RP News

Remittances up 19%; 100 guns found in US shipment About 100 U.S.-made assault rifles have been discovered in a shipment of household goods from California, and investigators were looking into whether the weapons were intended for an alleged plot to unseat President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, police said. The brand new AR-15 rifles, which are used by U.S. troops, were disassembled and parts were distributed among three of 436 boxes inside a steel container that arrived June 9 at the Manila international container port, said Chief Superintendent Ricardo Dapat, head of the police Criminal Investigation and Detection Group. Two night vision goggles also were found in the shipment. Â?The timing is suspect here,Â? Dapat said. Â?Right now, weÂ?re coordinating with our American counterparts our investigation to identify and arrest the persons behind the foiled smuggling.Â?

Overseas workersÂ? remittance up by 19.1 % Increased deployment of Filipino workers abroad helped raise their salary remittances to the Philippines by 19.1 percent from a year earlier to 790 million dollars in April, the central bank said. Remittances for the four months to April rose 17.2 percent to 3.1 billion dollars, it said in a statement. It said this is due to the Â?double-digit growth in deployment of workers in AprilÂ? as well as Â?seasonal transfers for the school enrollment period" ahead of the June 2005 opening of the school year. The central bank said the bulk of the remittances for the first four months came from the United States, Saudi Arabia, Italy, Japan, Britain, Hong Kong, Singapore, and the United Arab Emirates.

3-M Filipinos are unemployed Nearly three million Filipinos were jobless as of end-April, according to the National Statistics Office (NSO). In its latest labor force survey, the agency said unemployment in April rose 8.3 percent to 2.91 million using the International Labor Organization (ILO) concept of joblessness. The jobless rate stood at 11.3 percent in January. Filipinos who have work numbered 32.2 million; the labor force, or those who are either employed or unemployed, reached 35.1 million. Metro Manila recorded the highest unemployment rate of 14.4 percent, followed by Central Luzon at 11.4 percent and Southern Luzon at 11.1 percent.

Pinoy hostages in Cambodia Five Filipinos, including four teachers and a three-year-old boy, were among the hostages held briefly but released later by a group of kidnappers who took over a school in Cambodia early on June 16, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said on the same day. The DFA identified the five as teachers Ann Magsino Ocampo, Percy Cabales, Meriam Sison, and Rosemarie Betiwan, and OcampoÂ?s son, Stephen Luke Ocampo, all from the British International School in Siem Reap. An Agence France-Presse report from Phnom Penh in Cambodia said that a Canadian child was killed but the rest were freed after the four hostage-takers surrendered to police.

3 mutineers get verdict A military court has given a Â?lightÂ? verdict on three of five rebel soldiers who exposed alleged efforts to use the Armed Forces to ensure the victory of President Arroyo in the May elections last year. The court, presided by Col. Virgillo Espeneli, issued the verdict at the ArmyÂ?s OfficerÂ?s Club in Fort Bonifacio after the soldiers, three days after they entered into plea bargaining with the prosecution. Â?This court sentences you to forfeit two-thirds of your pay for six months (and) to be suspended for promotion for one year," said Espeneli, reading a verdict after the two changed their earlier plea of not guilty to guilty. The soldiers were Capts. Peter Navarro, Captain Rembert Baylosis, Captain Philip Esmeralda who were among the five Â?Kawal PilipinoÂ? soldiers who disclosed in January last year plans to use the military in the elections.

3 erring GSIS officers sacked Ombudsman Simeon Marcelo has ordered the dismissal of three senior officials of the Government Service Insurance System after holding them liable for approving a $10-million loan in 1997 to a real-estate company with a spurious collateral. Sacked were GSIS senior executive officers Alex Valencerina, Amalio Mallari and Fernando Campana. The Ombudsman also forfeited their retirement benefits and disqualified them from government service. The three were found guilty of Â?grave misconduct.Â? A fourth respondent, Leticia Bernardo, manager of the surety ship department of GSIS, was temporarily spared from sanctions after process servers failed to serve the summons on her.

