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DOH to release names of Etihad passengers yet to be tested for MERS-CoV

 News
Apr 202014
 
DOH to release names of Etihad passengers yet to be tested for MERS-CoV

The government will release the names of around 300 passengers who were on the same flight home as the overseas Filipino worker initially diagnosed with Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) in the United Arab Emirates. According to a report on “24 Oras” aired Sunday evening, although the male nurse has since tested negative for MERS-CoV, the Department of Health said he could have passed the virus on to other passengers. The nurse was first tested in the UAE, with the positive result released after he had already left for the Philippines. The test result prompted the DOH to quarantine him and his family. They have since been discharged. Dr. Lyndon Lee Suy, program manager at the National Center for Disease Prevention and Control, said the DOH is aware that releasing the other passengers’ names could make their neighbors shun them out of fear of being infected. “Pero ang punto kasi namin dito, mas lalo silang hindi iiwasan ngayon kung mapatunayan nating wala nakuhang mikrobyo sa kanila,” he said in the report. The DOH has managed to track down around 100 people who were passengers on Etihad Airways Flight EY 0424. The rest have yet to heed the call to come in for quarantine and swab testing, prompting the department’s decision to release the names. Lee Suy said the Health department can ask the Philippine National Police to help convince the passengers to submit to swab tests, which are free. He added that passengers already in the provinces can proceed Read More …

PNoy urges Pinoys in Easter message: Continue self-sacrifice for others  

 News
Apr 192014
 
PNoy urges Pinoys in Easter message: Continue self-sacrifice for others  

President Benigno Aquino III on Sunday urged Filipinos to practice self-sacrifice for others, even as he vowed to make permanent the reforms achieved under his administration. In his Easter message, Aquino also reminded Filipinos to follow the example of Jesus Christ, who he said sacrificed Himself to give mankind a chance at redemption. “Tandaan po natin, dumaan si Hesukristo sa marami at matinding kalbaryo. Sa halip na sumuko, tinanggap niya ito ng buong-buo para mabigyan tayo ng oportunidad na makamtan ang buhay na walang hanggan. Ito naman ang hamon sa atin bilang kanyang mga tagasunod. Bigyang halaga natin ang pagkakataong … maiwaksi ang kasamaan at marating ang kaharian ng Diyossa harap ng mga pagsubok, paghihirap o ginhawa, nawa’y lagi nating isabuhay ang kanyang mga dakilang aral, ang paggawa ng tama, pagmamahal at paglingap sa kapwa,” he said On the other hand, he said his administration will seek to make sure Filipinos have the opportunities to improve their lot in life even after he steps down from office in 2016. “Nais natin maipadama sa mas nakakarami narito man po tayo o nakababa na sa pwesto, mananatili at dadami pa ang mga oportunidad para sa ating mga kababayan. Lubusin natin ang mga pagkakataong ito. Nasa kamay po natin ang susi ng ganap na pag-asenso. Tiyak pong sa ating malasakit sa isa’t isa at sa patnubay ng Panginoon, mararating natin ang katuparan ng ating mga panalangin at mithiin,” he said. Aquino said that under his watch, the nation has risen from rampant graft Read More …

Cardinal Tagle's Easter message prays for ‘true peace’

 News
Apr 192014
 
Cardinal Tagle's Easter message prays for ‘true peace’

As Christians celebrate Easter Sunday, Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle, in his Easter message, prayed that the “true peace coming from the Risen Christ” would provide the Philippines the opportunity to start a “new life.” “We call on Jesus to breathe the Holy Spirit on the Filipino people so that we may experience a fresh start in our quest for peace especially in the Bangsamoro autonomous region, in communities ravaged by earthquakes, typhoons and armed conflicts, in our fight against corruption, unscrupulousness, human trafficking, new forms of slavery, abuse of children and women, dehumanizing destitution and the wastage of creation, to name a few,” Tagle said. The archbishop noted that peace expresses the hope that the sinner may become whole again, as peace “is a plea to start again.” “We pray, ‘Risen Jesus, enter our locked hearts, homes, offices and institutions and bring us your peace!’” Also, Tagle called on faithful to be ready to be sent on a mission, the way Jesus was sent by the Father. He said Easter is indeed a “missionary event,” transforming otherwise timid and fearful disciples into bold and determined missioners. “I call on all Christians, especially the lay faithful on this Year of the Laity to heed the Risen Lord who sends us to bring His word, peace and hope to all strata of human life and society. If peace and new life are illusive in our time, it is partly because we do not fulfill our mission. So at Easter we Read More …

