$1.4B needed for children in global humanitarian crisis–UNICEF

 News
Feb 022013
 
$1.4B needed for children in global humanitarian crisis–UNICEF

$23M appeal for Philippines included INQUIRER.net 3:53 pm | Saturday, February 2nd, 2013 MANILA, Philippines – UNICEF has appealed for almost $1.4 billion to meet the immediate, life-saving needs of children in 45 countries and regions globally gripped by conflict, natural disasters and other complex emergencies this year. Funds raised by the annual appeal will also go towards improving disaster preparedness, and to strengthening the resilience of communities to withstand and minimize the impact of new shocks. “We are still in the first month of 2013, which has already proved harsh for millions of children suffering in Syria and for refugees who had to flee to neighboring countries. Mali and the Central African Republic are also experiencing worsening conflict, threatening the lives of children and women,” said Ted Chaiban, UNICEF’s Director of the Office of Emergency Programs. “Children are extremely vulnerable in emergencies, often living in unhealthy and unsafe conditions, at high risk of disease, violence, exploitation and neglect.” The Humanitarian Action for Children 2013 appeal includes countries prominent in today’s news headlines along with many other countries that receive much less media coverage, such as Chad, Colombia, Ethiopia, Somalia, Yemen and the Philippines, but which also require urgent attention and assistance. “The complex emergency in Syria represents one important focus of UNICEF’s global emergency response,” said Chaiban. “But we are also delivering results for children in highly challenging and largely forgotten emergencies around the world.” The Philippines’ US$23 million appeal aims to address humanitarian needs in the Mindanao armed conflict, the Typhoon Read More …

Binay, DFA thank Saudi king

 News
Feb 012013
 
Binay, DFA thank Saudi king

FREEDOM FOR DOOMED PINOYBy Jerome Aning Philippine Daily Inquirer 3:53 am | Saturday, February 2nd, 2013 Rodelio Celestino Lanuza. FILE PHOTO MANILA, Philippines—Vice President Jejomar Binay and Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario on Friday expressed the Philippine government’s gratitude to Saudi King Abdullah for donating the P24.9-million balance for the “blood money” needed for the release of Filipino death convict Rodelio “Dondon” Lanuza. “I’m happy to relate that our compatriot has been saved from the execution. This is because of the kindness of King Abdullah,” Binay, concurrent presidential adviser of OFW affairs, said. In a press conference at the Coconut Palace, the Vice President’s official residence, Binay said the government had been quietly working for the release of Lanuza, who was sentenced to death in 2000 in Damman, Saudi Arabia for killing a Saudi national. Lanuza claimed it was an act of self-defense. The Vice President said the King’s gesture of goodwill “once again affirms the strong ties of friendship and brotherhood between the Philippines and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.” The Department of Foreign Affairs said the Saudi government’s “humanitarian gesture” would pave the way for the issuance of the affidavit of forgiveness (tanazul) in Lanuza’s favor, thus formally saving him from execution. “This positive development is a result of the tireless effort and steadfast commitment of Filipinos working together. We hope that as soon as all legal procedures are completed, Mr. Lanuza will finally be reunited with his family,” Del Rosario said in a statement. Del Rosario did Read More …

US sub’s visit has Palace OK

 News
Feb 012013
 
US sub’s visit has Palace OK

By Michael Lim Ubac Philippine Daily Inquirer 2:21 am | Saturday, February 2nd, 2013 ‘TOM CLANCY’S SUB’ The USS Cheyenne (SSN 773), a Los Angeles-class submarine, is scheduled to arrive in Subic Bay Friday for a routine port visit. This stop in Subic will permit the Cheyenne to replenish supplies as well as offer its crew an opportunity for rest and relaxation. Cheyenne is the primary subject of Tom Clancy’s novel “SNN,” a fictional war over the Spratlys. PHOTO FROM US EMBASSY INFORMATION OFFICE MANILA, Philippines—The port visit of the USS Cheyenne, a nuclear attack submarine belonging to the US Pacific Fleet, has been cleared with Malacañang. Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigal Valte said that although Cheyenne is a “nuclear-powered submarine,” this does not necessarily mean that it is carrying nuclear warheads. The Cheyenne arrived on Friday at the former US naval base on Subic Bay, Zambales, for a “routine port visit,” according to the US Embassy. The US Embassy in Manila did not say how long the 110-meter-long submarine would stay in the Philippines. But Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) chair Roberto Garcia said the USS Cheyenne would be in Subic for a week. At a briefing in the Palace, Valte clarified that the port visit was not violative of the constitutional ban on the presence of any nuclear armaments in the country. Nuke-powered “Just to clarify, the Constitution prohibits nuclear armaments, not nuclear-powered (vessels). So this is nuclear-powered and this has diplomatic clearance of the DFA, in consultation with Read More …

