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Online plan to boost Philippine eagle numbers

 News
Feb 282013
 
Online plan to boost Philippine eagle numbers

Agance France-Presse 3:15 pm | Thursday, February 28th, 2013 AFP File Photo MANILA – The mating rituals of two captive Philippine eagles are being broadcast live over the Internet to rally global support for saving of the world’s rarest and biggest raptors, conservationists said Thursday. Livestreaming the pair gives a global Internet audience a rare insight into the courtship, mating and chick-rearing habits of the birds, which could soon become extinct, said Philippine Eagle Foundation spokesman Rolando Pinsoy. “This will give everyone a chance to learn more about this species and understand why we have to save them,” Pinsoy told AFP. Customarily, the female lays a single egg in November or December and the chick hatches a month later, he said. In a project backed by the US-based Raptor Resource Project and the Internet videosharing site Ustream.tv, the pair can now be viewed 24 hours a day over the next 12 months at http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/29615691 “Even for biologists, there is so much more that we need to learn about this species,” Pinsoy said. The Philippine eagle, or Pithecophaga jefferyi, is the world’s largest eagle in terms of length. It is found only in the country’s vanishing forests, where hunting, logging and land conversion all threaten its survival. The bird, with a distinctive shaggy and cream-coloured crest, grows to up to 3.35 feet (one metre) in length with a wing span of up to seven feet. According to the foundation and the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, there are only about between Read More …

Beijing restaurant manager refuses to apologize over ‘racist’ sign

 News
Feb 282013
 
Beijing restaurant manager refuses to apologize over ‘racist’ sign

Associated Press 3:13 pm | Thursday, February 28th, 2013 A restaurant in Beijing displays its sentiment toward the citizens of the Philippines, Vietnam and Japan with which China has territorial issues in the West Philippine Sea and the Sea of Japan. The sign says Japanese, Filipinos, Vietnamese and dogs are barred from the restaurant, presumably in that order. AFP FILE PHOTO BEIJING – A defiant Beijing restaurant manager refused to apologize Thursday despite removing a “racist” sign barring citizens of states in maritime disputes with China, along with dogs, following an international outcry. The notice in the window of the Beijing Snacks restaurant read: “This shop does not receive the Japanese, the Philippines, the Vietnamese and dog(s)” in both Chinese and English. But despite taking down the sign after accusations of racism, the manager said he had no regrets and would not apologize for any offence caused. Images of the sign went viral in Vietnam and were splashed across newspapers in the Philippines on Wednesday. Both are involved in bitter territorial disputes with China over islands in the South China Sea. The manager, surnamed Wang, said it was taken down “because it was a lot of bother”. “I don’t have any regrets,” he told AFP. “I was just getting too many phone calls about it.” He seemed surprised at the attention it had generated but said he would not apologize for any offense caused, suggesting it may have been misinterpreted. “Maybe people misunderstood our meaning… it only said we would Read More …

No change in Sabah stand-off amid reports of imminent attack

 News
Feb 282013
 
No change in Sabah stand-off amid reports of imminent attack

By Ruben SarioThe Star-Asia News Network 2:43 pm | Thursday, February 28th, 2013 TANJUNG LABIAN (LAHAD DATU) – The ongoing Sulu stand-off in this Sabah east coast district remains unchanged for the third week on Thursday. Numerous reports have emerged of an imminent attack by security forces on the group. One report claimed that several soldiers came close to Kampung Tanduo where the followers of the Sulu Sultanate are holed up. A heavy presence of security personnel was observed at various strategic locations surrounding the seaside village late Wednesday. Sabah police also declined to comment if shots were fired in the area on Wednesday evening although nearby villagers claimed to have heard them. Sulu group leader Rajah Muda Azzimudie Kiram told Philippines media that his men had fired warning shots after spotting what he claimed were six Malaysian security personnel entering the village. While claiming to come to Sabah in peace, Azzimudie warned that his followers were willing to “fight to the death” if provoked. 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: Department of Justice , Features , Global Nation , Malaysia , Prince Rajah Mudah Agbimuddin Kiram , Sabah , Sultan Jamalul Kiram III Factual errors? Contact the Philippine Daily Inquirer’s day desk. Believe this article violates journalistic ethics? Contact Read More …

