Blogger's Complaint (Filipinos Unite!!!)

A Repost From Jerome Aning of Philippine Daily Inquirer

2011-07-01T13:58:00.000-07:00

Saudi ban to affect 250,000 Filipinos

3:56 am | Saturday, July 2nd, 2011

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More than a quarter of a million Filipino domestic helpers currently in Saudi Arabia may be affected by a domestic deployment halt imposed by Saudi Arabia starting today (Saturday), according to recruiters.

Emmanuel Geslani, a consultant for several Manila-based recruitment agencies, said between 250,000 and 300,000 Filipino domestics currently in Saudi Arabia may no longer be rehired after negotiations between Riyadh and the Aquino government on a proposed $400 minimum wage for domestics reported ended in deadlock.

Riyadh also objects to a requirement of the country’s new Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipinos Act of a certification from the Philippine embassy that domestic workers’ rights are protected.

The Department of Foreign Affairs reportedly submitted a report to labor officials stating that Saudi Arabia had a poor record of protecting domestic labor rights.

Geslani said between 30,000 and 50,000 Filipino domestics come home every year after finishing their contracts to take a vacation and await the renewal of their contracts. These contracts, he said may no longer be renewed.

Geslani also dismissed Presidential Spokesman Edwin Lacierda’s statement that there were other countries who may accept Filipino domestics displaced from Saudi Arabia.

“It’s another figment of the imagination of the Aquino administration, which failed to anticipate the serious repercussions of the hard-ball stance of the labor department and the Philippine Overseas Employment Agency during negotiations for deployment terms,” he said.

The issues between Manila and Riyadh have been unresolved for the past three months, during which the deployment of about 3,000 domestics per month was suspended by the Saudis, he said.

In separate interview with reporters, Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz and OWWA Administrator Carmelita Dimzon said the government would be intensifying its “Balik-Pinay! Balik Hanapbuhay!” project to “transform the domestics into entrepreneurs.”

According to Baldoz, the government will present displaced Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) with a “ready-to-go roll-out self-employment package of services, consisting of short-gestation training, start-up kits, business counseling, and technical and marketing assistance” for such services as massage, cosmetology and production of soap and slippers, among others. They could borrow a maximum of P10,000, the National Reintegration Program for OFWs, she said.

Some Filipino maids report good to tolerable working conditions in the Middle East. But there are also many stories of domestic slavery coming out of Saudi Arabia and other countries in the region. Many domestics are reportedly made to work seven days a week with little food or rest. Some are locked up in rooms and not allowed to go out. They are forced to work for years until their contracts expire. Some have complained of physical and sexual abuse.

Philippine government personnel have been criticized by migrant organizations for failing to do enough to protect overseas Filipinos from domestic slavery.

Reposted From Jerome Aning of Philippine Daily Inquirer

A Repost From Philip C. Tubeza of Philippine Daily Inquirer

2011-06-05T14:04:00.000-07:00

2 Filipina tourists decry ‘welcome’ at Bali airport

12:54 am | Sunday, June 5th, 2011

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If you are a Filipino woman hoping to have a nice vacation in Bali, be careful.

Two Filipino tourists, one of them a blogger, suffered “rude and unfair” treatment “akin to racial profiling” at the hands of immigration officers in Bali, Indonesia, recently, a nonprofit organization said yesterday.

The Blas F. Ople Policy Center, which assists distressed overseas Filipinos workers, sought the help of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) in “obtaining justice” for the two Filipino women who were interrogated and bodily searched at the Bali airport.

“The Philippines and Indonesia share a deep and warm friendship. The unprofessional and unethical behavior of a few immigration agents in Bali towards Filipino tourists must immediately be corrected because it smacks of racial or ethnic profiling, something that is unexpected of a true friend like Indonesia,” said former Labor Undersecretary Susan Ople, head of the Ople Center.

Ople said the two women, who preferred to remain anonymous, went to Bali as tourists. But in the immigration line, they were singled out and ushered into the immigration office where they were subjected to a bag and body search “without justification.”

“Meet my Filipina friend. She was caught hiding packs of heroin in her luggage,” one of three immigration officers reportedly told the two women while pointing to pictures of arrested drug traffickers inside the immigration holding room.

Ople said the two women were offered something to drink but they refused and then another immigration officer started asking questions.

“Do you know her? Do you take drugs? Do you have drugs hidden in your body?” the second officer asked them.

When the Filipino blogger vehemently denied knowing the woman in the picture or having drugs in her luggage, the immigration officer proceeded to check her bag, Ople said.

“The officer searched my things thoroughly. I was just looking at him. He checked every compartment of my luggage too,” Ople quoted the tourist as saying.

“After he messed with all my things and found nothing, I asked the officer what was wrong and why he was checking us. He just answered, ‘because the two of you are beautiful girls,’” the blogger added.

In a cubicle in the office, a woman immigration officer told the blogger’s companion to undress.

Ople said the woman officer poked the Filipino woman’s abdomen to check if she had ingested illegal drugs.

“We firmly believe there must be zero tolerance for any act no matter how isolated involving the racial profiling of Filipinos,” Ople said in a letter to Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario.

“In the case of (the two women), they are young, upright professionals who managed to save up for a visit to Bali,” she said.

She said the two Filipinos were finally allowed to leave the airport after one and a half hours of questioning and examination.

“Extremely tired and traumatized, the two were grateful and surprised to see the hotel driver still waiting for them,” Ople said.

“We met the hotel driver who’d been waiting for us since 11:40 p.m. We finally left the airport at 1:30 a.m. I thanked the driver for waiting for us. He wasn’t surprised that we were the last to get out. He told us that in the case of Filipinos, they are thoroughly examined,” Ople quoted the blogger as saying.

Reposted From Philip C. Tubeza of Philippine Daily Inquirer

A Repost From AP (Associated Press)

2011-05-17T14:02:00.000-07:00

Filipino sailor dead in ship attacked by pirates

AP – Tue, May 17, 2011

The Philippines says a Filipino seafarer has been found dead on a ship that was attacked by pirates at anchor in the West African nation of Benin.

The Philippine foreign affairs department says it's not clear how Christopher Cortez Ceprado died or if the pirates were responsible.

It says he was found dead last Wednesday, four days after pirates robbed the chemical tanker MT Sea King and its 17 Filipino crewmen in the port of Benin's main city, Cotonou. The other crewmen were not harmed.

The department said Tuesday the Philippine Embassy in Abuja, Nigeria, is coordinating with Benin authorities in investigating the death.

Filipino sailors make up a third of the world's 1.2 million merchant seafarers.

Reposted From AP (Associated Press)

Reposted From Dennis Carcamo of Philstar.com

2011-04-27T13:44:00.000-07:00

Jailed OFWs in KSA hit Phl embassy over slow action on release

PhilStar – Tue, Apr 26, 2011 12:44 PM PHT

MANILA, Philippines - Jailed overseas Filipinos workers in Saudi Arabia have expressed dismay over the snail-paced action by the Philippine embassy on their release and repatriation in connection with the royal pardon issued last February.

Migrante-Middle East regional coordinator John Monterona said they have been receiving texts messages and calls from these OFWs, saying they have already served their sentences but embassy officials have not started processing their release.

"Gusto na ho naming lumaya. Hirap na ho kami dito at saka hirap na din ang aming pamilya sa Pilipinas. Nakakasama ho ng loob dahil mga ibang lahi, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, India at iba pa, maraming na-basamat (clearance) na sa kanila, bakit ho kami hanggang ngayon walang pang katiyakan ang paglaya?" Monterona said quoting one of the text messages he got from a jailed OFW.

Monterona said there are over 200 OFWs at the Malaz central jail, while an undisclosed numbers of OFWs are detained at the Al-Hair jail.

"I could well understand the feeling of disappointment among these OFW inmates who have claimed they have already completed their respective jail term. Even without the granting of royal pardon, they should be released and repatriated based on the facts that they have successfully completed their jail term," he said.

Monterona added that the granting of royal pardon raises hopes among the OFW inmates that they will be freed and be re-united with their families in the Philippines. - By Dennis Carcamo (Philstar News Service, www.philstar.com)

Reposted From Dennis Carcamo of Philstar.com

A Repost From SPOT

2011-04-13T14:19:00.000-07:00

Banco Filipino depositor allegedly commits suicide over closed bank's financial woes

SPOT – Wed, Apr 13, 2011 5:45 PM PHT

(SPOT.ph) Banco Filipino depositor Carmino Mangubat Jr. allegedly committed suicide yesterday and left a supposed suicide note blaming the recent closure of the bank, reports GMA News Online.

The police found Mangubat with the letter and a nine-millimeter handgun inside an abandoned house in Las Piñas, reports ABS-CBN News. The note reportedly said, "Nasira ang buhay ko dahil sa away ng BSP (Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas) at BF. Pagod na ako, 'di makakain at 'di makatulog. Paalam at patawad po." ("The conflict between the BSP and Banco Filipino ruined my life. I'm tired; I can neither eat nor sleep. Goodbye. I'm sorry.")

Citing Mangubat's relatives, Senior Superintendent Romulo Sapitula told radio dzBB that Mangubat had around P200,000 deposited in Banco Filipino. "Pero karaniwang tao lang ito kaya malaki ito para sa kanya (But it is a huge amount for an ordinary person like him)," GMA News Online quoted him as saying.

The police are also looking into foul play as the cause of Mangubat's death despite initial findings showing it was a suicide case, Sapitula told radio dzBB.

Last month, the BSP closed Banco Filipino, saying its liabilities topped its assets by P8.4 billion, which the latter denied, according to GMA News Online.

Reposted From SPOT

A Repost From Manila Bulletin

2011-03-29T12:53:00.000-07:00

Saudi stops hiring domestics; strict labor requirements cited

MB – Mon, Mar 28, 2011 7:42 PM PHT

MANILA, Philippines - The Saudi Arabian government has stopped hiring Filipino domestic helpers, citing the strict requirements imposed by the Philippine labor office.

''For one is the requirement asked by the Philippine Overseas Labor Offices in Saudi Arabia requiring employers to submit a detailed sketch of their house address before a job order could be approved, the aim of which is to pinpoint exactly whose household our OFW (overseas Filipino workers) is working for and that she could easily be traced and rescued in case she has been a victim of abuse and maltreatment,'' Migrante-Middle East regional coordinator John Leonard Monterona said in a statement issued Monday.

The Saudi government recently issued a ''Note Verbale'' to the Philippine Embassy in Riyadh saying ''processing and verification of household service workers have been stopped until further notice.''

According to Monterona, prospective Saudi employers convey their opposition to the Saudi National Recruitment Committee (Sanarcom), an organization of recruitment agents, on the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) requirement sometime on January.

''In fact, the Sanarcom had written the Philippine embassy and POLO in Riyadh expressing their opposition to this policy and threatened to stop hiring OFW-DH (OFW-domestic helpers) if this will be made as a requirement as it violates Saudi employers rights to privacy as stated on the host government's local laws,'' the OFW leader pointed out.

A report by the House of Representatives baring supposed abuses by Saudi nationals was also cited as a reason for the ban.

As this developed, Monterona is urging the Philippine government through the Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) to consider sending a high-level labor diplomatic team to discuss with its counterpart the ban imposed by the host government and negotiate taking into account the OFWs well being, rights, and welfare.

Last month, the Committee on Overseas Workers Affairs (COWA), chaired by Rep. Walden Bello, recommended to the Philippine government the immediate decertification of Saudi Arabia as it noted that the country is unfit to receive Filipino domestic workers.

According to Bello, continuing to send Filipino domestic workers to Saudi Arabia is like ''selling them to virtual slavery in households where rape, sexual abuse, and physical attacks are rampant.''

Bello pointed out that until such time that the Saudi government accepts the responsibility of policing their nationals and protecting the rights, and ensuring the welfare of household service workers, ''it is incumbent upon the government to suspend the deployment of Filipinas to Saudi Arabia.''

Monterona said the move by the Saudi government to stop the hiring of overseas Filipino domestic workers exposes the dilemma of the Philippine government's ''lucrative business of peddling its cheap human labor sans protection of their well-being, rights, and welfare.'' (Roy C. Mabasa)

Reposted From Manila Bulletin

A Repost From Leslie Ann G. Aquino and Ellson A. Quismorio of Manila Bulletin

2011-03-28T12:29:00.000-07:00

Doomed Filipinos meet families for the last time

MB – Mon, Mar 28, 2011 7:34 PM PHT

MANILA, Philippines - Three Filipinos scheduled to be executed Wednesday, March 30, 2011, after they were sentenced to death for drug trafficking will have the chance to meet their respective families for the last time on the day of their execution.

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said the families of Sally Ordinario Villanueva and Ramon Credo arrived in Beijing Sunday while the relatives of Elizabeth Batain are expected to be there Tuesday.

Reports said Villanueva's relatives carried with them a letter to Chinese President Hu Jintao, which they hope to personally deliver, appealing for clemency in behalf of the three Filipinos.

DFA Spokesman Ed Malaya said that based on the advice they received, the sentence will be carried out early Wednesday.

''If China will announce a lastminute change of heart, it will likely do so through our embassy in Beijing. That is the speediest way,'' Malaya said in a radio interview.

Credo and Villanueva will be executed in Xiamen. On the other hand, Batain's execution will be carried out in Shenzhen.

The Supreme People's Court of China affirmed the death sentences of the three Filipinos last February 11 for drug trafficking. The executions were originally scheduled last Feb. 20 and 21, but it was put on hold following Vice President Jejomar Binay's humanitarian mission to Beijing.

Chinese Embassy Spokesman Ethan Sun told the Manila Bulletin earlier that discussions are already undergoing for the remains of Credo, Villanueva, and Batain to be brought home after the death sentences have been carried out.

''The release of the remains of (the executed) foreign nationals is usually doable,'' Sun said. ''I think that the detailed arrangements would be consulted among the Philippine diplomatic missions and the related Chinese authorities.''

Based on the Criminal Procedure Law of China Article 212, the judicial officer directing the execution shall verify the identity of the criminal, ask him if he has any last words or letters, and then deliver him to the executioner for the execution of the death sentence.

Execution of the death sentences shall be announced but shall not be held in public. After a death sentence is executed, the People's Court that caused the death sentence to be executed shall notify the family members of the criminal.

After the carrying out of the sentence, the next of kin have two options for the disposition of the remains of the individual - the cremation of the remains, and its return or repatriation to the habitual place of residence, particularly if a foreign national.

If the criminal is a foreign national, the shipment may take weeks after the carrying out of the sentence.

In some areas of China, there is no specific execution ground.

A scout team chooses a place in advance to serve as the execution ground.

In such case, the execution ground normally will have three perimeters: the innermost 50 meters is the responsibility of the execution team; the 200 meter radius from the center is the responsibility of the People's Armed Police; and the 2-kilometer alert line is the responsibility of the local police.

The public is generally not allowed to view the execution.

Meanwhile, a high ranking DFA official downplayed the claims made by Jason, the brother of Villanueva, that he was advised by another DFA official for him to penetrate the drug syndicate ring in the hopes of proving the innocence of his sister.

''No one in his right mind, much less an official of the DFA, would give such an advice,'' the DFA source told Manila Bulletin.

Slim chance

Meanwhile, Vice President Jejomar Binay reckoned that the affidavit executed by Sally naming her recruiter as the source of the drugs she carried to China shows that she was merely used by a drug syndicate and therefore does not deserve the death penalty.

''We hope and pray that her affidavit would be considered. We do not condone drug trafficking, but in Sally's case, her recruiter clearly took advantage of her trusting nature,'' Binay said Monday.

The Vice President noted that under Chinese law, the severest form of penalty is given to leaders of drug syndicates, and allows leniency for those in lower positions.

''This is the basis for our appeal to China. These drug syndicates took advantage of the economic difficulties of our kababayan (countrymen),'' added Binay, who is the Presidential Adviser on Overseas Filipino Workers' (OFW) concerns.

In an affidavit from Xiamen, Villanueva, 32, said one Mapet Cortez alias ''Tita Cacayan,'' whom she originally met in Macau, befriended her and offered her a job of carrying mobile phones from China to be sold in the Philippines. Jobless at that time and trusting her friend, Villanueva accepted the offer and processed her documents with a travel agency.

On December 22, 2008, Cortez called Villanueva telling the latter that her flight to China was ready. Villanueva was to fly to Xiamen from Manila via China Southern Airlines flight CZ378 after two days.

Cortez provided Villanueva with a seemingly empty silver-grey suitcase that the latter used for her travel. Cortez gave her $500 pocket money and the name and phone number of the person she needed to contact in China. Cortez also told her that she would earn P25,000 monthly if she would be able to get in touch with the said contact person.

Upon arrival in Xiamen Gaoqi International Airport, Villanueva was arrested by Chinese Customs agents after they discovered two bags of white powder weighing 4,110 stuffed inside the silver-grey suitcase from Cortez.

Prayer vigil

The Catholic Church will hold a prayer vigil Tuesday for the three overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) set for execution in China.

The prayer vigil, which will start with a mass at 6 p.m. at the Nuestra Senora de Guia Parish Shrine in Ermita, Manila, will be spearheaded by Fr. Edwin Corros, executive secretary of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines Episcopal Commission on the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People and the Archdiocese of Manila's Ministry for Migrants.

After the mass, there will be a recitation of the rosary until 8 p.m.

Over the weekend, Jesus is Lord (JIL) leader Bro. Eddie Villanueva also called on all Christian churches to pray for the granting of clemency to the three Filipinos. (With reports from Leslie Ann G. Aquino and Ellson A. Quismorio)

Reposted From Leslie Ann G. Aquino and Ellson A. Quismorio of Manila Bulletin

A Repost From GMA News.TV

2011-03-26T13:02:00.000-07:00

Palace keeping hopes alive for 3 drug mules in China

03/26/2011 | 12:21 PM

With just days to go before China executes three Filipino drug mules, Malacañang remains hopeful a last-minute miracle will spare the three from state-sanctioned deaths.

Presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda on Saturday said the Philippine government is maintaining communications with the Chinese Foreign Ministry on the case of the three.

“As President Benigno Aquino III said, we are hopeful. We maintain communications with the China, although we know there is a limit to what we can do. But as Vice President Jejomar Binay had said, we have the right to hope as long as the executions have not happened," Lacierda said on government-run dzRB radio.

Last Wednesday, the Department of Foreign Affairs said the Chinese government will execute Elizabeth Batain, Sally Villanueva, and Ramon Credo on March 30, a month after China agreed to stay their executions following Binay's visit to Beijing to appeal their case.

The three were caught separately bringing drugs into China in 2008.

But amid the looming executions, Binay on Friday said appeals are still ongoing.

On the other hand, Malacañang admitted it is not sure if the three – or their families – will be entitled to government benefits.

Lacierda said the three will have to be members of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) before they are entitled to benefits.

“My understanding is that the OWWA was established to help documented overseas workers. If they are not documented, the Department of Foreign Affairs will assist them. We will have to determine if they are documented," he said. — LBG, GMA News

Reposted From GMA News.TV

A Repost From GMA News.TV

2011-03-04T13:46:00.000-08:00

Pinay DH na may kanser sa Jeddah, humihingi ng tulong

03/03/2011 | 08:03 PM

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JEDDAH – Isang 59-anyos na domestic helper (DH) ang nanawagan ng tulong upang maipagamot ang kanyang sakit na breast cancer at makauwi na sa Pilipinas para makapiling muli ang kanyang pamilya.

Si Maria Socorro San Jose, tubong Bulacan, ay 20 taong ng nagtatrabaho bilang DH sa Saudi Arabia. Noong Hunyo 2010 ay natuklasan ang kanyang stage 3 breast cancer.

Dahil sa maselang karamdaman, nais ni San Jose na maituloy ang pagpapagamot at makabalik na sa Pilipinas para makasama ang kanyang pamilya na matagal na niyang hindi nakikita.

Ayon kay San Jose naging mabait naman sa kanya ang kanyang amo na tumulong para maoperahan siya at maalis ang bukol sa dibdib.

Makaraan ang operasyon ay kailangan pa rin siyang sumalang sa chemotherapy. Ngunit malaki umano ang gastusin sa naturang pagpapagamot at wala na siyang pangtustos.

