Papal Nuncio spends Christmas with ‘Yolanda’ survivors

 News
Dec 232013
 
Papal Nuncio spends Christmas with ‘Yolanda’ survivors

By Kristine Angeli SabilloINQUIRER.net 12:04 pm | Tuesday, December 24th, 2013 Typhoon survivors attend mass at the damaged Santo Nino Church in Tacloban, central Philippines on Sunday, Dec. 8, 2013. AP MANILA, Philippines – Archbishop Giuseppe Pinto, Papal Nuncio to the Philippines, arrived in Tacloban City in Leyte on Tuesday morning to visit and spend Christmas with the typhoon survivors. Pinto, representative of Pope Francis, was welcomed by local priests when he arrived at the Tacloban City Airport around 9 a.m., Inquirer Radio 990AM said. The papal nuncio will first visit an evacuation center in the city to see first-hand the situation of families affected by Supertyphoon “Yolanda” last month. The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) said Pinto will attend a gathering of the clergy before leading the midnight mass at the Cathedral of Our Lord’s Transfiguration in Palo. Palo Archbishop John Du, in a statement, said they were worried about where the papal nuncio will sleep but Pinto was quoted saying, “I will sleep wherever you sleep.” On Christmas Day, Pinto will preside over a 10 a.m. mass at the Sto. Niño Church in Tacloban City before heading to Manila. Follow Us Recent Stories: Complete stories on our Digital Edition newsstand for tablets, netbooks and mobile phones; 14-issue free trial. About to step out? Get breaking alerts on your mobile.phone. Text ON INQ BREAKING to 4467, for Globe, Smart and Sun subscribers in the Philippines. Tags: Catholics , Christmas , Giuseppe Pinto , Papal Nuncio , Philippins , Religion , Tacloban Factual errors? Read More …

British embassy closed for 6 days

 News
Dec 232013
 
British embassy closed for 6 days

By Kristine Angeli SabilloINQUIRER.net 10:02 am | Tuesday, December 24th, 2013 MANILA, Philippines – The British Embassy in Manila announced on Tuesday that it will be closed for six days during the holiday season. “The British Embassy Manila is closed today, December 24 until December 26,” the embassy announced on Twitter. Its offices will also be closed from December 30, 2013 to January 1, 2014. “For British nationals who need urgent assistance during these days, please call +63 2 858 2200. Please follow instructions when you are connected to be put through to Consular Response,”  the embassy said. Follow Us Recent Stories: Complete stories on our Digital Edition newsstand for tablets, netbooks and mobile phones; 14-issue free trial. About to step out? Get breaking alerts on your mobile.phone. Text ON INQ BREAKING to 4467, for Globe, Smart and Sun subscribers in the Philippines. Tags: British Embassy , embassies , Holidays , office , Philippines , services Factual errors? Contact the Philippine Daily Inquirer’s day desk. Believe this article violates journalistic ethics? Contact the Inquirer’s Reader’s Advocate. Or write The Readers’ Advocate: c/o Philippine Daily Inquirer Chino Roces Avenue corner Yague and Mascardo Streets, Makati City, Metro Manila, Philippines Or fax nos. +63 2 8974793 to 94

