First PHL archbishop to receive pallium from Pope Francis June 29

 News
Jun 252013
 
First PHL archbishop to receive pallium from Pope Francis June 29

A Philippine archbishop will receive from Pope Francis in Rome this weekend the pallium, one of the most special symbols of the Catholic Church. Caceres Archbishop Rolando Tirona, who arrived in Rome Sunday, will attend the Mass and imposition of the pallium on new metropolitan archbishops at St. Peter’s Basilica. The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines said the Mass will take place at 9:30 a.m. (3:30 p.m. in Manila) on Saturday. It noted Tirona, a Carmelite missionary, will be the only Filipino archbishop to receive the pallium this year—and the first Filipino archbishop to receive pallium from Pope Francis. A pallium is a vestment made of white wool worn only by the Pope and archbishops. The pope uses the pallium to symbolize the plenitude of pontifical office. “Many of those receiving the pallium were appointed since June 29 of last year or during the term of Francis’ predecessor, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI,” the CBCP said. The CBCP said a pallium for archbishops signifies the authority from the Pope over their respective archdioceses, particularly their bond with the pontiff to pastors in their regions. It said the pope gives a pallium to newly installed archbishops around the world during the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul. Last year, four Filipino archbishops were given the pallium: Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle of Manila John Du of Palo Jose Advincula of Capiz Romulo Valles of Davao. Tirona, 66, was the last archbishop appointed by Benedict XVI on September 8, 2012, before Benedict XVI Read More …

PNoy expresses dismay over NIA's performance in agency's anniversary celebration

 News
Jun 252013
 
PNoy expresses dismay over NIA's performance in agency's anniversary celebration

President Benigno Aquino III on Tuesday used the National Irrigation Administration (NIA)’s anniversary celebration as an opportunity to criticize the agency’s employees for their supposed failure to accomplish their self-imposed targets. In a speech during NIA’s 50th anniversary event in Quezon City, Aquino openly expressed dismay over the agency’s supposed inability to fully irrigate agricultural lands in the country. “Halos tatlong taon na po tayong magkakasama sa administrasyong ito, at malamang ay kilala na ninyo ako—wala po tayong panahon sa pambobola. Tatapatin ko po kayo: dismayado pa rin ako, dahil hanggang ngayon, lumalabas na kakarampot pa rin ang pagbabagong nangyayari sa NIA,” the President said. In front of NIA administrator Antonio Nangel, Aquino reprimanded the agency’s leadership for only irrigating 65 percent of the 81,170 hectares of land the NIA set as its target last year. The President also pointed out the NIA’s supposed inaction towards the Balog-Balog Dam Project in Tarlac, which he said has been pending since 1990. “Ngayon po, dalawampu’t isang taon na ang nakalipas mula nang planuhin ang proyekto sa Balog-Balog. Ilang administrasyon na po ba ang nagdaan? Hanggang ngayon, hindi pa rin ito umuusad,” he said. Aquino further said NIA’s leadership and employees is leaving him with no choice but to closely monitor the agency. “Tao lang din po ako; hindi ako CCTV camera na beinte-kwatro oras ay kayang magmanman sa kilos ng bawat institusyon ng gobyerno. Pero sa nangyayari ngayon sa NIA, ang pakiramdam ko, kayo pa mismo ang nag-iimbita sa aking bantayan kayo Read More …

PH road quality on par with Indonesia’s but well behind Thailand, Malaysia

 News
Jun 242013
 
PH road quality on par with Indonesia’s but well behind Thailand, Malaysia

By Jerry E. EsplanadaPhilippine Daily Inquirer 12:26 pm | Tuesday, June 25th, 2013 INQUIRER FILE PHOTO MANILA—About 73 percent of national, provincial, city, municipal and barangay roads nationwide remain unpaved, according to the Department of Public Works and Highways. Despite this, the DPWH has noted a slight improvement in the quality of Philippine roads following the “adoption of new construction design specifications like the increase in concrete pavement thickness from 230 mm to 280 mm and outsourcing project inspection and quality control,” among other measures. In its midterm accomplishment report, the department said the country’s roads were already “at par with Indonesia” and targeted to be comparable to those in China and Thailand by 2016. Citing the latest Global Competitiveness Report of the World Economic Forum, the DPWH reported that on a scale of 1 to 7—1 being extremely underdeveloped and 7 extensive and efficient by global standards— the Philippines scored a 3.4 for its road network in the 2012-2013 period. That was an improvement of 0.3 from the 3.1 it scored in 2011-2012. The country’s roads scored 2.8 in the 2010-2011 period. Of 144 countries worldwide, the Philippines ranked 87th (from 114th during the previous WEF survey) for the overall state of its roads and bridges. Other countries in the region garnered the following scores for the quality of their roads in the 2012-2013 period: Malaysia, 5.4; Thailand, 5: China, 4.4; Indonesia, 3.4; and Vietnam, 2.7. Earlier, the DPWH said the government would look at Malaysia “as a benchmark Read More …

