http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florentino_Floro http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Florentino_floro http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB118999288641229392-Kh8oBb4trD_IFGcOCcZsuCSTocI_20071016.html?mod=tff_main_tff_top In the Philippines, Ex-Judge ConsultsThree Wee Friends 
http://online.wsj.com/public/resources/images/HC-GK673_Floro__20070916172428.gifMr. Floro Loses His Job
But Becomes a Celebrity;
Using a Little Elfin Magic By JAMES HOOKWAY
September 17, 2007; Page A1
MANILA, Philippines -- As a trial-court judge, Florentino V. Floro Jr. acknowledged that he regularly sought the counsel of three elves only he could see. The Supreme Court deemed him unfit to serve and fired him last year.
Case closed? Not in the Philippines, where vampires are said to prey on unwary travelers and wealthy politicians consult fortune tellers and card readers. Mr. Floro, 54 years old, has become a media celebrity. He is now wielding his new clout to campaign for the return of his job -- and exact vengeance on the Supreme Court.
Helping him, he says, are his three invisible companions. "Angel" is the neutral force, he says. "Armand" is a benign influence. "Luis," whom Mr. Floro describes as the "king of kings," is an avenger.
Mr. Floro has become a regular on Philippine television. Often he is asked to make predictions with the help of his invisible friends. "They say your show will be taken off the air if you don't feature me more often," was Mr. Floro's reply to one interviewer.
The day after Mr. Floro's first appearance on television last year, hundreds of people turned up at his house in a dusty Manila suburb hoping he could use his supernatural powers to heal their illnesses. Now Mr. Floro, who travels by bus, is regularly recognized on the street.
The Supreme Court says its medical clinic determined that Mr. Floro was suffering from psychosis. Even so, a series of disturbing incidents appear to have the nation's top jurists rattled. According to local newspaper reports, a mysterious fire in January destroyed the Supreme Court's crest in its session hall, and a number of members of the court and their close family members have developed serious illnesses or have fallen victim to car accidents.
Enough bizarre things have happened that in July, the Supreme Court issued an en banc resolution asking Mr. Floro to desist in his threats of "ungodly reprisal." The Supreme Court's spokesman declined to elaborate.
Mr. Floro says he is not suffering from psychosis, and that he's not to blame for the incidents. He points the finger squarely at "king of kings" elf Luis, who Mr. Floro says is bent on cleaning up what he says is the Philippines' corrupt legal system.
Mr. Floro says he never consulted the invisible elves over judicial decisions and the fact that he puts faith in them should make no difference to his career. "It shouldn't matter what I believe in, whether it's Jesus, Muhammad, or Luis, Armand and Angel," he says in an interview.
The Philippines has a long history of mixing organized religion with a deep belief in the supernatural. During the 1950s and 1960s, when the Southeast Asian nation was already an independent republic, the Central Intelligence Agency stoked fears of vampires and ghouls to help its preferred candidates win elections.
The elf, or "duwende," is one of a rich pantheon of supernatural beings that predate the Philippines' colonization by Spanish conquistadors in the 16th century. Many Filipinos make pilgrimages to Mount Banahaw, just south of Manila, which is reputedly the country's capital for elves and other beings.
READ THE CASE
http://online.wsj.com/public/resources/documents/elf-floro-09172007.pdf• Read the Philippines Supreme Court decision dismissing Mr. Floro from the service.Jaime Licauco, who teaches parapsychology at San Beda College in Manila, testified on behalf of Mr. Floro in a 2001 hearing. He argued Mr. Floro is mentally fit and argues the former judge's beliefs aren't so unusual in the Philippine context.
Like many others in the Philippines, Mr. Floro says he himself is a Roman Catholic, and once studied to be a priest. He recalls that he wasn't convinced that serving the church was necessarily the best way to serve other Filipinos. He says he thought he could improve more people's lives if he became a lawyer, and he handily passed the bar exams.
Mr. Floro says he first realized he had the power to perceive Armand, Angel and Luis in 1986. In 1998, he applied to switch from being a lawyer to becoming a judge. He passed a mandatory psychiatric evaluation applied to all prospective judges and was sworn in as a regional trial-court judge in November of that year, handling both civil and criminal cases in Malabon, a district in greater Manila.
In 1999, Mr. Floro invited officials from the Supreme Court's administration unit to inspect his small courtroom. What they found unnerved them, and the Supreme Court convened a hearing to determine whether Mr. Floro should be removed from the bench.
According to Supreme Court papers, the court investigators presenting evidence at the hearing said they found Mr. Floro wearing blue robes instead of the normal black. Mr. Floro's own witnesses testified that he wore black on Fridays to "recharge his psychic powers."
The court investigators also reported that Mr. Floro began court proceedings with readings from the Book of Revelation and conducted hands-on psychic healing sessions for members of the public in his chambers during recesses. The investigators said Mr. Floro would sometimes enter a trance to write his rulings.
