Daughter of dead Taiwanese fisherman files murder case

 News
May 292013
 
Daughter of dead Taiwanese fisherman files murder case

By Nancy C. CarvajalPhilippine Daily Inquirer 3:25 am | Thursday, May 30th, 2013 Taiwanese investigators rides a rubber boat as they inspect a ship involved in the alleged shooting of a Taiwanese fisherman while they continue their probe in Manila on Tuesday, May 28, 2013. The daughter of the Taiwanese fisherman allegedly killed by Filipino coast guards filed murder charges during joint proceedings held by Taiwanese and Philippine prosecutors in Pingtung County on Tuesday. AP PHOTO/AARON FAVILA TAIPEI—The daughter of the Taiwanese fisherman allegedly killed by Filipino coast guards filed murder charges during joint proceedings held by Taiwanese and Philippine prosecutors in Pingtung County on Tuesday. “Hung Tzu-chen, who acts as the spokesperson of the family, filed a murder case in the (National Bureau of Investigation) in accordance with Philippine laws (requiring that) a complaint must be filed before an official investigation is conducted,” said Chih Ming-hsieh, one of two head prosecutors of Pingtung County who is assisting the NBI in its own probe into the May 9 shooting death of 65-year-old fisherman Hung Shih-chen. Chih said no particular person was named in the complaint. “In Taiwan, if you file a complaint, it’s not necessary to identify somebody who did the crime. You just have to indicate that somebody was responsible for the crime,” Chih said. Chih did not disclose the details of Hung Tzu-chen’s complaint. Hung was present during the proceedings. She was accompanied by her lawyer. Crew questioned The NBI team headed by the bureau’s foreign liaison chief, Read More …

Brillantes: Random manual audit spotted 'variances' not discrepancies

 News
May 292013
 
Brillantes: Random manual audit spotted 'variances' not discrepancies

Poll chief Sixto Brillantes Jr. on Wednesday said “variances” is a better term for the disparities spotted in the random manual count of votes instead of “discrepancies.” In a newspaper report, Brillantes was quoted as saying there were “discrepancies” between the random manual count and the machine-generated election results. The poll body has reportedly received 167 of the 234 randomly chosen precincts for the manual audit. “The correct term should have been, there were variances, which would actually be a toning down of a discrepancy,” Brillantes corrected himself at a press briefing on Wednesday. He added that his earlier statements were based on initial reports. Brillantes noted, too, that a random manual count is not expected to perfectly match the machine-generated results. He said the precinct count optical scan (PCOS) machine still reads the ballots even when the shading only covers 20 percent of the oval. Meanwhile, the auditors have their own “discretion” whether or not to audit the partially shaded ballots, Brillantes added. In the 2010 elections, the PCOS was programmed to read ovals shaded only 50 percent. “It could not be a perfect thing between the manual count and the machine count…  Ang tao hindi na-poprogram ang mata niyan, may kanya kanyang discretion, iba-iba ang assessment,” he said. “Pero talaga namang alam nila na hindi magta-tally ang machine count sa human visual count, may thresholding ‘yan eh,” Brillantes added, referring to the incomplete shading of the ballot. Still, Brillantes maintained the result of the manual audit so far Read More …

DFA: PHL not blacklisted by France for lack of transparency on foreign aid

 News
May 292013
 
DFA: PHL not blacklisted by France for lack of transparency on foreign aid

The Philippines was not blacklisted by France due to supposedly lack of transparency in foreign aid, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) clarified Wednesday. In a text message, Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario said the information that the Philippines was included by France on the list of “non-cooperative states” in its fight against foreign aid fraud was “totally inaccurate.” “We have, in fact, been informed that there is a new list and this list does not include the Philippines,” Del Rosario said. He added that the “mistake” on the Philippines’ blacklisting only arose from a French civil servant’s statements published on a French newspaper. On Tuesday, news reports quoted French minister for aids to development Pascal Canfin as saying that the 14 states and territories, including the Philippines, have been blacklisted by France due to lack of transparency in dealing with foreign aid. Del Rosario said that the French foreign ministry has already made a “full denial” on this “misinformation” concerning the Philippines. — Andreo Calonzo and Michaela del Callar/RSJ, GMA News

