Taiwanese women stage lightning rally at Malacañang compound

 News
May 252013
 
Taiwanese women stage lightning rally at Malacañang compound

A group of Taiwanese women wearing mourning attire slipped past presidential guards and managed to hold a lightning rally inside the Malacañang compound in Manila Saturday. The 13 women brought a streamer demanding a public apology from the Philippine government for the death of a Taiwanese fisherman in an encounter in disputed waters on May 9. During their demonstration, presidential guards and anti-riot police had a hard time escorting them out of the compound but eventually allowed them to finish their activity peacefully, radio dzBB’s Divine Caraecle reported. One of the demonstrators was a former Taiwanese councilwoman, according to a GMA News “Flash report.” Presidential guards and police eventually allowed the demonstrators to read the contents of a letter seeking an apology. The dzBB report said the Taiwanese also asked President Benigno Aquino to heed their call for a public apology and to resolve the issue soonest. For his part, Presidential Communications Development and Strategic Planning Office head Ramon Carandang was quoted in the GMA News Flash report as saying the Philippines is focusing on the investigation of the incident. Tension remains between the Philippines and Taiwan over the May 9 incident, although both sides have agreed to a parallel investigation on the incident. — LBG, GMA News

Hopes high for a visit from Pope Francis in PHL in 2016 — CBCP

 News
May 252013
 
Hopes high for a visit from Pope Francis in PHL in 2016 — CBCP

The Philippines may get a visit from Pope Francis (Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio) in 2016 if a request by the Vatican is any indication, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) said. CBCP president and Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma said he received a request from the Vatican to move the 2016 International Eucharistic Congress (IEC) slated in Cebu City to an earlier date: January 25 to 31, instead of May 23 to 29. “Two weeks ago, we received a letter from (Archbishop Piero Marini, president of the Pontifical Committee on the International Eucharistic Congress) asking us if we could move the event to the second preferred date because the pope has another schedule in May,” Palma said in an article on the CBCP website on Wednesday. “We told them that January is fine because our suggestion was to make the pope’s visit to the Philippines a priority,” he added. The Philippines had already started preparations for hosting the event, which is expected to draw thousands of laity and Church leaders from around the world. Held every four years, the 51st International Eucharistic Congress 2016 will reflect on the theme “Christ in You: Our Hope of Glory.” Meanwhile, Palma called on the Filipino faithful to continue praying Pope Francis will indeed make a papal visit to the Philippines. “We know that the pope continues to inspire us and his visit will have an enormous impact on our faith and our Christian life,” he said. Pope Francis’ first international visit Meanwhile, Read More …

Seamen may file complaints at sea

 News
May 242013
 
Seamen may file complaints at sea

By Tina G. SantosPhilippine Daily Inquirer 6:46 am | Saturday, May 25th, 2013 MANILA, Philippines—Filipino seafarers may file work-related complaints even while aboard ocean-going vessels, according to the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA). POEA Administrator Hans Leo Cacdac said Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz had issued Department Order No. 127 directing the opening of communication lines between Filipino sailors and the POEA to strengthen the modes of conciliation and mediation of labor disputes in the maritime industry. “The department order effectively aligns with Regulation 5.1.5 of the Maritime Labor Convention 2006 of the International Labor Organization which requires the mandatory implementation of onboard complaints procedure for the fair, effective and expeditious handling of seafarer complaints alleging breaches of the requirements of the said convention, including labor and employment rights of seafarers,” Cacdac said. Aggrieved seafarers usually filed complaints only upon their return to the country, the POEA said. But Cacdac said a seafarer could now communicate to the POEA an onboard complaint either through postal mail addressed to the POEA administrator, Blas F. Ople Building corner Edsa and Ortigas Ave., Mandaluyong City, Philippines 1501; through e-mail addressed to onboardconci@poea.gov.ph, or by calling the office at tel. nos. 8336992, 5516641 and 5511560. Cacdac said the POEA would provide the seafarer with impartial advice on the complaint and assist him in going through the complaint procedures. He gave assurance that all information gathered during consultation would be kept in strict confidence and evaluated in accordance with existing rules and regulations governing the employment Read More …

