destination for the family to relax and unwind in the beautiful outdoor facilities. For more information, log on to www.ClearwaterPhilippines.com
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