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British website includes PH on list of top 10 countries to visit in 2014

 General
Jan 072014
 
British website includes PH on list of top 10 countries to visit in 2014

By Matikas SantosINQUIRER.net 3:03 pm | Tuesday, January 7th, 2014 A young boy waits at the side of the road for fresh water surrounded by debris from Typhoon Haiyan in Tacloban, central Philippines. AP FILE PHOTO MANILA, Philippines – Citing the devastation caused by Supertyphoon Yolanda (international name Haiyan) in the central Philippines, a British travel website has included the country on its list of top 10 countries to visit in 2014. “In the wake of the terrible devastation wreaked by Typhoon Haiyan, tourism has become even more important to the Philippines, bringing crucial support to the economy,” Roughguides.com said in its feature article. “An estimated 97 percent of the country remains unaffected, including Boracay and the southern parts of Cebu,” it said. Yolanda cut a wide swath of destruction across the Visayas region in November last year, destroying cities and entire provinces particularly Leyte and Samar. Popular tourism destinations such as the island of Cebu and Coron in Palawan were also battered by Yolanda’s angry winds and storm surges. Roughguides praised the Philippines for its reefs, volcanoes and rice terraces but noted also the continuing insurgencies from rebel groups in the Mindanao region. “Though the Philippines boasts a dazzling array of pristine reefs, volcanoes, sleepy backpacker islands and the famed rice terraces, the country mostly remains off the beaten path,” it said. “Despite being relatively safe for travelers – flare-ups of political violence (mainly in Mindanao) are easily avoided,” it noted. The rebel group Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) Read More …

Del Rosario bids Chinese Ambassador Ma ‘fond’ farewell

 News
Dec 272013
 
Del Rosario bids Chinese Ambassador Ma ‘fond’ farewell

Chinese Ambassador to Manila, Ma Keqing. FILE PHOTO MANILA, Philippines—Despite the frayed ties between the Philippines and China over unresolved territorial disputes, Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario gave outgoing Chinese Ambassador to Manila Ma Keqing a cordial farewell on Monday. As Ma prepared to end her two-year Manila posting, Del Rosario hosted a farewell lunch before the Christmas break, describing her as “our dear friend.” Del Rosario said he hoped Ma would share with the Chinese people her experience of the “kindness, warmth and courage of the Filipino people.” “Our farewell exchange was friendly and positive,” Del Rosario told the Inquirer of his last meeting with Ma at a Manila hotel. In his toast, Del Rosario acknowledged how “challenges” have marked the relations between the Philippines and China, an indirect reference to disputes over the resource-rich West Philippine Sea (South China Sea). “Your posting here has been marked by challenges. Notwithstanding, Ambassador, you have experienced the kindness, warmth and courage of the Filipino people. You were able to know more of how the Filipinos feel, think and act to uphold what we believe is right,” said Del Rosario in his remarks, a copy of which was furnished the Inquirer. “Our friendship is historic and deep, and we hope this bond will enable us to surmount the challenges so that our two countries can flourish in the spirit of deep mutual respect,” said the Philippines’ top diplomat. Recounting Ma’s response, Del Rosario said the outgoing envoy also acknowledged the challenges and Read More …

In the know: Sinaloa drug cartel

 News
Dec 262013
 
In the know: Sinaloa drug cartel

Philippine Daily Inquirer 3:25 am | Friday, December 27th, 2013 Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman. AP FILE PHOTO The drug trafficking cartel known as Sinaloa derives its name from Mexico’s remote state. It is said to be the ancestral land of the country’s most notorious traffickers, bound in an “alliance of blood.” Prominent members are cousins by marriage or brothers-in-law. The cartel is headed by Mexico’s most wanted man, Joaquin (“El Chapo” or “Shorty”) Guzman. Often described as Mexico’s most powerful drug kingpin, Guzman escaped from prison in 2001 and then went on a wave of killings in an attempt to dominate the country’s highly lucrative drug trade into the United States. He has been on the run with a $5-million reward on his head since. Guzman was on the Forbes list of billionaires from 2009 to 2012. He was cut from the 2013 list. Forbes said it was no longer confident Guzman, rumored to have been killed in a shootout on the Guatemala border in February, had enough money to count in its rankings  this year. About 90 percent of all cocaine consumed in the United States come from Mexico, which is also a major source of heroin, methamphetamines and marijuana. By most estimates, Sinaloa has achieved a market share of 40 to 60 percent, which may be translated to annual revenues of some $3 billion. In the 1980s, Guzman joined the Guadalajara cartel, which was headed by a former policeman known as El Padrino. After El Padrino’s capture in Read More …

