Maniolas

MANILA, Philippines – Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle appealed to politicians on Tuesday not to use the papal visit as an opportunity to advance their political fortunes ahead of the 2016 elections. In a press briefing, Tagle said politicians and local community leaders may welcome Pope Francis with banners but they should not do it for personal gain. “I think there is nothing wrong with welcoming the Pope by displaying banners. But I hope the banners will not be used to promote oneself. When the banner says “Welcome, Pope” but it carries a picture of somebody else, that’s different,” Tagle said. Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO He also urged those who wish to welcome the Pontiff with festive decorations to keep them simple in accordance with the Pope’s request. “Local communities may welcome the Pope in their own way. We Filipinos are [creative], we do it with bunting and other decorations. But whatever way we choose to welcome him, let’s not spend too much, let’s not make it too costly,” Tagle said. “We can always show hospitality by showing warmth and simplicity…. We should not use the visit for other motivations, for self-interest,” the prelate added, stressing that Pope Francis was known for his humility and simplicity in manner and lifestyle. Tagle also reminded the public to ensure that their decorations do not become a mountain of trash by the end of the visit, saying the Pope is also concerned with the environment. Pope Francis Read More …

MANILA, Philippines—Senate President Franklin Drilon said Tuesday he would rather wait for the Supreme Court to determine if the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement is a treaty that needs the Senate’s ratification or not, before doing anything about it. Drilon made the statement after Sen. Miriam Defensor Santiago said she would ask her colleagues to sign a resolution expressing the sense that there was a need for the Senate’s concurrence on the deal. “My position is this: let us wait for the decision of the Supreme Court. If the Supreme Court says Edca is a treaty that needs to be ratified by the Senate, the President will abide by it and send the treaty to the Senate. That is when we will ratify it,” Drilon said in an interview over dzRH. Senate President Franklin Drilon. FILE PHOTO If the court says there is no need for the chamber’s concurrence, the Senate would also abide by it, he added. He noted that at this point, nobody could direct Malacañang to send the Edca to the Senate, especially since the Palace’s position on the matter was that it needs no legislative ratification. The Supreme Court is tackling petitions against the Edca, a security deal that would allow more US soldiers to come to the Philippines over a ten-year period and use its military facilities. Supporters of the deal had hailed it as something that would deter China’s from its forceful posturing, while critics said it was an uneven agreement that would allow the Read More …

MANILA, Philippines – Good news for Filipinos expecting to receive balikbayan boxes filled with Christmas goodies from their relatives and friends abroad. The Bureau of Customs has launched an online tracking system that will enable recipients of these boxes to check on the status of their packages. Customs Commissioner John Phillip Sevilla on Tuesday said it was the Department of Finance-attached agency’s “way of helping our kababayans find their balikbayan boxes when they encounter problems.” “We have received several complaints from families of overseas Filipino workers blaming the bureau for their lost boxes,” he said. Bureau of Customs. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO With the tracker, Sevilla said “the public will no longer be given the run-around by people responsible for delivering their balikbayan boxes.” According to the BOC head, the tracker “contains the list of all balikbayan box shipments lodged by local cargo forwarders with Customs, their countries of origin, ports of entry in the Philippines and their bills of lading with the number of the shipments.” “To access the balikbayan box tracker, just go to the Bureau of Customs website (http://customs.gov.ph) and click the “Balikbayan Box Tracker” banner,” he advised. The tracker also “contains the name of the foreign forwarder, name of the local forwarder or broker, entry date filed, date cleared, and the current status (of the shipment).” “Families expecting balikbayan boxes should know the name of the forwarder and the bill of lading number to be able to track the shipment where the box is included,” Sevilla explained. Read More …

In this undated photo, South Korean fishing boat Oryong 501 is seen in a port. South Korean officials expressed fear Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2014, of a huge death toll after rescuers failed to find any of the more than 50 fishermen missing after their ship sank amid high waves in the freezing waters of the western Bering Sea on Monday, Dec. 1. AP/Yonhap SEOUL, South Korea—South Korean officials expressed fear Tuesday of a huge death toll after rescuers failed to find any of the more than 50 fishermen missing after their ship sank amid high waves in the freezing waters of the western Bering Sea on Monday. Authorities rescued seven crew members and recovered one body, but weather and water conditions complicated the search for the others, an official from the South Korean fisheries and oceans ministry said on condition of anonymity because of office rules. The crew included 35 Indonesians, 13 Filipinos, 11 South Koreans and one Russian inspector, the official said. Russian authorities said there were 62 people aboard the ship, which sank in the western part of the Bering Sea, near Russia. The South Korean ministry official said it’s believed that the ship, which was catching pollock, began to list after stormy weather caused seawater to flood its storage areas. Kim Kang-ho from Sajo Industries, the canned tuna company that owns the ship, said the 2,000-ton vessel was 36 years old. An official from South Korea’s foreign ministry, who refused to be named citing office rules, said Read More …