Nahihiya na umano si San Jose na lumapit at humingi ng tulong sa kanyang amo dahil malaki na ang nagastos nito sa kanyang operasyon.

Kailangan pa umano ni San Jose na dumaan sa dalawang session ng chemotherapy na tinatayang aabutin ng 14,000 Saudi Riyals ang halaga ng bawat session.

“Tulungan niyo po ako. Gusto ko pang mabuhay at makauwi ng Pilipinas para makapiling ang aking pamilya," panawagan ni San Jose na maaaring makaugnayan sa 0551021307. – GMA News
Reposted From GMA News.TV

A Repost From Cara Anna For Associated Press

2011-02-18T14:34:00.000-08:00

Philippine VP: China delays Filipinos' execution

Philippine Vice President Jejomar Binay gestures as he walks to his plane at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Manila, Philippines for his departure to Beijing, China Friday, Feb. 18, 2011 to make a last-minute plea to stay the executions next week of three Filipino nationals convicted of drug trafficking. Binay is scheduled to meet with the president of the Supreme People's Court and the Chinese Executive vice foreign minister, according to the foreign affairs department. (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez)

BEIJING – The Philippine vice president said Friday that China will postpone the executions of three Filipino drug convicts, after he traveled to Beijing to make a last-ditch appeal for clemency.

Vice President Jejomar Binay carried a letter from President Benigno Aquino III to China's leader seeking clemency. Binay separately appealed to the president of China's supreme court for a stay in the cases that have drawn glaring media coverage in the Philippines.

The three had been scheduled for execution Monday and Tuesday, and would have been the first Filipinos to be put to death in China for drug trafficking.

The plight of Filipinos overseas is a sensitive issue in the Philippines, which has some 10 percent of its population working abroad. Already, a migrant workers' group is demanding the sacking of the Philippine foreign secretary and other diplomats for their alleged failure to protect the welfare of the Filipinos on death row.

Reading out a joint statement to reporters after the meetings, Binay said the Chinese side informed him of "the decision of the Supreme People's Court to postpone the execution within the scope of Chinese law."

He would not elaborate, but sometimes death penalties in China are set aside for two years and if the convict shows good behavior, then the sentence is commuted to life in prison.

Aquino, in a statement released Friday, said the "entire Filipino nation is united" in appealing to China's top leaders for leniency for the three.

Presidential spokeswoman Abigail Valte said Aquino's letter to President Hu Jintao outlined that appeal.

Filipino officials say the two women and one man _ including a 32-year-old mother of two and a 42-year-old father of five _ were paid to take packages to China that they thought were legal cargo such as office supplies but which actually contained hidden heroin. China has said the three were duly convicted under a rigorous judicial process.

Going ahead with the executions would have likely set back the Philippines' efforts to build closer relations with China, a regional and economic power. Aquino said the issue will test China's promise of closer bilateral ties.

Sally Ordinario-Villanueva, 32, and Ramon Credo, 42, had been scheduled to die by lethal injection on Monday in Xiamen while Elizabeth Batain, 38, was set to be executed Tuesday in Shenzhen.

Relatives of the three Filipinos were scheduled to depart over the weekend for China, officials said.

Villanueva's younger sister, Maylene Ordinario, said she was pleased to hear from a reporter that the execution had been postponed. "That's good news that they have listened to our appeal," she said.

"I hope they can lower her sentence to life imprisonment and she can be given a chance to explain her side and have her case reviewed," Ordinario said.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu had said the matter was an independent criminal case and China hoped that the Philippines would keep in mind "the overall interest of bilateral relations."

The three were arrested separately in 2008 carrying packages each containing more than four and six kilograms (more than eight and 13 pounds) of heroin. They were convicted and sentenced in 2009.

Since 2006, more than 200 Filipinos have faced drug cases in China.

Binay's trip comes after Manila has made several moves in recent months to win a commutation of the sentences.

Aquino did not send a representative to the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony in December honoring a jailed Chinese dissident, and two weeks ago, Manila deported to Beijing 14 Taiwanese facing fraud charges in China despite protests from Taipei.

Reposted From Cara Anna For Associate Press

A Repost From Judi Santana of Readers Digest

2011-02-10T12:12:00.000-08:00

15 Secrets Your Waiter Will Never Tell You

partner

by Reader's Digest Magazine, on Wed Feb 2, 2011 9:32am PST

What would two dozen servers from across the country tell you if
they could get away with it? Well, for starters, when to go out, what
not to order, what really happens behind the kitchen’s swinging
doors, and what they think of you and your tips. Here, from a group
that clears a median $8.01 an hour in wages and tips, a few
revelations that aren’t on any menu.

What you should know on Valentine's Day
1. Make reservations early. Restaurants usually don't have an abundance of tables for two. We need to time to plan where to put everyone. You'll get a better table and we'll be prepared.

2. Don't propose. It's so cliché. But if you do, warn us first. We'll put you in the corner. Nothing's worse than a crying woman in the center of the restaurant. Trust me.

3. Since Valentine's Day is on a Monday this year, go out on Friday or Saturday. Most restaurants will also serve their special Valentine's Day menu on those days. Or go out for brunch! Then you can sleep the rest of the day.
—Waiters at Bernard's in Ridgefield, CT

PLUS: More Secrets Your Waiter Will Never Tell You

What we lie about
4. We’re not allowed to tell our customers we don’t like a dish. So if you ask your server how something is and she says, “It’s one of our most popular dishes,” chances are she doesn’t like it.
—Waitress at a well-known pizza chain

PLUS: 13 Things Your Florist Won't Tell You

5. If someone orders a frozen drink that’s annoying to make, I’ll say, “Oh, we’re out. Sorry!” when really I just don’t want to make it. But if you order water instead of another drink, suddenly we do have what you originally wanted because I don’t want to lose your drink on the bill.
—Waitress at a casual Mexican restaurant in Manhattan

What you don’t want to know
6. When I was at one bakery restaurant, they used to make this really yummy peach cobbler in a big tray. A lot of times, servers don’t have time to eat. So we all kept a fork in our aprons, and as we cruised through the kitchen, we’d stick our fork in the cobbler and take a bite. We’d use the same fork each time.
—Kathy Kniss

7. If you make a big fuss about sending your soup back because it’s not hot enough, we like to take your spoon and run it under really hot water, so when you put the hot spoon in your mouth, you’re going to get the impression — often the very painful impression — that your soup is indeed hot.
—Chris

8. We put sugar in our kids' meals so kids will like them more. Seriously. We even put extra sugar in the dough for the kids' pizzas.
-Waitress at a well-known pizza chain

PLUS: 25 Tips to Order Healthy Choices at Any Restaurant

What drives us crazy
9. Oh, you needed more water so badly, you had to snap or tap or whistle? I’ll be right back … in ten minutes.
—Charity Ohlund

10. The single greatest way to get your waiter to hate you? Ask for hot tea. For some reason, an industry that’s managed to streamline everything else hasn’t been able to streamline that. You've got to get a pot, boil the water, get the lemons, get the honey, bring a cup and spoon. It’s a lot of work for little reward.
-Christopher Fehlinger, maître d’ at a popular New York City restaurant

PLUS: More Valentine's Day Waiter Secrets

What we want you to know
11. Sometimes, if you’ve been especially nice to me, I’ll tell the bartender, “Give me a frozen margarita, and don’t put it in.” That totally gyps the company, but it helps me because you’ll give it back to me in tips, and the management won’t know the difference.
—Waitress at a casual Mexican restaurant in Manhattan

12. If you’re having a disagreement over dinner and all of a sudden other servers come by to refill your water or clear your plates, or you notice a server slowly refilling the salt and pepper shakers at the table next to yours, assume that we’re listening.
—Charity Ohlund

PLUS: 15 Foods You Should Never Buy Again

How to be a good customer
13. Use your waiter’s name. When I say, “Hi, my name is JR, and I’ll be taking care of you,” it’s great when you say, “Hi, JR. How are you doing tonight?” Then, the next time you go in, ask for that waiter. He may not remember you, but if you requested him, he’s going to give you really special service.
—JR, waiter at a fine-dining restaurant and author of the blog servernotslave.wordpress.com

14. Trust your waitress. Say something like “Hey, it’s our first time in. We want you to create an experience for us. Here’s our budget.” Your server will go crazy for you.
— Charity Ohlund

PLUS: 10 Foods You Shouldn't Order on a Date

What you need to know about tipping
15. If you walk out with the slip you wrote the tip on and leave behind the blank one, the server gets nothing. It happens all the time, especially with people who’ve had a few bottles of wine.
—Judi Santana

Reposted From Judi Santana of Readers Digest

A Repost From AP (Associated Press)

2011-01-27T13:42:00.000-08:00

10 plunge 25 floors to death at Manila work site

MANILA, Philippines – A temporary elevator at a building construction site in the Philippine capital plunged 25 floors Thursday, killing 10 workers, officials said.

The workers were installing glass windows at a high-rise condominium when a platform elevator gave way, sending them tumbling down from the 32nd to the seventh floor, said Mayor Junjun Binay of Makati city, Manila's financial district.

Police and rescue officials said 10 workers were killed. One worker was in critical condition, but it was not immediately clear how many were on the platform, Binay said.

In a statement, building owner Eton Properties Philippines, Inc. said the workers were employees of its glass contractor and were on a break at the time of the accident. The workers took the platform to go up the 39-story building "instead of taking the stairs," the statement said.

"However, since the platform can only carry a few workers, the cable snapped," it said, adding that the company has ordered a review of the safety regulations of its subcontractors and construction management.

The company's website describes Eton as the global real estate arm of the Lucio Tan Group and a sister company of the Philippine National Bank and Philippine Airlines.

Binay ordered construction at the site halted.

The Philippines, particularly Manila, has been experiencing a construction boom since last year, driven by low interest rates, the large number of foreign remittances from 9 million Filipinos working abroad and the need for more office space to accommodate the country's growing outsourcing industry.

Reposted From AP (Associated Press)

A Repost From Dennis Carcamo of Philstar.com

2011-01-14T14:35:00.000-08:00

Group calls on legislator to probe OFW deaths in Saudi Arabia

MANILA, Philippines – A migrant workers' group has called on Akbayan party-list Rep. Walden Bello to probe into the unsolved deaths of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in Saudi Arabia and other parts of the Middle East.

Gerry De Guzman, Migrante-Saudi Arabia Vice-Chairperson for the Eastern region, said that during a dialogue with Bello, head of the House committee on Overseas Workers Affairs (COWA), OFW leaders discussed the worsening condition of OFWs amid numerous complaints of abuses and maltreatment.

De Guzman also said they presented to Bello a copy of the signature campaign initiated by Migrante chapters in Saudi Arabia demanding the government’s action and intervention on the numbers of unsolved cases involving mysterious deaths and sexual abuse of OFWs.

One of the mysterious OFW deaths documented by Migrante was the case of Al-Khobar-based Romilyn Eroy-Ibanez, 22, who was found soaked in blood.

She was rushed to the hospital in critical condition but died hours later. - By Dennis Carcamo (Philstar News Service, www.philstar.com)

Reposted From Dennis Carcamo of Philstar.com

A Repost From Dennis Carcamo of Philstar.com

2010-12-02T15:14:00.000-08:00

8 Filipino women with sick children detained in Saudi

MANILA, Philippines – At least eight Filipino women detained at a police station in Saudi Arabia after a raid last month in Al Khobar are asking Philippine embassy officials to assist them with their sick children, according to a migrant workers' rights group.

“We endorsed their request for assistance to the Philippine embassy for its prompt action since its a serious concerns especially that the children of these arrested run away OFWs are sick,” said John Leonard Monterona, Migrante-Middle East regional coordinator.

“My baby has been unconscious during the raid due to sickness,” Monterona quoted one of the mothers as saying.

He said his group has already conveyed to the Phl Embassy-Assistance to the National Section (ANS) that the runaway overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) have been locked up inside a small room of the police station along with their children.

“They claimed that no assistance so far has been given to them by any PHL embassy staff aside from getting their names and the required 'papers' to transfer them at Saudi's Social welfare agency (SWA) in Dammam,” Monterona said in his letter to the embassy officials. - By Dennis Carcamo (Philstar News Service, www.philstar.com)

Reposted From Dennis Carcamo of Philstar.com

A Repost From ABS-CBN News

2010-11-16T12:48:00.000-08:00

'Referee a profound idiot for not stopping Pacquiao match'

…but Pacquiao, nevertheless, is a ‘phenomenon, not human’

MANILA, Philippines - Much has been said about Manny Pacquiao’s brilliant performance against Mexican foe, Antonio Margarito. Both showed courage and endurance—enough reason for some quarters to say both were winners.

For boxing analyst Ronnie Nathanielsz, there was one clear loser: referee Laurence Cole.

In an interview with Mornings @ ANC, the Sri Lanka-born analyst said: “He’s a profound idiot. God only knows why he did not stop the game…Maybe he just did not like Pacquiao.”

He said Cole refereed for Pacquiao’s controversial fight against Marco Antonio Barrera in November 2003. During that fight, Pacquiao slipped but it was deemed a knockout by Cole. "When Pacquiao knocked-out Barrera, he called it a slip,” he said.

Pacquiao snatched his 8th title through a unanimous decision on Saturday night (Sunday in Manila) in Dallas, Texas. He has won other world titles at 112, 122, 126, 130, 135, 140 pounds.

While Pacquiao did fail to knock out Margarito, Nathanielsz and other analysts say the game was already over around the 9th round.

Margarito’s eyes were nearly swollen shut, and there was no chance he could get a turnaround, they said.

“I kept predicting that the fight would be over around the 7th round. The cuts came up so badly, the referee should have stopped the fight. I was wrong because of the idiot,” Nathanielsz said.

Dangerous cuts

The analyst said Margarito could have gone blind if he received more punches to the wound.

The end-result may have also badly hurt Pacquiao, he added. “Pacquiao will suffer psychologically from the stigma,” he said.

In an interview with boxing website fanhouse.com, Cole explained he was close to stopping the fight after seeing Margarito’s swollen face.

He said: “In those rounds [10th and 11th], I started to sneak in closer so that I could work a lot closer and wait to see how Margarito was responding. I wanted a reason to stop it…I guess that Tony kind of knew that I was getting close and that I wanted to stop it, because Tony kept firing back and he kept fighting. Every time that I got close, and he'd eat two or three punches, he would fire back.”

Pacquiao actually got a beating in the 6th round when a glove got tangled in the ring, allowing Margarito to give him a good shot.

Nathanielsz said his courage got him through. “By the 10th round, he had his mouth open, you knew he was having a hard time breathing…but he’s a phenomenon…I don’t think he’s human actually,” he said.

Strange animal

Nathanielsz even called Pacquiao a “strange animal…He’s the only boxer I know who shows mercy towards his opponents.”

Once Pacquiao got his groove back from the punch in the 6th round, the game went clearly his way thereafter.

Even Coach Freddie Roach admitted his boxer was not as aggressive enough compared to the early rounds, considering the damage already done to Margarito.

This “compassion” could have probably saved Margarito from going blind.

Pacquiao admitted after the game he could not fight again with the same intensity. He called it his toughest fight yet.

Nonetheless, Nathanielsz sees another match in the future.

He could only dream of a Pacquiao match against Floyd Mayweather, Jr. “Maybe he can get Mayweather, even in prison,” he said.

If that does not work out, he would want a third one against Juan Manuel Marquez. The latter had complained he had been cheated in the last match.

“Let’s shut his mouth once and for all,” Nathanielsz said.

Reposted From ABS-CBN News

A Repost From GMA News.TV

2010-11-05T13:32:00.000-07:00

Pinay nurse’s death in California jail highlights safety issues

The recent death of a Filipina nurse detailed to a California jail has raised concerns over the “disturbing trend of violence" faced by medical care professionals in potentially violent workplaces. On Oct. 28, registered nurse Cynthia Palomata, 55, succumbed to the head injuries she sustained after she was attacked by an inmate at the Martinez county jail, where she had been assigned since 2005. A report by the Asian Journal, a US-based news website for the Filipino community, identified the suspect as Aaron Nygaard, in jail for burglary. According to the report, Nygaard faked a seizure attack to get out of the waiting room, then, without provocation, he hit Palomata on the head with a table lamp. The nurse was brought to John Muir Medical Center, where she underwent surgery for swelling in the brain due to blood clot. On Oct. 28, however, Palomata was taken off life support and declared dead. The suspect will be charged with murder, the report said. Palomata, a native of Nabas town in Aklan, had been working for the Contra Costa Health Services in California for over 20 years. She left behind a husband and a grown son. "The suddenness of the incident left us, her family, in shock. She was unaware that when she left home that day, she would never see her family again. We miss her terribly," Palomata’s brother Cyril Barraca Jr. was quoted as saying in the Asian Journal report. Dr. William Walker, director of Contra Costa Health Services, said in a statement that they will continue to evaluate safety procedures in coordination with the Sheriff’s Office. ‘Disturbing trend of violence’ Following Palomata’s death, the California Nurses’ Association (CNA) raised concerns about the safety of nurses assigned to potentially dangerous facilities. In a statement, the CNA called for policy reforms to curb what it called a “disturbing trend of violence" in facilities where medical care is provided. “Workplace violence is a major public health concern that has grown substantially in the past decade," the CNA said. It cited data from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics showing that the healthcare industry registered the highest incidence of workplace violence among all industrial sectors, being responsible for 45 percent of the two million incidents of workplace violence incidents that have occurred annually in the US between 1993 and 1999.

An Emergency Nurses Association survey released in 2009 also showed that more than 50 percent of emergency room nurses had experienced violence from patients and more than one-fourth had experienced 20 or more violent incidents in the past three years. Citing research, the CNA also said that factors such as long wait times, a shortage of nurses, drug and alcohol use by patients, and treatment of psychiatric patients all contributed to violence in the ER. “We can no longer tolerate inadequate security measures which threaten not only RNs and other staff, but also put families and other patients at risk," said CNA president emeritus Kay McVay. “Violence takes a significant toll. Prevention is essential to creating a safe and therapeutic environment for patients and a safer workplace for healthcare workers," she said. She also said that preventive measures were needed to reduce the loss of experienced staff members, who leave because of assaults and threats of violence. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration define workplace violence as any physical assault, threatening behavior, or verbal abuse occurring in the workplace. Part of the job In a separate interview, Philippine Nurses Association (PNA) president Dr. Teresita Barcelo said the violence that nurses face, even in the Philippines, is “real" — and this is why preventive mechanisms need to be instituted even as early as when prospective nurses are still studying for their college degrees. “Violence is one of our job hazards. We know that. That’s why kami na ang nag-iingat, because these people (patients in potentially violent worksites) cannot be relied upon," Barcelo said. Barcelo said the nursing curriculum includes a course on psychiatric nursing, where students are taught how to develop a “therapeutic relationship" with their patients. Barcelo admitted that certain incidents of violence — such as that experienced by Palomata — cannot be expected and are difficult to prevent. Even so, she added, developing this kind of relationship with patients may significantly reduce the occurrence of violent acts. But even outside these facilities, nurses, particularly in the Philippines and in some countries in the Middle East, become the subject of crimes, according to Barcelo. She cited the case of Florence (not her real name), a volunteer nurse in South Upi town in Maguindanao who was reportedly gang-raped on September 27. (See: Report: Maguindanao gang-raped nurse undergoes surgery) “It is important that part of the orientation in the hospitals and other facilities should be to inform medical professionals of the possible dangers of working there. This should be part of the protocol of hospitals," Barcelo explained. Nursing: popular because lucrative? In the last five years, some 82,000 nurses have indicated their desire to work in the US by taking the National Council Licensure Examination, the licensure exam for nurses in the US. The Department of Health said a big surge of nurses working overseas started in 1994, when some 100,000 nurses left the country. From 2000 to 2009, about 120,000 more were deployed abroad. In light of increased opportunities for overseas work, nursing remains a popular course for college students, with over 600,000 students taking it in 400 nursing schools in 2007, according to the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines. Records from the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration meanwhile show 13,000 newly hired Filipino nurses were deployed overseas in 2009, making it a top occupational category for OFWs, second only to household service work.—DM/JV, GMANews.TV

Reposted From GMA News.TV

A Repost From Edith Regalado Of Philstar.com

2010-10-16T13:58:00.000-07:00

Raped nurse suffers from memory loss

DAVAO CITY, Philippines – Attending physicians said the 21-year-old volunteer nurse, who was gang-raped in Maguindanao recently, has suffered from memory loss as a result of the physical and psychological trauma she experienced during the ordeal.

