Maniolas

Cedric Lee and Zimmer Raz in NBI custody. Cedric Lee and Simeon “Zimmer” Raz after being arrested in Eastern Samar on April 26. They face serious illegal detention charges in connection with the mauling of actor Vhong Navarro in January. John Consulta, GMA News Cedric Lee and Simeon “Zimmer” Raz, who are both accused of mauling TV host and actor Vhong Navarro, will be brought to Manila from Eastern Samar on Sunday morning. According to a GMA News flash report aired Saturday evening, the two were supposed to be brought to Manila Saturday but the National Bureau of Investigation failed to get them on a flight in time. Once in Manila, they will be detained at the NBI headquarters in Manila. They will be confined in a small room there, a report on GMA’s “24-Oras” said Saturday. Video footage of the cramped room showed that it has its own toilet, and has an electric fan and a chair. According to Justice Secretary Leila De Lima, she instructed the NBI to immediately bring Lee and Raz back to Manila after their arrest. “Well, if possible ngayon talaga sila dadalhin kasi my instruction really is as soon as possible. Maybe today, maybe tomorrow, for as long as they (NBI) are able to arrange for their transport here,” De Lima said. Meanwhile, NBI director Virgilio Mendez said they had been monitoring the group’s moves for days. According to NBI assistant regional director Jun de Guzman, Lee and Raz initially evaded the arresting team Read More …

Juanito Itaas, the longest-held political prisoner in the Philippines, has written US President Barack Obama to ask for intervention in his case in time for the American president’s visit on Wednesday. Itaas was found guilty of the murder of US Army Col. James Rowe of the Joint US Military Assistance Group in 1989, exactly 25 years ago. He has been at the New Bilibid Prison since. Despite serving his sentence for more than two decades, some, including rights group Task Force Detainees of the Philippines, believe Itaas is being punished for a crime he did not commit. TFDP disseminated Itaas’letter to the media on Saturday. In the letter, Itaas appealed for Obama’s “urgent and personal intervention in the spirit of respect for the human dignity” in a petition that he has sent the government asking to be released. A Humanitarian Appeal to Obama by GMA News Online “As an advocate of peace and reconciliation among nations, Mr. President, I implore your Christian sense of mercy and compassion as you certainly believe in second chances. Your considerate action to my plea is a key factor for the realization of my renewed life as a law-abiding citizen and as a God-fearing person,” he said. — Kim Luces/JDS, GMA News

Residents of an Amish community in Ohio who traveled to the Philippines for a humanitarian mission have reportedly brought measles to the state. Knox County residents signed up for a two-week charity trip to the Philippines in March, community newspaper Mansfield Journal reported Friday. The aid mission by the Berlin, Ohio-based Christian Aid Ministries (CAM) is suspected to have brought the four Knox County residents in contact with Filipinos infected with measles. According to news website The Global Dispatch, the trip was the first of a series of trips planned by CAM. The disease has since spread to 14 other persons in the community. According to Amish culture website Amish America, many vaccination rates among members of the sect, whose members base their morals and way of life on the Bible. The four residents who traveled to the Philippines had not been vaccinated against measles, Mansfield News Journal said. Because of the outbreak, members of community have brought their children to get vaccinated against the disease, NBC News reported. In January, the Department of Health declared measles outbreaks in five cities in Metro Manila. The DOH had recorded 744 confirmed cases of measles in Metro Manila between January 1 and December 14, 2013. A total of 1,724 measles cases, meanwhile, had been reported across the country, with 21 patients dying of the disease. Singapore also recently warned its citizens of the risk of catching measles in the Philippines after at least 23 who traveled to the country tested positive for Read More …

Hong Kong’s lowering of the security travel alert on the Philippines was not influenced by the recent visit there of a contingent led by Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada to express “regret” over the 2010 Manila hostage tragedy. The claim was made by Hong Kong Secretary for Security Lai Tung-kwok, Radio Television Hong Kong reported on Saturday. Lai was quoted in the report as saying the Hong Kong government’s decision to lower the alert level from black (severe threat) to amber (signs of threat) stemmed not from the Philippine officials’ expressions of regret and solidarity but from the monitoring of the situation in the Philippines. “Mr. Lai said the situation in the Philippines had been closely monitored since the incident, and the government had taken note of improvements in safety,” the RTHK report said. On the other hand, the RTHK report quoted Lai as saying the Outbound Travel Alert could still be completely removed, or even raised back to Black, “depending on the circumstances.” Earlier this week, the Philippine government expressed its “most sorrowful regret and profound sympathy” for the Aug. 23, 2010 hostage incident where eight Hong Kong tourists were killed. In the incident, a dismissed policeman took hostage a busload of tourists to demand his reinstatement. The policeman and the eight tourists were killed in a botched police operation. On Wednesday, the Hong Kong government said it was lowering the outbound travel alert to amber. Hong Kong also reinstated the visa-free privileges for Philippine government officials visiting Hong Kong. Read More …

Malacañang on Saturday welcomed a reported statement by China’s ambassador to the Philippines that war is not in China’s interest, amid a territorial dispute between the two countries. Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said on government radio the Philippines also wants a peaceful solution to any dispute. “Maganda naman ang statement. Lahat tayo, kapayapaan ang gusto natin. Kahit nagkakaroon ng ganitong sigalot may paraan … (para) mapayapa pa rin ang ating paguusap,” she said on state-run dzRB radio. The Philippines and China are disputing parts of the South China Sea, with the Philippines referring to the portions it claims as the West Philippine Sea. On Saturday, a report in the Manila Bulletin quoted Chinese ambassador to Manila Zhao Jianhua as saying it is not in China’s interest to go to war with its neighbors. Zhao said this in an interview in Taguig City on Thursday night during a reception celebrating Queen Elizabeth II’s birthday, the Manila Bulletin report said. The Bulletin added this was the first time Zhao spoke publicly about the territorial dispute. “(O)nce there is a conflict, no matter the scale, there will be a disruption of investment and disruption of trade … One of the fundamental reasons China has been able to achieve so much is stability and peace in the region,” Zhao was quoted as saying. He added China is “busy enough” addressing other concerns and providing services for its citizens. He also said diplomacy remains the “settled and sound way of settling disputes.” “I would Read More …