Aussie with ammo, Fil-Am with gun caught in Naia checks

 News
Jan 292013
 
Aussie with ammo, Fil-Am with gun caught in Naia checks

By Jodee A. Agoncillo Philippine Daily Inquirer 9:19 pm | Tuesday, January 29th, 2013 INQUIRER FILE PHOTO MANILA, Philippines–An Australian national was caught with almost a hundred 9-mm bullets while a wheelchair-bound Filipino-American yielded a .22 cal. pistol in separate security checks at Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Pasay City on Tuesday. The Australian, identified as David Andrew Straoud, was scheduled to board Philippine Airlines flight 730 to Bangkok, Thailand, when 99 bullets were found in his backpack during a check through the X-ray machine around 8 a.m. at Naia Terminal 2. Straoud, a 42-year-old oil drilling engineer married to a Filipino woman, was placed under arrest by the Pasay police for illegal possession of ammunition and violation of the election gun ban. In an interview, Straoud claimed that the bullets were placed in the bag by mistake and that his wife Vina Vergara had a license for a 9-mm pistol, which he said she acquired for “self-defense.” About three hours earlier that morning, the bullets went undetected when Straoud flew to Naia from Silay Airport in Bacolod City, where his family is based. “Perhaps, they were still sleepy,” he said as to how security personnel missed the bullets at Silay. Later in the afternoon, Vergara and her son with Straoud immediately flew to Manila carrying the gun license and other pertinent documents. She was working on his bail amounting totaling P60,000 at press time. Also on Tuesday, Esmael Bulatao, a Filipino-American and polio sufferer who hails from Canan, Pangasinan Read More …

Tubbataha Reef accident ignored during meeting of PH officials with US lawmakers

 News
Jan 292013
 
Tubbataha Reef accident ignored during meeting of PH officials with US lawmakers

By Tarra Quismundo Philippine Daily Inquirer 8:59 pm | Tuesday, January 29th, 2013 Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert Del Rosario, right, looks at the guest book which was signed by visiting US congressmen led by Edward Royce, R-Calif., left, Chairman of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, Tuesday, Jan. 29, 2013, in Manila, Philippines. Rep. Royce is in Manila for talks with top Philippine officials, including President Benigno Aquino III, aimed at strengthening relations between the two countries. Others in the photo are Rep. Eliot Engel, D-New York, second from left, Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Fla., third from left, Rep. Matt Salmon, R-Ariz., fourth from left, and Rep. Tom Marino, R-Pa., second from right. AP MANILA, Philippines — The grounding of a United States minesweeper ship on Tubbataha Reef and its increasing damage on the marine sanctuary and protected area in the Sulu Sea was apparently not on the agenda when a delegation of US lawmakers met with Philippine officials on Monday. Officials of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said discussions between the Philippine and US sides instead focused on furthering long-standing defense and economic ties between the two countries. Environmental issues were discussed broadly, with focus on Philippine initiatives on preparing for and mitigating the impact of climate change, officials said. “There was a discussion of the leadership of the Philippines in terms of conservation of the environment,” said Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary for American Affairs Carlos Sorreta, who was present in the meeting. Asked if there was an Read More …

The Mexican Connection

 News
Jan 292013
 

8:51 pm | Tuesday, January 29th, 2013 VALLADOLID, The Yucatan—This is not my first time in the Yucatan nor in Mexico, and every time I visit, always as a turista (to act otherwise would be disingenuous), I feel a connection with the country, a stronger one with it and the rest of Latin America than with that country north of the border, where my wife and I live, even as the tangled layers of bloodlines, colonial history, and economic imperatives, among other things, tie us to both the Hispanic world and that of the norteamericanos. Perhaps this can be explained by the simple fact that Las Islas Filipinas—that perla del mar oriente—was under the Iberian thumb far, far longer than the roughly half a century of US colonial occupation. The United States did take over a Southeast Asian country but one that was already Hispanicized. Walking around this lovely, un-bustling 16th-century colonial town, blessedly far from the hordes of visitors that clog Cancun on the Caribbean coast but not too far as to be a long haul from the Cancun airport, I do have a sense of déjà vu, even if this may be my first visit to this particular pueblo that is still largely Mayan. Whenever asked, I always facetiously summarize the legacies of more than three centuries of Spanish rule as the fiesta, the siesta, and la iglesia—with the last being a legacy the Philippines would be much better shaking off. (In this sense, the Mexicans very astutely Read More …

