BEIRUT – The team of United Nations inspectors that was investigating the alleged chemical weapons attack in Syria arrived at Beirut International Airport on Saturday, a Reuters witness said. The team had crossed the land border from Syria into Lebanon earlier in the day after completing its four-day investigation. – Reuters
President Benigno Aquino III’s openness to receiving high-profile fugitives will only be on a case-to-case basis, a Malacañang spokesperson said on Saturday. Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte stressed this after Aquino explained why he agreed to receive suspected pork barrel scam mastermind Janet Napoles. “Case-to-case basis yan,” Valte said on government-run dzRB radio, when asked if Aquino was open to receiving other high-profile fugitives if they send him surrender feelers. Valte explained that Aquino had learned from an experience with retired Maj. Gen. Jovito Palparan Jr., who now remains in hiding after Aquino supposedly ignored his surrender feelers. Aquino had told the Philippine Daily Inquirer he received Napoles at Malacañang on Wednesday night because of the Palparan episode. “Kwento niya dati, may nagpapadala ng surrender feelers para gusto siya makausap, hindi pumayag. Sabi niya anong nangyari pagkatapos, hinahanap natin siya,” Valte said. On Wednesday night, Napoles surrendered to Aquino at Malacañang, hours after Aquino announced a P10-million bounty for information leading to her arrest. Napoles is accused of setting up bogus non-government organizations to siphon Priority Development Assistance Funds (PDAF) or “pork barrel” funds from lawmakers. The scandal triggered outrage that led people to call for the abolition of the pork barrel system. Aquino also called for the abolition of PDAF but wants it replaced with a new mechanism. – VVP, GMA News
Malacañang on Saturday condemned the killing of a radio commentator in Iligan City on Thursday, even as it reiterated it will not tolerate media-related killings. Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said the Palace will “coordinate” with the Philippine National Police to see if it has gathered leads on the killing of Fernando Solijon. “Hindi natin tino-tolerate at… kinokondena natin ang nangyayari laban sa media practitioners (We do not tolerate media killings and we condemn this latest incident),” Valte said on government-run dzRB radio. On the other hand, an international media watchdog group urged the government to take action. “How many more journalists must be killed before President Benigno Aquino makes a genuine commitment to ending the cycle of impunity in media murders in the Philippines?” said Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) senior Southeast Asia representative Shawn Crispin. “We call on the government to quickly establish the motive behind Fernando Solijon’s killing and bring his killers to justice,” he added. New York-based CPJ noted Solijon was the fourth journalist to be murdered in the Philippines in the past month. It urged authorities to investigate the murder of Solijon and swiftly bring the perpetrators of the crime to justice. Solijon, a radio commentator with dxLS Love Radio of Iligan City, had criticized local politicians. “His past reports included accusations that village-level officials were involved in the illegal drug trade,” CPJ said. Citing initial news accounts, the CPJ said two motorcycle-riding gunmen shot Solijon while he was walking to his car after having Read More …
Philippine Daily Inquirer 6:47 am | Saturday, August 31st, 2013 POEA Administrator Hans Leo Cacdac photo from his official Twitter account. MANILA, Philippines—The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (Poea) on Friday threatened to strip Hong Kong-based recruitment agencies of their accreditation for collecting placement fees from Filipino household service workers (HSWs). In a Facebook post, Poea chief Hans Cacdac said the agency has received information that some Philippine-accredited agencies in Hong Kong collect placement fees through an “imaginary loan” or an ATM deposit scheme. The Philippine Consulate in Hong Kong has already issued a memorandum to all accredited Hong Kong agencies with the warning that the Philippine government will not tolerate these malpractices, Cacdac said. “Any violation committed by the Hong Kong agency will be dealt with seriously and this office (Consulate General of the Philippines) will apply the full force of Philippine laws,” said Labor Attaché Manuel Roldan of the Philippine Overseas Labor Office in Hong Kong. Tina G. Santos 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: Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) 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:
A Makati court has approved the transfer of controversial businesswoman Janet Lim-Napoles from the Makati City Jail to Fort Sto. Domingo in Sta. Rosa, Laguna, a tweet from radio dzBB said Friday. Napoles’s camp asked for her transfer for “safety reasons.” Napoles, detained in connection with a serious illegal detention case, spent the night at the Makati City Jail after surrendering to President Benigno Aquino III Wednesday night. The alleged mastermind in a P10-billion pork barrel scam, Napoles was first brought to Camp Crame in Quezon City after her surrender. She was brought to Makati City Jail on Thursday night. Among known personalities who had been detained at Fort Sto. Domingo were former President Joseph Estrada and his son Sen. Jinggoy Estrada, former Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) governor Nur Misuari, and Sen. Gringo Honasan. — KBK, GMA News
Justice Secretary Leila de Lima on Friday said the government is verifying the alleged security threats on controversial trader Janet Lim-Napoles, the alleged brains behind the P10-billion pork barrel scam. For the meantime, Justice Secretary Leila de Lima said they are giving Napoles’s claims that her life is in danger “the benefit of the doubt.” “Even if hindi pa naba-validate, I think we can give these allegations the benefit of the doubt,” De Lima said on Friday, noting that the embattled businesswoman had formally told the Court of Appeals that there were threats to her security. She said that in a motion filed with the CA, Napoles claimed being in “grave, imminent and real danger” and receiving death threats. Napoles, currently detained at the Makati City Jail, is asking the CA to allow her transfer to a safer detention cell. “We can give this some preliminary merit na kasi possible nga namin dahil may mga ibang nadadawit ay magisip na gumawa ng masama,” De Lima said. Napoles’s lawyer Lorna Kapunan had earlier cited these threats as reason why her client chose to surrender to President Benigno Aquino III, saying he’s the only one they could trust. De Lima said the Philippine National Police is still currently verifying “credible information” that there are people who want to “silence” Napoles. De Lima’s statement came a day after she told the media that she and the National Bureau of Investigation, which is under the Department of Justice (DOJ), were unaware of any threats Read More …
