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Despite deadline, Royal Army to stay put in Sabah, Sulu sultan says

News

Feb 222013

Despite deadline, Royal Army to stay put in Sabah, Sulu sultan says

Sultan of Sulu says Sabah followers will not fire weapons. At the Blue Mosque in Taguig City on Friday, Sultan of Sulu Jamalul Kiram III (center) said his followers in the Malaysian state of Sabah will not fire their weapons in asserting their reclaim of Sabah. He said he will insist on talks between the sultanate and the Malaysian government at a neutral country. Also in photo are Al Tillah, former governor of Tawi-Tawi (left) and Hadji Hamilian (right), mosque administrator. Danny Pata Despite the 48-hour deadline set by Malaysian authorities, Sultan of Sulu Jamalul Kiram III on Friday said his Royal Army, some of whom are reportedly armed, will be staying put in Sabah and will even build a house in northern Borneo. In her report aired on GMA News TV’s Balitanghali, Sherrie Ann Torres said Kiram appeared to be irritated when asked to comment on the supposed deadline. “Puno na ako ng ultimatum… that ultimatum kako na wala naman,” Kiram said in the television report. Kiram also said it was the Philippine government which gave the 48-hour deadline, and not the Malaysian government. On Thursday, President Benigno Aquino III criticized the Filipinos who went to Sabah to stake a territorial claim, warning their actions could lead to conflict. Build a house In the same television report, Torres said the Royal Army plans to build a house in northern Borneo, where it has been holed up for about two weeks now. “Hindi na raw aalis doon sina Rajah Read More …

Comelec sends illegal poster notices to 2 Senate bets, 6 party-list groups

News

Feb 222013

Comelec sends illegal poster notices to 2 Senate bets, 6 party-list groups

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has sent notices to two senatorial candidates and six party-list organizations found to have illegal campaign posters. At a press conference on Friday, lawyer Esmeralda Amora-Ladra, head of the Comelec law department, said they sent notices to administration senatorial bet Risa Hontiveros and independent candidate Edward Hagedorn. The notice for Hontiveros, who was found to have illegal campaign posters in Dumaguete City in Negros Occidental, was received on February 20 while the notice for Hagedorn, who allegedly has an illegal poster in Osmeña Highway in Manila, was received on February 21. In a text message to GMA News Online, Hontiveros said her team on the ground is in the process of locating the poster and verifying that it has been posted improperly. “This is complicated by the fact that the specific location of the poster was not indicated in the Comelec notice. Rest assured that once it has been located, it will be removed without delay,” she said. Nardz Villafranca, Hagedorn’s acting campaign manager, said they “will comply by the order of the Comelec to remove immediately the campaign material.” “I already ordered sa mga tao na tanggalin na yung material,” he told GMA News in a phone interview. Villafranca said he had already talked with their lawyer and that they “will send letter of explanation with compliance to the law department of the Comelec.” Party-list groups Buhay Hayaang Yumabong (Buhay) party-list received three notices on February 19 and 20 for their illegal campaign posters Read More …

Report: 6 PHL ships deployed to prevent spillover of Sabah standoff

News

Feb 222013

Report: 6 PHL ships deployed to prevent spillover of Sabah standoff

At least six Philippine Navy ships have been deployed to the Sulu and Tawi-Tawi area to prevent a possible spillover of the standoff between a group of armed Filipinos and Malaysian authorities in Sabah. The ships are patrolling the waters of Tawi-Tawi, which is near Tandau village where the group involved in the standoff has been staying since Feb. 9, according to a report Friday on Malaysia’s The Star online. Malaysian security forces had cordoned off the area where the group is staying but is awaiting efforts to resolve the standoff peacefully. Philippine Navy spokesman Lt. Cmdr. Gregory Fabic was quoted in the report as saying the vessels have no instructions to evacuate the group led by Raja Muda Azzimudie Kiram, brother of Sultan Jamalul Kiram III. “We are hoping that this will be resolved peacefully. If they are retreating, we are not there to help them because we need instructions if they can be picked up,” The Star online quoted Fabic as saying. The standoff in the eastern state of Sabah has threatened to spark tension between thePhilippines and Malaysia, whose ties have been periodically frayed by security and migration problems along their sea border, a Reuters report said, citing security analysts. Security analysts had warned that the historic peace deal signed by the Philippine government and Moro rebels last October to end 40 years of conflict in the Philippine south risked stirring instability by alienating powerful clan leaders. Jamalul Kiram III, 74, a former sultan of Sulu in Read More …

