Three dead in rebel attack in southern Philippines

MANILA (BNO NEWS) — At least three civilians were killed on Saturday when suspected communist rebels attacked a police station in southern Philippines, the military said.

Two police officers were also injured after about 200 suspected New People’s Army members attacked the police station in the town of Trento in Agusan del Sur province, Chief Superintendent Reynaldo Rafal said as reported by GMA News. Other official sources, however, said the attackers numbered about 40.

Rafal added that the attackers tried to overrun the police station but fled after the station’s personnel fought back. He said suspected communist rebels were also injured in the predawn attack.

Earlier this month, about 40 New People’s Army rebels attacked a mining company compound in the central island of Negros in an attempt to force the mining company to pay revolutionary taxes.

The New People’s Army is the military wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines. The rebels have been fighting for decades for the establishment of a Maoist state in the largely Catholic country.

Saturday, July 30th, 2011

Source: WireUpdate.
Link: http://wireupdate.com/wires/19153/three-dead-in-rebel-attack-in-southern-philippines/.

Philippines captures senior communist rebel leader

Wed, 05 Jan 2011

Manila - Philippine security forces wounded and captured a senior communist rebel leader, a regional military spokesman said Wednesday.

Tirso Alcantara, overall commander of communist rebels in the main northern island of Luzon, was taken into custody late Tuesday in Lucena City, 105 kilometers south-east of Manila.

Alcantara was the most senior communist rebel to be arrested in the Philippines in recent years. His capture came a day after the end of an 18-day Yuletide ceasefire between government troops and leftist guerrillas.

Army Colonel Generoso Bolina said Alcantara was shot by police officers and soldiers when he tried to evade arrest at a checkpoint in the village of Ibabang Iyam.

"Tirso Alcantara resisted arrest and attempted to draw his pistol that resulted in a commotion and the wounding of the subject in his buttocks," he said.

The government troops also captured Alcantara's aide who was identified as Apolinario Cuarto.

The arresting team seized weapons including two pistols and two hand grenades from the suspects, Bolina added.

The Philippines and the communist rebels have agreed to resume later in the month peace negotiations which have been stalled since August 2005.

Communist rebels have been fighting the government since the late 1960s, making the movement one of the longest-running leftist insurgencies in Asia.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/360757,senior-communist-rebel-leader.html.

Philippine communist rebels get 2 million dollars from extortion

Thu, 30 Dec 2010

Manila - Communist rebels in the Philippines amassed nearly 100 million pesos (2.3 million dollars) from extortion in 2010, a military spokesman said Thursday.

Brigadier General Jose Mabanta said that based on data gathered by the armed forces, the guerrillas collected 95.5 million pesos in "revolutionary taxes" from various companies.

He said the collection was down from 136 million pesos in 2009.

But Mabanta noted that since 1998, communist rebels have extorted about 1.5 billion pesos from various companies, mainly mining firms, logging corporations and plantations.

"The communist rebels at this point are not anymore a security threat. They are already considered a threat against development," he said.

The military earlier reported that at least seven mining firms in the southern Philippines have threatened to withdraw operations due to extortion by communist rebels.

Communist rebels have been fighting the Philippine government since the late 1960s, making the movement one of the longest-running leftist insurgencies in Asia.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/360133,rebels-million-dollars-extortion.html.

US Navy officer jumps to death after cocaine arrest in Manila

Mon, 27 Dec 2010

Manila - A 35-year-old US Navy officer jumped to his death on Monday in the Philippines after he was arrested at an airport for allegedly carrying cocaine, police said.

Lieutenant Commander Scintar Mejia was about to board a flight to Los Angeles from Manila on Sunday when a pack of cocaine was found in his luggage.

Mejia became unruly after the discovery and even accused officials at Manila's Ninoy Aquino International Airport of a frame-up, according to police Senior Superintendent Manuel Pintado.

Pintado, deputy director of the airport police, said the suspect was detained overnight at the airport and committed suicide after seeking permission to go to the bathroom on Monday morning.

"On the way to the toilet, he suddenly ran from his escorts and jumped head first into a 10-feet stairway," Pintado said. "He died while being treated in a nearby hospital."

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/359772,death-cocaine-arrest-manila.html.

