MANILA, Philippines – Filipinos in quake-ravaged areas of Japan were advised to proceed to the nearest fire station or city hall to receive instructions and assistance, while those in coastal areas were urged to go to higher ground in the event of aftershocks that might trigger another tsunami.
The Philippine Embassy in Tokyo strongly advised the Filipino community in Japan to take the precautionary measures following an 8.9 magnitude quake and resulting tsunamis that devastated northeastern Japan on Friday.
In a report to the Department of Foreign Affairs in the small hours of Saturday, the embassy also indicated it has request Filipino community organizations in Japan to provide information on possible Filipino casualties or to relay requests for assistance.
The embassy reiterated the urgent request of the Japanese government for people in coastal and low-lying areas to evacuate to higher ground as a precaution against the threat of tsunamis after the Japanese meteorological experts predicted more aftershocks.
The DFA said there were some 1,309 Filipinos in Miyagi prefecture, the location of the city of Sendai, which bore the brunt of the quake and tsunami. Altogether, there are 305,972 Filipinos in Japan.
Emergency landline numbers for members of the Filipino community in Japan are +81-3-5562-1570, +81-3-5562-1577, and +81-3-5562-1590. Embassy officials can also be e-mailed for inquiries at emergency@philembassy.net.
“As soon as telephone service resumes operations,” members of the Filipino community may also contact emergency numbers +81-3-5562-1573 and +81-3-5562-1574, the DFA said.
The embassy said landline and mobile phone networks remained down in their area, although internet services are available.
In Manila, the DFA Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs (DFA-OUMWA) also set up hotline numbers and an e-mail address for those who would like to inquire about their Filipino relatives in Japan.
The hotline numbers are 834-4646 and 834-4580. Requests for information may also be sent through the e-mail address dfaoumwa.cmc@gmail.com. (report from DJ Yap, Philippine Daily Inquirer)
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Many Filipinos in Japan permanent, long-term residents — DFA
MANILA, Philippines – Many Filipinos living in or near the quake- and tsunami-ravaged areas of Japan have taken up roots in that country either as permanent or long-term residents or as spouses and children of Japanese nationals, the Department of Foreign Affairs said Saturday.
Several are engineers while some are nurses studying to take the license exams there, DFA spokesman Eduardo Malaya said, describing the profile of the typical Filipino in that part of northeastern Japan devastated by an 8.9 magnitude quake and the resulting tsunami.
“It seems we have a lot of permanent and long-term residents there. In Tokyo, the central and northern Japan, we have 84,407 permanent migrants. In Osaka, we have 19,972,” he told the Inquirer. The count does not include naturalized Japanese.
Malaya added that based on the records, many of these permanent residents were the spouses or children of Japanese citizens.
The DFA also gave a breakdown of Filipinos living in the four prefectures most heavily hit by the quake and tsunami: 1,309 in Miyagi, 2,366 in Fukushima, 906 in Iwate, and 551 in Aomori.
Malaya said the Philippine Embassy in Tokyo, with a staff of at least 30 Filipinos and 22 locally hired personnel, was trying hard to reach out to the Filipino community in the northeastern sections despite difficulties in communication.
“We have four consul generals, and through them and the community leaders we hope to be able to verify the conditions of our nationals in the devastated areas,” he said.
Malaya said the DFA hot lines (834-4646 and 834-4580) had received a lot of calls from Filipinos inquiring about their relatives in Japan.
Under the setup, the names and details are recorded by DFA personnel and relayed to the Philippine embassy in Tokyo, he said. “Then the embassy will try to trace these individuals and verify their conditions.”
“It is my understanding that some of the callers have received feedback already from the embassy,” he said. (report from DJ Yap, Philippine Daily Inquirer)
Several are engineers while some are nurses studying to take the license exams there, DFA spokesman Eduardo Malaya said, describing the profile of the typical Filipino in that part of northeastern Japan devastated by an 8.9 magnitude quake and the resulting tsunami.
“It seems we have a lot of permanent and long-term residents there. In Tokyo, the central and northern Japan, we have 84,407 permanent migrants. In Osaka, we have 19,972,” he told the Inquirer. The count does not include naturalized Japanese.
Malaya added that based on the records, many of these permanent residents were the spouses or children of Japanese citizens.
The DFA also gave a breakdown of Filipinos living in the four prefectures most heavily hit by the quake and tsunami: 1,309 in Miyagi, 2,366 in Fukushima, 906 in Iwate, and 551 in Aomori.
Malaya said the Philippine Embassy in Tokyo, with a staff of at least 30 Filipinos and 22 locally hired personnel, was trying hard to reach out to the Filipino community in the northeastern sections despite difficulties in communication.
“We have four consul generals, and through them and the community leaders we hope to be able to verify the conditions of our nationals in the devastated areas,” he said.
Malaya said the DFA hot lines (834-4646 and 834-4580) had received a lot of calls from Filipinos inquiring about their relatives in Japan.
Under the setup, the names and details are recorded by DFA personnel and relayed to the Philippine embassy in Tokyo, he said. “Then the embassy will try to trace these individuals and verify their conditions.”
“It is my understanding that some of the callers have received feedback already from the embassy,” he said. (report from DJ Yap, Philippine Daily Inquirer)
Filipino nurses still in Libya earn locals’ love and respect
MANILA, Philippines — Hundreds of Filipino nurses and medical staff who have opted to stay behind in strife-torn Libya are winning the hearts of the locals and improving the reputation of the Philippines in Arab countries, Foreign Undersecretary Esteban Conejos said.
“That's why our nurses deserve our admiration and also, I guess it's the reason Libyan people love Filipinos there,” he said in a briefing upon his return from a two-week visit to Libya and Tunisia on Friday.
Conejos said many of the Filipino nurses, numbering 1,300 in Libya's largest hospital, the Tripoli Medical Center, and another 600 in the Benghazi Medical Center, had decided to stay behind out of professional commitment.
A few dozen nurses, however, have already left Libya, as the Inquirer reported earlier, with at least 70 nurses from two Tripoli hospitals returning to Manila out of fear of getting left behind as the hostilities escalated.
“They told us, 'Sir, we cannot go, we are medical personnel. We should be the last ones to leave hospitals. There are people dying here’," Conejos said.
He said Libyans were appreciative of the Filipino presence “because of what they showed, in the heat of the fight, they remained and served the interest of the people of Libya.”
“Wherever we go, in Libya, in Tunisia, people would wave at us, 'Philippine, Philippine.' Our reputation is good in that part of the world,” Conejos said with a chuckle.
Conejos said it was funny how, during his visit, he would so often meet fathers with their children. “I'd ask them, 'Where's the mother?' And they'd answer, 'Sir, my wife is a nurse, she decided to stay and asked us to go.' Why? 'Because she is a nurse...'”
But he conceded that the Filipino nurses were motivated also by monetary reasons, noting the excellent perks and privileges of working in the oil-rich North African country.
“They'd tell me also, sayang naman, the privileges of our nurses in Libya are so good. The highest paid there would be paid ranging from about a minimum of $800 to even as high as $2,000.”
In the last two weeks, Conejos said the government “increased their salaries not just twice but three-fold.”
The benefits are even bigger for those who have been there for 15 years. If they were to leave, “they told me, we stand to forfeit our gratuities and benefits,” he added.
Conejos said Filipinos must understand “this context” in addition to respecting and admiring the Filipino nurses' commitment to the medical profession.
Conejos said the Philippine government had extricated, on its own efforts, 6,000 of the 14,000 Filipinos now out of harm's way in Libya.
As of Friday, more than 8,000 Filipinos have returned home, mostly under arrangements by their multinational employers.
“I'm very pleased to report that after sustained and combined sea, air, and land operations we were able to successfully extricate from Libya, I think approximately, by direct government action, about 6,000 OFWs in only a span of 10 days,” he said.
He emphasized the scale and speed of the operation by comparing it to the 6,000 Filipinos repatriated from Lebanon in 2006, which the Philippine government accomplished in seven weeks.
Conejos said the Philippine operations in Libya had taken out all Filipinos who wanted to leave. “See, all I'm saying now is all the OFWs who want to leave Libya we have taken them out. Those in Libya now are those who decided on their own free will and volition to stay,” he said.
The official, who announced that “phase one” of the operation was complete, said he hoped the Libyan conflict would result in a political settlement.
“Because if not, then we are in for a protracted civil war. Right now, as I say, none of them is strong enough to overpower the other. But this will not hold on. This will have to give at a certain point,” he said.
“We should be prepared for that. That is what I refer to as phase two,” Conejos said. (report from DJ Yap, Philippine Daily Inquirer)
“That's why our nurses deserve our admiration and also, I guess it's the reason Libyan people love Filipinos there,” he said in a briefing upon his return from a two-week visit to Libya and Tunisia on Friday.
Conejos said many of the Filipino nurses, numbering 1,300 in Libya's largest hospital, the Tripoli Medical Center, and another 600 in the Benghazi Medical Center, had decided to stay behind out of professional commitment.
A few dozen nurses, however, have already left Libya, as the Inquirer reported earlier, with at least 70 nurses from two Tripoli hospitals returning to Manila out of fear of getting left behind as the hostilities escalated.
“They told us, 'Sir, we cannot go, we are medical personnel. We should be the last ones to leave hospitals. There are people dying here’," Conejos said.
He said Libyans were appreciative of the Filipino presence “because of what they showed, in the heat of the fight, they remained and served the interest of the people of Libya.”
“Wherever we go, in Libya, in Tunisia, people would wave at us, 'Philippine, Philippine.' Our reputation is good in that part of the world,” Conejos said with a chuckle.
Conejos said it was funny how, during his visit, he would so often meet fathers with their children. “I'd ask them, 'Where's the mother?' And they'd answer, 'Sir, my wife is a nurse, she decided to stay and asked us to go.' Why? 'Because she is a nurse...'”
But he conceded that the Filipino nurses were motivated also by monetary reasons, noting the excellent perks and privileges of working in the oil-rich North African country.
“They'd tell me also, sayang naman, the privileges of our nurses in Libya are so good. The highest paid there would be paid ranging from about a minimum of $800 to even as high as $2,000.”
In the last two weeks, Conejos said the government “increased their salaries not just twice but three-fold.”
The benefits are even bigger for those who have been there for 15 years. If they were to leave, “they told me, we stand to forfeit our gratuities and benefits,” he added.
Conejos said Filipinos must understand “this context” in addition to respecting and admiring the Filipino nurses' commitment to the medical profession.
Conejos said the Philippine government had extricated, on its own efforts, 6,000 of the 14,000 Filipinos now out of harm's way in Libya.
As of Friday, more than 8,000 Filipinos have returned home, mostly under arrangements by their multinational employers.
“I'm very pleased to report that after sustained and combined sea, air, and land operations we were able to successfully extricate from Libya, I think approximately, by direct government action, about 6,000 OFWs in only a span of 10 days,” he said.
He emphasized the scale and speed of the operation by comparing it to the 6,000 Filipinos repatriated from Lebanon in 2006, which the Philippine government accomplished in seven weeks.
Conejos said the Philippine operations in Libya had taken out all Filipinos who wanted to leave. “See, all I'm saying now is all the OFWs who want to leave Libya we have taken them out. Those in Libya now are those who decided on their own free will and volition to stay,” he said.
The official, who announced that “phase one” of the operation was complete, said he hoped the Libyan conflict would result in a political settlement.
“Because if not, then we are in for a protracted civil war. Right now, as I say, none of them is strong enough to overpower the other. But this will not hold on. This will have to give at a certain point,” he said.
“We should be prepared for that. That is what I refer to as phase two,” Conejos said. (report from DJ Yap, Philippine Daily Inquirer)
Aurora residents back home after night of ‘picnic’ in gym
CITY OF SAN FERNANDO, Philippines — Aurora Governor Bellaflor Angara-Castillo said she lifted the tsunami warning in her province, which faces the Pacific Ocean, at 11:30 p.m. Friday following the 8.9 magnitude earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan, but residents who evacuated coastal areas returned to their homes at daybreak.
Some 2,000 residents of coastal villages that make up the Aurora capital town of Baler moved up to Ermita Hill, the highest spot in the municipality, the same area where their ancestors ran for safety during a killer tsunami in the 1800s, she said. They later spent the night at the provincial sports complex.
“I did not want them to leave yet. I urged them to stay on just to make sure they're safe. Anyway, they brought along provisions for the night. It seemed we had a picnic,” Castillo told the Inquirer by telephone.
She said residents started returning home by 5 a.m. Saturday.
Reports from the Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said 917 families were evacuated in Baler, Dingalan, Dipaculao, Dinalungan and San Luis towns on Friday afternoon when the tsunami Alert Level 2 was raised. (report from Tonette Orejas, Inquirer Central Luzon Desk)
Some 2,000 residents of coastal villages that make up the Aurora capital town of Baler moved up to Ermita Hill, the highest spot in the municipality, the same area where their ancestors ran for safety during a killer tsunami in the 1800s, she said. They later spent the night at the provincial sports complex.
“I did not want them to leave yet. I urged them to stay on just to make sure they're safe. Anyway, they brought along provisions for the night. It seemed we had a picnic,” Castillo told the Inquirer by telephone.
She said residents started returning home by 5 a.m. Saturday.
Reports from the Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said 917 families were evacuated in Baler, Dingalan, Dipaculao, Dinalungan and San Luis towns on Friday afternoon when the tsunami Alert Level 2 was raised. (report from Tonette Orejas, Inquirer Central Luzon Desk)
Police kill 2 snatchers in Manila
MANILA, Philippines – Two suspects involved in a snatching incident were shot and killed on Saturday morning in España, Manila.
The names of the suspects have yet to be determined.
Police said the victim, Maureen Ramos, had just come from a birthday party and was waiting for a taxi along Quintos Street in España around 2 a.m.
Suddenly, the suspects who were riding in tandem on board a motorcycle appeared and snatched Ramos’ bag.
Luckily, the incident was witnessed by policemen patrolling the area and immediately went after the suspects.
The duo was cornered at Alfonso Mendoza and P. Campa streets. Police fired shots only after the suspects shot them using a paltik (homemade gun). (report from abs-cbnNEWS.com)
The names of the suspects have yet to be determined.
Police said the victim, Maureen Ramos, had just come from a birthday party and was waiting for a taxi along Quintos Street in España around 2 a.m.
Suddenly, the suspects who were riding in tandem on board a motorcycle appeared and snatched Ramos’ bag.
Luckily, the incident was witnessed by policemen patrolling the area and immediately went after the suspects.
The duo was cornered at Alfonso Mendoza and P. Campa streets. Police fired shots only after the suspects shot them using a paltik (homemade gun). (report from abs-cbnNEWS.com)
55,000 in PH eastern coast go home after tsunami alert lifted
MANILA, Philippines – (UPDATE) More than 55,000 people were returning to their homes all along the eastern coast of the Philippines Saturday as the threat of a tsunami from Japan's devastating quake subsided, officials said.
The government ordered the country's Pacific seaboard cleared of people on Friday as a magnitude 8.9 quake unleashed tsunamis on Japan's east coast and triggered a Pacific-wide alert.
National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council executive director Benito Ramos said residents were allowed to return home after spending the night at temporary shelters inland, but advised them to avoid the water.
"The current trend of observed wave heights suggests that the threat of a hazardous tsunami has passed," he said in a statement.
The council said 55,335 people were moved off the coasts overnight as a precaution.
Small tsunami waves struck the country in early evening, but caused no damage or casualties.
Like Japan, the Philippines lies in the Pacific "Ring of Fire."
Scientists cite studies that show that a large number of buildings in Manila would be damaged or destroyed by a similar 8.9-magnitude that hit Japan.
A 7.9 magnitude quake generated tsunami waves in 1976, killing nearly 5,000 people.
A 7.7 magnitude quake in 1990 killed nearly 2,000 people. (report from Agence France-Presse, Associated Press)
The government ordered the country's Pacific seaboard cleared of people on Friday as a magnitude 8.9 quake unleashed tsunamis on Japan's east coast and triggered a Pacific-wide alert.
National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council executive director Benito Ramos said residents were allowed to return home after spending the night at temporary shelters inland, but advised them to avoid the water.
"The current trend of observed wave heights suggests that the threat of a hazardous tsunami has passed," he said in a statement.
The council said 55,335 people were moved off the coasts overnight as a precaution.
Small tsunami waves struck the country in early evening, but caused no damage or casualties.
Like Japan, the Philippines lies in the Pacific "Ring of Fire."
Scientists cite studies that show that a large number of buildings in Manila would be damaged or destroyed by a similar 8.9-magnitude that hit Japan.
A 7.9 magnitude quake generated tsunami waves in 1976, killing nearly 5,000 people.
