Pinoy News Updates

California surfers waited in water for tsunami

2011-03-11T16:45:00.000-08:00

SANTA CRUZ, Calif. -- Some California surfers rode high water from a tsunami caused by the Japanese earthquake, while other beaches were closed.

In Santa Cruz, it was a typical good day for surfing before the water pulled out of Monterey Bay toward the Pacific Ocean when the tsunami hit.

Around 8:10 a.m., within seconds, the water dropped by about 9 feet as the harbor turned into a river as water was sucked out to sea.

Surfers who had been paddling on their boards were able to walk with them on the wet sand. Others stayed in water, despite warnings from lifeguards to come in.

A couple of boats broke loose and part of a dock was also pulled away during one of several surges, each of which took about 10 minutes.

Source: MiamiHerald

Washington Coast Tsunami Advisory still in effect at 3:30 p.m. Friday

2011-03-11T16:43:00.000-08:00

SOUTH BEND - The Pacific County Emergency Management Council is advising residents that the West Coast Alaska Tsunami Warning Center has downgraded the tsunami warning along the coasts of California and Oregon to an advisory, there is no change in the tsunami advisory along the Washington Coast.

The PCEMA Council is advising residents of Pacific County that the major threat of tsunami from the 8.9 magnitude earthquake in Japan earlier this morning has likely passed. More than eight hours have passed since the anticipated arrival of tsunami waves. The West Coast Alaska Tsunami Warning Center has maintained a tsunami advisory for the Washington Coast. Note there could be lingering effects from the earthquake in Japan and/or additional aftershocks capable of generating tsunamis. Residents are cautioned to stay off the ocean beaches until further notice.

The public is cautioned to remain alert and to pay attention to the news media and any future warnings and alerts. This notice will be updated as conditions change. Questions regarding this announcement and questions regarding this incident should be forwarded to the Pacific County Emergency Operations Center at 360-875-9341 or 642.9341.

Source: Chinookobserver

Tsunami Waves Hit U.S.—Some Damage in Hawaii, California

2011-03-11T16:38:00.000-08:00

In Japan the magnitude 8.9 earthquake struck at 2:46 p.m., local time, along a segment of the undersea Japan Trench northeast of Tokyo, where the Pacific Ocean seabed dives under the Eurasian tectonic plate.

It's the fifth largest earthquake to be recorded anywhere in the world since 1900, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. (Get tsunami facts.)

Hours after the earthquake in Japan, the first tsunami waves struck Hawaii, where peak heights of between 7 and 11 feet (2 and 3 meters) have been reported on Maui and the Big Island. One hotel near Kealakekua Bay on the Big Island reported water in its lobby, according to the Associated Press, but overall damage was minimal.

On the U.S. mainland, the tsunami had been predicted to hit the northern Oregon coast first, at approximately 7:15 a.m. Instead, the waves came in first along the state's southern shores, at about 7:48 a.m., according to television reports.

But that discrepancy is nothing to be ashamed of, geophysicist Seth Stein told National Geographic News. "These models are very good today. They're not perfect, but they're getting better."

Wave heights in Oregon were relatively small—appearing to be about 3 or 4 feet (90 and 120 centimeters) on TV broadcasts. And unlike in Natori, Japan (picture), the wave did not come in as a wall of breaking foam. Rather, the tsunami in Oregon was much like the tide coming in and out, again and again, every 10 to 15 minutes.

Farther down the U.S. West Coast, California suffered damages to docks and boats.

At the northern port of Crescent City, "the harbor has been destroyed," city councilman Rich Enea told the Times-Standard newspaper, which reported crushed city docks and as many as 35 ruined boats.

Overall, though, reports suggest the state escaped the tsunami largely unscathed.

(See tsunami pictures.)

Tsunami Shaped by Seafloor

Though generally relatively small in the U.S., wave heights from the tsunami varied a bit, said Stein, of Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois.

"What we're seeing is [the effect] of local seafloor topography. Some harbors will get big waves, and some will get small ones."

For example, many low-lying areas, which might otherwise seem vulnerable to flooding, are up rivers, which deflect and attenuate waves as they move inland—reducing the flooding, said Chris Goldfinger, director of the Active Tectonics and Seafloor Mapping Laboratory at Oregon State University.

By contrast, "other places have amplification by the local bathymetry. ... ," Goldfinger said via email.

On a broader scale, Northwestern's Stein added, "You have longer-range effects, like whether the wave gets focused by the bottom of the ocean" as it travels from Japan.

Authorities in Hawaii also noted that tsunami waves can bounce back and forth between the islands, prolonging the sloshing.

Trading One Earthquake Zone for Another

In a twist of fate, Oregon State's Goldfinger was at a seismology meeting in Chiba, Japan, listening to a talk about the 2004 Sumatran tsunami, when Friday's Japanese tsunami struck.

"We watched the tsunami come in live [on TV] in Sendai and Iwaki," he told National Geographic News by email. "Ships washing into town, amazing. Here in Chiba, you could literally feel the plates grinding."

But the big damage won't be from the grinding—it's the flooding that's most destructive, said Northwestern's Stein. "That was the case in Sumatra too, whereas the tsunami did enormous damage."

(Related: "Earthquake Fault Under Tokyo Closer Than Expected, Study Finds.")

Tsunami Is Wake-up Call for U.S. West

Friday's tsunami, scientists said, is another wake-up call to residents of the coastal Pacific Northwest, where the tectonics are very similar to those in the Japan Trench. (Video: Tsunami 101.)

“This is an earthquake of the same type, with about the same magnitude and proximity that we face here in the Pacific Northwest from the Cascadia Subduction Zone,” geologist Robert Yeats said in press statement.

“What you are seeing in Japan today is what you will also see in our future. Except they are better prepared than we are," added Yeats, of Oregon State University.

Northwestern's Stein agreed, telling National Geographic News, "At some point in the future, one will have to think about a similar scenario on the [Pacific] Northwest."

Source: National Geographic

Tsunami hits north-eastern Japan after massive quake

2011-03-11T01:16:00.000-08:00

Japanese television showed cars, ships and even buildings being swept away by a vast wall of water after the 8.9-magnitude earthquake.

The quake has sparked fires in several areas including Tokyo, and numerous casualties are feared.

It struck about 250 miles (400km) from the capital at a depth of 20 miles. There have been powerful aftershocks.

The tremor hit at 1446 local time (0546 GMT). Seismologists say it is one of the largest earthquakes to hit Japan for many years.

The tsunami warning was extended to the Philippines, Indonesia, Taiwan, the Pacific coast of Russia and Hawaii.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said the wave could extend as far as Chile.

Tsunami waves hit Japan's Miyagi and Fukushima prefectures, officials said.

Japan's NHK television showed a massive surge of debris-filled water sweeping away buildings, cars and ships and reaching far inland.

The earthquake also triggered a number of fires, including one at an oil refinery in Ichihara city in Chiba prefecture near Tokyo, engulfing storage tanks.

There were reports of about 20 people injured in Tokyo after the roof of a hall collapsed on to a graduation ceremony.

Residents and workers in Tokyo rushed out of apartment buildings and office blocks and gathered in parks and open spaces as aftershocks continued to hit.

Bullet train services to northern Japan were halted, rapid transit in Tokyo was suspended and some nuclear power plants automatically shut down.

Prime Minister Naoto Kan said there had been no radiation leaks.

In a televised address, he extended his sympathy to the victims of the disaster and said an emergency response headquarters had been set up.

He said the earthquake had a magnitude of 8.4 while the US Geological Survey said it measured 8.9.

Source: BBC.Com

JAPAN MARKETS-Nikkei futures slide, yen dips after big quake

2011-03-11T01:11:00.000-08:00

TOKYO, March 11 (Reuters) - Japanese stock futures plunged nearly 5 percent and the yen dipped on Friday after Japan was hit by a 8.9 magnitude earthquake that violently shook buildings in Tokyo and triggered a 10-metre tsunami.

