Tales from the deep: Fil-Am steers US submarine home

 News
Jun 132013
 
Tales from the deep: Fil-Am steers US submarine home

By Tarra QuismundoPhilippine Daily Inquirer 12:27 am | Friday, June 14th, 2013 Cmdr. Douglas Bradley shows some of the torpedoes of the US Navy’s attack submarine USS Asheville, which is docked at the Subic Bay Freeport. MARIANNE BERMUDEZ SUBIC BAY FREEPORT—Coming home to the land of his mother was a longtime dream of Lt. Vincent Mejia. When he finally did so, it was doubly joyful for the Filipino-American sailor who was tasked to steer to port one of the US Navy’s most advanced attack submarines after it had surfaced. “The most exciting was being able to drive the sub back to my homeland. It’s been a dream my entire life to come home,” said Mejia, 24, born and raised in the United States but whose mother hails from Pangasinan. “I would have never thought I would come back here and drive the ship to port,” said Mejia, who spends most of his days doing paperwork but also gets to serve as the sub’s helmsman, steering the vessel from time to time. Mejia is among a handful of Filipino-American sailors on their first Navy deployment aboard the USS Asheville, a submarine that docked here last weekend on a routine port call as part of its six-month Western Pacific deployment. Nicknamed “The Ghost of the Coast,” the 110-meter fast-attack submarine has been in service since 1991 and is the fourth Navy ship to be named after the North Carolina city, known to have a long maritime history. ‘Ghost of the Coast’ The Read More …

De Lima confirms recommendation to file charges vs PCG

 News
Jun 132013
 
De Lima confirms recommendation to file charges vs PCG

OVER SHOOTING OF TAIWANESE FISHING BOAT By Tetch Torres-TupasINQUIRER.net 1:01 pm | Thursday, June 13th, 2013 Taiwanese fisherman Hung Shih-cheng’s boat, the Kuang Ta Hsing No. 28, is checked by Taiwanese officers after arriving at Liuqiu port in Pingtung County, southern Taiwan, Saturday, May 11, 2013. Taiwanese boat owner Steven Liao said the damage to the Guang Ta Hsin 28 costs around NT$8 million (P11 million). AP PHOTO MANILA, Philippines—Justice Secretary Leila de Lima has confirmed a recommendation to press charges against some members of the Philippine Coast Guard involved in the shooting incident off Batanes that killed a Taiwanese fisherman. “I confirm that the NBI has recommended the filing of charges against the PCG personnel involved in the incident,” Justice Secretary Leila De Lima said in a text message to INQUIRER.net. The Justice chief is currently in Madrid, Spain to attend the 5th World Congress Against Death Penalty. De Lima said criminal and administrative case will be filed against PCG personnel. No Taiwan pressure She, however, clarified that the findings of the Philippine government was not influenced nor a product of pressure from Taiwan. “There was no influence from Taiwan side. [But] hopefully, the conclusions from both side would jibe or are not that different,” De Lima further said. De Lima, however, declined to give details on what charges will be filed pending clearance from President Benigno Aquino III who already was furnished a copy of the NBI’s findings. Objective evaluation of evidence “It is for his consideration and Read More …

US immigration office halts Filipina’s deportation after public outcry

 News
Jun 122013
 
US immigration office halts Filipina’s deportation after public outcry

INQUIRER.net US Bureau 9:13 am | Thursday, June 13th, 2013 Karla Gaerlan, baby Christopher, U.S. Army Specialist Thad Schmierer. Photo by rciriacruz U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) cancelled the deportation order for Karla Gaerlan, an undocumented immigrant from the Philippines, following hundreds of emails and phone calls from community members and a protest/press conference this morning. ICE had scheduled Karla’s deportation this Sunday – Father’s Day. Thad Schmierer, Karla’s husband, is a member of the U.S. Army.  Karla and Thad have a nine-month-old baby boy. Also, earlier today, eight members of the House of Representatives joined immigrant rights organizations calling for a halt to deportations while immigration reform moves through Congress. Follow Us 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. Tags: ICE , Immigration , immigration reform , Secure Communities , voluntary departure process 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’ Advocate:

