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Enrile, Villar fail to sign expense reports; filing may be invalid, Brillantes says

 News
Jun 172013
 
Enrile, Villar fail to sign expense reports; filing may be invalid, Brillantes says

Senators-elect Bam Aquino and Cynthia Villar of the Liberal Party coalition, and defeated bet Jack Enrile of the United Nationalist Alliance, may be the early birds in filing their expenditure reports, but their submission may be considered invalid for failing to personally sign their reports.  According to their statement of contributions and expenditures (SOCEs) available at the Commission on Elections Law Department, Enrile’s SOCE was signed by a certain Juan Ramon Garcia, while Villar’s SOCE was signed by her attorney-in-fact Jane C. Ynte.  Coincidentally, Enrile and Villar are also the top two spenders based on available expenditure reports. Enrile spent P150,401,072.09 for the recently concluded elections, followed by Villar with P133,979,127.25.  Aquino’s treasurer also signed his SOCE, according to the poll body’s law department. However, Aquino just submitted a supplemental expenditure report on Monday, this time with his own signature. Aquino spent P124,327,987.81 for his campaign kitty. Defeated senatorial bet and Jesus is Lord founder Eddie Villanueva of Bangon Pilipinas also failed to affix his signature in his expense report. It was signed by his attorney Jacky Silva. Villanueva filed his SOCE beyond the 5 p.m. deadline on Thursday, June 13. Signature required Poll chief Sixto Brillantes Jr. said he had received reports that some senatorial candidates did not affix their signatures on their SOCEs as required by a Comelec resolution.  “Mayroon mga nag-file raw na hindi nakapirma ang mga candidates. It is a requirement that it should be signed by the candidate,” Brillantes said.  He added that failure to Read More …

Nancy Binay takes crash course on lawmaking at UP

 News
Jun 172013
 
Nancy Binay takes crash course on lawmaking at UP

It’s back to school for Senator-elect Nancy Binay on Monday as she began a five-day course on lawmaking at the University of the Philippines (UP). Binay, a neophyte politician who placed fifth in the recent Senate polls, went along with members of her staff at the UP National College of Public Administration and Governance on Monday morning for a legislative training course. “Today, I am here and I am ready to learn kung ano yun mga ins and outs diyan sa Senado,” the senator-elect said in an interview aired over GMA News TV’s “Balitanghali.” Before her Senate stint, Binay served as personal assistant to her parents, Vice President Jejomar Binay and former Makati Mayor Elenita Binay. The senator-elect finished a tourism degree from UP. GMA News’ Sherrie Ann Torres reported that the legislative training course was “customized” for Binay’s needs as a senator. Aside from Binay, other first-time politicians also started taking crash courses to prepare them for their duties. Musician Lito Camo, elected a board member for the second district of Oriental Mindoro, joined some 4,000 other neophyte local government officials at the UP NCPAG on Monday in an introductory course on local lawmaking. Cavite vice governor-elect Jolo Revilla was also seen attending the UP NCPAG course. “Yung tungkol sa mga batas, gusto ko rin malaman. Alam niyo naman, musikero ako. Baka mamaya sabihin ng mga tao, hindi naman pagko-compose ang gagawin sa sangguniang panlalawigan. At least, para wala silang masabi,” Camo said in a television interview. — Andreo Read More …

TD Emong nears Catanduanes but not likely to make landfall

 News
Jun 172013
 
TD Emong nears Catanduanes but not likely to make landfall

Tropical Depression Emong moved closer to Catanduanes province in Bicol before noon Monday but state weather forecasters said it is not likely to make landfall over any part of the country. PAGASA forecaster Alvin Pura said their models show that while Emong may intensify in the next 24 hours, it is also likely to veer north and head for Taiwan. “Hindi inaasahan natin itong mag-landfall. Inaasahan natin itong tumaas at papunta ng Taiwan,” Pura said in an interview on dzBB radio. But he also said Emong is likely to intensify in the next 24 hours as it moves closer toward land. Pura also said there is a possibility Emong may interact with a forming low-pressure area west of Ilocos region later this week. “Talagang lalakas ang habagat natin,” he said. Emong moving west-northwest PAGASA, in its 11 a.m. bulletin, said Emong maintained its strength as it remained over the East Philippine Sea. It said that as of 10 a.m., Emong was estimated at 280 km east of Virac, Catanduanes, with maximum winds of 55 kph near the center. Emong was moving west-northwest at 11 kph and is expected to be 230 km northeast of Virac, Catanduanes Tuesday morning. By Wednesday morning, it is expected to be 330 km east of Aparri, Cagayan.  Emong is forecast to be 400 km northeast of Basco, Batanes by Thursday morning. While no storm warning signals have been raised, PAGASA said Emong may bring rainfall of 5 to 15 mm per hour (moderate to heavy) Read More …

UN: 26 child 'soldiers' recruited by PHL armed groups, including military, in 2012

 News
Jun 162013
 
UN: 26 child 'soldiers' recruited by PHL armed groups, including military, in 2012