Belmonte: Easter a time for renewal for Pinoys

 News
Apr 192014
 
Belmonte: Easter a time for renewal for Pinoys

House Speaker Sonny Belmonte on Saturday called on the public to embrace an attitude of renewal in anticipation of Easter Sunday, saying it will usher in a brighter future for the country. “While we look inward and celebrate this salvation we have received, let us likewise make Easter a time of renewal as one people, as well as a time of rebuilding hope for ourselves and for the bright future we aspire for the Philippines,” Belmonte said in his Easter message. “Whatever difficulties we face today are like seeds, which eventually grow into strength and evolve into the success of our pursuits,” Belmonte added. Belmonte also reminded Filipinos worldwide that Easter first and foremost is a celebration of sacrifice, both Christ’s and ours, during the observation of Holy Week. “Salvation or redemption need not be perceived as rising above dire straits or from a state of negativity. Rather it results from the assessment of our strengths, our gratitude for them, and the determination to rise above our limitations. It is honing and maximizing the many potentials for growth we are afforded,” Belmonte added. On Wednesday, President Benigno Aquino III called on Filipinos to reflect on Jesus Christ’s sacrifice and related it to the challenge of the government’s Daang Matuwid (straight path) campaign against corruption in government. “Sa atin nga pong pagtahak sa tuwid na daan, humaharap tayo sa mga pagsubok. Ang panawagan po sa atin: Bilang Kanyang mga tagasunod, nawa’y maging handa rin tayong tumanggap ng sarili nating mga sakripisyo. Tiyak Read More …

Gigi Reyes' return helps afford her due process  – Palace exec

 News
Apr 192014
 
Gigi Reyes' return helps afford her due process  - Palace exec

Ex-Enrile aide Gigi Reyes comes home. Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile’s former chief of staff Gigi Reyes arrives in Manila from the US early Saturday, April 19, 2014. Reyes is among those charged with plunder for the PDAF scam. Reina Anne Dimapawi A Malacañang official on Saturday said the return from the US of Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile’s former chief of staff Jessica “Gigi” Reyes helps afford her “due process.” “[Her return] will afford her the opportunity for the full application of her right to due process,” Malacañang spokesman Edwin Lacierda said. Reyes, a key personality in the multibillion-peso pork barrel scam and one of several people charged with plunder because of it, arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 2 via PR-105 from San Francisco, GMA News reported. “I’m facing the charges. I’ve always faced it,” Reyes quoted as saying upon her arrival. On April 7, Reyes’ representatives asked the Office of the Ombudsman to reconsider its decision to file plunder charges against her over the alleged P10-billion por barrel scam. Reyes claimed her constitutional right to due process was violated, and denied receiving any commission from Enrile’s Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF), popularly known as pork barrel. Last April 1, the Ombudsman found probable cause to indict Reyes, Senators Enrile, Ramon Revilla Jr. and Jinggoy Estrada, as well as alleged scam operator Janet Lim-Napoles, with plunder. The National Bureau of Investigation had alleged that Reyes had signed documents related to the release of Enrile’s pork barrel funds to Read More …

Philippines boosts MERS monitoring after UAE nurse scare  

 News
Apr 192014
 
Philippines boosts MERS monitoring after UAE nurse scare  

MANILA — The Philippines said Saturday it was stepping up its defenses against the deadly MERS virus, with the large numbers of Filipino workers in the Middle East seen as potential carriers. “It is important that families, friends and members of their local communities fully understand all that must be known about the MERS coronavirus,” Health Secretary Enrique Ona told a news conference. A male Filipino nurse who had tested positive for the MERS (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome) virus in the United Arab Emirates returned to the Philippines on Tuesday, according to the health department. The man was later tracked down and quarantined, along with relatives who picked him up at Manila airport, as part of the increased monitoring procedures, but all of them were subsequently found to be free of the virus, Ona said. Health authorities were continuing to track the rest of the 418 passengers on the same Etihad Airways flight, including 45 foreigners, so they could also be tested, he added. The virus has a two-week incubation period, so all those passengers “are still deemed to be at risk”, Ona said. A total of 119 passengers had so far been contacted by the health department, and all 40 who were tested yielded negative results, Ona said. While the World Health Organization has not declared a MERS epidemic, the Philippines has stepped up monitoring as it has a large number of workers in the Middle East, many of whom work in Saudi Arabia and the UAE which have Read More …