3 OFWs confirm sex abuses

 News
Jun 242013
 
3 OFWs confirm sex abuses

By Tarra QuismundoPhilippine Daily Inquirer 3:16 am | Tuesday, June 25th, 2013 Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario: Institutionalized sexual exploitation. AP FILE PHOTO MANILA, Philippines—The testimonies of three women who claimed they were abused by a Filipino labor officer in Saudi Arabia bolstered allegations of “institutionalized” sexual exploitation of distressed migrant workers in Philippine embassies in the Middle East, Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario said Monday. Speaking to reporters after two days of consultations with heads of Philippine diplomatic missions in the Middle East and North Africa, Del Rosario said he had widened the investigation of the allegations to include missions in Southeast Asia and Hong Kong that also have shelters for distressed migrant workers. Del Rosario said he had ordered home the Philippine ambassadors to Singapore and Malaysia and consul general in Hong Kong for consultations. The three women and a witness met with Del Rosario and other officials of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and officials of the Department of Labor and Employment last Friday and told them that they were sexually abused by a labor officer in the Philippine Embassy in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, who handled their requests for repatriation. “Certain allegations were confirmed by the three alleged victims who spoke with me on June 21. For the most part, however, until other victims and witnesses come forward, all other allegations, including sex rings, remain as allegations requiring further investigation,” Del Rosario said. Help for victims Malacañang on Sunday promised a thorough investigation of the sex-for-repatriation Read More …

Militants challenge US gov't to heed SC order on Tubbataha Reef grounding

 News
Jun 242013
 
Militants challenge US gov't to heed SC order on Tubbataha Reef grounding

Militant groups on Monday challenged the US government to heed a Philippine Supreme Court order for it to comment on a writ of kalikasan petition earlier filed in connection with the grounding of the US navy ship USS Guardian at the Tubbataha Reef last January. Salvador France, vice chair of the fisherfolk alliance Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya), said the US government should no longer invoke international treaties to skirt the SC ruling. “The US government must respond to and account for their crimes against the people and the environment. That is simple as ABC, nothing more, nothing less. The incident merits the filing of criminal and other appropriate charges against officials and the 79 other crew of USS Guardian and the abrogation of the Visiting Forces Agreement and the Mutual Defense Treaty between Manila and Washington,” said France. Earlier reports claimed that the high court had issued a resolution directing the US government and Malacañang, as well as Cabinet and military officials to file a comment on the petition filed last April 17 by a group of two Catholic bishops, environmentalists, activists, and lawyers. Supreme Court Public Information Office chief and spokesman Theodore Te could not immediately confirm if such a resolution had been issued. The US servicemen named as respondents in the petition were Navy officials Scott Swift, Commander of the US 7th Fleet; and Mark Rice, commanding officer of the USS Guardian. For his part, Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) secretary general Renato Reyes welcomed Read More …

Stem cell treatment seen as likely cause of three politicians' deaths

 News
Jun 242013
 
Stem cell treatment seen as likely cause of three politicians' deaths

Three politicians from Mindanao had reportedly died after receiving stem cell treatment in Germany, although it was not established yet if the deaths were directly connected to the treatment, the head of the biggest association of doctors in the country said Monday. According to Leo Olarte of the Philippine Medical Association (PMA), the politicians may have died due to “anaphylactic shock” following a hypersensitivity reaction to the stem cells from animals, especially sheep. Anaphylaxis is a deadly allergic reaction that causes difficulty in breathing and sudden drop in blood pressure. “Kapag ikaw ay nabigyan ng stem cell galing sa tupa, aatakihin ng katawan ‘yan kasi ito ay hindi inherent sa katawan… Magkakaroon ng hypersensitivity reaction na magdudulot ng anaphylactic shock sa pasyente,” Olarte said in a phone interview with GMA News Online. He also cited possible death due to delayed graft function, which is a complication after an organ transplantation. The politicians, who were not identified as requested by their families, had illnesses in the lungs, heart and liver before the treatment, Olarte said. However, he was quick to add that it has yet to be proven if the stem cell treatment was the real cause of the three politicians’ deaths. “Ito ay mga hearsay pa lang,” he said. “Baka naman namatay dahil sa kanilang orihinal na sakit.” He said the families of the deceased are coordinating with the National Bureau of Investigation and the Philippine National Police for further investigation. Treatments in hotels Meanwhile, Olarte urged the public to Read More …