Philippines joins fight against wildlife trafficking

Tue, 14 Dec 2010

Manila - The Philippines on Tuesday launched a campaign to stop wildlife trafficking as part of a regional effort prevent illegal trade of protected and endangered species.

Banners and streamers printed with "Wildlife Trafficking Stops Here," were unfurled at Manila's Ninoy Aquino International Airport, while leaflets and brochures containing information about endangered and protected species were distributed to travelers.

Mundita Lim, chief of the Philippines Animal and Wildlife Bureau, said seminars would be given to airport personnel to train them to better detect and prevent wildlife trafficking.

Manop Lauprasert, an official of the Association of South-East Asian Nations' Wildlife Enforcement Network, said the campaign is part of a regional effort to combat wildlife trafficking.

"Illegal wildlife trade is a profitable but environmentally destructive crime that threatens species," he said.

"Thousands of wild animals and plants flow through hotspots, such as airports, everyday," he added. "We need partnerships - between government agencies - and between governments and [the] private sector to confront this menace effectively."

The campaign started at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi International Airport in March 2009 and has since expanded to other airports in Laos and Vietnam.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/358064,joins-fight-wildlife-trafficking.html.

Rights group slams Philippines for boycott of Nobel Prize ceremony

Thu, 09 Dec 2010

Manila - A New York-based human rights group on Thursday criticized the Philippines for deciding not to attend the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony for Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo.

Human Rights Watch said it was "shocked and disappointed" that the Philippines, a staunch advocate of democracy and human rights in Asia, would be skipping the gala Friday in Oslo, Norway.

"The Philippines prides itself on its democratic values, which is why it is shocking to see this government turning its back on Liu Xiaobo's non-violent struggle for free expression in China," said Elaine Pearson, the group's deputy director for Asia.

"By declining the invitation to attend the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony, the Philippines is failing to live up to its promises to promote human rights in Asia," she charged.

The Philippines is among 19 countries that have said they would not be sending representatives to the ceremony. Others include China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Colombia, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq and Vietnam.

A spokesman for the Department of Foreign Affairs confirmed that the Philippines would not attend the ceremony but declined to state the reason.

A senior diplomat who requested anonymity said the Philippines decided not to attend the event because it "does not want to further annoy China."

China has expressed dismay over the Philippine government's handling of the investigation into a tour bus hostage-taking that left eight Hong Kong tourists dead in August in Manila.

Beijing and Hong Kong reacted angrily when President Benigno Aquino III rejected recommendations to file criminal charges against close allies for alleged mishandling of the hostage crisis.

Communications Secretary Ricky Carandang denied there was pressure from China on the Philippines not to attend the Nobel ceremony.

"Our ambassador is going to be attending another function, so he won't be able to go to the peace prize awarding," he said. "Attendance is optional, so I don't think that should be a big issue."

Chinese Ambassador to Manila Liu Jianchao said China did not pressure the Philippines but added, "We appreciate the understanding of the Philippine government."

"Every country has the right not to attend the event," Liu said.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/357311,boycott-nobel-prize-ceremony.html.

Philippines declares longest holiday truce with communist rebels

Fri, 03 Dec 2010

Manila - The Philippine government on Friday declared an 18-day Yuletide ceasefire with communist rebels, the longest in 10 years, as part of efforts to resume stalled peace talks.

Alexander Padilla, head of the government negotiating panel, said the suspension of offensive military operations will start on December 16 and last until January 3.

Padilla said the communist National Democratic Front (NDF) was expected to issue a separate truce declaration covering the same dates, as agreed at a meeting in Hong Kong on December 1-2.

During the two-day meeting facilitated by Norway, Padilla said he and NDF chief negotiator Luis Jalandoni agreed to resume formal peace talks in February.

The negotiations have been suspended since August 2005.

"There is a lot of work to be done in the next three months," Padilla said. "The government shall aggressively pursue the path to peace towards a just and honorable settlement of conflicts."

Jalandoni said in a separate statement that a preliminary meeting between the government and rebel negotiating panels has been scheduled for January to prepare for the formal talks.

Communist rebels have been fighting the Philippine government since the late 1960s, making the movement the longest-running leftist insurgencies in Asia.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/356396,holiday-truce-communist-rebels.html.