Tatay in America: From macho Filipino to Mr. Mom

 News
Jan 292013
 
Tatay in America: From macho Filipino to Mr. Mom

Kuwento By Benjamin Pimentel 8:47 pm | Tuesday, January 29th, 2013 Jojo Abinales with daughter Angela SAN FRANCISCO – One would hang out at a laundromat watching telenovelas. Another didn’t know the difference between a blouse and a skirt. Meet the Filipino man as Mr. Mom. They cook, do the laundry and take care of their children. In other words, they don’t fit the traditional image of the Filipino male. Or more specifically, the macho Filipino. The ranks of at-home dads, as Mr. Moms are also known, are growing in the United States, according to a recent Wall Street Journal report. And they are helping change the parenting styles in America, the story said. Reading that story led me to think of three Filipino Mr. Moms I know. They’re friends of mine, fellow expats now based in the US. To be sure, in a society where having a maid is a luxury few can afford, Filipino men in the US take on far more parenting and household responsibilities than their counterparts back home. I went on paternity leave twice to take care of my kids. But those stints were short, each gig lasting no more than three months. On the other hand, my three friends played that role for at least a year. For one of them, it’s turned into a life-long commitment. It is, they all agreed, a tough job. “It was easy when there was only one child, but when there was another one, it became difficult,” said Romel Read More …

British tourist cries rape; cops make arrest

 News
Jan 292013
 
British tourist cries rape; cops make arrest

By Nestor P. Burgos Jr.Inquirer Visayas 7:51 pm | Tuesday, January 29th, 2013 ILOILO CITY, Philippines—Police have arrested a resort cook for the alleged rape of a British tourist in Boracay recently. Senior Inspector Joeffer Cabural, head of the police’s Boracay Tourist Assistance Center (BTAC), said the rape charge has been filed at the Aklan provincial prosecutor’s office in Kalibo last Monday against Carlo San Jose, 36. The victim, a 23-year-old British woman, reported the rape to the BTAC on January 26, shortly after the sexual assault took place. Cabural said the woman and San Jose, who works as a cook in the resort where the victim had been staying, had a drinking spree the night before the alleged rape. The woman told police that when she became intoxicated, the suspect did not bring her back to the resort but to a staff house in Barangay Balabag in Boracay where the alleged rape occurred. Members of the BTAC arrested San Jose at the staff house. The woman also underwent medical examination, which showed signs of rape, Cabural said. San Jose, now at the BTAC, denied raping the woman and claimed that she was his girlfriend. “Even if they are lovers, it does not mean necessarily mean that there was no rape because there is even marital rape,” Cabural said. 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 Read More …

CBCP will support initiatives to determine, choose 'worthy candidates'

 News
Jan 292013
 
CBCP will support initiatives to determine, choose 'worthy candidates'

After listing the Philippines’ “problems as a nation,” the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) said it will support lay initiatives to form “circles of discernment to choose worthy candidates” in the midterm elections in May. “We will help the people to know the stance of those who run for office on important issues of the country,” it said. The quotes are part of a pastoral statement it issued after a three-day plenary session in which the CBCP enumerated—and blasted—the country’s “long litany of storms,” including the government’s inability to stop a “culture of impunity” that allows extrajudicial killings; its failure to ease the suffering of the poor despite good economic news; and “the promotion of a culture of death and promiscuity” through school sex education, the use of contraceptives and discussions about divorce. “We note the above social and political storms that buffet our Filipino life because they deeply touch the experiences of our people. We speak for those who suffer. We bring these concerns to those who have responsibility and hence accountability. These stormy situations need not be so!” the CBCP said in the statement signed by council president and Cebu Archbishop Jose S. Palma. RH law denounced anew The CBCP denounced anew the passage of the Reproductive Health Law, and what it claimed were the “political and financial pressures imposed on lawmakers” as well as the “imperialism exercised by secularistic international organizations in the legislative process.” It commended the efforts of lay people and lawgivers who Read More …

PNoy hopes Church will forgive Celdran

 News
Jan 292013
 
PNoy hopes Church will forgive Celdran

While President Benigno Aquino may not agree with how activist Carlos Celdran expressed his stance on the Church’s interference in political matters, he hopes that the country’s religious leaders will forgive Celdran’s actions. “I may sympathize with Mr. Celdran’s position. Perhaps ‘yung methodology—during a Mass—baka we don’t agree with it,” Aquino said on the sidelines of the 40th anniversary celebration of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA). “At the same time, siguro kung tutularan ‘nung ating kaparian, ating mga religious, ‘yung ehemplo mismo ng [Santo] Papa at maraming [Santo] Papa, palagay ko lalabas naman ‘yung Christian generosity and charity at baka naman mapatawad naman nila si Ginoong Celdran para naman, ‘di ba, pwede na tayong umusad mula doon sa panahon na ‘yon,” he said. On January 28, Celdran was found guilty of “offending religious feelings” by the Manila Metropolitan Trial Court. The decision was in reference to a one-man protest Celdran held in September 2010, when he called for an end to the Church’s opposition to the now-passed Reproductive Health bill. Dressed as Jose Rizal, Celdran disrupted an ecumenical service—not a Mass—in the Manila Cathedral attended by ranking bishops and city officials by holding up a placard bearing the name “Damaso,” in reference to the notorious priest in Rizal’s Noli Me Tangere. Celdran has since apologized, but maintained that his protest was within his constitutional right to free speech. For his part, Aquino appealed to reason, saying there is a time and place for everything. “Syempre, may constitutional provision Read More …

