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PNoy signed gun law because of his affinity for firearms, says anti-gun group

 News
Jun 042013
 
PNoy signed gun law because of his affinity for firearms, says anti-gun group

Did President Benigno Aquino III sign the comprehensive gun law because of his love for shooting? An anti-gun group thinks so. “Malaking factor yun. Eh mahilig din siya sa baril eh,” Randy Pacheco, founder of the Gunless Society, said in an interview that aired Monday on GMA News’ Saksi. Despite calls for a total gun ban early this year following the death of seven-year-old Stephanie Nicole Ella due to a stray bullet on New Year’s Eve, Aquino on Wednesday signed Republic Act 10591, or “An Act Providing for Comprehensive Law on Firearms and Ammunition and Providing Penalties for Violations Thereof,” which allows casual gun enthusiasts to own up to 15 guns, and “serious collectors” to possess 15 or more firearms. “Serious collector” undefined Under the constitution, gun ownership is a privilege and not a right. The new law supersedes Executive Order 194, signed by President Joseph Estrada in 2000, which allowed unlimited gun ownership and which itself had removed a previous 10-gun ownership limit. Philippine National Police Firearms and Explosives Office (PNP FEO) spokesperson Chief Inspector Nelson Bautista told GMA News Online in a phone interview Tuesday that even when gun ownership was unlimited, their office has done checks before issuing gun licenses, “lalo pag marami na [ang baril niya]. We check capability, kung bakit itong taong ‘to, marami nang baril, and is still securing a license.” But Bautista was not able to define what exactly a “collector” or “serious collector” is, based only on the published law. “Itong batas Read More …

DOLE pushes 'social protection floor' for informal sector workers

 News
Jun 012013
 
DOLE pushes 'social protection floor' for informal sector workers

The Department of Labor and Employment is pushing for a “social protection floor,” or a basic set of protection measures, for workers in the informal sector. DOLE Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz said the informal sector includes the underemployed, self-employed, and unpaid family workers in five priority occupational groups. “Social protection is integral to achieving a better and improved quality of life for the workers in the informal sectors by equalizing access to development opportunities and by reducing vulnerabilities of these workers and their families against risks, particularly in times of crisis, that can push them down to poverty,” she said. “The DOLE, in convergence with other agencies, is looking at the underemployed, self-employed, and unpaid family workers who are a big part of the informal sector and who constitute workers in vulnerable employment,” she added. She added the social protection floor provides a set of guarantees, “either universal or targeted and contributory or non-contributory.” The DOLE plans to hold a Strategic Planning Workshop this June to develop a results-based project monitoring evaluation system for the social protection floor (SPF) system for informal sector workers. Expected to attend the workshop are representatives from government agencies and informal sector groups. Baldoz said the workshop is part of the Labor Day Celebration for Informal Sector Workers, to be held Occupational Safety and Health Center’s Ichikawa Hall in Quezon City on May 30. The DOLE said the Philippines was among the International Labor Organization’s member states that adopted in June 2011 the ILO recommendation on Read More …

VP Binay off to Germany for Asia-Pacific weeks

 News
Jun 012013
 
VP Binay off to Germany for Asia-Pacific weeks

Vice President Jejomar Binay leaves for Germany on Sunday to represent the Philippines in the Asia-Pacific Weeks 2013 in Berlin. Binay, whose visit to Germany will last until June 9, is expected to keynote the opening of the event, dzBB reported. Asia-Pacific Weeks is an event that seeks to help developing nations in social urban development. Binay, the presidential adviser on overseas Filipino worker concerns, is expected to meet with German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle and Federal Labor Minister Ursula von der Leyen. He will also meet with key German business leaders, and preside over a presentation on “Makati City as Smart City Portal to Business in the Philippines.” Also, he will meet with Filipino communities in Germany before returning to the Philippines. “I look forward to sustain the momentum created by the earlier exchange of visits between Secretary Albert del Rosario to Germany in 2011 and German Minister Guido Westerwelle to Manila last February,” a report on Bombo Radyo quoted Binay as saying. — LBG, GMA News

PAGASA: Rain over parts of Mindanao due to wind convergence

 News
Jun 012013
 
PAGASA: Rain over parts of Mindanao due to wind convergence

Rain is forecast over parts of Mindanao on Sunday due to the inter-tropical convergence zone, state meteorologist said in a weather bulletin. PAGASA also said in the Sunday morning bulletin that Metro Manila and other parts of the country may expect isolated rain showers and thunderstorms. “The regions of Davao, Soccsksargen, Zamboanga Peninsula and the Autonomous Region Of Muslim Mindanao will experience cloudy skies with light to moderate rain showers and thunderstorms,” it said. Metro Manila and the rest of the country will be “partly cloudy to cloudy with isolated rain showers or thunderstorms,” it added. For Sunday, PAGASA said Metro Manila may expect temperatures of 23 to 34 degrees Celsius while Tuguegarao City may expect temperatures of 24 to 36 degrees Celsius. Angeles and Olongapo Cities may expect temperatures of 25 to 35 degrees Celsius, it said. Meanwhile, PAGASA said light to moderate winds from the east to southeast will prevail over Luzon and Visayas and coming from the east to northeast over the rest of the country. The coastal waters throughout the archipelago will be slight to moderate, it added.  — ELR, GMA News