Families look for relief from US immigration bill

 News
Feb 202013
 
Families look for relief from US immigration bill

Associated Press 2:40 pm | Wednesday, February 20th, 2013 Maricris Arce poses for a picture at her home in Anaheim, California Friday. Arce, a native of the Philippines, said she was separated from her husband for five years after coming legally to the US, and he wasn’t present for the birth of their first child. AP WASHINGTON— If America is a nation of immigrants, it’s also a nation of immigrants’ husbands, wives, parents and children — and their brothers, sisters, nieces and nephews too. That could begin to change under legislation being written in the Senate, where the nation’s longstanding emphasis on family-based immigration is coming under scrutiny. Unlike most other industrialized nations, the US awards a much larger proportion of permanent residency status to family members of US citizens and permanent residents than to foreigners with job prospects here. About two-thirds of permanent legal immigration to the US is family-based, compared with about 15 percent that is employment-based, according to the Migration Policy Institute. The remainder is largely humanitarian. It’s a lopsided ratio that may change under a bill being crafted by a Senate bipartisan negotiating group that is aiming to release legislation next month. Several senators involved in the talks said employment-based immigration must increase to help American competitiveness and the US economy. High-tech companies have been pleading for more workers, and some Republicans, in particular, believe the educational backgrounds and employment potential of prospective immigrants should be a bigger part of the calculus in awarding green cards, Read More …

Korean faces raps for protected area encroachment

 News
Feb 062013
 
Korean faces raps for protected area encroachment

By Maricar Cinco Inquirer Southern Luzon 6:43 pm | Wednesday, February 6th, 2013 THE TAAL Volcano Jung Ang Leisure and Resort facility during its dismantling by the DENR in July last year. PHOTO COURTESY OF CENRO BATANGAS SAN PEDRO, Laguna, Philippines—A Korean national, who owns the P5-million floating restaurant that the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) had shut down, is facing charges of violating Philippine environmental laws. Alexander Sandoval, assistant Batangas prosecutor, recommended the case against Kim Young Ok, the owner and president of the Taal Volcano Jung Ang Leisure and Resort located in Barangay Buco in Talisay town. In a resolution dated Dec. 10, 2012, Sandoval said Ok violated the National Integrated Protected Areas System Act of 1992, the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000 and the Philippine Clean Water Act of 2004 for building and operating a restaurant in part of Taal Lake, a protected area. The DENR, through the office of the Taal Volcano Protected Landscape (TVPL), in June 2012 closed down the facility after the owner refused to heed a notice of violation of environmental laws and voluntarily close down the facility. Sandoval agreed to the findings of the TVPL that the establishment did not have a waste disposal facility. He said its toilets, for instance, are not connected to any septic tank and flush out waste directly into the lake. The TVPL also said the company illegally reclaimed a 20-square meter portion of the lake when it built a wharf that connected Read More …

8 PH international airports to get security cameras—CAAP

 News
Feb 062013
 

By Jerome Aning Philippine Daily Inquirer 6:33 pm | Wednesday, February 6th, 2013 MANILA, Philippines—The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines said Wednesday it has allocated P100 million for the installation of closed-circuit television cameras in the immigration areas of eight alternative international airports in the country. CAAP Director General William Hotchkiss III said the installation of the surveillance camera systems was in line with the agency’s safety and security program for all Philippine airports. According to Hotchkiss, CAAP will be signing this month an agreement with the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (Iacat) which would co-manage the operation of the CCTV systems that would record goings-on at the immigration counters. “The agreement is a joint effort by the Iacat and the CAAP designed to enhance airports’ capability in monitoring passengers and other airport users’ movement in the immigration areas,” Hotchkiss said in a statement. The eight airports are the Clark International Airport in Pampanga; Francisco Bangoy International Airport in Davao City; Iloilo International Airport; Bacolod–Silay International Airport; Kalibo International Airport; Puerto Princesa International Airport; Zamboanga International Airport; and Laoag International Airport. Under the agreement, CAAP will provide funding for the surveillance equipment through competitive bidding while Iacat will co-manage the operations of the integrated surveillance systems. The Iacat, composed of five government agencies and three private-sector representatives, is tasked with crafting and implementing policies to stop trafficking in persons. There have been allegations that unscrupulous immigration and airport officials are conniving with traffickers to allow in and out of the Read More …

Lapid’s wife gets 3 years probation in US

 News
Feb 062013
 
Lapid’s wife gets 3 years probation in US

By Nimfa U. Rueda Inquirer Correspondent 6:14 pm | Wednesday, February 6th, 2013 Sen. Lito Lapid and his wife Marissa LOS ANGELES—The wife of  Sen. Lito Lapid felt “very relieved” that her cash smuggling case is over following her sentencing by the US district court to three years of probation, said her lawyer Eliot Krieger. The probation period includes five months of home confinement. Krieger said that Marissa Lapid, who remains confined in her residence in Las Vegas, Nevada, may be able to return to the Philippines “after five months of home confinement with the permission of the Probation Department.” Marissa Lapid “is very relieved to have the whole thing over,” Krieger told the Philippine Daily Inquirer. Krieger said that in a plea agreement that he negotiated, Lapid pleaded guilty to cash smuggling and conspiracy to structure transactions “with intent to evade reporting requirements.” Lapid was charged before US Magistrate Judge Peggy Leen in Las Vegas and sentenced on Monday (Tuesday in Manila). The reporting violations stemmed from a series of cash deposits made by Lapid in different banks in Las Vegas from January 2009 to June 2010 totaling more than $150,000. Banks are required to submit to the federal government currency transaction reports on cash deposits that exceed $10,000. Lapid’s cash deposits ranged from $5,000 to $9,000. All the deposits, plus the $40,000 confiscated from Lapid when she arrived at McCarran International Airport on Nov. 27, 2010, were forfeited by the US government, Krieger said. The lien placed on Read More …

