PH to make representations for arrested OFWs in Malaysia, says diplomat

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Jan 252014
 
PH to make representations for arrested OFWs in Malaysia, says diplomat

By Nikko DizonINQUIRER.net 4:18 pm | Saturday, January 25th, 2014 FILE PHOTO KUALA LUMPUR – A ranking Filipino diplomat in Malaysia on Saturday said the Philippine Embassy would make representations with relevant Malaysian authorities for Filipinos who have been arrested and reportedly maltreated in the crackdown against undocumented workers here. “We will make representations with the relevant Malaysian authorities for everyone,” Consul General Medardo Macaraig told reporters. Macaraig said that the Malaysian government has yet to send the embassy a report on the crackdown that began on Jan. 21. “By report I mean official notification from the Malaysian government,” Macaraig said. He said that the embassy has dispatched another diplomat to Sabah to check on reports that Filipinos have been arrested in the crackdown. So far, the only report received by the embassy was the one involving Resty Rosales, an architect who complained of maltreatment following his arrest in a raid on Tuesday when he failed to show proof of his regular status. Macaraig said Rosales has the proper working documents in Malaysia. Macaraig said that the Filipino community in Sabah remained calm. “We have spoken to the other Filipinos there and the report to me is they are not tense there. They are calm. But this does not mean there is no crackdown,” Macaraig said, adding: “If there is something happening, they would inform us (embassy) and from there we will start our work.” Macaraig said that news reports in Malaysia claimed that there were already some 1,000 illegal immigrants arrested since Tuesday, among Read More …

Aquino welcomes winter ‘escapees’

 News
Jan 242014
 
Aquino welcomes winter ‘escapees’

President Benigno Aquino III. AP FILE PHOTO MANILA, Philippines—They traded the bitterly cold winter for a relatively mild chilly weather. Two hundred forty Filipino-Canadians had plenty of sun, sand and sea during their six-day visit—from Jan. 18 to 23—to the islands of Panay and Guimaras, which, like the rest of the country, are experiencing a cold spell. President Benigno Aquino III on Friday welcomed to Malacañang the foreign “escapists”—the term used by Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario to refer to the Filipino-Canadian visitors who joined the first “Winter Escapade—It’s More Fun In The Philippines” tour, a program started by the Department of Tourism and Department of Foreign Affairs to attract balikbayans (Filipino migrants). “I didn’t expect that here in Malacañang, I would gladly welcome the ‘escapees,’” he said, adding in jest that when he talks of escapees, “most of the time I’m seated beside Secretary Leila de Lima of the Department of Justice, and we praise the apprehending [authority].” Donning swimming gears Ditching their layered winter garb, they donned their swimming gears and basked in the sun on the famous white sand and blue waters of Boracay Island in Aklan. They also joined street dancing for the Ati-Atihan festival in Kalibo, Aklan, and the Pintados festival in Passi City, Iloilo. The so-called journey of discovery also took the sun-starved visitors to Roxas City, Iloilo City and Guimaras province. The visitors said they could not get over their frenzied encounter with fire dancers and street dancers as well as school children Read More …

Swedish king in PHL for Boy Scouts jamboree

 News
Jan 242014
 
Swedish king in PHL for Boy Scouts jamboree

PNoy welcomes Sweden’s King Carl XVI Gustaf. President Benigno Aquino III welcomes King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden during a courtesy call in Malacañang on Friday, January 24. This is the first visit of a Swedish monarch and head of state to the Philippines. Gustaf will visit Yolanda-hit Tacloban City on January 25. Gil Nartea Swedish King Carl XVI Gustaf arrived in the Philippines on Friday and will be here until Jan. 26 for boy scouting events and activities. He was welcomed by President Benigno Aquino III at Malacañan on Friday and by Vice President Jejomar Binay at the Coconut Palace afterwards. Gustaf will be the guest of honor at the Invitational Peace Jamboree of the Boy Scouts of the Philippines (BSP), which more than 7,000 young scouts are expected to attend Saturday. The event, which will be held in Makiling, Laguna, is meant to mark the Boy Scouts’ centenary year. He will be accompanied by Binay, national president of the BSP.  Binay will also accompany Gustaf to Tacloban on Sunday to check the BSP’s as well as Sweden’s various projects in the typhoon-affected areas. Gustaf, who became a scout at 10, has been a lifelong supporter of the Scouting movement. He accepted the role of honorary chairman of the World Scout Foundation (WSF) in 1977 and has since been leading the WSF in raising funds to support scouting projects worldwide. WSF supports the Boy Scouts of the Philippines’ “Ticket to Life” project for children living in difficult circumstances The Read More …

