Maniolas

A US air force V-22 Osprey unloads Philippine marines during live fire drills of the annual US-Philippine joint military exercise at the former US target range in Crow Valley, Capas, Tarlac, on May 15, 2014. US Pacific Command chief Harry Harris says the US is eyeing bigger military drills in the the Philippines despite a pronouncement of President Rodrigo Duterte that he was ‘separating’ from the States. AFP FILE WASHINGTON, United States — Military cooperation between the US and the Philippines is unchanged for now despite inflammatory statements from the Filipino president directed at US President Barack Obama, a top American commander said Tuesday. President Rodrigo Duterte has voiced willingness to request the withdrawal of American troops from his country. READ: Duterte announces military, economic split with US | Duterte: Separation with US doesn’t mean cutting diplomatic ties “Despite what he has said, there has been no change in anything with the Philippines,” said Harry Harris, commander of the US Pacific Command, during an event in Washington. Harris was slated to participate Tuesday in high-level meetings between the two countries to schedule joint military exercises for 2017 and after. “I am optimistic,” he said of the meetings, adding that thus far the exercises program has been on track. Harris said there could be “a refocusing or a rescoping of some of the bigger exercises in 2017.” Harris said there could be “a refocusing or a rescoping of some of the bigger exercises in 2017.” Until Duterte came to power in June, Manila was one Read More …

Religious liberty has worsened around the world in the last two years, with violent Islamist attacks taking place in one out of five countries, from Sweden in northern Europe to Australia in Oceania and including 17 African countries, according to a report by the  Aid to Church in Need (ACN), a Vatican foundation that provides relief to Christians and non-Christians in high-conflict areas. The biennial report, “Religious Freedom in the World,” released simultaneously on Nov. 15 in the Vatican and Manila where ANC has opened a Philippine office at the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) complex in Intramuros, said that religious freedom had declined in 11 of 23 worst-offending countries such as Syria, Iraq, North Korean and China. The situation is very grave in Syria and Iraq because of “hyperextremisim” as shown by the genocidal campaign of the Islamic State (IS) to wipe out non-Muslim populations, the report noted. The last two years has seen the “emergence of a new phenomenon … [of] Islamist hyper-extremism, a process of heightened radicalization, unprecedented in its violent expression.” Extreme violence, cruelty The ACN report said that hyperextemism is characterized by “an extremist creed and a radical system of law; systematic attempts to annihilate or drive out all groups that don’t conform to their outlook, including coreligionists; cruel treatment of victims; use of social media to recruit followers and to intimidate opponents by parading extreme violence.” The report added that hyperextremism has had a “global impact—enabled by affiliate extremist groups and well-resourced Read More …

Members and Unite Here Local 8 Staff ready to celebrate the victory of the passage of Initiative 124. INQUIRER/Cindy Domingo SEATTLE – At the Westin Hotel here the atmosphere was somber on Election Night as Democratic Party supporters eventually came to grips with Donald Trump’s victory. But in a small hospitality room on the first floor, a clutch of women Filipino hotel workers from Local 8 Unite Here were all smiles at news that their Initiative-124, titled “Seattle Protects Women,” was passing with 77 percent voter approval. The multiracial crowd of Latinas, Asian Americans, African Americans and whites broke into screams of joy and applause. lora Tabalbag, housekeeper at Westin Hotel and Eunice How, organizer at Unite Here Local 8 worked as a team to get Westin Hotel workers to vote yes on Initiative 124. INQUIRER/Cindy Domingo For Filipina Flora Tabalbag, a Westin Hotel employee for 30 years, this was the first time she voted in an election, and it was because Initiative-124 was on the ballot. Although the conditions she faces at work as a union member are fairly good, Flora was happy because they would be even better as a result of the initiative’s passing. For the voiceless Another Filipina housekeeper who works at the Doubletree Hotel, Alicia Espejo, stated, “This is for everybody who is not able to speak out.” The initiative’s provisions will apply to all hotel workers of hotels of a certain size whether represented by a union or not. Eunice How, local Unite Here Read More …