ManilaMailDC.Net

RP NEWS

---- Reds deny resumption of peace talks, ceasefire
Communist rebels denied Sept. 8 that formal peace talks would resume and a ceasefire enforced in October and renewed their demands for the government to have their group delisted as a terrorist organization and to free jailed militants.
Lead negotiator for the communist insurgents, Luis Jalandoni, said “outstanding issues” remained unresolved after the two sides held informal talks in Oslo, Norway last week.
“The informal consultations held in Oslo on August 28-30 did not result in an agreement to resume formal meetings of the negotiating panels and undertake a joint ceasefire between the NDFP and the GRP," said Jalandoni, chairman of the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) negotiating panel.
Among the rebels’ demands are their continuing calls for Manila to free “political prisoners” or leftist militants and the delisting of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army as a “terrorist organization" by Philippine allies the United States and European Union, Jalandoni said.
---- AFP changes stir military
It was to have been a big day in Maj. Gen. Samuel Bagasin’s career in Zamboanga city Sept.9. His wife came and even his parents flew in from the United States to share the moment with him.
But Bagasin, commander of the Army’s 4th Infantry Division in Cagayan de Oro City, never got to savor the day. In a seemingly surprise, last-minute move, President Macapagal-Arroyo designated Armed Forces Deputy Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Edilberto Adan-not Bagasin-as Southern Command chief, replacing the retiring Lt. Gen. Alberto Braganza.
Adan’s assumption of the command yesterday promptly stirred a new controversy in the military as the Board of Generals (BOG) had earlier recommended Bagasin to the post.
---- RP growth ranking drops
THE Philippines slipped one notch lower in the ranking of the 2005 Human Development Report Index, the United Nations Development Program said. Placing 83rd in the HDR index in 2004, the country dropped to 84 this year on a list of 177 countries. It had an index value of 0.758 points, from 0.753 in 2002 and 0.751 in 2001.
The Philippines is in the medium development bracket along with other Asian countries like Malaysia, which ranked 61st; Thailand, 73rd; Vietnam, 108th; Indonesia, 110th; and India, 127th.
On Wednesday a joint report released by the Asian Development Bank and the UN predicted that the Philippines cannot meet the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015.
---- 67 % of Pinoys say life worsened
About 67 percent of Filipinos believe life has become worse over the past 12 months because of the political crisis and rising oil prices, Pulse Asia research group said in a recent survey.
The poll of 1,200 adults nationwide, conducted from July 2-14, also found that 49 percent expected their lives to worsen by July next year.
Only 12 percent said their quality of life had improved over the past 12 months, while 19 percent said they expected things to get better next year, the survey revealed.
It also found that 80 percent of respondents believed the country’s conditions had worsened over the past 12 months, with 65 percent saying they expected it to get worse.
It was conducted at the height of a political crisis stemming from audiotapes allegedly showing that President Gloria Arroyo cheated to win the May 2004 elections. Despite the scandal, 45 percent of respondents said the country’s biggest concern was controlling inflation while 37 percent said it was reducing poverty.
---- ADP sees growth decline in RP
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) further cut its economic growth forecast for the Philippines for this year and next owing to a global electronics downturn, weak farm output, meager investments and soaring oil prices. In its Asian Development Outlook (ADO) 2005, the regional lender reduced its growth forecast to 4.7 percent this year from its earlier projection of 5 percent. It also slashed its forecast for next year to 4.8 percent from 5 percent previously.
The report warned that forecasts on the Philippines are subject to a greater than usual degree of uncertainty, given the impact that rising global oil prices have on the economy, disruptions to the tax legislation and political uncertainty.
---- Pinoy hostages in Somalia
The Philippine government and the Taiwanese authorities have sought the assistance of the United Nations for the release of the 48 people held hostage by Somali rebel soldiers, the Department of Foreign Affairs said.
DFA spokesperson Gilbert Asuque said the hostages, among them 12 Filipinos, were on board three Taiwan-owned fishing vessels when Marejan soldiers seized them on August 16 at the Kismayu Harbor in Somalia. The other hostages were Indonesians, Vietnamese, and Chinese.