US hails RP laundering drive The Philippines has emerged as a leading partner of the United States in its fight to intercept laundered funds being funnelled to terrorists and organized crime groups, a US official saidÂ? The US government and the Philippines were also working closely to Â?advance their techniquesÂ? in tracking dirty funds, said Keven Peters, an attache for the US Homeland Security in the American embassy in Manila. A crack unit created when the Philippine passed its anti-money laundering law in 2002, has Â?done an outstanding job of working with the world to track the funds, seize the funds, to freeze the funds and charge violators," Peters said.

RP-Sino trade exceeds $13-B Philippine trade with China exceeded 13 billion US dollars in 2004 and the future of the two countriesÂ? trade partnership looks even brighter, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo said. She bared this in a speech at the 30th anniversary celebration of Philippine-China diplomatic relations held at the Manila Hotel, the President said the Philippines enjoys a surplus of almost five billion dollars in its trade with China. Â?China has become a major trading partner of the country,Â? she said, adding that, Â?Aside from being a vigorous and generous trading partner, China is an investor in our industries, in our mines, in our oil exploration."

Despite threats tourists come American tourists and other foreigners continue to visit the Philippines amid the spate of adverse travel advisories warning them against visiting the country on security concerns, the Department of Tourism (DOT) said. The DOT said there is a significant increase in number of foreign tourists who visited the country in the first four months of the year as compared to the recorded arrival of foreigners a year ago. A total of 852,583 international arrivals were recorded from January to April, or 10.5 percent higher than the 771,569 tourists who visited the country in the same period last year. Visitors from East Asia, including China, Japan and South Korea accounted for the bulk of recorded arrivals in the first trimester of the year, with a total of 312,778 tourists, the DOT said. Americans remained on top of the countryÂ?s tourist market with a total of 184,109 arrivals or 11.8 percent higher than last yearÂ?s recorded arrival from the United States.

WB anti-graft aid for RP The World Bank has approved a $300,000 grant to help strengthen internal audit units of the Philippine government. President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo witnessed the Internal Audit grant agreement signing at the Rizal Hall of Malacanang. To be funded by the Institutional Development Fund (IDF) of the World Bank, the $300,000 grant will support initiatives to strengthen internal audit units of government agencies to enhance and bring up their procurement monitoring process to international standards.The grant is expected to help establish adequate internal controls in government procurement intended to reduce the opportunities for graft and corruption.

Japan Airlines pays damages The Court of Appeals (CA) has ordered Japan Airlines to pay P750,000 (about $15,000) to a Filipino passenger who was prevented from donating his kidney to an ailing relative in the United States because he was told to disembark from a JAL airplane on suspicion that his travel documents were faked. In an eight-page decision penned by Justice Magdangal de Leon, the CAÂ?s eighth division ordered Japan Airlines to pay Jesus Simangan P500,000 in moral damages and P250,000 exemplary damages Â?arising from breach of contract of carriage." Court records showed that in 1992, Simangan was asked to donate a kidney to his cousin Loreto Simangan in Los Angeles. Simangan was issued an emergency US visa by the American Embassy in Manila so he could immediately travel to the US for the transplant operation. On July 29, 1992, Simangan boarded the JAL flight to Los Angeles, California via Narita, Japan. While inside the JAL airplane, he was ordered off the plane on suspicion he had fake visa.

Sikatuna award for UNDP rep President Arroyo has conferred on outgoing United Nations Development Program (UNDP) resident representative to the Philippines Deborah Landey the Order of Sikatuna with the rank of Lakan for her outstanding achievements during her stay in the country. The President expressed gratitude for the steadfast services rendered by the UNDP coordinator during her tour of duty. Â?We would like to give you an award for your wonderful services and as our gesture of our thanks for your love to our country and to every Filipino in the entire length of your stay in the Philippines,Â? the Chief Executive told Landey.

Muslim artist gets medal President Arroyo has awarded the Presidential Medal of Merit to Dr. Abdul Mari Asia Imao Sr., for his achievements in the field of Visual Arts. Dr. Imao is a well-known Filipino-Muslim sculptor, painter, ceramicist, photographer, writer, cultural researcher, humanities professor, art educator and metal casting technologist. He is one of only two Philippine sculptors who had received the prestigious award, the other being National Artist Napoleon Abueva. Dr. Imao is also one of the most awarded artists and scholars receiving at least 17 grants and fellowships for art and professional development in many institutions worldwide.