Pope names Tagle to 2 key councils in Vatican

 News
Feb 012013
 
Pope names Tagle to 2 key councils in Vatican

12:23 am | Saturday, February 2nd, 2013 Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Tagle. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO Two months after his elevation to the College of Cardinals, Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle has been appointed to two key councils in the Vatican. Pope Benedict XVI on Thursday named Tagle a member of the Pontifical Council for the Family, which deals with pro-life issues, and the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant Peoples. The five other prelates who became cardinal in November together with Tagle were also given new assignments in the Vatican curia. “According to the Catholic News Agency, [the cardinals, while keeping their main jobs, can] bring their experience and perspective to bear on the discussions and decisions of the central church offices that assist the Pontiff,” a report posted on the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines news website said. “As member of the two Rome-based offices, Tagle may attend the councils’ important meetings and receive regular correspondence from Rome on matters that need consensus,” the report said. Family council According to the Vatican website, the Pontifical Council for the Family is responsible for the promotion of the pastoral ministry and apostolate for the family, dealing with issues related to responsible procreation, and the defense of human life “in all stages of its existence, from conception to natural death.” The council also deals with sex education, demographics, contraception and abortion; sterilization, ethical and pastoral problems related to AIDS and other problems of bioethics; legislation regarding Read More …

PH thanks Saudi Arabia for P25M ‘blood money’ to save doomed OFW

 News
Feb 012013
 

By Fat Reyes INQUIRER.net 7:38 pm | Friday, February 1st, 2013 MANILA, Philippines—The Philippine government on Friday thanked the Saudi government for its decision to shoulder nearly P25 million in blood money for jailed Filipino worker Rodelio Celestino Lanuza, saying the act affirmed the strong ties between the two countries. “On behalf of President Aquino, we would like to express our most sincere thanks to His Excellency King Abdullah for his gesture of kindness. This gesture once again affirms the strong ties of friendship and brotherhood between the Philippines and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” Vice President Jejomar Binay said in a statement Friday. The Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia announced on Thursday that its government had made a directive for the payment of the balance of 2.3 million Saudi Riyals for handing over to the heirs of the victims of Lanuza, who had admitted to stabbing an Arab out of self-defense in June 2000 and was sentenced in 2002 to death by beheading. In February 2011, the Philippine government and the Saudi Reconciliation Committee in Dammam helped him secure forgiveness from the offended family. The family required a diyya or compensation worth P35 million. The embassy noted that the family had filed an appeal to the Saudi government after paying an initial 700,000 riyals (P7.6 million). In his statement, Binay also apologized for being elusive and not readily answering questions regarding the state of Lanuza’s case for the past years, saying that the cases of Lanuza and other Filipinos’ Read More …

World Bank estimates losses due to corrupt acts at $1.3 trillion

 News
Jan 312013
 
World Bank estimates losses due to corrupt acts at $1.3 trillion

By Cathy C. Yamsuan Philippine Daily Inquirer 3:51 am | Friday, February 1st, 2013 An anticorruption crusader on Thursday cited a World Bank financial study that quantified the “devastating effect” of illicit financial flows through corruption at $1.3 trillion a year. Dr. Naser Al Sane, outgoing chairman of the Global Organization of Parliamentarians Against Corruption (Gopac), said losses due to corrupt practices ranging from bribery to theft and tax evasion would be equivalent to the combined economies of Switzerland, South Africa and Belgium. “This amount of money could lift the lives of 1.4 billion people living on less than $1.25 a day… for at least six years. Al Sane, a Kuwaiti member of Parliament, said countries with “weak governments” as a result of irregular practices “have a 30-45 percent higher risk of civil war,” citing a separate World Bank development report in 2011. He lamented that many global leaders would invoke the UN Convention Against Corruption during their political campaigns “yet do nothing” in achieving its goal. “Look at the regimes that are falling in the Middle East! All dictators fall because of revolutions.  They belonged to countries that ratified anticorruption treaties,” Al Sane said. He also warned that global corruption “is getting worse.” “It’s a monster everywhere facing us. This is a challenge not only to us [but] to all activists,” he said.  

Saudi ‘blood money’ rescues doomed Filipino from execution

 News
Jan 312013
 
Saudi ‘blood money’ rescues doomed Filipino from execution

By Tarra Quismundo Philippine Daily Inquirer 2:29 am | Friday, February 1st, 2013 Rodelio Celestino Lanuza An overseas Filipino worker who has languished on death row in Saudi Arabia for more than a decade has been saved from execution with the Saudi government’s shouldering nearly P25 million in blood money for his victim’s family, the kingdom’s embassy in Manila said Thursday. The embassy said the Saudi government paid 2.3 million riyals in blood money that Rodelio Celestino Lanuza was supposed to pay to the heirs of Mohammad bin Said Al-Qathani, whom the Filipino killed in self-defense in 2000. The amount covered the balance of 3 million riyals (P32.54 million) left after Lanuza’s family paid an initial 700,000 riyals (P7.6 million). Welcome gesture The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) welcomed the development and thanked the Saudi Arabian government for the “humanitarian gesture.” “This will pave the way for the issuance of an affidavit of forgiveness, or tanazul, in Mr. Lanuza’s favor. We hope that as soon as all legal procedures are completed, Mr. Lanuza will finally be reunited with his family,” DFA spokesperson Raul Hernandez said in a statement issued Thursday night. The Saudi Arabian Embassy said Lanuza’s family had appealed for help to raise the remainder of the blood money. It said the Saudi Arabian government made the “royal goodwill gesture” as a result of coordination with Vice President Jejomar Binay, the presidential adviser for migrant workers’ affairs. Another one on death row Binay is also working to raise P44 Read More …