Dr. Leopoldo Vega, executive director of the Southern Philippine Medical Center (SPMC) here, told The STAR that the victim is already able to say some words but that her cognitive level remains low.

The victim was rendering volunteer services in the Maguindanao town of South Upi when she was sexually molested last Sept. 25.

Vega said the victim, who sustained brain contusions, has shown some signs of recovery, as she now could say some words but could not still complete a sentence.

“Her speech is usually a repetition of what you tell her. Like if I tell her ‘I am Doc Vega,’ she would say ‘Vega.’ And when we ask her where she is at that moment, she would say ‘balay’ (house),” Vega said.

He said the victim is still disoriented with regards to time and place and other things.

“But what is good is she already says audible and comprehensible words and that she no longer mumbles unlike when she was first brought here in SPMC,” Vega said.

He said lapses in her cognitive level could be a result of the physical and psychological trauma she went through in the hands of her attackers.

Vega added that she could already eat slowly unlike before when she was dependent on tube-feeding.

The SPMC chief cited the need to carry out strict measures to help the victim recover, such as no television or newspapers in her room.

“We do not want her to listen to the news on TV because it might add to the trauma she is experiencing right now. We also do not want newspapers inside her room so she could not read about what is going on,” he added.

Her attending physicians also recommended that only female nurses would take care of her.

“We have only allowed female nurses and female physical therapists to help lessen her trauma,” he said, adding that security has also been tightened in the vicinity of her room at SPMC.

“As to her full recovery, we really could not tell yet. It really all depends on her improvements as days go by,” he said.

In Maguindanao, six suspects arrested after the rape have been released as the provincial prosecutor found insufficient evidence against them.

A former militiaman, who earlier had owned up to the crime but later retracted his confession, remains under police custody. - By Edith Regalado (Philstar News Service, www.philstar.com)

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Reposted From Philstar.com and GMA News.TV

A Repost From Jerrie M. Abella of GMA News.TV

2010-10-15T13:46:00.000-07:00

Kin of Pinoys in Afghanistan plane crash grieve over loss

10/16/2010 | 03:08 AM

The families of the six Filipinos who died on board a cargo plane that crashed in Afghanistan on Tuesday are still reeling from their loss, even as they struggle to come to grips with the deaths of the heads of their families.

Nela Padura, wife of the plane’s avionics staff Edward Padura, said that while she is still in shock after receiving confirmation of the death of her husband on Wednesday, she is nevertheless trying to be strong for their four children.

"It’s painful but I have to accept it. If I won’t be able to deal with it, our children will be the ones who will suffer," she told GMA News-Cebu’s Vic Serna in a newscast on “24 Oras".

Padura retired from his position as second lieutenant of the Philippine Air Force (PAF) in 2004 to try his luck abroad.

Like him, two other victims were likewise natives of Cordova town in Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu: mechanic Bernard Castillo and crewmember Ibelo Valbuena.

Castillo likewise previously was with the PAF before he retired to work as a mechanic in Afghanistan.

His family told GMA News that he had earlier said he will return to the Philippines in December when he finishes his six-month contract, and promised to bring them all to Boracay island, a popular tourist spot.

"I know it is hard to accept but I and my siblings, along with our mother, will have to accept what happened," said Geraldine, one of Castillo’s four children.

The family of Valbuena, meanwhile, declined to be interviewed.

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Pilot Bulos was ‘full of life’

In a separate report by Marisol Abdurahman also on “24 Oras", Ingrid Bulos, wife of Major Henry Bulos who was the plane’s pilot, recalled her last conversation with her husband.

"Full of life lang siya a few days ago and masaya kaming nag-uusap… Gustong-gusto mo na siyang maabot, makausap, tapos biglang nawala," Ingrid said in between sobs. (He was so full of life a few days ago, and we were so happy talking… You’d wanted so much to reach him, to talk to him, then suddenly he’s gone.)

She likewise narrated how difficult it was for her to tell their only daughter that her father won’t be coming home.

"[I told her], you know what, Daddy's not coming back anymore. When they hit the mountain and Daddy stood up, Jesus was there and Jesus said it's time to go," she recounted.

Henry Bulos’s mother Precy likewise told GMA News how difficult it is that her son’s body may no longer be recovered.

"Ilang araw na, hindi pa kami nakakapag-[luksa]. Ano ba ang kakandilaan namin? Ano ang aasahan namin? Abo, mga body parts, pagsasama-samahin, at ike-cremate, magparte-parte na lang kami. Walo kayong magpaparte-parte. Gaano kasakit yun?" she said.

(Days have passed but we have been unable to properly grieve. What will we light candles for? What will we expect? Ashes, body parts, then gather these to be cremated? All of us eight families will have to share the ashes. How painful could that be?)

Seasoned pilots

Bulos’s co-pilot, retired Gen. Rene Badilla, was meanwhile the vice commander of the PAF when he retired in 2009.

In a text message to GMA News, former commanding general of the PAF Pedrito Cadungog expressed his sadness over the death of Badilla, whom he described as a close friend and classmate at the Philippine Military Academy.

PAF spokesperson Miguel Ocol likewise described Bulos and Badilla as two seasoned pilots of the agency.

"(Dalawa) sa mga matitinik naming C130 pilots. Across the PAF, nalungkot kami. Silang dalawa, sila ‘yung tipong pag sinabi mong C130, sila ang maiisip mo," Ocol said.

(They were two of the most seasoned C130 pilots. When you talk about C130, you’ll immediately think of the two of them. Across the PAF, we were all saddened.)

Badillo was a member of the PMA Class 1975, while Bulos graduated from a flight school in 1989.

The PAF said it will give full military honors to both Badilla and Bulos.

The Department of Foreign Affairs meanwhile said while there is an existing labor deployment ban in Afghanistan, filing charges against the six Filipinos’ employers will not be the department’s priority, as they are still working for the immediate repatriation of the victims’ remains.—Jerrie M. Abella/JV, GMANews.TV

A Repost From Vera Files

2010-09-27T13:17:00.000-07:00

NGO blames Arroyo for Pampanga human rights violations

By Yahoo! Southeast Asia Editors – September 26th, 2010

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By VERA Files

Clark Freeport, Pampanga—A human rights group in Central Luzon is blaming former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo for the increased incidence of human rights violations here in her home province Pampanga.

Aurora Broquil, president of the group Defend Central Luzon, said seven intelligence units have been deployed in Pampanga alone since late last year, including those from the air force, army, the Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (ISAFP), the Philippine National Police, and even the National Bureau of Investigation. The number, she said, excludes the regular units of the AFP and PNP now deployed within Central Luzon.

Broquil said this is the reason Pampanga has been “terrorized.”

“Can you imagine napakaliit ng Pampanga para i-deploy ang seven intelligence units… That was the time na nililinis ang Pampanga, kailangang linisin dahil darating si GMA (Pampanga is too small to have seven intelligence units. That was the time they were clearing up Pampanga because GMA was arriving),” Broquil said in a talk with members of nongovernment groups attending an investigative reporting workshop on human rights conducted by VERA Files recently.

At the same forum, AFP Northern Luzon chief Lt. Gen. Gaudencio Pangilinan, who took over the Command in July, assured NGOs that he would pursue a campaign of zero violation as part of his plan to get soldiers to internalize human rights principles.

He appealed to human rights groups not to be too hard on the AFP and PNP. “We are doing everything in our capacity to get away from the spectre left by martial law. Give us the chance to prove that we are protectors of the people and their rights,” Pangilinan said.

Pangilinan told VERA Files that it’s possible that there are indeed more military units deployed in Pampanga over and above the regular ones, but he pointed out that this is part of operational control and that the number of troops vary from place to place.

Pangilinan said he would study the matter, although he denied Broquil’s accusation that the units were there to harass, much less terrorize, communities.

“If it’s true that there are seven intelligence units there, it’s for good, not for anything sinister,” Pangilinan said.

Broquil said the intelligence units were assigned to Pampanga in preparation for Arroyo’s assumption of the post of representative of the province’s second district after the elections in May.

Pangilinan said there was indeed a detachment organized and assigned to Lubao but it was withdrawn after University of the Philippines professor and Lubao native Randy David warned that the soldiers could be used to harass voters.

But the arrest and torture of suspected activists have been on the rise in the past year, Broquil said, citing the case of Rodwin Tala, Lenin Salas, and three others who were arrested without a warrant on Aug. 3, blindfolded and tortured.

The five men were alleged members of a leftist armed group called “Rebolusyonaryong Hukbo ng Bayan,” and charged with illegal possession of firearms.

It wasn’t until the next day, however, that their mothers were allowed to see them.

Gloria Tala said when she went to see her son Rodwin at the Provincial Police Office, his hair was burnt, his clothing disheveled, his body black and blue, and his chest showed signs of cigarette burns.

She said she tried taking video footage of her son using her cellphone, but an unnamed police officer snatcher her cellphone from her, while another shouted at them.

“Mga putang ina nyo, pagpapapatayin ko kayo. Kahit mga babae kayo, pumapatay ako ng babae (I’m going to kill you. It doesn’t matter that you are women. I kill women),” Tala quoted the unidentified police officer as saying.

Fanny Salas, whose son Lenin was also arrested, said she found her son weak and almost unable to stand. She quoted her son as telling her, “Mommy, tinortyur ako (Mommy, I was tortured).”

Both mothers were prevented from speaking with their sons at length or even approaching them, and even offering them bottles of water.

Salas said she tried not to let her son out of her sight. “Para akong asong sunud ng sunod sa anak ko dahil takot na akong mawala siya sa paningin ko (I was like a dog because I kept following my son around. I was afraid to let him out of my sight),” she sobbed.

Broquil explained that acts of torture do not only involve those inflicted on victims and their immediate families, but on other relatives. Threats and harassment have been experienced by those who are in some way connected to the victims.

She said military operations are now focused more on urban districts where there are many government projects, “quashing all forms of opposition” and “sow(ing) fear” not only towards progressive organizations but entire communities.

Broquil said after United Nations Special Rapporteur Philip Alston’s report on human rights violations in the Philippines came out in 2006, killings in Central Luzon decreased.

But they resumed in 2008 when her group observed a new “phenomenon of forced disappearances” with new methods of harassments. There have been cases of abductions “without traces of evidence,” which she described as those in which the abductors were almost impossible to identify.

Last week, a report on extrajudicial killings in the Philippines by lawyer Al Parreño and funded by The Asia Foundation and the USAID, found among others that “Pampanga had the most number of cases (of extrajudicial killings) with the record of having thirty-seven (37) cases and forty-one (41) victims. Majority of the Pampanga cases still remain unsolved as the suspects are still unidentified and some of the cases are dismissed. Most of the victims in Pampanga are elected government officials or alleged members of the NPA.”

Parreño’s study analyzed 305 incidents of extrajudicial killings over 2001 to 2010, the nine-year-period during which Arroyo was president.

Meanwhile, Salas, Tala and their companions have been charged with illegal possession of firearms, ammunitions and explosives, offenses which are non-bailable.

In late August, the Salas family filed a writ of amparo, a remedy that covers extralegal killings, enforced disappearances and threats to an individual’s right to life, liberty and security. The first hearing of the five detainees’ case is set for tomorrow, September 28.—with reports from Neil Lim, Maxine Tanya Hamada, Jonal Santos, Richie Supan, Denise Fontanilla, Farah Sevilla, Ryan Gan, Homer Yabut and Eladio Perfecto

Reposted From Vera Files

A Repost From Gerry Plaza Of Yahoo! Southeast Asia

2010-09-10T13:04:00.000-07:00

Angelica keeps mum on Claudine’s threat

By Gerry Plaza – August 30th, 2010

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Showbiz Eye by Gerry Plaza
For Yahoo! Southeast Asia

Angelica Panganiban will remain silent on fellow actress Claudine Barretto’s plans to file a court case against her.

In a report published on the Philippine Entertainment Portal, Claudine alleged that Angelica was the source of ugly rumors that she has an extra-marital affair with a common friend, Martin Castro, who is very much married and also a close friend of Derek Ramsey and Raymart Santiago.

Angelica’s lawyer, Joji Alonso, released a statement read on ABS-CBN’s “The Buzz” on Sunday, August 29:

“Angelica has been advised to keep silent. There’s no need for her to say anything, moreso in reaction to what has been said. She has not done anything wrong, much less malign Claudine. On the contrary, it is Angelica who is being maligned by these unfounded accusations. Neither is there a need to dignify this incident by saying something more than what has already been said.”

Denying that Angelica ever made any claim about Claudine’s supposed extra-marital affair, the lawyer further said: “Whatever more that is said against Angelica shall be cause of the filing of appropriate civil and criminal cases.”

In the PEP.ph report, Claudine denied any romantic links with Martin and that they are only friends. She added Martin and Raymart remain as close friends.

Asked what drove Angelica to make such accusations, Claudine told PEP that the actress was out to destroy Martin’s friendship with Derek. “Gusto niyang sirain si Derek at si Martin. Ipinagkakalat niya na addict si Martin,” she said.

In addition, Claudine said she was also out to protect her sister Gretchen’s reputation, which Angelica had besmirched in Twitter messages. She also claimed that in a party they all attended, Angelica had talked to guests about Gretchen’s supposed gifts to Derek, her longtime boyfriend. Gretchen and Angelica have since patched up their differences.

In a separate PEP report, Star Magic’s Johnny Manahan expressed full support for Angelica, one of their prized talents, in this controversy.

“She is feisty, irreverent, sometimes crude, but never a liar,” Mr. M said.

“Whoever is behind the web of lies and falsehoods being spun in print, Twitter, and other media must be a very disturbed individual. I only hope this nonsense stops before it destroys the perpetrator,” he added.

To Claudine, one of his original talents in the network who has since moved to rival station GMA-7, Mr. M did not mince any words in another message to PEP: “Go Ahead! Sue, Claudine. Make our Day! Para bellum (Prepare for war).”

Reposted From Gerry Plaza Of Yahoo! Southeast Asia

A Repost From Jerrie Abella Of GMA News.TV

2010-09-01T13:22:00.001-07:00

5 Filipino drug 'mules' face execution in China this month

(Updated 7:58 p.m.) Five Filipinos may be executed in China this month over drug-related offenses, a party-list lawmaker said on Wednesday citing information from the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA).

The five — four women and a man — were recently sentenced to death without reprieve, according to Akbayan Rep. Walden Bello at a press briefing.

He said he got the information from DFA undersecretary for migrant workers Esteban Conejos during the hearing of the House committee on overseas Filipino workers affairs, which he chairs.

Conejos did not provide the names of the accused but said they were used as drug mules by international drug syndicates. He said two of the five cases have already been brought before the higher court of Beijing.

Bello refused to give details of the execution, which he said could happen in two to three weeks, saying he does not want to alarm people.

The DFA, in a statement issued on the same day, said the majority of the 302 Filipinos facing drug-related cases in Asia are in China (205 cases), followed by Hong Kong (26) and Malaysia (17). It said 221 of these cases involve women.

It noted that most of the Filipinos caught were lured to act as “drug mules" by international drug syndicates.

In China, drug trafficking of 50 grams or more of illegal drugs is punishable by 15 years in prison, life imprisonment or death. In Muslim countries, drug trafficking is punishable by death, according to Shariah law.

A Filipino lawmaker, Ilocos Sur Rep. Ronald Singson, is currently detained in Hong Kong after he was arrested at an airport there for allegedly carrying cocaine and prescription drug Valium.

In an interview, AGHAM party-list Rep. Angelo Palmones said the government might save the Filipinos through the documents that will be presented by the DFA about the members of the syndicate behind the illegal drug operations in China.

He said two members of the drug syndicate were arrested in the country.

“The Department of Foreign Affairs is in a hurry to save the lives of these five Filipinos by presenting documents proving that they are just victims. The two arrested suspected members of the international drug syndicates will be presented there," said Palmones.

The DFA, for its part, reiterated its warning to Filipinos traveling overseas against possession or trafficking of illegal drugs.

“We warn our countrymen from carrying drugs when traveling overseas and especially not to accept packages, which they suspect contain drugs, and also to be wary of the modus operandi being used by drug-trafficking syndicates. If they are caught, they will face very dire circumstances," Conejos said.

Among the drug-related cases in China, five have been meted the death penalty without reprieve, and 70 with death penalty with two-year reprieve. There are 35 cases given life imprisonment sentences, 68 with fixed-term imprisonment, and 27 pending cases.

Palmones, meanwhile, expressed fear that the cases of five Filipinos may be affected by the bloody hostage-taking incident in Manila that claimed the lives of eight tourists from Hong Kong.

But Conejos, at a Senate hearing, said he is sure the appeal of five Filipinos will not be affected by the hostage-taking.

“I'm sure that both countries will look at cases separately and will decide on the basis of the good relations that we have with China," Conejos said after attending a Senate hearing on human trafficking on Wednesday.- with Jerrie Abella/KBK, GMANews.TV

Reposted From Jerrie Abella Of GMA News.TV

A Repost From GMA News.TV

2010-08-27T16:21:00.000-07:00

RP staffer in Riyadh still detained without charges

An employee of the Philippine post in Riyadh continues to be detained there for over two months now for his alleged involvement in the death of a woman, but local authorities have yet to file charges against him. Philippine Labor Attaché to Riyadh Alberto Valenciano confirmed in an interview that Bashir Ayob, an employee of the Philippine Overseas Labor Office, remains in detention at the Deira jail but has yet to be formally charged. Ayob, 42 from Tacurong City in Sultan Kudarat, was arrested on June 12 while attending to the repatriation requirements of distressed overseas Filipino workers (OFW). (See: RP welfare officer in Riyadh held on false charges, says wife)

Based on a previous interview with his wife Janet, a Filipina nurse also working in Riyadh, Ayob was arrested allegedly after bringing to the hospital an unidentified pregnant woman, allegedly also an OFW, who eventually died due to severe bleeding. Janet has previously appealed to the Embassy to assist his husband, saying that he was innocent. “He is just a fall guy. He helped many OFWs to be repatriated to the Philippines and now he is being accused of a crime he never did," she said. Embassy yet to receive info Valenciano said Ambassador Antonio Villamor has already sent a note verbale to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs requesting that a meeting between him and the deputy minister of interior be arranged. “We have to follow the diplomatic process. For now, this is the most that we can do," Valenciano told GMANews.TV. According to Valenciano, Villamor has likewise sent another note verbale to follow up on his previous request, but the Embassy has yet to receive a response. Valenciano also admitted they have yet to get hold of confirmed information on the circumstances of Ayob’s arrest, saying they only have a copy of a police report indicating that Ayob’s case is still under investigation. “We have already filed a motion for his release. The Embassy is on top of the situation but we can only do so much based on local laws," he said. Overseas Workers Welfare Administration chief Carmelita Dimzon meanwhile said in a separate interview that according to reports, Ayob was arrested because “he violated the law of Saudi Arabia." “Reportedly he brought a woman to the hospital and the woman died. Under Saudi laws, you should not just leave a dead person in the hospital and instead report it to authorities. He reportedly failed to do that," Dimzon said. ‘Guilty until proven innocent’ Valenciano said the Embassy has already hired a Saudi lawyer to work on Ayob’s case. Unlike in the Philippines, he explained, people in Saudi suspected of committing crimes are “presumed guilty until proven innocent." “Suspects may be detained up to six months, within which charges should already be filed. After that, he may be released if there are still no charges," said Valenciano. A Filipino migrants’ rights group has urged the Embassy to place Ayob under its custody. “More than 2 months now since his detention, the Philippine post didn’t even bother to issue a certification that Ayob is not the person who abandoned the (woman), and arrange to place him under the Embassy’s custody," said John Leonard Monterona, Migrante-Middle East regional coordinator. Monterona added Ayob’s continued detention resulted in an increased number of cases of OFWs in distress that are unattended. “Now there are about 120 distressed OFWs staying at the Bahay Kalinga, unlike before under Ayob’s care when there are only about 40 OFWs there," he said. Embassy employee since 80s Ayob has been working in Saudi Arabia for almost three decades now in various functions in the Embassy, such as interpreter and assistant in the Embassy’s welfare office. His duties involve liaising with other local authorities on behalf of OFWs in distress, and attending to cases of sick OFWs, which includes bringing them to clinics and hospitals. “Technically he is not a welfare officer, but he assists mostly women OFWs who escaped from their employers and are now in the Embassy’s Bahay Kalinga. He was the one working for their exit visas for their repatriation," Valenciano explained. Dimzon likewise said Ayob was hired locally, being already a resident of Riyadh before working for the Embassy, but he remains a Filipino citizen. Ayob started working for the Embassy since 1980 as a contractual employee. Janet joined him in Riyadh in 2003. They have a five-year-old son.—JV, GMANews.TV

Reposted From GMA News.TV

A Repost From Thea Alberto Of Yahoo! Southeast Asia

2010-08-24T13:12:00.000-07:00

Palace: Spare our workers in Hong Kong

By Thea Alberto – August 24th, 2010

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By Thea Alberto
Yahoo! Southeast Asia

The Palace is concerned about the situation surrounding Filipino workers in Hong Kong after receiving reports that a Filipina maid had lost her job after Monday’s tragic hostage crisis in Manila.

