De Lima tells families of drug mules: Cooperate with authorities

 News
Jul 042013
 
De Lima tells families of drug mules: Cooperate with authorities

By Tetch Torres-TupasINQUIRER.net 3:04 pm | Thursday, July 4th, 2013 MANILA, Philippines—Justice Secretary Leila De Lima ordered the National Bureau of Investigation to hunt down the alleged recruiter of the executed drug mule. “I am directing the NBI (National Bureau of Investigation) to investigate and hunt down the alleged recruiter with the end view of filing charges against him or her and other members of the syndicate, if any,” De Lima told reporters in a chance interview Thursday. Filipino children light candles outside the house of Sally Villanueva, one of three Filipinos executed in China after being convicted of drug trafficking, last March 2011. AFP File Photo The Filipina drug mule was executed Wednesday after the Supreme Court People’s Court of China upheld the death sentence handed down by a lower court on June 26. The 35-year old Filipina and a mother of two from Metro Manila was the fifth Filipino national to be executed for drug trafficking in China. She was arrested last January 2011 after attempting to smuggle around six kilograms of heroin in Hangzhou International Airport. De Lima also urged the family of the Filipina drug mule to coordinate with the NBI. “They probably have more information that could help the NBI in its investigation,” De Lima said. De Lima said Filipinos are among those targeted for the transport of these illegal substances because there are some 10 million Filipinos working overseas. Follow Us Recent Stories: Complete stories on our Digital Edition newsstand for tablets, netbooks and Read More …

PH hunting down drug syndicates after China drug mule execution

 News
Jul 042013
 
PH hunting down drug syndicates after China drug mule execution

By Maila AgerINQUIRER.net 2:44 pm | Thursday, July 4th, 2013 MANILA, Philippines – Law enforcers are hunting down drug syndicates involved in recruiting couriers in the country, Vice President Jejomar Binay said on Thursday in the aftermath of the execution Wednesday of a Filipina drug mule in China. National Bureau of Investigation Reaction and Arrest and Interdiction Division Lawyer Ross Jonathan Galicia presents to the reporters 60 improvised capsule containing shabu, which are about the size of a thumb at the NBI Headquarters, Manila. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO “Tinatrabaho ‘yan ngayon ng PDEA at NBI. ‘Yung doon sa tatlo, nahuli na nila ‘yung recruiter (PDEA and NBI are now working on it. They already arrested the  recruiter  of the three),” Binay said in a statement. PDEA is Philippine  Drug  Enforcement  Agency while NBI is National Bureau of Investigation. Binay was referring to Mapet Cortez alias Tita Cacayan, who allegedly recruited Sarah Ordinario-Villanueva, one of the three overseas Filipino workers executed in China last year for drug smuggling. Cortez allegedly misled Ordinario-Villanueva into taking what she thought was an empty suitcase that turned out to be secretly lined with more than four kilos of heroin. Binay said the Philippine government is “doing all it could to stop Filipinos from engaging in the illegal drug trade.” Drug couriers, however, usually get the drugs outside the country, he pointed out. “Ang ruta nila usually via Dubai tapos Hong Kong tapos doon na sa may area ng Shanghai (Their  route  usually is via Dubai  to   Read More …

Roxas vows 'thorough and conclusive' probe on Serendra blast

 News
Jul 042013
 
Roxas vows 'thorough and conclusive' probe on Serendra blast

Interior and Local Government Secretary Mar Roxas has promised a “thorough and conclusive” investigation — with the help of foreign experts — on the deadly May 31 Serendra blast that claimed its fourth fatality Thursday morning. Angelito San Juan, occupant of the condominium unit where the explosion occurred, perished Thursday morning at the hospital without giving a statement that could have helped investigators get a clear picture on the incident. “Our sympathies go to the family and loved ones of Angelito San Juan for their grievous loss,” Roxas said in a statement as he appealed for calm amid the ongoing probe. “Dapat siguro magpakahinahon tayo dahil hayag po at transparent ang ginagawa ng gobyerno dito,” he added. Roxas said foreign experts have already been tapped to help in the investigation. “Kumuha pa tayo ng foreign experts dahil kulang tayo sa karanasan at kaalaman sa pag-imbestiga ng pangyayaring ito,” he said. Prior to San Juan, three workers from an appliance distributor firm were killed when their vehicle was crushed by a concrete slab that fell from the condominium unit following the explosion. Initial investigation said the blast was caused by a leak from condominium unit’s centralized LPG system, although Roxas said there are still many questions that need answers. “Malinaw na gas explosion. Ang tanong, saan ba pumalpak ang sistema? Mali ba ang design? Yung mga sensor at saka yung mga automatic na shutoff ay pumalya ba? Yung installation sa unit ginalaw ba o hindi? Hindi natin masabi kaya kumuha tayo Read More …

