Maniolas

FATHER TRITZ and the underprivileged: A living reminder of the Christian and Jesuit vocation to take care of those left behind by society.CONTRIBUTED PHOTO Nine days after Fr. Pierre Tritz, SJ, passed away on Sept. 10, a memorandum of agreement was signed between Erda Tech Foundation and First Philippine Industrial Park (FPIP), represented by its founder and chair emeritus, Oscar M. Lopez.  Father Tritz was scheduled to be present at the signing of the agreement that would turn 5 hectares of land in Sto. Tomas, Batangas province, into the future home of Tech-Voc Senior High School, but the Lord had already called him home. The senior high school that now bears the name of Father Tritz will, however, continue the legacy of this priest who was born in France in 1914, but aspired to be a missionary in China as a 19-year-old Jesuit. After three years of basic formation, the priest was granted  his request and he arrived in China to continue his Jesuit formation that included four years of handling sports and discipline at Tsinku University in Tianjin. He had a long period of formation, probably due to the need to study Mandarin and the Sino-Japanese War that raged from 1937 to 1945. Father Tritz was ordained when he was 33 at Xujiahui Cathedral in Shanghai in June 1947, 14 years after he entered the Society of Jesus.   High dropout rate Just as Jesus Christ was crucified at the age of 33, Father Tritz similarly suffered a crucifixion Read More …

Peace negotiators of the government and National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) are set to hammer out parameters of what counts as ceasefire violations next month. NDFP ceasefire committee panelist Tirso Alcantara disclosed this development, saying the agreement on Oct. 28 would be the takeoff point before the peace panels can finally work out a bilateral ceasefire. While the NDFP confirmed the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process’ Wednesday statement that no violent encounters have been reported since peace talks resumed last month, consultants said violations of the separately declared ceasefires have occurred. “What we’ll talk about on Oct. 28, we will consolidate the unilateral ceasefires so that would serve as the basis for what should be done,” Alcantara, said, while clarifying “that’s not yet the mutual bilateral ceasefire.” “It’s simply a consolidation of what violations have occurred, what should be done based on the consolidation of the previously declared ceasefires,” he said in a Friday forum. The peace panels have earlier agreed to finalize ceasefire mechanisms in 60 days, Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Jesus Dureza said on Aug. 29 after the conclusion of the first round of peace talks in Oslo. Alan Jazmines, vice chair of the NDFP Reciprocal Working Committee on Social and Economic Reforms, said that even with the ceasefires in place, military and paramilitary forces have continued to disturb local civilian communities. “The problem remains. That needs to be stopped,” Jazmines said. Latest Antidrug judge survives ambush in Agusan Senators Read More …

Abu Sayyaf gunmen have released an Indonesian captive in Sulu province, the military said, as freed Norwegian captive Kjartan Sekkingstad flew out of the Philippines on Thursday. Herman Bin Manggak, 32, was released to the Moro National Liberation Front and later handed over to concerned Joint Task Force Sulu members. The Abu Sayyaf abducted Manggak in waters off Sandakan in Sabah on Aug. 3, 2016. A report from the Armed Forces of the Philippines Western Mindanao Command (Wesmincom) said the victim was brought to Camp Teodulfo Bautista Station Hospital for medical examination and debriefing before being turned over to Wesmincom authorities. Brig. Gen. Arnel dela Vega, joint task force commander, said the release was a result of the continued military offensives of the joint task force against Abu Sayyaf members, who have split into smaller groups to evade the pursuing soldiers. The good news came as freed Norwegian hostage Kjartan Sekkingstad left on Thursday, days after the Abu Sayyaf group freed him from nearly a year in captivity. Two Canadian nationals kidnapped with him in the southern city of Davao have been beheaded, while a fourth victim, a Filipina, was freed months into captivity. The lanky Norwegian, now clean-shaven, boarded at around 1:30 p.m. Thai Airways flight TG-621 to Bangkok at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 1. Escorted by Norwegian Embassy officials, Sekkingstad was headed to catch a connecting flight to Oslo. Sekkingstad was abducted on Sept. 21, 2015, from a resort in Samal Island along with Canadian nationals Read More …

The Philippines is reaching out to global power Russia to boost its weak defense capability amid security concerns over territorial disputes in the South China Sea, officials said. Defense officials from the Philippines met recently with the Russian Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation (FSMTC) to explore ways of cooperating, including training for Filipino military and police officers. Manila’s envoy to Moscow Carlos Sorreta led Filipino defense officials in meeting with Russian Chief of the First Department of Military Sergey Buganov and officials of the FSMTC. The FSMTC is a federal agency directly under the Russian president’s office in charge of overseeing cooperation deals with foreign countries. “We welcomed the briefing, which was quite revealing, particularly as to the extent that Russia is able to interact with a large number of countries in this field and the different mechanisms that are employed, including in terms of the acquisition and transfer of Russian military equipment,” Sorreta said in a statement on Wednesday. Sorreta said the meeting was aimed at exploring “opportunities that could contribute to our government’s efforts to modernize our defense capabilities.” Russian officials briefed  the Filipino side on the latest in equipment and technology as well as on the possible access to its training. They also discussed investments in domestic military production, servicing and different modes of financing. Russia sells military equipment and military-related equipment to a host of nations including the United States, as well as  developing nations like India, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam. Latest De Lima hits Aguirre Read More …

THE EUROPEAN Union (EU) Parliament has called on the Philippine government to “put an end to the current wave of extrajudicial executions and killings” of drug suspects. The EU Parliament has also directed the EU delegation in the Philippines and the embassies of 28 European countries here to monitor rights abuses following President Duterte’s declaration of a “state of national emergency on account of lawlessness” on Sept. 3. READ: Duterte declares ‘state of lawlessness’ Mr. Duterte placed the entire Philippines under a state of national emergency after a bomb ripped through a night market in his hometown of Davao City late on Sept. 2, killing 15 people and injuring 67 others. In a five-page resolution passed on Thursday, the EU lawmakers expressed concern over the extraordinarily high number of drug suspects killed by police and vigilantes in the Philippines since Mr. Duterte launched a crackdown on the illegal drug trade upon taking office on June 30. EU members include highly developed Germany, France, Italy, Belgium, Luxembourg, Czech Republic, Sweden, Portugal and Finland. More than 3,000 killed More than 3,000 people have been killed by police and vigilantes in the Philippines since Mr. Duterte launched his brutal war on drugs. Without directly blaming the government, EU lawmakers said they believed Mr. Duterte’s incendiary public statements encouraged mass murders involving drug traffickers and users. “President Duterte repeatedly urged law enforcement agencies and the public to kill suspected drug traffickers who did not surrender, as well as drug users,” the EU lawmakers said. Read More …