UN: 26 child 'soldiers' recruited by PHL armed groups, including military, in 2012

 News
Jun 162013
 
UN: 26 child 'soldiers' recruited by PHL armed groups, including military, in 2012

A total of 26 child “soldiers” were recruited by various armed groups in the Philippines, including the military, in 2012, a report by United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said. The 26 children—23 boys and three girls between 12 and 17 years—were recruited in 11 separate incidents, according to the report released on June 12 titled “Grave Violations Committed Against Children in 22 Situations of Concern.” Of the number, two were reportedly recruited and used by the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), 11 by the New People’s Army (NPA), 11 by the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) and two who were used as “guides” by the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) in locating an enemy camp. While the number remains considerably high, child soldier recruitment has seen a decrease from the previous year, Moon noted in the report. “That figure represents a decrease in 2012, given that there were 54 incidents affecting 33 boys and 21 girls in 2011,” he said. But Moon said the actual number of children soldiers in the country may in fact be higher, owing to the reality that the UN has no access to other armed groups, including the MILF splinter group Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF). “Although the United Nations has no access to the areas under the control of the BIFF, a breakaway faction of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front led by Commander ‘Kato’, the country task force continued to receive credible reports that the armed group was actively training and providing weapons to Read More …

AFP among PHL armed groups that recruited minors in 2012, UN says

 News
Jun 162013
 
AFP among PHL armed groups that recruited minors in 2012, UN says

(Updated 3:30 p.m.) The Philippine military was among the armed groups in the country that recruited minors for their operations in 2012, according to a report by United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. The report, released June 12, said there was a “verified case” in July last year where two young boys were “forced” by the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) to serve as guides to locate a communist rebel camp in North Cotabato province in Mindanao. “[We] remained concerned over the use of children by the national armed forces as guides and informants during military operations,” the report, titled “Grave Violations Committed Against Children in 22 Situations of Concern,” said. “In a verified case in July 2012, the Fifty-Seventh Infantry Battalion forced two boys aged 12 and 13 years to serve as guides to locate an NPA camp in North Cotabato Province,” it added. Against AFP policy Reached for comment, AFP spokesperson Lt. Col. Ramon Zagala said the military leadership will have the reported use of children as guides in operatioins verified as such is against their policy. “As a matter of policy, the AFP does not use children as guides during military operations so as not to endanger them,” he said Monday. “We will verify this information if there is any truth to it.” Moon, in the report, noted that the AFP has “issued directives prohibiting such use of children, assigning responsibility to commanders, institutionalizing investigations and putting in place corrective measures.” The two guides were among the Read More …

DENR to crush, not burn seized elephant tusks

 News
Jun 162013
 
DENR to crush, not burn seized elephant tusks

Following an outcry from environmental groups, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources is scrapping its plan on June 21 to burn some five tons of seized elephant tusks. Instead, DENR Secretary Ramon Paje said they will merely crush the tusks at the Ninoy Aquino Parks and Wildlife Center in Quezon City, radio dzBB’s Allan Gatus reported. The report said the DENR initially planned to douse kerosene on the tusks then burn them, to deter people from engaging in tradingtusks. Last week, environmental groups opposed the DENR’s plan to burn some five tons of seized elephant tusks on June 21, saying it may violate the law and send a wrong message to the public. “(B)urning the confiscated tusks goes against the prohibition against the open burning of municipal solid waste enshrined in two of our major environmental laws: R.A. 9003, the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act and R.A. 8749, the Clean Air Act,” the groups said in a letter to Paje and Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau director Theresa Lim. Citing a DENR news release, the groups said authorities are to burn the confiscated elephant tusks at the Ninoy Aquino Parks and Wildlife Center (NAPWC) in Quezon City. The DENR, in a news release last June 9, had quoted Paje as saying the tusks “will be crushed by a road roller and burned in the presence of foreign experts and anti-ivory trade advocates on June 21 at the Ninoy Aquino Parks and Wildlife Center in Quezon City.”  A government official Read More …