Filipinos urged to leave Sudan

 News
Dec 232013
 
Filipinos urged to leave Sudan

By Tarra QuismundoPhilippine Daily Inquirer 9:18 am | Tuesday, December 24th, 2013 In this handout image provided by the United Nations Mission South Sudan, taken on Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2013, civilians arrive at the UNMISS compound adjacent to Juba International Airport to take refuge.  AP MANILA, Philippines—The Philippines on Monday initiated the voluntary evacuation of Filipinos in South Sudan and barred all travel and deployment of workers amid the worsening civil strife in the central African state. This, after Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario raised Crisis Alert Level 3 for the 95 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) there and sent a Rapid Response Team to help in the repatriation process. The level is the third highest in the country’s four-tier emergency alert system for Filipinos abroad. “Under Alert Level 3 (voluntary repatriation), Filipinos in South Sudan are enjoined to seek repatriation assistance from the personnel of our embassy in Kenya, or the Rapid Response Team which will depart tonight,” Assistant Secretary Raul Hernandez, spokesperson of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), said in a statement yesterday. “Our citizens are also advised to defer travel to South Sudan regardless of purpose,” Hernandez said, adding that the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration will also initiate a total ban on OFW deployment under the alert level. The DFA spokesperson said 23 of the 95 Filipinos in South Sudan have travelled to Kenya, while 15 have fled to Uganda as the South Sudanese government had lost control of its oil-producing capital of Bentiu to rebels intent Read More …

‘Simbang Gabi’ bridges generations in San Fernando Valley

 News
Dec 232013
 
‘Simbang Gabi’ bridges generations in San Fernando Valley

Simbang gabi coordinator Ruby Minosa with the choir. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO/Lawrence Ochoa SAN FERNANDO VALLEY, California—Many Filipino expatriates bring with them cherished Christmas memories from home by celebrating  “Simbang Gabi” in this area of Los Angeles County that is home to tens of thousands of Filipinos. The Archdiocese of Los Angeles bolstered this important commemoration by supporting local parishes as they simultaneously hold Simbang Gabi Mass every day from December 15 throughout Los Angeles County. Now, even non-Filipinos are embracing the tradition. The event is a nine-day religious rite focused on the Filipino tradition of celebrating the birth of Christ in a colorful display of native costumes, Christmas songs in churches and the display of the symbol of hope and faith for many—the Christmas lantern or “parol.” There were already nearly 30,000 Filipinos residing in the San Fernando Valley even ten years ago, so one is assured of a “Simbang Gabi” any day of the week leading to Christmas.  Some Masses are held at break of dawn in some parishes and in others, the evening after work.  Mass is often followed by a complimentary feast of sumptuous Filipino food. Reminder of heritage “Simbang Gabi allows me to understand my roots and traditions as a Filipino,” said Jonathan Soriano, a second generation Filipino and musical director of the St. Jane Frances de Chantal church. “It allows me to prepare to commemorate the birth of Christ  in the way my relatives of generations have done before me; how my parents celebrated Simbang Gabi back Read More …

'Record high' 11 percent of Visayas expect bleak Christmas – SWS

 News
Dec 232013
 
'Record high' 11 percent of Visayas expect bleak Christmas – SWS

Given the major natural disasters in late 2013, 11 percent of Visayas residents expect a bleak Christmas this year, according to a new poll by Social Weather Stations. “In Visayas, the expectation of a happy Christmas declined to a new record-low 57 percent in 2013 as the expectation of a sad Christmas reached record-high 11 percent,” the SWS said in its poll. Last Oct. 15, a magnitude-7.2 quake devastated Central Visayas, while super typhoon Yolanda devastated the Visayas last Nov. 8. The SWS noted the expectation of a happy Christmas in Visayas declined by nine points, from 66 percent in 2012 to 57 percent in 2013. Before to 2013, SWS said the lowest recorded expectation of a happy Christmas was 60 percent, in 2006. “Conversely, the expectation of a sad Christmas in Visayas increased by four points, from 7 percent in 2012 to 11 percent in 2013,” the pollster said. The survey was taken from Dec. 11-16. Face-to-face interviews were conducted among 1,550 adults, with sampling error margins of ±3% for national percentages, ±4% for Visayas, and ±6% for Metro Manila, Balance Luzon and Mindanao. National numbers Nationwide, the SWS said slightly more than three out of five Filipinos (62 percent) still expect a happy Christmas. The 62-percent figure was a slight decline from the 64 percent in the fourth quarters of 2011 and 2012. Also, nine percent of Filipinos expect a sad Christmas this year, while 28 percent expect it to be neither happy nor sad. “The expectation of Read More …

