DEVOTEES WEEP AS QUAKE DAMAGES CHURCH TREASURES

 News
Oct 152013
 
DEVOTEES WEEP AS QUAKE DAMAGES CHURCH TREASURES

CEBU CITY — Devotees wept after a deadly earthquake on Oct. 15 rocked the birthplace of Catholicism in the Philippines, badly damaging the country’s oldest church and leaving other historic places of worship in ruins. (In photo is the limestone bell tower of the Philippines’ oldest church, Cebu’s Basilica Minore del Santo Niño, in ruins.) Ten churches, some of which have crucial links to the earliest moments of the Spanish colonial and Catholic conquest in the 1500s, were damaged as the 7.2-magnitude quake struck the central islands of Cebu and Bohol. “It is like part of the body of our country has been destroyed,” Michael Charleston “Xiao” Chua, a history lecturer at De La Salle University in Manila, told Agence France-Presse. He said the damage was particularly painful because the Philippines had already lost so many of its cultural treasures to war, typhoons, earthquakes and poverty-driven neglect. In Cebu, shocked devotees said prayers as they gathered in front of the Basilica Minore de Santo Niño (Basilica of the Child Jesus), the oldest church in the Philippines and home to one of the country’s most important religious icons. The limestone bell tower of the church, the latest version of which was built in 1735, was destroyed in the quake. “I wanted to seek sanctuary here but it turns out the church was damaged,” Fraulein Muntag, 32, a mother of two, told AFP as she wept and prayed the rosary at the site. Muntag was among 100 people who had gathered amid Read More …

Napoles gave funds to LP for 2013 polls, jueteng whistleblower claims

 News
Oct 142013
 
Napoles gave funds to LP for 2013 polls, jueteng whistleblower claims

Alleged pork barrel scam mastermind Janet Lim-Napoles contributed funds to the campaign kitty of the ruling Liberal Party (LP) for the 2013 midterm polls, jueteng whistleblower Sandra Cam revealed Tuesday. Cam, who claims to have common friends with Napoles, said the controversial businesswoman gave some P100 million to support the LP senatorial campaign during the last elections. “Talaga namang nagbigay itong si Napoles ng campaign funds noong eleksyon lang nitong senatoriables,” the whistleblower said in an interview with GMA News’ Arnold Clavio on “Unang Hirit.” During a Senate investigation in 2005, Cam testified that she collected payoffs from jueteng lords and delivered them to relatives of former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. Cam is currently president of the Whistleblowers’ Association of the Philippines. But Former Rep. Raul Daza, who serves as LP’s counsel, categorically denied Cam’s claim that the ruling party, which is currently being chaired by President Benigno Aquino III, received funds from Napoles. “Tinatatanggihan po namin na tumanggap ng anumang pera galing kay Gng. Napoles ang LP noong nakaraang kampanya. Andiyan po sa Comelec ang listahan ng contributors ng LP. Wala po riyan ang pangalan ni Gng. Napoles,” Daza said in the same television interview. Napoles, who is now detained in Laguna for a serious illegal detention case, is currently facing three plunder complaints before the Office of the Ombudsman for allegedly engineering a scam to funnel pork barrel and Malampaya gas project funds to bogus non-government organizations. Senators Juan Ponce Enrile, Ramon Bong Revilla and Jinggoy Estrada are also Read More …

Filipino Muslims offer morning prayers to mark Eid'l Adha

 News
Oct 142013
 
Filipino Muslims offer morning prayers to mark Eid'l Adha

Muslim Filipinos gathered in public places early Tuesday to offer morning prayers to mark Eid’l Adha (Feast of Sacrifice). In Manila, some 20,000 Muslims gathered at the Quirino Grandstand to take part in morning prayers, radio dzBB’s Carlo Mateo reported. Morning prayers were offered as well at the Golden Mosque in Quiapo, the report said. In Quezon City, dzBB’s Allan Gatus reported Muslim families gathered at the Quezon Memorial Circle also to offer prayers.  Eid’l Adha is a Muslim celebration that honors the willingness of Ibrahim to obey Allah and sacrifice his son Isaac. It also marks the end of the hajj, the pilgrimage to Mecca. —KG, GMA News

