UAE healthcare firm to fund surgeries of 50 Filipino kids with heart defects

 News
Feb 132013
 
UAE healthcare firm to fund surgeries of 50 Filipino kids with heart defects

By Philip Tubeza Philippine Daily Inquirer 6:07 am | Thursday, February 14th, 2013 MANILA, Philippines—Thankful for the contribution of overseas Filipino workers in the growth of their business, a major healthcare company from the United Arab Emirates launched on Wednesday a P5-million campaign in Manila to save Filipino children with congenital heart defects (CHD) by funding their surgeries and treatment. DM Healthcare LLC, through its charity foundation, launched the Save the Little Hearts Program, which aims to help 50 Filipino children with CHD have their surgery here or in India for free. Annually, 20,000 children with CHD are born in the Philippines and one of out four of these patients die because they do not get medical treatment. “Why come here in Manila? We want to give back to the people who helped us and to the country where they came from,” Padma Shri Dr. Azad Moopen, the founder of DM Healthcare, said during the launch at the Shangri-La Hotel in Makati. “This country and its people are very close to our hearts. Twenty percent of our staff is composed of Filipinos and they have given us excellent service for the past five years,” he said. “As an employer of choice to thousands of Filipino staff at DM Healthcare, we wanted to give back to the community that is integral to our growth, success and quality,” Moopen added. Moopen said the campaign would help children with CHD from the poorest families and those who have been in dire need of Read More …

DOJ lawyers to start process of Amalilio extradition

 News
Feb 102013
 
DOJ lawyers to start process of Amalilio extradition

By TJ Burgonio Philippine Daily Inquirer 6:28 pm | Sunday, February 10th, 2013 MANUEL AMALILIO Contributed photo MANILA, Philippines – Lawyers from the Department of Justice would fly to Malaysia to formally start the process of extraditing Manuel Amalilio for allegedly swindling 15 million Filipinos of P12 billion in an investment scam, Malacañang said Sunday. Undersecretary Abigail Valte, deputy presidential spokesperson, debunked reports quoting Malaysian officials as saying that Kuala Lumpur would not extradite Amalilio since he is a Malaysian citizen. “That’s inaccurate because first of all our state counsels from the DOJ were about to go [to Malaysia] to formally start the extradition process,’’ Valte said over government-run dzRB. Even though Malaysia has no extradition treaty with the Philippines, Malaysian law allows extradition under “certain processes,’’ Valte pointed out. In a statement in Malaysia’s Star newspaper Saturday, Attorney General Abdul Gani Patail said Malaysia would not extradite Amalilio, aka Mohammad Kamal, because he is a Malaysian citizen holding a valid and active identification card. Gani said that the Attorney General’s Chambers had received a formal request from the Philippines’ Department of Justice to hand over Amalilio to the Philippines under the Asean Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters, and freeze his asset. A team of Philippine law enforcers was about to board a plane to Manila with the fugitive on Jan. 25 when they were stopped by senior Malaysian police officials. Amalilio was returned to police custody and subsequently convicted and sentenced for fraud by a Kota Kinabalu court. Quoting Read More …

US appeals court rejects Filipino WWII Veterans’ lawsuit seeking benefits

 News
Feb 102013
 
US appeals court rejects Filipino WWII Veterans’ lawsuit seeking benefits

By Nimfa U. Rueda Philippine Daily Inquirer 4:56 pm | Sunday, February 10th, 2013 LOS ANGELES — Aging Filipino veterans seeking benefits for their World War II services have decided to take their case to the Supreme Court after a federal appeals court had ruled against them, the veterans’ lawyer said. “The fight continues,” said lawyer Arnedo Valera, who received the decision on Friday (Saturday in Manila). “Sadly, the decision highlights the continued discrimination against our beloved veterans.” The lawsuit filed by the veterans against the US Department of Veterans Affairs said the benefits granted to Filipino veterans were far below those received by US veterans, including pensions and health care. More than 250,000 Filipinos fought for the United States during World War II and were promised equal treatment with American veterans after the war. But in 1946, the US Congress enacted the Rescission Act that took away full recognition of Filipino war veterans and stripped them of their benefits. In 2009, the US Congress approved the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), a stimulus package that included one-time payments of $15,000 to Filipino veterans in the United States and $9,000 to those living in the Philippines. But the lawsuit, filed in the Ninth US Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco in October 2010, said the claims of thousands of other veterans were rejected since records from the Philippines proving their services were not accepted by US authorities. The Department of Veterans Affairs required documentation from a federal registry Read More …