A 7.7 magnitude quake in 1990 killed nearly 2,000 people. (report from Agence France-Presse, Associated Press)
Grateful South Korea makes PH biggest aid recipient
DAVAO CITY, Philippines — South Korea continues to be grateful to Filipinos for their role in the 1950-1953 Korean War, a Seoul official said here Thursday.
As a manifestation of its gratitude, South Korea has chosen the Philippines as the largest recipient of its development assistance fund, Kim Jinoh, resident representative of the Korea International Cooperation Agency (Koica), told the Inquirer.
At least 7,500 Filipino soldiers fought alongside Koreans against the communists during the war.
Among them was Fidel Ramos, who eventually became a Philippine president. The journalist Benigno S. Aquino Jr., who later became senator, covered the war, which saw the division of the Korean peninsula into the North and the South.
“Sixty years ago, the Philippines came to protect democracy in Korea and we would like to repay what they have done for the Koreans,” Kim said during the 6th founding anniversary of the Regional Training Center-Korea Philippines Vocational Training Center (RTC-KPVTC) here.
The South Korea-funded center recently received a silver accreditation from the Asia Pacific Accreditation and Certification Commission, the second highest accreditation given for a technical school.
He said each year, the South Korea government through Koica sends $15 million to the Philippines, making it the largest grant recipient among the 44 developing countries that the agency has been assisting.
Kim said Koica plans to increase that amount to $20 million starting this year.
“These are grant assistance and not loans,” he said.
Kim said Koica’s funds are being used in development projects such as construction of hospitals, post-harvest facilities, and educational training centers.
In Palawan, Koica helped construct an airport.
Kim said South Korea also wanted to foster much closer relationship with the Philippines – not just in terms of aid – but also by increasing bilateral ties.
He said Seoul has found that South Korean businessmen are very much interested in investing in the Philippines. He noted the presence of about 120,000 South Koreans in the country.
“Koreans have a great appreciation for Filipinos and we are very happy to discover that Filipinos feel the same,” he said. (report from Dennis Jay Santos, Inquirer Mindanao)
As a manifestation of its gratitude, South Korea has chosen the Philippines as the largest recipient of its development assistance fund, Kim Jinoh, resident representative of the Korea International Cooperation Agency (Koica), told the Inquirer.
At least 7,500 Filipino soldiers fought alongside Koreans against the communists during the war.
Among them was Fidel Ramos, who eventually became a Philippine president. The journalist Benigno S. Aquino Jr., who later became senator, covered the war, which saw the division of the Korean peninsula into the North and the South.
“Sixty years ago, the Philippines came to protect democracy in Korea and we would like to repay what they have done for the Koreans,” Kim said during the 6th founding anniversary of the Regional Training Center-Korea Philippines Vocational Training Center (RTC-KPVTC) here.
The South Korea-funded center recently received a silver accreditation from the Asia Pacific Accreditation and Certification Commission, the second highest accreditation given for a technical school.
He said each year, the South Korea government through Koica sends $15 million to the Philippines, making it the largest grant recipient among the 44 developing countries that the agency has been assisting.
Kim said Koica plans to increase that amount to $20 million starting this year.
“These are grant assistance and not loans,” he said.
Kim said Koica’s funds are being used in development projects such as construction of hospitals, post-harvest facilities, and educational training centers.
In Palawan, Koica helped construct an airport.
Kim said South Korea also wanted to foster much closer relationship with the Philippines – not just in terms of aid – but also by increasing bilateral ties.
He said Seoul has found that South Korean businessmen are very much interested in investing in the Philippines. He noted the presence of about 120,000 South Koreans in the country.
“Koreans have a great appreciation for Filipinos and we are very happy to discover that Filipinos feel the same,” he said. (report from Dennis Jay Santos, Inquirer Mindanao)
Davao Sur gov now backs coal-fired plant he opposed
DIGOS CITY, Philippines — Davao del Sur Governor Douglas Cagas said on Friday that he has changed his mind about coal-fired power plants and now fully supports a project being pushed by mining giant Xstrata’s Sagittarius Mines in Malalag town.
SMI plans to put up a 300-megawatt coal-fired power plant in Barangay Baybay there.
Cagas said the project, which is much bigger that the one being planned by the Aboitiz Hydro Electric Corporation (Hedcor) in Barangay Binugao in Davao City, will be patterned after the coal-fired plant in Misamis Oriental.
The Misamis plant was recently visited by provincial board members.
Cagas said that during the visit, he was told how clean the coal-fired power plant was and that contrary to his belief, it did not emit black and dirty smoke.
“Our pre-perception that coal-fired power plant is dirty was wrong because it is so clean,” he said.
The Davao del Sur Electric Cooperative (Dasureco) said the construction of the SMI power plant would be a big boost to the electricity supply here.
But the Tingog Ug Gugma Alang Sa Kinaiyahan (Voice and Love for the Environment) Davao del Sur or Tugaska, a group opposing the power plant, said it will never benefit the people of the province.
Bernard Viñan, Tugaska deputy secretary general, said the reality was that the power plant that SMI has been pushing in Malalag will only be used to provide electricity to the mining company’s operation on the border between South Cotabato and Davao del Sur.
“It will be used in running its machinery, in separating water and mineral ores from tailing pipes in its mining area in Barangay Kimlawis in Kiblawan,” he said.
Viñan said the construction of the power plant on a 100 hectare area in Malalag will destroy farmlands and will cause the dislocation of hundreds of people. (report from Orlando Dinoy, Inquirer Mindanao)
SMI plans to put up a 300-megawatt coal-fired power plant in Barangay Baybay there.
Cagas said the project, which is much bigger that the one being planned by the Aboitiz Hydro Electric Corporation (Hedcor) in Barangay Binugao in Davao City, will be patterned after the coal-fired plant in Misamis Oriental.
The Misamis plant was recently visited by provincial board members.
Cagas said that during the visit, he was told how clean the coal-fired power plant was and that contrary to his belief, it did not emit black and dirty smoke.
“Our pre-perception that coal-fired power plant is dirty was wrong because it is so clean,” he said.
The Davao del Sur Electric Cooperative (Dasureco) said the construction of the SMI power plant would be a big boost to the electricity supply here.
But the Tingog Ug Gugma Alang Sa Kinaiyahan (Voice and Love for the Environment) Davao del Sur or Tugaska, a group opposing the power plant, said it will never benefit the people of the province.
Bernard Viñan, Tugaska deputy secretary general, said the reality was that the power plant that SMI has been pushing in Malalag will only be used to provide electricity to the mining company’s operation on the border between South Cotabato and Davao del Sur.
“It will be used in running its machinery, in separating water and mineral ores from tailing pipes in its mining area in Barangay Kimlawis in Kiblawan,” he said.
Viñan said the construction of the power plant on a 100 hectare area in Malalag will destroy farmlands and will cause the dislocation of hundreds of people. (report from Orlando Dinoy, Inquirer Mindanao)
Singapore names orchid after Aquino
SINGAPORE — Singapore on Friday named an orchid with bright golden yellow petals after President Benigno Aquino, an honor accorded to visiting heads of state.
The island-state's National Parks Board named the orchid Ascocenda Benigno S. Aquino in a ceremony at the Singapore National Orchid Garden on Friday morning.
"This is a vigorous and free flowering hybrid. It bears flowering sprays with 10 to 12 flowers each. The flowers are 7 to 8 cm across. Petals and sepals are bright golden yellow with many distinct reddish-brown spots and tessellations," the board said in a statement.
Aquino's late revered mother, former President Corazon Aquino, also had an orchid named after her but it was not in bloom this season.
Aquino returned to Manila late on Friday night after cancelling a tour of the Changi International airport in the afternoon to oversee the preparations for any eventuality after a massive earthquake hit Japan and produced tsunami alerts throughout the Pacific basin. (report from Philip Tubeza, Philippine Daily Inquirer)
The island-state's National Parks Board named the orchid Ascocenda Benigno S. Aquino in a ceremony at the Singapore National Orchid Garden on Friday morning.
"This is a vigorous and free flowering hybrid. It bears flowering sprays with 10 to 12 flowers each. The flowers are 7 to 8 cm across. Petals and sepals are bright golden yellow with many distinct reddish-brown spots and tessellations," the board said in a statement.
Aquino's late revered mother, former President Corazon Aquino, also had an orchid named after her but it was not in bloom this season.
Aquino returned to Manila late on Friday night after cancelling a tour of the Changi International airport in the afternoon to oversee the preparations for any eventuality after a massive earthquake hit Japan and produced tsunami alerts throughout the Pacific basin. (report from Philip Tubeza, Philippine Daily Inquirer)
PNoy thankful destructive tsunami spared PHL
President Benigno Aquino III was thankful the Philippines did not suffer casualties from a tsunami generated by a magnitude-8.9 quake that hit Japan Friday afternoon.
Aquino, together with his delegation, arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) before midnight Friday from state visits to Indonesia and Singapore.
"Una sa lahat, nagpapasalamat po tayo sa Poong Maykapal at nakaligtas ang ating bansa sa pinsala ng tsunami mula sa lindol sa Japan (First of all, I thank God our country was spared any damage from the tsunami)," he said in his statement, the text of which was posted on the government portal early Saturday.
He was likewise thankful that the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) canceled the tsunami alert, indicating the danger had passed.
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) had reported a total of 9,412 families or 55,335 people in the eastern seaboards of Northern and Central Luzon alone were preemptively evacuated Friday afternoon, as a precautionary measure against a potentially lethal tsunami.
"Muli po, nagpapasalamat tayo na naibaba na ang Alert Level sa mga komunidad sa ating mga baybayin (Again, I am thankful that the alert level in our coastal communities had been canceled)," he said.
He maintained that the preparations for the tsunami, coupled with the gains of his visit, showed the government is taking care of its people.
Aquino said that with his visits to the country's Southeast Asian neighbors, Filipinos can expect more investments – and job opportunities – to come soon.
"The government continues to take care of your welfare, from addressing your needs in calamities, to long-term economic benefits," he said in Filipino.
Evacuees going home
With the danger of a “hazardous" tsunami from Friday’s magnitude-8.9 quake in Japan having passed, several residents evacuated from threatened areas started returning to their homes Saturday.
NDRRMC head Benito Ramos said the residents started leaving their evacuation centers at daybreak Saturday, according to a report on radio dzBB.
The Philippine Coast Guard also lifted its ban on boats going out to sea early Saturday, but said it will continue to closely monitor the situation and remains on heightened alert.
At 11:30 p.m. Friday, the Phivolcs canceled its tsunami alert though it advised the public to stay vigilant.
In its 1 a.m. update, the NDRRMC did not indicate any untoward tsunami-related incident. (report from LBG, GMA News)
Aquino, together with his delegation, arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) before midnight Friday from state visits to Indonesia and Singapore.
"Una sa lahat, nagpapasalamat po tayo sa Poong Maykapal at nakaligtas ang ating bansa sa pinsala ng tsunami mula sa lindol sa Japan (First of all, I thank God our country was spared any damage from the tsunami)," he said in his statement, the text of which was posted on the government portal early Saturday.
He was likewise thankful that the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) canceled the tsunami alert, indicating the danger had passed.
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) had reported a total of 9,412 families or 55,335 people in the eastern seaboards of Northern and Central Luzon alone were preemptively evacuated Friday afternoon, as a precautionary measure against a potentially lethal tsunami.
"Muli po, nagpapasalamat tayo na naibaba na ang Alert Level sa mga komunidad sa ating mga baybayin (Again, I am thankful that the alert level in our coastal communities had been canceled)," he said.
He maintained that the preparations for the tsunami, coupled with the gains of his visit, showed the government is taking care of its people.
Aquino said that with his visits to the country's Southeast Asian neighbors, Filipinos can expect more investments – and job opportunities – to come soon.
"The government continues to take care of your welfare, from addressing your needs in calamities, to long-term economic benefits," he said in Filipino.
Evacuees going home
With the danger of a “hazardous" tsunami from Friday’s magnitude-8.9 quake in Japan having passed, several residents evacuated from threatened areas started returning to their homes Saturday.
NDRRMC head Benito Ramos said the residents started leaving their evacuation centers at daybreak Saturday, according to a report on radio dzBB.
The Philippine Coast Guard also lifted its ban on boats going out to sea early Saturday, but said it will continue to closely monitor the situation and remains on heightened alert.
At 11:30 p.m. Friday, the Phivolcs canceled its tsunami alert though it advised the public to stay vigilant.
In its 1 a.m. update, the NDRRMC did not indicate any untoward tsunami-related incident. (report from LBG, GMA News)
Cesar Montano's son signs contract with ABS-CBN
MANILA, Philippines – The son of Cesar Montano and Teresa Loyzaga is the newest contract star of ABS-CBN.
Accompanied by his mom, 15-year-old Diego Loyzaga inked a 3-year exclusive contract with the Kapamilya network.
Diego will be under the management of Biboy Arboleda.
Present in his contract signing were ABS-CBN Channel Head Cory Vidanes, Entertainment Head Linggit Tan and Business Unit Head Deo Endrinal.
When asked how he feels now that he is officially part of the network, he told ABS-CBN News: “Terrific po. It feels really good po. I feel very welcome po and everyone’s so nice and kind to me po. I feel very happy.”
Diego revealed that his parents have nothing to do with his decision to join show business. He said it was his decision to venture into the entertainment world.
“I enjoy acting at school. We have theater. I really enjoy being part of it and that’s one of the main reasons. I wanted to try achieving what they have achieved,” he said.
Diego will join the cast of ABS-CBN’s top rating series “Mara Clara.” (report from abs-cbnNEWS.com)
Japan warns of radiation leak from quake-hit nuclear plants
TOKYO — Japan warned of a possible radiation leak on Saturday as authorities battled to contain rising pressure at two nuclear plants damaged by a massive earthquake, but said thousands of residents in the area had already been moved out of harm's way.
Pressure was building in reactors of two plants at Tokyo Electric Power Co.'s Fukushima facility, located some 240 km (150 miles) north of Tokyo. At one of them, the Daiichi plant, pressure was set to released soon, which could result in a radiation leak, officials said.
"It's possible that radioactive material in the reactor vessel could leak outside but the amount is expected to be small, and the wind blowing towards the sea will be considered," Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano told a news conference.
"Residents are safe after those within a 3 km radius were evacuated and those within a 10 km radius are staying indoors, so we want people to be calm," he added.
A trade ministry official said that T EPCO was also considering releasing pressure at its other plant, the Daini plant.
TEPCO said it had lost ability to control pressure in some of the reactors at the Daini plant as it had with the Daiichi plant. Pressure wa s stable inside the reactors of the Daini plant but rising in the containment vessels, a spokesman said.
Some 3,000 people who live within a 3 km radius of the plant had been evacuated, Kyodo news agency said.
Pressure at one Daiichi reactor may have risen to 2.1 times the designed capacity, the trade ministry said. Media also said the radiation level was rising in the turbine building.
Preparatory work for the releasing of the pressure was expected to take time , Kyodo reported. Radiation levels outside the main gate of the plant were eight times normal levels .
The cooling problems at the Japanese plant raised fears of a repeat of 1979's Three Mile Island accident, the most serious in the history of the US nuclear power industry. However, experts said the situation was, so far, less serious.
Equipment malfunctions, design problems and human error led to a partial meltdown of the reactor core at the Three Mile Island plant, but only minute amounts of dangerous radioactive gases were released.
"The situation is still several stages away from Three Mile Island when the reactor container ceased to function as it should," said Tomoko Murakami, leader of the nuclear energy group at Japan's Institute of Energy Economics.
Japan informed the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) that the quake and tsunami cut the supply of off-site power to the plant and diesel generators intended to provide back-up electricity to the cooling system.
The Union of Concerned Scientists, a US-based nonprofit organization, said this power failure resulted in one of the most serious conditions that can affect a nuclear plant -- a station blackout -- during which off-site power and on-site emergency alternating current (AC) power is lost.
Nuclear plants generally need AC power to operate the motors, valves and instruments that control the systems that provide cooling water to the radioactive core. If all AC power is lost, the options to cool the core are limited.
If the core overheats, then the fuel would become damaged and a molten mass could melt through the reactor vessel, releasing a large amount of radioactivity into the containment building surrounding the vessel, the UCS said.
It added that it was not clear if the quake had undermined the containment building to contain pressure from any meltdown and allow radioactivity to leak out.
Power supply systems that would provide emergency electricity for the plant were being put in place, the World Nuclear Association said, with a source in the organization saying "the situation is improving".
The reactors shut down due to the earthquake account for 18 percent of Japan's nuclear power generating capacity.
Nuclear power produces about 30 percent of the country's electricity. Many reactors are located in earthquake-prone zones such as Fukushima and Fukui on the coast.
The IAEA estimates that around 20 percent of nuclear reactors around the world are currently operating in areas of significant seismic activity.
