Timor-Leste foreign minister arrives Thursday for official visit

 News
Feb 192013
 
Timor-Leste foreign minister arrives Thursday for official visit

By Tarra Quismundo Philippine Daily Inquirer 10:31 am | Wednesday, February 20th, 2013 Foreign Minister Jose Luis Guterres PHOTO FROM TIMOR-LESTE.GOV.TL MANILA, Philippines—Timor-Leste Foreign Minister Jose Luis Guterres will arrive Thursday for a two-day official visit in the Philippines, the Department of Foreign Affairs said Tuesday. Guterres will hold bilateral talks with Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario and meet with President Aquino during his stay in Manila, the DFA said. “Foreign Minister Guterres’ official visit is a strong indication of the interest of both the Philippines and Timor-Leste to expand and enhance bilateral relations specifically in the areas of technical cooperation, human resource development and education,” said the DFA in a statement. Guterres returns six years since last visiting the Philippines as the then deputy prime minister of Timor-Leste. The Philippines has maintained strong ties with the young sovereign state, sending peacekeepers to the country since 1999 amid its struggle for independence from Indonesia. As the East Timor transitions to self-governance, the Philippines is tapering off the presence of its peacekeepers there.

Filipino among 7 foreigners kidnapped in Nigeria

 News
Feb 182013
 

Associated Press 9:36 pm | Monday, February 18th, 2013 BAUCHI, Nigeria  — A shadow Islamic extremist group has claimed responsibility for the kidnapping of seven foreign workers in northern Nigeria. In a statement Monday, the group that calls itself Ansaru claimed the kidnapping of the one British citizen, one Greek, one Italian, three Lebanese and one Filipino on Saturday night. Ansaru also threatened that Nigerian and European authorities shouldn’t “act contrary to our conditions.” The short statement offered no conditions, suggesting ransom demands would follow. The kidnapping happened in Jama’are, a town about 200 kilometers (125 miles) north of Bauchi, the capital of Bauchi state. Nigeria’s predominantly Muslim north has been under attack by the radical Islamic sect known as Boko Haram over the last two years. Ansaru is a new group that recently sprung up in the region.

Honasan urges PH, Malaysia to hold talks to settle Sabah issue

 News
Feb 182013
 
Honasan urges PH, Malaysia to hold talks to settle Sabah issue

By Bobby Lagsa Inquirer Mindanao 8:37 pm | Monday, February 18th, 2013 Senator Gregorio Honasan. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY, Philippines — Senator Gregorio Honasan said the Philippines and Malaysia should talk to resolve the entry of 300 Filipino followers of the Sultanate of Sulu in the Sabah region to prevent an international incident involving armed skirmishes. “I think, both governments should sit down, and jointly help diffuse the situation, which if left unattended to, might become more complicated because of an armed confrontation,” Honasan said. Honasan also called on Sultan Jamalul Kiram III to recall his brother, Rajah Mudah, back into the Philippines. Rajah Mudah, in an earlier report, said that he will only follow orders from his older brother. Sultan Kiram III, in an earlier report in the Philippine Daily Inquirer, said the royal decree that he ordered for his brother was not about war, and that he sent his brother to Sabah as an exercise of their historic, ancestral and sovereign right over Sabah. Honasan said that the Sultan must be made to realize that his order has not been helping the government in its foreign and security policies. “He must be made to realize that these have become more complicated,” Honasan added. “It is time for the government to clarify these with the Sultan of Sulu and if these go out of proportion, it is a problem that we do not need,” said Honasan, who was in the city to join the regional convention Read More …

Comelec taps Boy Bawal to go after campaign violators

 News
Feb 182013
 
Comelec taps Boy Bawal to go after campaign violators

To effectively reach out to the public, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) has tapped “Boy Bawal” to inform both the electorate and the candidates the prohibited acts and materials during the campaign period and on Election Day. The two-minute video started with Boy Bawal, with this supporters carrying flaglets, reminding the candidates to follow the election rules or be reprimanded by him. Boy Bawal then showed the campaign DON’T’s such as oversized posters; campaign materials posted in public vehicles, trees and public structures; and vote-buying, among others. Other prohibited acts are listed on www.mycomelec.tv.    At the end of the video, Comelec chairman Sixto Brillantes Jr. urged the public: “Umpisa na ang kampanya, kapag may nakita kayong mga bawal, pakisumbong niyo sa amin dito sa Comelec.” Comelec spokesperson James Jimenez said they decided to use a regular person as Boy Bawal “to make the advertisement more relatable, more entertaining and therefore more likely to be remembered and shared.” “Virality of the material was a major consideration,” he said in a text message to GMA News Online. The video was produced in-house by the Comelec’s Education and Information Department, which is under Jimenez. The poll body sent a request to all networks for the airing of the ‘Boy Bawal Ad’ as part of the Comelec space and time for the May 13 polls to be utilized exclusively for public information dissemination on election related-concerns as stated in Section 13 of Comelec Resolution No. 9615. The video can also be viewed on Comelec’s Read More …