China ships in disputed waters as tension runs high

 News
Feb 102013
 

Agence France-Presse 2:25 pm | Sunday, February 10th, 2013 TOKYO – Four Chinese ships were spotted Sunday in disputed East China Sea waters, Japanese officials said, as Tokyo considered disclosing video footage and pictures as evidence of a Chinese frigate’s alleged radar-lock incident. For the first time after Tokyo made the allegation last week, China sent maritime surveillance vessels near Japanese-controlled islands in the East China Sea, known as Senkaku in Tokyo and Diaoyu by Beijing, which also claims them. They were seen sailing in the contiguous waters near one of the outcrops as of 0000 GMT, the Japan Coast Guard said. Tokyo accused a Chinese frigate of locking its weapons-tracking radar on a Japanese destroyer — the first time the two nations’ navies have locked horns in the territorial dispute that has provoked fears of armed conflict breaking out between the two. Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Friday demanded Beijing apologize and admit to the incident, which occurred late January, after Chinese authorities flatly denied Tokyo’s accusation. Japan’s Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera said on Fuji TV on Sunday that Tokyo was carefully studying whether or how to disclose military data as evidence. However he also said he did not think China would “admit to it even if Japan discloses a variety of evidence, because it is trying to protect its national interest”. Onodera on Saturday told the Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper that Tokyo had “evidence to show the fire-control radar chased after the ship (of Japan’s Self-Defense Forces) for Read More …

Malaysia says it’s keeping Amalilio

 News
Feb 092013
 
Malaysia says it’s keeping Amalilio

By Jerome Aning Philippine Daily Inquirer 3:03 am | Sunday, February 10th, 2013 MANUEL AMALILIO. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO MANILA, Philippines—Malaysia has no plans to extradite Manuel Karingal Amalilio (aka Mohammad Kamal Sa’ad), who is wanted by Philippine authorities for allegedly swindling 15,000 Filipinos of P12 billion in a fraudulent investment scheme, but who has been sentenced to two years’ imprisonment by a Sabah court for possession of a fake Philippine passport. In a statement reported in Malaysia’s Star newspaper on Saturday, Attorney General Abdul Gani Patail said Malaysia would not extradite “Mohammad Kamal” since he is a Malaysian citizen holding a valid and active identification card. However, relevant authorities have been directed to check and freeze all financial records and assets belonging to Amalilio and his associates, the Star quoted Gani as saying. In the same statement, Gani said the Philippine Embassy in Kuala Lumpur had requested  Amalilio’s extradition. He said Philippine Justice Undersecretary Jose Vincent B. Salazar had also requested that the Malaysian government freeze Amalilio’s assets, savings and investments and those owned by people related to him. He also said that the Attorney General’s Chambers had received a formal request from the Philippines’ Department of Justice to hand over Amalilio to the Philippines under the Asean Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters Act of 2004. Separate court Gani said the request was being handled by the international affairs division of the Attorney General’s Chambers, a separate court for the states of Sabah and Sarawak which deals with civil law matters Read More …

Heroic ‘yaya’ hugging boy, escape from their kidnappers

 News
Feb 092013
 
Heroic ‘yaya’ hugging boy, escape from their kidnappers

Philippine Daily Inquirer 1:01 am | Sunday, February 10th, 2013 OZAMIZ CITY—The family of the 1-year-old Filipino-Canadian boy kidnapped in Pagadian City on Thursday morning credited his 17-year-old nanny for his safe return on Friday. The boy was snatched along with his nanny at around 6:30 a.m. on Thursday after armed men barged into the family’s house on Sto. Rosario Road in Dau village. Karen Maata, mother of the kidnapped boy, said nanny Carolyn Remetre seized an opportunity to flee when the kidnappers briefly left them unguarded in a safe house here on Friday afternoon. Maata, who came over to fetch her son, Timothy Sokolov, and the nanny after the escape, recounted to reporters the girl’s story—how, in her determination to escape from captivity, she hugged Timothy tight, double-checked that nobody was watching them and dashed to freedom. “She was crying and distraught and decided to go inside Gaisano Mall,” Maata said, noting that the girl did not know who to run to for help. She said Remetre decided to sit in a corner inside Gaisano Mall while trying to compose herself and thinking of a place to go when local policeman PO1 Alex Bentero saw her crying. Maata said that initially, the nanny refused to open up to Bentero because he was a stranger despite his being in uniform. But she finally talked when he persisted in questioning her, she said. Bentero then took Remetre and Timothy to the city police station, where Maata said she and the Zamboanga Read More …

Police nab members of syndicate involved in telephone racket

 News
Feb 082013
 
Police nab members of syndicate involved in telephone racket

By Jaymee T. Gamil Philippine Daily Inquirer 6:21 pm | Friday, February 8th, 2013 MANILA, Philippines—Careful with cheaper international calls to the Philippines. It may be the work of a “transnational” criminal syndicate. The National Capital Region Police Office reported on Friday the arrest of two members of a syndicate that uses computers and other devices to convert inbound international calls to local calls, shortchanging telecommunications companies, and the Philippine government, of millions of pesos in revenue. In a press conference at Camp Bagong Diwa in Taguig, NCRPO spokesperson Chief Insp. Kimberly Molitas Gonzales revealed that on Thursday, the regional intelligence operations unit arrested Korean female Yooun Nayong, 37, in a condominium unit on  Boni Avenue, Mandaluyong City, and Filipino caretaker Carlo Dadulla, 21, in another unit in Bagong Barrio, Caloocan City, on the complaint of Globe Telecom. The two stand accused of violating the Access Device Regulation Act of 1998, after they were caught in possession of GSM modems with SIM ports, hundreds of Globe and Touch Mobile SIM cards, Internet modems and gateways, cellphones, laptops, antenna consolidators, computer cables and other peripherals, believed used to bypass Globe’s system and to convert calls from abroad into local calls. Globe-NCR representative Gerald Bechayda explained that with the networked devices, the syndicate allows calls to bypass the Globe International Gateway Facility. The syndicate converts the international caller’s number into a local cellphone number, so the call will be charged local instead of international rates. Gonzales said the two suspects cater mostly Read More …

