Maniolas

The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board on Thursday denied a motion by a bus company appealing the suspension of 42 units for an accident that killed a bystander in Zambales last Monday. In posts on his Twitter account, LTFRB chairman Winston Ginez said the LTFRB denied the motion for reconsideration filed by Victory Liner regarding the suspension of its 42 units. “LTFRB today issued an Order denying the Motion for Recon(sideration) filed by Victory on the decision to suspend the operations of the bus company’s 42 units,” Ginez said. He added LTFRB personnel will now be confiscating the “for hire” plates of the 42 units. On Tuesday, the LTFRB slapped a preventive suspension on the 42 buses of Victory Liner after one of its units figured in a deadly accident in Zambales on Monday. Ginez said his office preventively suspended 42 units plying the route between Zambales and Manila. An earlier report by radio dzBB’s Allan Gatus said the preventive suspension will take effect for 30 days. One person was killed while at least 38 were injured in Monday afternoon’s accident. Victory Liner said the bus driver had tried to avoid hitting the bystander, but the bystander was hit and died. During the preventive suspension, the covered buses are to undergo roadworthiness tests while their license plates are removed. Their drivers are to attend seminars on public safety. Victory Liner, for its part, said trips to Olongapo from Caloocan, Pasay, and Cubao terminals are normal, and that only Zambales Read More …

Retired Supreme Court Justice Lorenzo Relova passed away Thursday at age 98, the high court’s public information office said. In posts on its Twitter account, the SC PIO said Relova, born on Jan. 20, 1916, served as the high court’s 103rd associate justice. The high court said Relova served from May 14, 1982 to Jan. 19, 1986. He taught law at the Ateneo Law School for more than four decades, it added. Relova was inducted to the Professors of Law Hall of Fame in 2012, the SC said. The SC said Relova’s remains will lie in state at Magallanes church starting at 4 p.m. Friday. –Joel Locsin/KBK, GMA News

Hong Kong accepts Erap apology. Hong Kong Chief Executive Chun Ying Leung (right) accepts on behalf of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government the apology delivered by Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada on Wednesday, April 23, over the 2010 Manila hostage crisis. With it, Hong Kong adjusted the Outbound Travel Alert (OTA) for the Philippines from Black to Amber. Standing behind Leung are the relatives of the victims and some of the survivors of the tragedy. Ason Cañete After nearly four years, families of victims of the bus hostage crisis in 2010 are getting some closure with the apology presented by the Manila city government in Hong Kong this week. The families were presented with the scrolls bearing the Manila city council’s apology for the incident, Hong Kong’s The Standard reported Thursday. The city council vowed to commemorate the deaths of the eight Hong Kong tourists with two days of prayer every year – on Aug. 23 and on the 14th day of the seventh month of the lunar calendar. But The Standard also reported that while the families found the apology acceptable, they also deemed it “not completely satisfactory.” Former President and now Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada led the Philippine “delegation” that presented the apology to Hong Kong officials. The gesture prompted Hong Kong to lift sanctions on Philippine officials as well as downgrade a black travel alert on the Philippines. Acceptable but not completely satisfactory The Standard quoted Tse Chi-kin, brother of dead tour guide Masa Tse Ting-chunn, Read More …

Metro Rail Transit general manager Al Vitangcol III on Wednesday said he is considering filing charges against Czech Ambassador to the Philippines Josef Rychtar. Rychtar has alleged that Vitangcol is the mastermind of an attempt to extort $30-million from Czech company Inekon Group, which was interested in the contract to supply and maintain the EDSA MRT. “Pinag-aaralan na po ito ng mga abogado natin. Gumagawa na po tayo ng karampatang hakbang and we will be filing legal actions against the ambassador,” Vitangcol said in a press briefing aired on GMA News’ “24 Oras” Wednesday evening. Vitangcol said he may file cases of false testimony and perjury versus Rychtar. In his affidavits submitted to National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and to the House of Representatives committee on good government and public accountability, Rychtar said that Vitangcol, through an alleged emissary, Wilson De Vera, asked Inekon officials to pay $30 million, which was eventually lowered to $2.5 million, in exchange for the awarding of contract to supply coaches for Metro Rail Transit (MRT) expansion project. Rychtar said the alleged extortion attempt took place in a meeting in his residence on July 9, 2012. Vitangcol maintained that he was not present during the meeting and that De Vera was not his emissary. “Wala po tayong contact sa kanya (De Vera) and based on his affidavit, sinasabi niya na he is acting as the director of PH Trams and he is not acting on my behalf and in fact he even mentioned there (in Read More …

Former president and now Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada and six of the Philippine capital’s councilors are to present on Wednesday a city council resolution apologizing for the death of eight Hong Kong tourists in the August 2010 Manila hostage crisis, The Standard said in a report. Quoting two Manila councilors, The Standard said the Hong Kong government and Manila are also expected to sign a joint agreement during the visit of the delegation of Filipino officials. Estrada and six Manila councilors arrived in Hong Kong Friday. “We only represent the Manila City Council. Our part is to submit the resolution,” Councilor Edward Maceda said. Councilor Marlon Lacson added that Estrada was in Hong Kong in his capacity as Manila mayor and does not represent President Benigno Aquino III. The Manila delegation is scheduled to leave Hong Kong and return to Manila on Friday this week.  The Philippines and Hong Kong are working on a “mutually satisfactory” solution to the 2010 Manila bus hostage crisis , Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario said last November. Three months later in February, Hong Kong chief executive CY Leung said hostage crisis’ victims and their families are fully justified in asking for “an apology from the Philippine government for its officials’ failure and lapses in the rescue operation…” Leung also said the request is “consistent with the findings of its (HK government) official investigation.” The Hong Kong chief executive added that the “door to further discussion is open” as he urged the Philippine government to Read More …