DOTC: 2 flights canceled due to bad weather

News

Feb 202013

DOTC: 2 flights canceled due to bad weather

Two domestic flights were canceled Thursday amid bad weather conditions brought by Tropical Depression Crising, the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) said. In a post on its Twitter account, the DOTC said the affected flights were those of Zest Air, between Manila and Tablas (Romblon). The affected flights were Z2-240 and Z2-241, from Manila to Tablas and back. Earlier this week, several domestic flights had been canceled due to bad weather conditions brought by Crising. PAGASA said Crising, which had brought rain to several parts of Mindanao this week, is heading for Southern Palawan. It said Crising may exit the Philippine area of responsibility by early Friday. — KBK, GMA News

Cardinal Tagle wants people power for Church

News

Feb 202013

Cardinal Tagle wants people power for Church

Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle wants to bring the Catholic Church closer to people, a vision his fans say comes from a genuine passion for helping the poor and one that could make him Asia’s first pope. The 55-year-old cardinal from a working-class family close to Manila is being touted at home and abroad as a genuine chance to succeed Pope Benedict XVI during a historic Vatican vote next month. Tagle has a reputation across the devoutly Catholic Philippines as a humble man with a lifelong commitment to helping the poor, while senior Church figures regard him as a moderate progressive who balances conservative doctrines. Tagle, the archbishop of Manila who was appointed a cardinal in November, has refused to discuss his chances for the papacy since Benedict announced he would resign on February 28 due to poor health. But speaking at a public seminar in Manila last weekend, Tagle elaborated on his well-known views that Church leaders needed to do a better job at reaching out to the people within their communities, particularly the youth. “The young want to be connected,” Tagle said at the forum. “That is the basic of the faith — (to be) connected to God, connected to others, to the Church. We need to go back to that fundamental.” Eloquent and with a soothing voice, Tagle has also made high-profile speeches in recent years calling for a humbler Church that is more open to the public’s concerns. Born in 1957 in the then-rural township of Imus, Read More …

UNA drops Chiz, Loren, Grace Poe as candidates

News

Feb 202013

UNA drops Chiz, Loren, Grace Poe as candidates

In a statement, Navotas Rep. and UNA secretary general Tobias Tiangco said the UNA “is no longer obligated to include the names of Chiz Escudero, Loren Legarda and Grace Poe-Llamanzares in its list of candidates.” Tiangco’s statement came a week after UNA said it will no longer campaign for its three guest candidates who will not physically show up in the coalition’s sorties. Tiangco said they tried their best to “accommodate the three candidates but that they were aware how the Liberal Party, through campaign manager Senator Franklin Drilon, has repeatedly warned them against joining their election activities.” “We would have wanted and were looking forward to having them join our nine UNA candidates in our rallies and sorties. Unfortunately, none of them have taken any concrete move or extended any meaningful gesture to assure us that they will live up to their commitments,” he said. He likewise said “public statements have been made by at least one of them ruling out participation in UNA events.” “It is clear that they have made up their minds. We need to move on,” Tiangco said. For his part, Eastern Samar Rep. Ben Evardone, LP campaign spokesperson, said UNA’s decision to drop the three senatorial candidates was already “forthcoming.” “We are not surprised by the decision of UNA. Now, the lines are very clear between the reformists and the opposition. At least the people will now have a clear choice,” Evardone said in a text message. During the proclamation rallies last week, Escudero, Legarda Read More …

NDRRMC: Death toll from 'Crising' rises to 2; 120k people affected

News

Feb 202013

NDRRMC: Death toll from 'Crising' rises to 2; 120k people affected

Satellite image at 8 a.m., 20 Feb 2013. Tropical Depression Crising at 8 a.m., 20 Feb 2013 Weather Central The death toll from Tropical Depression Crising rose to two as of Thursday morning, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said. In its 6 a.m. update, the NDRRMC said the most recent fatality was Erwin Campana, 43, who drowned while crossing a river in Montevista town’s Barangay Camansi in Compostela Valley. Earlier, the NDRRMC said the other fatality – Francisco Digaynon – drowned while crossing the Taytayan River in Barangay Andap in New Bataan, Compostela Valley. Moreover, the NDRRMC said the number of missing people also rose to two. The latest was identified as Suden Abdullah, who went missing while on his way home. It said Abdullah, a resident of Barangay Pinol in Maitum in Sarangani province, was on his way home from fishing when his boat encountered big waves. Earlier, 63-year-old Percela R. Apolinario was reported missing while crossing the river in Brgy. Magugba. The NDRRMC said Crising has affected 25,350 families or 120,269 people in 80 villages in Regions 9, 10, 11 and 12. Of these, 864 families or 3,950 people were brought to seven evacuation centers. At least seven roads and six bridges were affected in Regions 8, 10, 11, and 12. The NDRRMC also said at least two houses in Regions 10 and 11 were destroyed while 85 were damaged. Meanwhile, the Department of Social Welfare and Development recorded 23,000 affected families, DSWD-Disaster Risk Reduction Read More …