During the hearing, Mr. Floro revealed his contact with his elves. He also shared with the judges that Luis predicted that then-Philippine President Joseph Estrada would be ousted from office; Mr. Estrada was forced from power by a popular revolt two years later in 2001 and was sentenced last week to life in prison for corruption.
In March 2006, after lengthy delays, the Supreme Court finally dismissed Mr. Floro from the court service, largely because of his belief in the supernatural. Even though Mr. Floro says the elves played no part in his judicial decisions, the Supreme Court justices said his broad faith in mysticism and supernatural phenomena had affected his work. "Lest we be misconstrued, we do not denigrate such a belief system," Associate Justice Minita Chico-Nazario wrote in the Supreme Court's verdict. "However, such beliefs, especially since Judge Floro acted on them, are at odds with the critical and impartial thinking required of a judge under our judicial system."
Mr. Floro dissents. He has filed three appeals of the Supreme Court's decision since then and is continuing his campaign on local television and on the Internet. The Supreme Court hasn't reversed any of his decisions after suspending and later removing him from the bench.
Write to James Hookway at
[email protected]=============
http://acrossdifficultcountry.blogspot.com/2007/09/rarest-of-coconuts.htmlhttp://acrossdifficultcountry.blogspot.com/search?q=floro17 September 2007
The rarest of coconuts Across Difficult Country's legal counsel Judge Florentino Floro Jr. is in the news again, this time on the front page of the Wall Street Journal.
As readers surely remember, Judge Floro was declared psychotic and removed from the bench for being in psychic contact with three invisible “mystic dwarves” 1 named Armand, Luis and Angel. Angel, Judge Floro tells the Wall Street Journal, "is the neutral force", Armand "is a benign influence", and Luis,"whom Mr. Floro describes as the "king of kings," is an avenger."
Now the Supreme Court which fired him is persecuting him again, issuing an “en banc resolution asking Mr. Floro to desist in his threats of 'ungodly reprisal.'”
While not stating explicitly, the Court appears to be blaming Judge Floro for a series of unfortunate events, including a “mysterious” fire which “destroyed the Supreme Court's crest in its session hall”, and a string of accidents and illnesses numerous members of the court and their family members have recently suffered from.
It escapes me how Judge Floro could possibly cause these things to happen. It’s true the judge is a man of many talents, including the power to heal, but he’s not a warlock. To have the same people who declared the debonair Judge Floro mentally unstable merely because a few of his friends were invisible now essentially accuse him of casting spells on them is not only slanderous but also hypocrisy of the grossest sort.
The judge himself thinks the plague of misfortune is the handiwork of Luis. Given what we know about Luis that seems the most plausible explanation.
1The author of the WSJ article repeatedly refers to the beings, which Filipinos call dwendes, as elves. This is incorrect. For one thing elves don’t live in the tropics. For more, see one man’s story about his grandmother and the dwende, illustrated with a picture of naked ladies.
Posted by C. Van Carter on 17.9.07
http://www.legalreader.com/archives/003846.htmlFired Judge Blames Elf for Court Mishaps
The Philippines Supreme Court has asked a fired judge who claims he is assisted by three elves to stop making threats of “ungodly reprisal.”
The court kicked Florentino Floro Jr. off the bench largely because of his belief in the supernatural, the Wall Street Journal reports (sub. req.). A medical clinic determined that the judge was suffering from psychosis.
Since then Floro has battled to get his job back, appearing on TV and winning converts who seek his healing powers. At the same time, a series of unfortunate incidents have befallen the supreme court justices or their families, including serious illnesses and car accidents.
Floro says the person to blame for the mishaps is one of the elves, "Luis," a "king of kings" who is an avenger. He told the newspaper that the elves help him predict the future, but he has never consulted them when issuing judicial decisions.
http://city-of-dis.livejournal.com/477684.htmlMarc-Anthony Macon
When elves take the law into their own hands...Florentino V. Floro Jr. is was a trial judge in Manila, Philippines. Things were going fine for Florentino until he saw fit to inform the public that he has three tiny little friends - elves that only he can see and hear.
After being fired, Floro latched on to the gullibility of an already superstitious public, became a media celebrity and has now vowed to exact revenge on the Supreme Court, using the talents of his invisible buds:
"It shouldn't matter what I believe in, whether it's Jesus, Muhammad, or Luis, Armand and Angel"
Angel, Armand and Luis are the elves' names, in case you're interested. Floro calls Luis "the king of kings". Plenty of people are lining up and defending Floro, saying that his beliefs should be just as valid as those who pray to Jesus for help. I agree with that, but I think that I would go a bit further and say that if a judge talks to someone who isn't there, whether he has pointy ears or wears sandals, perhaps he's really more suited to be a weird, vengeful media personality than to help decide the fate of the accused.
Just sayin'.
M-A
http://www.abajournal.com/news/fired_judge_blames_elf_for_court_mishaps/Fired Judge Blames Elf for Court Mishaps
Posted Sep 17, 2007, 01:50 pm CDT
By Debra Cassens Weiss
The Philippines Supreme Court has asked a fired judge who claims he is assisted by three elves to stop making threats of “ungodly reprisal.”