Agriculture chief faces new plunder complaint

 News
Jan 242014
 
Agriculture chief faces new plunder complaint

Department of Agriculture (DA) Secretary Proceso Alcala and National Agribusiness Corp. (Nabcor) president Honesto Baniqued are facing plunder complaints for allegedly amassing billions of pesos in public money. In a complaint filed before the Office of the Ombudsman Friday, Sanlakas party-list legal counsel Argee Guevarra accused Alcala and Baniqued of plunder, violating the Anti-Graft Law, malversation of public funds and violating the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees. The complaint stemmed from allegedly anomalous transactions, unliquidated projects and procurements totalling P11.4 billion that the Commission on Audit noted in its 2012 audit of the department. The complaint enumerated the alleged anomalies: P5.8 billion in financial transactions for 2012 were without supporting vouchers until Mar. 31, 2013; of these a remaining substantial amount of P8.5 million was disbursed without, to this date disbursement vouchers (DVs) and journal entry vouchers. Disbursements worth P31.4 million that lacked the signatures of the approving authority. The amount of P53 million supposedly invested in a joint venture that has gone missing and is not reflected in the joint venture partner’s books. A total of P156 million that was supposedly disbursed but cannot be found in the documentation for Nabcor’s project funds. A consultant was “hired” for P10.3 million to “negotiate” with another government entity, PDIC, when this was not needed and the amount of P5.3 million was allegedly expended without the consultant rendering work. In a telephone interview with GMA News Online, Guevarra questioned the timing of most of Nabcor’s transactions Read More …

No more Napoles, whistleblowers in Senate ‘pork’ probe next week

 News
Jan 232014
 
No more Napoles, whistleblowers in Senate ‘pork’ probe next week

Expect no further testimonies from controversial businesswoman Janet Lim-Napoles or from the whistleblowers linking her to the alleged P10-billion “pork barrel” scam when the Senate probe on the suspected anomaly resumes next week. In an advisory to the media, the office of Senate blue ribbon committee chairman Teofisto Guingona III said the investigation next Thursday “will focus on policy issues.” Among the issues expected to be tackled are the registration, accreditation and monitoring of non-government organizations (NGOs) that deal with government contracts, Guingona’s office said. Napoles, lawmakers and other government officials allegedly pocketed millions in pork barrel funds by funneling them to bogus NGOs. Senators Ramon Bong Revilla Jr. and Jinggoy Estrada and Senate Minority Leader Juan Ponce Enrile are currently facing plunder raps before the Office of the Ombudsman for their alleged involvement in the scam. Audit chief Grace Pulido Tan, Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) chair Teresita Herbosa and Philippine Council for NGO Accreditation chair Augusto Carpio have been invited to the probe, Guingona’s office said. In last November’s hearing on the alleged scam, Napoles, who is currently detained in Laguna for a separate illegal detention case, came face to face with her accusers. She, however, clammed up by repeatedly invoking her right against self-incrimination. — Andreo Calonzo/RSJ, GMA News

Mar, Alfred: We've always been friends, no bad blood

 News
Jan 232014
 
Mar, Alfred: We've always been friends, no bad blood

Roxas, Romualdez meet in Congress probe on Yolanda response. Tacloban City Mayor Alfred Romualdez greets DILG Secretary Mar Roxas II (right) before the start of the Congressional Oversight Committee hearing on the government’s Yolanda response at the Senate on Thursday, January 23. Roxas came face to face with Romualdez, a month after the local official accused the Cabinet official of bringing up clan politics in the aftermath of Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan). Benjie Castro After a month-long word war on the government’s response to Typhoon Yolanda, Interior Secretary Mar Roxas and Tacloban City Mayor Alfred Romualdez said there is no bad blood between them. After a congressional post-Yolanda assessment on Thursday, Roxas and Romualdez shook hands and faced reporters together. “We’ve always been friends. Si Secretary Mar, kahit wala pa sa pagka-Secretary, we were together in Congress,” Romualdez told reporters. Roxas meanwhile said that the issue between him and Romualdez was just “intrigue” blown out of proportion. “Natutuwa ako na nabigyan kami ng chance na magkita uli sa isang convivial na situation,” the Cabinet official said. He also invited Romualdez to a meeting on Tacloban’s rehabilitation after Yolanda. During a hearing last month, Romualdez claimed Roxas told him after Yolanda hit Tacloban City: “We have to be very careful because you are a Romualdez and the president is an Aquino.”  The Tacloban mayor also said Roxas asked him to cede control of the city to the national government instead of immediately responding to the needs of the typhoon victims. But Roxas Read More …

As ex-transport chief, Mar OK with ‘Boy Pick-Up’ tag

 News
Jan 232014
 
As ex-transport chief, Mar OK with ‘Boy Pick-Up’ tag

Interior Secretary Mar Roxas on Thursday said he was not offended when Senator Ramon Bong Revilla Jr. called him “Boy Pick-Up” in a privilege speech earlier this week. Roxas said he considered the moniker as a joke that must not be given any malice. “Parang joke nga eh. Sinabi niya sa akin, Secretary of Transportation ka, dapat ipagmaneho mo ako. Sabi ko, okay lang,” Roxas told reporters after attending a congressional assessment of the government’s response to Typhoon Yolanda. Roxas was the chief of the Department of Transportation and Communications from 2011 to 2012. Revilla even briefly attended the hearing where Roxas was one of the resource persons, but the two were not able to interact. In a privilege speech last Monday, Revilla called Roxas “Boy Pick-Up” for supposedly driving him to Malacañang to discuss the impeachment trial of former Chief Justice Renato Corona with President Benigno Aquino III. Roxas maintained that there was nothing irregular with what he did, saying it was a way of reaching out to a former colleague. “Wala namang masama. Sa personal ko, tiningnan ko ito bilang pagpapakumbaba, bilang personal outreach to my former colleague,” he said. He also belied Revilla’s claim that he concealed his plate number, saying he never uses his official plate number in the first place. — Andreo Calonzo/KBK, GMA News