The earthquake, which the U.S. Geological survey graded 8.9, took place shortly before regular trading on the Tokyo Stock Exchange ended, disrupting trade at the very end of the day.

While the Tokyo and Osaka exchanges was open as usual for after-hours trading in bond and stock futures, phone lines were down across Tokyo, making it difficult to trade.

Before the quake struck, the Nikkei was down more than 1 percent and JGBs got a boost from the slide in Wall Street shares on Thursday.

"The phone was not working so we couldn't trade. I was lucky enough to have a long position so I didn't have to do anything. But to be honest, I was busy making phone calls to my family and I don't remember when cash bonds stopped trading," said a fund manager at a U.S. asset management firm in Tokyo.

The Bank of Japan vowed to ensure financial market stability and liquidity.

Osaka Nikkei stock index futures dropped 4.7 percent to as low as 9,950, the lowest since December 2010, before last trading at 10,010. The cash Nikkei ended down 1.7 percent at 10,254.

Ten-year Japanese government bond futures edged up 0.16 point to 139.36 in after-hours trade after having surged 0.66 point during the regular session. The 10-year yield fell 3 basis points to 1.270 percent.

"The markets are taking it very badly, but I would wait for a clearer picture to assess how bad it is," said Tim Condon, chief economist for Asia at ING in Singapore.

"It is still too early days to tell whether there will be continued selling in the stock markets. The construction sector might get a big boost out of this."

The yen dropped to session lows near 83.30 to the dollar before recovering back to 82.95, down only slightly from just before the quake

Traders noted that the yen surged after the 1995 Kobe earthquake due to Japanese repatriation of foreign assets.

Nikkei futures traded in Singapore were at 10,005 after having plunged as far as 9,950. (Additional reporting by Saikat Chatterjee in Hong Kong; Writing by Kevin Plumberg)

Remember the 8 dead hostages, Aquino told

2010-10-12T02:28:00.001-07:00

MANILA, Philippines – Several lawmakers on Tuesday took a dig at President Benigno Aquino III for his “kid’s glove” treatment of top officials responsible for the August 23 hostage-taking fiasco, reminding him to remember that eight people, all Hong Kong tourists, were killed in the incident.

The President should just have adopted the recommendations of the Incident Investigation and Review Committee (IIRC) and allowed the courts or appropriate body to do what it must on the case of the officials, they said.

“Malacanang's kid’s-glove treatment of those responsible in the August 23 hostage rescue blunder is another black eye for the government. It is an insult to the victims and the Filipino people who were put to shame by the ineptitude and incompetence of an amateur administration,” Anakpawis Representative Rafael Mariano said.

Minority Leader and Albay Representative Edcel Lagman questioned the exclusion of Interior Undersecretary Rico Puno and former Philippine National Police chief Jesus Versoza from the charges, while lesser officials were held accountable by the President.

“The death of eight foreign tourists due to the irresponsible handling of the crisis situation makes it hard to justify the President’s action to exculpate everyone involved from criminal negligence,” he said.

Lagman also scored Malacanang for keeping the portion on “recommendations” and “conclusions on responsibility,” which he said made the President’s ultimate action suspect from the start.

He urged the House committees on public order and safety and on good government to begin at once their inquiry into the matter to allow Congress make its own independent assessment of the incident.

Bayan Muna partylist Representative Teodoro Casino said the President should have just heeded the recommendation of the IIRC, headed by Justice Secretary Leila de Lima.

“Unfortunately, the President prejudged the criminal liabilities of those involved when he should have just allowed the fiscal’s office to conduct preliminary investigations and determine probable cause, as recommended by the IIRC,” he said.

By assuming the fiscal’s role, Casino said Aquino “prematurely shielded his friends,” Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim and Puno, “from potentially heavier liabilities that should have been decided by the public prosecutor.

Zambales Representative Ma. Milagros Magsaysay said the President’s decision on the IIRC report was a “slap” on De Lima, who worked hard in coming up with a report.

“PNoy (President Aquino) is doing exactly the same accusation to GMA (former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo), which is coddling people in the official family who have done wrong or have been remiss in their duties,” she said.

Albay Representative Al Francis Bichara, chairman of the foreign relations committee, said the President should be prepared for the backlash for not heeding the decision of the IIRC.

“There will be a lot of reactions to that effect, that would be a slap on the face because he gave the commission the authority to investigate, and then he does not follow its recommendations. I’m sure there will be reactions to that and the President should be prepared for that, to justify whatever changes he introduced,” he said.

Asked if the changes that the President made on the IIRC report was acceptable to him, Bichara said, “They should have done the report themselves, instead of delegating it to the commission.”

The partylist Akbayan welcomed the filing of charges against several officials, but also expressed disappointment for absolving Puno and Versoza.

“We question a part of the recommendation that absolved two top officials despite the facts showing their imprudence and negligence over the incident. We hope that in the coming days the Office of the President will seriously reconsider some of these points,” the group said.

Deputy Speaker and Quezon Representative Lorenzo Tanada III said it remains a prerogative of the President to decide what to do with the IIRC report.

“I refer to the wisdom of the President, it’s his prerogative,” he said.

Quezon City Representative Winston Castelo said Aquino “exercised his presidential prerogative” in reviewing the IIRC report. “It’s not total rejection. The President considered substantially the IIRC findings whose mandate is only recommendatory,” Castelo said.

Kasangga partylist Representative Teodorico Haresco said Aquino did the right thing by not dragging everyone “into the entire mess.”

Haresco said the President should not be faulted for supporting Puno, saying he is in the best position to judge the people around him.

“Personally I cannot blame the President if he is sticking it out with Undersecretary Puno because he knows that at the end of the day, he can only count on his true and loyal friends who stuck it out with him through thick and thin. These proven loyalties are irreplaceable even at this time when everyone wants to be the president's friend,” he said.

Muntinlupa Representative Rodolfo Biazon said what happened was a lapse in judgment on the part of the officials in charge of the crisis situation.

What the government needs to do is “examine the allocation of responsibility and authority in handling crisis situations,” he added.

Source: Inquirer

Magdalo soldiers welcome amnesty

2010-10-12T02:25:00.000-07:00

MANILA, Philippines – The Magdalo group of soldiers involved in the 2003 Oakwood Mutiny on Tuesday welcomed President Benigno Aquino III's grant of amnesty to soldiers charged with involvement in various failed coup attempts during the Arroyo administration.

"With humility and gratitude, nagpapasalamat kami kay President Noynoy Aquino for signing the amnesty proclamation. Sana'y magbigay daan ito sa bagong yugto ng aming mga buhay (With humility and gratitude, we thank President Aquino for signing the amnesty proclamation. We hope this will give way to a new chapter in our lives)," Magdalo Group spokesman 1st Lieutenant Ashley Acedillo said.

He added that over 300 soldiers would benefit from the amnesty signed by the Commander in Chief. Despite the granting of the amnesty, Acedillo said that

Magdalo soldiers would not stop their fight against corruption within the military institution.

"We will continue to wage our fight against corruption and irregularities, but we will do this in government service or in our private capacities," Acedillo said.

He added that among those that are expected to benefit from the signing of the amesty are the Magdalo soldiers who were involved in the Oakwood Mutiny led by detained Senator Antonio Trillanes IV and the Manila Peninsula siege.

Likewise, soldiers who were involved in the Marines stand-off at Fort Bonifacio, led by Colonel Ariel Querubin, are also included in the amnesty.

Meanwhile, AFP spokesman Brigadier General Jose Mabanta Jr. said that though the Commander in Chief has signed the amnesty, Congress has to concur before any of the soldiers will be released.

In a separate interview, AFP deputy spokesman Major Enrico Ileto said that a total of 101 officers and 185 enlisted personnel were initially charged before the military court for their alleged involvement in the Oakwood mutiny.

Of the 185 EPs, one remains on absence without leave while the rest pleaded guilty to lesser offense and were subsequently sentenced with either demotion or forfeiture of pay and confinement. The 184 EPs have been restored to full-duty status, Ileto added.