PHL govt welcomes China's decision to hold talks on sea code

 News
Jul 042013
 
PHL govt welcomes China's decision to hold talks on sea code

The Philippine government on Thursday described as a “forward step” China’s decision to discuss a code of conduct on the South China Sea with the Philippines and other Southeast Asian countries. At a press briefing, presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said the Philippines is ready to discuss its draft of the code with Chinese officials to try to diffuse tension at the South China Sea. “We have already drafted the code of conduct, and we have asked them to discuss it with us. China has already said that they are discussing with us, so this is a step in the right direction,” Lacierda said. The President’s spokesperson refused to “speculate” when asked if the Philippine government thinks China is only using talks on the code as a delaying tactic. On Monday, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said his country has agreed to hold “official consultations” on a proposed code of conduct on the South China Sea with Southeast Asian nations.   Sea dispute China is asserting its historial claim on the entire South China Sea. The Philippines, however, is claiming its ownership of some parts of the South China Sea—which it calls the West Philippine Sea—under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.  Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei also have claims over parts of the South China Sea.  Lacierda said that the Philippines will continue to seek international arbitration on its territorial dispute with China while talks on the sea code are ongoing. “We have used the proper approaches, Read More …

Coast Guard to acquire 10 patrol ships from Japan

 News
Jul 042013
 
Coast Guard to acquire 10 patrol ships from Japan

By Jerry E. EsplanadaPhilippine Daily Inquirer 1:51 pm | Thursday, July 4th, 2013 This image received from Taiwan’s CNA and taken on September 25, 2012 shows a Japan Coast Guard patrol boat with a (neon) sign reading “Japanese territorial waters” as they monitor a flotilla of Taiwanese fishing boats which are headed to the Diaoyu / Senkaku islands disputed in the East China Sea, in territorial waters. AFP PHOTO/CNA MANILA, Philippines—The Philippine Coast Guard expects to wrap up talks with the Japan International Cooperation Agency within the next few months for the acquisition of 10 brand-new patrol boats from Japan in late 2014 or early 2015. This was disclosed to the Inquirer on Thursday by Cmdr. Armand Balilo, PCG spokesperson, who said “the talks are ongoing.” Quoting Rear Adm. Rodolfo Isorena, the Coast Guard commandant, Balilo said, “Hopefully, the talks will be completed by the last quarter of the year so that actual construction of the vessels could be started.” “The two sides have agreed that all 10 patrol boats will be 40 meters (131 feet) long. But they are still talking about other specifications,” added  Balilo, chief of the Coast Guard’s public affairs office. The JICA, he said,  proposed that five of the vessels be built in the Philippines and the five others in Japan, but the Coast Guard “prefers that all 10 patrol boats be built in Japan.” Established in 1974, the JICA is the primary Japanese government agency engaged in technical cooperation and other forms of aid Read More …

PAGASA: Weather disturbance off Mindoro unlikely to become cyclone

 News
Jul 032013
 
PAGASA: Weather disturbance off Mindoro unlikely to become cyclone

A weather disturbance, a low-pressure area, off Mindoro has a slim chance of becoming a cyclone, at least while it is inside the Philippine area of responsibility, state weather forecasters said Thursday. PAGASA forecaster Alvin Pura said the LPA, which is 170 km west of Calapan in Mindoro Oriental, is moving away from the Philippines. “Hindi ito inaasahang maging bagyo sa loob ng Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR),” Pura said in an interview on dzBB radio. But should the LPA become a cyclone within the PAR, it will be locally codenamed “Huaning,” he said. In the meantime, Pura said the LPA may bring light to moderate rain. Earlier, PAGASA said the LPA may enhance the Inter-tropical Convergence Zone now affecting Southern Luzon and Visayas. — LBG, GMA News

BRP Alcaraz to arrive in PHL on Aug. 3 — DFA

 News
Jul 032013
 
BRP Alcaraz to arrive in PHL on Aug. 3 — DFA

The BRP Alcaraz, the Philippine Navy’s newest warship, is due to arrive in the Philippines on August 3, the Department of Foreign Affairs said. In an article posted on its website July 3, the DFA mentioned the expected arrival date after the BRP Alcaraz reached San Diego last June 29. “BRP Alcaraz is expected to arrive in the Philippines on August 3, 2013,” it said. Last June 29, the BRP Alcaraz arrived at the 52nd US Naval Base in San Diego, California, while en route to the Philippines. Its crew received a warm welcome from Philippine Consul General to Los Angeles Maria Hellen de la Vega and the Filipino community, the same article said. De la Vega said the BRP Alcaraz is “a fitting acquisition for the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ modernization program.” She added it “will enhance the Philippines’ naval assets, adding the Philippines must attach greater focus and attention to maritime security.” BRP Alcaraz (PF-16) is the Philippine Navy’s second Hamilton-class cutter and sister ship of the BRP Gregorio del Pilar (PF-15). The BRP Alcaraz has 14 officers and 74 crew members led by Capt. Ernesto Baldovino. “(It) is capable of conducting patrols for long periods of time and can withstand heavy weather and rough sea conditions,” the DFA said. BRP Alcaraz was named after Commodore Ramon Alcaraz, a Philippine Navy officer, who commanded a patrol boat that shot down three Japanese aircraft. — RSJ, GMA News

