Recent Stories – Page 35

Relief group to run marathon for PH out-of-school kids

News

May 312013

Relief group to run marathon for PH out-of-school kids

INQUIRER.net US Bureau 2:45 am | Saturday, June 1st, 2013 SAN FRANCISCO—Christian relief organization World Vision Philippines will participate in the San Francisco Marathon (26.2 miles) on June 16 to raise funds for out-of-school kids in the Philippines. The group’s “We Run So They Can Go to School” project is seeking sponsors and donations to help send ten children to school as its initial goal. It cites a Philippine Department of Education and National Statistical Coordination Board that one in every six Filipino children is not in schooling because of poverty. Many families in the marginalized sectors cannot afford to send kids to school, and many children can be seen selling newspapers, street foods and even cigarettes to help their families and are at risk of criminal activity. World Vision Philippines “We Run So They Can Go to School” project was “conceptualized to address the increasing statistics of out of school youth in the Philippines,” said the group’s statement. http://werunsotheycangotoschool.com/ 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: education , Fundraising , marathon , street children 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:

U.S. Immigration bill–what happens now?

News

May 312013

By Harvey I. BarkinINQUIRER.net US Bureau 1:44 am | Saturday, June 1st, 2013 From left, Myisha Areloano, Adrian James, Jahel Campos, David Vuenrostro, and Antonio Cabrera camp outside of the Obama Campaign Headquarters in Culver City, Calif. in protest of President Obama’s immigration policies and in hopes of getting him to pass an executive order to halt discretionary deportation on Friday, June 16, 2012. AP FILE PHOTO SAN JOSE, California—The U.S. immigration reform bill approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee last week and slated for the Senate floor in June is still getting mixed reviews from immigrant rights supporters. For Filipinos directly affected by the U.S. immigration reform bill, family reunification is the big question. How long will the wait be for petitioned siblings, who are not undocumented students and not agricultural workers? Of the more than 200 proposed amendments to the U.S. immigration reform bill, 141 passed in almost 30 hours of debate in the Judiciary Committee Analysts say if the Republican-controlled House passes the bill by July, legislation may occur in early August this year. “There are both good and bad consequences” as the bill stands now, Pramila Jayapal, co-chair of women’s rights campaign We Belong Together and founder-executive director of the biggest immigrants advocacy movement in Washington state OneAmerica, told INQUIRER.net. “One positive thing is that there’s a major concern to wipe out the backlog (of petitions) so Filipino families can be together. We need to get rid of a 4.3 million backlog.” The wait for relative-sponsored Read More …

PH Embassy seeks probe of Fil-Am woman’s death

News

May 312013

PH Embassy seeks probe of Fil-Am woman’s death

By Nimfa U. RuedaInquirer Correspondent 6:12 pm | Friday, May 31st, 2013 Philippine Ambassador to the US Jose Cuisia Jr. FILE PHOTO LOS ANGELES—The Philippine Embassy has joined the Filipino-American community in questioning the use of “disproportionate force” in subduing a Filipino-American woman who was fatally shot by police after reportedly creating a disturbance inside a wholesale store in Virginia. Mylene de Leon Scott, 38, was shot dead on Wednesday (Thursday in Manila) by one of two police officers who responded to a reported disturbance at Costco Wholesale Store in Sterling, Virginia. In a statement released yesterday (Friday in Manila), Ambassador Jose L. Cuisia Jr. said “we share the concerns” expressed by the family of the victim and the Filipino-American community that police officers “may have responded with disproportionate force.” Loudoun County Sheriff Mike Chapman told NBC News that at about 3 p.m. Wednesday, the store employees noticed Scott acting strangely after running out of the pizza samples she was handing out. Witnesses said she became upset and started waving a knife and scissors, threatening employees. Chapman said that when the police officers arrived to handle the disturbance, Scott approached the officers with the sharp items. One deputy tried to use a stun gun on Scott, but the stun gun “did not work,” and another deputy fatally shot her, he added. ‘Expeditious investigation’ In its statement, the Philippine Embassy offered its condolences to the family of the victim and requested authorities to conduct “a thorough, impartial and expeditious investigation of Read More …