Of the 101 officers, six are still facing charges, namely Senator Antonio Trillanes IV, Captain Nicanor Faeldon, 1st Lieutenant Warren Lee Dagupon, and 2nd Lieutenants Alquin Canson, Edwin Duetao and Junibert Tubo.

Charges against 11 others have been dropped for lack of sufficient evidence, while the remaining 84 pleaded guilty and were discharged from military service, Ileto said.

He added that in the Manila Peninsula siege in 2007, 12 officers and five enlisted personnel were charged in the military court but only two--Faeldon and Ret. Brigadier General Danilo Lim--remain on trial.

Likewise, nine out of the 29 officials initially tagged in the February 2006 Marines Standi-off remain facing charges, Ileto said.

Source: Inquirer

Solons deny inflating pork barrel

2010-10-10T00:14:00.000-07:00

MANILA, Philippines - Lawmakers denied they were able to wring from Malacanang a P50-million increase in their so-called pork barrel.

Several legislative districts will, in fact, be getting an equitable allocation of P50 million, they said.

Some representatives get P70 million annually in the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF), more than others.

Rep. Elpidio Barzaga (2nd District, Cavite) said most House members don’t have enough to cover for the needs of their respective districts.

He noted Reps. Danilo Ramon S. Fernandez (1st District, Laguna), Roman Romulo (Lone District, Pasig City) and Romero Quimbo (2nd District, Marikina City) even receive P5 million, P5 million and P1 million, respectively.

An equitable allocation was discussed during an all-member caucus on Friday afternoon.

The lawmakers, specifically the administration allies, allegedly threatened to delay the passing of the P1.64-trillion proposed budget for 2011 due to inequitable allotments in the PDAF. Thus, the Department of Budget and Management supposedly agreed to providing the congressional district an additional P50 million.

Rep. Janette L. Garin (1st District, Iloilo) agreed there was no discussion at all about increasing the PDAF allocations.

“The consensus was to allocate a minimum of P50-million per district, to be identified and implemented by the [Department of Public Works and Highways]. These include existing projects awaiting completion,” she added.

For his part, Rep. Cesar Sarmiento (Lone District, Catanduanes) explained the PDAF still remains at P70 million for some while the allocation for “those districts whose budget for road projects in the proposed GAA is lower than P50 million are increased to P50 million.”

“People would always put a bad connotation on the use of our so called pork barrel and demand for transparency on how it is spent. But what they do not know is that our constituents rely heavily on our allocations specially the soft projects. PDAF is not only focused on hard projects, it can be used in some other forms that would greatly benefit a lot of people in our districts,” Barzaga said.

He said the PDAF is also used for other projects such as school buildings, multi-purpose buildings, medical assistance, financial assistance for those who are in need, etc.

He stressed that lawmakers do not have any say on the release of the PDAF allocations.

A congressman is limited to identifying the priority projects in his district, he cited for example. The government agency where the PDAF budget was allocated will then get to implement the project, he explained.

Source: ABS-CBN news

Senators close down Lacson’s office

2010-10-10T00:12:00.000-07:00

MANILA, Philippines—Mounting pressure from the Commission on Audit (COA) has forced the Senate leadership to close the office of fugitive Sen. Panfilo Lacson.

Lacson’s colleagues arrived at the decision in an emergency caucus in the middle of their session last Wednesday, according to one senator, who asked not to be identified. “It was unanimous,” he told the Inquirer.

Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile gathered senators that afternoon after he learned that the COA was poised to question disbursements made by Lacson’s office without the fugitive lawmaker’s certification.

The COA apparently needed Lacson to personally certify expenses culled from budget items such as the maintenance and other operating expenses and capital outlay under his office.

Lacson fled the country early this year before the court could issue an arrest warrant against him in connection with the murder of publicist Salvador “Bubby” Dacer and his driver Emmanuel Corbito in 2000.

Lacson denied involvement in the killing and alleged that the previous administration of President Macapagal-Arroyo was out to persecute him. He is yet to return despite the change in leadership.

Sought for comment, Majority Leader Vicente Sotto III said there was “no politics involved” in the Senate’s decision to close Lacson’s office and withdraw its funding.

“This is nothing personal,” he said in a phone interview.

During the caucus, the Inquirer informant said one senator even suggested that the Senate “declare abandonment” in the case of the missing Lacson. But the majority prevailed with the sentiment that such a move would be “too harsh.”

“The best recourse was to stop his office and let the Senate secretariat absorb his employees—around 20 of them—so they won’t lose their jobs,” the source said.

The source said senators were also open to reopening Lacson’s office once he returns to the country to face the criminal charges against him.

Source: Inquirer

Nueva Ecija Town Vice Mayor Shot Dead

2010-10-10T00:07:00.000-07:00

Gunmen shot dead yesterday morning the incumbent vice mayor of a Nueva Ecija town, the latest of the spate of killings involving government officials in the country in this month alone.

Senior Supt. Agrimero Cruz Jr., spokesman of the Philippine National Police (PNP), said Licab, Nueva Ecija Vice Mayor Luisito Caraang died in a nearby hospital after sustaining at least two bullet wounds.

Caraang was reportedly jogging at the vicinity of Barangay San Casimiro at around 5 a.m. when motorcycle-riding gunmen shot him from behind.

Cruz said investigation is still being conducted to determine the motive and identify the perpetrators.

Senior Insp. Danilo Eduardo, Licab town’s chief of police, said they are looking at several angles in their investigation of the killing.

It was reported that the vice mayor had not mentioned receiving any death threat before he was gunned down.

Upon learning of the incident, Nueva Ecija provincial police director Senior Supt. Roberto Aliggayu ordered a police hot pursuit operation against the escaping suspects.

The lawmen also established checkpoints in the possible escape routes of the gunmen.

To hasten the investigation of the incident, Aliggayu organized a Special Investigation Task Group (SITG) “Caraang,” which composed of different police units in the province.

Caraang was the latest victim of assassinations in the country in the past days.

Last week, an election officer of Tuburan, Basilan was gunned down followed by a barangay captain in Sultan Kudarat.

On Monday, a judge was shot dead in Ilocos Sur while a municipal treasurer was killed in Ilocos Norte on the same day.

Another election officer was wounded along with two other companions when they were ambushed in Lanao del Norte.

The spate of killings prompted the PNP leadership to intensify the campaign against loose firearms, which are the ones used in killings, through the checkpoints being conducted over the implementation of the nationwide gun ban for the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections on Oct. 25.

Source: MB dot Com

Puno says Aquino asked him to stay

2010-10-06T00:03:00.000-07:00

MANILA, Philippines—President Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III has asked beleaguered Interior Undersecretary Rico Puno "to continue" despite being embroiled in two major controversies.

Puno was not only implicated for his alleged involvement in illegal numbers game jueteng but he may also be held liable for his handling of the bungled August 23 hostage-taking that left eight Hong Kong tourists and the hostage-taker, a dismissed police officer, dead.

To spare the President from these controversies, Puno had offered a courtesy resignation when Aquino was in the United States.

Asked if he had pursued it to the President, Puno said, "I was about to pero sinabihan ako ng Presidente to continue e (but I was told by the President to continue)."

"Hindi na nga ako nakapagsabi sa kanya e (In fact, I was not able to tell that to him)," he said when pressed by reporters after testifying at the Senate on the jueteng controversy.

Puno refused to comment, however, on the reported statement of the President that cases would be filed against him for the botched hostage rescue.

"Hindi ko pa nababasa. Wala pa namang nilalabas eh (I haven’t read it. There is no order yet)," he said, "I have to see it first, my lawyers have to see the final report."

Source: Inquirer

Aquino seeks dialogue with Catholic bishops

2010-10-03T21:12:00.000-07:00

MANILA, Philippines - President Aquino is seeking a dialogue with Catholic bishops and other religious leaders on the Reproductive Health (RH) bill even as he stands firm on his position that Filipino couples must be free to choose the way to manage their families but must exercise responsible parenthood.