He said the owners only sought the help of Taiwan authorities on August 24 after the situation seemed out of the owners’ hands already.
Labor Secretary Patricia Sto. Tomas said the Somali rebel soldiers are asking for a ransom of 500,000 dollars for each vessel.
---- RP exports more workers
Labor Secretary Patricia Sto. Tomas said that total global deployment of OFWs in more than 180 host destinations worldwide reached 639,592 for the first eight months of the year, compared with the 629,366 land- and sea-based OFWs deployed for the same period last year.
Citing figures from the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration, Sto. Tomas said that of the total of 32,210 land-based OFWs in various categories accepted by the Japanese economy in the first semester of 2005, some 29,661 were overseas performing artists (OPAs) or about a thousand lower to 30,758 OPAs accepted in Japan from January to June 2004.
“Globally, some 478,981 land-based workers, together with 160,611 overseas Filipino seafarers, or a total of 639,592 OFWs, were deployed in more than 180 host destinations including Japan as of August 23, 2005, which shows that the effects of the new visa rules are imperceptible if not slight," she said.
---- Mail-order-brides warned by CFO
The Commission on Filipino Overseas (CFO) warned Dumaguetenos against illegal recruitment, human trafficking, and documentation fraud on migration and intermarriage. Janet Ramos, CFO counselor and orientation officer, issued the warning in a pres briefing at the office of the Philippine Information Agency (PIA) in Dumaguete City. Ramos said CFO has documented cases of fraud involving Filipino women who wanted to marry foreigners.
She said the cases mostly involved mail order brides, a marriage arranged by brokers for Filipino women and foreigners.
“The Filipino wife end up being a domestic helper to her husband and his family or in worst situations, abroad," Ramos said.
She also warned against direct hiring, escort services, blind ads, visa assistance or immigration consultancy scheme, among others.
Records of the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA), Ramos said, show more than four million reported cases of illegal recruitment and human trafficking nationwide as of 2004.
---- Hidalgo is new DepEd OIC
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has designated Undersecretary Fe Hidalgo as officer-in-charge of the Department of Education.
Hidalgo takes over the DepEd leadership from Undersecretary Ramon Bacani, who was designated as the agency’s officer-in-charge after former DepEd Secretary Florencio Abad resigned last July 8.
Hidalgo was DepEd’s Undersecretary for Programs and Projects prior to her appointment to her new post.
A Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D) major in Curriculum Development and Instructional Psychology (The Education Process), Hidalgo started her teaching career in Batanes in 1956 and has been in the field of education up to the present.
---- 2nd extradition on Blanca case
The Department of Justice (DOJ) will file its second extradition case against the husband of slain actress Nida Blanca, Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez said. Gonzalez said they had gathered additional evidence that would convince the California Court to order the return of Rod Lauren Strunk to the Philippines. “I’m fairly confident that this time, we will be able to get him (Strunk)," Gonzalez said. Last year California Court Judge Gregory Hallows dismissed the government’s extradition case for lack of evidence.
Strunk went to the United States in 2002, a few months after his wife was killed to attend to his sick mother.
---- Epilepsy afflicts many Filipinos
An estimated 150,000 Filipinos are suffering from epilepsy, a neurological disorder that some people still associate with spirit possession, experts said. “When an epileptic is having a seizure, some people think that he is being possessed by evil spirits or supernatural forces. They get afraid. We want to correct this myth,” said Dr. Marilyn Hebron-Ortiz, head of the child neuroscience division of the Philippine Children’s Medical Center and a member of the Philippine League Against Epilepsy (PLAE).
Founded in 1997, PLAE celebrates this week the fourth National Epilepsy Awareness Week with a mission to erase the stigma surrounding epileptics.
---- Slain newsmen had no training
A recent study released by the Center for Media, Freedom and Responsibility (CMFR) showed that most journalists who were killed in the line of duty had no formal training in mass media.
Although a majority of the slain journalists are college graduates, few had formal training in journalism or mass communication, the CMFR said.