Jessica Sanchez’s ‘lola’ steals scene at White House event

News

May 312013

Jessica Sanchez’s ‘lola’ steals scene at White House event

By Nimfa U. RuedaPhilippine Daily Inquirer 6:08 pm | Friday, May 31st, 2013 President Barack Obama gestures to lipstick marks on his collar in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Tuesday, May 28, 2013. The aunt of American Idol runner-up Jessica Sanchez kissed the president’s collar and left the lipstick marks just before he gave his remarks at an Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month event. AP LOS ANGELES—President Barrack Obama on Tuesday (Wednesday in Manila) pointed out what he called “a sign of warmth” from the audience gathered in the East Room of the White House—a lipstick smear on his collar. He said the culprit was the “aunt” of Filipino-Mexican-American singer Jessica Sanchez. But Obama was actually referring to Sanchez’s maternal grandmother, Virginia Bugay, who was visiting from her native Bataan and accompanied her granddaughter to a White House celebration of Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month. Sanchez, a runner-up in the reality show American Idol, performed at the White House event. While the audience waited for Obama to arrive, Virginia stood near the entrance, recounted Bing Branigin, spokesperson of the National Federation of Filipino American Associations (NaFFAA), who attended the event. When Obama entered the room, Virginia rushed toward Obama and said, “Mr. President I’m a big fan, can I have a hug?” Branigin said. Virginia gave the much taller Obama a hug–and a kiss, which landed on the right side collar of Obama’s blue shirt. Before he delivered his remarks, Obama talked Read More …

In Vietnam, a Cuban rat poison finds new market

News

May 312013

In Vietnam, a Cuban rat poison finds new market

Associated Press 3:18 pm | Friday, May 31st, 2013 A Vietnamese salesman displays several grains of salmonella-based rat poison on his tongue in Hanoi,Vietnam. AP HANOI, Vietnam—His wares banned in much of the world, the Vietnamese salesman hawking a rat poison laced with salmonella sought to prove the bait was as safe as claimed. He sliced open a packet with a pair of rusty scissors, dipped his finger into the sticky, bad-smelling rice, brought out a few grains and then chewed them gingerly. “It tastes a little bitter, that’s all,” said Nong Minh Suu. He chose not to swallow the unhulled grains, instead spitting them out after a few seconds before lighting a cigarette. “When rats eat this, 100 percent of them will be killed. It is absolutely safe to human health.” Rat poisons normally come with warnings against human consumption and medical directions about what to do if accidentally eaten. Not so “Biorat,” a bait produced in Vietnam by a Cuban-state owned company that earns foreign exchange for the Castro government. The company claims the salmonella strain it includes is “harmless” to everything — humans, the environment, pets and other animal species — apart from rats. That is disputed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a US federal government agency, and other international health institutions including the World Health Organization. Biorat’s production and sale in Vietnam is a legacy of the cozy ties between Cuba and Vietnam, two nations on opposite sides of the world but whose Read More …

Japan ‘comfort women’ mayor survives censure

News

May 302013

Japan ‘comfort women’ mayor survives censure

Philippine Daily Inquirer 6:29 am | Friday, May 31st, 2013 Osaka Mayor Toru Hashimoto attends the city’s assembly in Osaka Thursday, May 30, 2013. The mayor of Japan’s second-largest city survived a censure motion at the assembly Thursday despite his inflammatory comments over Japan’s wartime sex slavery, remarks that sparked an international uproar. AP PHOTO/KYODO NEWS TOKYO—A Japanese mayor who caused a storm with his comments on wartime “comfort women” survived a censure motion filed by local politicians on Thursday. Council members in the western city of Osaka rejected the motion against mayor Toru Hashimoto, who is also joint leader of the national Japan Restoration Party, city officials said. Hashimoto prompted outrage at home and abroad by suggesting that battle-stressed soldiers during World War II needed the services of up to 200,000 sex slaves from Korea, China, the Philippines and elsewhere who were forcibly drafted into Japanese brothels. The non-binding motion had earlier been expected to be approved. But the New Komeito Party, which holds the balance of power on the council, reversed its earlier stance and voted against it. Ichiro Matsui, Osaka prefectural governor and a close aide to Hashimoto, earlier hinted that if the motion was passed, Hashimoto would resign to force a mayoral election in which he would seek reelection. On Tuesday Hashimoto canceled a trip to the United States after the US denounced his remarks as “outrageous and offensive.” Seeking to contain the fallout from his comments, the former TV pundit said Monday that Tokyo should Read More …

WHO calls for total ad ban as globe marks World No Tobacco Day Friday

News

May 302013

WHO calls for total ad ban as globe marks World No Tobacco Day Friday

By Philip C. TubezaPhilippine Daily Inquirer 5:10 am | Friday, May 31st, 2013 MANILA, Philippines—The World Health Organization (WHO) on Thursday called for a comprehensive ban on all tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship as it marks World No Tobacco Day Friday. The WHO said the ban should include point-of-sale (POS) advertising or store sales promotions, the last refuge of advertisers still allowed in most countries where all other kinds of tobacco advertising have been banned. It said that children were exposed to POS advertising, since cigarettes were often sold near racks of candy and other items aimed at children. “As called for in the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, governments must comprehensively ban tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship,” said Shin Young-soo, WHO Western Pacific regional director. Aggressive “We must halt the tobacco industry’s aggressive marketing of its products, which cause addiction, suffering and millions of deaths each year,” he said. The WHO noted that after Hong Kong banned tobacco advertising in broadcast media, billboards and print media, it was found that brand recognition remained high at 30 percent to 64 percent among children whose families were nonsmoking because POS advertising and sponsorship were not controlled. To subvert marketing bans, the tobacco industry has shifted to forms of indirect advertising, such as sponsorship of sports or cultural events and viral marketing, including word-of-mouth, the WHO said. Leading cause The global organization warned that tobacco use was a leading cause of preventable death, killing nearly six million people every year around Read More …