“May incidental reports na pinapaconfirm pa namin that a Filipina maid was fired by her employers in Hong Kong because of what happened [We're still trying to confirm reports that a Filipino maid was fired by her employers because of what happened],” said Presidential Communications Group Development Secretary Ricky Carandang in a press conference.

“We understand the anger and the dismay of the people of Hong Kong but at the same time also we don’t think that it’s right our ordinary citizens who had nothing to do with this should be paying the price,” said Carandang.

Based on statistics from the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration, there were at least 100,142 Filipinos working in Hong Kong in 2009.

From 2003, more than half a million Filipinos have found jobs in Hong Kong.

Hong Kong is listed as the top working destination for “Household Service Workers” with at least 71,557 new hires in 2009.

Malacanang is also verifying reports of physical threats against Filipinos residing or working in Hong Kong.

Philippine government might also attempt to secure Filipinos there, according to the government spokesperson.

The Hong Kong government earlier raised a “black” travel alert for the Philippines, urging its residents to avoid any travel to the Philippines.

Hong Kong residents were outraged over the slow response of the Philippine authorities in the rescue, in which the police took 12 hours to neutralize the hostage taker Rolando Mendoza.

Some tweets are now demanding apology from the Philippine government.

@xiao_c, for instance, has retweeted this: “@newsinchina Philippine GOV，we chinese need your apologize for 9 HK tourists killed yesterday. If u agree,pls RT.”

Another Twitter user @newsinchina, meanwhile, urged Chinese users to launch a protest on the popular social networking service. “If we Chinese tweeps launch the protest to Philippine via twitter,they will feel the pressure. pls RT! #MANILA,” the user wrote.

Reposted From Thea Alberto Of Yahoo! Southeast Asia

A Repost From Jerrie Abella Of GMA News.TV

2010-08-19T14:03:00.000-07:00

Battered OFW’s remains finally home from Milan

The remains of a domestic helper beaten to death in the northern Italian city of Milan on August 6 arrived Thursday afternoon, according to the Department of Foreign Affairs.

Emilou Verdad, a 40-year-old domestic helper working in Milan, was killed on August 6 allegedly by a Ukrainian national as she was stepping out of her house, according to Consul General in Milan Antonio Morales.

She was declared on dead on arrival at the hospital after she was allegedly beaten by a certain Oleg Fedchenko, whom Morales described as a “frustrated boxer."

Morales said the suspect, who has a history of violence and psychological problems, allegedly told his mother that he will kill the first woman he sees, and chanced upon Verdad.

Fedchenko is currently detained in a prison facility in Milan. He earlier requested to be transferred to a mental hospital but his motion was denied, according to Morales.

Verdad worked in Milan for 20 years before her death and was an active member of the Filipino community there.

In a statement, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) on Thursday vowed to help Verdad’s family.

Upon learning of her death, Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz said she immediately directed the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) to provide the necessary assistance, particularly the repatriation and airport services for Verdad’s remains as she was a regular member of the OWWA at the time of her death.

All repatriation expenses were shouldered by OWWA, Baldoz added according to a release posted on the DOLE website.

The Labor secretary said Verdad’s husband has also been told of the requirements for the claim of death insurance benefits of P200,000 and the burial assistance of P20,000.

Meanwhile, Morales said his office has already asked for financial support from the Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs of the DFA for legal expenses.

Verdad left behind a husband and two children, who were with her in Milan.

On August 17, they flew from the Italian city to bring her remains to her hometown in Calauan, Laguna.

Morales said the Archbishop of Milan, Cardinal Dionigi Tettamanzi, celebrated a Mass in memory of Verdad, which was attended by Filipinos in Milan and local government officials, including Milan Mayor Letizia Moratti.

There is no scheduled hearing yet on the case against the suspect, according to Morales.—Jerrie M. Abella/JV, GMANews.TV

A Repost From Andreo Calonzo Of GMA News.TV

2010-08-14T13:44:00.000-07:00

Pinay in HK jail for alleged 'drug mule' role

A Filipina is currently detained in Hong Kong for allegedly carrying illegal drugs into the Chinese territory last week, the Department of Foreign Affairs said Saturday. The unidentified Filipina was arrested Wednesday last week at the Hong Kong International Airport for allegedly carrying 276 grams of cocaine and is currently detained at the Tai Lam Center for Women, the DFA said in a news release posted on its website on Saturday.

According to the DFA, the Filipina told representatives from the Philippine Consulate General in Hong Kong that the illegal drugs she was caught carrying came from a Chinese national now detained at the Parañaque City Jail, who recruited her and promised him payment for the delivery of the cocaine. She likewise said that she was asked to turn over the illegal drugs to a man who would meet her in Hong Kong upon her arrival. The Filipina has already appeared before the Tsuen Wan Magistrates’ Court on August 9, and is scheduled for another hearing on October 28, the DFA said. Under Hong Kong laws, possession of dangerous drugs is punishable with a maximum imprisonment of seven years and a maximum fine of HK$1,000,000. The incident prompted the DFA to reiterate its warning to Filipino travelers who act as drug mules in exchange for money.

DFA Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs Esteban Conejos warned these Filipino drug mules of “stiff penalties" for travelers who are caught carrying illegal drugs into other countries. "We warn our countrymen not to accept packages which they suspect are drugs. If they are caught carrying illegal drugs, they will face very dire consequences. We also appeal to our public to be wary of the modus operandi used by drug-trafficking syndicates," he said in the same news release.

Two weeks ago, Ilocos Sur Rep. Ronald Singson was also arrested at the Hong Kong International Airport for allegedly possessing 26.1 grams of cocaine and two tablets of Valium. (See: CCTV shows Rep. Singson 'eluding' airport X-ray machine)—Andreo C. Calonzo/JV, GMANews.TV

Reposted From Andreo Calonzo of GMA News.TV

A Repost From Thea Alberto Of Yahoo! Southeast Asia

2010-07-27T12:41:00.000-07:00

New NFA administrator seeks system audit

By Thea Alberto – July 27th, 2010

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By Thea Alberto, Yahoo! Southeast Asia

The National Food Authority seeks a systems and management audit, following President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III’s revelations of wasteful spending in the agency during the previous administration.

NFA Administrator Lito Banayo said he already sought the help of Department of Justice (DoJ) and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) for the systems audit.

“I am minded to institute a systems and management audit of my agency to ensure both systems and personnel are functioning properly according to our mandate,” Banayo said, quoting his letter to Department of Justice Secretary Leila de Lima.

Banayo said the audit would include investigation of previous purchases, protocols in timing and volume of rice importation and inventory of system to prevent waste and spoilage of stocks.

Banayo lamented that NFA has a debt of P177 billion as of June 30 yet the agency has overstock of rice in its warehouses.

“Punong puno po kami ng bigas. Naliligo po kami sa bigas,” Banayo said, adding that the country has sufficient rice supply until December.

Banayo said he also suspects some of rice in stock were purchased back in 2008, which means the stocks are past its shelf life of six months.

The over importation of rice was first revealed by the president in his first State of the Nation Address.

“Ang masakit nito, dahil sobra-sobra ang binibili nila taun-taon, nabubulok lang pala sa mga kamalig ang bigas, kagaya ng nangyari noong 2008. Hindi po ba krimen ito, na hinahayaan nilang mabulok ang bigas, sa kabila ng apat na milyong Pilipinong hindi kumakain ng tatlong beses sa isang araw?” Aquino said in his speech.

Reposted From Thea Alberto Of Yahoo! Southeast Asia

A Repost From GMA News.TV

2010-07-15T13:15:00.000-07:00

HK excludes domestics from minimum wage law

Asian Migrants Coordinating Body (AMCB) spokesperson Dolores Balladares told GMANews.TV in a phone interview that Hong Kong’s Legislative Council shot down an amendment to the proposed Statutory Minimum Wage (SMW) that would have included foreign domestic workers.

“Slavery, marginalization and discrimination has now been put into law in HK. There is neither justice nor democracy in the Legislative Council’s vote against the inclusion of foreign domestic workers in the statutory minimum wage," she said.

Balladares said what could have been a landmark law in Hong Kong, one of China’s two special administrative regions, was scarred by the exclusion of live-in domestic workers, almost all of whom are foreign workers numbering more than 240,000.

The decision came a day after the Legislative Council resumed debate on the region’s first ever minimum wage law, expected to be passed within the week.

On one side of the debate are labor rights groups pushing for the minimum wage to be pegged at HK$33 (about US$4.25 or P196), while on the other are businesses and other employers who do not want it to go beyond HK$24 (US$3 or P143).

Some half a million workers in Hong Kong, including low-skilled workers from the catering, retail and cleaning industries, earn less than $4 an hour, according to a CNN report.

While the council has yet to decide on the exact amount of minimum wage, for which labor groups have been struggling for over a decade now, it has decisively voted down the proposal to include domestic workers.

According to Balladares, a Filipina who has been working in Hong Kong for 16 years now, the exclusion meant that wages for domestic workers will continue to be determined by the Minimum Allowable Wage policy, which she described as “unjust, not transparent and arbitrary."

“The minimum wage for domestic workers is annually reviewed by the government if it should be frozen, increased or cut. The problem, however, is that the review has never been transparent and we are not informed of its basis," she explained.

Currently, domestic workers receive a monthly salary of HK$3,860 (P22,900), or a little more than half of the cost of living in the highly cosmopolitan city of Hong Kong, which is about $7,000 to $8,000, according to Balladares.

Balladares said migrants’ groups are thus planning to file a judicial review against the exclusion, as well as send petitions to international organizations to expose the “discrimination against and slave-like treatment" of domestic workers.

“This decision should be exposed as an international shame. Slavery and discrimination is alive in Hong Kong and, worse, has become institutionalized," she added.

Records from the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration show that as of 2009, there are a little over 100,000 Filipino workers in Hong Kong, about a quarter of whom are employed as household service workers.—JV, GMANews.TV

Reposted From GMA News.TV

A Repost From GMA News.TV

2010-07-14T13:16:00.000-07:00

Pinoy workers in Qatar stop work in protest vs violations

At least seven Filipino workers in Qatar, all women, have stopped working and are now seeking repatriation, after complaining of labor violations by the company that hired them. The workers stopped working on Monday, after accusing their Qatari employer of contract substitution, according to Danilo Flores, welfare officer of the overseas workers' welfare administration (OWWA) in Qatar.

The workers were supposed to be employed as waitresses based on the contract they signed in the Philippines, Flores told GMANews.TV over the phone. But their company Prestige Hospitality Services Inc. deployed them as instead as stewards, babysitters and janitors.

They were also supposed to receive a salary of $400 (about P18,500), but they received only 750 Qatari riyals (P9,500). This is apart from the food allowance and overtime pay they were also supposed to get but were never given to them.

“We’ve already talked to the employer, but he told us that he can only give as much as 750 riyals or else he’ll lose his business. He said the recruitment agency was aware of that," Flores said. He added that the workers are actually receiving 850 riyals, according to the employer, but a monthly deduction of 100 riyals is taken from their salary to pay for their airfare to Qatar.

Prestige Hospitality supplies manpower to companies and employs at least 80 Filipino workers, Flores said. The employer is willing to provide the workers’ exit visas for their repatriation, but Flores said only two were deployed by a recruitment agency, Jovineria International Manpower Services, which is supposed to shoulder their airfare. Majority of the company’s Filipino employees are irregular workers, or those who came to Qatar only with a tourist visa and secured their jobs through agents. A Filipino worker based in Qatar sent an e-mail to GMANews.TV detailing the workers’ plight, saying some of them were sexually harassed and one was even raped by the employer. Flores, however, said they have already talked to the alleged rape victim, who denied the report. “So far, none of the workers complained they were sexually harassed," he added. The two workers deployed by a recruitment agency already have tickets but are yet to be scheduled for their flight back to the Philippines. The irregular workers, however, will have to await the release of funds for airfare, which the Philippine Embassy in Qatar has already requested from the Department of Foreign Affairs.

“The employer was unable to promise that he’ll be able to give the salary that the workers are supposed to receive, but there will be another discussion between him and our labor attaché," Flores explained. The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) has suspended processing deployment papers from Jovineria, as well as the employment of Filipino workers by Prestige Hospitality. Based on records from the POEA, Qatar ranks fourth among the top destinations of overseas Filipino workers, with 89,290 Filipino workers as of 2009.—JV, GMANews.TV

Reposted From GMA News.TV

A Repost AFP

2010-07-14T02:07:00.000-07:00

20 dead after Typhoon Conson smashes Philippines

People shield themselves from the rain in Manila on July 13, 2010. Typhoon Conson has ripped through the main Philippine island of Luzon leaving a trail of wreckage in the capital and sweeping shanty towns into the sea, officials and witnesses said Wednesday.

Slideshow: Faces of Asia PH

MANILA (AFP) - – At least 20 people were confirmed dead on Wednesday after Typhoon Conson ripped across the Philippines, sweeping shanties into the sea and bringing the nation's capital to a standstill.

Conson hit the Southeast Asian archipelago late on Tuesday before pummelling the densely populated main island of Luzon throughout the night with maximum gusts of 120 kilometres (74 miles) an hour.

"The wind howled like a child screaming," said Rigor Sambol, 52, a father of six who lives in a coastal shanty town on the outskirts of Manila that was partly destroyed.

"It was so strong, our houseboat nearly got flipped over. I had to take the children one by one to a nearby gym where they spent the evening on the cold floor."

Some of the flimsy slum homes erected by squatters along the coast were swept away entirely, leaving the shocked residents to scavenge scrap wood to build makeshift shelters, according to an AFP reporter there.

Authorities said 20 people had been confirmed killed, including two squatters from a vast lakeside shanty town near Manila who were crushed when their homes collapsed.

Eleven fishermen were also missing, while three other people were unaccounted for south of the capital after flooding swept away their shanties, according to the military.

With communication systems down amid the chaos of the typhoon's aftermath, disaster relief officials said they were still trying to determine the extent of the damage and there were concerns the death toll could rise.

Electricity was knocked out throughout Luzon, including Manila, where fallen tree branches and other debris littered the streets on Wednesday.

Power company Meralco said more than 90 percent of Manila's 12 million residents remained without power on Wednesday afternoon.

The national energy transmission company warned that power supplies may not be restored in some areas of Manila and neighbouring regions for up to four days.

The capital's overhead railway system was also shut down due to the power outage, while the government closed down primary and high schools.

For workers in office towers that were relying on back-up generators, it was still difficult to make telephone calls on both landline and mobile networks, while Internet services were also interrupted.

Conson blew past Luzon and into the South China Sea on Wednesday morning, but aviation services remained backlogged in the afternoon as airport authorities scrambled to make up for earlier cancellations.

The Philippines is in the so-called typhoon belt of the Pacific. Up to 20 typhoons sweep through the country each year, killing hundreds of people.

Conson was the first of the season, and its ferocity took many people in Manila by surprise after the state weather service said the typhoon would only strike provinces to the north of the capital.

President Benigno Aquino let rip at the state weather service for not warning Manila's residents that Conson would hit the city.

"This is not acceptable," Aquino told red-faced weather service officials at an emergency meeting of rescue agencies.

"We rely on you to tell us where the potential problems are.

"All the agencies have adequately met their responsibilities at this point in time but your information is sorely lacking. We have had this problem for quite a long time."

The ill-equipped Philippine weather service came in for criticism in September last year when it failed to warn the residents of Manila about the threat from Tropical Storm Ketsana, which killed 464 people.

Reposted From AFP

A Repost From GMA News.TV

2010-07-02T12:42:00.000-07:00

Aging OFW in Saudi seeks help with 3-year-old labor dispute

A 65-year-old Filipino driver in Saudi Arabia has sought assistance from Philippine labor officials there, saying the company for which he worked for over 20 years made illegal deductions on his salary.

Jose Mendoza, a native of Pangasinan, was a trailer driver for Saudi National Transport for 21 years when he stopped working in 2007 after filing a case against the company.

Mendoza claimed the company made illegal deductions to his salary and decided to file a case in February 2007 before a local labor court upon the advice of Philippine officials.

According to Migrante-Middle East which has been assisting Mendoza, the case dragged on for a year until a local court in Dammam awarded him an amount which was much smaller than what he expected.

Mendoza then decided to file an appeal, but his company had already filed a case against him as he allegedly stopped working.

“Unknown to Mendoza, his employer filed an absconding case against him in the local immigration office, and if he is caught by the immigration police, he will be deported," said Migrante regional coordinator John Leonard Monterona.

Monterona thus urged the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) in Al-Khobar, which is handling Mendoza’s case, for allegedly failing to assist the worker in his case, which has yet to be resolved.

“Our Migrante officers in Al-Khobar have re-endorsed his case to the POLO and we are hoping that this time, they will provide him assistance and properly represent his demands against his erring employer," Monterona said.

He added that apart from compensation for the alleged illegal deductions, Mendoza should also get a pro-rated end-of-service entitlement, as mandated by the Saudi labor law.

For Mendoza, the entitlement should amount to half of his monthly salary multiplied by his number of years in service, Monterona explained.

In an interview, however, Labor Attaché David Des Dicang said the delay was not due to the Philippine post’s fault, but due to the queue of cases being heard by Saudi labor courts.

Dicang added it was also unclear at the onset whether Mendoza wanted to pursue the case or just be allowed to go back to the Philippines to be reunited with his family.

“Mendoza withdrew the appeal as it was taking long and decided to just negotiate with the company. The company, however, offered an amount that is smaller than what he wants," Dicang said.

He said the labor office is now working on his case, adding that they have already informed the immigration police that negotiations on Mendoza’s labor complaints are pending and he should hence be not subjected yet to deportation.

Dicang likewise vowed assistance to Mendoza. “We will have to find a way to satisfy him," he explained.

Philippine labor officials who previously handled Mendoza’s case have been re-assigned to other posts according to Dicang, and the POLO is still looking for the previous decision on his case and other pertinent documents.—JV, GMANews.TV

Reposted From GMA News.TV

A Repost From Thea Alberto at Yahoo! Southeast Asia

2010-07-01T12:35:00.000-07:00

Palace not surprised with Arroyo’s ‘concon’ move

By Thea Alberto – July 1st, 2010

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Thea Alberto, Yahoo! Southeast Asia

The Palace said Thursday it is no longer surprised that Pampanga Rep. Gloria Arroyo filed a resolution seeking amendments in the Constitution in her first day in office.

“She wanted to amend the Constitution, that’s something not surprising for us,” Presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said.

Lacierda said Aquino may not have been informed of Arroyo’s move yet because he is constantly meeting with visitors.

