Warship ‘Monching’ is here; PH to intensify sea patrols

 News
Aug 062013
 
Warship ‘Monching’ is here; PH to intensify sea patrols

By TJ Burgonio, Nikko DizonPhilippine Daily Inquirer 2:13 am | Wednesday, August 7th, 2013 SECOND MAJOR WARSHIP President Aquino, accompanied by AFP Chief of Staff Gen. Emmanuel Bautista, troops the line for the arrival ceremony of the BRP Ramon Alcaraz, a high-endurance Hamilton-class cutter, at the Subic Freeport on Tuesday. The Philippines vowed intensified sea patrols as it welcomed the arrival of its latest warship from the United States amid a maritime row with China. MALACAÑANG PHOTO SUBIC BAY FREEPORT, Philippines—President Aquino on Tuesday called the second Hamilton class-cutter from the United States a big boost to the Navy in patrolling the seas amid a territorial row with China. In the drizzly morning but with a fiesta-like atmosphere, the President, Cabinet members and the military top brass watched from the BRP Ang Pangulo as the 3,250-ton decommissioned warship from the US Coast Guard docked at the port here, after a voyage of two months from the United States. The President said the arrival of the Navy frigate, renamed BRP Ramon Alcaraz, and nicknamed by the Navy “Monching” was proof of the government’s desire to have an Armed Forces capable of defending its people. The first Hamilton class-cutter, BRP Gregorio del Pilar, has made patrolling the seas more extensive and faster, and the arrival of the BRP Ramon Alcaraz will further enhance this, Aquino said. Overcome bad elements “Now that the BRP Ramon Alcaraz is here, we’re certain that this would intensify the patrol of the Philippine Economic Zone as well Read More …

SolGen defends RH Law before SC: justice calls law 'Christian and Islamic'

 News
Aug 062013
 
SolGen defends RH Law before SC: justice calls law 'Christian and Islamic'

The government, through Solicitor General Francis Jardeleza, on Tuesday defended the Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Law or RH Law before the Supreme Court, with some justices grilling him while others seeming to give him support. Jardeleza defended the constitutionality of the controversial law during the third day of oral arguments before the 15 magistrates of the high court. “What the law seeks is to subsidize for the benefit of poor women, marginalized and vulnerable, contraceptives that have been legally available for the past 50 years to their more affluent counterparts,” said Jardeleza. Associate Justice Roberto Abad criticized Jardeleza and Congress – which passed the health bill – for consulting the World Health Organization during deliberations when the health measure was still in the legislation process. Casting doubts on the partiality of WHO, Abad said the international organization “is heavily funded by USAid and supported contraception. They want to export to us their contraception culture.” “If you want an impartial opinion on which is the best [method], would you go to Kris Aquino,” Abad asked Jardeleza. The solicitor general answered in the negative, and said experts should be consulted instead. “Yes, that’s the proper thing to do… and not [merely consult with] those whose advocacy is birth control,” Abad said. Jardeleza however noted that Congress also sought opinions from 24 experts from the United Health Care Study Group, which he described as “patriots who we should be proud of.” He added these experts were not “funded employees” of the WHO. Read More …

House Majority confident Rep Almonte can lead committee that handles FOI bill

 News
Aug 062013
 
House Majority confident Rep Almonte can lead committee that handles FOI bill

After admitting that the Public Information Committee was “unattractive” to most solons, former committee chair and Western Samar Representative Ben Evardone nevertheless threw his support behind Misamis Occidental Representative Jorge Almonte. “[The committee] is something not attractive to members of the House, due to the many contentious issues around it,” Evardone said in a Tuesday press conference. The Public Information Committee handles the controversial Freedom of Information (FOI) bill, which seeks to promote transparency in government transactions and data. Evardone praised Almonte’s performance as a local executive, who consulted with constituents on important matters, saying it was this attention to detail that will hopefully see the FOI bill passed. “He did that as a mayor and I believe that with this chairmanship, for sure he will consult all stakeholders,” he said. It was earlier reported that Almonte will chair the ethics committee, but Evardone revealed that Almonte himself asked for he Public Information Committee. Evardone also noted that while the Liberal Party (LP) had no official stand on the FOI bill, he reiterated that the LP generally stands for transparency and accountability at all times. Evardone, who sponsored the FOI bill in the 15th Congress, advised Almonte to come up with a bill that will not alienate any sector. He also suggested that the FOI bill be “refocused” to highlight the positives, to make the bill more attractive to solons., For his part, Marikina Rep. Romero Quimbo said the majority was very hopeful the FOI bill will pass in the Read More …

