Maniolas

The death toll from a giant storm crossing the Philippines rose to 27 on Tuesday, the Red Cross said, but there was widespread relief after it brushed the capital without causing major damage. Most of the people killed were on the far eastern island of Samar, where Typhoon Ruby (Hagupit) initially made landfall as a typhoon on the weekend with winds of 210 kilometers (130 miles) an hour. Ruby then weakened into a tropical storm while moving slowly west, passing close to the capital Manila on Monday night and Tuesday morning without dumping forecast heavy rain. Ruby has since weakened further into a tropical depression. But data from the National Disaster Coordinating Council showed only three fatalities so far, with eight reported deaths still being verified. Tens of thousands of people, mostly the city’s poorest residents who live in shanty homes along the coast and riverbanks, spent the night in evacuation centers to wait out the storm. They returned to their homes on Monday in drizzly weather after only moderate rain and no major flooding throughout the night. Philippine Red Cross chairman Richard Gordon told AFP on Tuesday the number of people confirmed killed so far was 27, although he expected that number to rise with full assessments from Samar and other areas yet to be done. Ruby was downgraded from a tropical storm to a tropical depression on Tuesday, as it passed over the far western islands of the Southeast Asian archipelago and approached the South China Sea. — Agence Read More …

MANILA, Philippines—Since it allows the United States to preposition troops and materiel in the country for free, the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (Edca) is a case of “negotiated subservience,” a University of the Philippines professor and public policy think tank official said on Monday. Professor Roland Simbulan, also vice chair of the Center for People’s Empowerment in Governance (CenPEG), told the Senate Edca allowed for the entry of American troops, facilities and war materiel anywhere in the Philippines at no cost to the United States. CenPEG is a public policy research and advocacy think-tank that seeks to empower the poor in a democratic manner. It is also thus not far-fetched that the Philippines would be dragged into the international conflicts and “wars of intervention” of the US, Simbulan said. The Edca would also boost American “intervention” in the Philippines given the presence of its troops throughout the year, he added. One-sided agreement   “Edca, like other previous agreements, is patently one-sided or onerous and is a clear-cut case of negotiated subservience,” said Simbulan in a paper he submitted to the Senate foreign relations committee. “So why do we agree to them and accept and inflict upon ourselves this kind of negotiated subservience?” he said. The committee, chaired by Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago, on Monday conducted a hearing to determine whether or not the Senate should insist on its right to ratify the Edca. The agreement was made between the US and Philippine governments without Senate concurrence contrary to the Constitution. Members Read More …

AFP chief of staff Gen. Gregorio Pio Catapang: Very good disaster response mechanism. AP FILE PHOTO MANILA, Philippines—Military teams from the United States, Japan, Singapore and Australia are helping the Philippines assess the damage caused by Tropical Storm “Ruby” to determine the foreign aid required. Maj. Emmanuel Garcia, commander of the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ Civil Relations Group-7, told reporters on Monday that the United States had deployed nine teams; Japan, eight; Singapore and Australia, four each, to areas affected by the cyclone, internationally known as “Hagupit.” Garcia said similar offers of military assessment teams were made by Canada, the United Kingdom, Brunei, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and China. He said that a US plane U-28 survey indicated light casualties and no major damage to infrastructure and that food supplies had been prepared in Tacloban City and Cebu province. Survey flights were also scheduled for Borongan City and Dolores and Catarman towns. Gen. Gregorio Pio Catapang, AFP chief of staff, said a Philippine Air Force (PAF) C-130 cargo plane from Palawan province reached the affected areas in the Visayas at 10 a.m. Monday following clearing operations at Borongan and Catarman airports, which allowed the immediate delivery of relief to typhoon victims. Catapang said the C-130 was scheduled to fly to Cebu to get relief stocks and transport disaster response teams. “Borongan airport is now open so that we can bring disaster response teams and deliver relief goods there,” Catapang said. He said another PAF C-130 departed from Zamboanga City Monday Read More …

popular Wishlist: Maria Isabel Lopez, Actress Typhoon ‘Ruby: Families open homes to neighbors Taxi driver shoots woman in face in Pasig holdup India wins Miss Supranational 2014, PH bet reaches top 20 BIR files P39-M tax evasion rap vs Tiu’s brother, sister-in-law 15-feet storm surges may hit Samar, says Project NOAH Typhoon ‘Ruby’: ‘Please don’t, dear God’ is survivor’s prayer Sony employees receive threatening email – report videos Behind the scene with BTS The ‘maria clara’ reborn in ‘Face-Off’ Ruby batters Sorsogon Sorsogon implements forced evacuation amid storm surge Brandon Vera KOs foe in One FC and PH debut Map showing the disputed Paracel and Spratly islands in the South China Sea. AFP BEIJING — China has again rejected an attempt by the Philippines to challenge its territorial claims over the South China Sea through international arbitration, releasing a lengthy paper a week before a deadline for China to respond to the case. China prefers to settle its disputes with discussions with the countries directly involved. But the Philippines has filed a case with an international tribunal. China’s paper argues that territorial sovereignty is beyond the scope of the tribunal and that China and the Philippines have previously agreed to settle the dispute through negotiations. The Philippines filed the case in January 2013. The tribunal has invited China to respond by December 15. RELATED STORIESUNCLOS explained: Why China’s claims in South China Sea are invalid South China Sea: A decades-long source of tension Tags: China Foreign affairs Global Nation International Read More …

Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO MANILA, Philippines–Malacañang on Sunday extended its gratitude to members of the international community that have already pledged aid and emergency assistance to typhoon-battered Philippines. Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte in a radio interview relayed Malacañang’s gratefulness to various states and institutions pledging to help the country. “Marami na po sila. Nagpapasalamat po tayo sa ating mga kapitbahay at sa ating mga kaibigan dahil marami na po sa kanilang nag-express ng kanilang readiness and willingness to help,” Valte said.(There are already a lot of them. We would like to thank our neighbors and our friends because many of them have already expressed their readiness and willingness to help.) Valte also mentioned the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and the World Food Programme (WFP) as among those that have guaranteed to provide emergency aid in the wake of Typhoon Ruby. On the countries who have pledged assistance even before the storm slammed the central Philippines, “I think America and Australia, through their respective ambassadors, have already expressed their willingness and their readiness to help,” Valte said. When asked about who would handle the donations received from the international community, the presidential spokesperson said that it depended on which agency is granted the donation. “Depende po ‘yan kung kaninong ahensya ibinibigay. But, siyempre, mayroon ho diyang mga chosen third party charity organizations din po nila. Depende ho, again, depende ho kung kanino ibibigay,” Valte said.(It depends on which agency the donation is given, but of course Read More …