However, it is possible that Aquino talk to his allies at the House of Representatives to block Arroyo’s filed resolution, said Lacierda.

“Let the legislative process take its course,” Lacierda added. “It’s not something we are very bothered with. It’s something we expected from the start.”

Reposted From Thea Alberto Of Yahoo! Southeast Asia

A Repost From Alvin Elchico Of ABS-CBN News

2010-06-26T12:36:00.000-07:00

Thousands of government workers may lose jobs

MANILA, Philippnes - Thousands more are facing the prospect of joining the swelling ranks of the unemployed, as several government bureaus and agencies are planning to reorganize and streamline their operations.

COURAGE Philippines or the Confederation for Unity, Recognition and Advancement of Government Employees-Philippines, the umbrella organization of public sector unions in the country, is appealing to incoming President Benigno Aquino III, to reverse the previous government's policy of privatization.

COURAGE also called for Aquino to rescind Executive Order 366, signed in 2004 by President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.

EO 366 called for the review of the operations and organizations of the executive branch, and provided options and incentives for government employees who may be affected by the rationalization of all functions and agencies of the government.

Among those that are affected by EO 366 are the Philippine Ports Authority, National Housing Authority, National Food Authority and the Philippines Postal Service.

"Unless the situation is reversed by the incoming administration, this is the proverbial Damocles sword that could be dropped on small workers of the government," said Ferdie Garte, president of COURAGE.

At the National Power Corp., employees are bracing for the reorganization.

From 8,000 employees in 2001, the workforce was cut to 6,000 in 2003 and a further 3,000 this year.

In the planned Napocor reorganization,50% of the existing manpower will be terminated, with 90% of the company's power generation plants already privatized or sold to the private sector.

Jimmy Salman, North Luzon president of the Power Generation Employees Association, said employees are preparing for the eventuality, but are pressing for a bigger separation package to help them cope while they are unemployed.

Meanwhile, the Civil Service commission reminded newly-elected officials that they cannot remove regular employees, and replace them with workers of their choice.

"Just to remind the new local government executives, they should respect career civil servants," said Francisco Duque, chairman of the Civil Service Commission.

He said that even the transfer, promotion or demotion of regular employees are governed by civil service laws.based on a report of Alvin Elchico, ABS-CBN News

Reposted From Alvin Elchico Of ABS-CBN News

A Repost From GMA News.TV

2010-06-22T12:49:00.000-07:00

Bangit bows out of AFP, warns of ‘dangerous precedent’

Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief General Delfin Bangit on Tuesday bowed out of service with a warning: that what happened to him may set a "dangerous precedent" to future heads of the Philippine military organization.

"My concern is that this might set a dangerous precedent. What happened to me might happen to future chiefs of staff during a transition of government," Bangit said in a speech during the turnover ceremony held at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City.

"I am concerned that because of what happened to me, people will think that the [post of] AFP chief of staff is co-terminus with the president. It is not and will never be," he told the audience, which included outgoing President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

Bangit was forced to cut short his tour of duty after President-elect Benigno “Noynoy" Aquino III openly rejected him to be his military chief of staff. He was supposed to retire on July 31, 2011 when he reaches the mandatory retirement age of 56.

Bangit is the first Armed Forces chief in recent history to have been eased out during the turn of a new administration. Last week, he submitted his early retirement application to Mrs. Arroyo, who in turn approved it on June 21.

Arroyo soldier?

Bangit is perceived to be loyal to President Arroyo, their professional relationship dating back when she was still vice president. Bangit then was commanding officer of her security detachment.

President Arroyo is an honorary member of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) class of 1978, of which Bangit is a member.

President Arroyo, in her speech, praised Bangit for opting to retire early. "He still has 13 months to go before he retires, but he chose the early exit as the more honorable path. I thank you for that... and I thank you for your many sacrifices," she said.

In his speech, Bangit pointed out that while he remained loyal to the Philippine Constitution, his detractors had consistently cast a blanket of doubt over his allegiance.

"I must be the most badly hit by the word [loyalty]. My loyalty to the Constitution has been doubted to have been misplaced. I have delivered sincerely every oath I made, that oath of a Filipino soldier. And the oath when I said, ‘Sa Diyos lang ako magpapagamit (I will be an instrument only to God’," he said, referring to his oath when he took over the top military post last March.

The replacement

Armed Forces vice chief of staff Lt. Gen. Nestor Ochoa will assume Bangit’s post in an acting capacity and stay there for the remainder of President Arroyo’s tenure, which ends on June 30.

Ochoa is associated with Aquino’s mother, the late President Corazon Aquino, having served as the battalion commander of the presidential guards during her administration.

In his assumption speech, Ochoa praised Bangit for his "soft spot" for soldiers and the entire military organization. He also lauded Bangit for leading the military during what he considered as "honest, orderly, and peaceful elections" last May 10.

He said he believes Bangit would "bounce back from this experience and come out successful in the end" as he expressed readiness to head the "caretaker" leadership of the Armed Forces.

Ochoa also urged his men to support not only Aquino but whoever the next military chief of staff will be.

Present during Tuesday's ceremony were Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, Defense Secretary Norberto Gonzales, and Deputy Director General Jefferson Soriano, who represented Philippine National Police chief Director General Jesus Verzosa.

Last week, Bangit started making the rounds in a number of military detachments across the country to bid his soldiers goodbye. [See: Bangit on early retirement: A service to Filipinos, not a 'sacrifice']— KBK/RSJ, GMANews.TV

Reposted From GMA News.TV

A Repost From Philstar.Com

2010-06-21T13:41:00.000-07:00

Comelec executive's son kidnapped in Lanao

Slideshow: elections_2010 Photos

MANILA, Philippines - The son of Commission on Elections (Comelec) Commissioner Elias Yusoph was kidnapped by unidentified men allegedly demanding the nullification of the results of the elections in several towns in Lanao del Sur.

Police said 22-year-old Nuraldin Yusoph was kidnapped by hooded gunmen while praying at the VicBato Alih mosque in Barangay Sabala Amanao, Marawi City late Sunday.

Several hours later, the elder Yusoph received a call from the supposed kidnappers demanding that he nullify the election results in the towns of Malabang, Pilong, Taraka, and Masiu in exchange for the release of his son.

The Comelec held special elections in the four towns following a failure of elections during the May 10 polls.

Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) police director Chief Superintendent Bienvenido Latag said they have yet to identify the group behind the kidnapping.

Latag said police are coordinating with the Yusoph family since initial findings indicate that the kidnapping could be politically motivated.

Comelec spokesman James Jimenez, however, confirmed the kidnappers made contact with Yusoph and announced their demands.

“There is proof of life and he is calm and in good condition. Commissioner Yusoph was allowed to talk to his son right after the kidnapping,” Jimenez said.

Jimenez said the Yusoph family and the Comelec are closely coordinating with the police in the effort to secure the safe release of the younger Yusoph.

“Right now we’re establishing what they need, what they want but the policy is no negotiation. I don’t think that there’s any reason to assume (a change in the policy),” he said.

According to Jimenez, the kidnapping of the son of the Comelec official could be classified as election-related.

“It’s not exactly about nullification of votes, although it has something to do with elections,” Jimenez said.

Although the kidnapping could be election-related, Jimenez said the authorities have yet to identify the culprits.

He said it would be unfair to tag losing candidates as being behind the kidnapping. -With Sheila Crisostomo, John Unson - By Cecille Suerte Felipe (Philstar News Service, www.philstar.com)

Reposted From Cecille Suerte Felipe, With Sheila Crisostomo And John Unson (Philstar.Com)

A Repost From Ellen Tordesillas- Vera Files

2010-06-19T12:00:00.000-07:00

Pinay in textbook scam nabbed in the US

By Yahoo! Southeast Asia Editors – June 18th, 2010

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By ELLEN TORDESILLAS, VERA Files

Mary Ann Maslog, the woman who delivered a P3-million bribe in Malacanang 11 years ago in connection with a P200-million textbook contract and was on the run for a string of swindling cases in the Philippines and the United States, has finally been arrested.

A newspaper in the state of Virginia reported the arrest last week of Maslog, now known as Mary Ann Smith, in Seattle, Washington in connection with an immigration scam she operated out of Henrico, a county in Virginia.

“Mary Ann Smith, 41, was arrested in Seattle last week and is awaiting extradition to Memphis, Tenn., where she will stand trial for her role in a Virginia company operating as the International Business Network Inc. (IBN),” the Richmond Times Dispatch said in its June 16 issue. There is still no trial date.

Maslog, who is married to Michael Lee of Virginia, is charged with six counts of wire fraud and two counts of mail fraud in connection with IBN’s receipt of money to facilitate the processing of students in the US.

IBN, which was located at Paragon Place off Glenside Drive in Henrico, charged as much as $6,480 per student to gain access to visas when, according to a federal indictment issued in Memphis, “visa ‘fixers’ or ‘brokers’ had no special access to the United States government that could enable such individuals, agencies or companies to arrange for a student visa,” the news report said.

Maslog’s company also offered permanent resident status or green cards, with victims losing about $34,000, the report, quoting the April federal indictment, said.

The Richmond Times Dispatch reported that the Central Virginia Better Business Bureau learned of numerous Virginia victims and worked with federal agents for months to unravel IBN operations throughout last year.

It cited the case of a Chesterfield County businessman, Tany Roth, who lost as much as $45,000 to IBN in an effort to bring three relatives to Richmond county from Cambodia for study and to facilitate an adoption.

Roth said he sent the company checks but never received any services, and that Smith canceled meetings and disappeared. Roth’s experience is not part of the federal indictment.

The report said that even after receiving more than $40,000, IBN demanded payment of additional fees to cover such things as health insurance.

A Filipina based in the United States wrote VERA Files to say she met Maslog and her husband last December and was one of their victims.

“She (Maslog) posed as someone from Grant USA and they gave us seminars on grant writing where about 10 of us paid $50 each for a one-day seminar,” said the woman, who asked that her identity be withheld. “They claimed to have an office in Makati. We later found out about a month after our seminar that they’re not connected with Grant USA.”

The woman added, “I just want to attest that she’s been going in and out of the Philippines, and I am certain that she and Michael Smith have been victimizing Filipinos through their lies because that’s what they did to us.”

VERA Files reported earlier this week that Maslog is also facing charges of grand theft amounting to more than $100,000 and scheme to defraud in the amount of $50,000.

Maslog, then married to Rommel Maslog, now vice mayor of Talisayan, Misnamis Oriental, first gained notoriety in the Philippines when she was summoned in 1999 by the Senate Blue Ribbon and Education, Arts and Culture Committees probing corruption in the purchase of the textbooks for public schools. She had delivered P3 million to the office of then Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno, who asked National Bureau of Investigation to investigate the matter.

Diokno said he had testified in a Manila court in a case filed aqainst Maslog but has lost track of the case.

The Sandiganbayan has a standing warrant of arrest for Maslog in connection with a P24-million textbook scam in which Maslog, as an agent of Esteem Enterprises in February 1998, allegedly conspired with budget and education officials in Eastern Visayas to collect money from the government using falsified Sub-Allotment Release orders (SARO). SAROs are documents required by the DBM for the release of payments to contractors.

James Katarungan, who had helped investigate Maslog in the US, said Maslog jumped bail the first time she was arrested. Following her arrest last week, he said, “I highly doubt they will let her out on bail this time.”

“It looks like she’s facing some very serious federal charges. The US government is going to throw the book at her,” he said.

VERA Files is the work of senior journalists taking a deeper look at current issues. Vera is Latin for “true.”

Reposted From Ellen Tordesillas- Vera Files

A Repost From Ellen Tordesillas of Vera Files

2010-06-17T12:35:00.000-07:00

Pinay in textbook scam wanted in the US for swindling

By Yahoo! Southeast Asia Editors – June 17th, 2010

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By ELLEN TORDESILLAS, VERA Files

The woman who shook the nation by delivering P3 million in bribes to Malacañang 11 years ago is wanted in the United States for swindling and is believed to be in hiding in the Philippines.

Former textbook agent Mary Ann T. Maslog, who tried bribing officials of the Department of Budget and Management in 1999 so that her firm could wangle a P200 million textbook contract, is now Mary Ann Smith and married to an American who allegedly became her partner in crime.

Court records in Orange County in Florida show that Maslog is wanted for theft and scheme to defraud. She is facing charges of grand theft amounting to more than $100,000 and scheme to defraud in the amount of $50,000 which are classified as criminal felonies punishable with imprisonment.

Maslog also has been charged with civil traffic infraction for improper backing.

A source who participated in the investigation, and who asked to be identified only as James Katarungan, told VERA Files that Maslog operates with her husband, Michael Lee Smith, who hails from Virginia.

Katarungan said Maslog has a bag of tricks and the more successful one is where she takes a job as a salesperson with a reputable company, normally in radio or print advertising.

After a few months, her husband gets an office in or near the building where she works, identifying himself as a sort of a career guidance counselor. The two then promise their victims jobs at the company where Maslog works, although she is in no position to do so.

Maslog would even show victims around her company’s office, explain how things work, and even introduce them to her co-workers who welcome these visitors thinking they were clients.

The couple would then require a deposit from their victims ranging from $2,000 to $10,000, supposedly to cover training in another city, either Houston or Washington, D.C., for six months. Once they get the money, they close shop and skip town.

“She’s done this scam in Virginia and in Florida,” Katarungan said.

Maslog was also into credit card fraud. “While working in sales, she took credit card numbers from paying customers and stole their identities. She defrauded one man in Orange County Florida for over $100,000 by having credit cards made in his name and sent to her. This particular victim owned a gas station and has since gone out of business and was forced into bankruptcy,” Katarungan said.

A number of people the Smiths had conned have gone to court. Maslog was charged with grant theft and scheme to defraud on Feb. 26, 2007 and was ordered arrested Dec. 18 that year.

Arraigned in open court while in jail on Jan. 8, 2008, Maslog posted a $5,000 bail bond for the grand theft charge and $1,500 for the scheme to defraud.

Court records showed she missed the hearing of her cases last Feb. 22 and that her lawyer, David Faulkner, had withdrawn his services.

Maslog first gained notoriety in the Philippines when she was summoned in 1999 by the Senate Blue Ribbon and Education, Arts and Culture Committees which uncovered a web of corruption in the purchase of the textbooks for public schools.

She appeared in those hearings after having been investigated by the National Bureau of Investigation for trying to deliver a bagful of cash to the DBM in January 1999.

The NBI report on the incident stated: “On 19 January 1999 at about 12:00 noon in the afternoon, a mysterious lady later identified as certain Mary Ann Maslog arrived at the Gate No. 7, parking area, Malacanang and gave to one Celeste Payot, a department Legislative Liaison specialist of DBM, one (1) box placed inside a yellow plastic bag with instruction that the same be delivered to Secretary Benjamin Diokno.”

A member of Diokno’s staff was surprised to find money in bundles amounting to P3 million. Diokno sought the assistance of the NBI to investigate what he suspected as a bribe attempt.

The NBI report quoted Maslog as having said, “The three million pesos (P3M)) was really intended for Deputy Tingting de la Serna and consultant Ricardo Fulgencio of the Office of the President, Malacanang as bribe money.”

Vicente “Tingting” de la Serna, a politician from Cebu, was deputy of then Executive Ronaldo Zamora.

An investigative report showed that at least 65 percent of the budget for textbooks went to bribes given at every stage of the contract back then—from clinching the deal with education officials to the release of the payment at the budget office.

Maslog is now a fugitive from U.S. and Philippine laws. A warrant of arrest was issued in November 2008 by Sandiganbayan Associate Justice Edilberto Sandoval.

The warrant has never been served. It was issued in connection with a P24 million textbook scam in which Maslog, as agent of Esteem Enterprises in February 1998, allegedly conspired with budget and education officials in Eastern Visayas ( Region 8 ) to collect money from the government using falsified Sub-Allotment Release orders (SARO). SAROs are documents required by the DBM for the release of payments to contractors.

Almost a year after she helped execute the P24 million scam in Leyte, Maslog figured in the DBM bribe attempt, one of the first major anomalies under the administration of deposed President Joseph Estrada.

The joint Senate committees investigating the bribe attempt cleared De la Serna and Fulgencio for “insufficiency of evidence” but recommended charging and prosecuting a number of persons, among them Maslog.

The Senate found her liable for false testimony; corruption of public officials punishable under the Revised Penal Code; violation of the anti-graft law; violation of Presidential Decree no. 46, which makes it punishable for private persons to give gifts to government officials and employees on any occasion; falsification of public document; and tax evasion.

More than 10 years since the case first came to light, the Sandiganbayan has only made her accountable for the P24 million scam and not for the bungled bribe attempt.

Maslog’s story could have been every barrio lass’ dream of poor-girl-makes-good. Growing up in the poor town of Talisayan in Misamis Oriental, Mary Ann Tupa made up for her material deprivations with her gift of gab and persuasive skills, which are assets in sales and marketing.

In her blog, she wrote:“June 1992, I worked as a Medical Representative for Dispo Philippines. I was assigned in Davao City. Six months after, I was promoted as the Assistant District Sales Manager for Butuan City.”

A friend of her sister described Maslog as having “a strong personality.”

In her narration of why her marriage to former Talisayan Mayor Rommel Maslog failed, Maslog showed she could defy moral standards. “One day, I woke up and realized, I was in love with one of my sales representatives, which was a No-No to the company,” she wrote.

Rommel Maslog is now vice mayor of Talisayan, while his current wife, Catherine Ifurung, is mayor.

The Senate investigation into the P3 million bribery attempt revealed that her former husband accompanied Maslog when she went to Malacanang. He has also been charged before the Sandiganbayan for other cases unrelated to his ex-wife’s.

Maslog has reportedly returned to Talisayan, a small town with a household population of a little over 4,000. But sources there say she has not been seen in town. Some say they heard she had gone to Canada but is back in the Philippines.

A resident of Talisayan said two of her children with Rommel were brought to Talisayan recently but the youngest remained in Manila.

Katarungan said Maslog and her current husband Michael Lee, who is also facing charges in the state of Virginia, are on the run. “They purchase and use disposable (pay as you go) cell phones and change them out every few weeks.’

In her blog entry dated Jan. 18, 2009, Maslog gave a glimpse of her life: “We often stay in relationships that aren’t healthy for us. Sometimes emotionally abusive or physically abusive. Many women live every day in unhealthy relationships because of many reasons.”

Reposted From Ellen Tordesillas Of Vera Files

A Repost From GMA News.TV

2010-06-16T12:04:00.000-07:00

OFW mother and daughter in UAE freed, seek help with repatriation

A mother and her daughter, both Filipino domestic workers in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) who have recently finished serving their sentences for abandoning their “abusive" employer, are now seeking the assistance of the Philippine Embassy there for their repatriation. In an e-mail sent to GMANews.TV, a woman who said she was a friend of workers Mariam Calvez and her daughter Roxanne said the two are currently detained in a Dubai jail, but now allowed to return to the Philippines.