Cheyenne, Tom Clancy’s attack sub, arriving in Subic Friday

 News
Jan 312013
 
Cheyenne, Tom Clancy’s attack sub, arriving in Subic Friday

By Tarra Quismundo Philippine Daily Inquirer 1:54 am | Friday, February 1st, 2013 ‘TOM CLANCY’S SUB’ The USS Cheyenne (SSN 773), a Los Angeles-class submarine, is scheduled to arrive in Subic Bay Friday for a routine port visit. This stop in Subic will permit the Cheyenne to replenish supplies as well as offer its crew an opportunity for rest and relaxation. Cheyenne is the primary subject of Tom Clancy’s novel “SNN,” a fictional war over the Spratlys. PHOTO FROM US EMBASSY INFORMATION OFFICE In Tom Clancy’s world of fiction, it’s a US nuclear submarine that fights China over the disputed Spratly Islands in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea). The submarine, according to Wikipedia, is the USS Cheyenne, a nuclear attack submarine belonging to the US Pacific Fleet. In Clancy’s novel “SSN,” the Cheyenne battles China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) warships in the disputed Spratlys. The Cheyenne is arriving Friday in the former US naval base on Subic Bay, Zambales province, not to battle the PLA but for a “routine port visit,” according to the US Embassy. Tubbataha mess Unfortunately the Cheyenne is arriving amid deep embarrassment for the US Navy whose minesweeper USS Guardian is stuck on the southern atoll in the Tubbataha Reefs, a Unesco-World Heritage Site in the Sulu Sea. In a still unexplained misadventure, the Guardian ran aground on the atoll on Jan. 17. As the ship is badly damaged, the US Navy has decided to break it apart. The US Navy is facing investigation Read More …

Old Spanish maps may yet boost PH claim to Panatag

 News
Jan 312013
 
Old Spanish maps may yet boost PH claim to Panatag

By Jaymee T. Gamil Philippine Daily Inquirer 1:53 am | Friday, February 1st, 2013 Spanish and Filipino delegates to this year’s Tribuna España-Filipinas forum have agreed to embark on a coordinated “archiving program” of historical documents, especially those involving the Spanish colonial period in the Philippines more than 400 years ago. As the sixth edition of the annual multisectoral forum between the two countries drew to a close on Wednesday, an official of the Spanish Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport told the Inquirer that some of the Spanish archives, once catalogued and translated, may even help the Philippines in its claim to the disputed Scarborough (Panatag) Shoal. Luis Enseñat Calderon, director of the ministry’s Ibero-Archivos Program, said Spanish historical archives contained documents and maps on the Spanish colonization of the Philippines from the 16th to 19th century.   Possible proof   “The archives may be important in this way to demonstrate that in the 19th century, the Chinese did not control these group of islands,” Calderon said, when asked how Spanish archives could help the Philippines in its territorial dispute with China over the Scarborough Shoal. He quoted colonial Spanish officials in the 1800s, saying these islands “were controlled, more or less, by the Philippines from Manila.” While these documents are available at the National Historical Archive of Spain, he said it is not yet accessible to the public because his office is still digitizing the documents. “But little by little, we can make progress and publish this on Read More …

Assad not seeking asylum in PH–DFA

 News
Jan 312013
 
Assad not seeking asylum in PH–DFA

By Tarra Quismundo Philippine Daily Inquirer 1:26 am | Friday, February 1st, 2013 The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Thursday denied a newspaper report that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is seeking asylum in the Philippines amid the escalating violence in his country. Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario categorically denied the story (not in the Philippine Daily Inquirer) that suggested the matter was  discussed at a meeting on Tuesday between Bouthaina Shabaan, a trusted adviser of the beleaguered Syrian leader, and President Aquino. “There was absolutely no discussion on the matter,” Del Rosario said in a text message. “There is no truth to that report that President Assad is seeking asylum in the Philippines. In other words, the unnamed sources gave the wrong information,” Assistant Secretary Raul Hernandez, the DFA spokesperson, told a press briefing Thursday. He said Shabaan indeed handed a letter to the President but that the two sides did not talk about the possibility of asylum for Assad in the Philippines. ‘Political solutions’ He explained that Shabaan’s visit was part of Syria’s campaign to inform the international community about “political solutions” that the Syrian government is considering to end its the conflict with rebel forces. Hernandez characterized the meeting as a “sharing of information” on Syria’s plans, adding that Shabaan went on to visit other countries after she left the Philippines. “It’s part of their campaign to the international community that this is how they would like to solve their crisis.  Usually, this is what happens when Read More …

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