Philippines bans deployment of workers to South Korea

Sat, 27 Nov 2010

Manila - The Philippines on Saturday stopped the dispatch of its workers to South Korea amid increasing tensions with North Korea, a deputy presidential spokeswoman said.

The decision was reached by a team that included officials from the foreign and labor departments who closely monitor the situation on the Korean Peninsula, Abigail Valte said.

Valte also clarified that the actual number of documented and undocumented Filipinos in South Korea is 46,000 not 60,000 as earlier reported by the Department of Foreign Affairs.

The Philippine military has placed the air force and navy on alert for the possible repatriation of thousands of Philippine workers from South Korea if the conflict escalates after North Korea on Tuesday fired artillery shells at a South Korean island near their disputed western sea border, killing two soldiers and two civilians.

Armed forces spokesman Brigadier General Jose Mabanta said the military was also ready to deploy troops to South Korea if necessary to help evacuate Filipinos working and living there if the conflict worsens.

About 10 million Filipinos work overseas, and the money they send home accounts for 10 per cent of the Philippines' gross domestic product.

The Philippines on Friday condemned Tuesday's attack and called on North Korea to abide by its obligations under international law and the UN Charter.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/355402,deployment-workers-south-korea.html.

Philippine military prepares to evacuate citizens from South Korea

Fri, 26 Nov 2010

Manila - The Philippine military has placed the air force and navy on alert for the possible repatriation of thousands of Philippine workers from South Korea, a spokesman said Friday.

Brigadier General Jose Mabanta said the military was also ready to deploy troops to South Korea if necessary to help evacuate Filipinos working and living there if the conflict worsens.

"Whatever transport aircraft and ships available are being readied right now for any eventuality," he said. "We will make available all military resources."

There are about 60,000 Filipinos in South Korea, according to the Department of Foreign Affairs.

They were alerted of their possible evacuation after North Korea on Tuesday fired artillery shells at a South Korean island, killing two soldiers and two civilians and leading to a sharp escalation in military tensions.

The Philippines on Friday condemned the attack and called on North Korea to abide by its obligations under international law and the United Nations charter.

"The Philippines calls for an end to provocative actions that raise tensions and adversely affect peace and stability in the Korean Peninsula and in the Asia-Pacific region," it said.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/355286,evacuate-citizens-south-korea.html.

Death toll from dengue fever hits 724 in the Philippines

Thu, 18 Nov 2010

Manila - The death toll from dengue fever in the Philippines has reached 724 since the start of the year, the Department of Health said Thursday.

The deaths, recorded from January 1 to October 30, were up nearly 50 per cent from 485 fatalities in the same period last year.

The health department also recorded a total of 119,789 cases of dengue infections, an increase of more than 140 per cent from 49,319 a year ago.

Dr Lyndon Leesuy, manager of the department's National Dengue Control Program, urged local officials to step up efforts to inform residents in their communities about how to avoid getting dengue.

"We cannot go to your houses to eliminate the breeding sites of mosquitoes or to cover your water containers where mosquitoes can breed," he said. "We need the support of those in communities."

Dengue is an infectious tropical fever causing acute pain in the joints. Symptoms include loss of appetite, general weakness, nausea and vomiting.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/354085,fever-hits-724-philippines.html.

Town election official attacked in the Philippines

Manila - A town election official was shot by an unidentified gunman in the southern Philippines, three days before the scheduled national and local elections, a police report said Saturday.

Jay Actub Salinas was wounded late Friday in front of his home in Loreto town in Agusan del Sur province, 875 kilometers south of Manila.

Salinas has just delivered the memory cards of the vote-counting machines at the town elections office when he was attacked.

Police investigators said the victim was in stable condition and was being treated at a hospital in nearby Tagum City.

Police and soldiers have vowed to maintain order during Monday's elections, when more than 50 million registered voters are to choose the next president, vice president, 12 senators, more than 200 congressmen and nearly 18,000 local officials.

Dozens of people have been killed and injured since the campaign period started in January, but police said the toll was far lower than during the 2007 election, when more than 100 people were killed.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/322601,town-election-official-attacked-in-the-philippines.html.

PREVIEW: Filipinos looking forward to picking new leader

Manila - Vilma Fernando couldn't hide her excitement about the upcoming elections.