Rescue of Russian mountaineer from Mt. Mayon proved costly

 News
May 242013
 
Rescue of Russian mountaineer from Mt. Mayon proved costly

By Mar ArguellesInquirer Southern Luzon 6:45 am | Saturday, May 25th, 2013 LEGAZPI CITY, Philippines—Russian tourist Mark Yuchyugyaev’s fascination with the majestic beauty of the Mayon Volcano proved to be costly, in more ways than one. To rescue the Russian tourist who went on an unauthorized Mayon Volcano climb and was injured in the process, the government had to shell out at least half a million pesos. Raffy Alejandro, regional direct of the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) in Bicol, said the government spent at least P520,000 during the two days of search and rescue (SAR) operation to extract Yuchyugyaev from a gully near the mouth of the volcano’s crater. Alejandro broke down the expenses as follows: P450,000 for the fuel used by the two Philippine Air Force helicopters during the two-day operation, or a flying time of about three hours for each helicopter at a fuel cost of P75,000/hour, and food and supplies amounting to P70,000 for the four teams of 35 personnel dispatched during the search. Alejandro said the bill for the entire exercise was charged to the Disaster Emergency Response fund of the PAF and the provincial government of Albay. Yuchyugyaev, who is now hospitalized at the Bicol Regional Teaching and Training Hospital (BRTTH) for a broken ankle, told officials here that despite his accident, he would still want to scale the 2,600-meter-high Mayon Volcano in the future. He said he was mesmerized when he saw the majestic Mayon Volcano in a tourist brochure, which made him Read More …

PCG report on grounded US ship due

 News
May 242013
 
PCG report on grounded US ship due

Philippine Daily Inquirer 6:39 am | Saturday, May 25th, 2013 MANILA, Philippines—The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) is expected to release next week its report on the grounding of the US Navy minesweeper, the Guardian, at the Tubbataha Reef last Jan. 17. According to PCG spokesperson Commander Armand Balilo, the report is about 90-percent complete. It will be submitted next week to Transportation Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya who will then forward it to President Aquino. According to Balilo, the report will include what actually happened or what caused the incident, as well as measures and recommendations to prevent its recurring. The 68-meter long Guardian ran aground at the Tubbataha Reef and damaged more than 1,500 square meters of the reef, which the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco) has declared a World Heritage Site. The Guardian was cut into pieces and removed from the reef last March 30. The US government has committed to rehabilitate the portion of the reef that was damaged by the Guardian but its discussions with the Department of Foreign Affairs on the matter have been kept confidential. 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: Commander Armand Balilo , Philippine Coast Guard , President Aquino , Transportation Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya , Tubbataha Read More …

Fil-Am staffers and students join UC Medical Center strike frontline

 News
May 242013
 
Fil-Am staffers and students join UC Medical Center strike frontline

By Hiyasmin QuijanoINQUIRER.net US Bureau 5:55 am | Saturday, May 25th, 2013 Filipino hospital staffers at strike picket line in front of the University of California Ronald Reagan Medical Center in Los Angeles. Photo by Hiyasmin Quijano LOS ANGELES, California–Filipino-American workers and students joined a two-day strike in front of the University of California Ronald Reagan Medical Center to “get priorities straight.” After ten months of negotiations, UC patient technical workers continue to bargain for enforceable safe staffing standards to protect patient care, a stop to outsourcing frontline care to less-experienced workers, fair wages to afford sending their own children to the University of California and a stop to oversized executive entitlements. Medical center works say hundreds are being laid off, schedules reduced and less-experienced providers being hired. Thousands of UC Medical patient care workers voted 97 percent in favor of the May 21-22 job stoppage. The strikers included respiratory therapists, nursing aides, radiologists, certified nursing assistants, MRI technologists, licensed vocational nurses, surgical technicians, diagnostic sonographers, pathology lab technicians, pharmacy technicians, or technicians and others staff members. UC Medical Centers serve approximately four million people annually. “I’m here for my patient. A lot of us are overworked because we’re also given on-call assignments. So sometimes we are working all week. We also never get released on time because there’s not enough staff to relieve us,” states Jing Ulamgkang. Staffers complain that over-scheduling, causes stress and exhaustion for care providers and delays for patients. “It all boils down to patient safety and Read More …

Anne Curtis “No Other Concert” is Adding 2nd show at Pechanga!

 Entertainment
May 242013
 

Pechanga Resorts & Casino celebrates the Filipino Independence Day by hosting Anne Curtis’“Annebisyosa” No Other Concert. The first stop of the concert series was held on January 28, 2012 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum, followed by the second concert on March 23, 2012 in Cebu, at the Waterfront Hotel and the third concert on May 5, 2012 in Atrium, at the Limketkai […]

Aquino signs law imposing stiffer penalties for hot meat imports

 Entertainment
May 242013
 

MANILA, May 23 (Mabuhay) — President Benigno Aquino III has signed into law a measure imposing stiffer penalties against the importation or sale of hot meat. “This particular law now provides for the definition of hot meat in light of the sale of double-dead or illegally smuggled meat,” deputy Malacanang spokesperson Abigail Valte said in […]

Aquino cites the critical role of engineering sector in infrastructure development

 Entertainment
May 242013
 

MANILA, May 23 (Mabuhay) – President Benigno S. Aquino III cited the critical role of the engineering sector in the pursuit of infrastructure development that is among his administration’s major priorities in this period of national revitalization. “The engineering sector plays a critical role in this undertaking: It builds roads to progress, bridges to bring […]

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