In The Know: Glossary of IRS terms

 News
Dec 262013
 
In The Know: Glossary of IRS terms

Philippine Daily Inquirer 3:21 am | Friday, December 27th, 2013 Federal tax lien: A legal claim against current and future property (i.e. houses, cars) and rights to property (i.e. wages, bank accounts). A lien is the US government’s legal claim against a taxpayer’s property in the event that the taxpayer neglects or fails to pay a tax debt. A tax lien arises automatically once a taxpayer fails to pay in full taxes owed within 10 days after the US Internal Revenue Service (IRS) sends the first notice of taxes owed and demand for payment. A tax lien attaches to assets such as property, securities and vehicles, as well as to future assets acquired during the duration of the lien. Once the IRS files a notice of federal tax lien, it may limit the taxpayer’s ability to get credit, among other effects. Levy: A legal seizure of property or rights to property to satisfy a tax debt. When property is seized (“levied”), it will be sold to help pay the tax debt. If wages or bank accounts are seized, the money will be applied to the tax debt. The seizure is made only after three requirements are met: The IRS has assessed the tax and sent a notice and demand for payment. The taxpayer has neglected or refused to pay the tax. The IRS has sent a final notice of intent to levy and levy notice at least 30 days before the levy. Notice of intent to levy: The IRS sends Read More …

Lipa drug bust tied to Mexico drug ring

 News
Dec 262013
 
Lipa drug bust tied to Mexico drug ring

INQUIRER FILE PHOTO The country’s fight against illegal drugs is facing a new formidable nemesis. A notorious Mexican drug cartel, described by US authorities as the world’s most powerful organized crime group, has traveled across the globe and found its way into the country, the Philippine National Police disclosed on Thursday. PNP Director General Alan Purisima said the presence of the Sinaloa drug cartel in the country was confirmed during a raid on a cock farm in Lipa City on Wednesday during which a Filipino couple and a Chinese-Filipino were arrested after weeks of intelligence operations by local and US antinarcotics personnel. The raid on the LPL Ranch at Barangay Inosluban yielded 84 kilograms of shabu (methamphetamine hydrochloride) with a street value of P400 million. “Going after this group will entail more hard work,” Purisima told a news briefing at Camp Crame. “We have confirmed that the Mexican (drug traffickers) are already here,” said Senior Supt. Bartolome Tobias, chief of the PNP Anti-Illegal Drugs Special Operations Task Force. Along with agents of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), Tobias’ men carried out the operations in Lipa on Christmas Day. “We have previously received reports that the Mexicans are in the country. But this is the first time we have confirmed that the Mexicans are already here,” Tobias said. Purisima said it was still unclear how the Sinaloa drug group was able to gain a foothold in the Philippines. He said that the Mexicans were apparently “coordinating with the Chinese.” “They Read More …

Papal Nuncio celebrates mass in ruined Tacloban Church

 News
Dec 252013
 
Papal Nuncio celebrates mass in ruined Tacloban Church

Papal Nuncio to the Philippines Archbishop Guiseppe Pinto. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO/JESS YUSON TACLOBAN CITY, Philippines – Na higugma ha iyo an santo papa!(The Holy Father loves you!). This was the message conveyed by Papal Nuncio to the Philippines Guiseppe Pinto during his homily in a Christmas Mass he celebrated at the Sto. Niño church, this city. The church was one of the city structures badly damaged by supertyphoon “Yolanda” (Haiyan). The Papal Nuncio said that Pope Francis has always included all the victims of the world’s strongest typhoon this year in his prayers. “The Holy Father has already shown his closeness to the victims of supertyphoon Yolanda, especially you who have witnessed a catastrophe beyond all telling. It is my privilege to bring to you the solidarity of his Holiness Pope Francis. You know how much he cares for you,” said Pinto, the Holy See’s representative to the country, in his less than 10 minutes homily inside the rain-soaked main church of Tacloban, considered to be the ground zero of Yolanda, which resulted in deaths of more than 6,000 people. Close to 2,000 people are still missing. He disclosed that Pope Francis, speaking before a group of faithful that included several Filipinos in a Papal audience at the Vatican on Nov. 21, said that he “felt that the trials were too tough but I also felt that the (Filipino) people were strong.” “Christmas is an assurance that despite the tragedy you have faced, you are not alone. God is with Read More …

Kidnapped in Sabah, freed in Sulu

 General
Dec 212013
 
Kidnapped in Sabah, freed in Sulu

TAIPEI—A Taiwanese tourist who was kidnapped more than a month ago at a Malaysian island resort returned to Taiwan on Saturday after she was rescued in Sulu on Friday. Television footage showed Evelyn Chang, 58, dressed in a loose T-shirt and wearing sunglasses, walking to a minibus parked at an airport near Taipei after she arrived in the early afternoon, waving briefly to the media and giving a thumbs-up sign. Local media said she was expected to go to a hospital in Taipei for medical checkups later in the day. Chang was found by Philippine Marines in Sitio Kanja Amil in Liban village in Talipao, a town on the remote island of Jolo where al-Qaida-linked Abu Sayyaf Islamic militants are known to operate, after they were tipped off by local residents, said Sulu provincial commander Col. Jose Cenabre. She was taken to a local military hospital for a medical checkup on Friday. “I think I just want to say I deeply appreciate the Philippine military for giving me such big help and assistance to rescue me. Thank you very much,” Chang said in a prerecorded message aired by several Taiwanese news channels on Saturday. Chang and her husband Hsu Li-min were on a holiday on Pom Pom Island in Sabah state, which is near the Sulu island group, when gunmen attacked on Nov. 15, kidnapping her and killing her husband, according to Taiwanese officials and media. Cenabre said Chang broke down in tears as she recounted her ordeal. She told Read More …

