March 2015 – Page 29

Malaysia: MILF’s Murad Ibrahim, Mohagher Iqbal not Malaysians

News

Mar 162015

Malaysia: MILF’s Murad Ibrahim, Mohagher Iqbal not Malaysians

popular The Mamasapano Report’s most difficult truth Rebel leader in killing of SAF men falls to gov’t troops BOI pours blame on Napeñas SC upholds Uniwide ejection from Ng property Actress Liezl Martinez dies of cancer; 47 ‘Aquino left nothing to chance’ Australian boxer fighting for his life after losing to Filipino bet–report US firms urged to bid for major PH infra projects videos PBA: Ginebra’s LA Tenorio comfortable on the floor with Emman Monfort PBA: Agustin credits good defense, big men performance for win over Purefoods PBA: Warner’s maturity big thing for Globalport, says coach Gonzales Crime watchdog wants advisory body composed of bishops, inter-religious leaders Former Tarlac Governor calls Aquino to resign Mohagher Iqbal and Murad Ebrahim. FILE PHOTOS LANGKAWI, Malaysia–The government has lashed out at a statement by a Davao member of parliament claiming that the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) president Murad Ibrahim and his chief consultant, Mohagher Iqbal, are Malaysians. Home Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the government had confirmed that both leaders of the MILF were not Malaysians as claimed. “I have checked with the Director-General of the Registration Department, including checking the personal information, date of birth and other details, and found that Haji Murad Ibrahim and (Mohagher) Iqbal are not Malaysians. “I hope the member of parliament understands and this is the official stand of the Government of Malaysia on this issue,” he told reporters after officiating the Multi-nations Counter-Terrorism Exercise at the Langkawi International Shooting Range, here. He Read More …

India backs peaceful resolution of sea row

News

Mar 162015

India backs peaceful resolution of sea row

MANILA, Philippines–India has assured the Philippines that it will promote the peaceful resolution of the South China Sea territorial and jurisdictional disputes after Manila called anew for the global community’s assistance in helping put a stop to China’s massive reclamation activities. India has its own territorial issues with China. The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Monday said Foreign Undersecretary Evan Garcia had made the appeal to the global community at the 17th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean)-India Senior Officials’ Meeting in New Delhi, India, on Saturday. The DFA said recent developments in the South China Sea were discussed in the meeting, where Indian Minister of External Affairs Anti Wadha thanked the Philippines for providing India with this information. “Noting that an important dimension of the Asean-India strategic partnership is its increasing relevance to the political security of the region, Minister Wadha assured the Philippines that India will encourage the peaceful resolution of the dispute,” the DFA said in a statement. It said that during the meeting, Garcia also reiterated Manila’s call for the international committee to help press for a stop to massive reclamation activities in the South China Sea. The DFA was referring to the government’s campaign to stop Chinese reclamation activities in the South China Sea, which included maritime features of the Philippines in the West Philippine Sea. “Such unbridled reclamation activity worsens an already sensitive geopolitical situation and raise the specter of increasing militarization,” the DFA quoted Garcia as telling his Asean-India colleagues. The Philippines Read More …

4 Filipino nurses in Libya kidnapped–official

News

Mar 162015

4 Filipino nurses in Libya kidnapped–official

In this Jan. 19, 2013, file photo, Algerian special police unit officers guard the entrance of a hospital located near the gas plant where hostages have been kidnapped by Islamic militants, in Ain Amenas. Militants from the Islamic State affiliate in Libya kidnapped four nurses from the Philippines in broad daylight from a hospital in the city of Sirte, while several others were evacuated on Monday, March 16, 2015, a militia official said. AP FILE PHOTO TRIPOLI, Libya—Militants from the Islamic State affiliate in Libya kidnapped four nurses from the Philippines in broad daylight from a hospital in the city of Sirte, while several others were evacuated on Monday, a militia official said. The official who belongs to the 166 Battalion, a militia which is battling the Islamic State affiliate, told The Associated Press that the kidnapping took place in the afternoon from Sirte’s main hospital, called Ibn Sina. He added that his battalion helped evacuate the remaining foreign medical crew in the hospital to the city of Misrata, where the battalion is based. The incident adds to growing a list of foreign nationals including Filipinos who were seized during the same group’s raids on oil fields south of Sirte in recent weeks. The battalion had also come under attack by a car bomber a day earlier, according to witnesses who said that the bomber struck the militia’s base Misrata, killing one person and injuring a second. The official and the witnesses spoke on condition of anonymity because he was Read More …

