Aquino to seek investments, tourists in Burma

 News
Jun 042013
 
Aquino to seek investments, tourists in Burma

By Gil CabacunganPhilippine Daily Inquirer 8:45 pm | Tuesday, June 4th, 2013 President Benigno Aquino III. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO MANILA, Philippines — President Aquino and some members of his Cabinet will fly to Burma (Myanmar) on Friday to seek foreign capital and tourism dollars at the annual gathering of global leaders from business and politics–the World Economic Forum (WEF) on East Asia–which convenes in Naypyitaw, the new Burmese capital city and administrative center. “The main reason for attending the forum is to invite foreign investors to come to the Philippines and, of course, to attract tourists as well,” said Ramon Carandang, head of the Presidential Communications Development and Strategic Planning Office. “We’re going to try to reach a broad range of investors–of potential investors. [This is] similar to what happened in Davos except that here, where there’s a focus on East Asia, many of the businessmen will be from our part of the world,” he said. This will be Mr. Aquino’s first visit to Burma and the first by a Philippine president since 1997. The President will be accompanied on the one-day trip by Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima, Budget Secretary Florencio Abad Jr., Trade Secretary Gregory Domingo, Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario, Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Arsenio Balisacan, Energy Secretary Jericho Petilla, Cabinet Secretary Jose Rene Almendras and Tourism Secretary Ramon Jimenez. The President’s team is also expected to observe Burma’s hosting of the WEF as the Philippines will host the meeting next year. “By tradition, the incoming host personally invites Read More …

DOTC: Davao airport runway resumes normal operations

 News
Jun 042013
 
DOTC: Davao airport runway resumes normal operations

CebuPac plane’s nose mounted on truck, towing to follow . The nose of the Cebu Pacific plane that skidded off the runway of the Francisco Bangoy Int’l Airport in Davao City is mounted on a truck’s bed before it is towed out of the runway on Tuesday. All flights to and from Davao still remains canceled due to the incident. Karlos Manlupig (Updated 8:43 p.m.) The runway of the Davao International Airport — closed since Sunday night after a Cebu Pacific plane made an emergency landing — resumed normal operations Tuesday night, according to the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC). In a tweet, the DOTC said Davao Airport’s Runway 5/23 “resumed normal operations” at 8 p.m. Cebu Pacific, for its part, said the disabled aircraft was finally removed from the runway and that the airline will resume its normal flights to and from Davao City starting Wednesday. In an advisory posted on its Twitter account, the air carrier also reiterated its apology for the inconvenience caused by the plane’s emergency landing. “All Cebu Pacific (CEB) flights to and from Davao will be back to normal starting tomorrow, June 5, 2013, Wednesday, after its disabled aircraft was removed from the Davao Airport runway,” it said. Cebu Pacific said the Davao International Airport’s runway was cleared at about 7 p.m. Tuesday, nearly 48 hours after the emergency landing. On Sunday, Cebu Pacific’s Flight 5J-971 made an emergency landing amid a downpour and blocked the airport’s runway, forcing the closure of the Read More …

NBI wrapping up probe on Sabah incursion

 News
Jun 042013
 
NBI wrapping up probe on Sabah incursion

The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) is about to wrap up its three-month investigation on the supposed incursion of a group of Sulu Sultan Jamalil Kiram III’s supporters to Sabah, which resulted in fierce armed clashes between the group and Malaysian authorities. NBI director Nonnatus Rojas confirmed to GMA News Online on Tuesday that his agency has not yet finished their investigation on the incident, but said they are already putting together various reports on the incident from other government agencies. “That is because we are still consolidating the NBI, Department of Justice, and Criminal Investigation and Detection Group’s final reports,” Rojas said. Kiram’s followers, who engaged in sporadic clashes with Malaysian authorities in early March, went to Sabah in February supposedly to assert their historical claim on the disputed territory. Sabah, located in the island of Borneo close to southwestern Mindanao, is territorially disputed by the Philippines and Malaysia. A Philippine claim for sovereignty over it has lain dormant for decades, but Malaysia continues to pay a yearly rent to the heirs of the Sultan of Sulu, who claim to be the descendants of the original Filipino sultan who had control over the territory for centuries. President Benigno Aquino III had earlier asked for an investigation on the incursion, believing that Kiram was part of an effort to sabotage the ongoing peace talks between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). Nur Misuari, founder of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) and a supporter of Kiram’s cause, Read More …