Noli Me Tangere in Manhattan

 News
Oct 142013
 
Noli Me Tangere in Manhattan

NEW YORK—Last year, Noli Me Tangere, the opera, was staged in Chicago. I heard about it and wanted to see it but couldn’t and wished that it would be staged here as well. Fortunately like-minded New York-based Filipinos had the same idea. And so it was that over a recent weekend this month, the Foundation for Filipino Artists, in celebration of its 25th anniversary, presented it at the Kaye Playhouse that is part of Hunter College (where I teach, coincidentally). The foundation, headed by its founder Aida Bartolome, partnered with a committee to raise funds, whose chair was Loida Nicolas Lewis. As the latter pointed out in a speech welcoming the audience to the last performance, New York hadto have its own production. In 1888, it was the culmination of his transcontinental train journey begun in San Francisco. He stayed for three days before boarding a passenger ship to Liverpool. A scene of the party at Don Santiago’s Binondo home, welcoming Ibarra back. Photo/Project Fury13 Working to stage this opera was a creative team made up of gifted veteran professionals, from the artistic director and composer/conductor Michael Dadap and dancer/choreographer Kristin Jackson, from set and costume designer Jerry Sibal to the singers, all of whom have had considerable experience and success in regional venues in the US and in Europe. Sal Malaki, for instance, singing the role of Ibarra, is with the Los Angeles Opera; Antoni Mendezona (Maria Clara) has sung to critical acclaim in New York; and Andrew Fernando Read More …

Napoles lawyer wants whistleblowers included in plunder case

 News
Oct 142013
 
Napoles lawyer wants whistleblowers included in plunder case

The lawyer of embattled businesswoman Janet Lim-Napoles on Monday said the whistleblowers in the alleged P10-billion pork barrel scam should be included in the plunder case. Lawyer Lorna Kapunan said those testifying against Napoles, who is facing plunder charges in connection with the supposed scam, should be included in the case before they can be turned into state witnesses. “You cannot be dropped from the case if you are not included as a respondent,” she told reporters before the start of the hearing on Napoles’ bail petition at the Makati Regional Trial Court. Napoles is currently detained at Fort Sto. Domingo in Laguna over a serious illegal detention case involving the pork barrel scam’s whistleblower Benhur Luy. Kapunan said neither the National Bureau of Investigation nor the Department of Justice can remove a suspect in the charge sheet. She said only the court — in this case the Sandiganbayan — can make such a decision. Kapunan also noted that non-inclusion in the charges gives the whistleblowers an “unbridled license to say anything.” “Every day meron silang mga statement. Pag hindi sila included sa kasong plunder, walang sworn statement yan, they cannot be held liable for perjury,” she said, adding that the statements from the whistleblowers are unfair to her client. Among the whistleblowers against Napoles are Luy, Merlina Suñas and Marina Sula, all former employees of her JLN Corp. Kapunan said they will be presenting three witnesses for Napoles’ bail petition but did not identify them. The defense panel is Read More …

Eco group challenges barangay poll bets to leave no trash on campaign trail

 News
Oct 142013
 
Eco group challenges barangay poll bets to leave no trash on campaign trail

The EcoWaste Coalition urged candidates in the upcoming barangay elections to commit to a “zero-waste” election campaign, and asked the public not to vote for candidates who leave garbage in their wake. In a press release, the group expressed concerns that candidates in the upcoming barangay elections might use unsafe campaign materials and neglect the clean-up after the election period. The group’s national coordinator Aileen Lucero said that the candidates should try for a complete implementation of the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000 or R.A. 9003. R.A. 9003 states that barangays should strictly uphold the laws regarding solid waste management, including proper disposal of campaign materials after the election period. Lucero, on behalf of the coalition, also expressed concern about the number of tarpaulins put up before the actual campaign period. “You can spot these tarpaulins everywhere – in pedicabs and tricycles, in sari-sari stores, in public markets and in residences. We fear a repeat of the avalanche of tarpaulin waste that happened during the last national elections,” she said. Tarps in the May 13 national and local elections, she warned, contained lead, cadmium, and heavily toxic polyvinyl chloride (PVC plastic). The campaign period will start on Oct. 18 and end on Oct. 26, two days before election day. — Rie Takumi/BM, GMA News