Hurry Maguindanao massacre trial, int’l reporters urge

 News
Jun 092013
 
Hurry Maguindanao massacre trial, int’l reporters urge

By Ryan D. Rosauro Inquirer Mindanao 3:50 am | Monday, June 10th, 2013 OZAMIZ CITY, Philippines—More than 300 delegates to the 28th World Congress of the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) in Dublin, Ireland, have called on President Aquino to “take steps to expedite the trial” of those accused in the Maguindanao massacre. The call was contained in an urgent resolution adopted by the congress, according to National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) chairperson Rowena Paraan, who attended the Dublin meeting, which ended on Thursday. “Everybody is disappointed that… the justice system in the Philippines has not moved forward. Journalists here from 120 countries are absolutely united in making sure that they will help [promote] the widest campaigns until justice is found,” IFJ president Jim Boumelha was quoted as saying in an NUJP news release. The IFJ is the world’s largest organization of journalists with some 600,000 members in 120 countries. The NUJP is its affiliate in the Philippines. Fifty-eight people died in the Maguindanao massacre, 32 of them media workers. The massacre has been dubbed the world’s single worst attack on the press and the trial has earned the attention of press freedom advocates. Nov. 23, the date of the massacre, has been declared by freedom of expression advocates worldwide as the International Day to End Impunity. It has been three and a half years since the killings and “there has not been a single conviction for the murders,” the IFJ noted. Among the steps the government Read More …

PH hails diplomatic ties with China despite row

 News
Jun 092013
 

By TJ Burgonio Philippine Daily Inquirer 3:28 am | Monday, June 10th, 2013 MANILA, Philippines—Their territorial dispute in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea) should not stop the Philippines and China from celebrating the 38th anniversary of the establishment of their diplomatic relations, Malacañang said Sunday. Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said relations between the two countries were multifaceted and the territorial dispute over parts of the West Philippine Sea was just one facet. After all, there were other facets of this relationship that “we continue to develop and that we continue to move forward on,” Valte said on state-run radio dzRB. “So let’s let the maritime disputes not be the whole of our relationship but, rather, just a part of it. And, again, given the close ties that we have, then that’s worth something to look at all the other facets and check and see if we can move forward on those fronts,” she said. Starting 1975 The Philippines and China opened diplomatic relations on June 9, 1975. Since then, the relations have reached “unprecedented levels” in security and regional cooperation, trade, investment, agriculture, tourism and cultural exchanges, according to the Philippine Embassy in China. In April 2005, then Chinese President Hu Jintao, on a state visit to Manila, and then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo described the relations between the two countries as the “golden age of partnership.” The relations hit a low when Philippine and Chinese ships faced off at Panatag Shoal (Scarborough Shoal) in April last year. Read More …

Popular Fil-Am mayor of Milpitas, California delivers

 News
Jun 092013
 
Popular Fil-Am mayor of Milpitas, California delivers

By Harvey I. Barkin INQUIRER.net U.S. Bureau 1:25 am | Monday, June 10th, 2013 Mayor Jose Esteves of Milpitas, California MILPITAS, California–Five-term Mayor Jose Esteves, a Filipino American, told hundreds of constituents at his very first State of the City address May 30 that the city was in a better position compared with others in Northern California. “Let me say plainly that our current financial standing is +AA and our outlook is very positive,” Esteves told the standing-room-only crowd at the Chamber of Commerce venue. “I don’t want to move ever,” said Deritha May Randall has lived in Milpitas for 50 years. “Thank God for the (Milpitas) Police and Fire Departments. The mayor is good and has improved Milpitas more than any man, especially in the Dixon area (where she lives). Mayor Esteves has got it under control.” Esteves admitted, however, that the last seven years were the most difficult in the city’s history. Tough decisions and sacrifices had to be made, he said, for Milpitas to become financially solvent. “We cut costs internally and redefined our service delivery without compromising it. This is an accomplishment not all cities can claim,” he explained. But the solvency came at a price. In the last year, the city council had to cut $9.2 million from the $69.2 million general fund in June, as a result of State’s decision to eliminate redevelopment agency funding. This forced the city to cut its expenses by $7 million on top of a $2.2 million structural deficit. Read More …

180,000 foreign workers leave Saudi in 2 months—report

 News
Jun 092013
 
180,000 foreign workers leave Saudi in 2 months—report

Agence France-Presse 7:54 pm | Sunday, June 9th, 2013 AP FILE PHOTO RIYADH — Some 180,000 illegal foreign workers have left Saudi Arabia since April 1 under an amnesty that allowed them to try to sort out their papers or leave without paying a penalty, a report said on Sunday. “Between the beginning of April and the start of June, 180,000 foreigners left the kingdom for good,” Okaz daily quoted Badr Malek, spokesman for the passports department, as saying. This wave brings to 380,000 the number of foreign workers who have left Saudi Arabia since the beginning of the year. Malek stressed that violators of immigration rules in the oil-rich kingdom will face penalties when the amnesty period ends on July 3, with punishment including imprisonment up to two years, and fines up to 100,000 riyals ($27,000). According to official statistics, eight million expatriates work in the kingdom. Economists say there are another two million unregistered foreign workers. Saudi Arabia is aiming to create job opportunities for its unemployed nationals through cutting the number of foreign workers, although many of those are in low-paid jobs that Saudis would not accept. The world’s largest oil exporter is a goldmine for millions of people from poor Asian and Arab countries that are reeling under high levels of unemployment. Follow Us 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 Read More …

