Pacquiao denies he's a green card holder

 News
Dec 102013
 
Pacquiao denies he's a green card holder

Filipino boxing icon and Sarangani Rep. Manny Pacquiao, currently facing a tax evasion case, has denied that he is a green card holder, or that he even applied for one. “Mastercard lang meron ako. Mastercard lang ang hawak ko. Hindi ‘yun totoo na may green card ako,” Pacquiao said in a chance interview Tuesday, a day after journalist and blogger Raissa Robles raised the possibility that the world reknowned boxer may be a green card holder. Pacquiao said he only carries a P1 visa that allows him to professionally fight in the United States. “Meron akong P1, para pwede kang lumaban, kumita doon,” he said. He added that he has no desire to leave the Philippines, and has in fact rejected his children’s request to study in the US. “Ayaw ko nga pag-aralin mga anak ko sa America,” Pacquiao said. “Yung mga anak ko nga gusto mag-aral sa America, hindi ko pinayagan.” God bless them But while exasperated over the issue of his supposed immigrant status, Pacquiao said he wishes no ill over those who have insinuated that he is a green card holder. “Ipasadiyos ko na lang. May Panginoon naman tayo. We have no right to revenge. Ang Panginoon lang ang may karapatan,” he said. The issue about Pacquiao applying to be a US immigrant erupted days after his tax woes played out in the media. Robles, in her blog, said she was tipped off by a commenter that Pacquiao was mentioned as a  “successful (US) immigrant” on the Read More …

82 of 96 pass Optometrist Licensure Exam – PRC

 News
Dec 102013
 
82 of 96 pass Optometrist Licensure Exam – PRC

A total of 82 out of 96 passed the Optometrist Licensure Examination given by the Board of Optometry in Manila this month, according to the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) on Tuesday. [Click here for list of passers.] Meanwhile, two out of three examinees passed the Special Certification Examination in Ocular Pharmacology for Optometrists given also this month. They are: 1. Almonte, Gemma Chua2. Corneta, Roy Lasalita The PRC said registration for the issuance of Professional Identification Card (ID) and Certificate of Registration will start on December 13, 2013.  The date and venue for the oathtaking ceremony, however, will be announced later. — KBK, GMA News 

Kerry to tour typhoon-hit Philippines, Vietnam

 News
Dec 092013
 
Kerry to tour typhoon-hit Philippines, Vietnam

US Secretary of State John Kerry is to make his first visit to the Philippines since taking office to see first-hand the damage left by last month’s typhoon, and will also tour Vietnam where he fought during the war. Kerry’s next trip from December 11 to 18 will start on Wednesday, his 70th birthday, when he flies to Israel and Ramallah. But he will then travel to Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, before heading to Manila, and the storm-hit city of Tacloban, a US official said Monday. Since becoming the top US diplomat in February, Kerry has dreamed of returning once again to the country where his political activism was forged in the horrors of the Vietnam War. He had also planned to visit the Philippines back in October, but the trip had to be cancelled at the last minute as Tropical Storm Nari bore down on the Southeast Asian nation. “Within the Asia-Pacific rebalance, Southeast Asia holds special importance, and the secretary’s travel to Vietnam and the Philippines demonstrates the enduring US commitment… to the region,” State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said. It will be Kerry’s fourth trip to Asia while in office. In Ho Chi Minh, the city once known as Saigon which fell to the communist North Vietnam forces in April 1975, Kerry will “underscore the growth of our bilateral trade relationship and the empowering role of education.” He would also visit the Mekong Delta to show how “Americans and Vietnamese can work together on critical Read More …

8 TRADITIONAL CHRISTMAS DISHES

 News
Dec 092013
 
8 TRADITIONAL CHRISTMAS DISHES

‘Tis the season for the merry Pinoy food! Here are 8 dishes that will most likely be on our checklist this Christmas. Ushering the start of simbang gabi or the traditional misa de gallo is the huff puffing of steam coming from the puto bumbong cylindrical bamboo steamers outside churches. READ FULL STORY