It said the sector began putting more emphasis on external hazards after an earthquake hit TEPCO's Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant in July 2007, until then the largest to ever affect a nuclear facility.
When the earthquake hit the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant, four reactors shut down automatically. Water containing radioactive material was released into the sea, but without an adverse effect on human health or the environment, it said.
TEPCO had been operating three out of six reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant at the time of the quake, all of which shut down.
A spokesman said that there were no concerns of a leak for the remaining three reactors at the plant, which had been shut for planned maintenance. (report from Reuters)
Pressure was building in reactors of two plants at Tokyo Electric Power Co.'s Fukushima facility, located some 240 km (150 miles) north of Tokyo. At one of them, the Daiichi plant, pressure was set to released soon, which could result in a radiation leak, officials said.
"It's possible that radioactive material in the reactor vessel could leak outside but the amount is expected to be small, and the wind blowing towards the sea will be considered," Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano told a news conference.
"Residents are safe after those within a 3 km radius were evacuated and those within a 10 km radius are staying indoors, so we want people to be calm," he added.
A trade ministry official said that T EPCO was also considering releasing pressure at its other plant, the Daini plant.
TEPCO said it had lost ability to control pressure in some of the reactors at the Daini plant as it had with the Daiichi plant. Pressure wa s stable inside the reactors of the Daini plant but rising in the containment vessels, a spokesman said.
Some 3,000 people who live within a 3 km radius of the plant had been evacuated, Kyodo news agency said.
Pressure at one Daiichi reactor may have risen to 2.1 times the designed capacity, the trade ministry said. Media also said the radiation level was rising in the turbine building.
Preparatory work for the releasing of the pressure was expected to take time , Kyodo reported. Radiation levels outside the main gate of the plant were eight times normal levels .
The cooling problems at the Japanese plant raised fears of a repeat of 1979's Three Mile Island accident, the most serious in the history of the US nuclear power industry. However, experts said the situation was, so far, less serious.
Equipment malfunctions, design problems and human error led to a partial meltdown of the reactor core at the Three Mile Island plant, but only minute amounts of dangerous radioactive gases were released.
"The situation is still several stages away from Three Mile Island when the reactor container ceased to function as it should," said Tomoko Murakami, leader of the nuclear energy group at Japan's Institute of Energy Economics.
Japan informed the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) that the quake and tsunami cut the supply of off-site power to the plant and diesel generators intended to provide back-up electricity to the cooling system.
The Union of Concerned Scientists, a US-based nonprofit organization, said this power failure resulted in one of the most serious conditions that can affect a nuclear plant -- a station blackout -- during which off-site power and on-site emergency alternating current (AC) power is lost.
Nuclear plants generally need AC power to operate the motors, valves and instruments that control the systems that provide cooling water to the radioactive core. If all AC power is lost, the options to cool the core are limited.
If the core overheats, then the fuel would become damaged and a molten mass could melt through the reactor vessel, releasing a large amount of radioactivity into the containment building surrounding the vessel, the UCS said.
It added that it was not clear if the quake had undermined the containment building to contain pressure from any meltdown and allow radioactivity to leak out.
Power supply systems that would provide emergency electricity for the plant were being put in place, the World Nuclear Association said, with a source in the organization saying "the situation is improving".
The reactors shut down due to the earthquake account for 18 percent of Japan's nuclear power generating capacity.
Nuclear power produces about 30 percent of the country's electricity. Many reactors are located in earthquake-prone zones such as Fukushima and Fukui on the coast.
The IAEA estimates that around 20 percent of nuclear reactors around the world are currently operating in areas of significant seismic activity.
It said the sector began putting more emphasis on external hazards after an earthquake hit TEPCO's Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant in July 2007, until then the largest to ever affect a nuclear facility.
When the earthquake hit the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant, four reactors shut down automatically. Water containing radioactive material was released into the sea, but without an adverse effect on human health or the environment, it said.
TEPCO had been operating three out of six reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant at the time of the quake, all of which shut down.
A spokesman said that there were no concerns of a leak for the remaining three reactors at the plant, which had been shut for planned maintenance. (report from Reuters)
Japanese search team leaves N.Z. for own crisis
WELLINGTON - A Japanese search team working in the earthquake-devastated New Zealand city of Christchurch made hasty preparations to return home Saturday to deal with the crisis in their own country.
An advance party of New Zealand Urban Search and Rescue staff would also be sent to Japan immediately to help with earthquake recovery efforts, Prime Minister John Key said.
The 8.9-magnitude quake that struck off the eastern coast of Japan on Friday whipped up a tsunami that crashed into the country, wiping out towns with fears the death toll could reach more than 1,000.
Key said six New Zealanders would leave Saturday and another 42 would probably follow on Sunday after a request from Tokyo.
Japan sent 66 search and rescue specialists and three rescue dogs to Christchurch after the February 22 quake, which is believed to have killed more than 200 people.
They focused their work on the CTV building in the central city where up to 28 Japanese are believed to have been trapped along with other foreign students in an English language school.
"My thoughts go out to all the people of Japan at this time," New Zealand Civil Defence controller Steve Brazier said when the Japanese search team announced they were cutting short their work in Christchurch.
"The Japanese urban search and rescue team made an invaluable contribution to the earthquake rescue effort. They came to New Zealand without hesitation and worked tirelessly over the past two-and-a-half weeks."
Meanwhile, a Japanese women's hockey team on tour in New Zealand said it will keep playing after learning no family members of the players were affected by the deadly earthquake.
Japan won the first of five Tests against New Zealand 2-0 on Friday with the second Test to be played Sunday. (report from Agence France-Presse)
An advance party of New Zealand Urban Search and Rescue staff would also be sent to Japan immediately to help with earthquake recovery efforts, Prime Minister John Key said.
The 8.9-magnitude quake that struck off the eastern coast of Japan on Friday whipped up a tsunami that crashed into the country, wiping out towns with fears the death toll could reach more than 1,000.
Key said six New Zealanders would leave Saturday and another 42 would probably follow on Sunday after a request from Tokyo.
Japan sent 66 search and rescue specialists and three rescue dogs to Christchurch after the February 22 quake, which is believed to have killed more than 200 people.
They focused their work on the CTV building in the central city where up to 28 Japanese are believed to have been trapped along with other foreign students in an English language school.
"My thoughts go out to all the people of Japan at this time," New Zealand Civil Defence controller Steve Brazier said when the Japanese search team announced they were cutting short their work in Christchurch.
"The Japanese urban search and rescue team made an invaluable contribution to the earthquake rescue effort. They came to New Zealand without hesitation and worked tirelessly over the past two-and-a-half weeks."
Meanwhile, a Japanese women's hockey team on tour in New Zealand said it will keep playing after learning no family members of the players were affected by the deadly earthquake.
Japan won the first of five Tests against New Zealand 2-0 on Friday with the second Test to be played Sunday. (report from Agence France-Presse)
Powerful quake, tsunami kills hundreds in Japan
TOKYO (AP) — For more than two terrifying, seemingly endless minutes Friday, the most powerful earthquake ever recorded in Japan shook apart homes and buildings, cracked open highways and unnerved even those who have learned to live with swaying skyscrapers. Then came a devastating tsunami that slammed into northeastern Japan and killed hundreds of people.
The violent wall of water swept away houses, cars and ships. Fires burned out of control. Power to cooling systems at two nuclear power plants was knocked out, forcing thousands of nearby residents to be evacuated. A boat was caught in the vortex of a whirlpool at sea.
The death toll rose steadily throughout the day, but the true extent of the disaster was not known because roads to the worst-hit areas were washed away or blocked by debris and airports were closed.
After dawn Saturday, the scale of destruction became clearer.
Aerial scenes of the town of Ofunato showed homes and warehouses in ruins. Sludge and high water spread over acres of land, with people seeking refuge on roofs of partially submerged buildings. At one school, a large white "SOS" was spelled out in English.
Atsushi Koshi, a 24-year-old call center worker in the coastal city of Tagajo, said he could still see black smoke rising and added that his cousin remained trapped with about 200-300 other people on the roof of a department store near the hard-hit port of Sendai in Miyagi prefecture.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said an initial assessment found "enormous damage," and the Defense Ministry was sending troops to the hardest-hit region.
President Barack Obama pledged U.S. help following what he called a potentially "catastrophic" disaster. One U.S. aircraft carrier is already in Japan and a second was on its way, he said. A U.S. ship was also heading to the Marianas Islands to assist, he added.
The entire Pacific had been put on alert — including coastal areas of South America, Canada and Alaska — but waves were not as bad as expected.
The magnitude-8.9 offshore quake struck at 2:46 p.m. local time and was the biggest to hit Japan since record-keeping began in the late 1800s. It ranked as the fifth-largest earthquake in the world since 1900 and was nearly 8,000 times stronger than one that devastated Christchurch, New Zealand, last month, scientists said.
Japan's worst previous quake was a magnitude 8.3 in Kanto that killed 143,000 people in 1923, according to USGS. A 7.2-magnitude quake in Kobe killed 6,400 people in 1995.
Japan lies on the "Ring of Fire" — an arc of earthquake and volcanic zones stretching around the Pacific where about 90 percent of the world's quakes occur, including the one that triggered the Dec. 26, 2004, Indian Ocean tsunami that killed an estimated 230,000 people in 12 countries. A magnitude-8.8 temblor that shook central Chile in February 2010 also generated a tsunami and killed 524 people. (report from Philstar.com)
The violent wall of water swept away houses, cars and ships. Fires burned out of control. Power to cooling systems at two nuclear power plants was knocked out, forcing thousands of nearby residents to be evacuated. A boat was caught in the vortex of a whirlpool at sea.
The death toll rose steadily throughout the day, but the true extent of the disaster was not known because roads to the worst-hit areas were washed away or blocked by debris and airports were closed.
After dawn Saturday, the scale of destruction became clearer.
Aerial scenes of the town of Ofunato showed homes and warehouses in ruins. Sludge and high water spread over acres of land, with people seeking refuge on roofs of partially submerged buildings. At one school, a large white "SOS" was spelled out in English.
Atsushi Koshi, a 24-year-old call center worker in the coastal city of Tagajo, said he could still see black smoke rising and added that his cousin remained trapped with about 200-300 other people on the roof of a department store near the hard-hit port of Sendai in Miyagi prefecture.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said an initial assessment found "enormous damage," and the Defense Ministry was sending troops to the hardest-hit region.
President Barack Obama pledged U.S. help following what he called a potentially "catastrophic" disaster. One U.S. aircraft carrier is already in Japan and a second was on its way, he said. A U.S. ship was also heading to the Marianas Islands to assist, he added.
The entire Pacific had been put on alert — including coastal areas of South America, Canada and Alaska — but waves were not as bad as expected.
The magnitude-8.9 offshore quake struck at 2:46 p.m. local time and was the biggest to hit Japan since record-keeping began in the late 1800s. It ranked as the fifth-largest earthquake in the world since 1900 and was nearly 8,000 times stronger than one that devastated Christchurch, New Zealand, last month, scientists said.
Japan's worst previous quake was a magnitude 8.3 in Kanto that killed 143,000 people in 1923, according to USGS. A 7.2-magnitude quake in Kobe killed 6,400 people in 1995.
Japan lies on the "Ring of Fire" — an arc of earthquake and volcanic zones stretching around the Pacific where about 90 percent of the world's quakes occur, including the one that triggered the Dec. 26, 2004, Indian Ocean tsunami that killed an estimated 230,000 people in 12 countries. A magnitude-8.8 temblor that shook central Chile in February 2010 also generated a tsunami and killed 524 people. (report from Philstar.com)
Quake survivors pack roads, stores outside hard-hit area
Sakura, Japan (CNN) -- Residents of northern Japan streamed south from their earthquake-stricken hometowns Saturday, crowding stores in search of vital supplies as rescue teams worked north toward the historic quake's epicenter.
Roads and buildings showed cracks as far away as 200 kilometers (125 miles) from Sendai, the closest city to the epicenter. One man told CNN the scene in towns hit by the quake and the resulting tsunami was "unimaginable."
Shoppers were polite but tense as they sought food, water and gasoline from stores where shelves were quickly emptied and pumps soon ran dry. A slow, steady line of cars trickled south from the disaster zone as people either left the area or shuttled to the stores, many of which were without power and had broken glass scattered down the aisles.
Japan's major highways, large sections of which are elevated, have been closed since the magnitude 8.9 quake struck off the country's northeastern coast Friday afternoon. Automobile traffic crawled on smaller, two-lane roads as power outages left the sleek, electric-powered "bullet trains" -- shining examples of Japan's advanced technology, normally capable of speeds nearing 200 mph -- sitting motionless on their tracks.
Closer to the heart of the disaster, collapsed phone lines and towers left communications spotty. Roads and airfields were washed out by the tsunami; rescue workers headed to the stricken region had to rely on helicopters.
Video from Sendai showed people trapped in the second floors of homes, waving sheets of white cloth in hopes of drawing rescue workers. Residents who have been able to call out reported gas and water were unavailable for a radius well beyond the city of about 1 million.
In the city of Minamisoma, about 90 kiliometers south of Sendai, all that was left of many structures were their foundations. Only concrete and steel buildings appeared to have withstood the wash. No people were visible in the streets of the town, whose population on Friday had been 70,000.
The quake and resulting tsunami left behind a known death toll of more than 200 people by early Saturday, but that number was expected to climb sharply.
Tokyo, about 370 kilometers (230 miles) from the epicenter, was spared major damage from the quake. But power outages and highway closures paralyzed the city as its transit network was shut down.
Commuters who normally pack the city's subways and suburban trains in the city of 13 million tried to flag down taxis, hitch rides or walk home. The roads leading out of Tokyo were clogged by traffic jams that trapped some drivers for up to six hours. (report from Kyung Lah/Paula Hancocks, CNN)
Roads and buildings showed cracks as far away as 200 kilometers (125 miles) from Sendai, the closest city to the epicenter. One man told CNN the scene in towns hit by the quake and the resulting tsunami was "unimaginable."
Shoppers were polite but tense as they sought food, water and gasoline from stores where shelves were quickly emptied and pumps soon ran dry. A slow, steady line of cars trickled south from the disaster zone as people either left the area or shuttled to the stores, many of which were without power and had broken glass scattered down the aisles.
Japan's major highways, large sections of which are elevated, have been closed since the magnitude 8.9 quake struck off the country's northeastern coast Friday afternoon. Automobile traffic crawled on smaller, two-lane roads as power outages left the sleek, electric-powered "bullet trains" -- shining examples of Japan's advanced technology, normally capable of speeds nearing 200 mph -- sitting motionless on their tracks.
Closer to the heart of the disaster, collapsed phone lines and towers left communications spotty. Roads and airfields were washed out by the tsunami; rescue workers headed to the stricken region had to rely on helicopters.
Video from Sendai showed people trapped in the second floors of homes, waving sheets of white cloth in hopes of drawing rescue workers. Residents who have been able to call out reported gas and water were unavailable for a radius well beyond the city of about 1 million.
In the city of Minamisoma, about 90 kiliometers south of Sendai, all that was left of many structures were their foundations. Only concrete and steel buildings appeared to have withstood the wash. No people were visible in the streets of the town, whose population on Friday had been 70,000.
The quake and resulting tsunami left behind a known death toll of more than 200 people by early Saturday, but that number was expected to climb sharply.
Tokyo, about 370 kilometers (230 miles) from the epicenter, was spared major damage from the quake. But power outages and highway closures paralyzed the city as its transit network was shut down.
Commuters who normally pack the city's subways and suburban trains in the city of 13 million tried to flag down taxis, hitch rides or walk home. The roads leading out of Tokyo were clogged by traffic jams that trapped some drivers for up to six hours. (report from Kyung Lah/Paula Hancocks, CNN)
Japan quake causes emergencies at 5 nuke reactors
TOKYO (AP) -- Japan declared states of emergency for five nuclear reactors at two power plants after the units lost cooling ability in the aftermath of Friday's powerful earthquake. Thousands of residents were evacuated as workers struggled to get the reactors under control to prevent meltdowns.
Operators at the Fukushima Daiichi plant's Unit 1 scrambled ferociously to tamp down heat and pressure inside the reactor after the 8.9 magnitude quake and the tsunami that followed cut off electricity to the site and disabled emergency generators, knocking out the main cooling system.
Some 3,000 people within two miles (three kilometers) of the plant were urged to leave their homes, but the evacuation zone was more than tripled to 6.2 miles (10 kilometers) after authorities detected eight times the normal radiation levels outside the facility and 1,000 times normal inside Unit 1's control room.
The government declared a state of emergency at the Daiichi unit - the first at a nuclear plant in Japan's history. But hours later, the Tokyo Electric Power Co., which operates the six-reactor Daiichi site in northeastern Japan, announced that it had lost cooling ability at a second reactor there and three units at its nearby Fukushima Daini site.
