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OFWs in Middle East warned on spread of MERS

News

Apr 152014

OFWs in Middle East warned on spread of MERS

By Nestor CorralesINQUIRER.net 1:52 pm | Tuesday, April 15th, 2014 DFA spokesman Charles Jose. INQUIRER.net FILE PHOTO MANILA, Philippines—The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) warned Tuesday all Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) in the Middle East on the breakout of the deadly disease in the region that has claimed the life of a Filipino and affected five others. “We are advising all Filipinos not only in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) but in the whole of Middle East to take precautionary measures against the deadly Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS),” DFA spokesperson Charles Jose said in an interview with Inquirer Radio 990AM. Jose, however, told OFWs to “remain calm” amid the spread of the deadly virus. He said OFWs should practice proper hygiene, frequent washing of hands, follow advisories from health authorities, and those who experience any of the disease’s symptoms are urged to immediately seek medical attention. On Monday, the DFA confirmed the death of a Filipino from the deadly virus and the hospitalization of five others. “The Philippine Embassy in Abu Dhabi has confirmed that one Filipino worker died on April 10 due to MERS, while five others remain under quarantine as a precautionary measure,” Jose said. The Filipino fatality, according to him, was a paramedic whose identity has yet to be disclosed. “We withhold the name as per request by the family. We also have the name of the five Filipinos who are affected but their family also requested not to disclose their names,” he said. The five Read More …

OWWA promises aid to family of MERS-CoV fatality

News

Apr 142014

OWWA promises aid to family of MERS-CoV fatality

By Matikas SantosINQUIRER.net 10:09 am | Tuesday, April 15th, 2014 Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO MANILA, Philippines – The Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) assured that it will provide assistance to the family of the Filipino who died from the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) virus in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) confirmed Monday that the Filipino, a medical worker in Al Ain, died after contracting the deadly MERS-Coronavirus (CoV) that has claimed 88 lives worldwide according to the latest figures of the World Health Organization (WHO). Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Secretary Rosalinda Dimapilis-Baldoz said in a statement Tuesday that she has instructed OWWA Administrator Carmelita Dimzon to provide full assistance to the victim’s family. Five other Filipino health workers were also infected and have been put in quarantine, according to the DFA. “Our people in the [Philippine Overseas Labor Office in Abu Dhabi] are regularly sending us updates on the other Filipinos who have reportedly been in contact with the Filipino nurse before his death. The other co-workers, all nurses, are quarantined in a hospital and are under close observation,” Baldoz said. “We hope and pray that they will recover soon and that they will be safe from the killer virus,” Dimzon said in the same statement. The body of the Filipino who died is set to be cremated as soon as documents have been processed, OWWA said. According to records of the WHO, at least 212 cases of Read More …

Disease threatens world’s bananas—UN

News

Apr 142014

Cavendish bananas from Mindanao. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO ROME—The United Nations warned on Monday of the potential “massive destruction” of the world’s $5.0-billion (3.6-billion euro) a year banana crop as a plant disease spreads from Asia to Africa and the Middle East. The Rome-based Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said the TR4 strain of Panama disease, which has already hit tens of thousands of hectares in Southeast Asia, had been reported in Jordan and Mozambique. The disease is “posing a serious threat to production and export” of bananas, the fourth-most important food crop for the world’s least developed countries and a key revenue source for poor farmers, FAO said in a report. There is no cure for TR4, which particularly affects the Cavendish variety that accounts for 47 percent of world banana production—by far the biggest. The disease affects the trees but not the bananas themselves and the only solution is to cut down the trees, dig trenches between trees to prevent its spread and impose strict quarantine measures. Top producers in Latin America, including the world’s main producer Ecuador, have so far not been affected but FAO warned there was a “potential” risk. “I think it’s sheer luck. It’s not a question of whether it will arrive but when. There’s no prevention,” said Gert Kema, director of the banana research programme at Wageningen University in the Netherlands who manages the site panamadisease.org. Kema said the availability of bananas in Europe and the United States had not been affected by the Read More …

Reid picks Pacquiao over Bradley

News

Apr 122014

By Bert EljeraINQUIRER.net US Bureau 6:21 am | Sunday, April 13th, 2014 Sen. Harry Reid of Nevada with Saranggani Congressman Manny Pacquiao in Reid’s Washington, D.C. office two years ago. FILE PHOTO provided by Sen. Reid’s office LAS VEGAS – U.S. Senator and Majority Leader Harry Reid picked Manny Pacquiao over American Timothy Bradley in their 12-round title bout at the MGM Grand Garden Arena Sat., April 12. The Nevada Democrat said Pacquiao, himself a member of the Philippine Congress, is too skilled and experienced for Bradley, who holds the WBO welterweight title he wrested from the Filipino champion two years ago. “I believe — as many people do — that he won their last fight,” Reid said. “Now, I think, it will be more decisive.” In the wake of that Bradley split decision victory, Reid had called for a review of the decision and threatened to introduce legislation creating a federal boxing commission to regulate all boxing matches in the United States. Nothing came out of the threat, but the noise following Bradley’s controversial win forced the WBO to review the fight. A panel of experienced judges found that Pacquiao, who landed more power punches, had won the fight. Reid was paying back what he acknowledged as Paquiao’s help in harnessing Filipino-American vote in his bruising bout with Republican and Tea Party favorite Sharron Angle for Nevada’s U.S. Senate seat. Pacquiao appeared at a Las Vegas campaign rally for Reid weeks before the midterm elections. Reid, one of the Read More …

