Maniolas

popular Wishlist: Maria Isabel Lopez, Actress Typhoon ‘Ruby: Families open homes to neighbors Taxi driver shoots woman in face in Pasig holdup India wins Miss Supranational 2014, PH bet reaches top 20 BIR files P39-M tax evasion rap vs Tiu’s brother, sister-in-law 15-feet storm surges may hit Samar, says Project NOAH Typhoon ‘Ruby’: ‘Please don’t, dear God’ is survivor’s prayer Sony employees receive threatening email – report videos Behind the scene with BTS The ‘maria clara’ reborn in ‘Face-Off’ Ruby batters Sorsogon Sorsogon implements forced evacuation amid storm surge Brandon Vera KOs foe in One FC and PH debut MANILA, Philippines — After his daring escape from the captivity of Muslim militants in Mindanao on Saturday, Swiss victim Lorenzo Vinciguera is now in Manila, the Armed Forces of the Philippines said. Lieutenant Colonel Harold Cabunoc, AFP Public Affairs Office Chief, said Vinciguera arrived in a “safe location” in Manila after getting travel clearance from military doctors in Sulu. Vinciguera, a 49-year-old photographer, overpowered Abu Sayyaf commander Juhuri Ussin and hacked the militant in the face with a machete which led to his escape. Cabunoc said Vinciguera arrived at Villamor Airbase at 6:20 pm Saturday where Swiss ambassador to the Philippines Ivo Sieber and General Gregorio Pio Catapang, AFP Chief, met him. At around 6:30 pm Swiss officials brought Vinciguera to an undisclosed hospital in the Philippine capital for further treatment. “The Swiss embassy has expressed its gratitude for the Philippine government especially to the AFP Units in Sulu,” Cabunoc said. Read More …

MANILA, Philippines—The Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) on Saturday defended the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (Edca) between the Philippines and the United States, asking the Supreme Court to dismiss petitions questioning its constitutionality. In a 32-page consolidated comment filed before noon, the OSG emphasized the legality of the executive agreement, saying that President Aquino entered into the pact as part of his sworn duty to protect the state. “The President, through the DND (Department of National Defense), entered into the Edca to perform his primary constitutional duty to promote national security interests. Under Article II, Section 4, of the Constitution, the President, as head of state and chief representative of government, has the ‘prime duty to serve and protect the people,’” said the nine-member OSG panel on the case led by Acting Solicitor General Florin Hilbay. Florin Hilbay. Screengrab from http://law.upd.edu.ph The pleading cited how “geopolitical concerns today involve transboundaries”—an apparent reference to how the Edca was signed amid the Philippines’ efforts to enhance its external defense capabilities in the face of unresolved border issues with China and America’s strategic pivot to the Asia Pacific. “Recent events within Philippine territory undoubtedly compromise the security of the Philippines. The Honorable Court should not render the President helpless or impair his ability to set up a national security apparatus in the face of clear, present and verified reports of activities that endanger the integrity of the Philippine State,” the OSG said. Separation of powers It also reminded the court of the Read More …

LOS ANGELES—The Filipino-American community in Texas has expressed concern over the safety of the Fil-Am staff at the Dallas hospital where an Ebola-infected patient is being treated in isolation. A woman waters plants on the balcony of an apartment in the complex where Thomas Eric Duncan, the Ebola patient who traveled from Liberia to Dallas, stayed last week, Saturday, Oct. 4, 2014, in Dallas. AP FILE PHOTO “We are particularly concerned about the health and safety of the Filipino nurses, doctors, therapists and technicians working at the hospital,” said Ethel R. Mercado, honorary consul general in Dallas, Texas, in a statement. Mercado, who also serves as president of the Philippine-American Chamber of Commerce of Texas, said there was “a large concentration” of Fil-Am health professionals working at the Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital and other medical facilities in the Dallas area. She said they were closely monitoring the situation and were in contact with the Fil-Am staff and the hospital management. Mercado’s statement came amid reports that as many as 100 people may have had contact with the Ebola victim, Thomas E. Duncan, who was first taken to the emergency room at the Dallas hospital on Sept. 25. The hospital acknowledged that it had misdiagnosed Duncan at the time. Anyone who came into contact with Duncan between Sept. 24 and 28, when he was placed in isolation at the hospital, is considered at risk of infection, according to health officials. Still at risk Mercado said that none of the Fil-Ams working Read More …

Agence France-Presse 1:39 pm | Sunday, September 21st, 2014 TAIPEI — Tropical storm Fung-Wong, which left 10 dead in the Philippines, on Sunday pounded Taiwan with torrential downpours and strong winds, forcing the cancellation of dozens of flights and ferry services. Source: Project Noah | 01:01 pm, September 21, 2014 The defence ministry has ordered 48,000 soldiers to be on stand-by while fishing boats were advised to seek shelter at ports. Fung-Wong (locally named Mario in the Philippines) scrapped the southern tip of the island around 10:00 am (0200 GMT) after it veered east away from its forecast route, the Central Weather Bureau said. The storm brought torrential rains and strong winds which whipped high waves off the south coast, forcing thousands of tourists and surfers to leave the popular Kenting area. Packing winds of 90 kilometers (56 miles) per hour, Fung-Wong had dumped up to 60 centimeters (24 inches) of rain as it tracked north-northeast, the bureau said. “As heavy rains could trigger landslides, people should stay away from the mountainous areas,” a weather forecaster from the bureau said as the authorities evacuated more than 1,200 residents from areas prone to mudslides. A total of 57 domestic and seven international flights were cancelled and ferry services to the offshore islands and mainland China were also suspended, according to the Central Emergency Operation Center. Kaohsiung was on alert as authorities deployed water pumps to the main southern city, which is still recovering from a huge blast which killed 30 people Read More …

By Aries Joseph Hegina |INQUIRER.net 5:11 pm | Monday, August 25th, 2014 Mayor Rodrigo Duterte. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO MANILA, Philippines–Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte said Monday that some Davao residents were recruited by the terrorist group Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). In a television report, Duterte said that Filipinos who were recruited by ISIS have left the country in July. The Davao City mayor also said that he does not condemn the decision of those who joined ISIS as long as it would not wreak havoc in the country. Duterte’s confirmation reinforced the claim of former President Fidel V. Ramos who recently said in a TV interview that about 100 young Filipinos are training with the terrorist group. However, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) dismissed the claim of Ramos, citing an AFP military intelligence report that revealed that no Filipino rebels were seen training with ISIS. The AFP later said that Duterte’s claims are unverified. “We haven’t covered any valid intel or any valid information,” Lieutenant General Eduardo Año, 10th Infantry Division (ID) Commander, said. “We have not reported any of the local jihadists leaving the country.” On Friday, the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Movement (BIFM), a militant Muslim organization, said that it has formed an alliance with ISIS. BIFM, however, denied that they have sent men to Iraq and Syria to train or fight alongside with ISIS forces. ISIS is said to have emanated from the Al Qaeda in Iraq. Duterte’s ISIS claims unverified, AFP says  Breakaway Moro group admits alliance with ISIS  Saudi top cleric: ISIS, Read More …