The government quickly declared states of emergency for those units, too. Nearly 14,000 people living near the two power plants were ordered to evacuate.
Japan's nuclear safety agency said the situation was most dire at Fukushima Daiichi's Unit 1, where pressure had risen to twice what is consider the normal level. The International Atomic Energy Agency said in a statement that diesel generators that normally would have kept cooling systems running at Fukushima Daiichi had been disabled by tsunami flooding.
Officials at the Daiichi facility began venting radioactive vapors from the unit to relieve pressure inside the reactor case. The loss of electricity had delayed that effort for several hours.
Plant workers there labored to cool down the reactor core, but there was no prospect for immediate success. They were temporarily cooling the reactor with a secondary system, but it wasn't working as well as the primary one, according to Yuji Kakizaki, an official at the Japanese nuclear safety agency.
Even once a reactor is shut down, radioactive byproducts give off heat that can ultimately produce volatile hydrogen gas, melt radioactive fuel, or even breach the containment building in a full meltdown belching radioactivity into the surroundings, according to technical and government authorities.
Despite plans for the intentional release of radioactivity, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said the 40-year-old plant was not leaking radiation.
"With evacuation in place and the ocean-bound wind, we can ensure the safety," Edano said at a televised news conference early Saturday.
It was unclear if the elevation of radioactivity around the reactor was known at the time he spoke. (report from Philstar.com)
Operators at the Fukushima Daiichi plant's Unit 1 scrambled ferociously to tamp down heat and pressure inside the reactor after the 8.9 magnitude quake and the tsunami that followed cut off electricity to the site and disabled emergency generators, knocking out the main cooling system.
Some 3,000 people within two miles (three kilometers) of the plant were urged to leave their homes, but the evacuation zone was more than tripled to 6.2 miles (10 kilometers) after authorities detected eight times the normal radiation levels outside the facility and 1,000 times normal inside Unit 1's control room.
The government declared a state of emergency at the Daiichi unit - the first at a nuclear plant in Japan's history. But hours later, the Tokyo Electric Power Co., which operates the six-reactor Daiichi site in northeastern Japan, announced that it had lost cooling ability at a second reactor there and three units at its nearby Fukushima Daini site.
The government quickly declared states of emergency for those units, too. Nearly 14,000 people living near the two power plants were ordered to evacuate.
Japan's nuclear safety agency said the situation was most dire at Fukushima Daiichi's Unit 1, where pressure had risen to twice what is consider the normal level. The International Atomic Energy Agency said in a statement that diesel generators that normally would have kept cooling systems running at Fukushima Daiichi had been disabled by tsunami flooding.
Officials at the Daiichi facility began venting radioactive vapors from the unit to relieve pressure inside the reactor case. The loss of electricity had delayed that effort for several hours.
Plant workers there labored to cool down the reactor core, but there was no prospect for immediate success. They were temporarily cooling the reactor with a secondary system, but it wasn't working as well as the primary one, according to Yuji Kakizaki, an official at the Japanese nuclear safety agency.
Even once a reactor is shut down, radioactive byproducts give off heat that can ultimately produce volatile hydrogen gas, melt radioactive fuel, or even breach the containment building in a full meltdown belching radioactivity into the surroundings, according to technical and government authorities.
Despite plans for the intentional release of radioactivity, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said the 40-year-old plant was not leaking radiation.
"With evacuation in place and the ocean-bound wind, we can ensure the safety," Edano said at a televised news conference early Saturday.
It was unclear if the elevation of radioactivity around the reactor was known at the time he spoke. (report from Philstar.com)
Friday, March 11, 2011
Kim Chiu proud to finish high school
MANILA, Philippines – Drama princess Kim Chiu did not hide her emotions when she delivered a speech in front of her high school batchmates during their graduation day on Thursday.
Chiu was among the thousands of students who was granted a high school diploma because she passed the Department of Education’s alternative learning system test.
The agency declared that she had passed their high school accreditation standards.
In her graduation address, the young actress bursted into tears because she was finally able to finish secondary education.
“Lagi nating tatandaan na ang kahalagahan ng buhay ay hindi lang natin mararating sa ating sarili. Libre hong mangarap. Sa lahat ng may gustong abutin sa buhay, isipin na lang ho natin na hindi imposibleng mangarap katulad ko. Pinangarap kong makapagtapos ng pag-aaral at ito natapos ko na kaya congratulations po sa ating lahat,” she said.
Talking to “Showbiz News Ngayon,” Chiu revealed that it was actually her grandmother’s wish for her to finish school even before she ventured into the entertainment world.
“Ang sarap ng pakiramdam. Ang saya dahil ang tagal ko ng gustong makagraduate and ito talaga ang pinangarap ng lola ko sa akin bago ako pumasok ng show biz. Sana matapos ako kahit high school manlang. Ito na may gift na ako sa kanya,” Chiu said.
Amid her success, Chiu disclosed that it was not easy to study and work at the same time.
“Pag dinner break, nag-aaral na lang. After ko basahin ang script, nagbabasa naman ako ng mga lessons ko. Kapag walang work, nag-aaral ako, nagrereview para sa exam,” she related.
The young star also belied the notion that all artists do not dream of finishing their studies.
“Hindi naman biro ang showbiz to education. Parang ang baba ng tingin sa akin ng mga tao. Sabi kasi nila pag artista ka parang easy money, angd dali so hindi na sila nag-aaral. Ang bobo, walang pinag-aralan. Ako gusto ko ipakita na nag-aaral din naman kami. May mga pangarap din naman kami na makapagtapos,” she said.
Nonetheless, Chiu was delighted for what she has achieved.
“Proud lang ako sa sarili ko na nakapagtapos ako kahit high school na iniisip ko dati na hindi ko magagawa. Pero ayun natapos siya,” she said. (report from Ginger Conejero, ABS-CBN News)
Ethel Booba faces arson rap for torching condo
MANILA, Philippines - Sexy actress-comedienne Ethel Booba is facing arson charges after she set fire to some of her appliances inside her rented unit at Prince June Condominium, Timog Avenue, Quezon City Friday.
According to SFO2 Fortunato Alde of Bureau of Fire Protection, the incident happened past 5 a.m.
Investigators said that the actress, Ethyl Gabison in real life, gave confusing details on how the fire started.
The actress said she got angry after finding out that her Norwegian boyfriend, Mario Murize, is gay.
A former host of GMA-7's defunct program "Extra Challenge", Booba was embroiled in a sex video scandal with her former boyfriend Alex Crisano.
She joined ABS-CBN's Pinoy Big Brother Celebrity Edition 2 as the 16th housemate but asked for a voluntary exit from the show. She returned as a special celebrity housemate and stayed until the last week of the reality hit program. (report from abs-cbnNEWS.com)
According to SFO2 Fortunato Alde of Bureau of Fire Protection, the incident happened past 5 a.m.
Investigators said that the actress, Ethyl Gabison in real life, gave confusing details on how the fire started.
The actress said she got angry after finding out that her Norwegian boyfriend, Mario Murize, is gay.
A former host of GMA-7's defunct program "Extra Challenge", Booba was embroiled in a sex video scandal with her former boyfriend Alex Crisano.
She joined ABS-CBN's Pinoy Big Brother Celebrity Edition 2 as the 16th housemate but asked for a voluntary exit from the show. She returned as a special celebrity housemate and stayed until the last week of the reality hit program. (report from abs-cbnNEWS.com)
Toni starts shooting film with Eugene
MANILA, Philippines - Actress-host Toni Gonzaga confirmed that she is now shooting a comedy movie with actress-comedienne Eugene Domingo.
"Nag-shooting na kami. Ang story niya is about two people. One is getting married and the other one is getting an annulment," Gonzaga told "Showbiz News Ngayon".
Gonzaga is teaming up with Domingo after her movie with Prince of Comedy Vic Sotto was cancelled.
The host of the noontime show "Happy Yipee Yehey" last did the movie "My Amnesia Girl" with heartthrob John Lloyd Cruz.
In an interview last February, Gonzaga shared her excitement over the upcoming movie.
Domingo, on the other hand, said she is really looking forward to working with Gonzaga again after 5 years.
Gonzaga and Domingo first worked together in 2006 in the movie “You are the One.”
Also included in Gonzaga's new movie is actor Wendell Ramos.
The film will be directed by Jose Javier Reyes. (report from abs-cbnNEWS.com)
"Nag-shooting na kami. Ang story niya is about two people. One is getting married and the other one is getting an annulment," Gonzaga told "Showbiz News Ngayon".
Gonzaga is teaming up with Domingo after her movie with Prince of Comedy Vic Sotto was cancelled.
The host of the noontime show "Happy Yipee Yehey" last did the movie "My Amnesia Girl" with heartthrob John Lloyd Cruz.
In an interview last February, Gonzaga shared her excitement over the upcoming movie.
Domingo, on the other hand, said she is really looking forward to working with Gonzaga again after 5 years.
Gonzaga and Domingo first worked together in 2006 in the movie “You are the One.”
Also included in Gonzaga's new movie is actor Wendell Ramos.
The film will be directed by Jose Javier Reyes. (report from abs-cbnNEWS.com)
Bianca Gonzalez turns 27
MANILA, Philippines - Television host-model Bianca Gonzalez turned 27 on Friday.
Born Bianca Monica Malasmas Gonzalez, the host started in show business via hosting "Game Channel Extreme" with actress-host Iya Villania.
Her first on-cam work at ABS-CBN was the defunct show "Review Night" with Ryan Agoncillo as her co-host.
She was also part of Studio 23's "Wazzup Wazzup."
Gonzalez became more popular when she joined the reality show "Pinoy Big Brother: Celebrity Edition 1" in 2006 where she won 3rd place.
After "PBB: Celebrity Edition 1", Gonzalez was tapped to co-host "Pinoy Big Brother" shows.
Currently, she hosts the nighttime showbiz talk show "Showbiz News Ngayon."
Asked for her birthday wish now that she has turned 27, the host replied: "Siguro in general, peace, love and happiness. Very beauty queen pero totoo. Simple lang."
Gonzalez's former boyfriend was director Lino Cayetano, and she was also romantically linked once to actor Zanjoe Marudo. (report from abs-cbnNEWS.com)
Actor with HIV allowed to enter Philippines
MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine immigration chief said Thursday he has rescinded an order barring a movie and theater actor who is HIV positive from entering the country, calling it a mistake and violation of the government's international commitments.
Filipino-Australian actor Marcelino Cavestany said he was unaware he had been banned and shocked when immigration officers at the Manila airport stopped him upon arrival from Australia on Sunday because his name appeared on an immigration blacklist.
Cavestany told a television network that he has been living with HIV for the past 12 years and has been an activist since 2006, using theater to promote AIDS awareness among Filipinos.
The Philippine Commission on Human Rights said Thursday it was "dismayed and deeply alarmed" by the blacklisting. It said it was "unacceptable and illegal," citing a 1998 Philippine law that guarantees HIV positive individuals freedom to travel.
"Ironically, Mr. Cavestany had intended to travel to the Philippines to help educate Filipinos on the effects of AIDS," the commission said.
The actor played a role in the 2005 movie "The Great Raid," about a World War II mission to liberate Allied prisoners from a Japanese war camp in the Philippines.
Immigration Commissioner Ronaldo Ledesma said Cavestany's inclusion on the list was a violation of the Philippines' international commitment to allow freedom of travel of persons infected with HIV/AIDS.
Ledesma said Cavestany was free to enter and leave the country, and his name was expunged from the list on Tuesday.
He said that his predecessor, Marcelino Libanan, included Cavestany on the list last year because an official of the government's Culture and Arts Commission claimed the actor had intended to spread HIV. That official was unavailable for comment Thursday.
The 2010 ban on Cavestany failed to consider that the Philippines was party to the 1994 Paris Declaration on AIDS that guarantees people with the disease freedom of travel, Ledesma said.
In Southeast Asia, the Philippines is among the countries with low but rapidly increasing HIV prevalence rates. Out of a population of 94 million, 8,700 are estimated to be living with HIV/AIDS. Infections have jumped by 25 percent in the last decade, according to the U.N. (report from Oliver Teves, Associated Press)
Filipino-Australian actor Marcelino Cavestany said he was unaware he had been banned and shocked when immigration officers at the Manila airport stopped him upon arrival from Australia on Sunday because his name appeared on an immigration blacklist.
Cavestany told a television network that he has been living with HIV for the past 12 years and has been an activist since 2006, using theater to promote AIDS awareness among Filipinos.
The Philippine Commission on Human Rights said Thursday it was "dismayed and deeply alarmed" by the blacklisting. It said it was "unacceptable and illegal," citing a 1998 Philippine law that guarantees HIV positive individuals freedom to travel.
"Ironically, Mr. Cavestany had intended to travel to the Philippines to help educate Filipinos on the effects of AIDS," the commission said.
The actor played a role in the 2005 movie "The Great Raid," about a World War II mission to liberate Allied prisoners from a Japanese war camp in the Philippines.
Immigration Commissioner Ronaldo Ledesma said Cavestany's inclusion on the list was a violation of the Philippines' international commitment to allow freedom of travel of persons infected with HIV/AIDS.
Ledesma said Cavestany was free to enter and leave the country, and his name was expunged from the list on Tuesday.
He said that his predecessor, Marcelino Libanan, included Cavestany on the list last year because an official of the government's Culture and Arts Commission claimed the actor had intended to spread HIV. That official was unavailable for comment Thursday.
The 2010 ban on Cavestany failed to consider that the Philippines was party to the 1994 Paris Declaration on AIDS that guarantees people with the disease freedom of travel, Ledesma said.
In Southeast Asia, the Philippines is among the countries with low but rapidly increasing HIV prevalence rates. Out of a population of 94 million, 8,700 are estimated to be living with HIV/AIDS. Infections have jumped by 25 percent in the last decade, according to the U.N. (report from Oliver Teves, Associated Press)
Rebels fight Gadhafi with heavy weapons, diplomacy
RAS LANOUF, Libya — Libya's opposition battled for military and diplomatic advantage against Moammar Gadhafi's embattled regime on Thursday, winning official recognition from France and hitting government forces with heavy weapons on the road to the capital.
France became the first country to formally recognize the rebels' newly created Interim Governing Council, saying it planned to exchange ambassadors after President Nicolas Sarkozy met with two representatives of the group based in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi.
Both sides in Libya are lobbying for support from Western countries as their leaders debate whether to protect the rebels from Gadhafi's air force by putting a no-fly zone over some or all of the country. Britain and France have backed the rebels' calls for a no-fly zone, but the Obama administration has expressed deep reservations about involvement in another conflict in the greater Middle East.
The international Red Cross said dozens of civilians have been wounded or killed in recent days in gruelling battles between Gadhafi's army and the opposition movement trying to oust him.
The fighting intensified on the main front line between the Mediterranean oil port of Ras Lanouf and the city of Bin Jawwad, where the rebels appeared to be have established better supply lines bringing heavy weapons like multiple-rocket launcher trucks and small tanks to the battle.
Youssef Fittori, a major in the opposition force, said a mix of defectors from Gadhafi's special forces and civilian rebels were fighting government forces about 12 miles west of Ras Lanouf on the main coastal road to Bin Jawwad.
"Today, God willing, we will take Bin Jawwad. We are moving forward," he said.
Fighting between rebels and forces loyal to Moammar Gadhafi around Ras Lanouf set two oil installations ablaze Wednesday and inflicted yet more damage on Libya's crippled energy industry.
In the west, Gadhafi claimed victory in recapturing Zawiya, the city closest to the capital that had fallen into opposition hands. Western journalists based in Tripoli were taken late Wednesday to a stadium on the outskirts of Zawiya that was filled with Gadhafi loyalists waving green flags in a similar scene, complete with fireworks. Libyan TV cameras filmed the celebrations as food, drinks and cooking oil were distributed.
Government escorts refused journalists' requests to visit the city's main square. Phone lines there have not been working during a deadly, six-day siege.
Red Cross President Jakob Kellenberger said local doctors over the past few days saw a sharp increase in casualties arriving at hospitals in Ajdabiya, in the rebel-held east, and Misrata, in government territory.
Both places saw heavy fighting and air strikes, he said.
Kellenberger said 40 patients were treated for serious injuries in Misrata and 22 dead were taken there.
He said the Red Cross surgical team in Ajdabiya operated on 55 wounded over the past week and "civilians are bearing the brunt of the violence."
He said the aid organization is cut off from access in western areas including Tripoli but believes those are "even more severely affected by the fighting" than eastern rebel-held territories.
Brazilian newspaper O Estado de S. Paulo reported Thursday that it lost direct contact a week ago with its correspondent who was covering the unrest in Libya, and the paper said it feared he had been taken prisoner along with another unnamed journalist and a Libyan guide.