PNoy can ‘withdraw’ Leviste parole – De Lima

 News
Dec 082013
 
PNoy can ‘withdraw’ Leviste parole – De Lima

President Benigno Aquino III can withdraw the parole granted to convicted killer Jose Antonio Leviste, according to Justice Secretary Leila de Lima, even as she maintained that there seems to be nothing irregular with the granting of the parole. “So far, there’s no basis for me to conclude that the board did not act above board in passing such application,” De Lima said Monday following a meeting with the country’s top jail officials. She, however, noted that she would “defer” to the decision of the President, who she said has the power to “review” paroles granted to prisoners. De Lima also said the Board of Parole and Pardon is standing by its decision to end Leviste’s almost five-year imprisonment by granting him parole. She also noted that Leviste, a former Batangas governor who was jailed in January 2009 for killing a long-time aide in Makati, was able to comply with the requirement for parole. Leviste, 73, was convicted of homicide and was sentenced to at least six years in prison but his good conduct time allowance allowed him to cut short his sentence by a little more than a year. — Mark Merueñas/KBK, GMA News

UN worries aid has not reached Yolanda victims in remote villages

 News
Dec 082013
 
UN worries aid has not reached Yolanda victims in remote villages

CANBERRA, Australia — The United Nations is investigating reports that aid has yet to reach remote parts of the Philippines a month after a devastating typhoon, the UN humanitarian chief said on Monday. Valerie Amos, UN Under Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, said she had expected that aid had been delivered by helicopter to survivors in even the most remote outlying islands following the Nov. 8 disaster. “Although we’ve got significant aid now coming in to the major centers, we still have a little bit of a worry that in a couple of the smaller islands that there may be needs there that we haven’t managed to meet yet,” she said. “I’m still hearing worrying reports in the media — indeed I heard one this morning — where people said they hadn’t received any aid as yet, and we’re looking into that,” she said. Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) and its tsunami-like storm surge plowed through Tacloban and other coastal areas, leaving more than 5,700 dead and more than 1,700 missing throughout the region. About 4 million people were displaced. Amos, in Australia for aid talks with the government, defended the Philippine government against criticisms that it was too slow to deliver aid to victims. She said the Philippines responded to more than 20 typhoons a year and was well prepared for storms. “But the scale and severity of this was something which none of us could have anticipated,” Amos said. —Associated Press

PNoy wants sanctions for officials who approved Leviste parole

 News
Dec 082013
 
PNoy wants sanctions for officials who approved Leviste parole

President Benigno Aquino III on Monday said he is looking into the possibility of imposing sanctions against officials of the Board of Pardons and Parole who approved the parole application of former Batangas Governor Jose Antonio Leviste. “Pinahanap ko na rin, meron bang sanctions puwede doon sa Board of Pardons and Parole; ni-review ko na rin paano ba naa-appoint diyan sa Board of Pardons and Parole. Ni-review iyong buong system para hindi mangyari uli itong ganito,” Aquino told reporters in a chance interview during the anniversary celebration of the Department of Labor and Employment in Quezon City. In questioning the approval of the parole application, Aquino noted that Leviste’s “escape” two years ago is not indicative of good conduct. “Paano magiging good conduct iyong nasa labas ng piitan habang nagse-serve ng sentence? So hindi ko maintindihan kung bakit maco-consider man lang,” he said.  Leviste was charged with murder for the 2007 shooting of his long-time aide Rafael de las Alas. He was convicted in January 2009 for the lesser offense of homicide, with the court saying the killing of De las Alas did not appear to be premeditated. He was punished to serve a minimum sentence of six years and a maximum sentence of 12 years, but it was slashed to just a little under five years after he earned “good conduct time allowance.” He re-emerged in the headlines in May 2011 when he was reported to have “escaped” from prison. He was re-arrested, transferred to the maximum security facility, Read More …