Multiple organ infection may have led to Lolong's death, necropsy shows

News

Feb 202013

Multiple organ infection may have led to Lolong's death, necropsy shows

Lolong, the Philippine crocodile that held the record as the world’s largest crocodile before it died earlier this month, may have suffered from multiple organ infection even before it was captured in 2011. This was one of the findings of a necropsy conducted by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources’ Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau, according to a report of Jun Veneracion on GMA News’ Saksi Wednesday night. “Based dun sa nakita dun sa lesions, talagang hindi rin siya tatagal… [may] multiple organ infection,” said PAWB Director Theresa Lim. Lolong was found dead last Feb. 10. With its death, the Guinness World Records now recognizes Australia-based Cassius as the world’s biggest crocodile in captivity. Lim said Lolong may have already been weakening due to infection of major organs including the heart, kidneys and liver. She also said this condition could have preceded the pneumonia earlier tagged as the cause of Lolong’s death. “Maaring before pa siyang nahuli meron na siyang infection,” she said. The “Saksi” report also quoted Dr. Emilia Lasticay of the University of the Philippines’ College of Veterinary Medicine as saying they are still trying to establish if Lolong’s condition was chronic. “We are trying to establish yung timeline kung recent lang ang condition o kung matagal na ang condition,” she said. — RSJ, GMA News

Govt urged to drop charges vs. Mancao

News

Feb 202013

A former lawyer of erstwhile Senior Superintendent Cezar Mancao II on Wednesday appealed to the government to finally discharge Mancao as an accused in the Dacer-Corbito double murder case. Ferdinand Topacio noted how all the principal accused in the case, except Mancao, had already been cleared from charges and are now living normal lives. “It is becoming exceedingly ironic that many of the principal accused in the Dacer-Corbito Double Murder Case have been able to assume normal lives, while a person who has risked his all for the government to be able to pursue the prosecution of the case – former Colonel Cezar Mancao — remains detained and jobless,” said Topacio. Sen. Panfilo Lacson, allegedly one of the masterminds in the killing of publicist Salvador “Bubby” Dacer and his driver Emmanuel Corbito in November 2000, has already been cleared by the Court of Appeals in a ruling that was later on upheld by the Supreme Court. The SC said the Dacer family can no longer appeal the CA’s decision because the government, represented by the Office of the Solicitor General, has decided to forego its opportunity to file an appeal. Another suspect, former Superintendent Glenn Dumlao, has already been reinstated in the Philippine National Police and has recently been embroiled in a controversial encounter between security forces and suspected criminals in Atimonan, Quezon. Meanwhile, former police intelligence officer Michael Ray Aquino has recently been ordered released by a Manila court and is reportedly seeking reinstatement as a police officer, according Read More …

Brillantes: Stopping contest won't spare Jamby from probe

News

Feb 192013

Brillantes: Stopping contest won't spare Jamby from probe

Taking down the announcement and stopping her online contest will not spare senatorial candidate Jamby Madrigal from the investigation of the Commission on Elections (Comelec), poll chairman Sixto Brillantes Jr. said Wednesday. “Kahit tanggalin niya, naumpisahan na. Ultimately, pag makita na may violation tutuluyan namin, disqualification at possible criminal election offense,” Brillantes told reporters as he confirmed that it was Madrigal whom they were investigating. Brillantes on Tuesday bared that they were investigating an administration senatorial candidate for alleged illegal campaigning for launching an online contest with an iPad as prize. He, however, did not identify the candidate. Madrigal, in an interview later Tuesday, admitted that she launched the contest but refused to comment on the issue until she and her lawyers receive the formal complaint from the Comelec. The Facebook page of the contest has since been taken down. Brillantes welcomed Madrigal’s decision to stop the contest as it will “mitigate the action” of the Comelec. He noted that since the candidate has yet to give an iPad as prize, the act is not consummated yet. “Tingin ko hindi pa naman nagbibigay ng premyo so hindi pa consummated ‘yung act. Pero hindi pa tapos ang checking, [we’re] verifying pa kung may case to file,” he said. Asked if there are other candidates being investigated for a similar alleged offense, Brillantes said Madrigal’s was the only case he knew. “So far isa pa lang. Ewan ko kung may nakitang bago.” He noted that most of the senatorial candidates Read More …

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