Maniolas

Some commuters in Cebu were reported stranded Monday morning due to a protest caravan by militant public transport drivers and operators. Affected areas in Cebu included the cities of Mandaue and Lapu-Lapu, RGMA Cebu’s Norman Mendoza reported on dzBB radio. The Pinagkaisang Samahan ng Tsuper at Opereytor Nationwide (PISTON) had organized the transport caravans to protest the Joint Administrative Order of the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board and Land Transportation Office. The LTFRB and LTO’s JAO took effect last June 19, and imposed high penalties on colorum vehicles and traffic violations. State-run Philippine Information Agency’s Cebu unit said PISTON’s members from Consolacion, Lapu-Lapu, Mandaue and Compostela took part in the protest. But in Metro Manila, dzBB’s Glen Juego reported there had been no stranded passengers so far in Caloocan City. — Joel Locsin/RSJ, GMA News

By TJ Burgonio |Philippine Daily Inquirer 4:44 am | Sunday, October 26th, 2014 MANILA, Philippines—In reviewing the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) with the United States, the Philippines has to state clearly that the US personnel are “visiting forces” and not “invading forces,” according to a position paper by a political analyst. Officials have claimed that the Philippines and the US had begun the process of reviewing the agreement even before the Oct. 11 killing of Filipino transgender Jeffrey “Jennifer” Laude allegedly by US Marine Joseph Scott Pemberton, which has led to calls for the VFA’s abrogation. Benito Lim, a political science professor at the Ateneo de Manila University, said it should be made clear in the agreement that the joint military exercises are aimed chiefly at helping develop the Philippine military into a self-reliant defense force. USS Peleliu. Jennifer Laude (inset). INQUIRER FILE PHOTOS And while it recognizes the US role in boosting the Philippine military’s capability, the government should insist that US forces recognize the Philippines’ sovereignty as an independent republic and long-time ally, he said in the position paper submitted to the Senate. “We must be vigilant in stating that US military personnel are `visiting forces,’ not `invading forces,’” said Lim, who teaches government, foreign policy and political economy. The visiting forces should respect the country’s laws, and not “harm” or “molest” Filipinos, otherwise they would be answerable to the courts, he said. The Senate foreign relations committee last Wednesday conducted a hearing on Laude’s killing in response Read More …

Philippine Daily Inquirer 2:47 am | Sunday, October 26th, 2014 LAWYER Ariel Arriola will run in the NYC Marathon on Nov. 2 for the PGH’s indigent children patients. On Nov. 2, a Filipino runner once diagnosed with a childhood heart ailment will participate at the TCS New York City Marathon. Lawyer Ariel Arriola will run 42 kilometers in New York City to raise funds for the benefit of more than 600 indigent children under the care of the Department of Pediatrics of the Philippine General Hospital (PGH). In a section about Arriola’s advocacy, the NYC Marathon’s official fundraising website www.crowdrise.com/pghpediatrics/fundraiser/arielarriola explained that because “getting decent medical attention is expensive and out of reach for many who live in the Philippines,” the poor rely on government institutions like the PGH for primary healthcare needs. The limited budget and resources of the PGH are insufficient to bear the daily cost, much less pay for the required medical procedures of these children. The PGH relies heavily on charities such as Child Health In Life and Development (CHILD) Foundation Inc. for financial support. Arriola is one of many runners participating in the NYC marathon to raise awareness for a cause. He has asked sponsors like Sola Iced Tea and Jollibee to match his personal donation of P1,000 for every kilometer he completes at the NYC marathon. All donations will be channelled through the CHILD Foundation. He has also asked other Filipinos joining the marathon with a 43-year history to likewise support the PGH pediatric Read More …

By Tetch Torres-Tupas |INQUIRER.net 4:43 pm | Friday, October 24th, 2014 Transgender woman Jeffrey “Jennifer” Laude poses with fiancé Marc Sueselbeck. PHOTO TAKEN FROM LAUDE’S FACEBOOK ACCOUNT/LYN RILLON MANILA, Philippines—The German fiancé of murder victim Jeffrey “Jennifer” Laude may face deportation proceedings for jumping the Camp Aguinaldo fence and pushing a military police guarding the American slay suspect, Justice Secretary Leila De Lima said Friday. “I just talked to the Bureau of Immigration and they are waiting for a formal request from AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines),” De Lima told reporters. On Wednesday Marc Sueselbeck, together with Laude’s sister, climbed over the fence into the compound where Private First Class Joseph Scott Pemberton is being held. He even pushed a guard who tried to prevent him from getting close to the US Marine’s detention facility. De Lima said even without a formal request, the Bureau of Immigration could, on its own, start the deportation proceedings Sueselbeck for breaching security in AFP’s national headquarters and showing disrespect to a person in authority. “According to [Immigration] Commissioner Fred (Siegfred Mison), they are ready to act motu proprio (on their own) on the deportation proceedings since the whole incident was caught on video,” De Lima said. De Lima said foreigners in the Philippines should learn to follow the law and respect authorities of their host country. “So those acts like breaching the security of a military cam, misbehaving and pushing a uniformed personnel is certainly disrespect and even a criminal offense,” she Read More …

By Matikas Santos |INQUIRER.net 11:41 am | Friday, October 24th, 2014 Philippine Ambassador to the US Jose Cuisia Jr. (left) and NLRB General Counsel Richard Griffin (right) shake hands after signing the MoU between the NLRB and the DFA at a ceremony held at the NLRB Board Hearing Room on Wednesday, October 22, 2014. (Photo by the National Labor Relations Board) MANILA, Philippines–The Philippines and the US have signed an agreement that would ensure Filipino workers there are informed and educated about their rights under US labor laws. The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and the US National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) signed a Memorandum of Agreement that would “provide Filipino workers, their employers, and Filipino business owners with information, guidance, and access to education regarding their rights and responsibilities under the National Labor Relations Act,” the Philippine Embassy in Washington, D.C. said in a statement Friday. Philippine Ambassador to the US Jose Cuisia, Jr., who signed for the DFA, described the agreement as a “step forward in the fulfillment of our mandate to protect worker rights.” “As we partner with you in helping foster greater awareness among Filipino workers of their rights to freedom of association and collective bargaining, we hope to do our part in promoting the essence of dignity at work which they deserve, while at the same time empowering them with decision-making capabilities available to them in a free and open society,” Cuisia said. This agreement is the third the Philippines has entered into with US labor Read More …