Slug cross-matching will determine fisherman's killer – Taiwan prosecutor

 News
May 302013
 
Slug cross-matching will determine fisherman's killer - Taiwan prosecutor

The National Bureau of Investigation and the Taiwan’s Criminal Investigation Bureau will compare slugs taken from the body of the Taiwanese fisherman who was shot and killed May 9, with tests slugs taken from the confiscated weapons of Philippine Coast Guard sailors involved in the shooting. Taiwan’s Pingtung district attorney, Chih-Ming Hsieh, explained in an interview aired over GMA 7’s “24 Oras”, “It is of paramount importance to find out who shot the victim to death and do a cross match and have a better picture of that fact.” NBI investigators are set to fly back to the Philippines on Friday with the evidence they had gathered in Taiwan. The information and evidence will be used in the final report they will draft, as well as possible recommendations, on the May 9 shooting. Meanwhile, overseas Filipino workers in Taiwan feared the repercussions if the NBI investigation results did not favor the Taiwanese nor match the parallel investigation of the Taiwanese Criminal Investigation Bureau. As things stood, OFWs were still being randomly attacked by irate Taiwanese. Two Filipino workers, identified only as Eric and Melchor, recalled how two Taiwanese men on a motorcycle suddenly attacked them while they were bicycling home. “Napasigaw ako nung tumama yung helmet niya sa likod ko,” said Melchor, “Sobrang sakit talaga.” “Hindi muna kami lumalabas masyado para di mapaginitan,” he added. “Sana naman ay matapos na agad ang imbestigasyon at isipin din ang kapakanan naming mga OFWs dito sa taiwan,” worried Eric. — DVM, GMA News

Think tank finds May 13 polls ‘questionable’

 News
May 302013
 
Think tank finds May 13 polls ‘questionable’

Prof. Bobby Tuazon, Director for Policy Studies at think tank Center for People Empowerment in Governance (CenPEG) on Wednesday said the May 13 midterm polls were unreliable, citing several aspects of non-compliance with election laws. “Kwestyunable [dahil] ung proseso na dinaanan ng midterm elections—ranging from patuloy na non-compliance sa mahigpit na election provisions—digital signature, verifiability feature [hanggang] itong nangyaring premature proclamation,” Tuazon said in an interview aired over GMA News TV’s “News to Go”. Tuazon added that the observation was not just CenPEG’s alone, as other election watchdogs also saw the poll results as unreliable. “Kabilang na diyan ang AES (Automated Election System) watch at ilan pang kapatid dito sa election monitoring, ay nagkakaisa sila na kwestyunable ang naging conduct at naging resulta ng midterm election,” he said. Tuason pointed out that to date, around 10 million votes have yet to be counted and these “missing” votes gave the elections a sense of confusion. “‘Yung the fact na halos 13 thousand ER’s (election returns) ay hindi pa talagang nata-transmit, equivalent iyon to 8 million to 10 million votes that remained to be unaccounted for; pinaka latest ang discrepancies na nakita roon sa kalahati ng mga RMA (Random Manual Audit) areas,” he said. “Lahat ng ito, tingin namin, nagdudulot ng pangamba at agam agam sa question na was the vote really counted? Sino ba talaga actual na nanalo at natalo lalo na sa senatorial race?” he added. Accuracy rating Tuazon also brought up the much debated accuracy rating of the PCOS Read More …

Lagman's son to continue father's fight for centenarians' benefits

 News
May 302013
 
Lagman's son to continue father's fight for centenarians' benefits

In what appears to be a case of the son continuing his father’s fight, Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman’s son, Edcel Jr., is set to refile the bill seeking to give additional benefits to Filipino centenarians when the 16th Congress opens in July. This was according to the elder Lagman, days after President Benigno Aquino III vetoed the proposed measure that seeks to give, among others, a 75-percent discount on goods and services to Filipino centenarians for supposedly being “too heavy” for businesses. “Ang aking anak, si Congressman-elect Edcel Lagman Jr., ay ipa-file ang original House version na walang objectionable portion na nilagay ni Senator Kiko Pangilinan,” Lagman said in an interview on GMA News TV’s “News To Go” on Thursday. The younger Lagman will replace his father as Albay first district representative after winning in the recently concluded midterm elections. The bill entitles Filipino citizens who reached and will reach the age of 100 to a P100,000 cash gift as well as a letter of felicitation from the president congratulating the centenarian for his or her longevity. Pangilinan’s fault? The elder Lagman, the bill’s author at the House of Representatives, blamed Sen. Francis Pangilinan for the measure’s fate, saying it was the senator who raised the proposed discount rate to 75 percent from the original 50 percent. “Ang rason kung bakit binitin ng pangulo dahil sa Senate version sapagkat tinaasan ni Senator Kiko Pangilinan ‘yung 50 percent discount to 75 percent,” he said, adding Pangilinan essentially copied his bill and Read More …