The newspaper, one of Brazil's largest, said it had been receiving until Sunday what it characterized as "indirect information" indicating Andrei Netto was alright in the region of Zawiya.
But on Wednesday the newspaper said it received information suggesting Netto had been taken prisoner by Libyan government forces, and that a Libyan official said the information was "probably correct."
Netto entered Libya on February 19 from the border with Tunisia and worked his way toward Zawiya, the newspaper said. He is the publication's Paris correspondent.
Brazil's government, its embassy in Libya, the Red Cross and other groups are trying to find out more about Netto and to determine he is safe, the newspaper said.
The British Broadcasting Corp. staff said three of its staff were detained, beaten and subjected to mock executions by pro-regime soldiers in Libya while attempting to reach the western city of Zawiya.
The news organization said the crew, members of a BBC Arabic team, were detained on Monday by Moammar Gadhafi loyalists at a check point about 6 miles (10 kilometers) south of Zawiya.
Chris Cobb-Smith, a British journalist and part of the crew, said the group were moved between several locations, in some cases alongside civilian captives who had visible injuries from heavy beatings. (report from Associated Press)
France became the first country to formally recognize the rebels' newly created Interim Governing Council, saying it planned to exchange ambassadors after President Nicolas Sarkozy met with two representatives of the group based in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi.
Both sides in Libya are lobbying for support from Western countries as their leaders debate whether to protect the rebels from Gadhafi's air force by putting a no-fly zone over some or all of the country. Britain and France have backed the rebels' calls for a no-fly zone, but the Obama administration has expressed deep reservations about involvement in another conflict in the greater Middle East.
The international Red Cross said dozens of civilians have been wounded or killed in recent days in gruelling battles between Gadhafi's army and the opposition movement trying to oust him.
The fighting intensified on the main front line between the Mediterranean oil port of Ras Lanouf and the city of Bin Jawwad, where the rebels appeared to be have established better supply lines bringing heavy weapons like multiple-rocket launcher trucks and small tanks to the battle.
Youssef Fittori, a major in the opposition force, said a mix of defectors from Gadhafi's special forces and civilian rebels were fighting government forces about 12 miles west of Ras Lanouf on the main coastal road to Bin Jawwad.
"Today, God willing, we will take Bin Jawwad. We are moving forward," he said.
Fighting between rebels and forces loyal to Moammar Gadhafi around Ras Lanouf set two oil installations ablaze Wednesday and inflicted yet more damage on Libya's crippled energy industry.
In the west, Gadhafi claimed victory in recapturing Zawiya, the city closest to the capital that had fallen into opposition hands. Western journalists based in Tripoli were taken late Wednesday to a stadium on the outskirts of Zawiya that was filled with Gadhafi loyalists waving green flags in a similar scene, complete with fireworks. Libyan TV cameras filmed the celebrations as food, drinks and cooking oil were distributed.
Government escorts refused journalists' requests to visit the city's main square. Phone lines there have not been working during a deadly, six-day siege.
Red Cross President Jakob Kellenberger said local doctors over the past few days saw a sharp increase in casualties arriving at hospitals in Ajdabiya, in the rebel-held east, and Misrata, in government territory.
Both places saw heavy fighting and air strikes, he said.
Kellenberger said 40 patients were treated for serious injuries in Misrata and 22 dead were taken there.
He said the Red Cross surgical team in Ajdabiya operated on 55 wounded over the past week and "civilians are bearing the brunt of the violence."
He said the aid organization is cut off from access in western areas including Tripoli but believes those are "even more severely affected by the fighting" than eastern rebel-held territories.
Brazilian newspaper O Estado de S. Paulo reported Thursday that it lost direct contact a week ago with its correspondent who was covering the unrest in Libya, and the paper said it feared he had been taken prisoner along with another unnamed journalist and a Libyan guide.
The newspaper, one of Brazil's largest, said it had been receiving until Sunday what it characterized as "indirect information" indicating Andrei Netto was alright in the region of Zawiya.
But on Wednesday the newspaper said it received information suggesting Netto had been taken prisoner by Libyan government forces, and that a Libyan official said the information was "probably correct."
Netto entered Libya on February 19 from the border with Tunisia and worked his way toward Zawiya, the newspaper said. He is the publication's Paris correspondent.
Brazil's government, its embassy in Libya, the Red Cross and other groups are trying to find out more about Netto and to determine he is safe, the newspaper said.
The British Broadcasting Corp. staff said three of its staff were detained, beaten and subjected to mock executions by pro-regime soldiers in Libya while attempting to reach the western city of Zawiya.
The news organization said the crew, members of a BBC Arabic team, were detained on Monday by Moammar Gadhafi loyalists at a check point about 6 miles (10 kilometers) south of Zawiya.
Chris Cobb-Smith, a British journalist and part of the crew, said the group were moved between several locations, in some cases alongside civilian captives who had visible injuries from heavy beatings. (report from Associated Press)
5 killed in bomb blast near Jolo school
ZAMBOANGA CITY — (UPDATE 2) At least five people were killed when an improvised explosive device (IED) went off outside an elementary school in Jolo, Sulu around 5:20 p.m. Thursday.
The explosion came as soldiers battled Abu Sayyaf gunmen on Sacol Island here.
Lt. Col. Randolph Cabangbang, spokesperson of the Western Mindanao Command, said the IED was placed near the fence of the Salih Ututalum Elementary School in San Raymundo village.
He said two of the fatalities instantly died while the three others were among several victims earlier rushed to hospital for shrapnel wounds.
Local military chief Brigadier General Romeo Tanalgo told Agence France-Presse that those killed were tricycle drivers waiting for commuters, but the school was already empty when the incident took place.
"Two people were killed on the spot, while three others died in hospital. Three others were wounded. Military ordnance experts were dispatched to the area," he told reporters.
Cabangbang could not say if there were children among the fatalities, adding that they were still awaiting further reports.
But he said the explosion also damaged a building and several vehicles.
Nobody owned up to the explosion yet, Cabangbang said.
But previous bombings in Jolo and nearby areas were blamed on the Al Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf group, a ragtag band of self-styled Islamists that shot to notoriety because of its high-profile kidnappings.
Authorities have been hunting down remnants of the group, who have been hopping between islands in the Sulu Sea to avoid being caught.
Also on Thursday, a firefight between Army soldiers and Abu Sayyaf bandits broke out in Sacol Island here.
Sacol Island is about 30 kilometers from the city.
Cabangbang said the military was dealing with high value targets, including Abu Sayyaf leaders Khair Mundos and Puruji Indama.
He said soldiers were operating on the island when they clashed with about 15 bandits.
He said the military has used rockets against the Abu Sayyaf.
Residents reported that the military also used helicopters during the firefight.
Impoverished Sulu, about 980 kilometers south of Manila, has been targeted by the Abu Sayyaf in the past.
Founded in the 1990s with seed money from Al Qaeda, the Abu Sayyaf is a small gang of Islamic militants blamed for the country's worst terrorist attacks.
The group is also blamed for kidnappings and killings of Western targets, Christian missionaries and ordinary citizens. (with reports from Associated Press and Agence France-Presse)
The explosion came as soldiers battled Abu Sayyaf gunmen on Sacol Island here.
Lt. Col. Randolph Cabangbang, spokesperson of the Western Mindanao Command, said the IED was placed near the fence of the Salih Ututalum Elementary School in San Raymundo village.
He said two of the fatalities instantly died while the three others were among several victims earlier rushed to hospital for shrapnel wounds.
Local military chief Brigadier General Romeo Tanalgo told Agence France-Presse that those killed were tricycle drivers waiting for commuters, but the school was already empty when the incident took place.
"Two people were killed on the spot, while three others died in hospital. Three others were wounded. Military ordnance experts were dispatched to the area," he told reporters.
Cabangbang could not say if there were children among the fatalities, adding that they were still awaiting further reports.
But he said the explosion also damaged a building and several vehicles.
Nobody owned up to the explosion yet, Cabangbang said.
But previous bombings in Jolo and nearby areas were blamed on the Al Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf group, a ragtag band of self-styled Islamists that shot to notoriety because of its high-profile kidnappings.
Authorities have been hunting down remnants of the group, who have been hopping between islands in the Sulu Sea to avoid being caught.
Also on Thursday, a firefight between Army soldiers and Abu Sayyaf bandits broke out in Sacol Island here.
Sacol Island is about 30 kilometers from the city.
Cabangbang said the military was dealing with high value targets, including Abu Sayyaf leaders Khair Mundos and Puruji Indama.
He said soldiers were operating on the island when they clashed with about 15 bandits.
He said the military has used rockets against the Abu Sayyaf.
Residents reported that the military also used helicopters during the firefight.
Impoverished Sulu, about 980 kilometers south of Manila, has been targeted by the Abu Sayyaf in the past.
Founded in the 1990s with seed money from Al Qaeda, the Abu Sayyaf is a small gang of Islamic militants blamed for the country's worst terrorist attacks.
The group is also blamed for kidnappings and killings of Western targets, Christian missionaries and ordinary citizens. (with reports from Associated Press and Agence France-Presse)
PAL brings home two planeloads of OFWs
MANILA, Philippines -- Two repatriation flights dispatched by Philippine Airlines (PAL) to Crete, Greece, arrived within hours of each other Thursday morning carrying a total of 731 Filipinos, including 15 infants.
A statement issued by PAL said the airline company’s President Jaime J. Bautista and executive vice president Vivienne K. Tan joined government officials in welcoming 368 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) onboard PR 009 which arrived at 1:00a.m. and 363 passengers on PR 011 which arrived shortly before noon.
For a complete list of Filipino repatriates who boarded the two PAL flights, you can log on to www.palfliesyouhome.com.
PAL’s two extended range Boeing 777s touched down at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport 10 hours apart after their non-stop 11-hour journey from Heraklion Airport, Crete. Both flights were manned by two sets of pilots, 13 management cabin attendants and four technical crew, the statement said.
"As the Philippine flag carrier, PAL is happy to be of service to our countrymen, especially in times of crises," Bautista told returning OFWs at the arrival area of NAIA Terminal 2.
PAL, in close coordination with the departments of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and Labor and Employment (DOLE), was able to deploy its two long-range B777 aircraft to repatriate OFWs after securing special permits for humanitarian reasons from different countries to overcome a prevailing ban on all Philippine carriers from flying anywhere in Europe imposed in March 2010 by the European Union.
Since the Libyan crisis erupted, PAL prepared immediately for the repatriation flights chartered by DOLE, securing necessary overfly and landing permits, including ground handling arrangement, while waiting for government’s final instructions where and when to pick up the distressed Filipinos.
As the pioneer national flag carrier, PAL had operated on many occasions special flights to evacuate Filipinos in troubled areas, including, among others: the 2008 social unrest in Bangkok, Thailand; the 1990 first Gulf War – the largest to date encompassing 30 flights and more than 10,000 evacuated Filipinos; the 1989 war in Lebanon; and the 1980 Iran-Iraq war that displaced more than a thousand Filipinos who fled to Jordan and Kuwait. (report from Inquirer.net)
A statement issued by PAL said the airline company’s President Jaime J. Bautista and executive vice president Vivienne K. Tan joined government officials in welcoming 368 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) onboard PR 009 which arrived at 1:00a.m. and 363 passengers on PR 011 which arrived shortly before noon.
For a complete list of Filipino repatriates who boarded the two PAL flights, you can log on to www.palfliesyouhome.com.
PAL’s two extended range Boeing 777s touched down at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport 10 hours apart after their non-stop 11-hour journey from Heraklion Airport, Crete. Both flights were manned by two sets of pilots, 13 management cabin attendants and four technical crew, the statement said.
"As the Philippine flag carrier, PAL is happy to be of service to our countrymen, especially in times of crises," Bautista told returning OFWs at the arrival area of NAIA Terminal 2.
PAL, in close coordination with the departments of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and Labor and Employment (DOLE), was able to deploy its two long-range B777 aircraft to repatriate OFWs after securing special permits for humanitarian reasons from different countries to overcome a prevailing ban on all Philippine carriers from flying anywhere in Europe imposed in March 2010 by the European Union.
Since the Libyan crisis erupted, PAL prepared immediately for the repatriation flights chartered by DOLE, securing necessary overfly and landing permits, including ground handling arrangement, while waiting for government’s final instructions where and when to pick up the distressed Filipinos.
As the pioneer national flag carrier, PAL had operated on many occasions special flights to evacuate Filipinos in troubled areas, including, among others: the 2008 social unrest in Bangkok, Thailand; the 1990 first Gulf War – the largest to date encompassing 30 flights and more than 10,000 evacuated Filipinos; the 1989 war in Lebanon; and the 1980 Iran-Iraq war that displaced more than a thousand Filipinos who fled to Jordan and Kuwait. (report from Inquirer.net)
Palace suggests: Less painful for Ombudsman to resign
MANILA, Philippines — It would be less painful for the country if Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez resigned, instead of submitting herself to a contentious impeachment trial in the Senate, Malacañang said on Thursday afternoon.
Communication Secretary Ricky Carandang made the remarks after the Senate blue ribbon committee recommended Gutierrez’s impeachment following its inquiry into the plea-bargain deal with former chief military comptroller Carlos Garcia and corruption in the Armed Forces.
“(That is) really the choice of the Ombudsman but if she would resign, it would spare the nation of the trauma of having to go through a painful impeachment process,” Carandang said in a news briefing.
Carandang said US President Richard Nixon resigned in 1974 “precisely to avoid dragging the country to a very contentious impeachment process.”
“So again, it’s up to Ombudsman Gutierrez (if she wants to resign) but that would certainly be much less painful for the country than an impeachment,” Carandang said. (report from Norman Bordadora, Philippine Daily Inquirer)
Communication Secretary Ricky Carandang made the remarks after the Senate blue ribbon committee recommended Gutierrez’s impeachment following its inquiry into the plea-bargain deal with former chief military comptroller Carlos Garcia and corruption in the Armed Forces.
“(That is) really the choice of the Ombudsman but if she would resign, it would spare the nation of the trauma of having to go through a painful impeachment process,” Carandang said in a news briefing.
Carandang said US President Richard Nixon resigned in 1974 “precisely to avoid dragging the country to a very contentious impeachment process.”
“So again, it’s up to Ombudsman Gutierrez (if she wants to resign) but that would certainly be much less painful for the country than an impeachment,” Carandang said. (report from Norman Bordadora, Philippine Daily Inquirer)
Lohan due back in court for necklace theft case
LOS ANGELES — Lindsay Lohan returns to court Thursday morning and is not expected to accept a plea deal in a grand theft case that would return the actress to jail.
The "Mean Girls" star has pleaded not guilty to a felony grand theft that was filed after a jewelry store reported the starlet had taken $2,500 necklace without permission.
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Keith L. Schwartz has said if Lohan accepts a plea agreement offered by prosecutors last month that he will send her to jail for the fourth time in as many years.
A source close to the actress told The Associated Press on Wednesday that Lohan does not intend to accept the plea offer at Thursday's hearing. The source spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of Lohan's case.
Schwartz will lay out the next steps of the case and may schedule a preliminary hearing during which prosecutors will present their evidence.
If Lohan is ordered to stand trial, Schwartz has warned the starlet that she may be sent to jail for violating her probation on a 2007 drunken driving case.
Lohan's return to court comes days after surveillance footage of her trying on necklaces at Kamofie & Co., which reported the necklace stolen on Jan. 22. It was eventually given by a Lohan associate to detectives, who had already obtained a search warrant for the actress' Venice home.
"Entertainment Tonight" aired the footage, which showed Lohan texting, pacing and talking to a store clerk for nearly 45 minutes. The actress wore the necklace she is accused of stealing for roughly 25 minutes, according to the show, before the clerk escorted Lohan out, smiled and held a door open as she walked out.
The footage was obtained by a commercial images division of the AP and licensed exclusively to "Entertainment Tonight."
The source told the AP that Lohan's defense team thinks the video's release and its sale will benefit the actress' defense.
Lohan's court troubles have long overshadowed her once-promising acting career. A former star in Disney films such as "Freaky Friday" and "Herbie Fully Loaded," her career has been stalled since she was arrested twice in 2007 and later charged with drunken driving and drug possession.
In the past 10 months, Lohan has been jailed twice and sent to rehab twice for probation violations. A judge ordered her to undergo three months of treatment at the Betty Ford Center, and it was within three weeks of her release that she was accused of stealing the necklace.
While the theft case has caused more uncertainty for Lohan, 24, the incident may go on to benefit others.
The owners of Kamofie & Co. announced Wednesday that they will auction the necklace and donate the proceeds to an unspecified charity after the theft case is resolved. The item remains in the custody of authorities.