US navy contractor dumped millions of liters of wastes in Subic

 News
Feb 062013
 
US navy contractor dumped millions of liters of wastes in Subic

SAYS LEGARDABy Matikas Santos INQUIRER.net 5:48 pm | Wednesday, February 6th, 2013 Sen. Loren Legarda. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO MANILA, Philippines—Millions of liters of sewage wastes were dumped in the Philippine waters by US Navy contractor Glenn Defense Marine Asia without proper permits from the government, Senator Loren Legarda, who headed an investigation into the waste dumping incident in Subic Bay in October, said Wednesday. “We are talking here of millions of liters of sewage wastes disposed at sea by Glenn Defense over a period of time, without the requisite permits from the government,” Legarda said in a statement. “They do not even have the necessary accreditation as waste collectors from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA),” Legarda said after the joint investigation of the Senate committees on foreign relations and environment and natural resources into the incident. Legarda said that Glenn Defense was guilty of violating Philippine laws when its tanker, MT Glenn Guardian, dumped sewage wastes collected from US Navy ships 37 kilometers off Subic, last October 15. She said that Glenn Defense, the Philippine arm of a Singapore-based company that operates in 27 countries providing marine husbanding services, had been doing the practice over the past several years. The estimated 200,000 liters of sewage that the MT Glenn Guardian collected from the US Navy ship Emory Land had previously been found to be in excess of the toxicity standards set by the DENR. The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) had also Read More …

Filipino killed in hijacking of tanker off Nigeria—DFA

 News
Feb 062013
 
Filipino killed in hijacking of tanker off Nigeria—DFA

By Tarra Quismundo Philippine Daily Inquirer 5:18 pm | Wednesday, February 6th, 2013 DFA spokesman Raul Hernandez. INQUIRER.net FILE PHOTO MANILA, Philippines—A Filipino seafarer was killed when an unidentified group of pirates hijacked a chemical tanker off the coast of Nigeria on Feb. 4, the Department of Foreign Affairs said Wednesday. Assistant Secretary Raul Hernandez, the DFA spokesperson, said pirates shot and killed the Filipino seaman when they boarded the Pyxis Delta, a tanker registered in the Marshall Islands, on Monday. He was rushed to the nearest hospital but was declared dead upon arrival at the facility, Hernandez said. Eight other Filipino crewmen who were also aboard the ship at the time of the hijacking are safe and are expected to be repatriated soon, Hernandez said. “They are safe and in good health but we don’t have a full report and details about the incident,” he said. The hostage-taking was apparently resolved immediately but Hernandez said the DFA has received only a sketchy preliminary report from the seamen’s local manning agent in Manila. Details remain unclear as to how long the pirates held the ship and how and why they finally let go of the vessel and its crew. The Pyxis Delta is now anchored off the Nigerian coast with its crew still on board, Hernandez said. At least 23 Filipino seamen are still in the hands of pirates on three hijacked ships in Somalia, some already for months, the DFA said.

$1.4B needed for children in global humanitarian crisis–UNICEF

 News
Feb 022013
 
$1.4B needed for children in global humanitarian crisis–UNICEF

$23M appeal for Philippines included INQUIRER.net 3:53 pm | Saturday, February 2nd, 2013 MANILA, Philippines – UNICEF has appealed for almost $1.4 billion to meet the immediate, life-saving needs of children in 45 countries and regions globally gripped by conflict, natural disasters and other complex emergencies this year. Funds raised by the annual appeal will also go towards improving disaster preparedness, and to strengthening the resilience of communities to withstand and minimize the impact of new shocks. “We are still in the first month of 2013, which has already proved harsh for millions of children suffering in Syria and for refugees who had to flee to neighboring countries. Mali and the Central African Republic are also experiencing worsening conflict, threatening the lives of children and women,” said Ted Chaiban, UNICEF’s Director of the Office of Emergency Programs. “Children are extremely vulnerable in emergencies, often living in unhealthy and unsafe conditions, at high risk of disease, violence, exploitation and neglect.” The Humanitarian Action for Children 2013 appeal includes countries prominent in today’s news headlines along with many other countries that receive much less media coverage, such as Chad, Colombia, Ethiopia, Somalia, Yemen and the Philippines, but which also require urgent attention and assistance. “The complex emergency in Syria represents one important focus of UNICEF’s global emergency response,” said Chaiban. “But we are also delivering results for children in highly challenging and largely forgotten emergencies around the world.” The Philippines’ US$23 million appeal aims to address humanitarian needs in the Mindanao armed conflict, the Typhoon Read More …

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