Raps filed in Taiwan fisher’s death

News

Mar 182014

By Christine O. AvendañoPhilippine Daily Inquirer 9:23 am | Wednesday, March 19th, 2014 Taiwanese investigators look at a portion of a ship involved in the shooting of a Taiwanese fisherman as they ride a rubber boat with the Philippine Coast Guard while they continue their probe in Manila, Philippines on Tuesday May 28, 2013. AP FILE PHOTO MANILA, Philippines—Eight officers and personnel of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) will be charged with homicide for the May 2013 fatal shooting of a Taiwanese fisherman in the Balintang Channel, an incident that strained ties between Manila and Taipei. Justice Secretary Leila de Lima on Tuesday said a panel of Department of Justice prosecutors had found probable cause to charge the eight PCG in the death of Taiwanese fisherman Hong Shi Cheng. To be charged are PCG commanding officer Arnold Enriquez de la Cruz; Seamen 1st Class Edrando Quiapo Aguila, Mhelvin Aguilar Bendo II, Andy Gibb Ronario Golfo, Sunny Galanf Masangcay and Henry Baco Solomon; Seaman 2nd Class Nicky Renold Aurelio and Petty Officer 2 Richard Fernandez Corpuz. De la Cruz and Bendo will also be charged with obstruction of justice for allegedly falsifying the monthly gunner report dated May 11, 2013. The DOJ panel dismissed the other charge of obstruction of justice against De la Cruz, Lt. Junior Grade Martin Bernabe, Ramirez and Bendo this time for the deletion of video clips from the SD cards and compact discs submitted to the NBI as this was accidentally done. The homicide charges will Read More …

Water cannon incident an act of aggression—Akbayan

News

Mar 022014

Water cannon incident an act of aggression—Akbayan

By Bong LozadaINQUIRER.net 1:50 pm | Monday, March 3rd, 2014 MANILA, Philippines—In another episode on the Philippine-China dispute over the areas in the West Philippine Sea, a militant group said that the water cannon incident at Panatag Shoal (Scarborough Shoal) is a “clear” act of aggressive behavior. Akbayan picketed outside the Chinese Consular Office at the World Center in Makati Monday morning to protest Chinese claims on the Panatag Shoal and uphold Philippine claims on the disputed islands. “They sent their maritime vessels in a territory which is an integral part of the Philippines,” Emman Hizon, deputy Secretary-General of Akbayan said. “They did not only infringe Philippine sovereignty, but an act of aggression against Filipino fishermen who were only undertaking fishing activities for Philippine nationals.” Hizon said that the water cannon incident was not only an act of “bullying,” but also a “clear act of aggression.” He added that China is offering incentives to the Philippines to ease the dispute, like the pulling out of their ships and increasing business investments in the country. “We are telling them the Philippine government that Philippine sovereignty is non-negotiable; we are not taking the incentives,” Hizon said. Multilateral talks According to Hizon, his group is supporting President Benigno Aquino III’s stand after the Chief Executive said that the key to the dispute would be through multilateral talks between the countries, which lay claim to the shoal. “We believe the resolution to this dispute should be settled on a multilateral, pluralistic fashion and reject Read More …

No Coast Guard vessels near Panatag Shoal, says spokesman

News

Mar 022014

No Coast Guard vessels near Panatag Shoal, says spokesman

This undated handout photo taken by the Philippine Navy and released April 11, 2012, by the Department of Foreign Affairs shows Chinese surveillance ships off Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal. AFP FILE PHOTO MANILA, Philippines – Not a single Philippine Coast Guard vessel has been deployed to Panatag Shoal (Scarborough Shoal) since Coast Guard ships and their Chinese counterparts faced off in that part of the West Philippine Sea for two weeks in mid-2012. The Inquirer learned this Monday from Cmdr. Armand Balilo, chief of the Coast Guard’s public affairs office, who said, however that the search-and-rescue vessel BRP Corregidor (001) and the buoy tender BRP San Juan (AE-391) were “on standby” at the PCG headquarters in Manila and could be sent to the area “if ordered by the higher-ups.” By higher-ups Balilo was referring to “Malacañang through the DOTC,” not the Western Command of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, which has been tasked by the government to oversee security in the West Philippine Sea. The Coast Guard is now under the jurisdiction of the Department of Transport and Communication. It used to be part of the Philippine Navy. The 540-ton Corregidor is 56 meters long, has a cruising speed of 26 knots and a cruising range of more than 1,000 nautical miles. Built by the Australian shipbuilding firm Tenix, the multirole vessel was commissioned by the PCG in June 2002. It was one of several PCG vessels that ferried relief goods to Eastern Visayas provinces ravaged by Supertyphoon Yolanda in Read More …

