Maniolas

By Nikko Dizon |Philippine Daily Inquirer 4:10 am | Monday, September 22nd, 2014 President Aquino is welcomed by Defense and Armed Forces Attache Capt. Elson Aguilar upon his arrival at Boston Logan International Airport in Boston, Massachusetts, on Saturday, Sept. 20, 2014. RYAN LIM/ Malacanang Photo Bureau SUDBURY, Massachusetts—Dr. Mario Bucal used to tell his late friend Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr. that the Filipino opposition leader would one day be the President of the Philippines. Ninoy never made it to Malacañang. He was assassinated as he stepped off a plane on his return in 1983 from three years of self-exile in the United States. Instead it was Ninoy’s wife, Corazon, and son, Noynoy, who both became leaders of the country. On Saturday night, the son arrived in Boston for a four-day personal and working visit in the United States following a four-nation tour of Europe the past week. He will stop by the Bucal home on Sunday. Needless to say, it was an indescribable feeling for Bucal and his wife, Norma, to host a private lunch for President Aquino at their home in Sudbury, 28 kilometers from Boston. A handful of others had been invited to the lunch, which had been kept under wraps because the President wanted to have a private time with his parents’ dear friends while in exile. They included mostly doctors, which led them to tease Ninoy that he had a personal team of physicians who would attend to him while he recuperated from his heart Read More …

By Christian V. Esguerra |Philippine Daily Inquirer 6:30 pm | Sunday, September 21st, 2014 President Benigno S. Aquino III AP BERLIN—President Benigno Aquino III has downplayed the threat posed by the extremist group Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) in the Philippines, saying the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) has been helping prevent Filipino Muslims from getting drawn to the terrorist group. The President expressed doubts over claims that some of them have become affiliated with ISIS, which has been on a rampage in Iraq. “With regard to claims of being part of ISIS, we think these are more [of] claims, and our intelligence reports tell us that they are not based on actual contact or coordination with the same,” he said in a joint press conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. “It is an attempt to enhance their own status, especially for those that are increasingly being marginalized.” In a separate forum, he indicated that these groups, which he did not identify, were just riding on the prominence of the ISIS threat. “The same groups that were claiming linkage to Al-Qaeda according to our intelligence reports are the same people who are claiming that they have pledged allegiance to the caliph of the ISIS,” he told his audience here. “And we presumed not to belittle them but if there is a new group that is ascendant, they will be probably the next franchisee in our country.” Aquino acknowledge that the MILF “probably had some links to Al Qaeda Read More …

Stiffer fines and a longer prison sentence await any government employee who helps a public official transfer properties acquired through ill-gotten wealth, under the amendments proposed by two lawmakers to Republic Act 1379 or the law forfeiting these possessions in the State’s favor. House Bill 4732, filed by Reps. Rufus Rodriguez and Maximo Rodriguez Jr., seeks to strengthen the powers of the State in the recovery of ill-gotten wealth amassed by public officials or employees by providing the Office of the Ombudsman the necessary powers to run them. Under the proposed measure, any public officer or employee who will transfer or convey any unlawfully acquired property after the amendments to RA 1379 take effect shall be imprisoned for a term of not less than one year and one day but not more than six years, or be slapped with a fine not exceeding twice the amount of the property transferred or conveyed, or be penalized with both. The government employee who connived with the official proven to have acquired properties through ill-gotten wealth also faces perpetual disqualification from public office, and confiscation or forfeiture in favor of the government of any prohibited interest. HB 473 likewise proposes that the same penalties be imposed upon any person who shall knowingly accept such unlawful transfer or conveyance, with the transport being deemed void ab initio or from the start. The current law only imposes jail time of a maximum of five years, a P10,000 fine or both penalties for a government employee Read More …

Agence France-Presse 1:39 pm | Sunday, September 21st, 2014 TAIPEI — Tropical storm Fung-Wong, which left 10 dead in the Philippines, on Sunday pounded Taiwan with torrential downpours and strong winds, forcing the cancellation of dozens of flights and ferry services. Source: Project Noah | 01:01 pm, September 21, 2014 The defence ministry has ordered 48,000 soldiers to be on stand-by while fishing boats were advised to seek shelter at ports. Fung-Wong (locally named Mario in the Philippines) scrapped the southern tip of the island around 10:00 am (0200 GMT) after it veered east away from its forecast route, the Central Weather Bureau said. The storm brought torrential rains and strong winds which whipped high waves off the south coast, forcing thousands of tourists and surfers to leave the popular Kenting area. Packing winds of 90 kilometers (56 miles) per hour, Fung-Wong had dumped up to 60 centimeters (24 inches) of rain as it tracked north-northeast, the bureau said. “As heavy rains could trigger landslides, people should stay away from the mountainous areas,” a weather forecaster from the bureau said as the authorities evacuated more than 1,200 residents from areas prone to mudslides. A total of 57 domestic and seven international flights were cancelled and ferry services to the offshore islands and mainland China were also suspended, according to the Central Emergency Operation Center. Kaohsiung was on alert as authorities deployed water pumps to the main southern city, which is still recovering from a huge blast which killed 30 people Read More …

Hagupit ni bagyong Mario sa Ilocos Norte. Hindi pa naitatala ang halaga ng pinsala sa mga ari-aran at agrikultura na dulot ng pananalasa ng bagyong Mario na nagpamalas ng bagsik sa loob ng 10 oras mula hatinggabi nong Biyernes hanggang umaga nitong Sabado, Setyembre 20. Hadji Rieta The death toll from Tropical Storm Mario (Fung-Wong) rose to 10 as of early Sunday, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said. In its 6 a.m. update, the NDRRMC also said the damage caused by Mario was estimated at more than P144 million so far, including agriculture and infrastructure. The NDRRMC said the most recent fatalities included: – Hermegildo Duma, 58, drowning, found in Marikina– Eduardo Lelis, 60, Sipocot, Camarines Sur, drowning– Conrado Bergonio, Ragay, Camarines Sur, drowning– Ernesto Guevarra, 55, Quezon City, drowning– John Pabello Faller, 19, Taytay, Rizal, drowning The NDRRMC also said one of the earlier fatalities was identified as Siegfried Nathan Arcilla, 22, who was electrocuted. His family previously asked that he not be named. Also, it said at least seven were injured. Damage The NDRRMC said 90 houses were destroyed while 509 were damaged in Ilocos, Central and Southern Luzon, and Cordillera. Damage to property was estimated at P144,066,165, including agriculture and infrastructure. A breakdown includes: – P48,476,165 in agriculture including P45 million in rice, P67,500 in corn and P2,583,665 in high-value commercial crops and P650,000 in fisheries and P175,000 in livestock– P1,850,000 in infrastructure in Banna, Ilocos Norte– P2,400,000 in infrastructure in Pangasinan– P91.34 million Read More …