“The state has an obligation to educate all of its citizens as to their choices. The state was not empowered by any law to dictate upon any couple how they should plan their family,” Mr. Aquino told reporters in an ambush interview at the President Corazon C. Aquino High School in Baseco, Tondo where he distributed Philippine Health Insurance cards to residents.

Many Catholic bishops have criticized the decision of the government to distribute contraceptives and educate couples both on artificial and natural birth control methods.

Some Muslim religious leaders have also voiced opposition to a state-sanctioned family planning program stipulated in the RH bill. The issue came to a head when some influential bishops even threatened to call for civil disobedience to compel the President to soften his stand.

Mr. Aquino said that while he has not yet closely examined the new RH bill, “my stand has not changed” since the campaign.

But he said his and the bishops’ opposing views on family planning might only have been blown out of proportion. He disclosed he had met with a few bishops for a dialogue and would set another one with as many of them as possible.

“This issue is really inflammatory. But I suppose that if we are really looking for order and a so-called consensus by having the respective positions clarified, why shouldn’t we achieve that?” he said.

Mr. Aquino said that when he was still a lawmaker and also during the campaign, he had batted for changes in some of the provisions of the RH bill. He also stressed he was against abortion.

The Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) said that while Mr. Aquino’s stand on the issue had angered some prelates, it had not given up on dialogue as a means to resolve the issue.

Mr. Aquino said the details of the proposed dialogue with the bishops were still being worked out.

Bill’s prospect bright

Despite the Catholic Church’s stand, House Minority Leader Edcel Lagman said he expects the RH bill to finally breeze through both chambers of Congress, considering the strong support it enjoys from Mr. Aquino and the House leadership.

“The support of President Aquino and Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. ensures the early passage of the RH bill,” Lagman told reporters during the weekly Kapihan sa Sulo Hotel forum in Quezon City.

Lagman is the principal author of the re-filed version of House Bill 96 also known as the “Reproductive Health and Population Development Act of 2010.”

The House minority leader said Mr. Aquino’s firm stand on the RH bill would be one of the issues that they would consider in assessing his first 100 days in office.

“It (RH bill support) will mitigate the initial setback of the Aquino administration,” he said.

Lagman also appealed to the Catholic Church to focus on saving souls and leave the task of saving the lives of women and children in the country to the government.

He said that when the first version of the RH bill was filed in the 11th Congress in 1999, the population of the Philippines was only 75 million. The Philippines is now the 12th most populous country in the world with a population of 94.3 million. He said that in a decade, the country’s annual population growth has averaged two million.

“It must be underscored, however, that reproductive health goes beyond a demographic target because it is principally about the right to health and sustainable human development,” Lagman said.

He said the bill’s beneficiaries are the poorest of the poor, particularly women.

“The heart of the bill is freedom of informed choice. Neither the state nor the Church has the authority to compel the people or the faithful what family planning method to adopt. The choice belongs to parents, couples, particularly to women who have the inherent right over the their bodies,” Lagman said.

Condoms or incentives

Instead of giving condoms and contraceptives to married couples, why not give them incentives to plan small families?

Eastern Samar Rep. Ben Evardone made the suggestion yesterday to “reframe” the acrimonious debate on reproductive health and population control.

He said instead of enacting a law on population management and angering the Catholic Church, Congress could give incentives to parents with no more than four children.

“These could be in the form of an income tax discount or free education in a state college or university for some or all of the children,” he said.

“We could come up with a menu of other offers that could encourage couples to have small families. Anchoring an acceptable or middle-ground policy on population control based on incentives may not entirely please the bishops, but it is a good starting point, a fresh approach,” he said.

Earlier, Davao City Rep. Karlo Nograles said there is no need for a law on reproductive health to control the country’s population.

“Why do we have to legislate population management when in fact, even without it, our people have always been free to do what they think is best for their family? I think it’s best that we just leave it that way and let our people choose what they want,” he said.

“It’s not illegal to use condom so why waste time and people’s money just to make a law that encourages the use of condom? It doesn’t make sense,” he said.

He said such a law, if enacted, would only enrich manufacturers of condom and other contraceptives.

Nograles lamented that the reproductive health issue has unnecessarily involved not only Congress but the entire nation as well.

He called discussions in the House of Representatives on the RH bill a waste of time.

He said Belmonte himself, even if he is for reproductive health, is not sure about the result of any vote on the RH bill.

“He promised to have it discussed extensively and voted on, but that he would leave the matter to everyone’s conscience,” he added.

He warned RH bill proponents not to underestimate the power and influence of the Catholic Church in lobbying against the measure.

He noted that even though the majority of House members supported the bill in the last Congress, many of them wilted under pressure from Church leaders and Church-based organizations.

Nograles’ father, former Speaker Prospero Nograles, had tried but inexplicably failed to have the RH bill debated in the plenary.

In September last year, he even wrote a confidential memo to House leaders setting a timetable for plenary discussions and voting.

In the final debate, only three speakers on each side would be allowed, and then the voting. Nograles’ plan did not materialize.

Miriam’s appeal

Meanwhile, Sen. Miriam Santiago has appealed to CBCP president Bishop Nereo Odchimar to “discard excommunication as a response to reproductive health bills pending in Congress.”

“If I were to be excommunicated, I would be expelled from the Church, more particularly from the Eucharist. I would thus be placed in the same category as those guilty of so-called serious sins, such as apostasy, murder, heresy, and adultery,” Santiago said in a letter to Odchimar dated Oct.1.

Earlier, Odchimar was quoted in news reports as having threatened Mr. Aquino with excommunication for his “pro-choice” stand. The CBCP later clarified that it has never issued such a threat.

“I plead that I am not guilty of mortal sin, defined in our Church as a fundamental rejection of God, and the reorientation of one’s whole life away from all that is good and just. On the contrary, I am a strong advocate of social justice, particularly the anticorruption crusade,” Santiago said.

“May I respectfully submit that the penalty of excommunication for pro-RH (reproductive health) legislators, who are merely exercising the preferential option for the poor under liberation theology, would be too extreme and disproportionate. It will raise constitutional issues about church-state relationship,” she added.

She also said that she is “humbly but morally convinced that the arguments for contraception are superior.”

Source: PhilSTAR

US army mulls charges over brutal Afghan killings

2010-09-28T01:21:00.000-07:00

JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Washington (AFP) - – A US soldier who allegedly killed three Afghan civilians for fun was "not a monster" but a drug-addled victim naive about what he was saying, his lawyer has said.

The defense came as US army chiefs heard pre-trial testimony about the killings, which could prove an explosive case for the US military.

But the first day of hearings, which focused on Specialist Jeremy Morlock, one of a group of accused soldiers, stalled amid a decision by several witnesses and three of the accused to invoke their right to remain silent.

Authorities say five of the 12 troops on trial opened fire on Afghan civilians in unprovoked assaults over several months in southern Kandahar province, with the rest accused of dismembering bodies and removing bones.

Monday's hearing, opened by investigation leader Colonel Thomas Molloy, focused on Morlock of Wasilla, Alaska.

The 22-year-old, who appeared in court with bags under his eyes but looking younger than his years, faces charges of premeditated murder over the deaths of three Afghans killed between January and May this year.

Morlock is one of five soldiers charged with murder in the case; seven others are accused of trying to block the investigation. They also facing charges of using hashish and severely beating a comrade who blew the whistle.

In a potential wrinkle for the case, prosecutors said Monday that more than 10 key witnesses -- three of them accused soldiers -- had decided to invoke their right to refuse to testify.

As a result, Monday's session focused on testimony from officers who led the investigation last May and interrogated Morlock.

Special Agent Shannon Richey, testifying by telephone from Afghanistan, said Morlock admitted during questioning that he participated in several situations in which civilians were killed.

But Morlock's lawyer Michael Waddington argued that his young client was on medication during the questioning.

"Instead of treating him (Jeremy Morlock), they doped him up," he told reporters.

He said Morlock began taking the medication in November 2009.