Marina eyes stricter policy on passenger manifests after RORO sinking

 News
Jun 162013
 
Marina eyes stricter policy on passenger manifests after RORO sinking

In the wake of Friday’s sinking of a roll-on roll-off vessel off Masbate, the Maritime Industry Authority is considering stricter policies on passenger manifests, even if the vessel involved is not overloaded. Marina head Maximo Mejia Jr. said Monday the failure of Medallion Transport to properly list passengers on its manifest has caused problems for the Coast Guard and other agencies searching for survivors. “Kailangan tingnan ng Marina ng masusi ang policy na ‘yan. Paano natin mapupuwersa ang shipping companies na dapat magbigay ng complete manifest?,” Mejia said in an interview on dzBB radio. Last Friday, the MV Lady of Carmel sank off Masbate amid good weather. As of Monday morning, the death toll remained at two, while at least seven remained missing. Citing reports reaching him, Mejia said many of the people who were rescued were not on the ship’s manifest. Also, he said that of the seven missing, some are not on the manifest but whose relatives insisted were aboard the vessel. “Hindi ito lumalabas na overloading, pero ang malaking problema diyan, ngayon naghuhula tayo. Sino ang hinahanap natin?” he said. Mejia reiterated Medallion Transport, the owner of the ill-fated vessel, may face cancellation of its franchise should an investigation warrant it. But he said the company’s record had so far been okay. For his part, Medallion Transport spokesman Ricardo Labial Jr. maintained the vessel’s crew was not remiss in its duties. “Kinausap namin. Wala talagang pabaya na nangyari,” he said in a separate interview on dzBB. —KG, Read More …

PAGASA: TD Emong to affect PHL till Friday; LPA may form off Ilocos

 News
Jun 162013
 
PAGASA: TD Emong to affect PHL till Friday; LPA may form off Ilocos

PAGASA: ‘Habagat’, LPA, ITCZ bring rain to various parts of PHL. PAGASA said in its weather bulletin early Sunday morning that the Bicol region, Central and Eastern Visayas and Mindanao will experience cloudy skies with moderate to occasionally heavy rainshowers and thunderstorms which may trigger flash floods and landslides.” PAGASA Tropical Depression Emong will affect parts of the Philippines until at least Friday, state weather forecasters said. PAGASA forecaster Jun Galang also said they are monitoring a cloud formation that could become a low-pressure area off Ilocos later this week. “[Ang epekto nito] itong buong week hanggang Friday. Kung walang pagbabago by Thursday makakalabas ng Philippine area of responsibility,” Galang said in a Monday interview on dzBB radio. While Tropical Depression Emong was too far to directly affect any part of the country, it would enhance the southwest monsoon, which will bring rain mainly to Luzon and Visayas. He also said that as Emong moved northward, the weather in Mindanao would gradually improve while Luzon and Visayas can expect more rain. Meanwhile, Galang said there was a chance a low-pressure area would form off Laoag in Ilocos Norte province later this week. “Papalabas siya may chance mabuo na LPA west ng Laoag, makakadagdag sa epekto ng habagat,” he said. Emong PAGASA’s 5 a.m. bulletin said that as of 4 a.m. Monday, Emong was estimated to be 300 km east of Virac, Catanduanes. It had maximum sustained winds of 55 kph near the center and was forecast to move north-northwest at Read More …

HSW recruiters warned on fees

 News
Jun 162013
 
HSW recruiters warned on fees

Philippine Daily Inquirer 3:48 am | Monday, June 17th, 2013 MANILA, Philippines—Recruitment agencies collecting placement fees from household service worker (HSW) applicants are at risk of losing their licenses to operate, the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) has warned. Administrator Hans Leo Cacdac said POEA Governing Board Resolution No. 6 prohibits the charging of placement fees from Filipino HSWs prior to their departure or on site through salary deductions. Violation of the prohibition on placement fee collection is a grave offense that carries a penalty of cancellation of license. Cacdac said consistent with most host country regulations, employers pay the service fee and shoulder all the costs of hiring and deploying HSWs. “Very clearly, licensed agencies can still collect placement fees or service fees, provided they are not shouldered by the worker but by the foreign principal,” he said. Recently, 52 members of the Society of Hong Kong Accredited Recruiters of the Philippines, a group of licensed recruitment agencies deploying HSWs to Hong Kong, decided to scrap the collection of placement fees from applicants.—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: household service workers , Overseas Filipino workers , recruiters , replacement fees Factual errors? Contact the Philippine Daily Inquirer’s day desk. Believe this article violates journalistic ethics? Contact Read More …

5 foreigners may face online theft raps

 News
Jun 162013
 
5 foreigners may face online theft raps

By Christine O. AvendañoPhilippine Daily Inquirer 3:47 am | Monday, June 17th, 2013 MANILA, Philippines—Charges were recommended by the National Bureau of Investigation last Friday against what an NBI report said were five Chinese and/or Taiwanese nationals allegedly involved in the online theft of credit card information. In a June 14 letter to Prosecutor General Claro Arellano, NBI Director Nonnatus Caesar Rojas sought inquest proceedings against Andong Ye, Shizhong Zhou, Wei Sheng, Yantai Luo and Yangfeng Luo, all of 42-3 Forest Rd., Carmenville subdivision in Angeles City. Rojas recommended that charges for violation of Republic Act No. 8484, the Access Devices Regulation Act of 1998, be filed against the five. Based on intelligence reports and armed with a search warrant from a court, Rojas said an NBI intelligence team swooped down on the residence of a Mr. Wang in Angeles City to verify information about the place. Mr. Wang was alleged to be “in collusion” with a Chinese syndicate engaged in fraudulent acts using access devices. But Mr. Wang was not at the house when the NBI team came. “Intelligence sources revealed this foreign syndicate conducts fraudulent online transactions and steals credit card information through hacking and other malicious representation on the Internet via equipment like telephones, computers, routers, access devices, modems, two-way radios and scripted documents,” said Rojas in a three-page letter to the Department of Justice. Confiscated from the residence were assorted credit cards, a skimming device, routers, a laptop, modem, printer, telephones and various documents. “…(M)ere possession Read More …

