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Comelec to ignore suits vs PCOS machines

 News
May 052013
 
Comelec to ignore suits vs PCOS machines

By Jocelyn R. Uy, Philippine Daily InquirerPhilippine Daily Inquirer 5:24 pm | Sunday, May 5th, 2013 MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Elections (Comelec) said on Sunday it would just ignore the lawsuit filed by civil society groups before the United Nations Committee on Human Rights over the use of the controversial precinct count optical scan (PCOS) machines in the upcoming balloting. “Officially, we are not going to do anything with it. We will just disregard it since we are already too close to the elections to mind the AES Watch and their complaint to the UN,” said Comelec Chairman Sixto Brillantes Jr. in an interview with reporters. Last week, civil society groups such as the Concerned Citizens Movement, Center for International Law and the Automated Election System Watch announced that it was filing a complaint against Comelec for failing to ensure the free expression of the will of voters in the 2010 elections by foregoing security measures and opting for the same system for the 2013 balloting. The groups also cited the lack of a source code review in 2010 in their complaint. Brillantes had branded the complaint as a mere “publicity stunt” by critics of the Comelec. “Maybe because they cannot win here in our courts anymore, including the Supreme Court, that’s why they went to the UN. They can even go anywhere in the world if they want,” the poll chief had stated upon learning of the complaint. Election lawyer Romulo Macalintal said on Sunday the UN Read More …

In Alex Padilla’s peace quest, a battle with extremes

 News
May 052013
 
In Alex Padilla’s peace quest, a battle with extremes

Kuwento By Benjamin PimentelINQUIRER.net 3:22 pm | Sunday, May 5th, 2013 Something Alex Padilla told me years ago makes it clear that he has a toughest job in the government – but also the clearest sense of why that job is important. “Two related truths I believe in on this matter are these,” he told me in a January 2011 email after he was named head of the government peace panel and as peace negotiations with the underground left were set to begin. “First, government cannot defeat this insurgency through military action alone. And second, the CPP/NPA/NDF could never achieve victory through armed struggle.” “I don’t expect both extremes to agree, of course,” he continued, “but we have taken the stance that we are not only negotiating with the left but actually negotiating with the entire Filipino people as our main audience and these ‘truths’ are widely agreed with.” Two years later, the negotiations have come crashing down. The good news is that, while the peace talks have failed, the government, as Padilla himself said in a report, will try to take “a new approach to pursue peace.” Not exactly sure what that means. How you can pursue peace without negotiating a peace agreement? (Unless this new approach actually involves waging war.) The other good news is that Alex Padilla has a bit more time to do the job, at least based on a deadline he imposed on himself. “I have also been candid enough to say that I do Read More …

Irate envoy who berated Filipinos in Canada back in Manila for probe

 News
Apr 302013
 
Irate envoy who berated Filipinos in Canada back in Manila for probe

7:05 pm | Tuesday, April 30th, 2013 Jose Ampeso, the Philippine consul general to Vancouver, as shown in the video posted on YouTube. Screen grab from www.youtube.com MANILA, Philippines — The career diplomat caught on video in an irate mood during a consular outreach in Canada has returned to Manila to face an investigation at the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), the office’s spokesperson said on Tuesday. Philippine Consul General to Vancouver Jose Ampeso is back in Manila on orders of his home office to air his side on the incident at a consular mission in Alberta, Canada, where Filipinos based there lined up to renew their travel documents. “He is already here. A fact-finding panel is being formed to investigate and determine if there is a case to pursue,” said Assistant Secretary Raul Hernandez, the DFA spokesperson. Saying foreign service officers should always be professional, Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario said last week that Ampeso had some explaining to do for his behavior recorded on video and posted on online video-sharing site YouTube. Del Rosario said Ampeso’s behavior appeared “errant” if one viewed the video without hearing his explanation. Canada-based Filipino Proceso Flordeliz Jr. had complained against Ampeso for raising his voice when he offered to donate a dollar to the consulate fund-raising drive during their outreach at the Sheraton Hotel in Red Deer, Alberta two weeks ago. Then applying to renew his passport, Flordeliz posted his narration on a Filipino online forum and later uploaded a video Read More …

