Maniolas

Philippine permanent representative to the United Nations in Geneva Cecilia Rebong said President Rodrigo Duterte had never empowered police authorities to “shoot to kill” any individual suspected of drug crimes after the UN high commissioner for human rights criticized the rising summary killings in the Philippines, which is backed by the administration’s war on drugs. READ: Duterte urges public to kill drug dealers The Department of Foreign Affairs said Ambassador Rebong delivered the Philippine statement on Wednesday at the second day of 33rd Session of the UN Human Rights Council in response to the speech of UN high commissioner for human rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein. She said the Philippine leader’s marching order to police was that they have the right to defend themselves when their lives are endangered when drug suspects violently resist arrest. READ: UN hits Duterte for ‘lack of understanding’ of human rights bodies Rebong emphasized that the ongoing campaign against illegal drugs had the overwhelming support of the Filipino public. She said the war on drugs was “being waged under the leadership and direction of President Rodrigo Duterte, with a firm adherence to the rule of law, due process, and human rights principles.” Rebong also said the anti-illegal drug war was unparalleled in Philippine history for its level of tenacity. “The Chief Executive, in his inaugural speech, affirmed in no vague language his respect for human rights and the rule of law,” said Rebong in his speech before delegates at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva. Read More …

At least 15 Filipino words, mostly traditional dishes and delicacies, have made it to the latest update of the Oxford English Dictionary (OED). In its September 2016 update, the OED included names of Filipino food like balut (fertilized duck egg), kare-kare (peanut-based stew), leche flan (custard dessert), lechon (suckling pig), lechon asado, pancit (noodles) and puto (steamed rice cake). Also included in the list of about 1,000 new entries are Filipino terms referring to family members like lola (grandmother), lolo (grandfather), tita (auntie), and tito (uncle). Other terms like yaya (housemaid), arnis (martial arts form), tabo (dipper), and bayanihan (sense of community) also made it to the list. In the March 2016 updated, the words “kilig” (tingly romantic feeling) and “teleserye” (soap opera) were included in the dictionary. The next update will be in December. RELATED STORIES ‘Teleserye,’ ‘kilig’ now in Oxford Dictionary LIST: 40 Filipino-coined words added in Oxford dictionary Latest DOTr to open part of Naia expressway; free toll for a month US-PH alliance will ‘endure and remain strong’—official 3 suspected car thieves slain in Laguna 11 drug suspects nabbed in Olongapo operations Recommended Disclaimer: Comments do not represent the views of INQUIRER.net. We reserve the right to exclude comments which are inconsistent with our editorial standards. FULL DISCLAIMER View Comments For feedback, complaints, or inquiries, contact us.

US President Barack Obama and Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte. AP FILE PHOTO MANILA, Philippines—The US-Philippines alliance will “endure and remain strong” because of the two countries’ long-standing relations and US President Barack Obama is “committed to work effectively” with the Philippines to advance the shared interests and concerns of the two countries in his last four months in office, a US official said Wednesday. “Let me say that the Philippines Foreign Minister and its defense ministry have issued statements… affirming the importance of the closeness of the alliance,” said Nina Hachigian, the US ambassador to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean). READ: US committed to work with PH “We have a wide range of shared concerns and shared interests with the Philippines, and we’ve been able to work effectively together to advance those interests and Mr. Obama has committed to doing that in the four months remaining,” Hachigian said in a telephonic press conference with journalists. When asked about President Rodrigo Duterte’s directive that the Philippine military will not conduct any joint maritime patrols with its allies in the South China Sea, Hachigian referred the reporters to the US and Philippine defense departments for comment. However, she also said that “the new administration, we are currently beginning to have meetings and discuss our shared priorities and programs.” The US and Asean are set to have an informal meeting in Hawaii later this month. The Philippines has not conducted any joint maritime patrol in the disputed South China Sea but has Read More …

US Marine Joseph Scott Pemberton, detained at Camp Aguinaldo , is guarded by Filipino soldiers and not US troops, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana assured lawmakers on Wednesday. Lorenzana made this assurance before the House of Representatives appropriations committee hearing the Department of National Defense’s proposed P178.2 billion budget for 2017. “Nasa loob ng Camp Aguinaldo ngayon. Nakakulong siya doon at siya ay ginagwardiyahan ng mga gwardya ng Bureau of Prison (Correction),” Lorenzana said when asked by Kabayan Rep. Harry Roqie, who was the lawyer who secured the homicide conviction of Pemberton for killing transgender Jennifer Laude in 2014. (He’s in Camp Aguinaldo now. He’s detained there and is being guarded by Bureau of Prison Correction guards.) Roque said he asked the question because the last time he heard when he was handling the case was that Pemberton was detained at the detention facility of the Joint US Military Assistance Group after his conviction by the Olongapo Regional Trial Court in December 2015. The murder charge was downgraded to homicide absent the aggravating circumstances of treachery and abuse of superior strength, after the jury found that Pemberton was under the influence of alcohol and that Laude did not disclose her gender from the US Marine when they had sex. After a night of drinking at a bar in Subic, Pemberton and Laude checked in at a motel. Pemberton shoved Laude’s head on the toilet where she drowned after Pemberton found out that Laude was a transgender. READ: Pemberton found guilty of homicide When Roque Read More …