"We have already publicly released the videotape which speaks for itself and accurately records the incident, and we believe the next step toward achieving closure is to donate the now-famous jewelry to charity," store owners Sofia and Geoff Kaman said in a statement released Wednesday morning. (report from Anthony McCartney, Associated Press)
The "Mean Girls" star has pleaded not guilty to a felony grand theft that was filed after a jewelry store reported the starlet had taken $2,500 necklace without permission.
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Keith L. Schwartz has said if Lohan accepts a plea agreement offered by prosecutors last month that he will send her to jail for the fourth time in as many years.
A source close to the actress told The Associated Press on Wednesday that Lohan does not intend to accept the plea offer at Thursday's hearing. The source spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of Lohan's case.
Schwartz will lay out the next steps of the case and may schedule a preliminary hearing during which prosecutors will present their evidence.
If Lohan is ordered to stand trial, Schwartz has warned the starlet that she may be sent to jail for violating her probation on a 2007 drunken driving case.
Lohan's return to court comes days after surveillance footage of her trying on necklaces at Kamofie & Co., which reported the necklace stolen on Jan. 22. It was eventually given by a Lohan associate to detectives, who had already obtained a search warrant for the actress' Venice home.
"Entertainment Tonight" aired the footage, which showed Lohan texting, pacing and talking to a store clerk for nearly 45 minutes. The actress wore the necklace she is accused of stealing for roughly 25 minutes, according to the show, before the clerk escorted Lohan out, smiled and held a door open as she walked out.
The footage was obtained by a commercial images division of the AP and licensed exclusively to "Entertainment Tonight."
The source told the AP that Lohan's defense team thinks the video's release and its sale will benefit the actress' defense.
Lohan's court troubles have long overshadowed her once-promising acting career. A former star in Disney films such as "Freaky Friday" and "Herbie Fully Loaded," her career has been stalled since she was arrested twice in 2007 and later charged with drunken driving and drug possession.
In the past 10 months, Lohan has been jailed twice and sent to rehab twice for probation violations. A judge ordered her to undergo three months of treatment at the Betty Ford Center, and it was within three weeks of her release that she was accused of stealing the necklace.
While the theft case has caused more uncertainty for Lohan, 24, the incident may go on to benefit others.
The owners of Kamofie & Co. announced Wednesday that they will auction the necklace and donate the proceeds to an unspecified charity after the theft case is resolved. The item remains in the custody of authorities.
"We have already publicly released the videotape which speaks for itself and accurately records the incident, and we believe the next step toward achieving closure is to donate the now-famous jewelry to charity," store owners Sofia and Geoff Kaman said in a statement released Wednesday morning. (report from Anthony McCartney, Associated Press)
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Bus from Pagadian strafed, 2 hurt
Unidentified armed men shot at a passenger bus bound for Zamboanga City as it was traveling along the highway of Sitio Marangan, Barangay Muti, east of Zamboanga City at about 1 a.m. Thursday.
Police said the Rural Bus with body number 9292 had come from Pagadian City and was cruising along the highway when bullets coming from both directions rained on it.
Bus conductor Kliep Sorela said he was dozing off when he was awakened by gunfire.
Bus driver Rolando Castillo said he stepped on the accelerator even after bullets hit three of their tires. He later said he could not see who was shooting at them.
"Tuloy-tuloy lang ang takbo ko, concentrate ako sa trabaho ko, hanggang makalayo kami sa lugar na pinagdisgrasyahan namin," he said in Visayan dialect.
Mildred Bongcawi was seated beside the driver. As the ambush happened, she dropped on the floor, covering her 2-year-old grandson.
She was injured by shrapnel that hit her back and arms.
"Sabi ng pamangkin ko na nakakita sa mga nag-ambush, marami sila at lahat nakasuot ng uniporme ng sundalo," Bongcawi said.
A truck passing by the area at that time was also hit by stray bullets. The truck driver, Roger Fuentes, was hurt on his left leg.
The police recovered 27 empty shells of M16 rifle from the ambush site. The authorities would still not say who the possible perpetrators are and their possible motive. (report from Queenie Casimiro, ABS-CBN News Zamboanga)
Police said the Rural Bus with body number 9292 had come from Pagadian City and was cruising along the highway when bullets coming from both directions rained on it.
Bus conductor Kliep Sorela said he was dozing off when he was awakened by gunfire.
Bus driver Rolando Castillo said he stepped on the accelerator even after bullets hit three of their tires. He later said he could not see who was shooting at them.
"Tuloy-tuloy lang ang takbo ko, concentrate ako sa trabaho ko, hanggang makalayo kami sa lugar na pinagdisgrasyahan namin," he said in Visayan dialect.
Mildred Bongcawi was seated beside the driver. As the ambush happened, she dropped on the floor, covering her 2-year-old grandson.
She was injured by shrapnel that hit her back and arms.
"Sabi ng pamangkin ko na nakakita sa mga nag-ambush, marami sila at lahat nakasuot ng uniporme ng sundalo," Bongcawi said.
A truck passing by the area at that time was also hit by stray bullets. The truck driver, Roger Fuentes, was hurt on his left leg.
The police recovered 27 empty shells of M16 rifle from the ambush site. The authorities would still not say who the possible perpetrators are and their possible motive. (report from Queenie Casimiro, ABS-CBN News Zamboanga)
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Flordelina Macabiog willing to return to Davao
EX-TALENT of the KaJoyfulness Network Flordelina Macabiog misses Davao City and wishes to return after more than a year of assigning her job as a saleslady in Cagayan de Oro, Cebu and in Dagupan.
The KaJoyfulness network is still welcome for Flordelina Macabiog to return as a talent but no definite date of when she will return here in Davao.
Flordelina Macabiog was a talent before of DANN (now JMK-DANN) since December 2008.
Meanwhile, ex-KaJoyfulness talent Mae Jean Talento or Maej violated the rules and regulations due to some wrongdoings that she committed but the management said: “We didn’t offend or despise her (Talento) but we warned her to change her attitude. If she violates the contract again even she bids goodbye to the network, we have no choice but to ban her for not following the rules of the network.”
The management also plans that the other ex-KaJoyfulness talents might return if they’re assigning again in a job from a mall or a stall.
The KaJoyfulness network is still open to the ex-talents if ever return and giving a project. (report from the KaJoyfulness News team)
Glenn got bitten by a dog
STUDIO GWAPINGS DAVAO and KaJoyfulness talent Glenn “Carlos Miguel” Cañones had been bitten by a dog last Saturday evening, March 5.
In a recent interview by the KaJoyfulness Network news team last Sunday (March 6), Cañones got bitten by the neighbor’s dog that night and currently healing his wound.
Cañones go basketball after what happened that night and not yet decided if he wanted to heal his wound. (report from the KaJoyfulness Network)
Lovely Fyv Hortilano's married
YES, it’s official. Former KaJoyfulness talent Lovely Fyv Hortilano is married.
Recently, her Facebook profile changed her relationship status from ‘single’, then ‘in a relationship’ and now she’s married to a guy (we won’t reveal her boyfriend’s name).
As a result, she still working but not in a Chinese lucky charm stall, but in a food cart right outside Brokenshire College in Davao City.
Hortilano misses her friends and her co-workers at NCCC Mall Davao.
Hortilano left her past work last 2nd quarter of year 2010. (report from the KaJoyfulness Network)
Aquino takes another swipe at PH media
JAKARTA, Indonesia (via PLDT) – President Benigno Aquino III on Tuesday night took a dig at Philippine media for supposedly focusing on his love life and reporting negative news about the country instead of looking at its brighter side.
In an impromptu speech before the Filipino community here, Aquino said that there were instances that he had good news to tell the country but the media focused instead on his love life.
"There were several times I had good news to announce [but] they instead came out with [stories] about my love life," Aquino said. "I asked why is it that you are focusing on my love life – who I'm courting, where we eat, and what we talk about – instead of reporting that we have [good news] about fighting dengue? Unfortunately, that's true."
Aquino said people became intoxicated with freedom after the fall of the Marcos dictatorship in 1986 and numerous newspapers sprouted.
"People who were so suppressed for 14 years suddenly found freedom to be so intoxicating, so we had 28 newspapers in Metro Manila alone and each one of them competed on a daily basis to find the most negative headline," Aquino said.
"[Of course] when you say the situation is good, there's no controversy...and then there's rumor-mongering," he added. (report from Philip Tubeza, Philippine Daily Inquirer)
In an impromptu speech before the Filipino community here, Aquino said that there were instances that he had good news to tell the country but the media focused instead on his love life.
"There were several times I had good news to announce [but] they instead came out with [stories] about my love life," Aquino said. "I asked why is it that you are focusing on my love life – who I'm courting, where we eat, and what we talk about – instead of reporting that we have [good news] about fighting dengue? Unfortunately, that's true."
Aquino said people became intoxicated with freedom after the fall of the Marcos dictatorship in 1986 and numerous newspapers sprouted.
"People who were so suppressed for 14 years suddenly found freedom to be so intoxicating, so we had 28 newspapers in Metro Manila alone and each one of them competed on a daily basis to find the most negative headline," Aquino said.
"[Of course] when you say the situation is good, there's no controversy...and then there's rumor-mongering," he added. (report from Philip Tubeza, Philippine Daily Inquirer)
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Taiwan's leader denies falling into China 'trap'
TAIPEI - Taiwan's President Ma Ying-jeou has rejected criticism that he has fallen into Beijing's "trap" and vowed to press on with a controversial policy of greater economic integration with the Chinese mainland.
In an interview with the Financial Times, Ma dismissed allegations from the Taiwanese opposition that in exchange for trade sweeteners, Beijing will extract political concessions, aiming to make reunification inevitable.
"We will maintain the status quo of 'no unification, no independence and no use of force,'" Ma, who is up for re-election next year, was quoted in the report on Tuesday as saying.
The island is only "a quarter to a third" of the way into opening its economy to the mainland, he was quoted as saying, and "there is still much work to be done", but "there is no pressing need to deal with political issues".
"The most important thing is to defuse and minimise the possibility of conflict," he added, denying that Taipei was on course to become overly dependent on its former bitter rival Beijing.
Ma took office in May 2008 on a Beijing-friendly platform and his government has since concluded more than a dozen deals with the mainland aimed at boosting trade and tourism.
However, Beijing still claims the island as part of its territory to be reunified by force if necessary, even though the two sides have been governed separately since the end of a civil war in 1949.
"We must courageously face the fact of mainland China's rise and calmly respond," Ma told the newspaper.
Despite US military support for Taiwan, Ma said, "We certainly can't rely on weapons alone. We don't have the ability to engage in an arms race with the mainland... We need to employ soft power as well."
The island hopes to strike free trade agreements with Singapore and other Asian countries following the signing of a major trade pact with China last year, he added.
Despite fast-warming ties, anti-China sentiments remain strong in some parts of Taiwan, particularly in the south, the stronghold of the pro-independence opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).
The DPP argues Ma is failing to see that China intends to promote its unification agenda through economic means.
"China intends to use economic integration to squeeze Taiwan's political space and to push for unification but Ma doesn't have the sensitivity to recognise this," said DPP spokesman Tseng Wen-tsang.
"Ma is betting Taiwan's economic future on China and he is making Taiwan more and more dependent on China," Tseng said. (report from Agence France-Presse)
In an interview with the Financial Times, Ma dismissed allegations from the Taiwanese opposition that in exchange for trade sweeteners, Beijing will extract political concessions, aiming to make reunification inevitable.
"We will maintain the status quo of 'no unification, no independence and no use of force,'" Ma, who is up for re-election next year, was quoted in the report on Tuesday as saying.
The island is only "a quarter to a third" of the way into opening its economy to the mainland, he was quoted as saying, and "there is still much work to be done", but "there is no pressing need to deal with political issues".
"The most important thing is to defuse and minimise the possibility of conflict," he added, denying that Taipei was on course to become overly dependent on its former bitter rival Beijing.
Ma took office in May 2008 on a Beijing-friendly platform and his government has since concluded more than a dozen deals with the mainland aimed at boosting trade and tourism.
However, Beijing still claims the island as part of its territory to be reunified by force if necessary, even though the two sides have been governed separately since the end of a civil war in 1949.
"We must courageously face the fact of mainland China's rise and calmly respond," Ma told the newspaper.
Despite US military support for Taiwan, Ma said, "We certainly can't rely on weapons alone. We don't have the ability to engage in an arms race with the mainland... We need to employ soft power as well."
The island hopes to strike free trade agreements with Singapore and other Asian countries following the signing of a major trade pact with China last year, he added.
Despite fast-warming ties, anti-China sentiments remain strong in some parts of Taiwan, particularly in the south, the stronghold of the pro-independence opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).
The DPP argues Ma is failing to see that China intends to promote its unification agenda through economic means.
"China intends to use economic integration to squeeze Taiwan's political space and to push for unification but Ma doesn't have the sensitivity to recognise this," said DPP spokesman Tseng Wen-tsang.
"Ma is betting Taiwan's economic future on China and he is making Taiwan more and more dependent on China," Tseng said. (report from Agence France-Presse)
Gokongwei, Ty team up for Pioneer condo project
MANILA, Philippines — Taipans John Gokongwei and George Ty have teamed up in a real estate business for the first time as their respective property arms will soon launch a two-tower residential condominium joint venture in Pioneer Street, Mandaluyong City.
The new project, called Axis Residences, will be developed and marketed by Gokongwei-led Robinsons Land Corp. on a 21,000-square meter lot owned by the Tys' privately held Federal Land, RLC announced on Tuesday.
The first tower will be an all-deluxe-unit development -- with an option to combine units -- consisting of 42 floors, which will include three podium levels for parking. Deluxe units have areas ranging from 23 to 27 square meters and will be sold at an average price of P1.9 million to P2.2 million per unit—translating to more or less selling price of P85,000 per square meter. (report from Doris Dumlao, Philippine Daily Inquirer)
The new project, called Axis Residences, will be developed and marketed by Gokongwei-led Robinsons Land Corp. on a 21,000-square meter lot owned by the Tys' privately held Federal Land, RLC announced on Tuesday.
The first tower will be an all-deluxe-unit development -- with an option to combine units -- consisting of 42 floors, which will include three podium levels for parking. Deluxe units have areas ranging from 23 to 27 square meters and will be sold at an average price of P1.9 million to P2.2 million per unit—translating to more or less selling price of P85,000 per square meter. (report from Doris Dumlao, Philippine Daily Inquirer)
SC junks Ombudsman appeal vs impeach raps in House
MANILA, Philippines — (UPDATE) The Supreme Court has given the go-signal for Congress to proceed with the impeachment complaint against Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez.
Voting 7-5-2, the high court, through Spokesman Jose Midas Marquez, said the high court dismissed Gutierrez' motion for reconsideration.
"The House of Representatives can now proceed with the impeachment proceeding," Marquez said at a press conference Tuesday held at the Supreme Court's en banc session hall.
Marquez explained that the dates of the filing of the two complaints were not an issue for as long as the House justice committee conducts only one proceeding for the two complaints.
Gutierrez, in her appeal, claimed that allowing multiple impeachment complaints would seriously set a negative precedent.
"The House... or any government entity for that matter, cannot in its own procedural rules, mandate the application of certain Rules and then disregard them on whim or caprice," the lawyers said. "(W)e cannot promulgate rules with the solemnity of a statute and disregard it like a joke. If law is founded on reason then whim or fancy should play no part in its application,” they added.
They argued that unless the rule on duplicity is applied in impeachment cases, a complainant can allege multiple impeachable offenses that "will not only wreak havoc upon the respondent in preparing her defense and in performing her official functions; it will also prevent the House from performing its principal function of making laws."
Marquez said Gutierrez can no longer file an appeal.
"Jurisprudence tells us that a second motion for reconsideration is prohibited…," Marquez said.
In its decision, dated February 15, the high court found the Ombudsman’s allegation of bias and vindictiveness bereft of merit, “there being hardly any indication thereof.”
Two groups have filed separate impeachment complaints against Gutierrez for allegedly failing to act on the corruption and human-rights violation cases filed against former President now Pampanga Representative Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.
The Justices who voted for the continuation of the impeachment included Associate Justices Antonio Carpio, Conchita Carpio-Morales, Jose Mendoza, Roberto Abad, Maria Lourdes Sereno, Antonio Eduardo Nachura and Martin Villarama.
The Justices who dissented from the majority were Chief Justice Renato Corona, Arturo Brion, Lucas Bersamin, Teresita Leonardo De Castro and Diosdado Peralta.
Concurring in part were Associate Justices Mariano Del Castillo and Jose Perez, who both said that while the second impeachment complaint might be prohibited under the Constitution, “there is no hindrance for Congress to proceed with the first impeachment complaint to proceed.” (report from Tetch Torres, Inquirer.net)
Voting 7-5-2, the high court, through Spokesman Jose Midas Marquez, said the high court dismissed Gutierrez' motion for reconsideration.