"The prescription drugs were provided by the army. So he was under the influence of drugs throughout the whole story, until the day he got back here.

"He's a good kid, he's a young man, he's very impressionable, he's naive, he comes from a small town in Alaska, he is suggestible.

"He's not a monster, he's not a sociopath, he's not a psychopath."

The soldiers were deployed with Bravo Company, 2nd Battalion, 1st Infantry Regiment, from the 2nd Infantry Division's Stryker brigade, at Forward Operating Base Ramrod.

The military hearing at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, south of Tacoma in Washington state, will determine if there is enough evidence to proceed to trial, with more hearings due in coming weeks for the other soldiers.

The case could have explosive ramifications for the war effort as US-led forces try to win over local Afghans and counter Taliban insurgents in the pivotal Kandahar battlefield.

The charge sheets include macabre allegations of dismembering corpses, though authorities have not specified if the bones they say some men took were from the bodies of slain civilians.

US officials acknowledge they are concerned about the fallout from the case, which threatens to undermine efforts by the American military to secure the confidence of wary Afghans.

Pentagon press secretary Geoff Morrell said earlier this month that the charges represented "an aberration" for an American force of nearly 100,000 in Afghanistan.

Source: Yahoo! News

Medvedev ends embattled Moscow mayor's 18 year rule

2010-09-28T01:17:00.001-07:00

MOSCOW (AFP) President Dmitry Medvedev on Tuesday fired Moscow's strongman mayor Yury Luzhkov, ending a controversial 18 year rule that saw the Russian capital boom but also attracted bitter criticism.

The firing of Luzhkov, one of Medvedev's boldest moves since coming to power in 2008, came after the mayor was lambasted by the Kremlin for his aloof handling of the wildfire crisis over the summer that blanketed Moscow in smog.

A decree, published on the Kremlin web site, ordered Luzhkov, 74, to be "dismissed from the position of Moscow mayor because he has lost the confidence of the Russian president."

The decree, which comes into force immediately and was published while Medvedev is on an official visit to China, appointed Luzhkov's deputy, Vladimir Resin, as acting mayor.

In a snub, Medvedev's spokeswoman Natalya Timakova said Tuesday that the president had no plans to meet Luzhkov. The Russian president has the power to fire the mayor of Moscow and all the other leaders of Russia's regions.

"There are two ways that a regional leader can leave his post before his term ends. He can leave voluntarily by announcing his resignation or with a harsher wording of loss of confidence," Timakova said.

"The mayor returned from holiday yesterday. Today the president signed a decree. You can draw your own conclusions from that," Timakova told reporters in Shanghai.

The Kremlin publicly criticised Luzhkov's decision to take a holiday during the August smog that engulfed the capital, and the mayor was targeted in a series of mud-raking documentaries shown on Russian television this month.

The mayor has long been dogged by corruption allegations over the business activities of his wife, construction billionaire Yelena Baturina, and has also been criticised by conservationists for destroying Moscow's historic centre.

Luzhkov's city hall controlled a vast budget of 32 billion dollars in 2009 as well as a property empire.

His dismissal came as the Kremlin seeks to freshen up the ranks of regional leaders, recently accepting the dismissals of a number of long-serving regional governors, who since 2005 have been appointed by the president.

Luzhkov on Monday had said in televised comments that he would not stand down as mayor voluntarily.

Luzhkov was appointed mayor by President Boris Yeltsin in 1992 and became popular with Muscovites for his beautification projects, which included rebuilding the Church of Christ the Saviour, blown up by the Bolsheviks.

He comfortably won mayoral elections before the post became a presidential appointment in 2005.

But the mayor also became a bete noire for the liberal opposition, sending in riot police to put down even small anti-government rallies and also notoriously describing gay rights rallies as satanic.

It remains to be seen how the move will be viewed by Medvedev's predecessor in the Kremlin and strongman Prime Minister Vladimir Putin who has been noticeably more restrained in his attitude to the Moscow mayor.

Luzhkov became Moscow mayor in 1992 at a time when Putin was still an obscure provincial official in Saint Petersburg and a complete unknown nationwide.

Source: Yahoo News

Aquino enjoyed meeting Filipinos, eating comfort food in US

2010-09-28T01:14:00.000-07:00

President Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III's schedule in the United States was so packed that at one point he reportedly had 13 meetings in a day, but there were a few bright spots in his action-packed working visit.

Among them? American comfort food.

In a one-on-one interview with GMA News' Sandra Aguinaldo before he departed for Manila, Aquino said among the enjoyable parts of his week-long working visit was his interaction with the Filipino communities and American comfort food.

"It was 11 years ago since I last visited America... siyempre yung comfort food nasubukan ko ulit dito sihotdog, si hamburger, tsaka si pizza," he said.

Aquino and some other officials ate In-N-Out burgers at the holding area of the San Francisco International Airport upon their arrival in the US last week.

He had pizza a few times throughout the visit, and caused quite a stir on the streets of New York when he and his entourage had hotdog sandwiches from a corner stand.

Aquino and his delegation heard Mass at the Basilica Parish Church of Mission Dolores in San Francisco California Monday morning (Manila time) where he was joined by members of Filipino communities from Alaska, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Northern Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington State and Wyoming, according to the government's Official Gazette.

In his address after the Mass, Aquino told the Filipino communities that the government was able to secure billions of dollars' worth of investments for the Philippines.

"We came here to generate support from foreign leaders and entice investments, to create jobs for our people and to improve the business climate in the home country. We traveled here to carry forward every Filipino’s dream for a prosperous nation. And I am happy to share with you the news that we are returning home with very substantial commitments," said the president.

Aquino also met with the Filipino community in San Francisco.

The day before, Aquino attended a roundtable discussion with Filipino-American scientists and engineers and trustees of the Philippine Development Foundation USA. He also attended the Philippine Development Forum Gala to "honor outstanding achievers in the fields of Science and Engineering Education, and to celebrate Filipino-American talent," according to the Official Gazette.

Aquino and some members of his delegation arrived in Manila around 3:30 a.m. Tuesday. Aquino said in his arrival statement that more than 43,000 jobs for Filipinos will be generated in the next three years owing to the $2.4 billion in investment deals he and his delegation secured in the US. The Philippines was also granted $434 million by the Millennium Challenge Corporation for social welfare programs.

Source: GMA News

Philippines police kill 3 Islamist militants in south

2010-09-05T05:07:00.000-07:00

Another shame to Filipinos! I am not proud to be a Filipino for all of these, beginning with the hostage crisis last Aug 23, 2010. I am not sure if I will be leaving this country soon to escape from this shameful deeds of our Goverment.

I found this article in Google Search.

- Starts here! -

(Reuters) - Philippine police commandos killed three Islamist militants, including the brother of a top Muslim rebel leader, during a raid on a remote southern island, the head of national police said on Sunday.

Jesus Verzosa said police commandos stormed before dawn on Sunday the jungle lairs of al Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf militants near Maimbung town on Jolo island, where Malaysian bomb-maker Zulkifli bin Hir, alias Marwan, was believed hiding.

"Our boys killed three Islamist militants during the raid, but, we're not sure whether the Malaysian Jemaah Islamiah (JI) leader was in the area during the assault," Verzosa said, adding guns, munitions and important papers were seized in the hideout.

"I have placed all our forces in the south under full alert because we're anticipating retaliations from the local rebels. We're hardening the soft targets in the south."

The brother of Abu Sayyaf leader Gumbahali Jumdail, alias Abu Pula, was among those killed in the attack, Verzosa said. Jumdail and Marwan are among top Islamist militants in Southeast Asia wanted by the U.S. State Department.

The 300-member Abu Sayyaf group has been blamed for bombings, kidnappings and beheadings in the troubled south of the mainly Catholic state. Since 2002, U.S. troops have been helping train and advise Filipino troops fight Islamist militants in the south.