How I got my voice back through laughter

Entertainment

Mar 162015

How I got my voice back through laughter

Haha-happy day: The author Elvie Estavillo with Melfred Hernandez, doctor to celebrity singers Laughter Yoga is, indeed, a life-changing experience! Since I introduced LYoga in our beloved country in 2008, my perspectives have dramatically changed. In the same breath, it has helped participants in various companies, organizations, schools, etc. where I conducted LYoga to laugh for no reason at all, thereby helping them to reduce stress, enhance efficiency, and reach optimum performance in the workplace, at home, in school, or wherever they are. Laughter greatly helps in breaking the barriers and improving communication among people. In October last year, after a vacation abroad, I noticed a change in my voice, which the first doctor I consulted diagnosed as allergic cough. However, after a month of taking the prescribed medicines, the voice change persisted. Coincidentally, I read that when there is a voice change for a month, a voice specialist must be consulted immediately. So I contacted Dr. Melfred Hernandez, the famous doctor of our celebrity singers. After a thorough checkup and an endoscopy, Dr. Hernandez suggested an operation to remove the polyps in my vocal chords. His diagnosis: overused vocal chords. I was advised, before and after the operation, to absolutely not use my vocal chords. No talking! No laughing! Though so downhearted, I followed the doctor’s prescription to the letter. For four long, boring weeks, I communicated through a small white board, and armed myself with an eraser and a pentel pen wherever I went. Funny, Read More …

Saving newborn babies, one embrace at a time

Entertainment

Mar 162015

Saving newborn babies, one embrace at a time

A mother’s first embrace is her baby’s first breath. With these touching words, the World Health Organization Regional Office for the Western Pacific recently launched the “First Embrace” campaign for early essential newborn care in Manila, with health workers and policy makers promoting the recommendations in the Action Plan for Healthy Newborn Infants in the Western Pacific Region (2014-2020). First embrace — this is probably the first time you’re hearing this. It simply refers to the skin-to-skin contact between the mother and her baby immediately after birth. It’s the first time the mother, having gone through the throes of heavy labor, happily lays her eyes on her newborn, holds her baby and feels the warmth of her baby’s embrace, those dainty little hands latched on to her while their hearts beat in perfect rhythm as one. It’s a feeling like no other — and no mother would trade it for the whole world. As it promotes natural bonding between mother and child, skin-to-skin contact has life-saving benefits for babies and improves the condition of those born premature, sick or by Caesarean section. “First Embrace is something, that if we get in place in this region, we can save 50,000 newborn lives a year and ensure a healthy start for the baby,” asserts Dr. Howard Sobel, WHO coordinator for Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health. “And for every life saved, we’re also preventing 10 to 20 infections and other problems babies would have. So, we’re looking at literally half a Read More …

Exodus music & arts fest March 21

General

Mar 162015

Performance of American reggae-pop band Big Mountain will be one of the highlights of the festival MANILA, Philippines – Get ready for one of the best music events of the year, Exodus Music & Arts Festival. The event is 24 hours of music and arts with more than 25 bands and DJs, both local and international, from various music genres (rock, reggae, new wave, R&B, hip-hop and electronic dance music) set to perform on March 21 at Island Cove Hotel and Leisure Park in Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite. The festival, which features music from the ‘70s to the present, will kick off at 7 a.m. till the wee hours of Sunday. The Exodus Music & Arts Festival will start with a cultural presentation at 8 a.m. The concert starts at 12 noon until midnight. DJs will then take over for the electronic dance music party until 5 a.m. Performance of American reggae-pop band Big Mountain will be one of the highlights of the festival. Big Mountain is known for its cover version of Peter Frampton’s Baby, I Love Your Way, which was included in the soundtrack of the hit ‘90s movie Reality Bites and became a Top 10 hit single in the early ‘90s and reached No. 6 on the US Billboard Hot 100. The other performers are Joey “Pepe” Smith, Maria Cafra, The Wuds, The Youth, Razorback, Wolfgang, Franco, Urban Dub, Tropical Depression, Akindra Lumads Djembe Community, INDIO-i, Roots of Nature, Jeck Pilpil and Peacepipe, Coconut Head, Coffee Break Island, Claras Bliss, Legit Misfits, Philippine All Stars, Manila Sky, Dandimites, Vagabonds, Kartel at Lion and the Scouts, DJ Bravo, DJ Ace Ramos, DJ Kimozave, DJ Jennifer Lee, MC Vince Ryder, Mark Gonzalez, Read More …

PH game developers aim to score

News

Mar 162015

Philippine Trade Commissioner & Director Jose Dinsay. PHOTOS BY HARVEY I. BARKIN SAN FRANCISCO – Game development could be the next call center industry, observed Philippine Trade Commissioner & Director Jose Dinsay at the recent Game Developer Conference at Moscone Center. It was the first time that the Philippines came to the three-day expo with representatives from the government, academe and private sector. “We have a few companies like Sony outsourcing some of their artwork in the Philippines. We have Filipino contacts in Microsoft and other companies, based here and in Canada, who support this sector,” Dinsay reported. “We do a lot of artwork for them, some programming and tech support services. We sell a lot of art – background work, object design and detail work like face-rendering and constructs. (The government) is supporting it because it is one of the fastest growing industries and it has a lot of potential.” Game Developers Association of the Philippines President Alvin Juban. In 2013, the Game Developers Association of the Philippines (GDAP) reported revenues of US$150 million. At that time, there were 60 game development outfits and a total workforce of 4,000. Dinsay also said that the Philippines already had a presence at the 2010 Game Developer Conference (GDC). Launched in Vancouver The GDAP was launched last year at the External Development Summit (XDS) in Vancouver, Canada. The XDS is the first professionals-only video game industry event highlighting software engineering, animation, art and audio. At this year’s GDC in Moscone Center, GDAP Read More …