The mother of four said she and her relatives had already prepared a list of their choices, from president to municipal officials in their town of Lubao, 75 kilometers north of Manila.

"We are voting straight Liberal so hopefully there will be change," Fernando, 35, said. The Liberal Party presidential candidate is the frontrunner, Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III.

"We have had enough of President (Gloria Macapagal) Arroyo, there were too many bad things that happened during her administration," she added. "It's time to replace her and her people."

Her sentiments are shared by many Filipinos eager to choose a new leader after nine years of an Arroyo administration overshadowed by corruption scandals, allegations of fraud, patronage politics and mistrust.

More than 50 million Filipinos have registered to vote on May 10 for a new president, vice president, legislators and thousands of local officials. Turnout is expected to be higher than the 77 per cent at the last presidential elections in 2004.

Nine candidates are running for president, but surveys show that three candidates dominate the race - Aquino, Senator Manny Villar and former president Joseph Estrada.

Arroyo's candidate, former defense secretary Gilbert Teodoro, is trailing behind at fourth place.

Jun Salipsip, president of the Institute of Strategic and International Studies, said he believed that Filipinos were making their decision not based on who could manage the country better but who they could trust with their future.

"Whereas before (people said) let's pick someone who knows what to do or someone who can do it, now (they ask) is he trustworthy, is he someone who will take care of the country, is he someone who will take care of us," he said.

"The feeling is that we need somebody who can inspire us, who can raise our self esteem because we have been known as the most corrupt, we have been known as the country plagued with all sorts of scandals and anomalies," he added.

Professor Benito Lim of the Ateneo University said Filipinos were also looking for a new leader with no links whatsoever to the outgoing administration.

"They have been so dissatisfied with Arroyo's performance that this is their chance to get rid of her," he said.

Lim cited poverty, unemployment, graft and corruption and problems arising from climate change as among the top issues that the next government must prioritize.

Salipsip said the next president of the Philippines must also concentrate on raising revenues for the government to allow better delivery of basic services, improving infrastructure to attract investors and create more jobs and regaining public trust.

Prosecuting Arroyo and her allies for alleged corruption and other wrongdoings should also be a priority, but the new administration must allow the legal processes to work and avoid getting derailed by vindictiveness, he added.

Amid the high stakes, jitters are mounting over a new automated system that would count the votes electronically for the first time in the Philippines.

While election officials stressed that the system would prevent cheating, which has traditionally marred Philippine polls, critics noted that poor preparation has led to weak security measures that could allow digital fraud.

The doubts have triggered warnings of violence and another "people power" revolt similar to the 1986 uprising that ousted dictator Ferdinand Marcos and catapulted Corazon Aquino to power.

Dinky Soliman, a former Arroyo cabinet member now with the Liberal Party, said anger at the government would finally blow if cheating occurred in the elections.

"People are telling us that they will go out into the streets if there is massive cheating," she said. "People want to see an election, but if victory is stolen from the person who we thought would win, the seething would really erupt."

Arroyo has been accused of cheating in the 2004 polls. She and her camp denied the allegation, but no formal investigation was conducted to disprove evidence of the alleged fraud.

Soliman urged people to be vigilant on election day to thwart any attempts to hijack the vote.

For Gabriel Santos, a garbage collector with seven children, May 10 will be just another day for his family.

The Santoses live in a cramped shack in Manila's biggest dump, where they collect recyclable materials to sell.

"I don't really pay much attention to politics," he said, as he sorted out dirty plastic bottles. "I just want to be able to work and live decently. I have very few wishes in life, I just want us to be able eat three times a day."

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/322036,preview-filipinos-looking-forward-to-picking-new-leader.html.

PROFILE: Democracy icon's son electrifies Philippine voters

Cebu City, Philippines - Senator Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III is no rock star, but the crowds turning out to see him campaign for president of the Philippines might make one think that he is.

"Oh, I'm so excited to finally see him in person," Malou Garillos gushed as she snapped photos during Aquino's visit to the municipal hall in Cebu City, 585 kilometers south of Manila.

The city employee also brought her teen daughter along see Aquino, the frontrunner in the presidential race.

"He looks very simple," the 40-year-old said. "I really hope he wins because he represents the change we all are aspiring for."