Phivolcs: No Tsunami threat from quakes in Solomon Island and Mexico  

 News
Apr 182014
 
Phivolcs: No Tsunami threat from quakes in Solomon Island and Mexico  

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology on Saturday said there is no threat from a tsunami following a magnitude-6.9 quake that hit the Solomon Islands. In an advisory issued 9:20 a.m., Phivolcs said there is “no destructive widespread tsunami threat” based on historical and tsunami data. While it said such quakes can sometimes generate local tsunamis that can be destructive along coasts within 100 km of the epicenter, “there is no tsunami threat to the Philippines from this earthquake.“ Citing initial information, Phivolcs said the quake at Solomon Islands occurred at 9:12 a.m. and had a preliminary magnitude of 6.9. Earlier, the Phivolcs similarly allayed fears of a tsunami from a magnitude-7.4 quake in Guerrero, Mexico. In its advisory issued 10:51 p.m. Friday, Phivolcs said the quake occurred in Guerrero, Mexico at 10:27 PM (Philippine Time) with a preliminary magnitude of 7.4. — Joel Locsin /LBG, GMA News

Pork scam suspect and former Enrile aide Gigi Reyes back in the PHL

 News
Apr 182014
 
Pork scam suspect and former Enrile aide Gigi Reyes back in the PHL

Seen as a key personality in the multibillion-peso pork barrel scam and charged with plunder because of it, Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile’s former chief of staff, Jessica “Gigi” Reyes, returned to the Philippines early Saturday. Reyes landed at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 2 via PR-104 from San Francisco, GMA News reported. “I’m facing the charges. I’ve always faced it,” Reyes was reported to have said when she arrived.  Earlier this month, Reyes’ representatives had asked the Ombudsman to reconsider its decision to file plunder charges against her over the P10-billion scam. Reyes claimed her constitutional right to due process was violated, and denied receiving any commission from Enrile’s Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF), the infamous pork barrel. Reyes resigned as Enrile’s chief of staff last January, amid accusations she had personally wielded power over Senate matters on behalf of Enrile, who was then the Senate President. Enrile is among the three senators charged with plunder over the pork scam. — Joel Locsin/DVM, GMA News

Jinggoy lawyers not allowed access to other ‘pork’ respondents’ affidavits

 News
Apr 182014
 
Jinggoy lawyers not allowed access to other ‘pork’ respondents’ affidavits

The Office of the Ombudsman has denied the camp of Senator Jinggoy Estrada access to the affidavits of other respondents in the plunder complaint filed against him in connection with the alleged pork barrel scam. In a text message on Friday, lawyer Alexis Abastillas, Estrada’s legal spokesman, confirmed that the Ombudsman denied their request to be “furnished a copy of the affidavits of new witnesses, whose testimonies were used” in the resolution recommending plunder charges against the senator. “We have received it. It’s a real denial of due process,” Abastillas accused. He added that their camp has already appealed this decision, through the motion of reconsideration they filed last April 7. Last month, Estrada’s lawyers asked the Ombudsman for copies of sworn affidavits of government witnesses Ruby Tuason and Dennis Cunanan. On April 1, the Office of the Ombudsman announced that it has decided to charge Senators Estrada, Ramon Bong Revilla Jr. and Juan Ponce Enrile with plunder for allegedly pocketing millions in their pork barrel funds through a scam supposedly engineered by detained businesswoman Janet Lim-Napoles. Both Estrada and Revilla have already filed their respective motion seeking the dismissal of the plunder charges against them, claiming the accusations have no basis. On the other hand, Enrile had not given any statements to the media since the release of the Ombudsman’s recommendation.  –– KBK, GMA News

Filipinos nailed to cross in Good Friday ritual frowned on by Roman Catholic Church

 News
Apr 182014
 
Filipinos nailed to cross in Good Friday ritual frowned on by Roman Catholic Church

Pampanga penitent nailed on cross on Good Friday. An unidentified penitent is nailed to a cross during Good Friday crucifixion rites in front of the San Gabriel Church in Bacolor, Pampanga on April 18. The re-enaction of the crucifixion of Christ on Good Friday is still practiced despite opposition from the Roman Catholic Church. Ruston Banal Jr. CUTUD – Nearly 20 Filipinos and a Danish filmmaker were nailed to crosses to re-enact the crucifixion of Christ on Good Friday, a practice the Roman Catholic Church frowns upon as a distortion of the Easter message. The annual Philippine ritual draws thousands of spectators to San Fernando, 80 km (50 miles) north of Manila, to see penitents flagellate themselves and a series of crucifixions in a recreation of Christ’s death on the cross. “It was a great experience between me and God,” 48-year-old Danish film director and stunt coordinator Lasse Spang Olsen, who stayed on the cross for more than 10 minutes, told Reuters before being treated for his wounds. “It was great. It was fun.” But for some in the Philippines, where about 80 percent of the population are Catholics, the re-enactments of the crucifixion are an extreme display of devotion. Christianity teaches that Jesus Christ died on the cross on Good Friday and rose from the dead two days later, on Easter Sunday. “I will do it as long as my body will allow me,” said Danilo Ramos, 43, who has been crucified 23 times. “I hope God will see Read More …

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