Source: Reuters

Outgoing PNP chief takes responsibility for hostage tragedy

2010-09-05T05:04:00.000-07:00

Outgoing Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Director General Jesus Verzosa on Sunday took full responsibility for the bungled attempt to rescue the mostly Hong Kong nationals held hostage by a disgruntled former policeman in Manila last August 23.

He, however, maintained that the hostage tragedy, which left eight hostages dead and has caused tension between the Philippines and China, has nothing to do with his decision to seek an early retirement from the police force.

“My decision to render an early retirement has been announced more than a month ago. More than ever, it is imperative to take responsibility especially with regards to what has transpired in the past week," Verzosa said in a statement.

“In this regard, as chief of the National Police, I take responsibility and accountability of all the PNP units and all police personnel in everything they do and failed to do," he added.

Verzosa, who was supposed to retire on December 25, will step down on Sept. 15.

With Aquino's blessing

Malacañang, on the other hand, confirmed Verzosa’s claim that he sought early retirement even before former Senior Inspector Rolando Mendoza, who was dismissed from the PNP over a robbery-extortion case, hijacked a busload of tourists in Manila’s Rizal Park. Mendoza, who was demanding his reinstatement, was killed at the conclusion of the 11-hour hostage drama.

“Matagal nang ipinahiwatig ni General Verzosa ang kagustuhan nito kay Pangulong Aquino. Noon pang pagpasok ng administrasyon ng ating Pangulo. At ito ay tinanggap ng Pangulo at iyan ang dahilan kung bakit ipapatupad ang kanyang kagustuhan hinggil sa early retirement," said Presidential Communication Operations Office head Herminio Coloma in an interview by Radyo ng Bayan on Sunday.

(General Verzosa informed President Aquino about his plan for early retirement during the start of the new administration, and the President accepted it. What will happen now is just the manifestation of that plan.)

Aside from Verzosa, other members of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) class of 1976 also sought for early retirement, Coloma said. These were PNP director for personnel and records management Abner Cabalquinto and PNP director for logistics Luizo Ticman, who are both set to retire in October.

Coloma said Verzosa told President Aquino early in his administration about his and his other classmates’ plan to seek early retirement to give the other PMA graduates in the PNP a chance to be promoted and head the police organization.

“Nililinaw natin, ito at matagal nang napagkasunduan bago pa man nagkaroon ng hostage crisis noong nakaraang lingo (So to clarify everything, Verzosa’s decision to seek early retirement has been agreed upon long before last week’s hostage crisis)," Coloma said.

No replacement yet

Coloma said President Aquino would name Verzosa’s successor soon.

“Iyun po ay ihahayag ng ating Pangulo sa takdang panahon. Hintayin na lang po natin ang paglalahad ng ating Pangulo (The President will name Verzosa’s successor at the right time. For the meantime, let’s just wait for our President’s announcement)," he said.

Among those vying for the post are Deputy Director General Raul Bacalzo, deputy director general for administration Perfecto Palad, and directorial staff head Benjamin Belarmini.

Moving on

Verzosa, in his statement, said the PNP will now undergo “a time of transition" and asked the public for support and cooperation.

“The PNP will now undergo a time of transition. The support and cooperation of every sector most especially the public is needed. It is now time to move forward and start anew," he said.

He assured the public that the PNP is “exercising all means in order to attain the effective resolution" of the hostage tragedy.

Source: GMA

Manila hostage crisis fans scathing Chinese sentiments

2010-08-26T02:52:00.000-07:00

MANILA, Philippines - Filipinos remain on the receiving end of criticism following the hostage incident at the Quirino Grandstand, which made headlines across the globe.

Filipino-Chinese Teresita Ang-See, chairwoman of the People's Law Enforcement Board, said several people expressed outrage and scathing remarks over Monday's tragedy that killed 8 Hong Kong nationals, referring to pages of reactions from the Chinese community.

"In the Takong Pao, a Hong Kong newspaper, invectives were being thrown at the way the crisis was handled," Ang-See said in an interview at ANC's The Rundown on Wednesday.

According to Ang-See, some of them particularly noted that the Philippine government didn't give enough importance to the tragedy.

Some members of the Chinese community, for one, wanted to see the resignation of high-level officials as done by their government at the height of the melamine scare.

"I had to tell them, it's not how we do things, we're a democracy. We go through due process before we pinpoint," she explained. Hong Kong has already called for an independent investigation of the incident.

She may have defended our government, but Ang-See stressed that the Aquino administration should still issue an apology to Hong Kong and own up to the "indefensible accident."

"They (government) should stop being defensive because it is indefensible. They should just apologize, admit that everything that should not have been done was done," she said.

Ang-See also scored the media coverage during the hostage-taking. "Part of it is the media's fault. Your job should not come above the lives of the victims," she said.

She continued, "As far as I know, after the Jun Ducat incident, Melinda Quintos-De Jesus had come up with that protocol on how media should deal with the hostage crisis. Ninety-percent of that protocol went down the drain (this time). Nobody paid attention to it."

A call for sobriety

Despite the anger and frustration, Ang-See noted that many Hong Kong nationals and Filipino-Chinese accept and sympathize with the Philippines.

"Most Filipino-Chinese will stand behind the government and Filipinos on this issue," she said.

Several faults may have been made, and lives were lost, but now's not the time to point fingers at others, Ang-See stressed. She made the statement as she asked the Chinese community "not to add racism to an existing problem."

Instead of saying hurtful words, Ang-See said it would be better if we all help the Philippines stand up from this tragedy.

"We are sad and enraged that this happened, but this is an isolated case and we should help the Philippine government move on and recover from this," she explained.

Source: ABS-CBN

9th Hostage Released From Tourist Bus

2010-08-23T02:36:00.000-07:00

MANILA, Philippines (9th UPDATE) - A lone hostage-taker has released 9 of 25 hostages on board a hijacked tourist bus in front of the Quirino Grandstand in Rizal Park, Manila on Monday.

Police said dismissed police officer Rolando del Rosario Mendoza released photographer Danilo Medril, 65, at 4:26 p.m.

Director Leocadio Santiago, National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) chief, said police are still negotiating with Mendoza after he demanded that he be reinstated to the service after being dismissed due to an extortion complaint.

"As of now, we are explaining that there are avenues that he can avail of so that his grievances can be acted on. He agreed to that and he is waiting for some results on our actions," he told ANC.

"Right now, we are just showing that as a former police officer, there is a process that we should follow and that everything that we can do we are doing now to resolve the situation without bloodshed," he added.

The hostage-taker has demanded food for the hostages and gasoline to keep the bus running, both of which have been provided by police. A demand for a media interview has yet to be agreed on.

Mendoza boarded the Hong Thai Travel bus, with 22 Chinese nationals from Hong Kong (not South Koreans as earlier reported) and 3 Filipinos, at Fort Santiago in the city of Manila at around 9 a.m.

Police said Mendoza is sporting a long firearm, possibly an M-16 rifle, inside the bus. At least two police officers, Superintendent Orlando Yebra Jr. and Chief Inspector Romeo Salvador, are negotiating with the hostage-taker.

None of the hostages has been hurt, authorities said.

Mendoza released 2 of the Chinese hostages Monday morning after they asked to go to the bathroom. At noon, the hostage-taker released 4 more foreigners--3 children and their guardian. An elderly male hostage was also freed at 1:27 p.m., followed by another male hostage at 2:35 p.m.

Aside from Nebril, the released hostages are Li Fung Kwan, Tsang Yee Lai, 4-year-old Fu Chung Yin, 10-year-old Fu Chak Yin, 11-year-old Wong Ching Yat Jason, 73-year-old Li Yick Biu, Rigor Cruz and one unnamed Filipino.

Authorities said Mendoza, a former senior police inspector assigned to the Manila Police District, was dismissed from the service in 2009 due to an extortion incident 2 years ago.

Complainant Christian Kalaw said Mendoza and 4 other police officers accused him of illegal use of drugs and forced him to swallow shabu inside his car in Manila last April 9, 2008.

