Drilon backs DOJ for administration of witness protection program

 Entertainment
Jun 262014
 
Drilon backs DOJ for administration of witness protection program

CELEBRATING THE SENATE’S 97th ANNIVERSARY. Senate President Franklin M. Drilon addresses Senate officials and employees during the Senate’s flag raising ceremony Monday, October 21. Drilon took the opportunity to thank everyone for what he calls a “selfless act” in deciding to forego plans to celebrate the annual Christmas Party in favor of donating the funds to the victims of recent calamities that struck Visayas and Mindanao. The Senate, which is also celebrating its 97th Anniversary, has also decided to allocate the budget for the anniversary to the victims of the recent 7.2 magnitude earthquake that hit Bohol and Cebu. (MNS photo) MANILA, June 25 (Mabuhay) – Senate President Franklin M. Drilon said he is opposed to a proposed legislation which seeks to remove the Witness Protection Program (WPP) from the Department of Justice, saying that it is part of the agency’s mandate as the government’s primary prosecution arm to search out for witnesses and ensure their safety to aid in effective disposition of justice. The Senate leader threw his support behind Secretary Leila de Lima who sought to retain jurisdiction on the WPP under the DOJ which is the subject of House Bill No. 4583 seeking to transfer administration of WPP to lower courts. As former justice secretary, Drilon said he fully understands the need for the DOJ to retain control of the WPP. “It is the duty of the DOJ being the lead prosecutor to gather credible witnesses who have knowledge about the crimes committed. But to persuade a Read More …

Revilla gets extended visiting hours after arraignment

 News
Jun 262014
 
Revilla gets extended visiting hours after arraignment

Court enters not guilty plea for Bong in plunder case. Senator Ramon Bong Revilla Jr. arrives at the Sandiganbayan in Quezon City on Thursday, June 26, for his arraignment for the the graft and plunder charges filed against him and several others in connection with the alleged P10-B pork barrel scam. He refused to enter a plea, prompting the anti-graft court to enter a not guilty plea for him. GMA News The Philippine National Police on Thursday allowed visits to Sen. Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr. at his detention facility at the PNP Custodial Center in Camp Crame until 7 p.m. Regular visiting hours for detainees at the PNP Custodial Center are from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Thursdays and Sundays. PNP spokesman Chief Superintendent Reuben Theodore Sindac said this would make up for visiting hours eaten up when Revilla was arraignment at the Sandiganbayan, radio dzBB’s Tuesday Niu reported. The report quoted Sindac as saying Revilla had returned to his detention facility past noon after he was arraigned in the morning. Revilla is detained at the Custodial Center after the Sandiganbayan ordered his arrest on graft and plunder charges stemming from the alleged P10-billion pork barrel scam. Last weekend, Revilla’s family was allowed to visit him Friday and Saturday, and stay beyond 3 p.m. Sunday.  The PNP had said this was an adjustment period for him, and that it would afterwards enforce the regular visiting hours for him. Only lawyers, spiritual advisers and doctors have access to Revilla at Read More …

FDA advises hospitals vs 2 heparin products

 News
Jun 262014
 
FDA advises hospitals vs 2 heparin products

After tagging contaminated heparin as the cause of chills experienced by some patients at the National Kidney and Transplant Institute last May, Philippine health authorities have issued an advisory against two brands of the product. The Food and Drug Administration issued Advisory 2014-049 where it warned against the use of Meparin 5 (1000 IU/ml) and Meparin 25 (5000 IU/ml). It advised hospitals, health facilities and the general public to “stop the use” of these products manufactured by MedChem International Ltd – India, “regardless of the batch.” Also, it advised government and commercial pharmacies to stop dispensing these particular drug products. However, the FDA advisory dated June 25 did not specifically say if the two products could be behind the chills experienced by some patients at the NKTI last May. Last Tuesday, a report on “24 Oras” said contaminated heparin is being eyed as the cause of the chills experienced by at least 44 patients at the NKTI last May. The “24 Oras” report added the manufacturer and distributors of the contaminated brand had been notified, though the DOH at the time declined to identify the brand and manufacturer. Quality problem The FDA said it found Meparin 5 batch N-3176 contaminated with bacteria. It earlier issued a recall order on Meparin 5 batches N-3176, and put other batches of this product on quality hold. In a phone interview with GMA News Online on Thursday, Thelma Barros, company pharmacist of the brands’ distributor, Pharma-Surrey International, Inc., said that they conducted a voluntary Read More …