Mestiza Italian wins Mutya Italian-Filipino Carmiezinas Nicolosi beat 23 other young women for the Mutya ng Pilipinas title in ceremonies held at the Clamshell II in Intramuros, Manila, June 11.. She was also declared Best in Swimsuit. Miss Photogenic and Best in Long Gown Katharina Koegel, a German-Filipino, was first runner-up. PangasinanÂ?s Arabella Hanesh, who is part Jordanian, was second runner-up, while crowd favorite Abby Cruz from Quezon City was third runner-up. Pakistani-Filipino Namkeen Hameed was fourth runner-up. This yearÂ?s Mutya pageant had a record number of representatives from the Filipino communities in Australia, Europe and the United States.

OFWs reject boycott call Overseas Filipino workers from Saudi Arabia have rejected MigranteÂ?s call to temporarily suspend remittances in protest of the various scandals hounding the administration of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. In an e-mail message, Rashid Fabricante of Pusong Mamon Task Force told INQ7.net he and his colleagues are going to continue sending remittances because they are Â?the lifeblood of our economy and the umbilical link to our families and loved ones.Â? Pusong Mamon Task Force is a network of OFWs in the Middle East who help fellow OFWs who find themselves in difficult situations.

Taiwan nixed by Asean The Philippine government has rejected TaiwanÂ?s bid to become a member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo told reporters in a chance interview that Taipei is not qualified to be part of the regional grouping because it is not recognized by the United Nations as a state and it is not located in the Southeast Asian region. Â?The Â?one-ChinaÂ? policy has always been the policy. ItÂ?s only China thatÂ?s recognized by the United Nations. WeÂ?re members of the UN so we abide by the UN," Romulo explained. Under the one-China policy, no ASEAN country is allowed to establish diplomatic relations with Taiwan. The renegade province is seeking membership in the ASEAN to further strengthen its economic and political ties with the regional grouping.

RP elected ILO titular member Ambassador Enrique A. Manalo of the Permanent Mission of the Philippines to the International Labor Organization in Geneva, Switzerland said the Philippines has been elected as a Titular Member of the International Labor Organization (ILO) Governing Body. The Governing Body is the ILOÂ?s executive council that formulates its policies and programs, guides the activities of the various conferences and committees, and adopts the draft Programme and Budget of the ILO for submission to the conference.

Pinoy wounded in Iraq treated OFW Jose Mark Culilap,26, who sustained multiple injuries in a mortar attack on Camp Victory last month is still recovering in a German hospital. Culilap was brought by air ambulance to the Landsstuhl Regional Medical Center in Landsstuhl, Germany for further operation and surgery. Doctors at the hospital said Culilap suffered shrapnel wounds in the back and the left arm and that due to the injuries the left arm below the elbow was amputated and his spleen was also removed. Culilap is employed by American-Iraq Solutions Group (AISG) in Baghdad. The representative of AISG accompanied Mr. Culilap to Germany and is now arranging all necessary documentation and support including medical coverage for the injuries sustained by the OFW.

Fil community in Germany meet Ambassador Minerva Jean A. Falcon of the Philippine Embassy in Berlin, Germany, reported that more than 200 leaders and officers of 52 Philippine-German associations based in Germany attended the First Convention of Filipino Community Leaders on 4 June 2005 at the Rheinterasse in Dusseldorf city, a pioneering event held as part of the commemoration of the 50th anniversary of Philippine-German diplomatic relations. Falcon said that the Convention bolstered the process of galvanizing the more than a hundred diverse Philippine-German associations in Germany under one umbrella organization, envisioned to become a stronger voice in German society and to provide a valuable vehicle in articulating and promoting development assistance in the Philippines. As the Convention was a Germany-wide gathering of community leaders and officers, it was able to generate a stronger spirit of cooperation and camaraderie among the participants and also provided the appropriate occasion for the celebration of Migrant WorkersÂ? Day, annually commemorated on 7 June.