A total of 26 child “soldiers” were recruited by various armed groups in the Philippines, including the military, in 2012, a report by United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said. The 26 children—23 boys and three girls between 12 and 17 years—were recruited in 11 separate incidents, according to the report released on June 12 titled “Grave Violations Committed Against Children in 22 Situations of Concern.” Of the number, two were reportedly recruited and used by the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), 11 by the New People’s Army (NPA), 11 by the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) and two who were used as “guides” by the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) in locating an enemy camp. While the number remains considerably high, child soldier recruitment has seen a decrease from the previous year, Moon noted in the report. “That figure represents a decrease in 2012, given that there were 54 incidents affecting 33 boys and 21 girls in 2011,” he said. But Moon said the actual number of children soldiers in the country may in fact be higher, owing to the reality that the UN has no access to other armed groups, including the MILF splinter group Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF). “Although the United Nations has no access to the areas under the control of the BIFF, a breakaway faction of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front led by Commander ‘Kato’, the country task force continued to receive credible reports that the armed group was actively training and providing weapons to Read More …

AFP among PHL armed groups that recruited minors in 2012, UN says

 News
Jun 162013
 
AFP among PHL armed groups that recruited minors in 2012, UN says

(Updated 3:30 p.m.) The Philippine military was among the armed groups in the country that recruited minors for their operations in 2012, according to a report by United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. The report, released June 12, said there was a “verified case” in July last year where two young boys were “forced” by the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) to serve as guides to locate a communist rebel camp in North Cotabato province in Mindanao. “[We] remained concerned over the use of children by the national armed forces as guides and informants during military operations,” the report, titled “Grave Violations Committed Against Children in 22 Situations of Concern,” said. “In a verified case in July 2012, the Fifty-Seventh Infantry Battalion forced two boys aged 12 and 13 years to serve as guides to locate an NPA camp in North Cotabato Province,” it added. Against AFP policy Reached for comment, AFP spokesperson Lt. Col. Ramon Zagala said the military leadership will have the reported use of children as guides in operatioins verified as such is against their policy. “As a matter of policy, the AFP does not use children as guides during military operations so as not to endanger them,” he said Monday. “We will verify this information if there is any truth to it.” Moon, in the report, noted that the AFP has “issued directives prohibiting such use of children, assigning responsibility to commanders, institutionalizing investigations and putting in place corrective measures.” The two guides were among the Read More …

DENR to crush, not burn seized elephant tusks

 News
Jun 162013
 
DENR to crush, not burn seized elephant tusks

Following an outcry from environmental groups, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources is scrapping its plan on June 21 to burn some five tons of seized elephant tusks. Instead, DENR Secretary Ramon Paje said they will merely crush the tusks at the Ninoy Aquino Parks and Wildlife Center in Quezon City, radio dzBB’s Allan Gatus reported. The report said the DENR initially planned to douse kerosene on the tusks then burn them, to deter people from engaging in tradingtusks. Last week, environmental groups opposed the DENR’s plan to burn some five tons of seized elephant tusks on June 21, saying it may violate the law and send a wrong message to the public. “(B)urning the confiscated tusks goes against the prohibition against the open burning of municipal solid waste enshrined in two of our major environmental laws: R.A. 9003, the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act and R.A. 8749, the Clean Air Act,” the groups said in a letter to Paje and Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau director Theresa Lim. Citing a DENR news release, the groups said authorities are to burn the confiscated elephant tusks at the Ninoy Aquino Parks and Wildlife Center (NAPWC) in Quezon City. The DENR, in a news release last June 9, had quoted Paje as saying the tusks “will be crushed by a road roller and burned in the presence of foreign experts and anti-ivory trade advocates on June 21 at the Ninoy Aquino Parks and Wildlife Center in Quezon City.”  A government official Read More …

Marina eyes stricter policy on passenger manifests after RORO sinking

 News
Jun 162013
 
Marina eyes stricter policy on passenger manifests after RORO sinking

In the wake of Friday’s sinking of a roll-on roll-off vessel off Masbate, the Maritime Industry Authority is considering stricter policies on passenger manifests, even if the vessel involved is not overloaded. Marina head Maximo Mejia Jr. said Monday the failure of Medallion Transport to properly list passengers on its manifest has caused problems for the Coast Guard and other agencies searching for survivors. “Kailangan tingnan ng Marina ng masusi ang policy na ‘yan. Paano natin mapupuwersa ang shipping companies na dapat magbigay ng complete manifest?,” Mejia said in an interview on dzBB radio. Last Friday, the MV Lady of Carmel sank off Masbate amid good weather. As of Monday morning, the death toll remained at two, while at least seven remained missing. Citing reports reaching him, Mejia said many of the people who were rescued were not on the ship’s manifest. Also, he said that of the seven missing, some are not on the manifest but whose relatives insisted were aboard the vessel. “Hindi ito lumalabas na overloading, pero ang malaking problema diyan, ngayon naghuhula tayo. Sino ang hinahanap natin?” he said. Mejia reiterated Medallion Transport, the owner of the ill-fated vessel, may face cancellation of its franchise should an investigation warrant it. But he said the company’s record had so far been okay. For his part, Medallion Transport spokesman Ricardo Labial Jr. maintained the vessel’s crew was not remiss in its duties. “Kinausap namin. Wala talagang pabaya na nangyari,” he said in a separate interview on dzBB. —KG, Read More …