LPA off Mindanao intensifies into Tropical Depression Crising

 News
Feb 182013
 
LPA off Mindanao intensifies into Tropical Depression Crising

At least four areas in Mindanao were placed under Storm Signal No. 1 after a low-pressure area off Mindanao intensified into a tropical depression Monday afternoon and was locally codenamed Crising. PAGASA forecaster Fernando Cada said Tropical Depression Crising may bring rain that could cause flash floods and landslides in parts of Eastern Visayas and Mindanao. “Inaasahan itong gumalaw west-northwest ng 19 kph. Sa ngayon, Davao region ang posibleng unang maapektuhan,” Cada said in an interview on dzBB radio. He also said Tropical Depression Crising may bring rain to parts of Mindanao that Tropical Cyclone Pablo devastated last December. Cada said that in the next 24 to 36 hours, Crising may affect Eastern Mindanao, including Davao and Compostela Valley. But he also said there is a chance Crising will not intensify much since it is moving quickly at 19 kph. “Sa bagyong ganoon kabilis ang takbo ng bagyo, hindi ito maka-generate ng masyadong lakas dahil mabilis ito at malapit sa kalupaan,” he said. Under Storm Signal No. 1 are: Davao del NorteDavao del SurDavao OrientalCompostela Valley PAGASA warned residents in low-lying and mountainous areas under Storm Signal 1 to be alert against possible flash floods and landslides. It said rainfall of 5 to 15 mm per hour (moderate to heavy) may be expected from Crising’s 300-km diameter. As of 4 p.m., PAGASA said Tropical Depression Crising was estimated at 750 km east of General Santos City, with maximum sustained winds of 45 kph near the center. It said Crising is Read More …

SC upholds disqualification of 'nuisance' bet in Agusan del Sur

 News
Feb 182013
 
SC upholds disqualification of 'nuisance' bet in Agusan del Sur

The Supreme Court has upheld a Commission on Elections (Comelec) ruling disqualifying Mauricio Plaza Jr. from joining the congressional race in Agusan del Sur in the coming May elections. In a full court decision, the high tribunal said Mauricio failed to “sufficiently show grave abuse of discretion” on the part of Comelec when it disqualified him and struck his name off the Candidates’ Profile System and Certified List of Candidates. Plaza was among the individuals declared by the Comelec as “nuisance” candidates through Comelec en banc Resolution 9610. “The procedures adopted by the Comelec in resolving petitions to deny due course to or to cancel certificate of candidacy, declare nuisance candidates, and disqualify candidates are consistent with its power to provide simplified procedural rules,” the high court said. This power is enshrined under Section 3, Article IX-C of the 1987 Constitution, which authorizes the Comelec to promulgate its rules of procedure in order to expedite the disposition of election cases. The case started when Plaza filed a petition for review with the SC, asking it to intervene and order the Comelec to include him in the list of candidates for the coming elections. “The records would show that… Plaza was afforded his right to prove the legitimacy of his candidacy [before he was declared a nuisanc candidate],” the high court said in its ruling. — Mark D. Merueñas/KBK, GMA News

Comelec employees want next commissioners to come from their ranks

 News
Feb 182013
 
Comelec employees want next commissioners to come from their ranks

Employees of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) are urging President Benigno Aquino III to pick the next two commissioners from their ranks so that their rights and well-being will be championed. “We have earlier manifested our desire for the President to appoint commissioners from the ranks. Those that will work for the best interest of the rank and file,” said Mac Ramirez, Comelec-EU national president, in a media advisory Monday. The 6,000-strong Comelec Employees’ Union is set to name their bet Tuesday at a press conference. The two commissioners will replace Commissioners Armando Velasco and Rene Sarmiento, who both retired last February 2. Of the two, it was Velasco who rose from the ranks, starting as an election officer in Baguio City in 1991. He was the poll director in the Cordillera Administrative Region prior to his appointment as commissioner in November 2008 to fill in the unfinished term of Commissioner Moslemen Macarambon. Sarmiento, on the other hand, was a human rights lawyer. He worked for the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process before being appointed to the Comelec in 2006 by then-President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. He replaced former Commissioner Rufino Javier. Sarmiento earlier said he has been hearing the names of former Lanao del Norte Macabangkit Lanto; Legal Network for Truthful Elections executive director lawyer Louie Guia; lawyer Angelina Santiago, daughter of a former justice; Comelec law department director lawyer Esperanza Ladra; Comelec planning department director lawyer Ferdinand Rafanan; and acting deputy director for administration lawyer Adolfo Ibanez as possible Read More …