Bad weather cancels 22 domestic flights, diverts int'l flight to Clark

 News
Jun 262014
 
Bad weather cancels 22 domestic flights, diverts int'l flight to Clark

An inbound international flight was diverted to Pampanga, while 22 domestic flights were canceled due to bad weather on Thursday, the Ninoy Aquino International Airport said. In a post on its Facebook page, the Manila International Airport Authority said Singapore Airlines flight SQ-912 from Singapore to Manila was “diverted to Clark due to bad weather.” The MIAA indicated the flight was to arrive at Clark nearly three hours past its initial scheduled arrival. On the other hand, NAIA Terminal 3 noted 22 canceled flights due to bad weather as of 6 p.m., including: 2P 2079/2080 Manila-Cartarman-Manila 2P 2071/2072 Manila-Calbayog-Manila 5J 323/324 Manila-Legazpi-Manila 2P 2925/2926 Manila-Legazpi-Manila 5J 521/522 Manila-Naga-Manila 2P 2031/2032 Manila-Busuanga-Manila 5J 329/330 Manila-Legazpi-Manila 2P 2927/2928 Manila-Legazpi-Manila 5J 529/530 Manila-Busuanga-Manila 5J 899/900 Manila-Caticlan-Manila 5J 531/532 Manila-Busuanga-Manila Heavy rain fell over parts of Metro Manila and nearby provinces on Thursday afternoon. PAGASA said this was due to a low-pressure area estimated at 190 km east-northeast of Catarman, Northern Samar or 211 km east of Virac, Catanduanes as of 4 p.m. In its 5 p.m. bulletin, PAGASA said Metro Manila, Central Luzon, MIMAROPA, CALABARZON, Bicol and Western Visayas may have moderate to occasionally heavy rains and thunderstorms which may trigger flash floods and landslides. — Joel Locsin/JDS, GMA News

PHL to China: Map won’t make territories yours

 News
Jun 262014
 
PHL to China: Map won’t make territories yours

China can’t assert its ownership of territories in the South China Sea on the basis of a new map that places almost all of the disputed waters within its national boundaries, the Philippines said on Thursday. China’s new official map contains ten dashes instead of the usual nine dashes that forms a tongue-shaped perimeter around the South China Sea, encroaching on the territories of its smaller Asian neighbors like the Philippines.  The tenth dash, placed outside the South China Sea, was added beside Taiwan—a self-ruling democratic island that broke away from the mainland in 1949—to imply its status as a Chinese province. “The map per se will not make the territories that you claim yours. If it were so, then let’s all draw our own maps,” Foreign Affairs Charles Jose told a press briefing. The new map, which GMA News Online published as early as in 2013, is viewed as another attempt by China to reinforce its claims in the South China Sea. Foreign news wire agency Reuters reported on the new map on Wednesday. Jose said the Philippines didn’t recognize the Chinese map, calling it “unreasonably expansive.” “Your map should be based on international law,” Jose said. “No country in the world recognizes the nine-dash line of China.” Jose expects the map to be nullified should the Philippines get a favorable ruling on the case it filed in 2013 against China before the Netherlands-based tribunal operating under a United Nations convention.  Manila is asking the court to declare China’s Read More …