The complainant later filed charges of robbery, robbery-extortion, grave threats and physical injuries against the 5, which led to their dismissal following a recommendation from the Office of the Ombudsman.

Mendoza hijacked the tourist bus to force authorities to fast-track a review of his administrative case. He also wants to be reinstated to the service and all benefits and privileges restored, police said.

Sacked due to 'command responsibility'

Relatives of the hostage-taker, meanwhile, said they were surprised by Mendoza's actions.

His brother, Senior Police Officer 2 Gregorio Mendoza of the MPD Traffic Investigation Unit, said Rolando was not involved in the extortion case but was sacked because of command responsibility.

He said the dismissed police officer was disgruntled because his case was not being reviewed quickly enough. He said his brother contemplated filing an impeachment complaint against Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez for recommending his dismissal last January.

He said his brother was just about to reach retirement age after 31 years in the police force.

"Ang problema lang niya ay yung pagtanggal sa kanya ng PNP na ang katwiran niya ay walang hustisya ang pagtanggal. Naka-receive siya ng order this year. He was removed by the Ombudsman without due process, no hearing, no complainant," he told ANC.

Mendoza tried to approach the bus past noon Monday but was stopped by police. He later appealed to the police to let him speak to his brother.

It was learned that the hostage-taker is a former recipient of the 1986 Ten Outstanding Policemen of the Philippines (TOPP) of the Jaycees International.

An ANC report said the hostage-taker has 3 children including a seaman, a police officer and a daughter who had just graduated cum laude from college.

"The family is not really lacking in resources because the children are all professionals. They are not exactly cash-strapped," a report by ABS-CBN correspondent Atom Araullo said.

Mendoza's father, Leonardo, said he had no inkling that his son would conduct a hostage situation. He said he was also hurt by allegations that his son was involved in robbery and extortion activities.

He also appealed to President Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III to give his son a chance to air his side. "Kung maaari ay yung tama ay pairalin. (Kay Noynoy ) Unawain ni Presidente kung ano ang kaso ng anak ko at kung paano siya nagkaganun," he said.

A statement from Malacañang Palace, meanwhile, said President Benigno Aquino III has been informed of the hostage situation. "The Palace is asking the hostage-taker to honor and respect the lives of the hostages," the statement read.

The hostage-incident recalled the 2007 hostage-taking involving 26 children on board a tourist bus at the Manila City Hall, which is near Rizal Park. The hostage-taker, engineer Armando "Jun" Ducat, demanded scholarships for students of his day care center in Tondo.

Ducat surrendered to police after a 10-hour standoff.

Source: ABS-CBN

Bus crash in Philippines kills 40; 10 Survive

2010-08-18T03:47:00.000-07:00

MANILA, Philippines — A packed passenger bus negotiating a downhill curve plunged off a Philippine mountain highway into a 100-foot (30-meter) ravine Wednesday, killing 40 people, police said.

Ten people, including a 10-year-old boy, survived and nine were taken to hospitals, said police chief Wilben Mayor of Benguet province north of Manila.

Mayor said most of the victims were pinned to death while others were thrown out as the bus tumbled down.

He said 39 bodies were recovered from the twisted wreckage. Emergency workers were trying to extricate another body that remained pinned near the bus engine more than six hours later, he said.

The victims’ remains, including a toddler’s, were put in body bags on the highway.

The bus zoomed between a tree and a house and plunged into the ravine, Mayor said. The driver, who survived with a broken leg, would be investigated, he said.

Conductor John Patrick Flores told The Associated Press by telephone that the brakes on the bus failed as the driver was negotiating a downhill curve.

He said the driver was aiming to hit a lamppost to stop the bus from falling but missed and it jumped over a foot (30 centimeters) -high road barrier.

“I jumped off the bus to the side of the road before the bus plunged into the ravine,” Flores said. He suffered only minor bruises.

He said he was the first person to reach the bus and carried the 10-year-old boy with a broken leg up the ravine. Local residents helped rescue other passengers, six of whom were brought to hospital in Baguio.

The bus was carrying about 50 people from the northern mountain city of Baguio when it crashed in Sablan township, about eight miles (12 kilometers) away.

Flores said the bus was not speeding as it had just dropped off a passenger and picked up another a short distance away from where the vehicle plunged.

Accidents in the area are common because of poorly maintained vehicles. The weather was fine and the highway is in good condition.

Last month, 15 people died when their bus slammed into a concrete barrier in the central Philippines. A month earlier, a bus rented by Iranian medical students fell into a ravine near central Cebu city, killing 21 people.

Source: Oakland Press

Aquino defends controversial EOs

2010-08-16T04:36:00.000-07:00

President Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III on Monday stood by his controversial executive orders whose constitutionality are being questioned before the Supreme Court.

In an ambush interview in Malacañang, Aquino said his first three executive orders were necessary to correct "errors" in the previous administration of former President-now-Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, whom Aquino is critial of.

"The fundamental principle is this, we are trying to correct our society, we’re trying to correct errors, mistakes, and deliberate actions that injured the public good and possibly there were people who benefited from that status to try and preserve that status quo," he said. "The challenges are expected."

Aquino's EO No. 1 created the Truth Commission, to be led by retired Chief Justice Hilario Davide Jr., which will investigate unresolved corruption controversies in the Arroyo administration. Allies of Mrs. Arroyo led by House Minority Leader and Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman have questioned its constitutionality before the Supreme Court.

Justice assistant secretary Jose Arturo de Castro JD and Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) director Eddie Tamondong have asked the Supreme Court to nullify EO No. 2, which revoked Mrs. Arroyo's so-called midnight appointments.

De Castro is also seeking to nullify EO No. 3, which revoked Arroyo's EO No. 883 that granted lawyers "occupying legal positions in the government executive service who have obtained graduate degrees in law and successfully passed their bar examinations" with the rank of Career Executive Service Officer III.

Malacañang earlier said it is ready to defend its controversial executive orders, which Senator Joker Arroyo has described as "rush jobs," before the court.

Not directed to Noynoy

But Joker clarified on Monday that he was directing his criticism to Aquino's legal team and not to Aquino himself.

"Dahan-dahan lang yung mga abogado sa Malacanang (The lawyers at Malacanang should take it easy), they should study more," Joker told Senate reporters in a separate interview.

He added that the government should not encourage the filing of suits against its orders. "(They have a habit of saying) if you don't agree with us, go to court. That's not what government is all about," added Joker, a former executive secretary of the late President Corazon Aquino, Noynoy's mother.

Aquino had earlier dared EO No. 1's critics to challenge the order's constitutionality before the Supreme Court.

Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, for his part, said credit must still be given to Aquino for issuing the controversial EOs despite the criticisms his administration has been receiving.

"You have to give it to him. He’s willing to make decisions and assume the risks. That’s a mark of a leader," he told reporters in an interview on Monday.

Enrile likewise said that it is impossible to please everybody and that at least Aquino is doing something. "He’s not God, you know. He’s just a human being and you can differ with the decisions of a human being," said Enrile.

Source: GMA

Afghan Lord: Learning Online Journalism and Writing Blogs in Helmand Province

2010-08-12T03:56:00.000-07:00

Afghan Lord: Learning Online Journalism and Writing Blogs in Helmand Province

fort worth web development

Another disqualification case filed vs. Arroyo son

2010-07-29T02:39:00.000-07:00

MANILA, Philippines -- Representative Juan Miguel “Mikey” Arroyo’s woes won’t just stop.

In a week’s time, a second disqualification case has been filed against the son of former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo for representing Ang Galing Pinoy (AGP) partylist in the House of Representatives.

The complainant this time is a tricycle driver, whom he claims to represent.

Arroyo “is not qualified and not eligible to sit as representative of Ang Galing Pinoy,” according to the petition for quo warranto filed by Danilo Vinero Antipasado, a 34-year old tricycle driver in Novaliches, Quezon City, before the House of Representative Electoral Tribunal Thursday afternoon.

The petition is joined by Rowell Pino, 22, a security guard, and another tricyle driver, 49-year-old Ronald Estrella.