PAGASA: TD Emong to affect PHL till Friday; LPA may form off Ilocos

 News
Jun 162013
 
PAGASA: TD Emong to affect PHL till Friday; LPA may form off Ilocos

PAGASA: ‘Habagat’, LPA, ITCZ bring rain to various parts of PHL. PAGASA said in its weather bulletin early Sunday morning that the Bicol region, Central and Eastern Visayas and Mindanao will experience cloudy skies with moderate to occasionally heavy rainshowers and thunderstorms which may trigger flash floods and landslides.” PAGASA Tropical Depression Emong will affect parts of the Philippines until at least Friday, state weather forecasters said. PAGASA forecaster Jun Galang also said they are monitoring a cloud formation that could become a low-pressure area off Ilocos later this week. “[Ang epekto nito] itong buong week hanggang Friday. Kung walang pagbabago by Thursday makakalabas ng Philippine area of responsibility,” Galang said in a Monday interview on dzBB radio. While Tropical Depression Emong was too far to directly affect any part of the country, it would enhance the southwest monsoon, which will bring rain mainly to Luzon and Visayas. He also said that as Emong moved northward, the weather in Mindanao would gradually improve while Luzon and Visayas can expect more rain. Meanwhile, Galang said there was a chance a low-pressure area would form off Laoag in Ilocos Norte province later this week. “Papalabas siya may chance mabuo na LPA west ng Laoag, makakadagdag sa epekto ng habagat,” he said. Emong PAGASA’s 5 a.m. bulletin said that as of 4 a.m. Monday, Emong was estimated to be 300 km east of Virac, Catanduanes. It had maximum sustained winds of 55 kph near the center and was forecast to move north-northwest at Read More …

PAGASA: TD Emong maintains strength, accelerates slightly

 News
Jun 162013
 
PAGASA: TD Emong maintains strength, accelerates slightly

PAGASA: ‘Habagat’, LPA, ITCZ bring rain to various parts of PHL. PAGASA said in its weather bulletin early Sunday morning that the Bicol region, Central and Eastern Visayas and Mindanao will experience cloudy skies with moderate to occasionally heavy rainshowers and thunderstorms which may trigger flash floods and landslides.” PAGASA Tropical Depression Emong accelerated slightly and hovered near Legazpi City in Albay Province on Sunday night, state weather forecasters said. PAGASA, in its 11 p.m. advisory, said Tropical Depression Emong was estimated to be 380 km east of Legazpi City as of 10 p.m. It said Emong packed maximum winds of 45 kph near the center and is forecast to move north-northwest at 13 kph. “Tropical Depression Emong is still far to directly affect any part of the country. However, it will bring moderate to occasionally heavy rains and thunderstorms over southern Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao,” it said. It added Emong “is likely to intensify within the next 24 to 48 hours.” PAGASA said Tropical Depression Emong is expected to be at 360 km northeast of Legazpi City by Monday evening, and 400 km east of Aparri, Cagayan by Tuesday evening. By Wednesday evening, it is forecast to be 530 km northeast of Aparri, Cagayan. Tropical Depression Emong may bring 5 to 15 mm per hour of rainfall (moderate to heavy) within its 300-km diameter, PAGASA said. — DVM, GMA News

MILF: New batch of Indonesian ceasefire observers coming

 News
Jun 152013
 
MILF: New batch of Indonesian ceasefire observers coming

Amid a “deadlock” in peace negotiations, a new batch of Indonesian observers is arriving late June to replace the Indonesian contingent to the International Monitoring Team keeping watch over the ceasefire between Philippine government forces and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. The MILF on Sunday cited information from the IMT that the “pioneer” Indonesian contingent, which includes 10 military and five civilian officers, will end its tour of duty June 24. “We can never compensate the contributions of (contingent head) Col. Khairully and his men but surely Allah will reward them and their families for their noble efforts and services to the Bangsamoro aspiration for peace and justice,” said MILF central committee secretariat head Muhammad Ameen. “We hope the Indonesian will stay with the IMT for as long as necessary,” he added. Also, the MILF said the replacements for the Indonesian and two Malaysian IMT members will be coming soon, as the two countries’ governments committed to continue sending members to the IMT. The MILF said the Indonesian contingent under Col. Khairully started its tour of duty on June 24, 2012 and headed the IMT Team Site 5 based in Davao City. It said its central committee is now organizing a farewell program for the outgoing Indonesian IMT officers. The IMT monitors on the ground the implementation of the security, humanitarian, development, socio-economic, and civilian protection aspects of the government-MILF peace process. It has members from Malaysia as head of mission, and from Brunei, Indonesia, Japan, Norway and the European Read More …

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