Maniolas

By Bong LozadaINQUIRER.net 9:11 pm | Thursday, June 5th, 2014 MANILA, Philippines—South Korea continues to boost the arsenal of  the Philippine Navy, this time with a battle-ready Corvette. Commander Gregory Fabic, Philippine Navy Public Affairs Office Chief, said that the Corvette would arrive by the end of 2014. He added that the “Pohang” class Corvette of South Korea would arrive equipped with all its weapons and sensor system intact. According to Fabic, the “Pohang” class Corvette is a general-purpose sea vessel that the Republic of Korea Navy operates. “Pohang” class Corvettes have served in a coastal defense role during the Cold War period. There were 24 “Pohang” class Corvettes built, all in South Korea, and 21 remain in service. Corvettes are armed with Harpoon and Exocet anti-ship missiles, a 76 millimeter Oto Melara automatic cannon, one Breda 40 mm twin cannons, two Mark 32 triple tubes, and 12 Mark 9 depth charges. Follow Us Other Stories: Chinese reclamation in Spratlys violates Asean conduct declaration – DND G7 concerned by Asian maritime tensions Vietnam shows video of Chinese ship ramming boat 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. Short URL: http://globalnation.inquirer.net/?p=105908 Factual errors? Contact the Philippine Daily Inquirer’s day desk. Believe this article violates journalistic ethics? Contact the Inquirer’s Reader’s Advocate. Or write The Readers’ Read More …

PNoy meets EU rep Kristalina Georgieva. President Benigno Aquino III welcomes European Union Commissioner for International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Kristalina Georgieva during the Asia-Europe Meeting Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction and Management at Diamond Hotel in Manila on Thursday, June 5. Also in photo is Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario. Gil Nartea The European Union commissioner on humanitarian aid on Thursday announced a €30 million grant for the Philippine government to increase the EU’s reconstruction assistance in areas destroyed by super-typhoon Yolanda. Kristalina  Georgieva, the EU Commissioner for International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response, announced the grant in Manila, where she is attending the Asia-Europe Meeting n Disaster Risk Reduction and Management. Georgieva also went to Tacloban City to see the progress of EU-funded projects in the communities affected by the strongest typhoon ever in recorded history. A statement from the EU delegation to the Philippines said, “EU-funded humanitarian actions have already greatly contributed to meeting the emergency needs of the survivors of the world’s most destructive typhoon ever recorded to have made landfall. But the road to reconstruction is still long.” “My visit to Tacloban has been a stark reminder of the devastation which hit the Philippines last November,” Georgieva said. “Seven months on, many survivors are still struggling to recover. The need for assistance remains, but my visit has also been full of encouragement. Everywhere I turned, I saw people rebuilding their homes, replanting their fields, or reopening their businesses,” she added. “While there Read More …

A ranking police official on Thursday said a complaint has been filed against the lawyers of arrested businessman Delfin Lee for obstruction of justice. “I personally filed the case against the lawyers because of deception,” said Director Benjamin Magalong, head of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG). The two — William Rivera and Gilbert Requiso — were accused of muddling the status of the arrest warrant on Lee, a suspect in a multi-billion housing scam. “They made it appear that [the] arrest warrant was already lifted when in fact it’s not,” said Magalong. “I have consulted third party lawyers on this and they said that there are grounds to file a case against them,” he added. The warrant was issued by a Pampanga court in connection with the alleged double sale of house and lots and other units under Globe Asiatique Inc., which Lee owns. Lee was arrested last March after more than a year of hiding, but his lawyers questioned the arrest, saying the Court of Appeals had ordered the lifting of the warrant in November last year. The Pampanga court, however, had yet to act on the CA order pending the resolution of another motion filed with the Supreme Court. Despite this, Rivera and Requiso allegedly used the CA order to ask Philippine National Police chief Director General Alan Purisima to remove Lee from the police wanted list. At the time, the police were unaware of another motion pending with the high court. —KBK, GMA News

The Office of the Ombudsman has denied the application for immunity of alleged pork barrel scam mastermind Janet Lim Napoles for “not meeting the qualifications to become an immune witness. In a statement released on Thursday, Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales said Napoles “appears to be the most guilty of all respondents.” Morales, however, extended immunity from criminal prosecution to whistleblowers Benhur Luy, Marina Sula, Merlina Suñas, Mary Arlene Baltazar and Simonette Briones.  — Amanda Fernandez/KBK, GMA News