Emperador nets P5.8B in 2013

General

Feb 232014

By Doris C. DumlaoPhilippine Daily Inquirer 12:03 pm | Monday, February 24th, 2014 MANILA, Philippines – Tycoon Andrew Tan’s beverage company Emperador Distillers Inc. grew its net profit last year by 17.4 percent to P5.8 billion as revenues increased at a double-digit pace despite higher excise taxes on liquor. In a statement on Monday, EDI said its 2013 revenue grew by 25.6 percent to P29.6 billion, supported by a 7-percent growth in volume. “With a sales volume of 33 million cases, Emperador maintains its position as the world’s largest selling brandy brand in 2013, aside from being the largest liquor company in the Philippines,” the company said. Emperador is expanding both its production facilities in Spain and in the Philippines with an investment of P5.8 billion in state-of-the-art vineyards, distilleries and bodegas in Spain. This year, Emperador will spend P4 billion in the Philippines for additional production capacity. With zero debt on its balance sheet, the company ended 2013 with a cash balance of P24 billion, including P12.5 billion from share sales in the third quarter of last year. “Emperador is a global company with strong balance sheet. We are very committed to give the best quality and best value to our customers. We will continue to invest in technology and facilities of the highest quality for world-class brandy production,” EDI chief financial officer Dina Inting said. Follow Us Recent Stories: Complete stories on our Digital Edition newsstand for tablets, netbooks and mobile phones; 14-issue free trial. About to step Read More …

China ships in disputed waters, says Japan coastguard

News

Feb 222014

China ships in disputed waters, says Japan coastguard

Agence France-Presse 12:47 pm | Sunday, February 23rd, 2014 In this Sept. 2012 photo, the tiny islands in the East China Sea, called Senkaku in Japanese and Diaoyu in Chinese are seen. AP PHOTO TOKYO – Three Chinese coastguard ships sailed through disputed waters off Tokyo-controlled islands in the East China Sea Sunday, the latest such incident in a bitter territorial row between the Asian giants. The Chinese vessels entered the 12-nautical-mile territorial waters off one of the Senkakus, which China claims and calls the Diaoyus, at around 9 am (0000 GMT) and left the area around two hours later, the Japan Coast Guard said. It was the fifth time this year that state-owned Chinese ships entered the zone and the first in six days. Chinese vessels and aircraft have regularly approached the East China Sea archipelago — thought to harbor vast natural resources — after Japan nationalized some of the islands in September 2012, setting off the latest round in a long-running territorial dispute. Fears of conflict rose in November when China imposed an air defense identification zone (ADIZ) over the East China Sea and said it required notification from planes crossing the area. Washington was angered by the move, saying it could lead to confusion high in the skies. US Secretary of State John Kerry has warned Beijing against unilateral moves to set up a similar air defense zone over the South China Sea, where the Philippines in particular has voiced worries about China’s maritime claims. Earlier this Read More …

Filipinos still okay in Ukraine, says Palace

News

Feb 222014

Filipinos still okay in Ukraine, says Palace

By Nestor CorralesINQUIRER.net 2:43 pm | Saturday, February 22nd, 2014 MANILA,Philippines—The Aquino government is exerting efforts to ensure the safety of Filipinos in Ukraine amid a deep political crisis in which scores have been killed and hundreds injured earlier this week, Malacañang said Saturday. “Because of some of the events transpiring in Ukraine, particularly Kiev, the DFA has been monitoring the situation and making sure they are watching out for the welfare of Filipinos there,” deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said on radio. Valte added that the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) continues to be on the lookout as the violence has claimed 77 lives. She, however said, there has not been any report of Filipinos in Ukraine being adversely affected or injured due to the crisis. On Friday, the Ukraine government and opposition leaders reached a deal to end the political crisis and the bloody fighting, especially in Kiev. RELATED STORIES Shaky peace reigns after Ukraine rocked by protest Ukraine death toll rises to 28–ministry Follow Us Recent Stories: Complete stories on our Digital Edition newsstand for tablets, netbooks and mobile phones; 14-issue free trial. About to step out? Get breaking alerts on your mobile.phone. Text ON INQ BREAKING to 4467, for Globe, Smart and Sun subscribers in the Philippines. Tags: Filipino , Foreign affairs , OFW , Overseas Filipinos , Political Crisis , safety , Ukraine Factual errors? Contact the Philippine Daily Inquirer’s day desk. Believe this article violates journalistic ethics? Contact the Inquirer’s Reader’s Advocate. Or write Read More …

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