blackshama's commentary on Philippine issues

Then Russian President (now Prime Minister) Vladimir Putin ordered the Russian Special Forces to use a top secret nerve gas to resolve the Moscow October 2002 Nord Ost theatre hostage crisis. Thrity-nine Chechen Islamist separatists (some of them women with strapped on bombs on their bodies) took hostage more than 700 theatre goers and performers during act 2 of the hit musical "Nord Ost". The separatists demanded that Russia withdraw its armed forces from Chechnya, if not the separatists would start killing hostages. The Russian government sent in negotiators and even allowed the media to interview the chief hostage taker so that his demands will be known. However the media was not allowed to spin the story. The Russians jammed broadcast signals near the theatre. As the demands were unacceptable to the Russians and the separatists refused concessions as being allowed to fly to a third country, President Putin ordered the storming of the theatre at dawn of October 26. The ...

This time I agree with Justice Secretary Raul Gonzales. In his Business Mirror op ed piece , He says there is something fishy with recently retired Police Gen. Eliseo de la Paz carrying 100K Euros (valued at 6.9 M PhP) in his luggage. Russian customs prevented him from boarding his flight back to the Philippines. de la Paz attended an Interpol conference in Moscow. Sec. Gonzales says it is the first time he heard of a government official on government business carrying contingency funds on his person. There is something very fishy about this. Hasn't de la Paz heard of wire transfers or bank drafts to pay for hotel and other conference expenses? I am not big time in the government pecking order but when I am on government business representing the Republic, conference fees and hotel expenses are usually prepaid for through the necessary and authorized channels sometimes through our embassy. I never hold any cash save for the usual 300 USD for contingencies and taxi fare (which I ha...