PH, Taiwan shun force

 News
Jun 162013
 
PH, Taiwan shun force

Talks to resolve fishing disputes start By Christine O. AvendañoPhilippine Daily Inquirer 12:09 am | Monday, June 17th, 2013 The Philippines and Taiwan have “agreed in principle” to avoid the use of force in fishing disputes, as they begin to resolve a row over the fatal shooting of a Taiwanese fisherman in overlapping waters last month. Officials of the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (Meco) and the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (Teco) reached the agreement during their preparatory meeting on fishery cooperation held in Manila on Friday, Meco Chairman Amadeo Perez said on Sunday. The meeting came as both Manila and Taipei concluded their cooperative investigation of the fatal shooting of Taiwanese fisherman Hung Shih-chen, 65, by Filipino coast guards. The National Bureau of Investigation, after examining evidence and witnesses here and in Taiwan, resolved the case last week, with a recommendation to bring criminal and administrative charges against coast guards who fired on the Taiwanese fishing boat Guan Ta Hsin 28 off Balintang Island on May 9. Taiwanese investigators who also looked at evidence and examined witnesses here and in their country have not yet announced their conclusions, but Justice Secretary Leila de Lima on Thursday said she expected the Taiwanese findings not to be too far from the results of the NBI probe. De Lima submitted the NBI investigative report to President Aquino on Tuesday. The shooting death of Hung sparked public anger in Taiwan. Taipei demanded an apology from the Philippine government, compensation for Hung’s family, Read More …

PAGASA: TD Emong maintains strength, accelerates slightly

 News
Jun 162013
 
PAGASA: TD Emong maintains strength, accelerates slightly

PAGASA: ‘Habagat’, LPA, ITCZ bring rain to various parts of PHL. PAGASA said in its weather bulletin early Sunday morning that the Bicol region, Central and Eastern Visayas and Mindanao will experience cloudy skies with moderate to occasionally heavy rainshowers and thunderstorms which may trigger flash floods and landslides.” PAGASA Tropical Depression Emong accelerated slightly and hovered near Legazpi City in Albay Province on Sunday night, state weather forecasters said. PAGASA, in its 11 p.m. advisory, said Tropical Depression Emong was estimated to be 380 km east of Legazpi City as of 10 p.m. It said Emong packed maximum winds of 45 kph near the center and is forecast to move north-northwest at 13 kph. “Tropical Depression Emong is still far to directly affect any part of the country. However, it will bring moderate to occasionally heavy rains and thunderstorms over southern Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao,” it said. It added Emong “is likely to intensify within the next 24 to 48 hours.” PAGASA said Tropical Depression Emong is expected to be at 360 km northeast of Legazpi City by Monday evening, and 400 km east of Aparri, Cagayan by Tuesday evening. By Wednesday evening, it is forecast to be 530 km northeast of Aparri, Cagayan. Tropical Depression Emong may bring 5 to 15 mm per hour of rainfall (moderate to heavy) within its 300-km diameter, PAGASA said. — DVM, GMA News

MILF: New batch of Indonesian ceasefire observers coming

 News
Jun 152013
 
MILF: New batch of Indonesian ceasefire observers coming

Amid a “deadlock” in peace negotiations, a new batch of Indonesian observers is arriving late June to replace the Indonesian contingent to the International Monitoring Team keeping watch over the ceasefire between Philippine government forces and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. The MILF on Sunday cited information from the IMT that the “pioneer” Indonesian contingent, which includes 10 military and five civilian officers, will end its tour of duty June 24. “We can never compensate the contributions of (contingent head) Col. Khairully and his men but surely Allah will reward them and their families for their noble efforts and services to the Bangsamoro aspiration for peace and justice,” said MILF central committee secretariat head Muhammad Ameen. “We hope the Indonesian will stay with the IMT for as long as necessary,” he added. Also, the MILF said the replacements for the Indonesian and two Malaysian IMT members will be coming soon, as the two countries’ governments committed to continue sending members to the IMT. The MILF said the Indonesian contingent under Col. Khairully started its tour of duty on June 24, 2012 and headed the IMT Team Site 5 based in Davao City. It said its central committee is now organizing a farewell program for the outgoing Indonesian IMT officers. The IMT monitors on the ground the implementation of the security, humanitarian, development, socio-economic, and civilian protection aspects of the government-MILF peace process. It has members from Malaysia as head of mission, and from Brunei, Indonesia, Japan, Norway and the European Read More …

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