Good News! Now we just have to make noise against the Charter Change try and we can wait til 2010 to elect a better president.

from gmanew here:

(Update) MANILA, Philippines – Supreme Court Chief Justice Reynato Puno on Friday rejected the possibility of the creation of a separate state in Mindanao, saying the Constitution does not allow secession.

At the same time, four justices expressed the opinion that the petition to junk the agreement between government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) was “premature.”

These cropped up during the oral arguments on the government’s ancestral domain agreement with the MILF where Puno equivocally said that the Constitution only allows for autonomy.

“Most that can be done is autonomy. It should be done within the framework of the Constitution, national sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Republic of the Philippines,” Puno said.

Puno cited Article 10, Section 15 of the Constitution which states the creation of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

For his part, Supreme Court Associate Justice Antonio Carpio challenged the constitutionality of the government’s draft agreement on the issue of ancestral domain with the MILF.

Carpio questioned the constitutionality of several provisions in the agreement particularly those that provide for the creation of a Bangsamoro Juridical Entity (BJE).

He said this would need an amendment of the Organic Act which requires an act of Congress and ratification of the people.

Carpio also noted that the provisions which allows the BJE to maintain its own police and military forces is violative of the Constitution.

“The Police is national in scope, civilian in nature and controlled by the National Police Commission…The President is the commander in chief of all armed forces. The President has sole control of training, recruitment and payroll,” Carpio said.

“The BJE cannot head the AFP,” Carpio added.

The Associate Justice also said that the provision which allows for the creation of a separate justice system for the BJE is likewise a clear violation of the Constitution.

Carpio noted that under the Constitution, the country will have a unitary justice system headed by the Supreme Court.

“Under Article 8 (of the Constitution), the judicial power shall be bested on one Supreme Court, a unitary judicial system. SC has the sole disciplinary authority over its courts and its personnel,” Carpio said.

Carpio also said the provision in the agreement for the conduct of a plebiscite after 25 years to pave the way for the widening of the BJE’s coverage encroaches into the power of the legislature to schedule a plebiscite to decide on such issues.

Carpio also expressed the observation that there was a seeming lack in consultation in the drafting of the agreement, saying even indigenous peoples in Mindanao have been left out in the draft agreement.

He said under the MOA, the lumads or tribal people of Mindanao will be incorporated to the Bangsamoro, believers of Islam. There are 18 lumad groups in Mindanao.

He said with the incorporation, the ancestral domain of the lumads will become part of the Bangsamoro ancestral domain.

He said it would put the entire Mindanao, Sulu and Palawan, which were the ancestral domains of the lumads, under the Bangsamoro.

here is the link to the wiki :http://barcamp.org/BarCampManila

Thanks to Jon for forwarding the invites! This has made my day! maybe even my weekend!

So excited!

BarCamp Manila – August 21, 2008, 7:00 PM

What:

A BarCamp is an ad-hoc unconference born from the desire for people to share and learn in an open environment. It is an intense event with discussions, demos and interaction from attendees. All attendees are encouraged to share some form of technical information, be it a software development tip, tools, product demo, open source projects, software, hardware, etc. – in seven (7) minutes!

Anyone with something to contribute or with the desire to learn is welcome and invited to join.

When you come, be prepared to share with BarCampers. When you leave, be prepared to share it with the world. Blog about what you learned, share it in a forum, or even help organize the next BarCamp!

If this is your first time to attend a BarCamp, you should read TheRulesOfBarCamp.

Why:

To learn, meet people who share different interests, contribute, and push yourself and your thinking.

When:

August 21, 2008 from 7PM onwards

Where:

G2VC Innovation Center
5th Floor, The Orient Square
F. Ortigas Road (formerly Emerald Ave.)
Ortigas Center, Pasig City

What to bring:

• A laptop, or any wifi-capable device
• Your share of information/presentation!
• Your desire to share, collaborate and have fun with fellow geeks

How:

1. Register for the event by adding your name and contact details in this wiki page (see “I want to attend BarCampManila” section)
2. On the day of the BarCamp, arrive early so you can register the topic you want to discuss
3. Meet, interact, and enjoy the camp with fellow geeks!

Can’t attend BarCampManila ?

Don’t fret, you can still follow us on Twitter, or watch our live stream at Ustream.tv

I want to help BarCampManila!

Please add your name, along with contact information if you would like to help organize or contribute in kind (food, drinks, etc.) to BarCampManila.

I want to attend BarCampManila!

Please add your name here if you would like to attend BarCampManila. We encourage you to add a link to your site so we know you better

1. Kenneth C. Demanawa
2. Jerome Gotangco – http://www.twitter.com/JeromeGotangco
3. Raymond Olavides
4. Joe Siao
5. Elmer Rivera
6. Dean Michael Berris
7. Glenn Gonzales
8. Jerry Rapes
9. Janette Toral
10. Brent Lipke
11. Paolo Dizon
12. Napoleon Esmundo C. Ramirez
13. Noel Feria
14. Luis Buenaventura
15. Brian Feliciano
16. Sherwin Daganato
17. Randy Nivales
18. JP Loh
19. Joel Disini
20. Bobby Andrew Javier
21. Giancarlo Angulo – http://www.onthe8spot.com
22. Your name here

Sponsors:

• Global Gateway Venture Capital (G2VC) – Venue
• Exist Global – Organization, Connectivity, Internet
• Morph Labs – Organization, Connectivity
• Yahoo! Philippines – TBA

Contact Information:

Jerome S. Gotangco
Email: jgotangco@me.com

Twitter: http://twitter.com/barcampmanila
Upcoming: http://upcoming.yahoo.com/event/1008217/

76-73 Ginebra Loses, Tries to force a game seven Sunday at the Araneta Center!