Maniolas

The consumer rights’ group that filed  plunder, bribery and graft cases against Philippine National Police chief Director-General Alan Purisma said the media tour of his Nueva Ecija rest house was insufficient to prove his innocence and propriety, according to a report on GMA News’ “24 Oras”on Monday.  The Coalition of Filipino Consumers said a representative from the Ombudsman and the Assessor’s Office of San Leonardo should have been present in the media tour. Two batches of media visited the property early Monday.  The group also questioned why the property suddenly had an assessed value when it was not listed in the Registry of Deeds of San Leonardo as previously reported.  Purisima has said that his Nueva Ecija property was not a mansion, as the group called it, but only an ordinary house. The 204-square meter house is located inside a 4.7 hectare lot. The house has a market value of P2.3 million while the entire lot is worth P3-4 million.  Aside from CFC, anti-crime watchdog group Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption (VACC) also filed a plunder case against the PNP chief in connection with his Nueva Ecija mansion and the renovation of his official quarters inside Camp Crame.  A private citizen also filed plunder against Purisima and Firearms and Explosives Office head Chief Superintendent Napoleon Estilles in April for their alleged involvement in a P100-million deal with a private courier service company. Despite all the allegations, Purisima said he would continue his job in serving the country. He also said Read More …

By Kristine Angeli Sabillo |INQUIRER.net 4:57 pm | Monday, October 6th, 2014 Akbayan Rep. Walden Bello. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO MANILA, Philippines – Malacañang on Monday said a lawmaker’s visit to Hong Kong to support the pro-democracy protests would not jeopardize the country’s relationship with China. “Based on reports, Representative (Walden) Bello stated that his presence before the Hong Kong protesters was done by him in his personal capacity and as an ‘ordinary citizen,’” Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. told media. “Such being the case, it cannot be viewed as interfering in the internal affairs of China,” he explained. Presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda, on the other hand, said Malacañang is focused on the safety of Filipinos working and living in Hong Kong, a special administrative region of China. The Akbayan representative and administration ally on Saturday went to Hong Kong to express support for the massive rallies being held in the city’s government center. Bello spoke before the crowd and shared the Philippines’ experience during the Edsa people power in 1986, which led to the downfall of the Marcos dictatorship. Hong Kong protesters have been calling for “full democracy” or the right to nominate and directly elect the head of their government instead of allowing China to screen candidates. The diplomatic relationship between the Philippines and China has been strained amid territorial disputes in the South China Sea. RELATED STORIES PH lawmaker to protesters: Be strong, Hong Kong Hong Kong stocks flat at open Hong Kong rallies: Yellow vs blue ribbons Follow Us Other Read More …

By Tetch Torres-Tupas |INQUIRER.net 4:06 pm | Monday, October 6th, 2014 MANILA, Philippines – The police have filed a criminal complaint against two Japanese nationals and several persons for allegedly defrauding a local businessmen of over P2 million. The Philippine Nation Police Cybercrime Office lodged the case at the Cagayan City Prosecutors Office. Facing a case for violation of Article 315 of the Revised Penal Code for swindling/estafa and Republic Act 10175 or the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012 are: -Ryo Nagaoka -Koji Watanabe -Rey Luna -four others known only as Joy, John, Randy and Rudy. Luna and the four were accomplices of the Japanese in the rip-off scheme. Also included in the complaint are the branch manager and new accounts officer of AUB Bank and the officers and directors of East Visayas Community Development Initiatives. The alleged victim of the Nagaoka and Watanbe deposited his payment in AUB bank under the account of East Visayas Community Development Initiatives. Court records showed that Nagaoka posed as buyer of the lot owned by the victim. He also posed as buyer of a certain chemical called Lysozyme. Last month, the victim was allegedly convinced by Luna to buy Lysozyme worth P2.357 million contained in192 boxes. The boxes were delivered to his house with the advice that it should not be opened so as not to diminish the quality of the product. The victim called up Ryo Nagaoka and Koji Watanabe to come over to his place regarding the boxes of the chemical Read More …

By Tina G. Santos |Philippine Daily Inquirer 7:35 pm | Sunday, October 5th, 2014 MANILA, Philippines — The Bureau of Immigration (BI) said on Sunday all foreign nationals in the country should present themselves before the agency for biometrics capturing and issuance of a special security registration number (SSRN). The SSRN, the BI statement explains, is an alpha-numeric number assigned to every foreign national who registers under the alien registration project (ARP). The ARP, which will start this month and will end September 2015, intends to account for, register and reregister, capture information, update BI’s database and provide assistance for visa-related problems. BI Commissioner Siegfred Mison said the ARP would be helpful to foreign nationals in transacting with the bureau. Mison earlier placed the number of foreigners presently in the country at 1.5 million but only about 200,000 have registered, based on the bureau’s database. “Registered aliens under this program may be primary beneficiaries of the future social integration and legalization programs of the government,” Mison explained. Under the program, an alien will get a 90-day deferred administrative action to comply with the requirements to regularize stay and at the same time, a chance to benefit from any legislation that may grant a regular status. Mison said foreigners who would fail to participate in the ARP within the compliance period would be fined P200 per month but not exceeding P2,000 per year. Mison also clarified that foreigners participating in the program would not be cleared of their other liabilities. “Participation Read More …

LOS ANGELES—The Filipino-American community in Texas has expressed concern over the safety of the Fil-Am staff at the Dallas hospital where an Ebola-infected patient is being treated in isolation. A woman waters plants on the balcony of an apartment in the complex where Thomas Eric Duncan, the Ebola patient who traveled from Liberia to Dallas, stayed last week, Saturday, Oct. 4, 2014, in Dallas. AP FILE PHOTO “We are particularly concerned about the health and safety of the Filipino nurses, doctors, therapists and technicians working at the hospital,” said Ethel R. Mercado, honorary consul general in Dallas, Texas, in a statement. Mercado, who also serves as president of the Philippine-American Chamber of Commerce of Texas, said there was “a large concentration” of Fil-Am health professionals working at the Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital and other medical facilities in the Dallas area. She said they were closely monitoring the situation and were in contact with the Fil-Am staff and the hospital management. Mercado’s statement came amid reports that as many as 100 people may have had contact with the Ebola victim, Thomas E. Duncan, who was first taken to the emergency room at the Dallas hospital on Sept. 25. The hospital acknowledged that it had misdiagnosed Duncan at the time. Anyone who came into contact with Duncan between Sept. 24 and 28, when he was placed in isolation at the hospital, is considered at risk of infection, according to health officials. Still at risk Mercado said that none of the Fil-Ams working Read More …