Tacloban mayor: No help from national govt in Yolanda's aftermath

 News
Dec 082013
 
Tacloban mayor: No help from national govt in Yolanda's aftermath

Tacloban mayor recounts Yolanda ordeal at Congressional hearing. At a Congressional oversight committee hearing on PHL disaster management law at the Senate on Monday, December 9, Tacloban City Mayor Alfredo Romualdez becomes emotional as he recounts his ordeal when Typhoon Yolanda hit Tacloban on November 8. At right is Leyte Rep. Ferdinand Martin Romualdez. Benjie Castro Tacloban City Mayor Alfred Romualdez decried Monday how the national government supposedly did not help his local government unit in rescue and security efforts in the aftermath of Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan). During a post-disaster assessment at the Senate, Romualdez said he asked for additional security personnel from the national government a day after Yolanda’s landfall, but Interior Secretary Mar Roxas did not grant his request. Romualdez said Roxas instead asked him to write a letter that the local government could no longer function and that the national government should step in. “Secretary Roxas said we should legalize everything… He told me we have to be very careful because you are a Romualdez and the President is an Aquino,” Romualdez said. The mayor said he practically “begged” national officials for help, but to no avail. “I could not understand why I could not get help from national government… Kung kaya ng police at military na ma-secure ang President, bakit ‘di kami nabigyan ng security para ma-secure ang siyudad?” Romualdez said. Senator Antonio Trillanes IV, who was presiding over the post-disaster assessment, said the committee wants to hear Roxas’ side on the matter next hearing. Close Read More …

UN probes ‘Yolanda’ aid to Philippines

 News
Dec 082013
 
UN probes ‘Yolanda’ aid to Philippines

Associated Press 9:07 am | Monday, December 9th, 2013 United Nations Under Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs Valerie Amos. AP FILE PHOTO CANBERRA, Australia – The United Nations humanitarian chief said she is investigating reports that aid has yet to reach remote parts of the Philippines a month after a devastating typhoon. Valerie Amos, who is in Australia for aid talks with the government, said on Monday that she is still hearing “worrying reports in the media … where people said they hadn’t received any aid as yet.” Typhoon”Yolanda” (international name: Haiyan)  and its tsunami-like storm surge plowed through coastal areas of the Philippines on Nov. 8, leaving over 5,700 dead. 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: aid , Haiyan , Philippines , Typhoon , UN , Valerie Amos , Yolanda 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

Japan seeks int’l action against China air zone

 News
Dec 082013
 
Japan seeks int’l action against China air zone

Associated Press 3:56 am | Monday, December 9th, 2013 Japanese Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera, center, waves as he arrives at the airport in Tacloban City on Sunday, Dec. 8, 2013, to look at the magnitude of the disaster for additional Japanese aid. Onodera called on the international community on Sunday to oppose China’s recently declared maritime air defense zone over the East China Sea and possibly over the disputed West Philippine Sea (South China Sea). AP PHOTO/AARON FAVILA TACLOBAN CITY, Philippines—Japan’s defense minister called on the international community on Sunday to oppose China’s recently declared maritime air defense zone over the East China Sea and possibly over the disputed West Philippine Sea (South China Sea). Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera discussed Japan’s concern over China’s action separately with Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin and Australian Foreign Minister Julia Bishop. Onodera and Bishop separately visited Tacloban City, which was devastated by Supertyphoon “Yolanda” (international name: “Haiyan”) last month. In his meeting with Bishop, Onodera said he mentioned that the international community “should meet to deal with this matter together” and that any unilateral action by coercive means should be opposed. “If any country would establish a similar air zone in the South China Sea, that would bring up tension in the region and I mentioned that should be stopped,” he told reporters in Tacloban, where he visited a school serving as a shelter for villagers who lost their homes in the Nov. 8 typhoon. Onodera said the issue should be resolved by dialogue. Read More …

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