The United States on Friday encouraged all the countries involved to resolve peacefully the dispute over the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea). “We encourage nations to peacefully resolve their disputes to internationally accepted mechanism and accordance with international law, including the Law of the Sea and without coercion,” Pentagon chief Chuck Hagel said during a press conference in Malacañang on Friday. He said he supports ASEAN efforts to negotiate the South China Sea Code of Conduct which he said will help peacefully manage disagreements and tensions arising from competing territorial and maritime claims. Hagel also said he “appreciates” the Philippines’ efforts to solve the dispute through peaceful means. The Philippines sought arbitration under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) last January to try to declare as “illegal” China’s nine-dash claim, which covers almost all of the South China Sea, including sections that have been declared as the West Philippine Sea. China has resisted Manila’s move to let a U.N. body intervene in the disputes, saying the Philippines’ case was legally infirm and carried unacceptable allegations. China prefers to negotiate one on one with other claimants, which would give it advantage because of its sheer size compared to smaller rivals that have less military force. Hagel, however, said China “clearly understands” that “the world is interconnected and all powers must develop relationships and get along with each other for their own economic development, for stability, security, peace.” “You cannot have growth, development, and possibilities for the Read More …
PNP releases Napoles mug shot. The Philippine National Police on Thursday, August 29, released the mug shot of Janet Lim-Napoles at Camp Crame following her surrender to President Aquino on Wednesday night, August 28. Napoles’s surrender came hours after the President offered a P10M reward to anyone who could give information that will lead to her arrest. Janet Napoles, the trader tagged as the brains behind a P10-billion pork barrel scam, had prison food for lunch at the Makati City Jail Friday noon. The decision to serve Napoles food prepared by the prison was part of precautionary measures to ensure her safety, radio dzBB’s Manny Vargas reported. Napoles, who was brought to the jail from Philippine National Police headquarters in Camp Crame before midnight Thursday, was served “ginisang toge at tokwa,” the report said. Jail officials were quoted in the report as saying Napoles liked the food. The report quoted officials as saying serving Napoles prison food was part of strict security measures due to possible threats to her life. Jail officials are wary of the possibility that food brought in from the outside could be poisoned, it added. Napoles surrendered to President Benigno Aquino Wednesday, hours after Aquino announced a P10-million reward for information leading to her arrest. Her lawyer Lorna Kapunan said this was due to Napoles’ fears that some groups were out to silence her. While Napoles stayed at Camp Crame on Wednesday night, the Makati City court that ordered her arrest for serious illegal detention ordered Read More …
By Tarra Quismundo, Tina G. SantosPhilippine Daily Inquirer 6:46 am | Friday, August 30th, 2013 Chaotic protests continue in Egypt. AP file photo MANILA, Philippines—While saying an evacuation order was too drastic for the situation, Egypt has expressed its deference to the Philippines’ decision to initiate mandatory repatriation amid continuing violence across the Arab country. In an interview, Egyptian Ambassador to Manila Mahmoud Mostafa Ahmed assured the Philippines that his country would protect Filipinos caught in the violence, emphasizing that the interim government was exerting all efforts to contain what he described to be pockets of violence in his homeland. “We respect what the Philippines issued. Despite that, we think that most Filipinos will not be willing to come back,” Ahmed told reporters at a briefing at the Egyptian Embassy in Makati City yesterday. Emergency visits “The Secretary (Foreign Secretary Albert Del Rosario) has made two visits in 12 days to Cairo, and he raised the fourth degree [of emergency alert] based on his assessment. Despite that, my point of view is it (the situation) doesn’t deserve it,” he said. Other than the Philippines, only Thailand has ordered a mandatory evacuation of its citizens following clashes between supporters of deposed Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi and security forces, which has led to the hundreds of deaths and destruction of churches, courts, schools, hospitals and other critical infrastructure across Egypt. On Aug. 19, Del Rosario placed Filipinos in Egypt under Crisis Alert Level 4, the highest emergency alert for Filipinos overseas, Read More …
By Harvey BarkinINQUIRER.net U.S. Bureau 6:21 am | Friday, August 30th, 2013 San Francisco-Manila Sister City briefing on a business mission to the Philippines; (from left) Trade Commissioner Michael Ignacio, SF Mayor’s representative Mark Chandler and Carmen Colet, committee chair. HARVEY BARKIN SAN FRANCISCO–Directed by Mayor Ed Lee to bolster economic and trade relations, the San Francisco-Manila Sister City Committee has began setting up a business mission to the Philippines for November 4 to 7 this year, in advance of Lee’s visit in February 2014. Although the Sister City Committee was founded in 1961, this is the first San Francisco-Manila business mission. It comes after Lee’s multicity business trips to China this year. The plan is to make the mayor’s annual visit to the Philippines official. At the helm of the committee is businesswoman and the first Fil-Am Commissioner of the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, Carmen Colet. She was appointed last year by the mayor to make the mission “not just social and fun but to add business.” Philippine Department of Trade and Industry Commissioner Michael Ignacio hosted the recent briefing for reporters, architects, designers, accountants, insurance agents and other business owners. There was even a Forex service rep offering money transmissions in excess of $10,000. Mark Chandler, director of the Mayor’s Office, represented Mayor Lee, who was on a weeklong vacation. Chandler, who has visited Manila “three or four times,” said, “If you come from San Francisco and go to the Philippines, they roll out the red Read More …