Journalists from 120 countries press Aquino to speed up Maguindanao massacre trial

 News
Jun 092013
 
Journalists from 120 countries press Aquino to speed up Maguindanao massacre trial

By Jeannette I. Andrade, Ryan D. RosauroInquirer Mindanao, Philippine Daily Inquirer 7:03 pm | Sunday, June 9th, 2013 The massacre in Maguindanao where over 30 journalists were also killed in 2009 is testament to the danger media men and women face in the Philippines. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO OZAMIZ CITY, Philippines — More than 300 delegates to the 28th World Congress of the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) in Dublin, Ireland have called on President Benigno Aquino III to “take steps to expedite the trial” of those accused in the Maguindanao massacre. The call was contained in an urgent resolution adopted by the congress, according to the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) chair Rowena Paraan, who attended the Dublin gathering. “Everybody is disappointed that … the justice system in the Philippines has not moved forward. Journalists here from 120 countries are absolutely united in making sure that they will help [promote] the widest campaigns until justice is found,” IFJ president Jim Boumelha was quoted in an NUJP news release. The IFJ is the world’s largest organization of journalists with some 600,000 members in 120 countries. The NUJP is its affiliate in the Philippines. Fifty-eight people died in the Maguindanao massacre, 32 of whom were media workers. The massacre has been dubbed the world’s single worst attack on the press and the trial of those accused has earned the attention of press freedom advocates. Nov. 23, the date of the massacre, has been declared by advocates of the freedom Read More …

P420M worth of elephant tusks to be crushed, burned by DENR on June 21

 News
Jun 092013
 
P420M worth of elephant tusks to be crushed, burned by DENR on June 21

By Jeannette I. AndradePhilippine Daily Inquirer 5:40 pm | Sunday, June 9th, 2013 AP FILE PHOTO MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) is set to crush and burn some P420 million (US$10 million) worth of seized elephant tusks to show the country’s support for the global campaign to end the illegal trade of wildlife species. The five tons of ivory are part of the total cargo of elephant tusks intercepted by customs officials since 2009 in separate operations nationwide. These are stored in the Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau (PAWB). The ivory will be crushed by a steam roller before they are burned in June 21 rites at the Ninoy Aquino Parks and Wildlife Center, according to Environment secretary Ramon Paje. Foreign experts and anti-ivory trade advocates are anticipated to witness the event, one of the highlights of the environment month celebration. In a statement, Paje said, “Our decision to destroy these ivory tusks that entered the country illegally is to show to the whole world that the Philippines will not tolerate illegal wildlife trade.” The country is a signatory to the 1989 Geneva-based Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) of flora and fauna, which bans the ivory trade as a cause of the massive decline in elephant populations in Africa, according to Paje. PAWB is designated as the management authority under the Wildlife Resource Conservation and Protection Act. Under the CITES, elephants are highly endangered and their international trade declared illegal. The Read More …

Aquino ‘deeply touched’ on meeting Aung San Suu Kyi

 News
Jun 082013
 
Aquino ‘deeply touched’ on meeting Aung San Suu Kyi

By Cynthia D. BalanaPhilippine Daily Inquirer 4:01 am | Sunday, June 9th, 2013 Aung San Suu Kyi. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO NAYPYITAW, BURMA—President Benigno Aquino III said his brief encounter with Burma’s opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi struck in him a deep personal cord. “Nakakamanghang kausap iyung isang person na very historical, iyong sa akin may pagka-personal (It’s awe-inspiring to talk to someone who is part of history, which for me in also quite personal),” the President said at a press conference here Friday night. “The struggle that my father underwent, my mother underwent … and you can see, that she (Suu Kyi) underwent the same thing (too),” he said. It was the first face-to-face meeting between Mr. Aquino and the Burmese leader on the sidelines of the three-day World Economic Forum on East Asia in this second largest Southeast Asian country. Mr. Aquino admitted he was overwhelmed upon seeing and talking to Suu Kyi, whose struggle against the Burmese military junta resulted in her detention for 20 years. The President’s father, the late Sen. Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino was also incarcerated by a dictatorship and his crusade to restore democracy in the Philippines culminated in his assassination in 1983.  A people power revolt in 1986 brought his widow, Cory, to power. During her time, the late president Cory Aquino campaigned for the release of Suu Kyi and the restoration of democracy in Burma. During their meeting, the President reiterated his long standing invitation to Suu Kyi to visit the Philippines Read More …

 Older Entries  Newer Entries