Maniolas

Protesters, led by Congressman Walden Bello, bottom right, open their yellow and black umbrellas outside the Chinese Consulate at the financial district of Makati city east of Manila, Philippines Thursday, Oct. 2, 2014 to express their solidarity with the pro-democracy protest in Hong Kong which some sectors dubbed as “Umbrella Revolution.” AP FILE PHOTO MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) washed its hands of the recent visit of Akbayan Representative Walden Bello in Hong Kong to support the pro-democracy protesters. DFA spokesman Assistant Secretary Charles Jose played down Bello’s travel to Hong Kong citing the lawmaker’s own statement that he was going there of his own capacity and initiative. Previously, the DFA has reiterated the advice of the Philippine Consulate General in Hong Kong for all Filipinos to avoid going to or participating in the demonstrations. The consulate warned that the fine for disorder in public areas could be as high as HK$5,000 and/or imprisonment for a year. Jose said that Bello did not coordinate with the DFA before going to Hong Kong. “He made his statement that he went there on his own private capacity and initiative and he went there not representing the legislature,” Jose said. Before travelling to Hong Kong, Bello led Akbayan supporters in a “solidarity protest” at the front of the Chinese Consular Office in Makati expressing their support for the pro-democracy rally in Hong Kong. In Hong Kong, Bello spoke before the protesters and shared his experiences of the Philippine’s 1986 Read More …

Pope Francis. AP FILE PHOTO MANILA, Philippines — Does God browse the Internet? Starting at noon on Tuesday (Oct. 7), readers and viewers can post their prayer intentions on INQUIRER.net—part of the Inquirer Group’s comprehensive preparations for the historic pastoral visit of Pope Francis to the Philippines next January. The interactive feature is one of many highlights in the Inquirer’s multiplatform effort to cover the papal visit. But the primary promise of “Pope Francis in PH: The Inquirer Report” is to offer the most comprehensive coverage of the fourth papal visit in Philippine history and the first in 20 years. Content on other Inquirer platforms will be consolidated with the help of the hashtag #PopeinPH. A series of special articles in the Philippine Daily Inquirer will set the report’s agenda, and blanket coverage during the five days of the Pope’s visit, with the deployment of 40-plus reporters and 80-plus correspondents for the Inquirer newspapers, will set its pace. Inquirer Libre will add to the number with a small army of student volunteers. A special site on INQUIRER.net will feature new content every day (starting with short reflections on Evangelii Gaudium, Pope Francis’ lengthy signature document that some Vaticanistas have called the road map to his papacy) as well as carefully chosen archival material (including Inquirer reportage on and immediately after the papal conclave, plus editorials and columns analyzing the so-called Francis effect). More material and multimedia content will be added according to schedule. The prayer feature to be activated on Read More …

By Kristine Angeli Sabillo |INQUIRER.net 4:57 pm | Monday, October 6th, 2014 Akbayan Rep. Walden Bello. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO MANILA, Philippines – Malacañang on Monday said a lawmaker’s visit to Hong Kong to support the pro-democracy protests would not jeopardize the country’s relationship with China. “Based on reports, Representative (Walden) Bello stated that his presence before the Hong Kong protesters was done by him in his personal capacity and as an ‘ordinary citizen,’” Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. told media. “Such being the case, it cannot be viewed as interfering in the internal affairs of China,” he explained. Presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda, on the other hand, said Malacañang is focused on the safety of Filipinos working and living in Hong Kong, a special administrative region of China. The Akbayan representative and administration ally on Saturday went to Hong Kong to express support for the massive rallies being held in the city’s government center. Bello spoke before the crowd and shared the Philippines’ experience during the Edsa people power in 1986, which led to the downfall of the Marcos dictatorship. Hong Kong protesters have been calling for “full democracy” or the right to nominate and directly elect the head of their government instead of allowing China to screen candidates. The diplomatic relationship between the Philippines and China has been strained amid territorial disputes in the South China Sea. RELATED STORIES PH lawmaker to protesters: Be strong, Hong Kong Hong Kong stocks flat at open Hong Kong rallies: Yellow vs blue ribbons Follow Us Other Read More …

By Tetch Torres-Tupas |INQUIRER.net 4:06 pm | Monday, October 6th, 2014 MANILA, Philippines – The police have filed a criminal complaint against two Japanese nationals and several persons for allegedly defrauding a local businessmen of over P2 million. The Philippine Nation Police Cybercrime Office lodged the case at the Cagayan City Prosecutors Office. Facing a case for violation of Article 315 of the Revised Penal Code for swindling/estafa and Republic Act 10175 or the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012 are: -Ryo Nagaoka -Koji Watanabe -Rey Luna -four others known only as Joy, John, Randy and Rudy. Luna and the four were accomplices of the Japanese in the rip-off scheme. Also included in the complaint are the branch manager and new accounts officer of AUB Bank and the officers and directors of East Visayas Community Development Initiatives. The alleged victim of the Nagaoka and Watanbe deposited his payment in AUB bank under the account of East Visayas Community Development Initiatives. Court records showed that Nagaoka posed as buyer of the lot owned by the victim. He also posed as buyer of a certain chemical called Lysozyme. Last month, the victim was allegedly convinced by Luna to buy Lysozyme worth P2.357 million contained in192 boxes. The boxes were delivered to his house with the advice that it should not be opened so as not to diminish the quality of the product. The victim called up Ryo Nagaoka and Koji Watanabe to come over to his place regarding the boxes of the chemical Read More …

By Christine O. Avendaño |Philippine Daily Inquirer 7:29 pm | Sunday, October 5th, 2014 EU Ambassador to Manila Guy Ledoux. INQUIRER.net FILE PHOTO MANILA, Philippines — The Bangsamoro peace agreement should be fully implemented so as to keep people in Mindanao from turning to violence and being lured to radicalism and terrorism, European Union Ambassador Guy Ledoux said. “So long as armed violence is a way of life in Mindanao, there will always be a threat of radical terrorist group using the region to further their cause,” Ledoux said at a forum at the Shangri-la Edsa hotel last week titled “The Current Dynamics of Radicalism in Southeast Asia: Peacebuilding Challenges and Opportunities.” EU supported the Oct. 2 forum that was organized by the Institute of Bangsamoro Studies, the Philippine Institute for Peace, Violence and Terrorism Research and the Center for Humanitarian Dialogue. In his speech opening the event, Ledoux said the holding of the forum came at a time of a new radical threat to security in the Middle East as well as reports assessing Southeast Asia as “not immune to the influence of the Islamic State (IS), particularly in the area of movement of personnel and channeling of resources.” Noting that the EU believed that terrorism should be eradicated at its source, Ledoux said the EU’s priority has always been to address and stop the menace of radicalization, violent extremism and recruitment by terrorist organizations. “Terrorist radicalization in this sense is understood as a complex phenomenon of people embracing Read More …