Wednesday, July 02, 2008 Barrita: Legal storm By Eddie O. Barrita Small Bites
SULPICIO Lines, owner of the Princess of the Stars that sank at the height of Typhoon Frank filed a P4.45 million civil suit against Pag-asa for a “wrongful storm forecast.”
The ferry ran into the eye of the storm that changed course in gross disrespect of Pag-asa’s forecast.
So now, Pag-asa is in the eye of a legal storm it failed to forecast.
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If this case prospers, it would open the floodgates for more civil suits against our weather forecasters who will soon become
the envy of their colleagues in other nations.
Why?
With their numerous suits, they’ll be called the best-dressed weather forecasters in the world.
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Our weather forecasters will have their hands full tracking the country’s longitude and latitude and carefully noting down the coordinates of the different courtrooms.
Or they will all spend their time testifying in court, leaving no one to time the sunrises and sunsets and the tides or track typhoons.
No one would be making any “wrongful storm forecast” anymore.
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President Arroyo is helping Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago clinch a seat in the International Court of Justice and become the first Asian woman in the United Nation’s judicial organ.
If Sen. Miriam fails, she may run for president “to put terror in the hearts of my enemies.”
If she wins, she said her enemies will “heave a collective sigh of relief.”
“That’s my only regret,” the feisty lady senator said.
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The Supreme Court, in a unanimous decision, has dashed Sen. Antonio Trillanes’ dreams of attending Senate sessions.
So, electing to the Senate someone detained while facing trial for the non-bailable crime of coup d’etat won’t set him free.
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Filipino boxing champ Manny Pacquiao made history by becoming the first Asian to win major titles in four weight divisions after he floored in the ninth round WBC lightweight champion David Diaz.
But what’s amazing was that every time he climbs up the ring, the nation stands still, criminals lie low and even insurgents and government troops stop fighting.