Filipinos in Turkey urged to avoid large public gatherings

 News
Jun 042013
 
Filipinos in Turkey urged to avoid large public gatherings

By Tarra QuismundoPhilippine Daily Inquirer 7:37 pm | Tuesday, June 4th, 2013 DFA spokesperson Raul Hernandez. INQUIRER.net FILE PHOTO MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday cautioned Filipinos across Turkey to be careful of large public gatherings as nationwide unrest grew amid widespread demonstrations over the planned construction over a historic park in Istanbul. “Our Embassy in Ankara continues to monitor the situation in Turkey. While there are no specific threats to Filipinos, our Embassy nevertheless advises our kababayans to take extra precaution and stay away from areas where demonstrations are held,” DFA spokesperson Assistant Secretary Raul Hernandez said in a press briefing on Tuesday. There are some 5,000 Filipinos in Turkey, according to DFA estimates. Hernandez meanwhile said no Filipinos were among casualties in the flooding in the Czech Republic and fresh tornadoes that ripped through Oklahoma over the weekend. He said the Philippine Embassy in Prague has sent out an alert to some 500 Filipinos there about the situation and contact numbers for emergencies. Citing a report from the Philippine Consulate General in Chicago, Hernandez meanwhile said Filipinos were spared from harm when a tornado hit central Oklahoma on May 31, killing at least 18 people. Some 100,000 Filipinos are known to be residing in Oklahoma and surrounding areas in the midwest, which was also hit by a tornado earlier last month. Follow Us Recent Stories: Complete stories on our Digital Edition newsstand for tablets, netbooks and mobile phones; 14-issue free trial. About to step Read More …

Rainy Wednesday over eastern Visayas, Mindanao

 News
Jun 042013
 
Rainy Wednesday over eastern Visayas, Mindanao

Satellite Image as of 7 a.m., June 3, 2013. | Weather Central Rain from the inter-tropical convergence zone may affect parts of Eastern Visayas and Mindanao in the next 24 hours, state weather forecasters said Tuesday afternoon. In its 5 p.m. bulletin, PAGASA said the ITCZ is mainly affecting Mindanao, even as it said Metro Manila and other parts of the country may expect isolated rain. “Eastern Visayas and Mindanao will experience cloudy skies with light to moderate rain showers and thunderstorms. Metro Manila and the rest of the country will have partly cloudy skies with isolated rain showers or thunderstorms mostly in the afternoon or evening,” it said. For Wednesday, PAGASA said Metro Manila may expect temperatures of 25 to 34 degrees Celsius while Tuguegarao CIty may expect temperatures of 25 to 37 degrees Celsius. Angeles and Olongapo Cities may expect temperatures of 24 to 34 degrees Celsius. Meanwhile, PAGASA said light to moderate winds from the east to southeast will prevail over Luzon and coming from the east to northeast over Visayas and Mindanao. The coastal waters throughout the archipelago will be slight to moderate, it added. — TJD, GMA News

PNoy signed gun law because of his affinity for firearms, says anti-gun group

 News
Jun 042013
 
PNoy signed gun law because of his affinity for firearms, says anti-gun group

Did President Benigno Aquino III sign the comprehensive gun law because of his love for shooting? An anti-gun group thinks so. “Malaking factor yun. Eh mahilig din siya sa baril eh,” Randy Pacheco, founder of the Gunless Society, said in an interview that aired Monday on GMA News’ Saksi. Despite calls for a total gun ban early this year following the death of seven-year-old Stephanie Nicole Ella due to a stray bullet on New Year’s Eve, Aquino on Wednesday signed Republic Act 10591, or “An Act Providing for Comprehensive Law on Firearms and Ammunition and Providing Penalties for Violations Thereof,” which allows casual gun enthusiasts to own up to 15 guns, and “serious collectors” to possess 15 or more firearms. “Serious collector” undefined Under the constitution, gun ownership is a privilege and not a right. The new law supersedes Executive Order 194, signed by President Joseph Estrada in 2000, which allowed unlimited gun ownership and which itself had removed a previous 10-gun ownership limit. Philippine National Police Firearms and Explosives Office (PNP FEO) spokesperson Chief Inspector Nelson Bautista told GMA News Online in a phone interview Tuesday that even when gun ownership was unlimited, their office has done checks before issuing gun licenses, “lalo pag marami na [ang baril niya]. We check capability, kung bakit itong taong ‘to, marami nang baril, and is still securing a license.” But Bautista was not able to define what exactly a “collector” or “serious collector” is, based only on the published law. “Itong batas Read More …

Balance press freedom, responsibility amid ‘exciting times’—Shinawatra

 News
Jun 042013
 
Balance press freedom, responsibility amid ‘exciting times’—Shinawatra

By Lynette Ordonez-LunaINQUIRER.net 1:01 pm | Tuesday, June 4th, 2013 Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra. AP FILE PHOTO BANGKOK, Thailand—Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra said here Tuesday that media lived in “exciting times” but underscored a need to balance its freedom and responsibility of providing knowledge and information in its various forms. “The news and publishing industries stand at an exciting time . . . recognizing its wider role in understanding people of our nations with the use of technology to reach a wider audience,” said Shinawatra here, the third day of the World Association of Newspapers and Publishers (WAN-IFRA) attended by over 1,000 participants worldwide. Shinawatra said that freedom without responsibility “may lead to confusion.” “Freedom of the press isn’t unlimited even in the most advanced countries,” said the prime minister. She said that it was “important to have high standards and responsibilities.” “Press and [the] media could find for themselves where this middleground is. And none is more evident than in cyberspace, which has been used for good and misuse,” she said. Bangkok is hosting from June 2-5 the WAN-IFRA conference which, for the first time, is staging simultaneously the 65th World Newspaper Congress, the 20th World Editors Forum and the 23rd World Advertisers Forum. 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 Read More …