LTO yet to scrap mandatory drug tests for driver's license application

 News
Jun 242013
 
LTO yet to scrap mandatory drug tests for driver's license application

The Land Transportation Office (LTO) has yet to stop requiring mandatory drug tests for applicants for driver’s license despite a law revoking it. “Kailangan po iyon,” LTO chief Virginia Torres said in an interview on GMA News TV’s “Kape at Balita” Monday when asked if drug testing is still required in the application or renewal of driver’s license. Torres, however, said she would meet with some government agencies this week to discuss Republic Act 10586, which, according to its principal author Sen. Tito Sotto, scraps “costly” drug tests as a requirement. “Ito nga po ay pag-aaralan namin ng mabuti,” Torres said, adding agencies that will participate in the meeting are the Department of Health, National Police Commission, Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, Department of Trade and Industry, and Department of Science and Technology. “At syempre iimbitahin din namin ang mga taga-OSG [Office of the Solicitor General] para maesplika talaga ang batas na ito sapagkat nagkakaroon nga po ng iba’t ibang interpretation,” she said. “Iyan po ay malalaman namin after June 27,” Torres added. In a statement, Sen. Vicente Sotto III said the mandatory drug test, a requirement under the Dangerous Drug Act of 2002, has been revoked by the RA 10586 or the Anti-Drunk and Drugged Driving Act of 2013. He said the scrapping of a “useless requirement” will allow motorists “a respite from costly drug tests,” which is worth P200. Sotto stressed that the Repealing Clause in RA 10586 “specifically stated that the clause on mandatory drug testing was among Read More …

Palace: P18,000 offered to families near waterways won't be misused

 News
Jun 242013
 
Palace: P18,000 offered to families near waterways won't be misused

The government will make sure that the P18,000 that will be granted to each of the families living near Metro Manila waterways will solely be used for finding temporary homes while their resettlement areas are being built, a Malacañang spokesperson said Monday. At a press briefing, presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) is in the process of identifying who the “real” informal settlers are. “We understand that concern pero napag-aralan na po ng DILG ‘yan. We’re identifying who are the real informal settlers and those who are professionally making this as a means of squatting,” he said. Lacierda added that the DILG is also studying the possibility of giving the P18,000 subsidy in tranches so that it will be certainly used for paying monthly rent for temporary housing. DILG Undersecretary Francisco Fernandez, in-charge of relocating informal settlers in Metro Manila away from danger zones, earlier said the government is planning to shell out P18,000 for each of the 20,000 affected families to encourage them to leave their houses near waterways. Clogged waterways as a result of informal settlers living near them have been blamed for the flood problems that constantly hit Metro Manila every rainy season. Relocation budget In a separate text message, Budget Secretary Florencio Abad said the P18,000 subsidy will be sourced from the budget allocated by the government for relocating informal settlers. “Since 2011, the government has been setting aside P10 billion to relocate informal settler families living dangerously along Read More …

Prosecutors press for Gwen Garcia's suspension anew

 News
Jun 242013
 
Prosecutors press for Gwen Garcia's suspension anew

Government prosecutors have asked the Sandiganbayan Second Division to order the suspension of outgoing Cebu governor Gwendolyn Garcia anew following the objections raised by her lawyers. In a reply, the prosecutors said Garcia could no longer formally challenge the validity of criminal informations filed against her as it was done almost two months after her arraignment. “(I)t is respectfully submitted that the Motion to Quash… was not filed within a reasonable time,” the prosecutors said, adding the filing of the motion by Garcia’s lawyers “creates an impression that she is using the Rules to unduly delay the proceedings.” In a motion filed last June 5, the prosecution moved for Garcia’s suspension, but her lawyers argued in a June 19 motion that she still has a pending motion to quash precisely challenging the validity of her indictment. But according to the prosecutors, Garcia’s motion requires an evaluation and appreciation of evidence that may only be presented during a trial. Garcia is facing two counts of graft and one count of malversation concerning allegations of fraud in the provincial government’s purchase of a 24.92-hectare property in 2008 for close to P94 million. Graft investigators later found out that approximately 80 percent of the property known as the Balili Estate lies underwater. Garcia, who won as congresswoman in the May 13 elections, will serve as Cebu governor until June 30, the same day her three-year term as a legislator starts. In an earlier petition, Garcia said the motion to suspend, which came after she served a Read More …

US urged to comply with SC order to comment on Tubbataha case

 News
Jun 242013
 
US urged to comply with SC order to comment on Tubbataha case

By Tetch Torres-TupasINQUIRER.net 2:42 pm | Monday, June 24th, 2013 In this photo taken on March 30, 2013, and released by the Philippine Coast Guard on Monday, April 1, 2013, the stern of the USS Guardian, a U.S. Navy minesweeper, is transferred to another ship after being lifted out of the water at the Tubbataha Reef, a World Heritage site, in the Tubbataha National Marine Park, southwest of the Philippines. Tubbataha park superintendent Angelique Songco said the fine for damaging the protected coral reef would be about 24,000 pesos ($600) per square meter, so the U.S. could be facing a fine of more than $2 million. AP FILE PHOTO MANILA, Philippines—Left leaning fisherfolk group called on the US government to comply with the Philippine Supreme Court’s order to comment on a petition calling for a filing of criminal, administrative and civil cases against those responsible for the grounding of the USS Guardian last January 17 in Tubbataha Reef. “The US government through its embassy in Manila should respond to the Supreme Court and refrain from invoking several concerns that would make it very difficult for concerned groups which filed the petition,” Salvador France, vice chair of the Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya) said in a statement Monday. “The US government must respond to and account for their crimes against the people and the environment. That is simple as ABC, nothing more, nothing less. The incident merits the filing of criminal and other appropriate charges against officials and Read More …

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