In the nearby city of Talisay, a young woman and her friends waited for more than seven hours in scorching heat just to catch a glimpse of Aquino and take a blurry picture of him on top of a truck.

"That's good enough," she said as they ran towards the truck.

Aquino smiled and waved at the crowd that spilled into the narrow road, halting traffic. People cheered, giggled, jumped and applauded.

The 50-year-old bachelor joked that his trademark yellow T-shirt, quite tight at the start of the day, was already loose because of all the people pulling at it.

"Everywhere we go, there are so many people. I'm happy to be swimming in a sea of people who love me," the scion of the country's most famous political family said. "We are already winners."

Latest polls show Aquino winning the May 10 elections with 39 per cent of the vote. His closest rivals, Senator Manny Villar and former president Joseph Estrada, are tied in second place with 20 per cent.

Aquino is running on an anti-corruption platform, his main slogan proclaiming, "Without corrupt people, there will be no poor people."

He has vowed to not raise taxes and instead increase state revenues by stamping out corruption in government and going after tax evaders and smugglers.

Before he decided to run for president, Aquino was just a legislator with no stellar record as a politician.

One could say that his only claim to fame is that he is the son of two Philippine heroes who played key roles in toppling the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos after a 20-year-rule.

His mother was democracy icon Corazon Aquino who was catapulted to the presidency by the "people power" revolt that ousted Marcos in 1986. His father was opposition senator Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino, whose assassination in 1983 galvanized opposition against the former strongman.

But analysts said the Aquino legacy is a "very compelling story" that Filipinos can relate to in their continuing struggle for change in government.

"The father died as a martyr for democracy and the mother fought a dictator and won," said Jun Salipsip, president of the Institute for Strategic and International Studies. "It's an unfinished business so let the son finish the legacy the parents left behind."

Salipsip said efforts to put down Aquino for his lack of experience and alleged psychological problems have failed to discourage voters.

"The more (his rivals) say that this guy doesn't have experience, the more people say we are not looking for a manager, we are looking for somebody who can lead," he said. "And leadership is all about inspiration."

"He's a guy who we think can lift us because somehow his parents left a ennobling legacy and sacrificed for the people," he added.

While Aquino is almost sure to win the vote on May 10, the presidency "will not be an easy crown to wear," according to research firm GlobalSource Partners Inc's quarterly report on the Philippines.

"The new leader may not have a harmonious relationship with Congress initially," the report said. "Such a scenario would not bode well for fiscal reform."

The US-based think tank said Aquino must "navigate through transaction-driven Philippine politics to take control and neutralize, co-opt, or cooperate with the forces aligned with the current administration" to be able to push for reforms.

"Failing to do so skillfully, he and the country may end up in a stalemate, meaning lost years for getting the economy finally moving forward as it locks horns with Congress," GlobalSource said.

Salipsip agreed that with the high expectations, Aquino could face a "big problem" if he fails to deliver on his promises and provide a strong political leadership.

"When people have put a lot of faith and hope in his leadership and if nothing happens, he's going to be a big disappointment," he said.

"If he has the moral suasion, if he acts the first few days that he sits on the position when the population is still euphoric, he can probably swing (the support of) a lot of congressmen and the senators."

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/322039,profile-democracy-icons-son-electrifies-philippine-voters.html.

PROFILE: Ousted Philippine president Estrada fights for redemption

Manila - Former Philippine president Joseph Estrada did not hide his excitement when a survey conducted two weeks before the presidential elections on May 10 showed him tied for second place with real-estate magnate Manuel Villar.

"As I told you, I will give them the surprise of their lives," he said, vowing to reach out to more voters in the final days of the campaign.

Estrada - known by his nickname Erap, the Filipono word for friend spelled backwards - predicted that he and frontrunner Benigno Aquino III would battle it out for the presidency come election day.

The 73-year-old former action movie star said he expected his loyal supporters - millions of poor people in slum areas - to vote for him.

"They have proven that they are loyal to me. They are just quiet," he added.

Margaux Salcedo, Estrada's spokeswoman, said that in the remaining days of the campaign, the former president will show the people that he is still the best man to rehabilitate the country after President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's tumultuous nine-year rule.

"In the next few days we hope to establish that the change that the Liberal Party (of rival Aquino) proposes is empty without a leader with proven competence, political will and commitment to the masses," she said.