The problem, however, is that the two are unable to raise funds for their tickets, according to the Calvezes’ friend. Assistance to Nationals officer Carlito Dizon of the Philippine Consulate General in Dubai told GMANews.TV in an interview that Roxanne called him Tuesday to inform him that they are currently at an immigration detention center in Dubai, and that their passports are missing. According to Dizon, he has yet to reach the Calvezes’ former employer to ask about their passports, but said Roxanne did not mention anything about funding their repatriation. He added the Embassy may not have sufficient funds to repatriate the two, as there are hundreds of OFWs in the Middle Eastern country who need repatriation. “In Dubai alone, there are over 200 Filipinos who are waiting to be repatriated," Dizon explained, adding that the Embassy will likewise ask the Calvezes’ former employer if he can shoulder the ticket costs. Philippine Consul General Adelio Cruz earlier said in a separate e-mail to GMANews.TV that the two ran away from their employer in Abu Dhabi in September 2009, as they complained that they had not received their salary (two months for Mariam and four months for Roxanne). The two also complained of physical injuries inflicted on Roxanne, insufficient food and overwork. Cruz said the Calvezes went to Dubai and took on part-time jobs. In January this year however, the house they were staying in was raided by the UAE’s Criminal Investigation Division. Cases of absconding and theft were then filed against them by their former employer, who alleged that the two stole 70,000 UAE dirhams (about P880,000) and diamond jewelry. According to Cruz, the Calvezes were originally detained at Dubai Central Prison and then transferred to the Al Wathba Central Prison in Abu Dhabi where they stayed until recently. In a separate interview, an official of the Philippine Embassy in Abu Dhabi said that in the past, the UAE government would ask businessmen in the country to sponsor the tickets of migrant workers there who need to be repatriated. “However, given the recent economic crisis, corporations here are not that willing to donate money for the repatriation of workers," said the official who requested anonymity. She added they have yet to hear about the status of Mariam and Roxanne, but said they may have been victims of a false accusation by their employer. “What usually happens here is that when workers run away and eventually get arrested, their previous employers would file any case against them, even if the charge is not true, just for the sake of getting back at them," the official explained.—JV, GMANews.TV

Reposted From GMA News.TV

A Repost From AP

2010-06-13T12:34:00.000-07:00

Philippine bus crash kills 18, mostly Iranians

CEBU, Philippines – A tourist bus packed with Iranian nationals plunged into a ravine Sunday while negotiating a mountain road in the central Philippines, killing at least 18 people and injuring more than 30 others.

The bus, carrying dozens of mostly Iranian medical students and doctors, apparently suffered brake failure then plummeted into a 100-foot (30-meter) ravine in Balamban town in Cebu province, police Senior Superintendent Erson Digal said.

At least 18 people, mostly Iranians and including children, were killed, said regional military spokesman Lt. Col. Wilson Feria, who was at the scene of the accident.

Villagers and police pulled at least 10 bodies from the mangled bus wreckage at the rocky bottom of the ravine. Several seriously injured passengers were brought to hospitals, Digal told The Associated Press.

Feria said at least seven passengers later died in hospitals.

Many of the Iranian victims were medical students in Cebu, a bustling commercial and tourism center 350 miles (560 kilometers) southeast of Manila. They were identified by relatives and through their IDs, Digal said.

Feria said it was not clear if the Iranians, who rented the bus, were involved in a medical mission or went for an outing at one of several resorts in and around Cebu.

He said four air force helicopters ferried the dead and at least 31 injured passengers to a military camp in Cebu city, where they were picked up by ambulance vans then brought to hospitals.

An unspecified number of passengers were still pinned in the wreckage, Digal said.

A Japanese shipbuilding company in Balamban offered to send a crane to help lift the bus so those pinned underneath and in the wreckage can be retrieved, Feria said.

Poorly maintained vehicles and roads, along with inadequate safety signs, railings, training and weak traffic law enforcement, are blamed for many deadly accidents in the Philippines.

Reposted From AP

A Repost From GMA News.TV

2010-06-10T13:27:00.000-07:00

DOLE assures aid for distressed Pinoy workers in Jeddah

The country’s labor department has assured the unpaid Filipino medical workers in Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, that the government is pursuing conciliation efforts to address their complaints in the face of impending closure of their jobsite.

Labor Secretary Marianito Roque gave the assurance, saying the government remains firm in ensuring that assistance is extended to the 200-plus affected workers, in a release posted on the website of the Department of Labor and Employment. Some 236 workers, which include nurses and clinic staff, earlier sought assistance from the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) in Jeddah, after their employer failed to pay them their salaries for six months and announced it will be ceasing operations. (See: Jobless in Jeddah: 200 unpaid Pinoys seek help) Their employer, Al Ansar Hospital, operates a hospital and two polyclinics. Only one polyclinic remains in operation, and is likewise set to close soon. The release said Roque has directed POLO to continue to pursue an “all-out effort to assist all affected workers in consultation with the host country."

Labor Attache to Jeddah Vicente Cabe has also been asked to fully confirm the closure of the hospital’s remaining polyclinic. Meanwhile, in a report to Roque, Cabe clarified that POLO had earlier pursued efforts to conciliate the case. “The efforts applied by the POLO are consistent with Philippine law, particularly Republic Act 8042 or the Migrant and Overseas Filipinos Act’s policies to ensure social, economic and legal services to Filipino migrant workers," the release stated, quoting Cabe. Cabe earlier told GMANews.TV that the workers’ complaints have already been forwarded to Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Labor and to the Office of the Governor of Jeddah for appropriate action. He added that a case against Al Ansar regarding the workers’ unpaid salaries is also pending before the Primary Commission of the Ministry of Labor. “Although conciliation, especially in a foreign land, takes effort, time, and patience to gather the parties to sit down and negotiate, our persistence to intervene and assist the OFWs are in consonance with the mission of the POLO to ensure onsite assistance, and to promote their welfare," Roque said.—JMA/JV, GMANews.TV

A Repost From Sophie Regina M. Dedace of GMA News.TV

2010-06-07T13:10:00.000-07:00

Bangit not resigning, hits efforts to politicize AFP

Expressing dismay at what he said were "attempts to destroy" the military, Armed Forces of the Philippines chief of staff General Delfin Bangit on Monday broke his silence and stood firm against those prodding him to relinquish his post.

At a press conference, Bangit said he could not abandon his duties and maintained he serves at the pleasure of the Armed Forces' commander-in-chief, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

Addressing Edwin Lacierda, the spokesperson of presidential frontrunner Sen. Benigno Aquino III who called on the AFP chief to step down, Bangit said those calling for his resignation do not know what they are talking about.

"They should know and understand that a soldier is either relieved, reassigned, or has to stand to his post if his superiors want him to stay. A soldier filing a resignation is abdication of duty in our Articles of War, particularly Article 58, and that [resigning] is punishable under our system," Bangit said.

"So long as I am here, I will be the chief of staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. I will fight any side that drags the Armed Forces into politics," he added.

He likewise said he would remain as AFP chief "until the next Congress," citing President Arroyo's order.

Prior to Monday's press briefing, Bangit admitted he thought about resigning because the AFP leadership was being "politicized" and that some 300 military officers were supposedly denied confirmation by the Commission on Appointments because of him.

He added he was "too ashamed" that the AFP was dragged into politics after working hard to remain non-partisan in the recently concluded May 10 automated polls.

"I therefore decided that I should go if that is what will keep the Armed Forces intact. Yesterday, instead of doing that, I decided to fight for the institution because I feel that everytime they are hurting me, they are hurting our institution. I came to realize that it is no longer me, this is no longer just about General Bangit, whom they doubt despite contrary evidence," he said.

The doubts Bangit referred to concerned questions about his independence from the appointing authority, with which he shares close ties.

A member of the Philippine Military Academy class of 1978, Bangit is perceived to be close to President Arroyo. The outgoing commander-in-chief is an honorary member of Bangit's class. Bangit is scheduled to retire on July 31 next year.

Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, who is ex-officio chair of Commission on Appointments, earlier said Bangit would have to relinquish his post after the commission adjourned last Friday without confirming his appointment. — Sophie Regina M. Dedace/RJAB Jr./RSJ, GMANews.TV

Reposted From Sophie Regina M. Dedace Of GMA News.TV

A Repost From GMA News.TV

2010-06-06T13:20:00.000-07:00

SLEx toll fees to increase up to 400%, operator says

Motorists would pay up to P85 for driving through the South Luzon Expressway (SLEx) once the South Luzon Tollway Corp.’s (SLTC) request for an increase in toll fees is approved.

Speaking at the Balitaan sa Tinapayan news forum in Sampaloc, Manila on Sunday, Alma Tuazon, SLTC spokesperson, said that her company has a pending petition before the Toll Regulatory Board (TRB) to raise the SLEx toll rates.

“Once approved by TRB, there may be a 300-percent increase of toll fee for the motorists passing [through] the SLEx," Tuazon said.

The present toll fee from Alabang to Calamba is P22 for cars. Once the SLTC’s petition is approved, the toll fee will increase from P70 to P85.

The SLEx toll rate is 75 centavos per kilometer, according to the office of Senator Ramon “Bong" Revilla Jr. – a staunch opponent of the toll rate increase – with buses paying P43 and trucks, P65 from Alabang to Calamba.

The cost of the SLEx rehabilitation has amounted to P11 billion since the project started in 2006, Tuazon said, explaining why the SLTC has filed for the authority to increase its toll rates.

Rehabilitation of the South Luzon Tollway segment started in 2006 under the SLEx Upgrading and Rehabilitation Project to expand the Alabang Viaduct as well as the road from Alabang to Calamba, eventually connecting the expressway to the Southern Tagalog Arterial Road to Batangas.

SLEx would be the Philippine's longest expressway once its 118-kilometer rehabilitation and extension to the Southern Tagalog Arterial Road is complete.

If motorists feel that the proposed increase is too high or excessive, they can file a petition with the TRB, TRB spokesman Julius Corpus said.

He said the SLTC will also hold dialog with operators of provincial buses plying the SLEx. —VS. GMANews.TV

Reposted From GMA News.TV

A Repost From GMA News.TV

2010-06-05T12:50:00.000-07:00

Jobless in Jeddah: 200 unpaid Pinoys seek help

Filipino medical workers in Jeddah trooped Wednesday to the Philippine Consulate General there to request action against their erring employer and on the impending closure of their workplace, six months after they sought assistance from the Philippine post. The workers, numbering over 200, are nurses and clinic staff of the Al Ansar Hospital, located at the Al Salama district of Jeddah in Saudi Arabia.

“They are complaining of non-payment of their salary for six months now which they would like to be released immediately amid the impending closure of the hospital, and are demanding that they all be given their release papers so that they could look for possible employment," said Migrante-Middle East regional coordinator John Leonard Monterona, who has been assisting the workers. The facilities of Al Ansar include a hospital and two polyclinics where about 236 Filipino workers are deployed. Only one polyclinic remains in operation. According to Monterona, only 59 workers have so far received their release papers, while all are still awaiting payment of their salaries. Labor Attache Vicente Cabe told GMANews.TV in a separate interview that the workers’ case has already been forwarded to Saudi’s Ministry of Labor and to the Office of the Governor of Jeddah for appropriate action. “A committee, composed of representatives of the Jeddah governor’s office, immigration office and labor office, has also been formed to resolve the issue," he added. According to Cabe, the committee has agreed to allow the workers to apply for employment in other hospitals even without their release papers. Those who may wish to just go back to the Philippines will also be assisted, he said. “As regards the unpaid salaries, a case against the company is already pending before the Primary Commission of the Ministry of Labor," he explained. Cabe, however, could not estimate when the case will be resolved, saying the commission is still conducting regular hearings. In a separate interview meanwhile, the recruitment agency in Manila of 55 of the workers said they have done what they can to assist the workers in the five months that they did not receive their salary. “The workers under my agency, which include nurses, housekeepers and bus drivers, have already transferred employment, some of whom started working June 1. What’s good here is that their new jobs involve higher salaries and increased benefits," Anchor Manpower Intl. Services Inc. owner Oscar Garcia told GMANews.TV. He added they are still working on the case of at least five workers, who have opted to be repatriated. According to Garcia, a possible resolution for the workers’ unpaid salaries may involve selling the properties of Al Ansar, the proceeds of which will go to the workers. The workers first came to the Consulate General December last year, according to Cabe. He said the Consulate agreed on a deadline for the company management to release the workers’ salaries, which the company failed to meet.

The workers had earlier complained they did not receive assistance from the Consulate and their Manila agency, until recently.—JV, GMANews.TV

Reposted From GMA News.TV

A Repost From GMA News.TV

2010-06-04T11:59:00.000-07:00

House fails to ratify Freedom of Information bill

A proposed freedom of information law that could have been reportedly ratified in two minutes was not acted upon because the House of Representatives did not have enough members to hold a session.

Only 128 of the needed 135 House lawmakers were present in the House on Friday after Camiguin Rep. Pedro Romualdo called the rolls of the chamber’s 268 members.

Because of the absence of a quorum, the House failed to ratify the Freedom of Information bill which would have increased government transparency by enabling even ordinary citizens to access pertinent documents.

House Speaker Prospero Nograles, who promised the bill would be ratified Friday, said he was "at a loss on what to say."

"We cannot take up any legislative business without [a] quorum," Nograles said.

Some lawmakers and audience, including many media members and advocates of the bill, were furious.

"How can we say we are the House of the people if we cannot even do our job?" said Cibac party-list Rep. Joel Villanueva. His statement was met with applause.

Manila Rep. Bienvenido Abante, one of the primary proponents of the bill, walked out of the session hall after saying Romualdo's statements were an "insult" to the 180 sponsors of the bill.

The ratification was stalled after Romualdo made the motion questioning the quorum.

Nograles immediately suspended the session to talk to Romualdo, but Romualdo refused to withdraw his motion and reiterated that a roll call must be done.

"It pained me so much considering that you and I have been together for so long a time. Almost on your bended knees you requested me to withdraw...[but] this is a question of principle," said Romualdo. He and Nograles — who both belong to Lakas-Kampi-CMD — were both human rights lawyers in the 1970s.

Romualdo said he was ensuring that majority of lawmakers were there for the FOI’s enactment because it was an important bill that he claimed was not deliberated upon.

"The House is practically being pressured to pass this bill," said Romualdo.

The House has adjourned its session and will no longer be taking up legislative matters.

"Ang ating binuburol ngayon ang reputasyon, respeto, at isang salita ni Speaker Nograles at ng 14th Congress," said PCIJ executive director Maloou Mangahas. — RJAB Jr./RSJ, GMANews.TV

Reposted From GMA News.TV

A Repost From Thea Alberto at Yahoo News

2010-05-31T12:01:00.000-07:00

Boy Abunda to get a Cabinet post?

By Thea Alberto – May 31st, 2010

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By Thea Alberto, Yahoo! Southeast Asia

Boy Abunda just might become part of president-apparent Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III’s cabinet.

This Aquino divulged in an interview with reporters, as he noted of Abunda’s expertise in marketing and his ability to communicate well.

“He’s an icon and more so for his ability to understand the audience,” Aquino said when asked about reports Abunda is open to accepting a government post.

He however clarified he has not asked Abunda yet although he already sent feelers to the host.

Aquino did not specify the post he eyes for Abunda, a popular television host and the best friend of his sister Kris, but indicated that Abunda is best fit for a “marketing” job.

He also hinted Abunda could be part of the Department of Tourism.

“Boy would be a good communicator…puwede rin siya pagkatiwalaan,” added Aquino.

He however said Abunda might not even consider the position because a cabinet post means a meager salary.

“We have to look at the compensation aspect. Gasino lang naman suweldo,” he said.

Photo courtesy of ABS-CBN.com

Reposted From Thea Alberto of Yahoo! Southeast Asia

A Repost From ABS-CBN News

2010-05-27T12:21:00.000-07:00

Gabby Lopez talks about Willie in ABS-CBN stockholders' meet

Photo courtesy of Ryan Ramos, ABS-CBN Corp. Comm.

MANILA, Philippines - ABS-CBN chairman Eugenio "Gabby" Lopez III discussed the recent controversy involving the network and its biggest talent, "Wowowee" host Willie Revillame, during the firm's stockholders' meeting on Thursday.

In response to a question raised during the meeting held at the Dolphy Theater, Lopez acknowledged that what happens to a star like Revillame definitely has a financial impact on the network.

"There are ongoing discussions now with Willie, and we prefer to keep these discussions at this point between ourselves and Willie. Suffice it to say that we are cognizant of the financial impact that a star like Willie brings to the network. But we are also aware that an institution like ABS-[CBN] will deal with stars all the time. And stars come and go, but the institution stays," Lopez said.

"So we will take into consideration the wide variety of factors that are involved in dealing with stars like Willie. He is not the first or the last star that will reflect this kind of behavior. It goes with the territory," he added.

"These decisions will be made in the proper time. I think the best decision we made is for both Willie and I to decide that, for the interim, we will both keep silent about what's going on, and these discussions will be made in the course of the next several months.”

Lopez talked about the controversy when one of the stockholders asked management about Revillame. The visibly irked stockholder even added that if it was up to him, he would kick Revillame out.

'Indefinite break'

On Tuesday, ABS-CBN announced that Revillame is taking an “indefinite break” from his popular noontime show, but his contract obligations with the network remain.

“ABS-CBN management and Willie Revillame pushed through with their scheduled talk yesterday afternoon. Willie has realized his mistake and apologized to ABS-CBN management for his outburst on air in 'Wowowee' on May 4, 2010, and his failure to report to work since May 5, 2010. ABS-CBN management has accepted Willie’s apology.

"ABS-CBN and Willie agreed that he takes an indefinite break effective immediately, but his contract obligations with ABS-CBN hold. This disallows him to perform similar work for any person or entity in direct competition with ABS-CBN. At some point, ABS-CBN management and Willie will discuss what will be in the best interest of the viewing public.

"Meanwhile, 'Wowowee' will continue to provide entertainment and inspiration to Filipinos worldwide,” said Bong Osorio, head of ABS-CBN Corporate Communications."

The statement was released after Revillame and the big bosses of the network met Monday evening.

'Release me'

Prior to the meeting, Revillame sent management a letter dated May 12 asking that he be released from his contract.

The letter, which was addressed to ABS-CBN chairman Eugenio Lopez III and president Charo Santos-Concio, was written in light of the controversy involving him and entertainment journalist Jobert Sucaldito. A copy of the letter was leaked to the media.

Revillame had slammed Sucaldito for the latter’s alleged non-stop criticisms about Wowowee. Revillame, in particular, got irked after Sucaldito allegedly insulted the contestants of “Wowowee." The contestants were reportedly high school students with general averages of 75 to 79.

Sucaldito has repeatedly denied that he insulted the “Wowowee” contestants.

Revillame demanded that the network fire Sucaldito and threatened to leave the network if this was not implemented. The “Wowowee” host then went on indefinite leave.

"Wowowee" is currently being hosted by action star Robin Padilla.

Award-winning director and actor Cesar Montano has been offered to host the show for two weeks, but Montano and ABS-CBN have not made a final decision.

Reposted From ABS-CBN News

A Repost From Thea Alberto at Yahoo News

2010-05-25T12:34:00.000-07:00

Enrile: Canvassing may have to wait

By Thea Alberto – May 25th, 2010

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By Thea Alberto, Yahoo! Southeast Asia

(UPDATE 5) Although both chambers have approved the rules of canvassing, actual canvassing may have to wait for a few more days, Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile said after the joint session was suspended Tuesday.

“Hopefully we could begin but we ask the public to be patient. We will spend about two days or three days to clarify all these issues. We can’t open canvassing with a cloud of doubt,” Enrile told reporters.

Enrile said the Commission on Elections and Smartmatic officials have to appear before the joint committee of canvassing to clarify and answer several issues including allegations of poll fraud.

“Comelec must explain why, in its order or directive under Resolution No. 8786 dated March 4, 2010, it disregarded the requirement of the law for digital signatures to be affixed before transmitting the results of the voting,” Enrile said in his opening speech.

Enrile added that if the Comelec and Smartmatic refuse to heed their invitation to appear, a subpoena will be issued.

Meanwhile, the Senate president said a partial proclamation is possible.

“As much as possible, we will proclaim both. If there is reason to proclaim [one candidate] ahead, it’s not much a problem,” said Enrile when asked whether a president might be proclaimed ahead of the vice president.

“There is no legal question as long as we proclaim both by June 30,” he added.

The Senate and the House of Representatives finally adopted the rules for canvassing Tuesday, which signals the start of a journey towards proclaiming the winner for president and vice president of the country.

Enrile and House of Representatives Speaker Prospero Nograles presided over the public joint session.

“Let us rise above our political and partisan interest and…summon our collective will as institution and as statesmen of this nation, working on the people’s trust,” said Enrile, as he opened the session.

He also noted the “number of registered of voters,” which showed “256,733,195″ as the number of voters.

“What was brought to my attention was that in the field marked ‘No. of Registered Voters,’ the figure ’256,733,195′ was reflected. I inquired from Smartmatic if this was just a code or an outright error which must be corrected right away,” he said.

He said that Smartmatic has asked to be given time to verify the data.

Enrile said the Comelec Commissioner Gregorio Larrazabal said that the poll body would make the necessary corrections.