Group slams Palace plan on alternative fishing grounds

 News
May 292013
 
Group slams Palace plan on alternative fishing grounds

By Frances Mangosing INQURER.net 3:00 pm | Wednesday, May 29th, 2013 MANILA, Philippines – The alternative fishing grounds that Malacañang claimed they will soon identify for Filipino fishermen affected by current tensions in the West Philippine Sea do not exist, a fisherfolk group said on Wednesday. “The country with 7,101 islands and separated by bodies of water is the entire fishing area of 1.3 million fishermen. So what alternative fishing grounds Malacañang are referring to?” Salvador France, vice chairperson of Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya) said in a statement. France blasted the Palace statement as “irresponsible and mind-blowing statement.” In reality, he said Malacañang through the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources had been planning to impose a nationwide fish ban. France said that 10 of the 13 fishing grounds identified as Lingayen Gulf, northern Zambales, Visayan Sea, Camotes Sea, Honda Bay, Babuyan Channel, Lagonoy Gulf, Sorsogon Bay, Hinatuan and Dinagat Bay and Davao Gulf were mapped out to execute fish ban to pave way for the government’s stock assessment program. On Tuesday, deputy spokesperson Abigail Valte said that the Aquino administration will soon identify “alternative fishing grounds” for Filipino fishermen so as not to exacerbate tensions in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea).It will also beef up its maritime assets to establish “a minimum credible defense” in the hotly contested West Philippine Sea. She added that the Aquino administration will continue to employ its “nonengagement policy” on the issue of the disputed waters of the Read More …

Youth groups seek SC help vs. tuition hikes

 News
May 292013
 
Youth groups seek SC help vs. tuition hikes

A party-list group advocating students’ rights and several youth and student organizations on Wednesday asked the Supreme Court to stop 354 higher educational institutions (HEIs) from hiking their tuition and other fees this coming school year. The approval from the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) that paved the way for the hike should likewise be reversed, the petitioners, led by Kabataan party-list, said in a 46-page petition for certiorari, mandamus, and prohibition. “The Commission on Higher Education violated the petitioners’ constitutional right to accessible and quality education for failing to perform its constitutional duties to take appropriate steps to make education accessible to all and to exercise reasonable supervision and regulation of all educational institutions,” the petition read. The petitioners asked the SC to issue a writ of preliminary injunction and a temporary restraining order/status quo ante order to prevent the schools from implementing the tuition and other fees hike. The group accused CHED of failing to exercise “reasonable regulation and supervision” when it approved the increase without “implementing the statutory procedure for tuition consultation” as prrovided under Section 10 of Republic Act 6728 or the Government Assistance To Students and Teachers In Private Education Act. Section 10 states that “[i]n any proposed increase in the rate of tuition fee, there shall be appropriate consultations conducted by the school administration with the duly organized parents and teachers associations and faculty associations with respect to secondary schools, and with students governments or councils, alumni and faculty associations with respect to colleges… Read More …

Taiwanese probers quiz Coast Guard, BFAR men on Balintang Channel incident

 News
May 292013
 
Taiwanese probers quiz Coast Guard, BFAR men on Balintang Channel incident

NBI, Taiwanese probers inspect DA-BFAR vessel. At the Manila Port Area on Tuesday, NBI and Taiwanese investigators inspect the DA-BFAR Monitoring, Control and Surveillance (MCS-3001) vessel that was used by PHL Coast Guard personnel in a shooting incident that killed a Taiwanese fisherman in Balintang Channel on May 9. The investigators checked every inch of the boat for new evidence. Danny Pata Visiting Taiwanese investigators on Wednesday quizzed 18 personnel of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) as part of the parallel probe on the fatal shooting of a Taiwanese fisherman off Balintang Channel in northern Philippines early this month. Taiwanese prosecutor Lin Yeng Liang, however, kept mum on the details of their interview with the Filipino personnel embroiled in the incident. “It’s confidential,” Lin said when asked what questions they posed to the Filipinos. “With the assistance of the National Bureau of Investigation today we started to investigate and collect evidence both from the BFAR and PCG,” he added. The Taiwanese prosecutor, however, stressed that three days since arriving in Manila for their own probe, the Taiwan team has yet to reach a conclusion. “We will continue doing the investigation… We will complete the investigation within two days,” he told a group of reporters, composed of both Filipino and Taiwanese journalists. For his part, NBI Deputy Director Virgilio Mendez, head of the NBI team separately probing the incident, observed that the Taiwanese probers were “doing their best” to finish their investigation Read More …

DOTC: Five flights canceled due to 'aircraft situation'

 News
May 292013
 
DOTC: Five flights canceled due to 'aircraft situation'