Police file charges vs 3 Indian nationals over bomb in minivan

 News
Apr 252013
 
Police file charges vs 3 Indian nationals over bomb in minivan

By Jamie Marie ElonaINQURER.net 7:31 pm | Thursday, April 25th, 2013 MANILA, Philippines – Police filed charges Thursday against three Indian nationals who allegedly took for servicing a minivan in Laguna that was later found to be rigged with a powerful improvised explosive device, police said. Senior Inspector Walter Ebora, Alaminos Police Chief, said charges of illegal possession of explosives have been filed against Indian nationals identified as Narinder Singh, Rajeth Kumar and Jasbir Singh. He said the suspects underwent inquest proceedings earlier Thursday. Chief Superintendent Benito Estipona, Calabarzon police regional director, said the three took the Toyota Avanza for engine oil replacement at a repair shop along Maharlika Highway in Barangay (village) San Benito in Alaminos, Laguna around 10:20 a.m. Wednesday, and left a few minutes later. A mechanic then discovered the explosive device under the engine of the vehicle. Earlier reports said the bomb was made from military-grade C-4 explosives rigged to a mobile phone as a trigger device. The mobile phone’s battery ran out that’s why the device didn’t explode, police said. He said authorities have yet to determine the motive behind the incident. Follow Us Recent Stories: Complete stories on our Digital Edition newsstand for tablets, netbooks and mobile phones; 14-issue free trial. About to step out? Get breaking alerts on your mobile.phone. Text ON INQ BREAKING to 4467, for Globe, Smart and Sun subscribers in the Philippines. Tags: car bombs , Crime , Features , Regions , Terrorism Factual errors? Contact the Philippine Daily Inquirer’s day desk. Believe this article Read More …

Manila disputes report of killings near Malaysia

 News
Apr 252013
 
Manila disputes report of killings near Malaysia

Associated Press 6:48 pm | Thursday, April 25th, 2013 MANILA, Philippines— The Philippine military disputed a newspaper report that its naval and coast guard forces killed 35 gunmen to stop them from entering the Malaysian state of Sabah. Malaysia’s The Star quoted Malaysian Defense Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi as telling a news conference Thursday in Penang that Philippine troops shot the gunmen from southern Sulu province before they could enter Malaysian waters, after the gunmen had refused to turn back. Philippine regional naval commander Capt. Renato Yonque says the border with Malaysia has been “very quiet,” and “we have no information on that.” Hamidi and his aides did not immediately answer calls to their cell phones. Since March, Malaysian troops have battled armed followers of Sultan Jamalulu Kiram III of Sulu who is claiming Sabah. Follow Us Recent Stories: Complete stories on our Digital Edition newsstand for tablets, netbooks and mobile phones; 14-issue free trial. About to step out? Get breaking alerts on your mobile.phone. Text ON INQ BREAKING to 4467, for Globe, Smart and Sun subscribers in the Philippines. Tags: Malaysia , Malaysian state , Sabah , Sabah Crisis , Sulu Factual errors? Contact the Philippine Daily Inquirer’s day desk. Believe this article violates journalistic ethics? Contact the Inquirer’s Reader’s Advocate. Or write The Readers’ Advocate:

Filipino seafarers in Portugal get to vote for first time in years through OAV

 News
Apr 252013
 
Filipino seafarers in Portugal get to vote for first time in years through OAV

By Tarra QuismundoPhilippine Daily Inquirer 6:08 pm | Thursday, April 25th, 2013 MANILA, Philippines — One seafarer had not voted in nearly 18 years. Another thought the Binay on the ballot was Vice President Jejomar Binay suddenly seeking a Senate seat. Still, another has been out of the show biz loop and thought reelectionist Juan Miguel Zubiri was still dating singer-actress Vina Morales. But they were only too happy to vote, finally able to exercise their right to choose their leaders even while thousands of miles away from home, perhaps for too long. If only to reach a sector mostly excluded in the polls, the Philippine Embassy in Portugal has devised a way to reach the Filipino seafarers and let them vote. “We call it “akyat-barko,” Philippine Ambassador to Portugal Philippe Lhuiller told reporters of the unique system he designed. “It was just one of the crazy ideas I had. Because why would they come to the Embassy to vote? They have no time. Their ship arrives at 7 a.m., they leave at 6 p.m. And of course they want to go out there [to see the city],” said Lhuiller in an interview in Manila. Under the scheme proposed by the envoy and approved by the Commission on Elections, Lhuiller himself and two other staff personally boarded ships at the Lisbon port to look for Filipinos who would like to register in the Overseas Absentee Voting system. The Embassy team then went back to port this week to see if Read More …

Philippine police nab 3 Indians with bomb in car

 News
Apr 252013
 
Philippine police nab 3 Indians with bomb in car

Associated Press 5:38 pm | Thursday, April 25th, 2013 MANILA, Philippines— A Philippine police official says three Indian nationals are facing charges of illegal explosives possession after a powerful homemade bomb was found inside their car. Regional police chief Benito Estipona says a mechanic found the device in the engine compartment Wednesday at a car dealership in Laguna province’s Alaminos township. The three men left the vehicle there for repairs. He says the device was fashioned from C4 explosives connected to a detonator, battery and a cellphone. Estipona said Thursday that police will continue investigating to determine those responsible for placing the bomb in the car, but the three men were liable for carrying the device. He said a government prosecutor will determine the extent of their criminal liability or whether they were the targets of a would-be bombing. Follow Us Recent Stories: Complete stories on our Digital Edition newsstand for tablets, netbooks and mobile phones; 14-issue free trial. About to step out? Get breaking alerts on your mobile.phone. Text ON INQ BREAKING to 4467, for Globe, Smart and Sun subscribers in the Philippines. Tags: home-made bomb , illegal possession of exclusives , Indian national Factual errors? Contact the Philippine Daily Inquirer’s day desk. Believe this article violates journalistic ethics? Contact the Inquirer’s Reader’s Advocate. Or write The Readers’ Advocate:

