Maniolas

The government has opposed before the Supreme Court (SC) the request of some militant groups for a temporary environmental protection order (TEPO) in connection with the grounding of a US Navy minesweeper at the Tubbataha Reef last January. In its comment before the high court, the government, through the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG), said the militant groups do not have the legal standing to claim that they represent those affected by the incident. Government lawyers also argued that the Catholic bishops, environmentalists, activists and lawyers who filed the motion are not entitled to the grant of a TEPO or even a writ of kalikasan since the incident involving American ship was already a “fait accompli,” or an irreversible fact. The OSG also claimed that the high court cannot intervene in the process of demanding claims and damages from the US government due to the incident, since this is within the “exclusive” domain of the executive branch. On January 17, the USS Guardian got stuck on the Tubbataha Reef on its way to Indonesia after completing a port call in Subic Bay. It took two months for Philippine and US officials to extricate the ship from the area. Last April, several militant groups led by Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) sought a TEPO and a writ of kalikasan from the SC to stop all activities in connection with the grounding of the USS Guardian. The petitioners wanted the SC to bar US military ships from entering the Philippines, saying such Read More …

By Miguel R. CamusPhilippine Daily Inquirer 2:37 pm | Sunday, July 7th, 2013 This aerial photo shows the wreckage of the Asiana Flight 214 airplane after it crashed at the San Francisco International Airport in San Francisco, Saturday, July 6, 2013. AP MANILA, Philippines — Philippine air safety officials are awaiting official investigation results of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) of the United States after an Asiana Airlines flight carrying 291 passengers  from South Korea crashed upon landing at San Francisco International Airport on July 6 ( San Francisco time), a top official said. Two deaths have so far been reported by US media outlets. In the meantime, Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) deputy director-general John Andrews said Asiana Airlines could continue flights to the Philippines. The South Korea-based carrier flies to the country through hubs in Manila, Clark and Cebu, according to its website. Andrews said that if the aircraft, a US-made Boeing 777, was found to be the cause, it could have negative implications for the manufacturer and airlines operating these aircraft, which include flag carrier Philippine Airlines Inc. “Of course we will wait for the NTSB report if and when it can be completed,” Andrews, a former Philippine Air Force pilot, said in a text message. “Only two areas to be looked at:  man or machine. It should not be difficult as the CVR [ cockpit voice recorder] and FDR [ flight data recorder] have been retrieved,” he added. “If machine is the cause Read More …