At least five domestic flights of air carrier Cebu Pacific were canceled Wednesday due to “aircraft situation,” the Department of Transportation and Communications said. In a post on its Twitter account, the DOTC said the affected flights had destination points in Metro Manila, Bicol, and Visayas. The affected flights included: – 5J-519 and 5J-523 (Manila to Naga)– 5J-520 and 5J-524 (Naga to Manila)– 5J-557 (Manila to Cebu) The DOTC did not elaborate on the “aircraft situation” that prompted the cancellation of the flights. Earlier Wednesday, state weather forecasters had warned of rain showers and thunderstorms as the rainy season approaches. — LBG, GMA News

China raises concerns over PH’s reported development plans on Ayungin Shoal

 News
May 282013
 
China raises concerns over PH’s reported development plans on Ayungin Shoal

By Frances Mangosing Philippine Daily Inquirer 12:51 pm | Wednesday, May 29th, 2013 Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin speaking with Chinese Ambassador to Manila Ma Keqing after the International Day of UN Peacekeepers event at Camp Aguinaldo. Frances Mangosing/INQUIRER.net MANILA, Philippines—China raised its concerns over the Philippines’ reported plans of establishing structures on Ayungin Shoal in the disputed West Philippine Sea. Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin and China Ambassador to Manila Ma Keqing discussed issues on Ayungin among other things on the sidelines of the commemoration of the International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers on Wednesday at Camp Aguinaldo. The two leaders were seen talking for a few minutes after the event. “They were concerned [with the] Philippines coming up with structures, additional structures in the Ayungin Shoal and I told her that the ship that is moving towards Ayungin is only for provisions of food and water for soldiers who are there,” he told reporters when asked what they discussed. The BRP Sierra Madre is the Philippine Navy’s detachment on Ayungin Shoal. Gazmin said he assured Ma that the Philippines would not build structures there. “We will not violate the agreement not to construct new structures. We told them we’re only bringing supplies for our troops there, like water, food. There will also be rotation of troops because we can’t put our men there permanently or they’ll go crazy,” he said. He quoted Ma as saying that China is continuously monitoring Philippine troops there or whether new structures are being built. Read More …

Gov’t to open new fishing areas

 News
May 282013
 

Philippine Daily Inquirer 3:37 am | Wednesday, May 29th, 2013 MANILA, Philippines—The Aquino administration will soon identify “alternative fishing grounds” for Filipino fishermen so as not to exacerbate tensions in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea). At the same time, the government will endeavor to beef up its maritime assets to establish “a minimum credible defense,” deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte told a Palace briefing on Tuesday. Valte explained that the government would continue to pursue its “nonengagement policy” on the issue of the disputed waters of the West Philippine Sea, in answer to a question about the presence of a fleet of Chinese fishing boats, accompanied by patrol vessels, at Ayungin Shoal (Second Thomas Reef). On May 10, the Philippines protested the presence of the Chinese boats since Ayungin lies 196 kilometers from Palawan province, and thus well within the Philippines’ 370-km exclusive economic zone. According to Valte, the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) has designated a particular area to be opened as an alternative fishing ground for Filipino fishermen.—Michael Lim Ubac

Fil-Am nonprofit in LA raises $130K in one night

 News
May 282013
 

By Mico Letargo AJPress/INQUIRER.net News Partner 3:00 am | Wednesday, May 29th, 2013 LOS ANGELES–After suffering financial strife due to the recession, the longtime community service nonprofit Search to Involve Pilipino Americans (SIPA) raised an estimated $130,000 from supporters at its 41st anniversary gala on May 18. The funds were raised from sponsorships, dinner ticket sales, silent auction and other contributions during the celebration themed “Panibagong Simula!” (A New Beginning!) The money will help SIPA serve Filipino-Americans and others through health and human services, economic development programs and by providing a venue for people “to come together and strengthen the community,” explained the organization’s leaders. “Specifically, the expenses that are supported by [the] dinner revenue are the more general operating and administrative expenses of the organization–the operations of the building, facility costs, insurance and related costs,” Executive Director Joel Jacinto told Asian Journal via email. Silent auction a hit   SIPA’s much-anticipated annual silent auction featured premium merchandise and goods at the auction for almost half of their actual cost. Among the goodies were premium DVD and BluRay movie bags, collectors’ edition merchandise, Hollywood premiere night tickets, apparel and other memorabilia. According to Jacinto, approximately $5,000 was raised from the silent auction. The actual value of the items sold was around $10,000. Jacinto explained that SIPA usually puts the starting bid at about half of the actual value. Among the notable items sold was a Manny Pacquiao apparel package, valued at $525. It was sold for a winning bid of Read More …

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