Manila Fame design trade show set for March and October

 News
Feb 072013
 
Manila Fame design trade show set for March and October

INQUIRER.net U.S. Bureau 10:26 am | Friday, February 8th, 2013 Manila FAME International, the Philippines’ Design and Lifestyle Event showcasing design-forward and high-quality Philippine-made artisanal products, will take place on March 14-17, 2013 and October 17-20, 2013 at the SMX Convention Center, Mall of Asia Complex, Manila. The Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions (CITEM) of the Department of Trade and Industry announced that the semi-annual trade show will bring together Manila Now, CEBUNEXT and Bijoux Cebu, four of the country’s major sourcing events. The trade show will feature furniture and furnishings, home accents, gifts, holiday décor, fashion accessories, apparel and textiles, among others. It will also highlight Design Week Philippines, a celebration of design through events scheduled around Manila FAME to strengthen the country’s position as Asia’s design destination. The trade show is approved by UFI, the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry. To become a FAME Guest and avail of free services: travel assistance, business matching, coordinated factory visits, interpreters, FAME buddies, shuttle service from airport, hotel and venue, visit http://www.manilafame.com and www.citem.com.ph For registration and other assistance, email  the Philippine Trade and Investment Center-Silicon Valley    at  pdtisf@aol.com , ptic-sv@philippinecentersf.com and mailto:pdtisf@aol.com or call at (415) 773-2336 and (408) 980-9637. 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: apparel , Read More …

One Billion Rising on Valentine’s Day

 News
Feb 072013
 
One Billion Rising on Valentine’s Day

INQUIRER.net U.S. Bureau 10:25 am | Friday, February 8th, 2013 SAN FRANCISCO – San Francisco women’s rights supporters will join activists in193 countries on the largest day of action in the history of V-Day, the global movement to end violence against women and girls. “One Billion Rising,” began as a call to action based on the staggering statistic that 1 in 3 women on the planet will be beaten or raped during her lifetime. On February 14, 2013, the City of San Francisco will welcome One Billion Rising to the steps of City Hall from 4-6 p.m. Joining them will be Mayor Edwin M. Lee, District Attorney George Gascón, Board of Supervisors president David Chiu, V-Day executive director Susan Celia Swan, Commission on the Status of Women president Julie Soo, Filipina Women’s Network president Marily Mondejar and other city leaders. The Event will feature DJs spinning, flash mobs dancing, and special guests (to be announced). To support One Billion Rising to end violence, signing up online:www.onebillionrisingsf.org/join . 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: flash mob , San Francisco officials , V-Day , Valentine’s Day , violence against women , Women’s Rights Factual errors? Contact the Philippine Daily Inquirer’s day desk. Believe this article violates journalistic ethics? Contact the Inquirer’s Reader’s Read More …

Vegas judge nixes Mrs. Lapid bid to serve sentence in PH

 News
Feb 072013
 
Vegas judge nixes Mrs. Lapid bid to serve sentence in PH

By Tonette OrejasInquirer Central Luzon 6:03 am | Friday, February 8th, 2013 Marissa Lapid with husband, Sen. Manuel “Lito” Lapid CITY OF SAN FERNANDO, Philippines—A judge in Las Vegas, Nevada, has turned down the request of the wife of Sen. Manuel “Lito” Lapid to live in the Philippines as she serves three years of probation for dollar smuggling and reporting violations, an Inquirer source said. Last Monday’s ruling by United States Magistrate Judge Peggy Leen denied Marissa Lapid’s request to live in the Philippines while on probation, said the source who was inside the courtroom when the sentence was handed to the senator’s wife. The sentence came more than a year after the Department of Homeland Security found $40,000 in her luggage when she entered Nevada in November 2011. She pleaded guilty in a plea bargain. Probation Aside from the probation that comes with travel restrictions, the sentence includes a five-month home confinement for which she was required to continue wearing an ankle bracelet that electronically tracks her location, according to reports quoting the spokesperson of Nevada US Attorney Daniel Bogden. The source explained this “means she can’t travel and has to report to an officer of the court in a supervised release system for three consecutive years, usually once a month.” The source declined to be named, citing future work in the Philippines. “There is usually a fine and an additional sentence of time served or added as possible total time to serve if they fail to adhere to Read More …

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