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:

May 312013
 
U.S. Immigration bill–what happens now?

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 …

May 312013
 

MANILA (Mabuhay) — A year after he was ousted from office through an impeachment trial, former Chief Justice Renato Corona still maintains his innocence from charges leveled against him by the House of Representatives. In a text message, Corona slammed the Aquino administration for using the vast resources at its disposal to remove him from […]

May 312013
 

Temecula, California (Mayo 15, 2013) – Isang “Double threat” – isang bituin ng pelikula/telebisyon at mang-aawit sa Pilipinas, at isa sa mgapinaka-tanyag na artistang Pilipino na si Anne Curtis ay darating sa Pechanga Resort & Casino para ipagdiwang ang ika-115 na Araw na Kasarinlan ng Pilipinas sa Hunyo 15, 2013 ng alas-otso ng  gabi sa kanyang palabas  na pinamagatang “No Other Concert.”  Ang pangalawang  […]

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 …

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 …

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 …