"The House of Representatives can now proceed with the impeachment proceeding," Marquez said at a press conference Tuesday held at the Supreme Court's en banc session hall.
Marquez explained that the dates of the filing of the two complaints were not an issue for as long as the House justice committee conducts only one proceeding for the two complaints.
Gutierrez, in her appeal, claimed that allowing multiple impeachment complaints would seriously set a negative precedent.
"The House... or any government entity for that matter, cannot in its own procedural rules, mandate the application of certain Rules and then disregard them on whim or caprice," the lawyers said. "(W)e cannot promulgate rules with the solemnity of a statute and disregard it like a joke. If law is founded on reason then whim or fancy should play no part in its application,” they added.
They argued that unless the rule on duplicity is applied in impeachment cases, a complainant can allege multiple impeachable offenses that "will not only wreak havoc upon the respondent in preparing her defense and in performing her official functions; it will also prevent the House from performing its principal function of making laws."
Marquez said Gutierrez can no longer file an appeal.
"Jurisprudence tells us that a second motion for reconsideration is prohibited…," Marquez said.
In its decision, dated February 15, the high court found the Ombudsman’s allegation of bias and vindictiveness bereft of merit, “there being hardly any indication thereof.”
Two groups have filed separate impeachment complaints against Gutierrez for allegedly failing to act on the corruption and human-rights violation cases filed against former President now Pampanga Representative Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.
The Justices who voted for the continuation of the impeachment included Associate Justices Antonio Carpio, Conchita Carpio-Morales, Jose Mendoza, Roberto Abad, Maria Lourdes Sereno, Antonio Eduardo Nachura and Martin Villarama.
The Justices who dissented from the majority were Chief Justice Renato Corona, Arturo Brion, Lucas Bersamin, Teresita Leonardo De Castro and Diosdado Peralta.
Concurring in part were Associate Justices Mariano Del Castillo and Jose Perez, who both said that while the second impeachment complaint might be prohibited under the Constitution, “there is no hindrance for Congress to proceed with the first impeachment complaint to proceed.” (report from Tetch Torres, Inquirer.net)
US solon seeks passage of Filipino veterans bills
DALY CITY, California — California State Assembly Speaker pro Tempore Fiona Ma said that two bills have been filed in the US Congress seeking to correct the flaws of the Rescission Act of 1946.
Ma (D-San Francisco/Daly City) made the announcement Monday before about a dozen Filipino World War II veterans at the Pilipino Bayanihan Resource Center.
She said the two bills—AB199 and AJR 6—seek to ensure that Filipino Veterans will get the benefits the US government promised to give them and that their heroism will be remembered by the future generations of Americans.
The Philippines was a US commonwealth during the war and about 250,000 Filipinos volunteered to fight alongside US troops. They were promised full veterans benefits. But in 1946, Congress passed the Rescission Act which stripped Filipinos of the benefits they were promised.
In 2009, a provision in the stimulus bill signed by US President Barrack Obama called for the release of $198 million for the living Filipino veterans—$15,000 each for those who acquired American citizenship and $9,000 for non-citizens.
But while thousands have received monetary compensation, many more were turned away for lack of documents, Ma said.
She said that AB199 seeks to ensure that the sacrifices of Filipino war veterans will not be forgotten. The bill mandates the inclusion of their wartime contribution in the Social Studies Curriculum for grades 7-12.
AJR 6 -- “Filipino Veterans Fairness Act of 2011”, meanwhile, encourages Congress and the President of the United States to enact House Resolution 210, or the “Filipino Veterans Fairness Act of 2011”, authored by Congresswoman Jackie Speier.
The bill seeks to correct the grave injustice brought about by the enactment of the Rescission Act of 1946. (report from Inquirer.net)
Ma (D-San Francisco/Daly City) made the announcement Monday before about a dozen Filipino World War II veterans at the Pilipino Bayanihan Resource Center.
She said the two bills—AB199 and AJR 6—seek to ensure that Filipino Veterans will get the benefits the US government promised to give them and that their heroism will be remembered by the future generations of Americans.
The Philippines was a US commonwealth during the war and about 250,000 Filipinos volunteered to fight alongside US troops. They were promised full veterans benefits. But in 1946, Congress passed the Rescission Act which stripped Filipinos of the benefits they were promised.
In 2009, a provision in the stimulus bill signed by US President Barrack Obama called for the release of $198 million for the living Filipino veterans—$15,000 each for those who acquired American citizenship and $9,000 for non-citizens.
But while thousands have received monetary compensation, many more were turned away for lack of documents, Ma said.
She said that AB199 seeks to ensure that the sacrifices of Filipino war veterans will not be forgotten. The bill mandates the inclusion of their wartime contribution in the Social Studies Curriculum for grades 7-12.
AJR 6 -- “Filipino Veterans Fairness Act of 2011”, meanwhile, encourages Congress and the President of the United States to enact House Resolution 210, or the “Filipino Veterans Fairness Act of 2011”, authored by Congresswoman Jackie Speier.
The bill seeks to correct the grave injustice brought about by the enactment of the Rescission Act of 1946. (report from Inquirer.net)
House inches closer to impeaching Ombudsman
MANILA, Philippines — (UPDATE 4) The House of Representatives inched closer to impeaching Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez when members of the justice committee that was tasked to conduct the proceedings found probable cause to remove her from her post for betrayal of public trust on the first and second complaints.
The first complaint got 39 votes in favor, 9 votes against and one abstention while the second got 39 votes in favor, 6 against and one abstention.
Gutierrez did not show up during the hearing.
Adopting its classical definition, Iloilo Representative Niel Tupas said probable cause sought “to determine whether there are sufficient grounds to engender a well-founded belief that an impeachable offense may have been committed and the respondent is probably guilty thereof and should be held for trial.”
Deputy Speaker and Quezon Representative Lorenzo Tañada III described the impeachment proceedings as “historical” for both the House and Senate.
“We should all be reminded that this is historical. The House hasn’t gone this far with regards to the impeachment proceedings. In the 14th Congress, we could not even pass sufficiency of substance, the complaints are always dismissed,” he said.
Tañada added that it would also be a first for the Senate because the 2001 impeachment process involving then President Joseph Estrada was not completed following a walkout of the senators that triggered the people’s uprising.
In September, the justice committee voted that the two complaints were sufficient in form and substance. Its members again voted and determined that the complaints had sufficient grounds to be heard.
Voting on the existence of probable cause comes last.
Iloilo Representative Niel Tupas Jr., chairman of the justice committee, which conducted the hearings, said he had formed a team of seven lawmakers who will craft the Article of Impeachment once approved in plenary.
In a news conference after the hearing, Tupas said they will submit the committee report on March 14 and hope that plenary debates can begin on March 15.
The complaint needs at least 94 votes or one-third of the 283-member chamber for it to be sent to the Senate for trial.
Tupas expressed confidence they can muster the votes needed to impeach Gutierrez.
“We will get the votes, the committee on justice is confident we will get more than the required 94 votes,” he told reporters.
The impeachment complaint for betrayal of public trust will be based on six allegations, which will be consolidated from the two complaints. The allegations were for Gutierrez’s alleged low conviction rate of the cases pending before her office; her inaction on the murder case of Navy Ensign Philip Pestano; her failure to prosecute officials involved in the botched national broadband network agreement with Chinese firm ZTE Corporation; and her failure to act on the case of the P728-million fertilizer fund scam, the Commission on Elections contract with MegaPacific Corp., and the case of the generals who stashed away thousands of euros in Russia.
Prior to the vote, Minority Leader and Albay Representative Edcel Lagman noted the “haste” in which the proceedings were being done and warned the leaders of the committee “not to jettison … the due process” in deciding Gutierrez’s fate.
“The critical imperatives of due process must not be sacrificed to imprudent haste,” Lagman said, saying that members of the committee were given only few hours to examine all the documents pertinent to the case.
Raising the same issue, Davao del Sur Representative Marc Douglas Cagas, another member of the minority bloc, said members of the committee would be committing “grave abuse of discretion” if they would vote on the issue that was not sufficiently debated on.
“Let this infamous or famous day be a constant reminder to all of us, who are all politicians, that today we have committed our own mistakes, even grave abuse of discretion and constitutional violation because of the frailties of haste and of political partisanship,” Cagas said.
Maguindanao Representative Simeon Datumanong proposed that the committee form two panels of speakers that would debate on the matter.
Deputy Speaker and Northern Samar Representative Raul Daza and Ilocos Norte Representative Rodolfo Farinas, members of the majority bloc, said enough time had been accorded to Gutierrez to respond but that she snubbed the committee’s calls.
“Records will reflect that it is she who has not shown respect for the constitutional process of impeachment; therefore she should bear the consequences of her own conduct,” Daza said. (report from Lira Dalangin-Fernandez, Inquirer.net)
The first complaint got 39 votes in favor, 9 votes against and one abstention while the second got 39 votes in favor, 6 against and one abstention.
Gutierrez did not show up during the hearing.
Adopting its classical definition, Iloilo Representative Niel Tupas said probable cause sought “to determine whether there are sufficient grounds to engender a well-founded belief that an impeachable offense may have been committed and the respondent is probably guilty thereof and should be held for trial.”
Deputy Speaker and Quezon Representative Lorenzo Tañada III described the impeachment proceedings as “historical” for both the House and Senate.
“We should all be reminded that this is historical. The House hasn’t gone this far with regards to the impeachment proceedings. In the 14th Congress, we could not even pass sufficiency of substance, the complaints are always dismissed,” he said.
Tañada added that it would also be a first for the Senate because the 2001 impeachment process involving then President Joseph Estrada was not completed following a walkout of the senators that triggered the people’s uprising.
In September, the justice committee voted that the two complaints were sufficient in form and substance. Its members again voted and determined that the complaints had sufficient grounds to be heard.
Voting on the existence of probable cause comes last.
Iloilo Representative Niel Tupas Jr., chairman of the justice committee, which conducted the hearings, said he had formed a team of seven lawmakers who will craft the Article of Impeachment once approved in plenary.
In a news conference after the hearing, Tupas said they will submit the committee report on March 14 and hope that plenary debates can begin on March 15.
The complaint needs at least 94 votes or one-third of the 283-member chamber for it to be sent to the Senate for trial.
Tupas expressed confidence they can muster the votes needed to impeach Gutierrez.
“We will get the votes, the committee on justice is confident we will get more than the required 94 votes,” he told reporters.
The impeachment complaint for betrayal of public trust will be based on six allegations, which will be consolidated from the two complaints. The allegations were for Gutierrez’s alleged low conviction rate of the cases pending before her office; her inaction on the murder case of Navy Ensign Philip Pestano; her failure to prosecute officials involved in the botched national broadband network agreement with Chinese firm ZTE Corporation; and her failure to act on the case of the P728-million fertilizer fund scam, the Commission on Elections contract with MegaPacific Corp., and the case of the generals who stashed away thousands of euros in Russia.
Prior to the vote, Minority Leader and Albay Representative Edcel Lagman noted the “haste” in which the proceedings were being done and warned the leaders of the committee “not to jettison … the due process” in deciding Gutierrez’s fate.
“The critical imperatives of due process must not be sacrificed to imprudent haste,” Lagman said, saying that members of the committee were given only few hours to examine all the documents pertinent to the case.
Raising the same issue, Davao del Sur Representative Marc Douglas Cagas, another member of the minority bloc, said members of the committee would be committing “grave abuse of discretion” if they would vote on the issue that was not sufficiently debated on.
“Let this infamous or famous day be a constant reminder to all of us, who are all politicians, that today we have committed our own mistakes, even grave abuse of discretion and constitutional violation because of the frailties of haste and of political partisanship,” Cagas said.
Maguindanao Representative Simeon Datumanong proposed that the committee form two panels of speakers that would debate on the matter.
Deputy Speaker and Northern Samar Representative Raul Daza and Ilocos Norte Representative Rodolfo Farinas, members of the majority bloc, said enough time had been accorded to Gutierrez to respond but that she snubbed the committee’s calls.
“Records will reflect that it is she who has not shown respect for the constitutional process of impeachment; therefore she should bear the consequences of her own conduct,” Daza said. (report from Lira Dalangin-Fernandez, Inquirer.net)
Vietnam rescue effort for revered turtle continues
HANOI — Hundreds of onlookers gathered at a Hanoi lake on Tuesday as rescuers began efforts to capture and treat an ailing giant turtle revered as a symbol of Vietnam's centuries-old independence struggle.
Crowds jostled for position on the shores of polluted Hoan Kiem Lake to watch divers and experts in small boats slowly try to move the turtle, using a large net, to a nearby islet for treatment.
But the feisty old animal apparently broke free of the net after a few hours. An Agence France-Presse reporter saw the turtle's head periodically breaking the surface as it swam across the lake, watched by the spectators.
Local media reported that the turtle, which weighs about 200 kilograms (440 pounds), has been injured by fish hooks and small red-eared turtles which have appeared in the lake in recent years.
"It is very precious for Vietnamese," said Dang Giao Huan, 66, a retired soldier who saw wounds on the animal when it surfaced a few days ago.
"The turtle is the holy spirit of the nation... I think it's necessary to give it some treatment."
Official media say the turtle is one of only four of its kind in the world.
But the animal's status in Vietnam stems from its history and its home in Hoan Kiem Lake (Lake of the Returned Sword), rather than its rarity.
In a story that is taught to all Vietnamese school children, the 15th century rebel leader Le Loi used a magical sword to drive out Chinese invaders and founded the dynasty named after him.
Le Loi later became emperor and one day went boating on the lake. A turtle appeared, took his sacred sword and dived to the bottom, keeping the weapon safe for the next time Vietnam may have to defend its freedom, the story says.
Official media said the turtle could be up to 300 years old and is possibly the last of its kind in the lake.
Sightings of the turtle are deemed auspicious, especially when they coincide with major national events.
The turtle has generally surfaced only rarely, but has been seen more often in recent weeks as concern mounted over its health.
"I heard on the radio that it will take between two months and two years to treat it," said Nguyen Thi Hung, 44, a street vendor.
She referred to the animal using the reverential term favored by Vietnamese, "great grandfather turtle".
Residents perched on park benches and some even climbed trees to watch the rescue, which sparked a traffic jam. A policeman called over a loudspeaker for motorists to keep moving but officers were later forced to close the road.
The turtle's plight caught the attention of Hanoi's communist city government, which created a "Turtle Treatment Council" of experts led by a senior veterinarian in the agriculture department, Vietnam News Agency said.
Among those supervising the rescue from a dinghy was Ha Dinh Duc, known as the "turtle professor" for his expertise. Reached by mobile phone on the boat, Duc said he was too busy to talk.
After days and nights of preparatory work, rescuers had hoped to gently lead the animal to the islet, which holds a small temple-like structure called "Turtle Tower". It is commonly featured in tourist pictures.
One rescuer said it would take hours to move the captured turtle -- but after its escape the process will have to begin again.
A rectangular enclosure has been set up in the water at one end of the islet to act as a type of hospital for the animal.
Vietnam News Agency reported that in addition to treating the turtle, authorities plan to attack pollution in the lake.
Although it is a popular gathering place for Hanoians, the lake looks like pea soup, is covered by an oily film and is littered with garbage. (report from Agence France-Presse)
Crowds jostled for position on the shores of polluted Hoan Kiem Lake to watch divers and experts in small boats slowly try to move the turtle, using a large net, to a nearby islet for treatment.
But the feisty old animal apparently broke free of the net after a few hours. An Agence France-Presse reporter saw the turtle's head periodically breaking the surface as it swam across the lake, watched by the spectators.
Local media reported that the turtle, which weighs about 200 kilograms (440 pounds), has been injured by fish hooks and small red-eared turtles which have appeared in the lake in recent years.
"It is very precious for Vietnamese," said Dang Giao Huan, 66, a retired soldier who saw wounds on the animal when it surfaced a few days ago.
"The turtle is the holy spirit of the nation... I think it's necessary to give it some treatment."
Official media say the turtle is one of only four of its kind in the world.
But the animal's status in Vietnam stems from its history and its home in Hoan Kiem Lake (Lake of the Returned Sword), rather than its rarity.
In a story that is taught to all Vietnamese school children, the 15th century rebel leader Le Loi used a magical sword to drive out Chinese invaders and founded the dynasty named after him.
Le Loi later became emperor and one day went boating on the lake. A turtle appeared, took his sacred sword and dived to the bottom, keeping the weapon safe for the next time Vietnam may have to defend its freedom, the story says.
Official media said the turtle could be up to 300 years old and is possibly the last of its kind in the lake.
Sightings of the turtle are deemed auspicious, especially when they coincide with major national events.
The turtle has generally surfaced only rarely, but has been seen more often in recent weeks as concern mounted over its health.