GMA receives 9 envoysÂ? papers President Arroyo recently accepted the credentials of nine newly assigned ambassadors to the Philippines in simple rites at the Rizal Hall in Malacanang. The nine foreign diplomats were Ambassadors Juan Felipe Pitty of Panama, Wijekoon Mudiyanselage Senevirathna of Sri Lanka, Thordur Aegir Oskarsson of Iceland, Yuriy Kostenko of Ukraine, Jorge Enrique Mora Rangel of Colombia, Ricardo Paredes Osorio of El Salvador, Arturo Duarte Ortiz of Guatemala, Lucas Pande Tavaya of Zimbabwe, and Abdel Rahman Hamza Elrayah Hamza of Sudan. Accompanying the nine foreign diplomats were Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Assistant Secretaries Ariel Abadilla and Norberto Basilio, and DFA Director Mark Deborja.

2 Pinoys win prizes in Hague Ambassador Romeo A. Arguelles of the Philippine Embassy in The Hague, the Netherlands, reported that two Filipinos have won top prizes in two different categories in the Business in Development (BiD) Challenge, an international business plan competition organized by the Dutch National Commission for Sustainable Development (NCDO). In the awards ceremony held in Utrecht, the Netherlands, on 3 June 2005, Noel Sarmiento Percil was given first prize in the category of Organization for Development for his business plan Â?Pelletizing Plants from Plastic Waste Materials.Â? Mr. Percil received a 20,000 Euro (Ã?) financial start-up award. Another Filipino, Jonah S. Nobleza, received the second prize in the category of Developing Country Individuals for his business proposal Â?Integrated Mobile Service Units for Coconut Processing.Â? Mr. Nobleza received a 5,000 Ã? cash award. Another Filipino, Joshua B. Guinto, was a finalist in this same category. Three other Filipinos - Robert Sagan, Darrel Napasinday and Roberto Alaban - participated in the competition, reaching the semifinal round. @18PTCACW = LUZON

Rare flower in Isabela CABAGAN, Isabela, Philippines Â? Environmentalists have found a rare wild flower called the Rafflesia in the eastern forest of the Sierra MadreÂ?s biodiversity corridor in Cagayan province. Perla Visorro, chief executive officer of the environment group Cagayan Valley Partners for PeopleÂ?s Development, said her field workers found the Rafflesia when they went to the Sierra Madre recently. She expressed hope that the discovery would encourage President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to declare the biodiversity corridor in Cagayan a protected landscape and seascape. The Rafflesia grows as big as a car wheel or as small as a full-grown cabbage. Although classified as rare because it grows only in small numbers, the Rafflesia is not endangered.

Abra ex-mayor gets 25 years The Sandiganbayan has sentenced a former Abra town mayor and a treasurer to a maximum 25 years and four months imprisonment after they were found guilty of failing to remit P889,101.66 to the Government Service Insurance System in 1998. In a 23-page decision, the court ruled that former mayor Wilmer Borbon and municipal treasurer Patricia Hernandez of Danglas, Abra, were guilty of malversation of public funds and violated Republic Act 8291, the GSIS Act of 1997. The court ordered the defendants to return to the municipal government of Danglas some P366,708.16, the total amount of GSIS premiums that they failed to remit. The remaining amount corresponds to the unremitted contributions to PhilHealth and Pag-Ibig.

Malaria reported in Bulacan MALOLOS CITY - The Bulacan provincial government personnel and health authorities are closely monitoring four barangays in San Jose del Monte City where nine suspected malaria cases were reported in last April and May. Bulacan Gov. Josefina M. dela Cruz however said Â?there is no malaria outbreak in the area or anywhere in Bulacan.Â? She said these were isolated cases and there was no fatality among the suspected cases. Some places in San Jose del Monte are forested areas which are located near the mountain towns of Angat, Norzagaray, and Donya Remedios Trinidad. The governor said there has been no letup in the efforts by health personnel to monitor the villages of San Isidro, Paradise, San Roque and Kaybanban, all in San Jose del Monte, where the suspected malaria cases were reported.

