Maniolas

Screengrab from http://www.visionofhumanity.org While the use of bombs and other explosives are more common in other countries, terrorist activities in the Philippines involve armed assaults and assassinations. Cotabato City in Mindanao recorded the most number of terrorist activities. The study said that military force eliminated only 7 percent of terrorist cases. MANILA, Philippines – Nearly 300 people died due to terrorist activities in 2013, making it one of the countries worst affected by terrorism, a think tank said in a report. Out of 162 countries, the Philippines ranked 9th in the Institute for Economics and Peace’s Global Terrorism Index for 2013. The report said that that there were 292 recorded deaths and 444 injuries of the 499 incidents in the Philippines in the past year. The number of fatalities more than doubled from the 122 recorded in 2012. The study said The number of terrorist cases in 2012 also grew by almost twice as much in 2013. Most of the seven known groups that carried out a terrorist attack in the past year was made by the New People’s Army of the Communist Party of the Philippines, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the Abu Sayyaf Group. However, 30 percent of the deaths from terrorism in 2013 was carried out by the NPA. “Terrorism in the Philippines is intrinsically tied with nationalist and separatist claims by people living in provinces in southern Philippines,” the report said. “Armed assault represented nearly half of all fatalities, followed by assassinations, which constituted Read More …

AFP chief General Gregorio Pio Catapang Jr. (right) hands out copies of news articles that run a story about the peacekeepers, during their visit at the quarantine area in Caballo Island on Sunday, November 16. During the visit Catapang announced that the Peacekeepers will be allowed to spend the Christmas and New Year with their families, drawing loud cheers among the peacekeepers.(MNS photo) MANILA (Mabuhay) – The military on Monday pointed to the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) as suspect in the bombing in Kabacan town in Cotabato Sunday night which killed a student and injured 16 other civilians. “All fingers point to the BIFF. We are still confirming it … but tell-tale signs, yung mga nakitang ebidensiya, kagagawan ng BIFF,” Col. Dickson Hermoso, spokesperson of the Philippine Army ‘s 6th Infantry Division, told reporters. Hermoso said that based on their post-blast investigation, the kind of improvised explosive device (IED) used in the bombing was the same kind used by the BIFF in its previous attacks in Cotabato and other provinces in Mindanao. “Yung signature ng bomba, IED…previous IEDs na gawa ng BIFF, so yun yun, yung mga incriminating (evidence),” Hermoso said. He said that police and the military are now working together to determine the identities of the suspects. Asked what could be the motive of the BIFF for the bombing, Hermoso said the group was trying to sabotage the ongoing peace process between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) for the creation of the Bangsamoro Read More …

Senators Aquilino Pimentel III and Antonio Trillanes IV talk to reporters during the inspection of the alleged overpriced Makati Science High School Building on Saturday, Nov. 15, 2014.(MNS photo) MANILA (Mabuhay) – After conducting an ocular inspection of the Makati Science High School building on Saturday, Senator Antonio Trillanes IV said the new classrooms were “good but ordinary” and should have cost less than what was paid. Trillanes told reporters after the inspection that documents they received from the Makati City government indicated that each classroom is worth P24.6 million. But he said the cost for each room should have been much less. “Sabi ko nga, kung extra ordinarily impressive ‘yung classrooms, it could justify the cost, pero based on what we saw, mas maganda siya compared sa mga ibang public high schools pero [the classrooms are] really ordinary…,” he said. When asked if the price of the building was justified, Trillanes said: “Definitely not, nakita naman natin na even the five-star hotels won’t cost that much to build a room…” However, he said the experts they brought with them during the inspection would give their advice at the Senate blue ribbon committee hearing on Tuesday. For his part, Senator Koko Pimentel said that while he is satisfied with the construction of the building, there are some issues that needs to be addressed. “Compared to the Makati Parking Building II, I’m satisfied with what I have seen, sa tingin ko – well, I am not an engineer, am a lawyer Read More …

The Court of Appeals has once again ruled in favor of Ginebra San Miguel Inc. in the latter’s complaint for unfair competition, infringement and damages against Tanduay Distillers Inc. in connection with their use of the product label “ginebra” on their alcoholic products. PHOTO FROM SANMIGUEL.COM.PH MANILA, Philippines–The Court of Appeals (CA) has once again ruled in favor of Ginebra San Miguel Inc. (GSMI) in the latter’s complaint for unfair competition, infringement and damages against Tanduay Distillers Inc. (TDI) in connection with their use of the product label “ginebra” on their alcoholic products. In a 47-page decision dated Nov. 7 and written by Justice Rodil Zalameda, the appellate court’s Special 16th Division granted GSMI’s petition to reverse the October 2012 decision of the Mandaluyong City Regional Trial Court dismissing GSMI’s original complaint for lack of merit. The appeals court ordered TDI to “cease and desist from using the word/mark ‘ginebra’ on any of its gin products.” It also ordered TDI to pay GSMI an amount equivalent to 50 percent of the total gross sales of “Ginebra Kapitan” products. TDI was also directed to pay P2 million in exemplary damages and P500,000 in attorney’s fees. The other division members, Justices Romeo Barza and Maria Elisa Sempio Diy, concurred with the ruling. The appellate justices based their ruling on TDI’s liability for trademark infringement and unfair competition by citing the decision in a similar case in the Special Former 13th Division in August 2013. Under the law, CA divisions’ decisions on similar Read More …

The government is bent on slashing poverty by generating more quality employment, especially during the last two years of the Aquino administration, according to the National Economic and Development Authority (Neda). “Knowing that our days are numbered, the all-important question is: What will be our priorities? I would say three tasks: To significantly reduce poverty mainly through the massive generation of quality employment; to sustain the gains from governance reform; and to lay the groundwork for a more significant reduction of poverty,” Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Arsenio M. Balisacan said in a speech during the 52nd annual meeting of the Philippine Economic Society. Balisacan Friday noted that part of the updated goals of the midterm Philippine Development Plan (PDP) is the creation of more quality employment through increased investments, citing that such is seen as a “more robust strategy” to cut poverty levels. The PDP targets to reduce the incidence of “multidimensional poverty” to 16-18 percent in 2016 from 28.2 percent in 2008. “We want to increasingly shift employment from low- to high-productivity areas or sectors of the economy … In the recent economic history of East Asia, this is key to massive poverty reduction,” said Balisacan, who is also Neda director general. The particular sectors to be supported by the government in a bid to generate more productive jobs are agribusiness, construction, information technology and business process management, infrastructure, logistics, manufacturing, and tourism, the Neda chief said. “For these sectors, roadmaps have been prepared, clearly identifying what needs to be Read More …