Chinese ships leave Paracel Islands after landing drills

 News
Jan 232014
 
Chinese ships leave Paracel Islands after landing drills

By Matikas SantosINQUIRER.net 6:26 pm | Thursday, January 23rd, 2014 MANILA, Philippines – A fleet of three Chinese ships, one of which has an “advanced weapons system,” has completed patrols and landing exercises in the Paracel Islands in the South China Sea Wednesday, Chinese state media reported. “The three-ship flotilla, consisting of amphibious landing craft Changbaishan and destroyers Wuhan and Haikou, left from a military port in south China’s Hainan Province on Monday,” Xinhua news agency reported Wednesday. “The flotilla undertook a ‘three-dimensional’ patrol of several islets, using surface vessels, hovercraft and shipboard helicopters. Marines with the flotilla conducted a 20-minute landing training on Wednesday,” it said. The ship Changbaishan was described as China’s largest landing ship and has an “advanced weapon system.” The fleet also has three helicopters and one company of Marines onboard, the report said. Disputed islands Paracel Islands is a group of island in the South China Sea that is the subject of a dispute between China and Vietnam. China calls it Xisha Islands while Vietnam calls it Hoang Sa Islands. In 1974, a military engagement between Chinese and Vietnamese troops left at least 50 from the Vietnamese side and 18 from the Chinese side dead. One Vietnamese ship was sunk while a total of seven ships were damaged. China won the battle and have controlled and occupied Paracel Islands ever since. Sansha city was established July 2012 to administer over the The islands are covered under the recently implemented fisheries regulations of Hainan province that Read More …

Palace assures assistance to OFWs allegedly abused in Malaysia

 News
Jan 232014
 
Palace assures assistance to OFWs allegedly abused in Malaysia

By Nestor CorralesINQUIRER.net 5:01 pm | Thursday, January 23rd, 2014 Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO MANILA, Philippines—Malacañang on Thursday assured the public it will call the attention of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) to check the alleged abuses committed against Filipinos in Malaysia. This was after a Palace reporter recounted the experience of his brother being maltreated by Malaysian authorities in line with the nationwide crackdown on illegal migrants. “We will call the priority attention of the DFA on this. We need to get the particulars because if we will just present about the general situation, we would not be able to trace this,” Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma said Thursday in a press briefing. Coloma said the government could not tolerate violation of basic human rights committed against Filipino citizens. He, however, pointed out the Department of Foreign Affairs has yet to receive reports from the Philippine embassy in Malaysia on the said incident reports. He cited they need details of the incident reports of maltreatment before filing any case against Malaysian authorities. “These allegations are serious that is why we need to have enough evidence of the maltreatment and violence to our citizens,” he said. He assured the public especially our Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW) in Malaysia the government is doing the necessary steps to give justice to the maltreated OFWs. He said our government is respecting the rights of foreigners in our country so he expects that other countries should do the same. A nationwide Read More …

DFA issues alert level 2 as Bangkok protests continue

 News
Jan 232014
 
DFA issues alert level 2 as Bangkok protests continue

By Matikas SantosINQUIRER.net 3:02 pm | Thursday, January 23rd, 2014  (AP Photo/Apichart Weerawong) MANILA, Philippines – Alert level 2 has been raised in Thailand by the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Thursday citing “threats to life, security, and property of Filipinos” as anti-government protests continue in the capital city of Bangkok. “The DFA has raised the Alert Level from 1 (Precautionary Phase) to 2 (Restriction Phase) for Bangkok and surrounding areas which have been placed under a 60-day state of emergency by the Thai Government,” it said in a statement. “Alert Level 2 is issued when there are real threats to the life, security, and property of Filipinos arising from internal disturbance or external threat,” DFA said. Filipinos have been instructed to “restrict non-essential movements, avoid public places and prepare for evacuation.” Bangkok has been under intense protests from anti-government demonstrators calling for the resignation of prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra due to allegations that she is a puppet of her brother, ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra. “While there has been an effort to maintain a state of normalcy in the Thai capital, the situation remains fluid and volatile particularly in anti-government protest areas,” DFA said. “The Philippine Embassy in Bangkok continues to advise Filipinos with essential travel plans to, and those residing in Bangkok and other parts of Thailand to avoid the rally sites and large gatherings and to refrain from taking part in the protest or other political activities,” it said. Demonstrations have been held in major intersections and government offices Read More …

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