The court kicked Florentino Floro Jr. off the bench largely because of his belief in the supernatural, the Wall Street Journal reports (sub. req.). A medical clinic determined that the judge was suffering from psychosis.
Since then Floro has battled to get his job back, appearing on TV and winning converts who seek his healing powers. At the same time, a series of unfortunate incidents have befallen the supreme court justices or their families, including serious illnesses and car accidents.
Floro says the person to blame for the mishaps is one of the elves, "Luis," a "king of kings" who is an avenger. He told the newspaper that the elves help him predict the future, but he has never consulted them when issuing judicial decisions.
The Supreme Court has not reversed any of Floro’s decisions since firing him.
http://www.newpersonalinjury.info/controversial/judge-blames-elves/Judge Blames ElvesFiled under:Controversial — posted by Tom on September 17, 2007 @ 10:22 pm
The Philippines Supreme Court who fired a judge for claiming he had elves who assisted him, has asked that judge to stop with the threats of “ungodly reprisal”.
Judge Florentino Floro Jr. was removed fromt he bench mostly because he believed in the supernatural. A clinic has diagnosed him with psychosis.
Floro is fighting to get his job back, he has been on television, and converts people who believe in his healing powers. Meanwhile, a string of tragic happening are occuring for the supreme court justices and their families… Things like serious illnesses and terrible car accidents.
Floro claims the one to blame is one of the elves, “Luis” a “king of kings” who is quite vengeful. Floro has said that the elves help him predict he future, but has never consulted with the elves on judicial matters.
The Supreme court has not reversed any of Floro’s decisions.
http://scienceblogs.com/denialism/2007/09/the_right_to_trialby_elves.phpThe Right to Trial...By ElvesCategory: Wasting your time
Posted on: September 17, 2007 2:23 PM, by Chris H
The Journal's James Hookway informs us that a trial court judge in Manila, Judge Floro, has an interesting set of consultants: three elves, only visible to the judge himself! Belief in this trio has caused the country's supreme court to intervene and fire the judge.
...Mr. Floro, 54 years old, has become a media celebrity. He is now wielding his new clout to campaign for the return of his job -- and exact vengeance on the Supreme Court.
Helping him, he says, are his three invisible companions. "Angel" is the neutral force, he says. "Armand" is a benign influence. "Luis," whom Mr. Floro describes as the "king of kings," is an avenger.
Mr. Floro has become a regular on Philippine television. Often he is asked to make predictions with the help of his invisible friends. "They say your show will be taken off the air if you don't feature me more often," was Mr. Floro's reply to one interviewer.
The full article is worth a read for a giggle; here's just a snippet:
Mr. Floro says he never consulted the invisible elves over judicial decisions and the fact that he puts faith in them should make no difference to his career. "It shouldn't matter what I believe in, whether it's Jesus, Muhammad, or Luis, Armand and Angel," he says in an interview.
http://tri-blog.livejournal.com/95005.htmlFired Philippine judge gets advice from "elves" Ugh. This news is disgusting. I'm originally Chinese from the Philippines. Knowing my relatives, I feel that the widespread religious (mainly Catholic) and superstitious views there are what help keep the Philippines backward, ignorant, poor, and corrupt. People from there (including my family) believe in all sorts of ridiculous crap. They are ignorant and cynical about science, but they pony up to faith healers and fortune tellers. The lack of critical thought hurts them big time.
In the Philippines, Ex-Judge Consults Three Wee Friends (Wall St. Journal): Mr. Floro Loses His Job But Becomes a Celebrity; Using a Little Elfin Magic
http://bradley.chattablogs.com/archives/060640.htmlThe Institute
Discussions For Da Fellas, 2-3 Times Per Week--postings by Anthony Bradley
September 17, 2007
Judge Confesses To Consulting Elves Fights To Get Job Back
http://bradley.chattablogs.com/elves.jpg(Snap, Crackle, Pop)
Gentlemen, this is a true story (from the Wall Street Journal)
MANILA, Philippines -- As a trial-court judge, Florentino V. Floro Jr. acknowledged that he regularly sought the counsel of three elves only he could see. The Supreme Court deemed him unfit to serve and fired him last year.
Case closed? Not in the Philippines, where vampires are said to prey on unwary travelers and wealthy politicians consult fortune tellers and card readers. Mr. Floro, 54 years old, has become a media celebrity. He is now wielding his new clout to campaign for the return of his job -- and exact vengeance on the Supreme Court.
Helping him, he says, are his three invisible companions. "Angel" is the neutral force, he says. "Armand" is a benign influence. "Luis," whom Mr. Floro describes as the "king of kings," is an avenger.
Aight, homies, elves. Fellas, elves???? Wow.
Three elves. What else is there to say? This guy may have some problems or maybe he really believes it. I dunno.
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http://www.rushmessageboard.com/cpmb/index.php?showtopic=2112&st=1300&start=1300http://www.sunstar.com.ph/forums/viewtopic.php?t=7888