7 Filipinos among 2,000 nabbed in recent US immigration sweep

General

Mar 162015

7 Filipinos among 2,000 nabbed in recent US immigration sweep

WASHINGTON, DC – A total of 2,059 convicted criminals aliens subject for deportation were arrested in a five-day nationwide operation by federal authorities, according to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. ICE said seven of those were arrested are from the Philippines. Operation Cross Check led by ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations targeted fugitive immigrants from 94 countries who were associated with gangs or had criminal backgrounds “This nationwide operation led to the apprehension of more than 2,000 convicted criminal aliens who pose the greatest risk to our public safety,” said Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas. Mayorkas said the operation from March 1-5 focused on the arrest of persons involved in a “wide array of criminal convictions” who posed a threat to public safety. “Today, communities around the country are safer because of the great work of the men and women of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement,” he said in a press statement. More than 1,000 of those arrested have felony convictions, including voluntary manslaughter, child pornography, robbery, kidnapping and rape. Arrested offenders Of the total 2,059 criminals arrested, 58 are known gang members or affiliates, and 89 are convicted sex offenders. The vast majority of misdemeanor convictions were for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs (DUI). ICE considers DUI offenders, particularly repeat offenders, to be a significant public safety threat. Of those arrested during this operation, 476 were illegal re-entrants who had been previously removed from the country. Because of their serious criminal histories and Read More …

Philippine exports need big push in EU

General

Mar 162015

THE Philippines must look beyond the European Union’s Generalized System of Preferences+ (EU-GSP+) and explore additional protection and promotion tools for its exports, specifically through the use of Geographical Indications (GIs). Geographical Indications are a form of intellectual property recognition accorded a particular place for its distinctive products or processes, such as Champagne in France for its Champagne wines or Scotland for its Scotch Whiskey, that other producers are prohibited from using on their own labels or promotions. The Philippines acquired a 10-year EU GSP+ membership last December that significantly reduces tariffs for some 6,000 lines for EU imports from the country. However, the Philippines cannot be complacent, since its neighbors in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) have started building up their GI certifications to gain an advantage in an increasingly competitive global market. This is the message of EU economists and analysts at a recent conference on “EU-GSP+ & Geographical Indications: Leveraging on GIs to Access the EU Market” held in Makati City. Guy Ledoux, ambassador of the Delegation of the European Union to the Philippines, said GIs are bestowed on a group, community, locality, region, or country for the quality or craftsmanship of a certain product and protect the commodity from being imitated or claimed by others as their own. He said a likely candidate for GI recognition is the mango from Guimaras in Western Visayas. With GI protection, mango producers elsewhere cannot use “Guimaras Mangoes” on their label. Laurent Lourdais, director-general for agriculture of the Read More …

Letran Manila’s CinemaKnights showcases 7 short films

General

Mar 162015

Letran Manila’s CinemaKnights showcases 7 short films

MANILA, Philippines – Seven short films take the spotlight as the Colegio de San Juan San Juan de Letran-Manila stages this year’s CinemaKnights. Now on its 15th year, CinemaKnights, formerly known as PelikuLetran, is an annual film festival that showcases the filmmaking prowess of senior Communication students of Letran. The Colegio has been consistently bagging recognition and merits from several award-giving bodies inside and outside of the country. Rainbow X, an official entry for CinemaKnights 2014, recently received the highest award of excellence for this year’s Philippine Student Quill Awards. CinemaKnights’ lineup this year consists of seven short films, all of which tackles about societal issues concerning Pinoy values, traditions and culture. One of the films to be exhibited is Selda, written and directed by Alyssa Delfin. Sandbox Films, the people behind the film, was also the team that produced Ms. Edited, a dark comedy short film that bagged several awards, including Best Film Poster, Best Original Soundtrack, Best Supporting Actress (Michelle Ababao), and 4th Best Short Film in the CineMapua Intercollegiate Film Festival held last February 4. Selda is a story about two persons from different backgrounds who recount the biting realities of their lives while serving time inside two separate prison cells. It tackles the poor justice system in the Philippines, aiming to empower the Filipino people to close the gap that they created between the rich and the poor. Entertainment ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1 The film stars two of the most sought-after artists Read More …

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