No 'contaminated' Fonterra product in PHL — local FDA

 News
Aug 062013
 
No 'contaminated' Fonterra product in PHL — local FDA

The Philippines’ Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday assured the public that no part of the three batches of whey protein concentrate from New Zealand reportedly contaminated with clostridium botulinum are among the dairy products and infant formulas sold in the country. FDA head Kenneth Hartigan-Go said Fonterra-branded consumer products in the Philippines do not contain the batches of WPC80. These include Anchor, Anlene, Anmum, Mainland, and Perfect Italiano. In Advisory No. 2013-022, the FD chief said they have coordinated with the local importer-distributor of Fonterra Brands (Phils.) Inc. about the three batches of whey protein concentrate. The FDA “will be collecting samples in the market for testing as part of its monitoring and surveillance activities,” Hartigan-Go said in the advisory. Hartigan-Go also urged mothers nursing their infants to continue breastfeeding since it is the safest milk for their babies. He also said clostridium botulinum is a species of harmful spore-forming bacteria that produce toxin in processed food products. The contamination happens when manufacturing or processing plants do not implement proper food hygienic practices and sterilization of canned goods or any tightly sealed food products. “Ingestion of preformed toxin may result to symptoms like double vision, drooping eyelids, slurred speech, difficulty swallowing and muscle weakness that is symmetric and descends through the body and possibly death, usually due to respiratory failure. Thus, the pathogenic bacteria are also known as ‘canned goods bacilli’ that causes ‘flaccid paralysis,’” he said. “All consumers are advised to buy dairy products and infant formulae that Read More …

Cotabato city officials say they received death threats prior to bomb attack

 News
Aug 062013
 
Cotabato city officials say they received death threats prior to bomb attack

8 dead, 30 hurt in Cotabato blast. Houses and a pick-up truck burn after a powerful improvised explosive device (IED) was detonated along Sinsuat Avenue in Cotabato City on Monday afternoon, August 5, killing eight people and wounding at least 30 others. At left is the charred wreckage of the suspected vehicle where the bomb was planted. Omar Mangorsi Cotabato City administrator Cynthia Guiani-Sayadi, believed to be the target of Monday’s car bomb attack that killed eight people and injured over 30 others, affirmed on Tuesday that she and her family have been receiving death threats because of their campaign against crime syndicates. “Bobombahin daw kami, papatayin kami, including my son,” she said in an interview on dzBB radio. However, she did not identify the person or group behind the threats. The blast, which occurred on Sinsuat Street, happened while she was passing through the area in a bulletproof car that is used by both Sayadi and her brother, Cotabato City Mayor Japal Guiani Jr. Interviewed on GMA’s “24 Oras” newscast, her brother said they were targeted for their campaign against kidnapping and illegal drugs. “Tingin ko marami kaming naapakan, because we are able to unmask some groups, and continuous ang aming drive,” he said. The explosive device was placed on a vehicle— believed to be a multi-cab — parked on a busy road near a hospital during the afternoon rush hour. Sayadi was unhurt in the attack, but two of her bodyguards were among the fatalities. Bomb-for-hire group Cotabato Read More …

No one can contain China, scholar says amid territory rows

 News
Aug 062013
 
No one can contain China, scholar says amid territory rows

Agence France-Presse 7:49 pm | Tuesday, August 6th, 2013 BEIJING — No one can contain China’s rise, a leading Beijing foreign policy thinker said Tuesday, warning Manila and Tokyo that they had been mistakenly emboldened by Washington in territorial disputes with his country. China is embroiled in a bitter row with Japan over disputed islands in the East China Sea, and also claims almost the whole of the South China Sea, where it has engaged in standoffs with Philippine forces. At the same time the Obama administration is engaged in a “pivot” to Asia. But Ruan Zongze, vice president and senior fellow at the China Institute of International Studies, said: “No one in this world will try to contain China and no one in this world is capable of containing China. “Since the United States has adopted this new strategy of returning to the Asia-Pacific region, some countries have made the wrong judgement that the US will encourage them to challenge the sovereignty and territorial integrity of China,” he added. “This is a misjudgement on their part.” Ruan, who has served as a diplomat in the United States and Britain, was speaking at an event organized by the All-China Journalists’ Association, a state organization. The US has defense treaties with both Japan and the Philippines, and Ruan blamed Washington for emboldening them. It had sold weaponry to the Philippines following tensions between Beijing and Manila over a disputed shoal in the South China Sea, he said. “This has intentionally or Read More …

Menchu Sanchez leads TOFA-NY awardees in 2013

 News
Aug 062013
 
Menchu Sanchez leads TOFA-NY awardees in 2013

By Cristina DC PastorINQUIRER.net US Bureau 5:23 pm | Tuesday, August 6th, 2013 From top left clockwise: Menchu De Luna Sanchez, Judge Nina Elgo and Dindi Gallardo Mills This year’s TOFA-NY, the third in a row, is proud to announce the New York Tri-State’s outstanding Filipino Americans, led by a nurse who saved infants in critical condition when Hurricane Sandy caused a power outage, a former actress who is suing for racial discrimination, and a judge who is the first FilAm to serve in Connecticut. The Outstanding Filipino Americans in the New York Tri-State is an annual search for role models in the region with a population of more than 300,000 FilAms. The awards program coincides with the celebration of Filipino American History Month in October. Menchu De Luna Sanchez, the NYU Langone nurse who sprang into action to save at least 20 babies in ICU units when the hospital lost power during Hurricane Sandy, was nominated for the Health Care category. Actress Dindi Gallardo Mills, who brought charges of racial discrimination against her employer — a powerful writer in Hollywood – is a finalist for the category Courage of Conviction. Judge Nina Elgo won a nomination for the category Public Service & Politics for being Connecticut’s first Filipino and first Asian judge. They were among the 39 individuals who comprise this year’s crop of TOFA-NY nominees. The winners will be selected based on Facebook votes (Likes) collected. Last day for voting is September 30, 2013. They will be awarded Read More …