Youth groups slam CHED for dropping Filipino subjects from college curriculum

 News
Jun 262014
 
Youth groups slam CHED for dropping Filipino subjects from college curriculum

Youth organizations under the Rise for Education alliance staged a rally in front of the office of the Commission on Higher Education in Quezon City on Thursday to protest the removal of Filipino subjects from the curriculum of colleges and universities. The protesters said they trooped to the CHED office to show their objection against CHED Memorandum No. Series of 2013 (CMO 20), which removes Filipino as subject in the collegiate level. A statement by the alliance quoted Charlotte Velasco, League of Filipino Students (LFS) national spokesperson and R4E alliance co-convenor, as saying that CHED’s resolution “will worsen the clash between the English and Filipino language.” The youth alliance also hit CHED chairperson Patricia Licunan for saying schools may opt to use the Filipino language as medium for teaching. “Saying the Filipino language can be used as a medium for teaching isn’t tantamount to teaching definite Filipino courses. Teaching disciplines in Filipino is insufficient in developing the youth’s knowledge on the Filipino language and culture,” she said. According to CMO 20, Filipino will no longer be part of the general education curriculum by 2016 and the teaching of Filipino at the college level will be limited to Filipino majors and Education in Filipino majors. The CHED justified the removal by saying that the subject would be covered in Grades 11 and 12 under the new K-12 curriculum. Affected professors Meanwhile, the youth alliance agreed with the National Commission for Culture and the Arts’ National Committee on Language and Translation’s (NCCA-NCLT) Read More …

Wenceslao group questions deal between Alphaland, Ashmore

 General
Jun 262014
 
Wenceslao group questions deal between Alphaland, Ashmore

By Doris C. DumlaoPhilippine Daily Inquirer 6:10 pm | Thursday, June 26th, 2014 SCREENGRAB from www.alphaland.com.ph MANILA, Philippines — The estranged partner of Alphaland Corp. in the Alphaland Bay City (ABC) project has questioned the inclusion of the former’s stake in this venture as part of a settlement deal between the property development group led by businessman Roberto V. Ongpin and British fund Ashmore. In a statement on Thursday, the Wenceslao group said Alphaland could not transfer its shares in the joint venture to Ashmore unless it has been allowed to exercise or waive its right of first refusal. The Wenceslao group said it has formally asked Alphaland Development Inc. (ADI) to “honor its contractual obligations.” The Wenceslaos insisted on its right of first refusal under the shareholders agreement governing the joint venture between Wenceslao and ADI to develop the marina project located in Aseana City, a 32 -hectare development sandwiched between PAGCOR Entertainment City and Mall of Asia. The group has also claimed it has a “tag-along” right, which allows it to sell its holdings in the joint-venture company ABC on the same terms Alphaland is transferring its shares to Ashmore. “We need to look at the terms first between Alphaland and Ashmore before we can decide whether to exercise or waive our right of first refusal, or invoke the tag along,” the Wenceslao statement added. The Wenceslaos claimed that the joint venture was supposed to have 32 hectares of property, out of which Alphaland had reportedly contributed 10 Read More …

4 Filipino businessmen among Forbes' 'heroes'

 Economy
Jun 262014
 
4 Filipino businessmen among Forbes' 'heroes'

Enrique Razon, Jr. photographed at the opening of his business venture Solaire Resort & Casino in 2013. Solaire photo MANILA, Philippines — Forbes Magazine recognized four Filipino businessmen in its annual list of “Heroes of Philanthropy” for launching new and innovative projects the past year. “Our goal is not to rank the biggest givers–the figures would be impossible to collect. Instead we aim to call attention to people and causes,” Forbes Asia editor John Koppisch wrote. He also explained that the 48 people in the list give their own money and not their company’s, unless the firms are owned mostly by them. “We want to focus on the people writing the checks and sketching the broad vision,” Koppisch said in the magazine’s behalf. Century Pacific Group chairman Ricardo Po, Sr., nicknamed “Mr. Tuna” after his companies’ most popular product, launched CPG-RSPo Foundation in 2010 to help eliminate hunger and improve nutrition. Ricardo Po, Sr. giving a food pack to a boy for the Kain Po program of his foundation in 2012. Century Pacific Business ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1 Forbes said 83-year-old Po, who experienced hunger himself as a child, served three million meals a year to children. The magazine also named 54-year-old International Container Terminal Services chief executive Enrique Razon, Jr., who set out to rehabilitate most devastated areas after super typhoon Yolanda last year. The ports and casino tycoon also contributed to rebuilding Tacloban’s airport and hospital and to delivering relief supplies via ships. “[Razon] Read More …

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