PH nurses in Tokyo also hurdle gap in language

 News
Oct 132013
 
PH nurses in Tokyo also hurdle gap in language

TOKYO—It was hard enough being transplanted into a new culture. Being hobbled by a completely alien language was another burden on Joyce Paulino and hundreds of nurses and care workers sent from the Philippines to Japan under an economic agreement between the two countries. The language barrier has played a key role in dashing the dreams of many nurses and caregivers seeking permanent jobs in Japan, since the challenging national exam for them to be certified is given mostly in Japanese. As a result, very few have passed the exam. But unlike many of her fellow workers sent to the Land of the Rising Sun under the Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement (Jpepa), Paulino, 34, is one of a handful who not only mastered the language but also passed the exam for care workers on her first try early this year. Her accomplishment ensures that she can continue staying, working and earning a decent living in Japan for as long she likes. Paulino’s earnings at a nursing facility in Tokyo have been a big help to her parents and three siblings back home. She shoulders some of the household expenses, sends her youngest sibling to school, and pays for the tuition and other needs of her nieces and nephews. Paulino is happy where she is, and doesn’t plan on returning home soon. But all this did not come easy for Paulino. Learning the language while working and studying Japanese practices for the national test required skillful juggling and time management from Read More …

Gov’t-MILF exploratory talks end with progress but nothing final

 News
Oct 132013
 
Gov’t-MILF exploratory talks end with progress but nothing final

By Kristine Angeli SabilloPhilippine Daily Inquirer 3:13 pm | Sunday, October 13th, 2013 GPH panel chair Miriam Coronel-Ferrer. AFP FILE PHOTO MANILA, Philippines – The exploratory talks between the government of the Philippines (GPH) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia ended Sunday with “substantial progress” but still no finality on the remaining power-sharing and normalization annexes. “The Parties made substantial progress on the remaining Annexes on Power-Sharing and Normalization. They have proceeded in exhaustive, honest discussions in order to identify the best formulations for an agreement that would respond to the aspirations of both Parties,” a joint statement from the GPH and MILF panels said. GPH panel chair Miriam Coronel-Ferrer said, in a separate statement, that the exploratory talks had to be concluded because their “Malaysia hosts are celebrating the Eid’l Adha holiday and could no longer extend the talks to today.” Both groups pledged to focus on completing the annexes following the break. Ferrer said they agreed to have a Bangsamoro ministerial government based on the MILF’s envisioned structure. “There is understanding now on the level of detail that would go into the Annex on Power Sharing but some disagreements still on specific features. Discussions are also ongoing on the extent of territorial jurisdiction of the Bangsamoro political entity over waters and on the protection of fishing rights of subsistence fisherfolk in the Sulu Sea and Moro Gulf,” she said. Ferrer also disclosed that the two parties’ technical working groups on Normalization have met Read More …

Filipinos discovered California

 News
Oct 132013
 
Filipinos discovered California

On September 25, 2009, the state of California officially declared October as “Filipino American History Month” to honor the first Filipinos to set foot in California 426 years ago this week. Starting in January of 2014, thanks to a law authored by Assemblyman Rob Bonta, the first Filipino American elected to the State Legislature, California’s school children will learn more about Filipino American history. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TTQ-xnleWc4&feature=share After learning about Filipino American history in California, people may conclude that Filipinos “discovered” California, which would be true but only in the same Eurocentric sense that Christopher Columbus “discovered” America in 1492 and Ferdinand Magellan “discovered” the Philippines in 1521. Unamuno’s unrecognized discovery Almost a century after Columbus discovered the Bahamas Islands (which he thought was India) and claimed this “New World” for the king of Spain, Spanish Captain Pedro De Unamuno “discovered” California on the other side of that American continent while on a voyage from Manila to Acapulco. Although Columbus’ discovery is celebrated this October 14 as a national holiday in the United States, which Native Americans celebrate as “Indigenous Peoples’ Day”, no such honor is accorded Unamuno for his “discovery” of California on October 18, 1587. In fact, his discovery is not even recognized by Spain and is only commemorated by the Filipino American community because Unamuno reported in his ship’s logs that his deck crew was composed of “Luzones Indios”. Unamuno’s odyssey as revealed in those logs he kept was first reported in Henry R. Wagner’s Spanish Voyages to the Read More …

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