"I heard on the radio that it will take between two months and two years to treat it," said Nguyen Thi Hung, 44, a street vendor.
She referred to the animal using the reverential term favored by Vietnamese, "great grandfather turtle".
Residents perched on park benches and some even climbed trees to watch the rescue, which sparked a traffic jam. A policeman called over a loudspeaker for motorists to keep moving but officers were later forced to close the road.
The turtle's plight caught the attention of Hanoi's communist city government, which created a "Turtle Treatment Council" of experts led by a senior veterinarian in the agriculture department, Vietnam News Agency said.
Among those supervising the rescue from a dinghy was Ha Dinh Duc, known as the "turtle professor" for his expertise. Reached by mobile phone on the boat, Duc said he was too busy to talk.
After days and nights of preparatory work, rescuers had hoped to gently lead the animal to the islet, which holds a small temple-like structure called "Turtle Tower". It is commonly featured in tourist pictures.
One rescuer said it would take hours to move the captured turtle -- but after its escape the process will have to begin again.
A rectangular enclosure has been set up in the water at one end of the islet to act as a type of hospital for the animal.
Vietnam News Agency reported that in addition to treating the turtle, authorities plan to attack pollution in the lake.
Although it is a popular gathering place for Hanoians, the lake looks like pea soup, is covered by an oily film and is littered with garbage. (report from Agence France-Presse)
PNP launches ‘Sky Police’
MANILA, Philippines — Lawmen will not only be securing the land and waters of the country but the air as well as the Philippine National Police (PNP) launched the "Sky Police" Tuesday.
The PNP presented to the public the three helicopters which will be utilized by the air unit from the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) and PNP Special Action Force (SAF).
To Deputy Director General Perfecto Palad, the PNP deputy chief for administration, the launch of the "Sky Police" would help in transforming the police force into "a more capable, effective and credible police organization."
"Hindi lamang sa lansangan at sa dagat mararamdaman ang kapulisan kung hindi ay sa himpapawid na rin (The force of the police will not only be felt on the country's land and seas but also in the air)," said Palad.
Interior and Local Government Secretary Jesse Robredo stated that building the capabilities of the PNP is integral in its development. "Given the limitations of the budget that we have this year, it might be good to look at the opportunity from what we have."
The Sky Police, according to Robredo would add to the services of the police to its constituents. He added however, that policing is a community effort which will not succeed without the support of the private sector and regular individuals.
"This is not ningas cogon," Robredo told reporters during an interview stressing that "from here on, the Sky Police will be a fixture in police operations."
The choppers, said Robredo, would fly four hours each day and would be based at the hangar in NCRPO. He added that the choppers would also be used in solving car theft incidents along with motorcycles and other vehicles to be deployed to such operations.
The three Robinson R44 Raven II Police Helicopters, worth P104.9 million, were acquired during the term of former PNP chief Jesus Verzosa.
According to Senior Superintendent Joselito Salido, head of the Task Force Sky Police and Air Unit Commander of the PNP Special Action Force (SAF), their 48-strong air unit utilizes and maintains three Robinson R44 choppers equipped with a clear forward infrared camera which can zoom in up to 50 meters. The camera also uses thermal imaging to check areas of Metro Manila being monitored from the air, said Salido.
The choppers will only fly up to 300 feet above Metro Manila, added Salido. The forward infrared camera can be used "if we have incidents, accidents, hot pursuit operations." Officers using the choppers will give information to the troops on the ground so they can easily catch up, he explained.
Salido also said that using the choppers four hours a day in a month's time will need 500 thousand pesos; a chopper will use 2,000 liters of fuel a day. "Anyway only one chopper will fly a day," he revealed, "alternate, isa tambay isa lilipad (two choppers will be used in an alternate manner; while one flies, the other is on standby)."
The choppers can use speed up to 120 knots but "we do not go beyond that speed, especially in Metro Manila, we only fly 80 to 90 otherwise we are too fast," said Salido.
One of the pilots in command Vince Bangwa stated that the helicopters can stay in the air for three hours. Salido explained that two helicopters will be circling Metro Manila alternately, two hours in the morning and the afternoon.
Palad urged the members of the Special Action Force and NCRPO air units to play active roles and "be committed in this noble undertaking." (report from Karen Boncocan, Inquirer.net)
The PNP presented to the public the three helicopters which will be utilized by the air unit from the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) and PNP Special Action Force (SAF).
To Deputy Director General Perfecto Palad, the PNP deputy chief for administration, the launch of the "Sky Police" would help in transforming the police force into "a more capable, effective and credible police organization."
"Hindi lamang sa lansangan at sa dagat mararamdaman ang kapulisan kung hindi ay sa himpapawid na rin (The force of the police will not only be felt on the country's land and seas but also in the air)," said Palad.
Interior and Local Government Secretary Jesse Robredo stated that building the capabilities of the PNP is integral in its development. "Given the limitations of the budget that we have this year, it might be good to look at the opportunity from what we have."
The Sky Police, according to Robredo would add to the services of the police to its constituents. He added however, that policing is a community effort which will not succeed without the support of the private sector and regular individuals.
"This is not ningas cogon," Robredo told reporters during an interview stressing that "from here on, the Sky Police will be a fixture in police operations."
The choppers, said Robredo, would fly four hours each day and would be based at the hangar in NCRPO. He added that the choppers would also be used in solving car theft incidents along with motorcycles and other vehicles to be deployed to such operations.
The three Robinson R44 Raven II Police Helicopters, worth P104.9 million, were acquired during the term of former PNP chief Jesus Verzosa.
According to Senior Superintendent Joselito Salido, head of the Task Force Sky Police and Air Unit Commander of the PNP Special Action Force (SAF), their 48-strong air unit utilizes and maintains three Robinson R44 choppers equipped with a clear forward infrared camera which can zoom in up to 50 meters. The camera also uses thermal imaging to check areas of Metro Manila being monitored from the air, said Salido.
The choppers will only fly up to 300 feet above Metro Manila, added Salido. The forward infrared camera can be used "if we have incidents, accidents, hot pursuit operations." Officers using the choppers will give information to the troops on the ground so they can easily catch up, he explained.
Salido also said that using the choppers four hours a day in a month's time will need 500 thousand pesos; a chopper will use 2,000 liters of fuel a day. "Anyway only one chopper will fly a day," he revealed, "alternate, isa tambay isa lilipad (two choppers will be used in an alternate manner; while one flies, the other is on standby)."
The choppers can use speed up to 120 knots but "we do not go beyond that speed, especially in Metro Manila, we only fly 80 to 90 otherwise we are too fast," said Salido.
One of the pilots in command Vince Bangwa stated that the helicopters can stay in the air for three hours. Salido explained that two helicopters will be circling Metro Manila alternately, two hours in the morning and the afternoon.
Palad urged the members of the Special Action Force and NCRPO air units to play active roles and "be committed in this noble undertaking." (report from Karen Boncocan, Inquirer.net)
US embassy organizes local jobs fair for Filipinos — DoLE
MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Labor and Employment on Tuesday said that United States-based companies in the Philippines would gather next week for a three-day job fair, offer 6,600 local opportunities to job seekers, especially displaced overseas Filipino workers from Libya and other countries.
In a statement, Labor Secretary Rosalinda Dimapilis-Baldoz, citing a report from Undersecretary Danilo Cruz, said the United States embassy in Manila organized the three-day job fair, which will gather 33 American firms on March 18 to 20, 2011 at SM North Edsa, Quezon City.
“The three-day, US Embassy sponsored activity dubbed the 'America in 3-D Job Fair,' would prioritize qualified OFWs earlier evacuated from Libya,” Baldoz said.
Various American companies in the Philippines joining the fair will include those in banking-retail with 818 job opportunities and business process outsourcing and call centers offering the largest number of vacancies at 3,000, according to Baldoz.
Other US firms that will also offer jobs at the fair are those engaged in information technology, engineering, hotels, energy, manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, and semiconductors, she said.
Positions to be offered will include card and bank sales officers, customer service representatives, BPO agent and non-agent positions, engineers, machinist, electricians, marketing staff, HR generalists, accountants, technical officers, IT specialists, and analysts.
“We highly appreciate the response of the American companies and mining firms in the country to this necessary and humane initiative led by DoLE which underscores the aim of President Aquino to ensure the protection and welfare of the OFWs,” Baldoz said.
“We shall ensure that these joint thrusts effectively ease the plight of the OFWs from Libya and their reintegration into economic mainstream,” she added.
Baldoz earlier also cited local industries especially the mining industry in Caraga region in Mindanao, for their support to the ongoing DoLE-led efforts to ease the plight of the OFW-repatriates from Libya.
The labor chief, during an earlier hearing at the House of Representatives committee on overseas workers affairs, also said that at any given time, there are some 60,000 vacancies posted by local and overseas companies in the PhilJobNet system supervised by the Bureau of Local Employment.
She said that skilled and qualified OFWs from Libya may access the PhilJobNet in the internet through the http://phil-job.net. She said the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority has also readied a skills assessment effort to fully assist the skills development, retooling, and upgrading needs of OFWs returning from the strife-torn country. (report from Jerome Aning, Philippine Daily Inquirer)
In a statement, Labor Secretary Rosalinda Dimapilis-Baldoz, citing a report from Undersecretary Danilo Cruz, said the United States embassy in Manila organized the three-day job fair, which will gather 33 American firms on March 18 to 20, 2011 at SM North Edsa, Quezon City.
“The three-day, US Embassy sponsored activity dubbed the 'America in 3-D Job Fair,' would prioritize qualified OFWs earlier evacuated from Libya,” Baldoz said.
Various American companies in the Philippines joining the fair will include those in banking-retail with 818 job opportunities and business process outsourcing and call centers offering the largest number of vacancies at 3,000, according to Baldoz.
Other US firms that will also offer jobs at the fair are those engaged in information technology, engineering, hotels, energy, manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, and semiconductors, she said.
Positions to be offered will include card and bank sales officers, customer service representatives, BPO agent and non-agent positions, engineers, machinist, electricians, marketing staff, HR generalists, accountants, technical officers, IT specialists, and analysts.
“We highly appreciate the response of the American companies and mining firms in the country to this necessary and humane initiative led by DoLE which underscores the aim of President Aquino to ensure the protection and welfare of the OFWs,” Baldoz said.
“We shall ensure that these joint thrusts effectively ease the plight of the OFWs from Libya and their reintegration into economic mainstream,” she added.
Baldoz earlier also cited local industries especially the mining industry in Caraga region in Mindanao, for their support to the ongoing DoLE-led efforts to ease the plight of the OFW-repatriates from Libya.
The labor chief, during an earlier hearing at the House of Representatives committee on overseas workers affairs, also said that at any given time, there are some 60,000 vacancies posted by local and overseas companies in the PhilJobNet system supervised by the Bureau of Local Employment.
She said that skilled and qualified OFWs from Libya may access the PhilJobNet in the internet through the http://phil-job.net. She said the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority has also readied a skills assessment effort to fully assist the skills development, retooling, and upgrading needs of OFWs returning from the strife-torn country. (report from Jerome Aning, Philippine Daily Inquirer)
Giant renewable diesel plant opens in Singapore
SINGAPORE — Finnish firm Neste Oil opened the world's biggest renewable diesel plant in Singapore on Tuesday, taking advantage of massive palm oil production in nearby Malaysia and Indonesia.
Clean diesel produced from the 550 million-euro ($769 million) plant using feedstocks such as palm oil and animal fat will be marketed in Europe, Canada and the United States, which already have legislation in place supporting biofuels.
"Asia in the next five years is not going to be a big market for us," Neste Oil Corp president and chief executive Matti Lievonen said at the plant's opening.
With an annual capacity of 800,000 metric tons, the Singapore facility is the biggest renewable diesel plant in the world, Neste Oil said.
The plant produces Neste Oil's patented NExBTL renewable diesel, which the company says is the cleanest diesel fuel in the world, although it is more expensive than conventional diesel.
NExBTL can be used in all diesel engines and significantly reduces exhaust emissions compared with regular diesel, the company says.
About 45 percent of the facility's feedstock is currently palm oil from neighboring Malaysia and Indonesia, while the rest comes from other by-products of the palm oil production process and waste animal fat from Australia and New Zealand.
The palm oil industry in both Malaysia and Indonesia has come under pressure from environmental campaigners who believe it causes deforestation and threatens species such as orangutans and rhinos.
Neste Oil said that its Singapore plant had obtained an International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC) certificate from Germany, guaranteeing that it has met tough environment standards.
Lievonen said the firm had earmarked 80 percent of its research and development for finding ways to produce clean diesel from other feedstocks like algae and microbes.
Algae will not compete for fresh water or land because production plants can be built on wasteland and the algae can be grown in seawater, said the company, adding that research was still in its early stages. (report from Agence France-Presse)
Clean diesel produced from the 550 million-euro ($769 million) plant using feedstocks such as palm oil and animal fat will be marketed in Europe, Canada and the United States, which already have legislation in place supporting biofuels.
"Asia in the next five years is not going to be a big market for us," Neste Oil Corp president and chief executive Matti Lievonen said at the plant's opening.
With an annual capacity of 800,000 metric tons, the Singapore facility is the biggest renewable diesel plant in the world, Neste Oil said.
The plant produces Neste Oil's patented NExBTL renewable diesel, which the company says is the cleanest diesel fuel in the world, although it is more expensive than conventional diesel.
NExBTL can be used in all diesel engines and significantly reduces exhaust emissions compared with regular diesel, the company says.
About 45 percent of the facility's feedstock is currently palm oil from neighboring Malaysia and Indonesia, while the rest comes from other by-products of the palm oil production process and waste animal fat from Australia and New Zealand.
The palm oil industry in both Malaysia and Indonesia has come under pressure from environmental campaigners who believe it causes deforestation and threatens species such as orangutans and rhinos.
Neste Oil said that its Singapore plant had obtained an International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC) certificate from Germany, guaranteeing that it has met tough environment standards.
Lievonen said the firm had earmarked 80 percent of its research and development for finding ways to produce clean diesel from other feedstocks like algae and microbes.
Algae will not compete for fresh water or land because production plants can be built on wasteland and the algae can be grown in seawater, said the company, adding that research was still in its early stages. (report from Agence France-Presse)
HP vows to solve IT storage woes of PHL companies
MANILA, Philippines – Hewlett-Packard (HP) introduced today its latest IT storage solutions that aim to solve current data storage problems of local companies in the Philippines.
HP executives said the new storage solutions are available to various industries but mostly top enterprises in the country like telecommunication firms, banks, data centers, and business process outsourcing (BPO).
Hans Bayaborda, country manager of HP Philippines, introduced the two new storage solutions as HP StoreOnce D2D434 BackupSystem and the HP P4800 SAN Solution with SAM/IQ 9.0 Software.
Bayaborda said the solutions address the issues of the complex problems of managing data growth while streamlining operations and eliminating technology silos.
"Companies today need an infrastructure that delivers efficiency and simplicity of operations without having to duplicate data that wastes storage capacity," he said.
Bayaborda attributes present storage problems due to explosive data growth that is taking business performance to the breaking point, thus HP's mission is to transform storage infrastructure by implementing the "converged infrastructure" concept.
The executive added that besides the two latest storage solutions, HP has integrated the so-called 3PAR Utility Storage across the HP Converged Infrastructure portfolio to achieved scalable cloud computing performance.
"Organizations must give value to customers. They must be able to integrate and automate data that responds in seconds, not days, weeks or months. Embedding this technology will help them to become instant-on enterprises that are flexible and can deliver competitive products and services in an instant," he said. (report from Tam Noda, Philstar.com)
HP executives said the new storage solutions are available to various industries but mostly top enterprises in the country like telecommunication firms, banks, data centers, and business process outsourcing (BPO).
Hans Bayaborda, country manager of HP Philippines, introduced the two new storage solutions as HP StoreOnce D2D434 BackupSystem and the HP P4800 SAN Solution with SAM/IQ 9.0 Software.
Bayaborda said the solutions address the issues of the complex problems of managing data growth while streamlining operations and eliminating technology silos.
"Companies today need an infrastructure that delivers efficiency and simplicity of operations without having to duplicate data that wastes storage capacity," he said.
Bayaborda attributes present storage problems due to explosive data growth that is taking business performance to the breaking point, thus HP's mission is to transform storage infrastructure by implementing the "converged infrastructure" concept.
The executive added that besides the two latest storage solutions, HP has integrated the so-called 3PAR Utility Storage across the HP Converged Infrastructure portfolio to achieved scalable cloud computing performance.
"Organizations must give value to customers. They must be able to integrate and automate data that responds in seconds, not days, weeks or months. Embedding this technology will help them to become instant-on enterprises that are flexible and can deliver competitive products and services in an instant," he said. (report from Tam Noda, Philstar.com)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