On Wednesday, former Akbayan partylist Representative Risa Hontiveros also filed a disqualification case against Arroyo for failing to submit documentary requirements in the Commission on Elections (Comelec).

Several cases were also lodged at the Supreme Court questioning the decision of the Comelec to grant Arroyo a seat in the House.

In his petition, Antipasado said Arroyo cannot sit as partylist representative because he does not come from the marginalized or underrepresented sector.

Arroyo, former congressman of Pampanga’s second district, is also ineligible to sit because he was not a member of AGP at least 90 days before the May 10 elections as required by the partylist law, the petition said.

On February 18, 2010, Arroyo admitted in a television report that he was still choosing which party list group to join, it added.

Arroyo was also not qualified to be a partylist representative because he was an incumbent congressman at the time he was nominated, and such is prohibited by the law, according to the petition.

It also asked the HRET to disqualify AGP as a partylist group, saying it is a “satellite of major political parties,” having affiliations with the then ruling Lakas-Kampi-Christian Muslim Democrats party.

Source: Inquirer

Federal official to outline what lies ahead after oil spill is sealed

2010-07-29T02:29:00.001-07:00

New Orleans, Louisiana (CNN) -- The man overseeing the federal response to the Gulf oil disaster will meet New Orleans parish presidents Thursday to outline the plans after the well is permanently sealed.

Retired Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen is optimistic that steps planned for the coming days will finally, permanently seal the well.

"The relief well, while it is deep, is something that has been done before," Allen said. "The technologies involved here are not novel, but obviously, the depth is a challenge here. But we are optimistic we will get this done."

Allen offered that assessment as preparations proceeded for two efforts to kill the well about a mile below the surface -- first, sealing it from above by pouring down mud and cement in an operation known as "static kill," and then closing it off from below by an intersecting relief well.

The static kill could begin Sunday, while the relief well may be ready for the "bottom kill" effort five to seven days afterward.

Allen said no anomalies or breaches have been detected at the formerly leaking well, and pressure is rising slowly, with the latest readings show pressure of 6,942 pounds per square inch -- all signs that it is structurally sound. The static kill would not work if there's a leak.

At this point, crews working on the ruptured but capped oil well have once again connected through the relief well to existing underwater equipment. They are cleaning out and conditioning the relief well, getting it ready before laying casing pipe to reinforce it.

The ship that would pour the mud and cement for the static kill, the Q4000, is on the scene and ready to go.

Workers had been forced to disconnect their equipment and retreat from the well site late last week, when Tropical Storm Bonnie loomed as a potential threat. But when Bonnie lost power, workers returned to the site over the weekend.

Oil gushed from the ruptured well after the Deepwater Horizon rig exploded April 20, leaving 11 workers dead.

A panel of federal judges will meet in Boise, Idaho, Thursday to consider arguments on where litigation over the Deepwater Horizon rig explosion and oil gusher should be consolidated. New Orleans and Houston, Texas, appear to be the favorites because of their proximity to oil company offices and litigants surrounding the disaster.

BP estimates that in August, it will pay at least $60 million in advance to Gulf coast claimants who have lost income or net profit because of the oil spill, the company said in a statement Wednesday.

BP's incoming Chief Executive Officer Bob Dudley said Wednesday that the company has written $250 milllion in checks for claims.

Resolving the crisis is "the single highest priority for BP going forward," he told CNN's "American Morning."

"The only way you can build a reputation is not just by words but by action," said Dudley, whom BP named Tuesday to replace CEO Tony Hayward on October 1.

"I picked up that people think that ... once we cap this well, we're somehow going to pack up and disappear," he said. "That is certainly not the case. We've got a lot of clean-up to do. We've got claims facilities. We've got 35 of those around the Gulf coast."

Meanwhile, with no more oil flowing from the well, it's getting harder and harder to find oil on the surface, according to Coast Guard Rear Adm. Paul Zukunft, the federal on-scene coordinator.

He says crews flying over the Gulf have only been finding "light bands of oil," compared with the huge swaths when the well was still spewing.

At the height of the spill, skimming vessels were collecting 25,000 barrels of oil a day.

But authorities are not quite ready to dismiss the 811 skimmers who have been used to collect surface oil. Allen says that won't happen at least until after the well has been sealed.

"We're not out of the woods yet. We still need a permanent kill," Allen said.

Boom used to try to stop oil from reaching shore is another matter. Zukunft said 11 million feet of boom have been arrayed throughout the Gulf.

He said that in coming days, authorities will consider removing some of the boom, in some cases by the fishing vessels that were employed to help lay it out. Zukunft said there are concerns that if storms develop this summer, the boom could be pushed into fragile marshland, damaging it.

But collecting the boom could take time. Zukunft said that if 60 miles of boom are recovered each day, the process could take through Labor Day. The recovered boom has to be decontaminated before it can be used again.

Allen said he'll be meeting with parish presidents Thursday to outline the steps ahead.

Then there's the question of oil that may be lurking under the surface. Allen noted it took weeks after the Deepwater Horizon explosion for oil to reach shore, and oil in the form of tar balls could continue to wash up on beaches for some time.

"When you put somewhere between 3 million and 5.2 million barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico, I don't think anybody can understate the impact and the gravity of that situation," he said.

Responding to criticism from the nonprofit consumer advocacy group Public Citizen, Dudley added, "I don't think BP is reckless. Nor do I think we do things to cut corners, nor have we designed wells that are somehow different than many of the other wells in the Gulf of Mexico."

However, he added, the company will make changes.

"And from between now and October, there will be a lot of planning and looking in what we need to do to focus on safety and reliable operations," he said. "We're going to learn, not only BP, but the entire industry is going to learn from these investigations."

Source: CNN

Comelec exec Yusoph wants martial law in Lanao Sur for son’s rescue

2010-07-13T16:47:00.000-07:00

Finally breaking his silence, Commission on Elections (Comelec) Commissioner Elias Yusoph on Tuesday appealed to President Benigno Aquino III to hasten efforts to rescue his abducted son by declaring martial law over the province of Lanao del Sur.

Yusoph said in a television interview that placing the province under military rule for 15 to 30 days can help in efforts to save his 22-year-old son, Nuralden, who was abducted last month while praying inside a mosque in Marawi City in Lanao del Sur.

“It (the declaration of martial law) will be a deterrent to other lawless elements," he said in an interview aired over GMA News’ “24 Oras."

The young Yusoph’s kidnappers, who have remained unnamed so far, are allegedly demanding that the results of the June 3 special elections in some towns of Lanao del Sur be nullified.

The visibly distraught election official also expressed dissatisfaction over the military’s “inaction" regarding his son’s abduction, and threatened to "take the law in his own hands" if the government fails to resolve the case.

“The military knows who these culprits are, and until now, they have not done anything about it…," Yusoph told reporters, adding that he had been patient for “almost one month."

"It’s too painful but I still have to control my temper. I did not go home because of some pressure from relatives...," the Comelec official explained.

Yusoph said he has prevented his relatives from taking the law into their own hands, adding that the case has been emotionally draining for the whole clan. “I just want to make it clear that the government should do something," he added.

“(But) if the government cannot do anything, it's our culture. It can be a vendetta," he said, warning his son’s kidnappers “not to push him" and his clan into retaliating against the unnamed people behind the kidnapping.

The kidnappers have reportedly demanded that the votes cast and counted in last month’s special elections be nullified in four towns of the province — Malabang, Picong, Taraka, and Masiu — as a condition for the young Yusoph’s release.

A government-formed crisis management team has been negotiating Nuralden’s release since late last month. The team insists that it is following a “no-ransom" policy in solving the incident.

The Comelec has also earlier said that it is not open to negotiations with the kidnappers, and that the poll body will not give in to any of their requests.

A soldier was killed while five others were injured after suspected kidnappers ambushed a military convoy that was conducting a search and rescue operation for the young Yusoph in Poona Bayabao town.

Nuraldin has a three-month-old son.

Source: GMA News