During the deliberation on the rules, Representative of the 1st District of Maguindanao Didagen Dilangalen requested the presence of Smartmatic, the Comelec and information technology experts before the House approves the rules.

Nograles eventually ordered the presence of the Comelec, Smartmatic and IT experts in the joint session, which was set to resume 2 p.m. Wednesday.

The joint Congress might proclaim the winners for president and vice-president by June 15, according to Enrile.

The Philippine Constitution requires that a new president must be proclaimed on June 30.

Presidential candidate Maria Consuelo Madrigal was among the presidential candidates seen attending the session.

Photo by NPPA

Reposted From Thea Alberto at Yahoo News

A Repost From AFP

2010-05-23T12:07:00.000-07:00

Philippine boxing champ Pacquiao taken to hospital

Philippine boxing hero Manny Pacquiao (L) shows his finger marked with indelible ink after casting his vote at a polling center in Kiamba, Sarangani province, in the southern island of Mindanao on May 10. World boxing champion Pacquiao has been taken to a hospital for a stomach ailment, but his lawyer says it is not serious and that he will likely be out the next day.

Slideshow: Faces of Asia PH

MANILA (AFP) - – World boxing champion Manny Pacquiao was taken to a hospital on Sunday for a stomach ailment, but his lawyer said it was not serious and that he would likely be out the next day.

Pacquiao, who was recently elected as a legislator, was taken to a suburban hospital in Manila after feeling pains in his stomach, said lawyer Jesus Gacal.

"It was just his usual acid reflux. The doctor told me there is nothing to worry about," Gacal told AFP.

"There was even no need for him to be confined but he wanted to take a rest after the (election) campaign," the lawyer added.

He said Pacquiao had suffered from this stomach problem before.

The 31-year-old fighter, who was elected on May 10 to represent the impoverished southern province of Sarangani, has been preparing to take up his post in the Philippine parliament.

Boxing promoters are also working to arrange a bout between Pacquiao and American Floyd Mayweather in November, to settle once and for all the fighters' claim to be the best fighter, pound-for-pound, of his generation.

Pacquiao has said he can handle the simultaneous burdens of being a legislator and training for a major fight, remarking that this required only proper "time management."

Boxing victories as well as his commercial endorsements last year made Pacquiao the world's sixth-highest paid athlete, with earnings of 40 million US dollars, according to Forbes magazine.

Reposted From AFP

A Repost From ABS-CBN News

2010-05-19T11:47:00.000-07:00

Bernas to Aquino: Recognize Corona appointment

MANILA, Philippines - Leading presidential contender Senator Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III should recognize the appointment of Chief Justice Renato Corona, an expert on the Constitution said Wednesday.

Constitutionalist Father Jose Bernas SJ said that Aquino should accept the appointment of Corona to the chief justice post to avoid a constitutional crisis.

Bernas said, despite Aquino not wanting to take his oath of office from Corona, he believes the incoming president will respect the appointment made by outgoing President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.

Bernas, one of the authors of the 1987 Constitution, explained that even if he is opposed to the Supreme Court's decision on the controversial appointment ban, the high court should still be respected.

Aside from the appointment ban, he is also opposed to the decision of the SC on the executive privilege of current Social Security Systems President Romulo Neri in relation to the NBN-ZTE telecommunications scandal, and the division of a congressional district in Camarines Sur favoring presidential son Rep. Diosdado "Dato" Macapagal Arroyo.

He said Corona should now be given a chance to prove himself, saying that he is giving the new chief justice the benefit of the doubt, and that he is his own man. Report from Timi Nubla, ABS-CBN News

Reposted From ABS-CBN News

A Repost From Yahoo

2010-05-12T12:34:00.000-07:00

Mar Roxas: Fight is not yet over

By Kim Patria, Yahoo! Southeast Asia staff writer

Sen. Manuel “Mar” Roxas is standing his ground even as his rivals in the vice presidential race concede to Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay.

In a statement read by Quezon Rep. Erin Tañada of the Liberal Party, Roxas admitted that it is a close fight between him and Binay but stressed that the Commission on Elections only released 85 percent of all the election returns.

“It is not for me, or anybody for that matter, to say if we’ve already lost, or if we will win in the end. It is up to the sovereign will of the people,” Roxas said.

“Until the canvassing is over, our fight does not end,” Roxas said in his statement, while thanking volunteers and voters who supported him.

Tañada said that win or lose, Roxas will face the media as soon as things become “clearer.”

Vice presidential bets Sen. Loren Legarda of the Nacionalista Party, Edu Manzano of Lakas-Kampi-CMD, and Ang Kapatiran’s Dominador Chipeco conceded Tuesday.

Permalink

A Repost From Yahoo

A Repost From ABS-CBN News

2010-05-03T02:29:00.000-07:00

Baron Geisler: I didn't harass Julia Clarete

MANILA, Philippines – Young actor Baron Geisler on Sunday denied that he sexually harassed television host Julia Clarete during a party in a Quezon City bar last April 10.

In his live interview on “The Buzz,” Geisler pointed out that Clarete, being “one of the boys,” would have punched him right away if the reported incident indeed took place.

“I don’t believe na hinarass ko siya. And me and Julia are close friends. At unang-una, if I did anything, Julia is one of the boys, she would punch right away. She would do something. Siya pa ang nag-hatid sa akin sa kotse,” he said.

Geisler said he and Clarete have communicated through text messages after the party, but they never talked about the incident.

A report on “The Buzz" said Geisler was celebrating with the cast and crew of an upcoming independent film at Taumbayan Bar last April 10. Clarete reportedly was not part of the film, but was invited to join the party.

Director Mark Meily, who was present during the event, said Geisler had a few drinks before singing a duet with Clarete.

“May moment na nagkantahan sila ni Julia at Baron. It was a sexy song. Parang magkaakbay sila. When they were singing hindi ko nakita ‘yong actual na sinasabi nila na… hinalikan ni Baron si Julia sa leeg. May nagsabi sa akin na hinipuan ni Baron si Julia," he told "The Buzz."

Meily said the day after the party, Geisler called him to ask if he had offended anybody.

“Nagtatanong siya kung meron siyang nasaktan. He was aware sa mga nangyayari pero baka may mga lapses na hindi na niya naaalala or kung meron siyang na-offend na tao.

“Alam niyang may problema siya… ina-address niya ‘yon and he’s always sorry for it,” he said.

Reports said Clarete is already planning to file a case against Geisler, but this has yet to be confirmed by the actress’s camp. The actress, according to the “The Buzz,” continues to elude the press.

Geisler, for his part, vowed not to attend any parties so as to avoid similar controversies.

He said he is glad that he’s blessed with work, and that ABS-CBN management continues to have confidence in him.

“Sana huli na ito sa mga intriga… Ayoko ng lumabas, ayoko ng gumimik,” he said.

This was not the first time that Geisler was accused of sexual harassment.

The daughter of celebrity couple William Martinez and Yayo Aguila earlier sued the young actor for committing acts of lasciviousness and unjust vexation.

Actress Yasmien Kurdi also accused Geisler of harassment during the taping of a television series. She lodged her complaint before the Philippine National Police Women's Crisis and Child Protection Center in Camp Crame, Quezon City.

A Repost From ABS-CBN News

2010-04-28T12:09:00.000-07:00

Star Magic debunks reports of Piolo Pascual's 'death'

MANILA, Philippines - ABS-CBN's Star Magic on Wednesday disputed reports that hunk actor Piolo Pascual died while filming in New Zealand.

"Walang katotohanan 'yon. Nagulat nga ang Star Magic kasi si Piolo nasa bahay niya sa Quezon City [at] natutulog ng kumalat ang text messages and reports," Thess Gubi, Star Magic’s PR head, told abs-cbnNEWS.com.

Gubi added that Pascual is in Subic right now to work.

Speculations about Pascual’s "death" spread after a website, Global Associated News, reported that Pascual “fell more than 60 feet to his death on the Kauri Cliffs while on-set.” The website cited reports from the New Zealand police as its source.

In November 2009, rumors that the actor was killed in a car accident also surfaced. His camp vehemently denied the speculations.

Reposted From ABS- CBN News

A Repost From GMA News.TV

2010-04-21T12:45:00.000-07:00

PGMA Is Making A Mockery of Her Appointing Powers. SHAME! SHAME! SHAME!

Arroyo's manicurist named Pag-IBIG board member, Palace confirms

Malacañang on Wednesday confirmed reports that President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's manicurist has been appointed as board member of the Pag-IBIG Housing Fund.

Deputy presidential spokesman Gary Olivar said Anita "Nitz" Carpon has been appointed to the housing agency to represent government employees, even as he defended her from criticisms against her "lowly" status.

"Ang kanya pong kakatawanin is precisely yung maliliit na empleyado na siyang nangangailangan ng serbisyo ng Pag-IBIG (What she will represent are precisely those small employees who need the services of Pag-IBIG). Let us not hold her lowly status against her," Olivar said in the report aired over GMA News’ early evening news program “24 Oras."

Carpon's appointment first appeared on broadsheet Philippine Star when Jarius Bondoc reported in his April 19 column that the manicurist had secured a post at Pag-IBIG and would likely receive a monthly salary of P130,000.

Bondoc also said "no one at the Pag-IBIG Fund cares to answer quiet inquiries" about the issue.

On April 21, Bondoc wrote another column, saying that aside from Carpon, Mrs. Arroyo also appointed her gardener, Armando Macapagal, as deputy of the Luneta Park Administration.

"Professionals among Malacañang’s housekeeping staff are outraged. Not only did Gloria Macapagal Arroyo appoint her personal manicurist to the board of trustees of Pag-IBIG Housing Fund. She also earlier named her gardener as deputy of the Luneta Park Administration. Both postings are improper sinecures, Palace aides murmur," Bondoc's column read.

"A third insider doubts the two appointees’ credentials. Macapagal supposedly landscapes Malacañang lawns but does not manage people. Carpon is not known for financial expertise to oversee the multibillion-peso housing mutual fund of all employees. Nicknamed Nitz, she is often scolded by Arroyo for mismatching presidential handbags and shoes," it added.

In 2002, President Arroyo also appointed her dentist Leonor Tripon-Rosero as board examiner for dentistry. In 2003, Rosero was promoted as commissioner of the Philippine Regulation Commission. Two years after, in January 2005, she was named as PRC chair.—JV, GMANews.TV

Reposted From GMA News.TV

Reposted From Reuters

2010-04-17T02:59:00.000-07:00

Corrected: Historic million dollar jewels headline NY auction

Corrects date of sale in first paragraph to Thursday

By Michelle Nichols

NEW YORK - An emerald brooch owned by Catherine the Great of Russia and a diamond ring that once belonged to former Philippine first lady Imelda Marcos are headlining a jewelry sale Thursday that Christie's expects will attract strong Asian buyer interest.

Both pieces have not been seen in public for decades and are estimated to sell for between $1 million and $1.5 million at the auction of 300 pieces of jewelry. The total sale could reap more than $25 million, Christie's said.

"Art and jewelry were more resilient than any other sector in the financial world and people still came and put great confidence in what they wish to buy," Rahul Kadakia, head of jewelry at Christie's New York, said of the financial crisis.

"The Chinese market is the biggest market in the world right now, because that's a market that's still building their collections," he said. "We had a lot of requests from clients in China for visas to come and attend the sale so we do know they will be here."

The 39.5 carat Emperor Maximilian Diamond ring was bought by Marcos, wife of the late Philippine dictator Ferdinand Marcos, in 1983 -- three years before her husband was ousted from power through a popular revolt.

Known for her extravagant lifestyle and love of shoes and jewelry, Marcos owned the Brazilian diamond until the mid-1990s when she sold it to a U.S. jeweler. Jeweler Cartier set the stone into a ring in 1934 and then Marcos changed the setting.

The stone was originally bought by Archduke Maximilian in 1860 shortly before he was named the Emperor of Mexico. But when he was captured and court-martialed by opposition forces, "legend holds that Maximilian was wearing the in a small satchel tied around his neck when he was executed," Christie's said.

The diamond ring is now being sold by a private collector.

The Catherine the Great brooch dates back to the mid-18th century when it was owned by Catherine II of Russia, who ascended to the Russian thrown in 1762, according to Christie's. It was passed down through several generations of her family.

In 1972 the brooch was bought by a private U.S. collector, whose estate is now selling the jewel.

"It's quite a regal jewel," said Kadakia. "The current owner's mother wore it to the White House for a state dinner in 1973. So it's been through a lot this brooch and it's seen a lot of history and has passed through some great times."

In 2009 Christie's sold more than $270 million worth of jewelry and diamond globally with several new records set.

The Vivid Pink, a 5-carat pink diamond, set a new record price for any gemstone when it sold for $10.8 million, while the Annenberg Diamond, a 32-carat diamond, set a new per-carat record when it went under the hammer for a total $7.7 million.

"Jewelry prices have held very strong," Kadakia said. "If you have something that's rare, that's irreplaceable, people pay what they have to pay to own it."

Reposted from Reuters

A Repost From NaturalNews

2010-04-15T13:48:00.000-07:00

Scientists find walnuts fight prostate cancer

Thursday, April 15, 2010 by: S. L. Baker, features writer

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(NaturalNews) Walnuts are a rich plant source of omega-3s, the fatty acids also found in cold water fish like salmon. Omega-3s are known to lower the risk of a host of health problems from depression to heart disease. Walnuts are also loaded with gamma tocopherol (a form of vitamin E), phytochemicals known as polyphenols, and antioxidants. Now, for the first time, scientists have reported that these nutrient-rich nuts have the ability to reduce the size and growth of prostate cancer.

Scientists from the University of California-Davis just reported their discovery at the 239th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society (ACS), being held in San Francisco this week. "Walnuts should be part of a prostate-healthy diet," Paul Davis, Ph.D., who headed the study, said in a statement to the media. "They should be part of a balanced diet that includes lots of fruits and vegetables."

Approximately 190,000 men in the United States will be diagnosed with prostate cancer this year. According to the University of California-Davis scientists, research suggests that diet is among the most important factors in influencing a man's risk for developing prostate cancer. For example, there's evidence that eating tomatoes and drinking pomegranate juice may reduce the chance of ever having prostate cancer.

Recently, scientists have found that walnuts could fight cardiovascular disease by reducing levels of endothelin, a substance that increases inflammation in blood vessels. Because men with prostate cancer are known to have elevated levels of endothelin, the University of California-Davis scientists reasoned that eating walnuts could be beneficial in preventing and/or treating prostate cancer.

Davis and his research team conducted their study on laboratory mice that had been genetically programmed to develop prostate cancer. One group of the animals ate the equivalent of about 2.5 ounces of walnuts per day in a human diet (equal to approximately 14 shelled nuts) for two months. A control group of mice did not receive any walnuts in their diet.

When the genetically induced prostate cancers developed in the walnut-fed animals, their tumors were only about half as large as those of the control mice. What's more, the cancers in the walnut eating rodents also grew 30 percent slower.

So what was going on in the bodies of the mice who ate walnuts? The researchers found those mice had lower levels of insulin-like growth factor-1. That's a crucial finding because high levels of this protein are thought to increase the risk of developing prostate cancer.

To further investigate why walnuts had the ability to fight prostate cancer, the researchers used gene chip technology to track changes in gene levels in the animals' tumors as well as in the livers of the mice. The results showed eating walnuts had a significantly beneficial effect on both tumor and liver genes that have been shown to be involved in controlling the growth of malignant tumors.

Editor's note: NaturalNews is opposed to the use of animals in medical experiments that expose them to harm. We present these findings in protest of the way in which they were acquired.

For more information:
http://www.naturalnews.com/028373_w...
http://www.naturalnews.com/027699_w...
http://www.naturalnews.com/027074_w...

Repost From NaturalNews

Repost From GMA News TV

2010-04-08T23:48:00.000-07:00

Marlene Aguilar leads march for son Jason's release

04/09/2010 | 11:29 AM

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Marlene Aguilar, mother of murder suspect Jason Ivler, on Friday led a march of relatives and supporters calling for her son's immediate release from the Quezon City jail.

Ivler's relatives and supporters marched from Aguilar's house in Katipunan to the city hall complex, the venue of the hearings on the murder case filed against Ivler.

Ivler, an American citizen, is the main suspect in the road rage killing of Renato Victor Ebarle Jr., son of a Malacañang official, in November last year.

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He was arrested and wounded after shooting it out with National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) agents last January 18 in his mother's home where he had been hiding.

Ivler was confined at the Quirino Memorial Medical Center (QMMC) after sustaining a gunshot wound in his abdomen.

Last Tuesday, the QC Regional Trial Court Branch 76 ordered Ivler's transfer from the QMMC to a detention cell at the Quezon City jail after finding him fit enough to be moved out of the hospital.

Ivler was moved to his cell with 20 foreign detainees last Wednesday. Aguilar had vowed to march daily near the jail while her son is incarcerated there.

Prior to Ebarle Jr.'s killing, Ivler was already facing a homicide through reckless imprudence case for the death of Malacañang Undersecretary Nestor Ponce Jr. in August 2004. The case is pending at the Pasig City Regional Trial Court. — Johanna Camille Sisante/RSJ, GMANews.TV

Reposted From GMA News.TV

Repost From NaturalNews

2010-04-07T14:58:00.001-07:00

Seaweed could hold key to natural weight loss

Wednesday, April 07, 2010 by: Sherry Baker, Health Sciences Editor
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(NaturalNews) Scientists at Newcastle University in the United Kingdom have discovered a substance that reduces fat uptake in the body by more than 75 percent. This potential obesity fighter isn't a drug but a natural substance found in seaweed.

The research team, headed by Dr. Iain Brownlee and Professor Jeff Pearson, tested more than 60 different fibers in the laboratory to see how effective they were in absorbing fat. The results? The scientists found that alginate, a natural fiber in sea kelp, blocks the body from absorbing fat far more effectively than anti-obesity treatments currently sold over the counter.

"There are countless claims about miracle cures for weight loss but only a few cases offer any sound scientific evidence to back up these claims," Dr Brownlee said in a press statement. "The aim of this study was to put these products to the test and our initial findings are that alginates significantly reduce fat digestion."

The Newcastle University findings were presented March 22 at the American Chemical Society Spring meeting in San Francisco. Dr. Brownlee announced that he and his colleagues now plan to recruit volunteers and study whether the effects they have found in the lab can be reproduced in real people. They also want to see if they can come up with tasty, healthy foods that incorporate the seafood ingredient.

"This suggests that if we can add the natural fiber to products commonly eaten daily -- such as bread, biscuits and yogurts -- up to three quarters of the fat contained in that meal could simply pass through the body," Dr. Brownlee stated. "We have already added the alginate to bread and initial taste tests have been extremely encouraging. Now the next step is to carry out clinical trials to find out how effective they are when eaten as part of a normal diet."

Alginates from seaweed are already commonly used in very small amounts in many foods as thickeners and stabilizers. When the seafood extract was added to bread as part of a blind taste test, Dr Brownlee said the alginate bread actually scored higher for texture and richness than a standard white loaf.

"Obesity is an ever-growing problem and many people find it difficult to stick to diet and exercise plans in order to lose weight," Dr Brownlee said in the press statement. "Alginates not only have great potential for weight management -- adding them to food also has the added advantage of boosting overall fiber content."

This is important because foods high in fiber have been shown in numerous studies not only to help in weight control, but also to reduce the risk for colon cancer and to lower levels of the "bad" cholesterol that is linked to heart disease.

For more information:
http://www.ncl.ac.uk/press.office/p...

