Maniolas

INQUIRER FILE PHOTO MANILA, Philippines—Top leaders, experts and officials of disaster risk reduction and management agencies from Asia and Europe are meeting in the Philippines next week in a conference that is meant to draw lessons from Super Typhoon Yolanda (international name: Haiyan) on how the world can prepare for future mega-disasters. The Philippines will host the Asia Europe Meeting’s (ASEM) Manila Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (DRRM) from June 4 to 6, an event expected to gather some 140 senior government officials, scientists, academics, leaders of business and nongovernment organizations and representatives of regional and international organizations from 36 of the 51 ASEM partner nations, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said. Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario and Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin will lead six Cabinet and five sub-Cabinet level speakers during the event. Kristalina Georgieva, the EU commissioner for international cooperation, humanitarian aid and crisis, and Margareta Wahlstrom, the UN Secretary General’s special representative for disaster risk reduction, will also be taking part in the conference. The conference, with the theme “Post-Haiyan-—A Way Forward,” is an initiative of the Philippines with the goal of engaging Asian and European leaders in a collective reflection on best practices in mitigating the impact of disasters and rebuilding in the wake of major calamities. “We wanted to pay tribute to the victims of Super Typhoon Yolanda and to recognize the vaunted resiliency of the people of eastern, central and western Visayas and other affected provinces. We recognize their will to Read More …

A lone bettor is now nearly P18 million richer after bagging the jackpot in the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office’s Lotto 6/42 draw Thursday night. The PCSO said the bettor got the combination of 10-05-12-30-04-31 to win the night’s jackpot prize worth P17,791,496. But as in the past, the PCSO is not likely to name the winner for security reasons. Only last May 22, a lone bettor got the combination of 31-35-04-06-30-03 to win the Super Lotto 6/49 jackpot worth P98,612,308. On May 21, a lone bettor got the combination of 24-44-04-16-34-40 to win the Mega Lotto 6/45  jackpot worth P37,972,220. Last April 15, a lone bettor won the Lotto 6/42 jackpot by getting the combination of 15-30-03-31-18-01 to take home P18,387,204. On April 14, a lone bettor bagged the Megalotto 6/45 jackpot, getting the combination of 30-16-06-10-18-12 to win P80,773,540. Last April 7, a bettor hit the jackpot of the PCSO’s Grand Lotto, getting the combination of 39-21-42-28-05-27 to win P249,841,572. On April 1, two lotto bettors won a combined P83.4 million in two PCSO draws. A lone bettor bagged the Superlotto 6/49 jackpot by getting the combination of 22-20-17-09-13-29 to win P63,332,184. The other bettor won P20,109,076 in the Lotto 6/42 draw, with the combination of 27-08-04-40-33-12. Last March 14, a lone bettor won P50,677,708 in the Lotto 6/42 draw by getting the combination of 15-20-21-23-01-05. On Feb. 27, a lotto bettor snagged the Superlotto 6/49 jackpot after getting the combination 30-44-45-07-39-48 to win P89,065,812. Last Jan. 20, a lone Read More …

Names of three members of President Aquino’s Liberal Party (LP) appeared in the digital files of pork barrel scam primary whistleblower Benhur Luy, GMA News “24 Oras” reported on Thursday. According to a “24 Oras” report, included in Luy’s digital files were draft letters bearing the names of Senate President Franklin Drilon, Senator Ralph Recto and former Senator Francis “Kiko”Pangilinan, The unsigned drafts reportedly had Drilon, Recto and Pangilinan each asking P10-million worth of financial assistance from the Department of Agriculture for projects for farmers in the countryside. Drilon and Recto had earlier denied involvement in the pork barrel scam. Pangilinan, who now serves as the Presidential Assistant on Food Security and Agricultural Modernization, said in a text message sent to GMA News: “Please, media should not waste its time with baseless and unfounded allegations.” Under the scheme ran by alleged pork barrel scam mastermind Janet Lim Napoles, lawmakers receive millions of pesos in kickbacks in exchange for endorsing her dubious non-government organizations as recipients of priority development assistance fund allocations to be released by government agencies. Aside from Drilon, Recto and Pangilinan names of other incumbent and former senators also appeared in Luy’s digital files.  Among them are Senators Juan Ponce-Enrile, Jinggoy Estrada, Ramong “Bong” Revilla Jr., Alan Peter Cayetano and Lito Lapid as well as former Senators Loi Ejercito-Estrada, Tessie Aquino-Oreta, Ramon Revilla Sr. and the late Robert Barbers.  Enrile, Estrada and Revilla are already facing plunder charges in connection with their involvement in the scam.  Lawmakers implicated Read More …

Residents near the site of a supposed shootout that killed eight suspected robbers in Cavite earlier this week have belied claims by police involved in the operation that they set up a checkpoint to intercept the slain suspects. This developed as the Philippine National Police’s national headquarters is preparing its own probe of the incident, according to a report on “24 Oras” Thursday. “Wala po kaming napansin na naglagay ng checkpoint diyan,” a resident told investigators from the Commission on Human Rights, which is investigating the encounter. Another resident said, “hindi ko naman nakita ang checkpoint eh… wala akong nakita.” Police involved in the alleged encounter in Silang town last Tuesday had claimed they set up a checkpoint to intercept the eight. Residents also said they heard one shot, followed by louder shots, with a policeman advising them to get inside their houses lest they get hit by stray bullets. “Puro bala po naririnig namin, walang mga boses. May isang pulis lang na nagsalita na pumasok kayo sa mga bahay ninyo, baka tamaan kayo ng ligaw na bala,” one resident said. On the other hand, a witness claimed seeing police personnel firing their guns but could not see who they were firing at. Residents still scared A CHR special investigator said residents may still be scared, and further investigation may be needed. “Mag-co-coordinate na lang kami doon sa (Scene of the Crime Operations) Office kung ano ang result,” CHR investigator Tony Abbago said. The PNP national headquarters will hold its Read More …

Malacañang on Thursday defended itself against criticisms that the government’s slow pace in its post-Yolanda rebuilding efforts was to blame for the Tacloban City tent fire that killed at least seven people earlier this week. Presidential Communications Operations Office head Herminio Coloma Jr. countered Senator JV Ejercito’s allegation that red tape and supposed slow rehabilitation and reconstruction efforts caused the death of a mother and her six children in a fire that hit a tent community for Yolanda survivors. “We must acknowledge the breadth, depth and complexity of the task at hand, and it would not be responsible to simply blame government because this is something that can be empirically determined,” Coloma said in a news briefing on Thursday. He cited foreign experts who supposedly said that the country’s relief and rehabilitation programs are moving at a reasonable pace given the extent of the damage caused by Yolanda. “Kung tutunghayan natin yung mga evident indicators, katulad nga ng sinabi ni Secretary Lacson, wala namang civil disorder na naganap. Wala naman ding malawakang epidemya o pagkakasakit at wala rin namang kagutuman na umiiral. Yang ang pinaka-fundamental na indicators ng kalidad ng pagtugon natin,” Coloma said. “Baka naman hindi rin karapat-dapat na tayo ay maglalatigo sa sarili na walang katwiran—self-flagellation. Dapat lang siguro yung balanseng pananaw na kinikilala kung ano na yung nagawa; kinikilala rin kung ano po yung mahalagang hindi pa nagagawa; at higit sa lahat, mayroong determinasyon at commitment na pagdugtungin ‘yung dalawang bagay na ‘yon para sa kapakanan ng Read More …