Nine-year-old, latest victim of illegal 'piccolo' firecracker

 News
Dec 232013
 
Nine-year-old, latest victim of illegal 'piccolo' firecracker

The inevitable rise in the number of firecracker-related casualties during the Christmas-New Year holidays has started, with the Health Department recording a nine-year-old boy as the latest injured. Jeric Paul Suarez from Tondo, Manila, was the seventh victim of the firecracker known as “piccolo” since December 21, according to DOH records. “Hindi na po [ako magpapaputok]. Delikado,” Suarez said timidly in a report on GMA 7’s “24 Oras”. The DOH has so far recorded 13 cases of firecracker-related injuries, an increase from the nine cases recorded in the same period last year. Also, according to the DOH’s records, 27 percent of all firecracker-related injuries in 2012 came from piccolos. Despite its dangerous record, it remains popular being the firecracker of choice in the face of a general decrease in the use of fireworks in the country. Health Undersecretary Eric Tayag hopes that the recent spate of natural disasters – typhoon Yolanda, the Cebu-Bohol earthquake – will discourage people from spending on fireworks. “Dahil dun sa sunod-sunod na unos natin, maraming nagsabi na parang toned down ang pag-celebrate natin ng pasko. Subalit nagkaroon ng parang turning point nitong weekend. Sumigla ang pamimili ng mga tao,” said a dismayed Tayag. The undersecretary is thus fully supportive of Davao City’s anti-fireworks policy, which bans both legal and illegal fireworks. “Mga ilegal katulad ng piccolo, fly-by-night, ‘di maganda ang kaledad, malamang sa hindi, disgrasya resulta niyan,” said Tayag. — Rie Takumi/DVM, GMA News

Palace confident Customs chief can increase collections, counter corruption

 News
Dec 232013
 
Palace confident Customs chief can increase collections, counter corruption

Will “Sunny” be the best disinfectant for a Customs bureau with a reputation for shadowy figures and shady deals? The Palace said Monday it is confident newly-appointed Customs Commissioner John “Sunny” Sevilla can improve revenue collections amid reported corruption at the Customs bureau. “We know for a fact that there is corruption in the Bureau of Customs. That has never been hidden from public view,” presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda told reporters at a press briefing at Malacañang. “That’s why he (Sevilla) is instituting a lot of mechanisms to make sure that the corruption in BOC would be minimized, if not, hopefully eliminated from that.” “It’s a tall order for Commissioner Sevilla but we are certain that, given the new set of deputy commissioners and a new set of leadership through Commissioner Sevilla, we will see some improvements in the Customs collection,” he noted. A report in the Philippine Daily Inquirer on Monday revealed the code names of three “big-time traders” who purportedly operate in the bureau. They were identified in the report as “Big Mama,” “Ma’am T,” and “Mr. T.” The report also said corruption has led to missed Customs collection targets. A former high-ranking Customs official confirmed these code names. “Alam ng lahat ‘yan. That’s common knowledge. Kilalang-kilala [na sila] na nagtatransact [sa BOC],” the former Customs official, who refused to be named, told GMA News Online in a phone interview on Monday. “Malakas ang loob ng mga nasa baba kasi mayroong higher than the commissioner kung meron mang Read More …