Mga Sutil At Subersibo

2010-03-30T13:43:00.001-07:00

Nakakalungkot na makita ang mga estudyante nang PUP na nagsusunog nang kagamitan nang kanilang eskwelahan. Tinututulan nila ang pagtaas nang tuition fee sa 200 pesos per unit mula 12 pesos per unit. Nagtangka pa silang hakutin ang mga gamit nang eskwelahan nang isakay nila ang mga ito sa isang dyip at balak dalhin sa CHED (Commission on Higher Education) para duon sunugin. Dito sila hinuli nang mga pulis at dinala sa presinto. Nangako ang hepe nang CHED na ihihinto muna ang napipintong pagtataas nang matrikula nang PUP. Kahapon ay inurong nang PUP president ang kanyang reklamo laban sa 5 lider estudyante nang PUP na nanguna sa pagsunog nang mga gamit nang eskwela. Naipalabas sa media ang lantarang paghahamon nang 5 lider estudyante na nakuha pang itaas ang mga tikom nilang kamao (clenched fist). Imbes na magpasalamat na binawi nang presidente nang PUP ang reklamo laban sa kanila at napalabas sila sa kulungan ay parang lalo pa silang naghahamon. Ganito rin ang naging eksena sa campus nang PUP nang pumasok sila duon. Nakataas ang mga kamay sa clenched fist. Hindi na nila naisip na sila ay mga iskolar nang bayan at ang pamahalaan ang sumasagot sa dapat ay sila ang nagbabayad sa matrikula nila. MGA SUTIL MGA SUBERSIBO. KAHIYA HIYA. WALANG DISIPLINA.

Masaker

2010-03-27T01:49:00.000-07:00

Matapos ang tagumpay ni PGMA sa Supreme Court nang paboran siya nito nang karapatang pumili nang susunod na Chief Justice nang Supreme Court ay hindi nagaksaya nang panahon ang pangulo na sibakin ang mga career officials sa mga piling tanggapan nang gubyerno at halinhan ang mga ito nang kanyang mga piling tauhan. Ang unang nakatikim nang masaker ay ang kinatawan natin sa Germany- si Gng. Delia Domingo-Albert. Ni hindi man lang siya inabisuhan nang pagkakasibak sa kaniya. Sumunod ang mga pangunahing tauhan nang National Museum at National Historical Institute. Hindi rin nila nalaman na nasibak na pala sila. Nagkukumahog ang pangulo para sa sangkatutak na midnight appointments na clear violation sa isinasaad nang Konstitusyon at batas. Siguradong ia antedate nang Malacanang ang petsa nang paghirang sa kanila. Marami pa ang inaasahang masaker at midnight appointments nang dapat pababa nang pangulo. Nawala na ang delikadesa sa kanya basta masunod lamang ang kagustuhan niya. Sobrang takot niya na makasuhan nang plunder pagbaba niya nang poder kaya lahat na lamang nang paraan ay ginagawa niya para mapalawig pa ang kanyang termino. Pero merong makakapigil sa mga tiwaling gawain niya at iyon ay ang Diyos. Kahapon ay isinugod si FG sa ospital dahil sa komplikasyon sa puso. Harinawang makonsensya ang magasawa at huwag nang ituloy ang mapagimbot nilang plano para sa bansa. WALA NA BANG KAHIHIYAN AT TAKOT SA DIYOS SA PILIPINAS?

Nakakasulasok

2010-03-17T16:39:00.001-07:00

Dahil sa prinsipyo ay hindi ako naglalahad nang mga negatibong artikulo sa mga blogs ko pero hindi ko na matiis ang pagmamalabis at pagyurak nang Pangulong GMA sa mga Pilipino at institusyong pam Pilipino. Ang pinakahuling hirit ni PGMA ay ang pagpipilit na siyang mag appoint nang bagong Supreme Court Chief Justice na sinagayunan naman nang Korte Suprema. Para bagang naghahanda na si PGMA na maharap sa patong patong na asunto nang plunder at betrayal nang sinumpaan niyang katapatan sa konstitusyon at sa Republika nang Pilipinas. Hinirang na niya ang bagong Chief of Staff nang Armed Forces of the Philippines. Preparasyon na ba ito nang pagdedeklara nang Martial Law kapag tumagilid ang katayuan niya? Una dito ay nagdeklara siyang tatakbo bilang kinatawan nang ikalawang distrito nang Pampanga, preparsyon na maging bagong pinuno nang Kongreso at palitan ang porma nang gobyerno mula presidential tungo sa parliamentary. Kung baga sa baseball, all bases covered ang pangulo sa pagsisiguro na matutuloy ang kanyang pamumuno. Hindi na siya nagkasya na manungkulan nang sampung taon sa kaduda dudang pagkapanalo (kuno- hello Garci?), ngayon gusto pa rin niyang ipagpatuloy ang kanyang panunungkulan by hook or by crook. Kahiya hiya ang naging panunungkulan niya nang ginagantimpalaan pa niya ang mga nagtago nang katotohanan para sa kanya katulad ni Romulo Neri na matapos hindi nagsiwalat nang katotohanan tungkol sa ZTE Scam ay ginamtimpalaan nang magandang posisyon bilang head nang SSS. Abangan ang mga susunod na pakulo ni PGMA sa pagpipilit na ituloy ang pamumuno niya sa pinakamataas na posisyon sa bansa.

Wala na bang kahihiyan at moralidad sa Pilipinas?

A Re-Post From GMA News TV

2009-06-12T14:41:00.000-07:00

Home > Nation > Top Stories

Chief Justice Puno: 'Social volcano' on verge of eruption

06/12/2009 | 09:46 PM

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MANILA, Philippines – Chief Justice Reynato Puno on Friday warned that the country’s “social volcano" is on the verge of eruption, and called for Filipinos to heal the wounds that divide the nation.

CHIEF JUSTICE PUNO: Let us heal the wounds of disunity. Supreme Court photo

Puno made no mention of what those wounds were, but the Supreme Court will likely be a deciding factor in diffusing tensions caused by the burgeoning political crisis that has gripped the nation.

Opponents of the constituent assembly resolution passed by the House of Representatives
last week are expected to question before the Supreme Court any attempt to call for a plebiscite ratifying Constitutional amendments passed by the assembly.

Public anger is growing over widespread perceptions that congressional allies are maneuvering to prolong President Gloria Arroyo’s stay in power. A wide array of groups converged in Makati’s financial district last Wednesday in the biggest political demonstration this year.

Isang bansa na hindi sinusunod ang mga batas, isang bansa na sirang-sira ang moralidad dahil sa corruption

– Chief Justice Reynato Puno

Organizers have promised more to come if the House insists on pursuing Charter change through a constituent assembly when Congress opens in July.

"Nararapat na pigilin ang napipintong pagsabog ng isang social volcano sa ating bayan (We should stop the social volcano from erupting)," Puno said in a speech at the 111th Independence Day celebration at the foot of the Bonifacio Monument in Caloocan City.

Elsewhere in the speech, Puno compared the country itself to a volcano: “Isang bansa na gaya ng isang bulkan ay tila handa nang sumabog."

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Watch news video of Puno speech

"Let us heal the land, hilumin natin ang sugat ng pagkakawatak-watak," Puno continued. “Wag na tayong nagbabangayan, wag na tayong nagi-insultuhan, ‘wag na tayong magbabatuhan ng putik (let us heal the wound caused by dissension. We should stop quarreling, stop insulting each other, stop mudslinging)."

Puno avoided any specifics that would indicate what his sentiments were on Charter change, but he had strong words for the corruption and law-breaking he says are rife in Philippine society.

"Isang bansa na hindi sinusunod ang mga batas, isang bansa na sirang-sira ang moralidad dahil sa corruption," Puno said.

In addition to heading the third co-equal branch of government, Puno has often used his position as a pulpit to call for a moral regeneration in society, even naming public personalities who could lead a “moral force movement." Some analysts have interpreted these statements as trial balloons for a potential run for the presidency.

Political leaders since the time of Ninoy Aquino in the Senate in the early 1970s have evoked the image of a “social volcano" as a way of calling attention to growing public unrest.

A prominent opponent of the House con-ass resolution, Akbayan Rep. Risa Hontiveros, actually beat Puno to the metaphor recently, asserting that “the social volcano that this injustice and arrogance will create will explode in their face," referring to her pro-constituent assembly colleagues in the House. - Amita Legaspi and Howie Severino, GMANews.TV

Re-Post From GMA News TV

2009-05-26T23:38:00.000-07:00

26 distressed OFWs return home from Qatar

05/27/2009 | 02:12 PM

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MANILA, Philippines - After three months of working without pay in Qatar, 26 overseas Filipino workers (OFW) have finally returned home, a senator said on Wednesday.

In a statement, Senator Manuel Villar said that the group – originally consisting of 35 workers –went to Qatar last October to work for an interior decorating and furnishing outfit.

But just a few months into their jobs, the OFWs reportedly wrote to him complain

“Since we started work, our salaries have been always partially given, until such time when we were not getting any for almost three months. Our families in the Philippines have nothing more to eat."

Villar endorsed their case to the Department of Foreign Affairs, while the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration facilitated their repatriation.

He said one of the OFWs, Orlando Barazon, arrived on May 21, Romel Panaligan and Eduardo Baro on May 25, and Arthur Hernandez, Nicky Aguilon and Danilo Javier on May 27, with 20 more others to follow.

Villar said the repatriated workers will go to the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration on June 1 to file charges against their employer and agencies.

Nine of the 35 workers, on the other hand, have opted to stay in Qatar to look for new jobs.

The names of the 35 workers are as follows:
1. Orlando Barazon
2. Romel Panaligan
3. Eduardo Baro
4. Arthur Hernandez
5. Nicky Aguilon
6. Danilo Javier
7. Joselle Gacuya
8. Mar Ignacio
9. Felipe Dichoso
10. Erwin Dolor
11. Allan Delarea
12. Gregorio Masangkay
13. Michael Pedrezuela
14. Bernie Baclas
15. Arlan Falogme
16. Peter Sakballon
17. Danilo Javillonar
18. Joselito Dichoso
19. Emmanuel Bautista
20. Jonathan Javier
21. Arceo Galibio
22. Danilo Genova
23. Sulpicio Ubando
24. Almar Ramos
25. Berlin Sedurante
26. Adelio Ruanto Jr.
27. Marciano Dichoso
28. Richard Ravelo
29. Michael Aque
30. Alberto Reyes
31. Jimmy Rivera
32. Ramil Manito
33. Joemar dela Cruz
34. Rene Antonio
35. Reiner Sala.
- Kimberly Jane T. Tan, GMANews.TV

A Re-Post From Philippine Star

2009-05-23T12:42:00.000-07:00

5-year-old Taiwanese from RP has flu, too
Updated May 24, 2009 12:00 AM

A security guard watches over his post wearing protective face mask as another man adjusts his mask inside a hospital compound in Manila yesterday. AP

MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Health (DOH) said it is looking into a report that two Taiwanese visitors – a mother and her five-year-old daughter – caught the A(H1N1) influenza virus in the Philippines.

A 30-year-old Taiwanese woman who reportedly attended a yoga workshop in the Philippines from May 16 to 20 was earlier confirmed to have contracted A(H1N1) influenza in the country, the DOH said in a statement. Her daughter was later also found positive for the flu virus.

However, the two were not diagnosed until after they returned to Taiwan.

“The Philippine Department of Health has started investigating the matter. We are coordinating with the Taiwanese authorities and trying to contact the organizers to be able to trace all the attendants of the (yoga) event,” the statement said.

About 100 or more people from the United States, Canada and Australia reportedly attended the yoga workshop, the department said.

It was not clear how the woman and her daughter got infected, health department officials said.

They said the woman might have contracted the virus from the other foreign participants of the yoga session or the disease could already have been incubating when she left Taiwan together with her daughter but manifested symptoms only upon their return home.

Taiwan authorities were tracing people who had contact with the woman and her daughter.

Shih Wen-yi, spokesman for Taiwan’s Central Epidemics Command Center, said the mother did not have fever upon arriving at Taiwan’s Taoyuan International Airport Wednesday, and she dined at a friend’s house that evening after resting at home.

According to Shih, who declined to identify where the patient lives, the woman developed a fever and other flu-like symptoms including coughing and weakness Thursday and was soon quarantined, as was her daughter that night after developing fever earlier in the day.

The center is investigating whether individuals who had contact with the woman are also suffering from the flu, Shih said.

The girl’s kindergarten class – affiliated with Guangfu Elementary School in Taipei’s Zhonghe City – has been ordered closed until May 29, Shih said.

The kindergarten’s 119 teachers, staff members and students have been asked to stay home and take anti-flu medicine for 10 days, Shih added.

In control

In Manila, the DOH said it was “on top of the situation and we are closely monitoring this new development.”

The department stressed that there was no need to panic. “We continually strengthen our systems for effective surveillance, management and response,” it said.

“The Taiwanese health authorities are tracing the contacts of the patient during the flight. Again, we emphasize that the DOH is on top of the situation and we are closely monitoring this new development,” DOH Undersecretary Mario Villaverde said.

“The National Pandemic Preparedness and Response Plan is in place and we continually strengthen our systems for effective surveillance,” he added.

He also explained why only 17 co-passengers of the 10-year old Filipina girl who tested positive for A(H1N1) have been put under observation.

“It’s our contact tracing. This infection is a droplet infection and that’s how the influenza is transmitted,” Villaverde said over Vice President Noli de Castro’s “Para sa Iyo Bayan” weekly radio program on dzMM.

“There’s direct secretion of the patient – colds, cough, sneeze. This is not airborne so only the close contact priority should be traced because it’s a droplet infection,” he added.

Dr. Yolanda Oliveros, director of DOH’s National Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said that while the department does not ban big gatherings, it urges organizers and participants to observe precautionary measures against the A(H1N1) flu virus.

“If they can postpone the gathering, better. But if not, the DOH has issued guidelines that they can follow,” she added.

The DOH recommends that gatherings be held in open-air venues without overcrowding and that the venues must be equipped with hand washing facilities.

The DOH has also advised those with fever, cough and cold, among others, to avoid attending public gatherings.

Palace appeals

At Malacañang, Press Secretary Cerge Remonde appealed to the public to heed and respect the DOH’s approach to the A(H1N1) threat.

Reacting to calls from various groups, including Roman Catholic bishops, for the government to provide more information about the first confirmed case of the A(H1N1) virus in the country, Remonde said the Palace would leave it up to the DOH.

“We leave this matter to the Department of Health. They are in the best position, they have the training, expertise and proven capability to address threats like these,” Remonde said over state-run Radyo ng Bayan.

The DOH has declined to provide detailed information about the first A(H1N1) case in the country, except for the age and gender of the afflicted person.

Health officials explained that the identity and whereabouts of the 10-year-old girl were being kept upon the request of the girl’s family.

No symptoms

Meanwhile, the DOH said 15 of the girl’s 17 co-passengers in the plane that carried them to Manila from the US showed no symptoms of A(H1N1).

But DOH’s Villaverde said the 15 passengers and their housemates have been asked to undergo self-quarantine for 10 days and take Oseltamivir antibiotic to fight off possible infection.

“Our regional epidemiology units are coordinating with the local government units to contact the two other passengers who are spread in wider areas of Luzon,” he added. He did not identify the two.

The girl is said to be recovering and only has slight sore throat. She will still be made to undergo laboratory examination to determine if her viral load has reduced.

“It looks likes she had acquired the mild type of influenza,” Villaverde said.

Remonde said President Arroyo has ordered the DOH, Bureau of Quarantine and other concerned agencies to strengthen measures to prevent the spread of the virus.

These include the purchase of more screening equipment for passengers arriving from other countries.

Remonde said the DOH has been given full access to the funds of the National Disaster Coordinating Council and that the President is prepared to augment the funds for fighting the disease “as soon as the Department of Health will ask for it.”

Airport info campaign

The Manila International Airport Authority and the Bureau of Quarantine began yesterday a series of seminars for NAIA personnel to educate them and increase their awareness of the new strain of influenza virus.

“This is very important especially now that statistics of suspected and confirmed cases worldwide is escalating,” Alfonso Cusi, MIAA general manager, said.

“As we continue to monitor the arrival and departure of passengers through our thermal scanners, we also care about our workers at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) and their safety is paramount to us,” Cusi said.

The orientation includes basic information about the A(H1N1) virus, its background and how it is transmitted.

“In extreme situations like this, it is best to tap the airport employees themselves to help the MIAA and the Department of Health in their daily efforts to prevent the entry of the virus into the Philippines. Partnering with them translates into saving their lives as well as that of their loved ones,” Cusi said.

“On our first day, around 800 employees assigned at NAIA Terminal 1 participated in the awareness program. We hope to be able to reach out to almost 5,000 employees working in the NAIA complex within the next two to three weeks,” he added.

“These efforts are all aimed to unite everyone at the premier gateway so we can overcome this new challenge that affects everybody,” Cusi said. – Sheila Crisostomo, Pia Lee-Brago, Rudy Santos, Marvin Sy

Philippine Star

A Re-Post From A Filipina Mom in Denmark

2009-05-14T20:27:00.000-07:00

Information Hub for Filipina Au Pairs

May

Sweden accepts au pair applications by Filipinos living outside the Philippines

admin on May 9th, 2009

Pictures taken in Malmo, Sweden

Photo Credits: Ana Lindenhann

Let me clarify about my first post about Sweden respecting the Philippine’s ban of deployment of Filipinos as aupairs which is the reason the title of my post is Filipinos is Filipino au pairs is not welcome In Sweden. It is not to discredit any au pair matching agencies that provide Filipino aupairs to families in Sweden but I just based the information on the announcement posted at their site at http://www.migrationsverket.se/english.jsp?english/eat/eataupair.html

I also based on the Philippines newspaper report last about au pairs which you can read here and I knew personally 2 Filipinas who worked as au pairs here in Denmark who we’re denied when they applied as au pairs after their term in Denmark. But they told me that their application was denied because Sweden uphold the au pair ban in the Philippines so I presumed that they don’t welcome Filipinos as au pairs. One of these two Filipinas went home to the Philippines because she did not apply to other country like for example in Norway but the other girl is in Sweden not as an aupair but as a student.

It was written in a hurry and was in fact happy that finally one country in Europe respects the Philippines au pair ban. But someone commented or corrected me obviously from an agency so I have to verify the matter to the authorities concerned right away.

I wrote the Swedish Migration Board for clarification and they replied to me last 24 April 2009 that

“Au-pair permit and citizens of the Philippines is a special case. Sweden can not give an Au-pair permit to a citizen of the Philippines if they apply from the Philippines. This is because they will not be allowed to leave the country with an au-pair permit. However, there are no general rule stating that we are not allowed to give a citizen of the Philippines an Au-pair permit. Hence if a citizen of the Philippines has a permit to stay in another country and from that country applies for an Au-pair permit this might be approved (if the persons fulfill the requirements).”

So Filipinos living outside the Philippines you still can apply as au pair in Sweden but you have to know your right so as not to repeat what has happened in Denmark and currently in Norway (based on the current news).

As part of au pair awareness I will post the requirements for applications as well the reiterate the rights of au pairs.

Manny Pacquaio KO's Ricky Hatton In The 2nd Round

2009-05-04T02:16:00.000-07:00

Manny Pacquiao Sends Ricky Hatton To The Canvas

Manny Pacquiao Staggers Ricky Hatton With A Left

Pacquiao Tagging Hatton With A Right

Manny Pacquiao, a national hero in the Philippines and the current pound for pound champion of the world, knocked out the flamboyant Ricky Hatton in the second round of their scheduled 12 round title bout. Pacquiao decked the bull rushing Hatton twice in the very first round before finishing him off in the second round with a power punch left hook. It was by far the most spectacular victory by the new golden boy of boxing who humbles himself before the Lord in his every fight. Top Rank promoter Bob Arum even cited Manny as on the way to becoming the greatest fighter who ever lived. Pacquiao's stunning victory silenced the normally rackuous British fight fans who came in droves at the fight arena to witness their own national hero. Even the repressive Floyd Mayweather Sr., Hatton's trainer, was humiliated by the quickness of Pacquiao's victory. It clearly vindicated Freddie Roach and further cemented his hold as the best boxing trainer in the world. Two more spectacular victories against current title holders will officially cement Pacquiao's claim to being the greatest fighter of all time.

Tags: Manny Pacquiao, Pacman, Ricky Hatton, The Hitman, Freddie Roach, Floyd Mayweather Sr., Bob Arum, Best Pound For Pound Fighter In The World, Boxing, MGM Grand Arena, Las Vegas, USA, Philippines, UK, Gen. Santos City, Victory, Knock Out, Sensational Victory, God's Glory

Posted by: Mel Avila Alarilla
Philippines
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