The same study showed that 62 percent of the slain journalists are graduates of other courses, 25 percent finished high school and 13 percent had no record of any educational attainment.
CMFR executive director Melinda Quiros-de Jesus said it is alarming that some journalists lack any training in media ethics, particularly to guide them in covering sensitive issues.
“Ethics training will help you cover your beats even the most difficult to cover, like elections and politics," De Jesus pointed out.
She also said publishers and network firms should also take full responsibility in training their reporters on journalistic ethics.
---- Doronila’s bid as envoy nixed
THE Commission on Appointments effectively bypassed the confirmation of journalist Amando Doronila as ambassador to Belgium for lack of time. Sen. Miriam Defensor Santiago, chair of the Committee on Foreign Relations, explained that with Congress set to adjourn on September 10, the commission could no longer hold plenary meetings due to the House inability to attend the meetings because they are busy with the impeachment proceedings. She said President Arroyo should reappoint Doronila to continue his nomination before the CA.
Santiago also said that Senators Juan Ponce Enrile, Serge Osmena and Rodolfo Biazon remained firmly opposed to the confirmation of Doronila, citing his lack of qualification and background.
@18PTCACW = LUZON
---- Baguio losing as tour mecca?
BAGUIO CITY - The Department of Tourism (DOT) regional office reported that as far as tourist arrivals is concerned, this city has been at the losing end, and is badly in need of help especially from local officials.
DOT Regional Director Purificacion Molintas said recently that in the past two years, Baguio’s tourist arrivals steadily declined, bringing down its share of tourists to 76 percent from the usual 90 to 95 percent.
The provinces of Kalinga, Ifugao and Benguet, on the other hand, have been getting the bulk of tourists. While Baguio continues to register a decline in visitors, the provinces, in the past two years, have registered a 200 percent increase in arrivals.
Molintas said the development is “dramatic” as these areas were not previously identified as tourist destinations apart from the Banaue Rice Terraces of Ifugao.

---- Ifugao marks historic date
KIANGAN, Ifugao - This little known highland town does not have much to offer such as tourist spots. But its people were teeming with pride of history Sept. 1. Unknown to most Filipinos, it was in Kiangan where Japanese Maj. Gen. Tomoyuki Yamashita, the so-called “Tiger of Malaya,” surrendered to US forces, virtually ending the Second World War.
Kiangan’s Lt. Santiago Balajo, perhaps the oldest living World War II veteran at 95, recalled that they jumped with joy when Yamashita, who had his last defense here, finally gave up.
President Arroyo, along with Sen. Richard Gordon and National Historical Institute director Ludovico Badoy, handed a commemorative badge to Balajo yesterday as part of the 60th anniversary commemoration of Yamashita’s surrender.
---- Mayon alert goes up again
LEGAZPI CITY - The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) has warned that another round of major eruptions of Mayon Volcano may occur following the magma reactivation and extrusion of lava pile or lava dome within the summit crater. Ed Laguerta, Phivolcs resident volcanologist chief, said the latest episode of lava accumulation indicates a phase of low-level magmatic activity which might lead to two general scenarios, such as major “Mayon’s magma system is reactivating which could lead to another round of major eruptions. The other possible situation is that Mayon is merely in a recharging mode and that a major explosive eruption are some years away, consistent with general and relatively nonviolent periods of activity since the l968 eruption."
---- Pastors bring light to barrios
LA UNION -The Philippines Anglican Church and the Episcopal Diocese of North-Central Philippines have set up a joint community-based project to bring power to the remote regions of the Philippines.
The project involved the construction of a micro-hydro power plant which was designed and supervised by the Wellspring of Science and Technology (SIBAT). SIBAT also received 1.5 million peso (22,000 Euro) additional funding for the project. Episcopalian Bishop Joel Pachao brought light to the remote village of Lon-oy, some 250 kilometres north of Manila, in the La Union Province, in 2002.