Philippines detains 18 Chinese for illegal mining

 News
Aug 062013
 
Philippines detains 18 Chinese for illegal mining

Agence France-Presse 5:19 pm | Tuesday, August 6th, 2013 BLACK SAND mining by Chinese operators in Cagayan. MELVIN GASCON/INQUIRER NORTHERN LUZON FILE PHOTO MANILA – The Philippines has detained 18 Chinese men on suspicion of illegal black sand mining in the northern coastal town of Aparri, the justice department said Tuesday. Authorities say there has been a rise in the illegal extraction of magnetite – also known as black sand – which is an iron ore in huge demand by China’s steel mills. Justice department investigators raided two mine sites run by Chinese firm Hua Xia Mining and Trading Corp. last Thursday and detained 18 of its employees, department spokesman Alex Lactao told AFP. The company had a permit to dredge magnetite from a nearby river but not from the coast, he said. It is illegal to extract any minerals within 200 meters (656 feet) of a beach under Philippine law. “Nine Chinese nationals were burrowing and processing magnetite sand within the prohibited zone,” said Lactao. The other nine were arrested at a nearby beach where they were building a magnetite processing plant, he added. Environmental groups say illegal magnetite mining has been stripping Philippine coasts through erosion. They have blamed small-scale mining firms, most of them allegedly Chinese and often operating in collusion with shady local government officials, for the devastation. The men detained in Aparri lacked permits required to work in the Philippines and could face further criminal charges, said Lactao, adding they have now been handed over Read More …

DFA rejects anew China’s ‘indisputable claim’ over West Philippine Sea

 News
Aug 062013
 
DFA rejects anew China’s ‘indisputable claim’ over West Philippine Sea

By Matikas SantosINQUIRER.net 4:13 pm | Tuesday, August 6th, 2013 DFA spokesman Assistant Secretary Raul Hernandez INQUIRER.net FILE PHOTO MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) rejects China’s “indisputable” claim over the entire West Philippine Sea (South China Sea), including parts of the country’s 200-mile Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) – the “core issue” of the territorial dispute between the two countries, a spokesman for the DFA said Tuesday. “We once again redirect China to the core issue which is its claim of indisputable sovereignty over nearly all of the South China Sea under its ‘nine dash line’ position,” said assistant secretary Raul Hernandez. “The Philippines has asserted before the Arbitral Tribunal, to which China has been invited but has refused to participate, that the nine dash line claim is expansive, excessive and in gross violation of international law,” he told reporters. China’s nine dash line encompasses nearly the entire West Philippine Sea including the Spratly’s group of Islands near Palawan and Bajo de Masinloc (Scarborough Shoal or Panatag Shoal). It also encroaches into the EEZ of Vietnam, Malaysia, and Brunei, among other Southeast Asian countries. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi proposed three ways to solve the territorial dispute between individual countries. First was the bilateral talks between parties directly involved, second was for the implementation of the “Declaration of the Conduct of the South China Sea” for peace and stability, and third was to look for ways of common exploitation that would economically benefit all concerned parties. China Read More …

Fil-Am artists set lumpia and martini fundraiser in San Francisco

 News
Aug 062013
 
Fil-Am artists set lumpia and martini fundraiser in San Francisco

INQUIRER.net US Bureau 3:32 pm | Tuesday, August 6th, 2013 SAN FRANCISCO–Local Filipino artists will hold their second annual Lumpia and Martinis gathering on Aug. 10 at 6 p.m. at the Philippine Center Gallery, 447 Sutter Street, fifth floor. The Jay Loyola Dance Project, Filipino American Arts Exposition and various local artists created the annual cocktails and arts event, to celebrate the art scene and the successes of Filipino artists in the Bay Area and all over the United States. Lumpia represents the well-known Filipino appetizer also known as “pulutan” and martini represents the years of hard work of Filipino artists in America in showcasing their ethnic and/or tribal talent in different media. Guest Artists include: Christian Cabuay Ron Quesada “Kulintronica” Parangal Dance Company Pamela Ybanez Marconi Calindas Paolo Salazar La Bamboo Vixen Juven Ayudtud Melanie Sangalang Lenny San Jose “Ukelenny” Coco Chanel Cory “CryWolffs” Calendar Listing: WHO: Jay Loyola Dance Project, Filipino American Arts Exposition, San Francisco Bay Area Local Artists WHAT: Second Annual Lumpia and Martinis 2013 WHEN: August 10, 2013, 6:00pm WHERE: Philippine Center Gallery, 447 Sutter Street, San Francisco, Califronia WHY: Organized to support SF Bay Area Local Artists Tickets: Regular Admission: $25.00 Contact: Lydia D. Neff Phone: (415) 999-8365 Email: lydia@pixelfrontstudios.com Website: www.lumpiaandmartinis.eventbrite.com 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 Read More …

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