Maniolas

OLONGAPO CITY, Philippines—For the first time since his trial for the murder of transgender Jeffrey “Jennifer” Laude opened on March 23, US Marine Lance Cpl. Joseph Scott Pemberton was absent from court when proceedings resumed on Monday. “The defense did not [provide] a reason for Pemberton’s absence. His lawyers said they didn’t know if the witnesses would need to identify him,” according to Virgie Suarez, one of the Laude family’s lawyers. Suarez said Judge Roline Ginez-Jabalde of Regional Trial Court Branch 74 had ordered Pemberton to attend the trial on Tuesday. Pemberton’s lawyers refused to grant interviews. The court has barred the media from the trial. Reporters were able to talk to Suarez during breaks and after the hearing ended. The trial featured the testimony of motel security guard Jacinto Miraflor who told the court Pemberton was the Caucasian he saw with Laude. Last person Miraflor, a guard at Celzone Lodge where Laude was found dead on the night of Oct. 11 last year, testified that he saw Pemberton leave the motel. He corroborated the testimony on March 23 of Elias Gallamos, a Celzone bellboy, and Laude’s friend “Barbie” who testified on March 24. Gallamos and Barbie “earlier established that Pemberton was the last person with Laude on the night she was killed,” Suarez said. “Miraflor’s testimony was mainly about seeing Pemberton come out of Celzone Lodge. He said he saw the room that was left open by Pemberton and he saw Jennifer’s body being brought out by the Soco Read More …

Indonesian President Joko Widodo AFP PHOTO/ROMEO GACAD CITY OF SAN FERNANDO, Philippines—The Belgium-based and United Nations-accredited International Association of Democratic Lawyers (IADL) has asked Indonesian President Joko Widodo to overturn the death sentence on Mary Jane Veloso due to the lack of legal services and representation accorded her during her drug trafficking trial. Jeanne Mirer, IADL president, wrote Widodo on April 9 to express her group’s opposition to the death sentence the Indonesian government handed to Veloso of Cabanatuan City in the Philippines. The National Union of People’s Lawyers, an IADL affiliate, gave the Inquirer a copy of Mirer’s letter on Sunday. 2 copies Copies were also sent to President Aquino and Christof Heyns, UN special rapporteur on extrajudicial executions. Veloso was convicted of attempting to smuggle 2.611 kilograms of heroin into Indonesia in 2010. She was caught with the heroin at the airport. Recently, Indonesia’s Supreme Court rejected her application for a judicial review of her case. She is set to be executed later this month. “We are gravely concerned about [Veloso’s] case because of the numerous reported violations of her human rights, including the right to a fair trial and due process as guaranteed under both domestic and international law,” Mirer said in her letter. Poverty IADL was founded in 1946 with René Cassin, principal author of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, as its first president. Mirer said information gathered by IADL showed that Veloso, a mother of two, was forced by poverty to work abroad. “Her Read More …

Filipinos on Sunday attempted to set world records in holding a reunion of those who had been born in the same hospital, the fastest time in eating a 12-inch diameter pizza, and the most number of mouthwash users in one place. By nightfall, thousands had already assembled for the mouthwash event at the celebration of the World Record Week in the Philippines held at Market! Market! in Taguig City. The Medical City in Pasig City gathered 1,221 people at the mall’s Central Plaza to claim the Largest Reunion of People Born in the Same Hospital title. People of all ages, including 1-month-old babies, were placed in a holding area for about 10 minutes under the sweltering sun. Guinness adjudicator Pravin Patel announced that the Medical City, in fact, broke the previous record set by the Tung Wah Group Hospitals in Hong Kong in 2011—all of 958 souls. 1,000 respondents The Medical City corporate communications manager Anne de la Cruz told the Inquirer that the registration for the event took about a month, with more than a thousand responding just on the eve of the reunion. “We required from them only their birth certificates and physical presence during the 10-minute holding period required by Guinness,” De la Cruz said. To be verified For the Fastest Time to Eat a 12-inch Diameter Pizza record, Shakeys lured 12 challengers to consume the pizza in less than 41.31 seconds, the record set by Burbank, California. The results of the attempt, however, will still be Read More …

Philippine convicted drug smuggler on death row Mary Jane Fiesta Veloso, is escorted by Indonesian police as she arrives at the court in Sleman in central Java island for a hearing of judicial review on March 3, 2015 after a plea for clemency was rejected by Indonesian President Joko Widodo. AFP Mary Jane Fiesta Veloso, a Filipino woman on death row in Indonesia for drug offenses, got a few more weeks to live before the government schedules her execution. Indonesia’s Attorney General HM Prasetyo assured on Tuesday no executions will be carried out by the government anytime soon because of the Asia-Africa Conference in Jakarta and Bandung, which will be held from April 18 to April 24. Veloso, together with eight other foreigners, were found guilty of drug trafficking and would face the firing squad as required by the death penalty set by Indonesia. Prasetyo said he did not want to generate any unease while high-profile delegations from various nations are visiting Indonesia. However, he insisted the postponement of the executions will not last beyond April 24, when the Asia-Africa Conference is over. He said the delay was not a direct order from President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, as prosecutors had the authority to conduct executions. Prasetyo also denied the delay was caused by fears that some leaders would not attend. “There is no fear involved in this decision, but you wouldn’t execute people during a high-profile government event with lots of visitors,” Prasetyo said on Tuesday as quoted by kompas.com. Read More …