Watching video, Taiwan probers weep

News

May 302013

By Nancy C. CarvajalPhilippine Daily Inquirer 4:53 am | Friday, May 31st, 2013 Taiwanese investigators look at a portion of a ship involved in the alleged shooting of a Taiwanese fisherman as they ride a rubber boat with Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) members on Tuesday May 28, 2013. They reportedly became emotional while watching a video of the encounter between the PCG and a Taiwanese fishing vessel in the waters off the northern Philippines that resulted in the shooting death of a Taiwanese fisherman. AP PHOTO/AARON FAVILA MANILA, Philippines—Taiwanese investigators in Manila reportedly became emotional while watching a video of the encounter between the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) and a Taiwanese fishing vessel in the waters off the northern Philippines that resulted in the shooting death of a Taiwanese fisherman. “Some of them cried and others uttered ‘it’s excessive,’” said the source who asked not to be named for lack of authority to speak on the parallel probe of the May 9 incident by Taiwanese and Philippine investigators working in both Taipei and Manila. The source said several PCG personnel were shown in the video shooting at the Taiwanese vessel, the Kuang Ta Hsing No. 28. Fisherman Hung Shih-cheng, 65, was killed. The source described the video as close to two hours and showing the earlier activities of the boat, the MCS-3001, jointly manned by the PCG and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR). The footage, taken by one of the PCG personnel, showed that the Taiwanese fishing Read More …

Group calls for support of CA domestic workers bill

News

May 302013

Group calls for support of CA domestic workers bill

By Joseph PimentelAJ Press/INQUIRER.net News Partner 4:41 am | Friday, May 31st, 2013 LOS ANGELES–Fil-Am organizations are urging the public to call their local state assembly member and ask them to support AB 241, the California Domestic Workers Bill of Rights. Filipino Migrant Center officials sent out a mass email to their supporters, asking them to support the bill, which would provide labor protections to household workers, caregivers and childcare providers working in private homes. These include the right to overtime pay, meal and rest breaks, uninterrupted sleep for live-in workers and use of kitchen facilities, FMC officials said. The bill will be voted on the assembly floor this week before it moves to the senate labor committee. “The Filipino Migrant Center works with Filipino caregivers to fight for fair wages, a safe and healthy work environment and dignity and respect and the right to organize,” officials wrote on the email. There are around 200,000 domestic workers in the state, tens of thousands of whom are Filipinos. This is the third time the issue has been brought up to the state legislature, each time the bill reached the governor, only for the governor to veto it. Last year, Gov. Jerry Brown vetoed a similar bill, AB 889, because he believed a possible “drafting error” and that it could cost the state nearly $200 million in uncertainties. Brown asked for the State Department of Industrial Relations to look into the matter further, before he would consider signing a similar bill again. Read More …

Travel firms aren’t job recruiters, says POEA

News

May 302013

Philippine Daily Inquirer 4:39 am | Friday, May 31st, 2013 MANILA, Philippines—The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) on Thursday warned Filipinos wishing to work abroad about immigration consultants and travel agencies that offered overseas jobs. POEA Administrator Hans Leo Cacdac said that offering overseas employment in the guise of visa assistance without a license or authority from the POEA constituted illegal recruitment under the Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipinos Act. “Immigration consultants are required to obtain a license from the POEA before they may engage in recruitment and placement activities, regardless of the visa under which deployment shall be made eventually,” said Cacdac in a statement. He said jobseekers need not engage immigration consultants who charge thousands of dollars for supposed working visas to countries like the United States, United Kingdom, Australia and Canada. Unnecessary expenses “By having an agent, they would be paying for information and counsel that are free and readily available in those countries’ respective websites,” Cacdac said. “Also, the documents required by the immigration offices of those countries could only be produced by the applicant and not by the consultant,” he said. Cacdac said that those wanting to work or migrate to the United States, United Kingdom, Canada or Australia could visit the following websites: www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/; www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/visas-immigration/working/; www.cic.gc.ca/english/index-can.asp; and www.immi.gov.au/skilled/. He said travel agencies also were not allowed to engage in the recruitment and placement of Filipino workers. He noted that some travel agencies included in their tour packages “the opportunity to hunt for jobs” in Read More …

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