thedrifter
01-10-06, 07:15 AM
No Romulo-Rice meeting on rape case--DFA
First posted 07:32pm (Mla time) Jan 10, 2006
By Veronica Uy, Volt Contreras
INQ7.net, Inquirer
THE Department of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday denied reports that Secretary Alberto Romulo would leave for Washington to discuss with US State Secretary Condoleezza Rice Manila’s custody request for the accused American Marines in the Subic rape case.
The DFA confirmed that Romulo was bound for Washington later this week, but said he will testify before an international arbitration body that is hearing the case of the controversial Terminal III of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA).
Romulo said “his trip will be primarily to work with the Philippine legal team on the arbitration case headed by Solicitor General Alfredo Benipayo.”
“Contrary to media reports, there is no meeting contemplated or scheduled with Dr. Condoleezza Rice,” he said.
A source in the department said Monday that Romulo would formally ask Rice for custody of the four American soldiers accused of raping a 22-year-old Filipino woman at the Subic Bay freeport on November 1 last year.
The DFA has asked for physical custody of the accused Marines on November 16, and the US Embassy in Manila has yet to respond to it.
Romulo said the Philippines would “continue with our diplomatic representations, keeping in mind our laws and our treaty commitments and the importance of resolving any differences through dialogue and diplomacy.”
At the same time, the foreign affairs chief said he would be in Washington for the arbitration case in the World Bank's International Center for the Settlement of Investment Disputes not as DFA secretary, “but to give testimony on his official acts in his previous capacity as Executive Secretary.”
The case was filed by the German airport operator Fraport AG (Frankfurt Airport Service Worldwide) for government’s refusal to compensate the firm 465-million-dollar for its investment. It also sued the government for 900 million dollars.
The Supreme Court had declared null and void the contract entered into by the government with the Philippine International Air Terminals Corp. (PIATCo), the consortium that built the expropriated NAIA 3, arguing that the firm failed to meet the requirements required under the Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) Law.
A DFA source said that apart from Romulo and Benipayo, six other government officials will attend the hearing.
They are Defense Secretary and former presidential legal counsel Avelino Cruz, Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez, former Supreme Court Justice Feliciano, former presidential adviser on strategic projects Gloria Tan Climaco, Undersecretary Edwin Enrile of the Office of the President, and President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s current chief of staff Tom Alcantara, the same source said.
Ellie
First posted 07:32pm (Mla time) Jan 10, 2006
By Veronica Uy, Volt Contreras
INQ7.net, Inquirer
THE Department of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday denied reports that Secretary Alberto Romulo would leave for Washington to discuss with US State Secretary Condoleezza Rice Manila’s custody request for the accused American Marines in the Subic rape case.
The DFA confirmed that Romulo was bound for Washington later this week, but said he will testify before an international arbitration body that is hearing the case of the controversial Terminal III of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA).
Romulo said “his trip will be primarily to work with the Philippine legal team on the arbitration case headed by Solicitor General Alfredo Benipayo.”
“Contrary to media reports, there is no meeting contemplated or scheduled with Dr. Condoleezza Rice,” he said.
A source in the department said Monday that Romulo would formally ask Rice for custody of the four American soldiers accused of raping a 22-year-old Filipino woman at the Subic Bay freeport on November 1 last year.
The DFA has asked for physical custody of the accused Marines on November 16, and the US Embassy in Manila has yet to respond to it.
Romulo said the Philippines would “continue with our diplomatic representations, keeping in mind our laws and our treaty commitments and the importance of resolving any differences through dialogue and diplomacy.”
At the same time, the foreign affairs chief said he would be in Washington for the arbitration case in the World Bank's International Center for the Settlement of Investment Disputes not as DFA secretary, “but to give testimony on his official acts in his previous capacity as Executive Secretary.”
The case was filed by the German airport operator Fraport AG (Frankfurt Airport Service Worldwide) for government’s refusal to compensate the firm 465-million-dollar for its investment. It also sued the government for 900 million dollars.
The Supreme Court had declared null and void the contract entered into by the government with the Philippine International Air Terminals Corp. (PIATCo), the consortium that built the expropriated NAIA 3, arguing that the firm failed to meet the requirements required under the Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) Law.
A DFA source said that apart from Romulo and Benipayo, six other government officials will attend the hearing.
They are Defense Secretary and former presidential legal counsel Avelino Cruz, Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez, former Supreme Court Justice Feliciano, former presidential adviser on strategic projects Gloria Tan Climaco, Undersecretary Edwin Enrile of the Office of the President, and President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s current chief of staff Tom Alcantara, the same source said.
Ellie