Southeast Asian leaders urge China to discuss rows

 News
Apr 252013
 
Southeast Asian leaders urge China to discuss rows

Agence France-Presse 4:38 pm | Thursday, April 25th, 2013 Leaders of the Association of South-East Asian Nations pose for a group photo section during the 22nd ASEAN Summit in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei, Thursday, April 25, 2013. They are, from left, Philippines President Benigno Aquino III, Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, Brunei Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, Myanmar’s President Thein Sein, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, Laotian Prime Minister Thongsing Thammavong and Malaysia’s Senate President Abu Zahar Ujang. AP BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN—Southeast Asian leaders on Thursday called for urgent talks with China to ensure that increasingly tense territorial disputes over the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea) did not escalate into violence. The 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) wrapped up a two-day summit in Brunei with a chairman’s statement in which they emphasized the importance of “peace, stability and maritime security in the region”. Brunei’s Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, the host of the talks, told reporters after the summit that the leaders wanted to “urgently work on a code of conduct” with China aimed at defusing tensions in the strategically vital body of water. The other key focus at the summit was pushing forward plans to create a single market for Southeast Asia and its 600 million people — known as the Asean Economic Community — by 2015. However the flashpoint South China Sea issue dominated the meeting, amid growing concern among some Southeast Read More …

DFA exec flies to Saudi to assist undocumented Filipinos in ‘tent city’

 News
Apr 242013
 
DFA exec flies to Saudi to assist undocumented Filipinos in ‘tent city’

By Tarra QuismundoPhilippine Daily Inquirer 5:18 pm | Wednesday, April 24th, 2013 DFA spokesman Assistant Secretary Raul Hernandez. INQUIRER.net FILE PHOTO MANILA, Philippines—The Department of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday sent its top official on migrant workers affairs to meet with Saudi Arabia officials in a bid to expedite repatriation of more than 1,000 undocumented Filipinos still camped outside the Philippine Consulate in Jeddah. The foreign office is also preparing to move the Filipinos into shelters inside the Jeddah consulate and other facilities within the city to provide them with better accommodations while processing their return home, DFA spokesperson Assistant Secretary Raul Hernandez said in a briefing Wednesday. Hernandez said Foreign Undersecretary for Migrant Workers’ Affairs Jesus Yabes flew to Saudi Arabia on Wednesday and is set to meet with Saudi officials to discuss the situation outside the Philippine mission in Jeddah, where undocumented Filipinos have been camping out in tents for the last two weeks for fear of being arrested. The Saudi government recently initiated a campaign against illegal workers, prompting undocumented Filipinos to seek shelter at the Jeddah Consulate. “We have already sent Usec. Yabes to Saudi Arabia to see how we could expedite the repatriation,” said Hernandez. He said the government was “very much committed” to bringing the Filipinos back home but admitted that the situation was “tricky and very challenging,” given the requirements of Saudi law. Before they could be repatriated, the Filipino workers are required to first pay fines for expired residency permits, hence overstaying, settle Read More …

Saudi to retain ban on non-Muslim places of worship

 News
Apr 242013
 
Saudi to retain ban on non-Muslim places of worship

Agence France-Presse 5:11 pm | Wednesday, April 24th, 2013 RIYADH—Ultra-conservative Saudi Arabia will retain its longstanding ban on non-Muslim places of worship, Justice Minister Mohammed al-Issa said in comments reported by the Saudi media on Wednesday. As Saudi Arabia is “home to the Muslim holy places, it does not allow the establishment of non-Muslim places of worship,” the Al-Hayat newspaper quoted Issa as telling European MPs in Brussels. Saudi Arabia, home to the holy Kaaba — the cube-shaped structure at the Grand Mosque in Mecca towards which Muslims worldwide pray — has come in for repeated criticism for its ban on non-Muslim places of worship. Although Saudi Arabia’s citizen population is Muslim, the kingdom is also home to millions of expatriates of various beliefs. Unlike Saudi Arabia, the kingdom’s Gulf Arab neighbors allow the building of churches and the celebration of non-Muslim feasts. Follow Us Recent Stories: Complete stories on our Digital Edition newsstand for tablets, netbooks and mobile phones; 14-issue free trial. About to step out? Get breaking alerts on your mobile.phone. Text ON INQ BREAKING to 4467, for Globe, Smart and Sun subscribers in the Philippines. Tags: Islam , Religion , Saudi Arabia Factual errors? Contact the Philippine Daily Inquirer’s day desk. Believe this article violates journalistic ethics? Contact the Inquirer’s Reader’s Advocate. Or write The Readers’ Advocate:

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