Despite incident involving armed Pinoys, Malacañang won't reopen Sabah claim

 News
Feb 182013
 
Despite incident involving armed Pinoys, Malacañang won't reopen Sabah claim

Malaysian cops, troops surround Filipino armed group in Sabah . Sabah Police Commissioner Hamza Taib (center) leaves after a meeting at a police base near Lahad Datu on Borneo island on Sunday. About 100 armed men holed up in a village in Sabah, Malaysia refuse to leave, saying they have links with the Sultanate of Sulu in the Philippines which has a historic claim over the northern tip of Borneo island. Malaysia police and army troops have surrounded the village, with navy boats patrolling nearby islands. Reuters/Bazuki Muhammad Malacañang remained adamant that despite the incident involving some 400 people including 20 gunmen who have crossed over to the Malaysian state of Sabah, the Aquino administration will not revisit the country’s claim to the disputed land. “From what I understand, the claim is there and it hasn’t moved for quite some time. I also remember that the President did mention that it’s been dormant. Let’s leave it at that for the moment,” Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Abigail Valte said in a briefing. In the 1960s, the Philippine government laid claim over Sabah based on historical and legal data, but later suspended its claim and instead forged close cooperation with its neighbor Malaysian. Valte added that more than any claim over Sabah, the administration is more concerned about the safety of those involved in the standoff. “The main concern really is the safety of the people who are there. So ‘yun po muna ‘yung pinag-uusapan at ‘yung sinesentruhan natin,” Valte said. “[We want] Read More …

DFA asks Kiram group anew to leave Sabah

 News
Feb 182013
 
DFA asks Kiram group anew to leave Sabah

By Tarra Quismundo Philippine Daily Inquirer 4:39 pm | Monday, February 18th, 2013 DFA spokesman Raul Hernandez. INQUIRER.net FILE PHOTO MANILA, Philippines—The Department of Foreign Affairs on Monday reiterated its call for a Filipino armed group holding fort in Sabah to return home peacefully saying the standoff could potentially impact the on-going peace talks in Mindanao and bilateral ties between the Philippines and Malaysia. Assistant Secretary Raul Hernandez, the DFA spokesperson, said Philippine officials have been in constant coordination with their Malaysian counterparts in hopes of settling the standoff without bloodshed. “We are endeavoring to have the group leave Lahad Datu peacefully and this remains to be a work in progress in coordination with the Malaysian government. We want this issue to be settled in a peaceful manner,” said Hernandez. “What is important for now is for them to leave that area because this could affect existing issues we have including peace talks and possible bilateral relations,” said the official in a briefing Monday afternoon. The DFA said the government has yet to officially confirm the identity and objectives of the armed group that landed on Sabah’s Lahad Datu district last week. But Sultan Jamalul Kiram had said he sent the group of some 400 people, among them 20 armed men, to establish permanent residence in the area, asserting his family’s ancestral ownership over the land. The DFA further lauded the Malaysian government’s peaceful approach to the dispute.

Kuwaiti envoy’s guard stopped for gun

 News
Feb 172013
 
Kuwaiti envoy’s guard stopped for gun

By Jaymee T. Gamil Philippine Daily Inquirer 3:31 am | Monday, February 18th, 2013 MANILA, Philippines—The Makati City police stood firm in its implementation of the nationwide gun ban, charging a bodyguard of an ambassador to Manila with violation of the election prohibition. Makati police chief Senior Supt. Manuel Lukban Jr. said city police on Saturday afternoon apprehended Noel Aspa, 31, a “protective agent” of Accuria Executive Protection and Detective Services Inc. who was hired to provide security for the Kuwaiti ambassador to the Philippines. Aspa was stopped at 1:40 p.m. by a security guard manning the entrance to Greenbelt 5 as he entered ahead of Ambassador Waleed Ahmad Al-Kandari. Aspa refused to deposit his firearm, a 9-mm pistol, with 15 rounds of ammunition, prompting the mall guard to radio policemen patrolling near the area for help. Lukban said that out of respect for the diplomat, and so as to “not jeopardize his security,” the police confiscated the gun but allowed Aspa to enter with the ambassador. The Makati police, however, went ahead and filed a complaint in court against Aspa for violating the Omnibus Election Code. “If the judge issues a warrant of arrest for him, then we’ll arrest him,” Lukban said. High profile requires exemption Lukban reminded private security agencies that no matter how high profile their clients were, they were still “specifically required to seek an exemption from the Commission on Elections.” Once an exemption is approved, private security guards are required to be in uniform when Read More …

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