Baguio losing its tourist allure BAGUIO CITY Â? Travel agencies are having difficulty selling Baguio, the summer capital, as part of their travel tours. They say that, business-wise, packaging a city tour is practical, Travel pointless. While travelers still ask about the mountain resort city, they end up choosing brochures of other destinations. Â?The reason is obvious,Â? said Catherine de la Rosa, president of the local chapter of the National Association of Independent Travel Agencies of the Philippines (Naita). Â?Baguio has slowly and simply lost its natural luster as a prime tourist destination." Baguio has been experiencing its worst tourism decline since the 1990 earthquake. Cited as culprit is the negative publicity allegedly generated by news reports about the cityÂ?s pollution problem, it being a potential target of terrorist attack, deaths caused by meningococcemia, the water shortage, and the slur created by a Tagaytay website. @18PTCACW = VISAYAS

Is Dumaguete a killer city DUMAGUETE CITY - The image if tgus City as Â?City of Gentle PeopleÂ? is now a misnomer with the Â?state of affairsÂ? worsening, said Fr. Ricky Balungag at the requiem mass Sunday for murdered Officer-In-Charge City Treasurer Erlinda Tumongha. Â?IÂ?m sorry if IÂ?m stepping on the toes of some people here...bahala naÂ?g naay maligsan,Â? Fr. Balungag said in a daring homily before Dumaguete City officials led by Mayor Agustin Perdices at the Cathedral. He said the murder of Tumongha was only a Â?tip of the icebergÂ?. Â?What happened to the City of Gentle People...it is now the City of Killing People,Â? Fr. Balungag lamented.

Recall move on city mayor BACOLOD CITY - Mayor Evelio Â?BingÂ? LeonardiaÂ?s political nemesis, former mayor Luzviminda Â?JoyÂ? Valdez, the prime mover of the recall move against him, said group had already gathered more than 40,000 signatures from BacolodÂ?s registered voters. Valdez said on the day before they file the petition to have Leonardia recalled, probably they could hit their target of about 58,000 signatures.

Child prostitutes around Cebu CEBU - There are more child prostitutes in Cebu City than in the cities of Mandaue and Lapu-Lapu, last yearÂ?s study of the International Labor Organization-International Program for the Elimination of Child Labor (ILO-IPECL) revealed. The ILO-IPECL, with the help of the University of San Carlos, conducted the study from December 2003 to January 2004 and came up with the numbers which it said were alarming. Cebu City had 149 child prostitutes, while Mandaue City had 22 and Lapu-Lapu City, 10. The ILO, however, admitted that this count was only a small portion of the actual number that remains unreported. Jesus Macasil, ILO-IPEC representative, said, Â?This is very alarming because this only involves a portion of the real number. This does not include yet prostitution in schools or the Â?prosti-tuition,Â? the akyat-barko, and those who work in spas and bars."

Land titling row in Boracay BORACAY, Aklan, Philippines Â? Businessmen, resort owners and residents here who used to be united in protecting their stakes on this world-renowned island-resort are now split on the issue of the titling of lands here. The stakeholders failed to reach a compromise after a three-hour dialogue with Department of Environment and Natural Resources officials who came here to gather support for the reclassification of Boracay from forest land to alienable and disposable land. The BFI, whose 127 members own and operate establishments on the island, maintained that those who hold tax declarations and had developed their properties had the right to ownership regardless of the size of their land. @18PTCACW = MINDANAO

Troops free 2 Indons captives ZAMBOANGA CITY - After three months in captivity, two Indonesian crewmen abducted by suspected Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) bandits were rescued by government troops June 12 in Indanan, Sulu. Soldiers engaged the abductors in a fierce firefight before the foreigners were abandoned by their kidnappers. The men were shaken but unhurt, were recovered before dawn near Indanan town on southern Jolo island after a firefight between troops and Abu Sayyaf guerrillas, military officials said. Erickson Hutagaol, 23, and Yamin Labuso, 28, along with another Indonesian identified as Ahmad Resmiyadi, were abducted by a group of armed pirates at Mataking Island near the Philippine-Malaysian boarder on March 30. Resmiyadi is reportedly being held elsewhere in Jolo. Troops were trying to find and rescue him, Army Brig. Gen. Alexander Aleo said.

Press extradite of Yank bomber DAVAO CITY Â? Government lawyers here handed in documents needed to begin extradition proceedings against the American national tagged in the bomb explosion at the Evergreen Hotel in Davao City in 2002. City Prosecutor Raul Bendigo said they want Michael Terrence Meiring, who nearly died in that explosion in his room at the hotel, extradited to face charges for illegal possession of ammunition and reckless imprudence resulting in damage to property. Bendigo said they learned recently that Meiring is already in Houston, Texas. Mayor Rodrigo Duterte said Meiring should also be charged for arson for burning a portion of the hotel.