Bill giving P100,000 to Pinoy centenarians nears Congress approval

 News
Jan 292013
 
Bill giving P100,000 to Pinoy centenarians nears Congress approval

A bill giving P100,000 each to Filipinos who reach the age of 100 is just a few steps away from becoming a law after the Senate adopted the House version of the measure. Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman, author of House Bill 834 or the “Centenerians Bill,” said the Senate adopted his version of the proposed legislation on Monday afternoon with minor amendments. The bill entitles Filipino citizens who reached and will reach the age of 100 to a P100,000 cash gift, as well as a letter of felicitation from the President congratulating the centenarian for his or her longevity. Lagman said his measure seeks to laud centenarians for their “achievement and distinction” of living to be 100, especially at a time when the average life expectancy in the Philippines is pegged at 71 years. The census conducted by the National Statistics Office in 2010 showed there are around 8,000 centenarians living in the Philippines. Aside from the cash gift, the bill also grants a 75-percent discount on goods and services to centenarians. Lagman initially suggested a 50-percent discount, but the Senate raised the entitlement to the current rate. The measure also proposes the creation of a national committee, headed by the executive secretary, which will validate the true birth year of a centenarian applicant and which will ensure the release of the cash gift within 30 days of the validation. The bill will now have to be ratified by both chambers of Congress before it is forwarded to Malacañang for Read More …

Senate to turn over financial documents to COA

 News
Jan 292013
 
Senate to turn over financial documents to COA

The Senate will be turning over its financial documents to the Commission on Audit (COA) on Wednesday, Senate accounts committee chair Sen. Panfilo Lacson said Tuesday. “Ready na, nasa sa akin yung mga dokumento. Tamang-tama bukas mayroon kaming meeting with COA chair [Grace Pulido-Tan] so dadalin ko na tuloy,” Lacson told reporters. He issued the statement after Tan in a letter asked that the Senate “make available” to them papers, documents and information connected to the augmentation and realignment of Senate funds. Tan said the documents shall be used to “carry out a no-holds barred audit of the Senate finances.” Lacson said that as of Tuesday 1 p.m., the available documents from the Senate accounting department are submissions from the offices of individual senators. He said this will cover the years 2009 to 2012. “Lahat lahat [ng financial documents]. Basta yung pondo ng mga individual senators nandoon, yun ang ituturn over ko bukas. Hindi ko pa rin nakikita kasi nandun nakakahon siya, naka-envelope siya pero as required, magco-comply kami,” he said. “[Pero] wala pa yung sa Senate proper. Sabi ko madaliin nila, kailangan madala ko lahat,” he added. Lacson said he will also meet with Tan to clarify some things in her letter. “[Una] ano yung sakop nung hinihingi niyang mga dokumento? Pangalawa yung liquidation by certification or by submission of documents, receipts etc kung kailan dapat magsimula?” he said.  “Of course alam namin effective immediately effective 2013 pero icocover ba nila yung past years na magrerequire ba ng magsubmit Read More …

Loren, Chiz, Grace Poe won’t appear in UNA ads

 News
Jan 292013
 
Loren, Chiz, Grace Poe won’t appear in UNA ads

Although they are considered as common candidates of the two major coalitions in the 2013 polls, former Movie and Television Review and Classification Board chief Grace Poe-Llamazares and re-electionist Senators Francis Escudero and Loren Legarda will not appear in political advertisements of the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA). At a press conference Tuesday, Deputy Speaker Lorenzo Tañada III, one of the administration’s campaign spokesmen, said the three common candidates already had an agreement with the ruling Liberal Party (LP)’s leadership not to join UNA’s campaign. “I think that has already been answered. We will not allow the three common candidates in UNA’s political ads. This has been clear. Kung lalabas kayo dito sa ad namin, dapat dito lang,” Tañada said. Marikina Rep. Romero Quimbo, another administration campaign spokesman, meanwhile said that Poe, Escudero and Legarda were not barred to appear in UNA’s ads, but the three consented in campaigning only with the administration slate. “All the candidates are mature enough to make decisions. It’s not a matter na may pinagbawalan o hindi, but there was a specific agreement among mature political leaders na we need to be consistent on the message,” Quimbo said at the same press briefing. All three common candidates appeared in the administration’s first political advertisement for the 2013 polls, which was launched on Monday. They, however, were not included in the UNA ad, which aired earlier this month. Transportation Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya, LP secretary-general, earlier said that President Benigno Aquino III himself asked Legarda not to Read More …

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