Indeed, among the nine candidates for president, Estrada has the most experience of holding office, having served as town mayor, senator, vice president and two years as president.

In 1998, Estrada was elected as president of the Philippines by a landslide, with the biggest-ever lead over his closest rival.

But in January 2001, he was ousted by a military-backed mass uprising over allegations of large-scale corruption and incompetence.

He was detained from April 2001 and eventually convicted in 2007 of plunder by the Sandiganbayan anti-graft court. He was sentenced to life imprisonment, but Arroyo pardoned him a few days after his conviction.

A known womanizer and heavy drinker, Estrada vowed to continue his pro-poor programs, which were stopped after his ouster from office. His slogan promises that "if there is Erap, there is prosperity."

Estrada said that once elected to office he would focus on poverty alleviation, peace and order, food security and addressing graft and corruption.

Political analysts, however, do not share Estrada's optimism that he would win this time.

Benito Lim, a political science professor at the Ateneo De Manila University, said Estrada was already past his prime and appeared to be living in a time warp.

"He said that if elected he is just going to continue the programs during his previous term, he must have forgotten that 10 years have passed and the world economy has changed and the Philippine economy has changed. We have new problems," he said.

Lim also doubted whether Estrada could command the loyalty of the country's impoverished millions.

"He still has loyal followers but this is not enough to propel him to presidency," he said.

Jun Salipsip, president of the Institute of Strategic and International Studies, a local think tank, said he believed that Estrada was running merely to clear his name.

"I think he just wanted reassurance from the public that they still love him," he said. "I think he just wanted redemption from the embarrassment he suffered due to his conviction."

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/322041,profile-ousted-philippine-president-estrada-fights-for-redemption.html.

Philippines to delay presidential polls

Only six days before the Philippines' first automated election, officials say the presidential poll is likely to be postponed due to glitches in the counting machines.

Faulty memory cards used in the vote-counting machines prompted the Philippines election commission to delay the poll in order to eliminate the risk of fraud and violence.

The glitches were found after the country's Commission on Elections conducted the final testing of the devices on Monday and recalled all compact flash cards for reconfiguration, Commission's Spokesman James Jimenez explained.

The Southeast Asian state is notorious for fraud after President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo allegedly rigged the 2004 presidential election in her favor.

"Postponement of election is the only remedy to prevent a failure of election," President Arroyo's election lawyer said Monday.

Meanwhile, Margaux Salcedo spokesman for former President Joseph Estrada -- who is seeking to run as president -- ridiculed the issue, saying "It's ironic that poll automation, which is supposed to secure the sanctity of the ballot, is now the very threat to the process."

The Philippines is holding its first computerized election, as earlier in 2005, audio recordings of a phone conversation between President Arroyo and then Election Commissioner Virgilio Garcillano were released to the public. The conversation allegedly contained discussions about rigging the 2004 national election results.

The crisis escalated when the minority of the Lower House of Congress called for Arroyo's impeachment. Their attempt, however, was blocked by the president's coalition in September 2005. No trial has so far been held over the issue.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=125507§ionid=351020406.

Japan provides post-cyclone, 110-million-dollar loan to Philippines

Manila - Japan is providing a 109.8-million-dollar loan to the Philippines to rebuild infrastructure damaged by two devastating cyclones last year, the government in Manila said Monday.

Philippine Foreign Secretary Alberto Romulo said he signed the loan agreement with Japanese Ambassador Makoto Katsura.

Romulo welcomed the aid, extended in response to the Philippines' request for help after the storms.

"This Japanese assistance package will provide much-needed funds for rehabilitating our physical structures and assets and improving their carrying and load capacity," he said.

"More importantly, this vital package helps us lay the foundations for our climate-proofing efforts," he said. "This is a vital task, given that typhoons and extreme weather events can only be expected to increase in intensity and frequency as a result of climate change."

Nearly 1,000 people were killed by floods, landslides and other accidents caused by Tropical Storms Ketsana and Parma in September and October.

Ketsana dumped one month's worth of rain in less than one day and caused the worst flooding in metropolitan Manila and nearby provinces in more than 40 years.