‘Yolanda’ survivors match donor dollars with resilience

 News
Dec 212013
 
‘Yolanda’ survivors match donor dollars with resilience

Lt. Cmdr. Mike DeVito, left, Commander, Task Force 70, helicopter operations officer, embarked aboard the US Navy’s forward-deployed aircraft carrier USS George Washington, helps a member of the Filipino Air Force carry a box of relief supplies in support of relief efforts in the aftermath of the Supertyphoon Yolanda, Saturday, Nov. 16, 2013, in Guinan. Foreign aid for Supertyphoon “Yolanda” survivors in Samar and Leyte as well as similarly devastated provinces now totals P10.6 billion, the Department of Foreign Affairs reported on Sunday. AP Photo/US Navy, PO 3rd Class Paolo Bayas Survivors of Supertyphoon “Yolanda” are matching with initiative and diligence every donor dollar given to them. Helping the Philippines pays back big time as survivors themselves drive the response and early recovery efforts on the ground, putting their lives back together little by little every day, said Luiza Carvalho, the UN resident humanitarian coordinator in the country. Carvalho said such level of engagement on the ground should inspire the world to continue supporting typhoon-ravaged villages as the Philippines, the United Nations and other partners ease the transition from emergency relief to the long-term recovery and rehabilitation phase. Indeed, throughout the effort, one invaluable resource has emerged: the typhoon-hit residents themselves who are battling great odds to survive instead of remaining tragic victims. “In the Philippines, it’s a worthwhile investment because of this resilience aspect and the role they (survivors) play. It’s a resource that really pays,” Carvalho told the Inquirer in an interview. “It really pushes the response very Read More …

Palace assailed over comment on journalist killings

 News
Nov 302013
 
Palace assailed over comment on journalist killings

Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma. Photo from http://pcoo.gov.ph MANILA, Philippines—The New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Saturday assailed Malacañang for downplaying the killing of journalists in the Philippines, noting that yet another broadcast journalist was shot dead on Friday in Bukidnon. Barely a week after Palace spokesperson Herminio Coloma dismissed the summary execution of journalists in the country as “not so serious” and insinuated that the body count had been bloated, motorcycle-riding gunmen in Valencia City killed broadcaster Joas Dignos of dxGT radio. Dignos, 48, known for his critical comments against local officials on his weekday show ‘Bombardier,’ died from gunshot wounds in the head. The killing worsened the country’s record as one of the most dangerous places in the world for journalists, press and human rights groups the group said on Saturday. HRW said 24 journalists had been killed since President Benigno Aquino III took office in 2010 and promised to mitigate the murders. HRW Deputy Asia Director Phelim Kine accused the Aquino administration of insulting the victims and downplaying the problem, citing the remarks of Coloma. Inflated count Coloma said the number of journalists and media workers killed during the first three years of President Aquino’s administration from 2010 to 2013 had been inflated because “a driver of a network, employees of fly-by-night newspapers and a blocktimer selling skin whiteners” were included in the count. The numbers had not been validated to include only the killings of bona fide media practitioners, he said. The problem was “not so Read More …

Don’t forget the soap

 News
Nov 302013
 
Don’t forget the soap

By Marie Claire Lim MoorePhilippine Daily Inquirer 12:07 am | Sunday, December 1st, 2013 THE BOOK will be launched on Dec. 6 at Fully Booked, Bonifacio Global City. Proceeds of the book launch will go to the victims of Supertyphoon “Yolanda.” Shortly after I started working for Citi, I began traveling frequently. This meant early mornings, long flights, time differences and jet lag, but it also meant fancy corporate dinners, 5-star hotels, airport lounges and business class.  I knew I was starting to get used to all the perks when I stopped taking the extra soap and shampoo bottles from my hotel room. It had become second nature for me to do a morning sweep of the bathroom toiletries before leaving each day to ensure my supply was replenished when the room was made. By the time check out day came, I was about ready to start my own mini mart. When I got home I’d put them aside in a shopping bag and before I knew it they’d be packed away in a balikbayan box that our family would send back to the Philippines. During my assignment in Brazil, I lived in the Marriott Executive Apartments so I hit the jackpot in soap and shampoo bottles. After the first few weeks, however, I couldn’t be bothered to save the soap and shampoo anymore.  Then my family came to visit for Christmas. I was happy and excited to show them Sao Paulo— where I lived, where I worked and what Read More …

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