‘Yolanda’ among top 2013 stories – AP poll

 News
Dec 222013
 
‘Yolanda’ among top 2013 stories – AP poll

In this aerial photo taken on Saturday, Nov. 9, 2013, and released by the Philippine Air Force, a ferry boat is seen washed inland from a massive storm surge caused by Typhoon Haiyan, in the city of Tacloban, central Philippines. AP FILE PHOTO NEW YORK – The devastation wrought by Supertyphoon “Yolanda” (international name: Haiyan) in the Philippines last November  8 was among the top  news stories of 2013, according to The Associated Press’ annual poll of U.S. editors and news directors. The glitch-plagued rollout of President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul topped the survey, followed by the Boston Marathon bombing and the dramatic papal changeover at the Vatican. The saga of “Obamacare” — as the Affordable Care Act is widely known — received 45 first-place votes out of the 144 ballots cast for the top 10 stories. The marathon bombing received 29 first-place votes and the papal transition 21. Other strong contenders were the bitter partisan conflict in Congress and the leaks about National Security Agency surveillance by former NSA analyst Edward Snowden. Last year, the top story was the massacre of 26 children and staff at an elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut. That result came after a rare decision by the AP to re-conduct the voting; the initial round of balloting had ended Dec. 13, a day before the Newtown shooting, with the 2012 election at the top. The first AP top-stories poll was conducted in 1936, when editors chose the abdication of Britain’s King Edward VIII. Here Read More …

Med mission leaders to lead largest Independence Day fest outside PH

 News
Dec 212013
 
Med mission leaders to lead largest Independence Day fest outside PH

While singing Christmas carols, Drs. Felicisima and Emilio Quines (center-right) are flanked by Philippine Independence Day Parade former (1997) Overall Chair Nelia Ferrette, chairman of the 2014 Grand Marshal Search Committee Olivia David and PIDCI Treasurer Violeta McGough. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO/ Rolan Gutierrez NEW YORK—Philippine Medical Association of America (PMAA) presidents and longterm medical mission volunteers Drs. Emilio and Felicisima Quines were named grand marshals of next year’s festive Philippine Independence Day parade. Philippine Independence Day Council Inc. (PIDCI), which works year-round for the biggest Philippine Independence Day parade outside of the Philippines—held first Sunday of June along Madison Avenue—announced that the Quineses stood out in the Filipino-American community during the month-long public nomination process. “I first thought that the search process could be pretty daunting, but it turned out to be pretty easy, especially when the nomination papers of Drs. Quines reached my desk,” said Olivia David, chairman of the 2014 Grand Marshal Search Committee. The Independence Day Parade is accompanied by an all-day street fair and cultural festival, attended by about 100,000 Filipinos from the New York Tri-State area, Pennsylvania and visitors from neighboring states and California, and Canada. PIDCI President Fe Martinez, former (1997) Overall Chair Nelia Ferrette, Philippine Consul General to New York Mario de Leon, Jr, who is also an honorary adviser, and current PIDCI board members, officially welcomed the new grand marshals to PIDCI during an intimate dinner reception held at the consul’s residence in the Upper East Side December 13. “I’ve known the Quineses Read More …

Filipino caregivers in SF recover unpaid wages

 News
Dec 212013
 
Filipino caregivers in SF recover unpaid wages

FILE PHOTO SAN FRANCISCO—Workers from three San Francisco care homes celebrated their recent settlement agreements on Dec.18, International Migrants Day, after winning their months-long claims against their employers, totaling more than $800,000 in unpaid wages. Filipino caregivers from Sunset Gardens, Nacario’s Home of San Francisco and Veal’s Residential Care Homes joined other workers and their supporters to raise awareness about wage theft in the industry and the rights of all workers regardless of their immigration status. “Over the last few years, the Filipino Community Center has proudly supported Filipino caregivers and also hotel and restaurant workers in reclaiming over $1 million in unpaid wages,” stated Mario de Mira, FCC’s workers rights program coordinator. “We congratulate these Filipino caregivers in particular for their victory in asserting their rights in an industry that takes advantage of workers, especially immigrant workers.” Filing their claims with the Office of Labor Standards Enforcement (OLSE), the workers faced conditions similar to many other residential care home workers. Caring for the elderly and disabled, caregivers sometimes work nearly 24-hours per day, but they are rarely paid the legally mandated minimum wage, overtime, or double time for these extended work schedules. “The Sunset Gardens employees worked extremely long hours cooking, cleaning and caring for the residents,” added Donna Levitt, manager of the City’s Office of Labor Standards Enforcement. “They must be paid no less than minimum wage and overtime for their work.” Together with City Attorney Dennis Herrera, OLSE has now reached settlements and verbal agreements with seven Read More …

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