Remains of Pinay executed in China brought home to PHL

 News
Jul 032013
 
Remains of Pinay executed in China brought home to PHL

The remains of the Filipina who was executed in China Wednesday morning arrived in Manila in the evening of that same day, a television report said. The body of the 35-year-old arrived in Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 2 at around 8 p.m. via Philippine Airlines flight PR337, which departed from Shanghai, China, Jam Sisante reported during GMA News TV’s “State of the Nation with Jessica Soho”. The remains of the Filipina drug mule were accompanied by her daughter and mother. The relatives of the deceased refused to make any statements upon their arrival, the television report said. As of this posting, it was not yet certain whether the body of the deceased was cremated or not. The family earlier requested the body be cremated. The relatives of the convicted drug courier had been in China since Sunday. They were given 30 minutes to see their loved one to bid farewell. Despite the country’s pleas, the Filipina was finally executed on Wednesday morning, the Foreign Affairs Department revealed. The Filipina was sentenced to death in 2011 for carrying at least six kilos of heroin into China from United Arab Emirates. In China, possession of at least 50 grams of illegal drugs is enough to warrant the death penalty, which is usually done via lethal injection. The Filipina was the fifth Filipino drug courier to be executed in China since 2011. The family of the 35-year-old drug courier will seek the assistance of the National Bureau of Investigation in arresting the Read More …

Sereno, De Lima, Roxas meet to tackle ways to decongest courts, jails

 News
Jul 032013
 
Sereno, De Lima, Roxas meet to tackle ways to decongest courts, jails

Top officials of the Supreme Court, the Department of Justice, and the Department of Interior and Local Government on Wednesday convened to discuss reforms in the country’s justice system that would help decongest Philippine courts and jails. SC Public Information Office chief and spokesman Theodore Te said Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno, Justice Secretary Leila de Lima and Interior Secretary Mar Roxas led the Justice Sector Coordinating Council (JSCC), the first of such meeting since 2011. Te said the officials discussed a “wide range of topics affecting the judiciary,” including case congestion and prison congestion caused by overstaying detainees. Te could not immediately give further details of the meeting, saying a joint statement would be released on Thursday. In a chance interview, however, Roxas said they discussed ways to expedite the resolution of cases of detainees who have already been incarcerated for too long. “Kami naman sa Philippine National Police at Department of Interior and Local Government ay gagawin namin lahat para malutas o matanggal ang mga balakid na ito para sa mabilisang paglitis o mabilisang pagbigay ng hustisya sa ating mga kababayan,” Roxas said. The Philippine National Police is under the DILG. Roxas noted that detainees are the ones who suffer the most from the country’s snail-paced justice system. 15 detainees He said he had recently ordered a census of all inmates under the custody of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology, which is also under the DILG, and found out that at least 15 detainees who have Read More …

Family of executed Pinay to seek NBI assistance in nabbing Nigerian recruiter

 News
Jul 032013
 
Family of executed Pinay to seek NBI assistance in nabbing Nigerian recruiter

The family of the Filipina drug courier who was executed in China today is determined to seek the assistance of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) in nabbing the Nigerian who recruited her as a drug mule. In an exclusive report by John Consulta on “24 Oras” Wednesday, the family of the executed Filipina said they are planning to approach the NBI to make an artist’s sketch of the Nigerian recruiter who they only know by the name “Jarius.” The family members said they still recall what Jarius looks like even though they last saw him in 2008, when he recruited the Filipina. The Filipina’s family has left their home to grieve privately following the Department of Foreign Affairs’ announcement, also on Wednesday, that the Filipina has been executed.  The father of the 35-year old Filipina said their family is especially protective of her 9-year old daughter, who is unaware that her mother is already dead. The father said the Filipina’s daughter only knows her mother is working abroad. The father added that the family is waiting for updates from the Filipina’s mother and younger sibling as to when her remains will be brought back to Manila. Vice President Jejomar Binay on Tuesday told the media that the family wants the Filipina’s remains to be cremated immediately after the execution. — VC, GMA News

 Older Entries  Newer Entries