Many roads, bridges, power lines, homes and schools were damaged or destroyed by the two cyclones. Some communities in the northern Philippines are still difficult to reach because of the devastation.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/320554,japan-provides-post-cyclone-110-million-dollar-loan-to-philippines.html.

Six killed in road accident in Philippines

Manila - Six people were killed when a tricycle they were riding in slammed into a passenger bus in the Philippines, police said Sunday.

The victims were traveling to Ozamiz City in the southern province of Misamis Occidental when the accident occurred Saturday, a police report said.

Initial investigation showed the tricycle driver lost control of the vehicle and slammed into the bus on the opposite lane while trying to avoid a child crossing the highway.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/318055,six-killed-in-road-accident-in-philippines.html.

New US ambassador arrives in the Philippines

Manila - The new US ambassador to the Philippines has arrived in the country, one month before Filipinos were to hold crucial elections, airport officials said Sunday.

Ambassador Harry K Thomas Junior arrived late Saturday and was welcomed by embassy officials and staff at Manila's Ninoy Aquino International Airport.

In his arrival statement, Thomas said he was "delighted" to take up his post as new envoy of the United States to the Philippines.

"America and the Philippines are long-standing free partners, we have great plans, and we have much to do together," he said. "I look forward to working with the people of the Philippines."

Thomas said his father, who was in the Philippines after World War II, "always told (him) that he had a great time with the people of the Philippines."

"I hope that I can live up to the work that he and his colleagues did here," he added.

Thomas arrived one month before national and local elections on May 10, when more than 50 million Filipinos were to vote for a new president, vice president, legislators and local officials.

The US has warned of possible violence before and after the elections and has urged its citizens to exercise extreme caution when traveling to the Philippines.

Thomas is a former director general of the US Foreign Service. He was US ambassador to Bangladesh from 2003 to 2005, and held other posts in India, Nigeria, Zimbabwe and Peru.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/318067,new-us-ambassador-arrives-in-the-philippines.html.

Giant lizard species discovered in Philippines

A 180 centimeter monitor lizard, a fruit-eating reptile, has been found for the first time in the forests in northern Philippines.

The newly discovered lizard can grow to more than 180 centimeters in length, but weighs only about 10 kilograms, said Rafe Brown of the University of Kansas, whose team confirmed the find.

The main body length of the reptile can approach 100 centimeters in length, and its long tail may extend that by up to a further 100 centimeters. The lizard has dark skin covered by golden yellow spots and flecks.

The dragon-sized brightly colored species, which is called Varanus bitatawa, has been discovered in the trees of the northern Philippine island of Luzon.

Such discoveries of new large vertebrate species are very rare, especially ones that are so brightly colored.

The lizard, a new species of the genus Varanus, is skittish and able to hide from humans, said Brown in the journal Biology Letters.

"It lives up in trees, so it can not grow to a massive size," Brown said. "This thing is a fruit-eater and it is only the third fruit-eating lizard to be discovered in the world."

The researchers suggested it was a highly secretive species that never left its forests. Researchers are concerned about the future of the species.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=122694&sectionid=3510212.

Philippine bishop urges Filipinos to vote wisely in May

Manila - The Philippines' top Catholic bishop Sunday urged Filipinos to wisely choose the country's next leaders in upcoming elections in May.

Manila Archbishop Gaudencio Cardinal Rosales said the May 10 elections should "lead to a new life and a new encouraging service" coming after Easter, which marks Jesus Christ's resurrection.

"After the resurrection, it can never be business as usual," Rosales said in his Easter message. "After the resurrection, no more shall there be compromising with deceit, dishonesty and worship of money and power."

"Discern with prayerful judgment as to who the nation should entrust with the task of new and inspiring honest leadership that leads to unity and peace," he added.

The Catholic Church does not publicly support candidates in elections in the Philippines, but usually issues guidelines in choosing who to vote for.

Nearly 18,000 national and local positions are up for grabs on May 10, including president, vice president, senators and members of the House of Representatives.

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, who is running for a seat in the House of Representatives, called for unity in her Easter message.

"Let us unite as one nation and collectively work toward a new future for our country - a future rich with hope and possibilities for everyone of us," she said.

Easter is a major religious event in the Philippines, where more than 85 per cent of the estimated 90-million population is Catholic.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/317029,philippine-bishop-urges-filipinos-to-vote-wisely-in-may.html.