Frank Taguba, an engineer with SIBAT, said “It was really a pity to see [the villagers] groping in the dark at night time. Before the construction of the plant, villagers had been forced to use kerosene lamps for lighting. The villagers of Lon-oy also pitched in with the manual labour, with men, women and teenagers all helping in the digging and cementing over a three year period of a more than one kilometre-long diversion canal from the Lon-oy River.
---- Bayan leader die in Samar
CAMP OLIVAS, Pampanga - Maj. Gen. Jovito Palparan has taken over as chief of the Philippine Army’s 7th Infantry Division in Central Luzon.
The murder of the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) chair in Eastern Visayas marked his departure from his previous command, while statements of protests and demands to make him account for alleged human rights violations greeted his arrival in Central Luzon.
Lawyer Norman Bocar, Bayan Eastern Visayas chair, was gunned down in Borongan, Eastern Samar last month, according to Bayan-Central Luzon chair Roman Polintan who pointed to Palparan as the culprit.
“He’s not welcome here,’ Polintan said of the general whom he called the “butcher of Mindoro and the Visayas.”
---- Ex-Rep. Monfort dies at 77
Former Fifth District Congressman Narciso Monfort succumbed to his illness of the prostate at 8 p.m. Sept. 1 in his Mandaluyong home. He was 77. Narsing died peacefully in the company of his family after receiving the last rites," her text message read.
Monfort was born on May 1, 1928. He went to Lublub Elementary School, Dumangas for his elementary education; Barotac Nuevo School for his high school education; and graduated with a degree in Liberal Arts from the College of San Agustin (now University of San Agustin).
He worked his way through college by being a laboratory assistant in San Pablo Hospital (now Saint Paul’s Hospital).
@18PTCACW = MINDANAO
---- 7 Sarangani officials held
SARANGANI PROVINCE — The Sandiganbayan 5th Division ordered the arrest of a former vice governor, a former board member, and five dismissed capitol officials and employees implicated in a P46 million fund scam.
In the arrest warrants dated August 23 and signed by Associate Justice Maria Cristina Cortez Estrada of the Sandiganbayan 5th Division, ordered arrested were former Sarangani vice governor Felipe Constantino and former provincial board member Marlind Marcelo.
In the same order, Estrada likewise ordered the arrest of former provincial accountant Maria Camanay, former provincial agriculturist Romeo Meole, Patricio Sol, Nicalos Sunio, and Suzette Clerigo.
The former government officials and provincial employees were earlier ordered dismissed by the Ombudsman due to administrative complaints filed against them.
---- Wounded RP eagle is saved
DAVAO CITY — The chief of a Tiruray tribe from Isulan, Sultan Kudarat rushed to the aid of an injured Philippine Eagle in Sitio Kamanga and brought the bird to environment officials in Tacurong City last month. Realizing that the eagle is an endangered species, Sultan Sinangayan, a datu from Sitio Kamanga, Barangay Laguilayan in Isulan, allegedly confiscated the bird from a native on August 17 and transported the eagle to the City Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO) in Tacurong City two days later.
The endangered eagle, nursing a gunshot wound in the neck area, was then turned over to Philippine Eagle Foundation (PEF) on August 25. The bird was allegedly one of two eagles reported to have been shot in the locality recently. However, no information was available on the whereabouts of the other eagle.
---- NPAs disarm mayor, guards
LA PAZ, Agusan del Sur -The battle-readiness of a town mayor and his body-guards proved futile in the face of an equally heavily armed group of New People’s Army rebels in Agusan del Norte. An undetermined number of the rebels, including four amazons, on Sept. 7 disarmed Mayor Renato Salas Munez of La Paz, his police escorts PO3 Eugenio Rebutazo and SPO2 Bobby Orlandez and his driver-bodyguard at an NPA checkpoint.
Meanwhile, three suspected NPA rebels killed one police officer and injured another yesterday in an ambush in Davao del Norte.
Reports reaching the PNP headquarters in Camp Crame identified the fatality as SPO3 Wilfredo Bagsican, who died of a bullet wound in the head. SPO1 Ferdinand dela Cruz survived the ambush with gunshot wounds in the shoulders and legs.