Monday, September 10, 2007 (Philippines)

OUT FOR A WALK. Ousted president Joseph Estrada, under house arrest for six years for his plunder trial, is escorted to visit his ailing mother Sunday. On Wednesday, the Sandiganbayan is set to announce its verdict on Estrada’s landmark case. (AP Photo) LAPU-LAPU City “misappropriated” P3.4 million by allotting it for the repair and conversion of 50 Armalite rifles it does not own, the Commission on Audit (COA) said. The appropriation ordinance the City Council approved last year stated that the firearms, to be converted into M4 Carbines, were to be donated by the Police Regional Office (PRO) 7 to the city police force. But the donation has not taken place. “Hence, the taking up of the asset is without any basis whatsoever because the ownership over the said firearms is still retained by PNP Regional Office 7,” the COA said in its audit of Lapu-Lapu’s 2006 transactions. [full story]