PCGG to testify in art theft case vs Imelda Marcos’ ex-aide in New York

 News
Jun 032013
 
PCGG to testify in art theft case vs Imelda Marcos’ ex-aide in New York

By Dona Z. PazzibuganPhilippine Daily Inquirer 6:53 pm | Monday, June 3rd, 2013 PCGG Chairman Andres Bautista AFP FILE PHOTO MANILA, Philippines — The Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG) will testify in the art theft and tax fraud case brought against former first lady Imelda Marcos’ former social secretary and confidante in New York. The PCGG was summoned by the State Supreme Court in Manhattan to testify when the trial of Vilma Bautista  starts on October 7. Ms. Bautista, 74, was arrested and arraigned last November 20 for trying to sell three valuable artworks, including a Monet masterpiece, which the Philippine government had reported to be part of the Marcos ill-gotten wealth that disappeared after the downfall of the Marcos regime in 1986. PCGG Chairman Andres Bautista, head of the agency tasked to go after the ill-gotten wealth of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos, revealed the sending of a representative to testify in the trial. “For sure some people from the PCGG will testify in the trial, might be me,” Mr. Bautista said. “We have been assured by the NYDA (New York District Attorney) they believe these paintings rightfully belong to Filipino people,” Mr Bautista said. The PCGG has been cooperating with the NYDA investigation since mid-2011. “The position of the PCGG is these paintings are part and parcel of our missing paintings therefore should be returned to the Republic,” Mr. Bautista stressed. The New York District Attorney’s Office has charged Ms. Bautista and her nephews Chaiyot Jansen Navalaksana, Read More …

Re-emergence of traditional security threats worries Defense chief

 News
Jun 032013
 
Re-emergence of traditional security threats worries Defense chief

By Frances MangosingINQUIRER.net 5:55 pm | Monday, June 3rd, 2013 Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin. FILE PHOTO MANILA, Philippines – Territorial disputes, among other traditional security concerns, remain high as it re-emerges in the regional security agenda, Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin said. Gazmin made the statement on Sunday during his speech at the 12th International Institute for Strategic Studies at the Shangri-la Dialogue held in Singapore. The annual security forum was attended by defense ministers, military chiefs and top defense analysts from 27 countries. “Traditional security concerns, including territorial disputes, issues surrounding the Korean Peninsula, military modernization and arms race, and proliferation of weapons, remain high in the regional security agenda,” Gazmin said, but did not make mention of China, which is locked in a territorial dispute with the Philippines over the hotly-contested West Philippine Sea. The defense chief said that these sensitive issues “placed in the backburner” in the past have “re-emerged to take center stage,” and would be solved if states involved would settle these issues “through mechanisms provided by international law.” “This dispels notions that these issues have become irrelevant in the 21st century with the emergence of non-traditional security challenges,” he said. “Given this, while sensitive issues will not be resolved overnight, it would be timely for states to cooperate in finding means to achieve long-lasting regional stability through mechanisms provided by international law, with the hope of settling these issues with a sense of finality,” he added. At the same time, Gazmin also recognized maritime security, Read More …

De Lima maintains boat shooting happened in PH territory

 News
Jun 032013
 
De Lima maintains boat shooting happened in PH territory

By Tetch Torres-TupasINQUIRER.net 3:27 pm | Monday, June 3rd, 2013 Justice Secretary Leila De Lima. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO MANILA, Philippines—Justice Secretary Leila De Lima on Monday maintained that the shooting of the Taiwanese fisherman last May 9 happened inside Philippine jurisdiction. “Our jurisdiction is clear—the incident happened inside our territory which is why we are conducting an investigation,” De Lima told reporters in an interview Monday. Based on the global positioning system record of the Philippine Coast Guard and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, De Lima said the incident occurred within the Balintang Channel, 43 nautical miles east of Balintang Island which is well within the Philippine territory. “Probably you should ask the Taiwanese government why they are conducting their own investigation. They probably have extra-territorial jurisdiction like if the victim is a Taiwanese or the vessel is registered under the Taiwanese name,” she said. The NBI investigators already arrived from Taiwan and are already wrapping up their investigation. On the other hand, Taiwanese probers also finished their probe after inspecting the Philippine vessel, watching the video of the incident and interviewing the Coast Guard officers who were present during the incident. The question of jurisdiction will be crucial to where the criminally liable parties in the case will be tried. The fisherman’s daughter, Hung Tzu Chien, has already filed a murder complaint against Filipino Coast Guard personnel involved in the fatal shooting. She did not name the respondents in the charges filed with the Pingtung prosecutor’s office Read More …

 Older Entries  Newer Entries