Defense chief says China, not PHL, violating code of conduct in Spratlys

 News
May 302013
 
Defense chief says China, not PHL, violating code of conduct in Spratlys

Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin on Thursday claimed that China and not the Philippines was allegedly violating the Declaration on the Code of Conduct (DOC) in disputed territories in the West Philippine Sea. Gazmin made the statement in a chance interview with reporters at Camp Aquinaldo a day after his meeting with Chinese Ambassador Ma Keqing over questions about whether or not China will remove its ships from the Ayungin Shoal. On Wednesday, Gazmin said China intends to keep monitoring Manila over concerns that the Philippines intends to put up new structures on Ayungin Shoal (Second Thomas) in the disputed Spratly Islands. Gazmin explained that China was concerned about a Philippine ship that was on its way to the Ayungin Shoal in the West Philippine Sea. Gazmin explained that the ship is not there to build structures in the disputed territories but is on a supply mission. On Thursday, Gazmin said, “Well we’ve been adhering to the conduct, we’ve been following the DOC, wala naman tayong viniolate.” Gazmin alleged that it is China that is not adhering to the DOC. “Sila ang hindi [sumusunod], kaya nga ito pwedeng [isama] sa ating mga protesta, kaya nga lumalabas yang sunud-sunod na protest natin,” Gazmin said. “Tayo ay nagpupunta dun because of routine provisional missions, at saka yung regular rotation of forces. Ang tao dun stays there for three months, alangan naman three months ka dun sa barko, ang area mo napakaliit, tapos puro dagat lang so kailangan constant ang rotation,” he added. ‘Deescalation’ Read More …

Rainy Friday forecast for most of the PHL

 News
May 302013
 
Rainy Friday forecast for most of the PHL

Rainy Thursday expected over most of southern Luzon. PAGASA weatherman Aldzar Aurelio on Thursday, May 30, shows a satellite image of clouds over the Philippines that could bring thunderstorms and rains to parts of Luzon, particularly the Bicol and Quezon provinces, as well as the NCR. GMA News Metro Manila and most parts of the country may expect rain on Friday, even as state weather forecasters said Thursday they expect to announce the start of the rainy season next week. PAGASA forecaster Jun Galang also noted a relatively cool maximum temperature in Metro Manila on Thursday, at 29.2 degrees Celsius. “Iiral pa rin ang inter-tropical convergence zone,” Galang said in an interview on dzBB radio. But Galang said they still cannot declare the start of the rainy season this week yet because the southwest monsoon has not set in. Temperature On Friday, PAGASA said Metro Manila may expect temperatures of 25 to 31 degrees Celsius, while Tuguegarao City may expect temperatures of 24 to 36 degrees Celsius. Angeles and Olongapo Cities may expect temperatures of 23 to 32 degrees Celsius on Friday. Friday outlook PAGASA’s 5 p.m. Thursday bulletin indicated the ITCZ is across Mindanao and may bring rain to most parts of the country. “Central Luzon, Metro Manila, CALABARZON, MIMAROPA, Bicol Region, Visayas and Mindanao will experience cloudy skies with light to moderate rain showers and thunderstorms,” it said. It added the rest of Luzon will have partly cloudy to at times cloudy skies with isolated rain showers or Read More …

Brillantes: Random manual audit spotted 'variances' not discrepancies

 News
May 292013
 
Brillantes: Random manual audit spotted 'variances' not discrepancies

Poll chief Sixto Brillantes Jr. on Wednesday said “variances” is a better term for the disparities spotted in the random manual count of votes instead of “discrepancies.” In a newspaper report, Brillantes was quoted as saying there were “discrepancies” between the random manual count and the machine-generated election results. The poll body has reportedly received 167 of the 234 randomly chosen precincts for the manual audit. “The correct term should have been, there were variances, which would actually be a toning down of a discrepancy,” Brillantes corrected himself at a press briefing on Wednesday. He added that his earlier statements were based on initial reports. Brillantes noted, too, that a random manual count is not expected to perfectly match the machine-generated results. He said the precinct count optical scan (PCOS) machine still reads the ballots even when the shading only covers 20 percent of the oval. Meanwhile, the auditors have their own “discretion” whether or not to audit the partially shaded ballots, Brillantes added. In the 2010 elections, the PCOS was programmed to read ovals shaded only 50 percent. “It could not be a perfect thing between the manual count and the machine count…  Ang tao hindi na-poprogram ang mata niyan, may kanya kanyang discretion, iba-iba ang assessment,” he said. “Pero talaga namang alam nila na hindi magta-tally ang machine count sa human visual count, may thresholding ‘yan eh,” Brillantes added, referring to the incomplete shading of the ballot. Still, Brillantes maintained the result of the manual audit so far Read More …

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