Maniolas

A year later, Buddhist monk leads the rites to mark the first anniversary of 2010′s botched bus hostage drama at the Rizal Park in Manila. They are from right front row, Tse Chi Hang, Lee Mei Chun, Lin Siu Ching, Tse Chi Kin, all relatives of Masa Tse, the tour guide who was the first to be killed by the hostage-taker. AP FILE PHOTO HONG KONG—Money raised by Chinese-Filipino businessmen and businessmen in Hong Kong who have interests in the Philippines was used in the compensation package for the victims of the 2010 Manila hostage tragedy, a Manila councilman said on Thursday. Eight tourists from Hong Kong died in a botched police rescue of a busload of tourists taken hostage by a dismissed Manila policeman who also died in the incident. Seven others were injured. Binondo Councilor Bernardito Ang, who also tried to negotiate with the victims and is here with former President and current Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada, said no public funds were used for the compensation. Ang said it was Hong Kong negotiators who suggested a total amount of HK$20 million (about P115 million) but he added that he did not know if the businessmen—who formed the Hong Kong-Philippines Friendship Foundation—were able to raise that much money. Solidarity fund “It was the businessmen who organized this solidarity fund because they also want the relationship between the Philippines and Hong Kong to normalize, especially for those in the travel industry,” Ang said in an interview. “So, there is no Read More …

Hong Kong accepts Erap apology. Hong Kong Chief Executive Chun Ying Leung (right) accepts on behalf of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government the apology delivered by Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada on Wednesday, April 23, over the 2010 Manila hostage crisis. With it, Hong Kong adjusted the Outbound Travel Alert (OTA) for the Philippines from Black to Amber. Standing behind Leung are the relatives of the victims and some of the survivors of the tragedy. Ason Cañete While diplomatic relations between the Philippines and Hong Kong are getting back to normal after the 2010 Manila hostage crisis, the resolution of the conflict is still hounded with intrigue. At a press conference in Hong Kong on Wednesday, the Hong Kong media specifically inquired about the lack of words like “apology” and “sorry” in a letter from the Philippine government presented to the families of the victims. “It seemed that you refused to use the word apology? You only used the words ‘most sorrowful regret’?” asked a member of the Hong Kong press during a media briefing, a portion of which was aired on GMA News’ “24 Oras” Thursday evening. The reporter was referring to the letter, signed by Philippine National Police (PNP) Director General Alan Purisima, over the incident, copies of which were handed to the families of the victims by Cabinet Secretary Jose Rene Almendras. “I would rather not say we refused but we found a better way of saying something which is more acceptable in the realm of Read More …

The government is spending at least P2.07 million in its efforts to track, test and monitor all 414 passengers of Etihad Airlines flight EY 0424, the spokesman for the Inter-agency Task Force Middle East Respiratory Syndrome-Corona Virus (MERS-CoV) said Thursday. Dr. Lyndon Lee Suy said the photo chromatography reaction test, which requires a mouth swab from the tested person, costs P5,000 for each passenger. Lee Suy said the task force has not yet compiled a detailed report of other expenses, such as hospital confinement, long-distance and cellular phone calls, and transporting or the fetching of the passengers from a specific location. The 45-year-old Filipino male nurse who initially tested positive for the MERS-CoV in the United Arab Emirates was one of the 414 passengers on board the EY 0424, which landed in Manila on April 15. He subsequently tested negative for the virus in two tests conducted by the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine. Spending now to prevent higher costs In a press briefing, Lee Suy said the financial cost of testing and treating the 414 passengers should be viewed in the context of a widespread MERS-CoV infection. “Consider the economic cost of parents unable to report for work and losing income, or children missing school. A widespread MERS-CoV infection will pose a graver, bigger problem for the Philippines,” said Lee Suy, who is also the program manager of the Department of Health’s Emerging and Re-emerging Infectious Diseases Unit. As of 8 a.m., April 24, Lee Suy said only four Read More …

Twenty-five policemen, most of them assigned in Central Luzon, have been relieved of their posts for their alleged involvement in illegal drugs operations. Two ranking police officials in Metro Manila, identified as Supt. Robin King Sarmiento and Supt. Maristelo Manalo, are also implicated. “We are not saying that they are guilty. We just want to know the truth and make sure that they will be available during the investigation,” said Police Director Carmelo Valmoria, head of the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO).. He said Sarmiento was sacked as deputy chief for Operations of Parañaque City Police while Manalo cannot be relieved as he is under schooling. Meanwhile, aside from the two, 24 other policemen — 19 of them Police Non-Commissioned Officers (PNCO), or those with ranks from Police Officer 1 to Senior Police Officer 4 — were sacked from their posts, said Chief Supt. Raul Petrasanta, director of the Central Luzon regional police. “This is to pave the way for the investigation being conducted by NCRPO and to make the concerned personnel available for inquiry and investigation,” said Petrasanta. The NCRPO conducted the investigation following the killing of  investigation on the killing of  Chief Insp. Elmer Santiago in an ambush last April 16 in Mandaluyong City. Santiago was killed after he made a diagram, which surfaced later, showing the involvement of several police officials in the illegal drug trade. “This is really a sensitive issue. We would like really to get to the bottom of this,” said Senior Supt. Read More …

The government should not allow suspected pork barrel scam mastermind Janet Lim-Napoles to get away scot-free from her alleged crimes even after she spills the beans on the supposed anomaly, two senators said Thursday. At a press briefing, Senate Majority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano said it will be “ridiculous” to let Napoles off the hook after signifying intention to come clean on the alleged pork barrel scam. “Hindi naman pwedeng public policy na umamin ka lang, get out of jail ka na… Parang kung willing ka magsauli ng konti, willing ka mag-tell all, abswelto ka na, kahit na ‘yung ebidensya mo, andiyan na lahat,” Cayetano said. He added that making Napoles a state witness and granting her immunity will “cheapen” the existing processes against corruption. The Senate leader further said that Napoles should still face jail time, and should return the money she supposedly stole from the government. “Kung ‘yung information naman talaga ay vital, pakita mo talaga na sorry ka. Pakulong ka pa rin at magsauli ng pera. Siguro ang puwede pag-usapan, under the parameters of the law, kung gaano ka katagal makukulong,” Cayetano said. On Tuesday, Justice Secretary Leila de Lima announced that Napoles offered herself as a state witness and vowed to “come clean” about the alleged anomaly. She, however, said that she did not give any commitment to Napoles about being a state witness. De Lima also said that Napoles corroborated the whistleblowers’ testimonies on the alleged involvement of Senators Ramon Bong Revilla Jr., Jinggoy Estrada Read More …