?   Click here for all he latest news...   ?

PINOY NEWS SERVICES - FREE CLASSIFIED ADS - BUY & SELL FREE - FREE LONELY HEARTS
PHILIPPINE AND WORLDWIDE NEWS BUY & SELL FREE - THE ONLY PHILIPPINE NEWSPAPER
WITH FREE CLASSIFIED ADVERTS - BUY & SELL FOR FILIPINOS & EXPATS NOW WITH COVERAGE OF THE RBS SIX NATIONS RUGBY TOURNAMENT


Learn How to buy Real Estate with Nothing Down Plus Five, Fun Easy Ways to Earn Up to $100,000 Extra This Year Investing in Real Estate.
Click Here to Receive Your Free 288 Page Ebook!

Breaking News - Inq7 - Current news about the Philippines...
 

AMNESTY BILL FOR ILLEGAL ALIENS PROPOSED

BI urges Senate to fasttrack amnesty bill for illegal aliens

By Louie Alonso Belmonte

MANILA

Immigration Commissioner Marcelino Libanan on Monday urged the Philippine Senate to expedite the approval of the pending amnesty bill for illegal aliens in the country.

The newly-installed Bureau of Immigration chief made an appeal to the senators as both the Senate and House of Representatives resumed session on Monday to tackle remaining priority bills.

Libanan, however, expressed confidence that there is still a chance that the Senate would pass the amnesty measure before the 13th Congress adjourns session on Friday.

The alien social integration bill was still pending with the Senate for final reading before it adjourned last February for the May 14 mid-term elections.

If the bill passes the Senate, it would be elevated to the bicameral conference body to reconcile with the similar bill that was earlier passed in the Lower House.

Libanan said that he favors the passage of a law giving amnesty to thousands of aliens believed to be illegally staying in the country.

It was Libanan who was one of the principal authors of the House version of the bill which was approved last year.

He stressed that he supports the amnesty measure so that illegally staying aliens in the country can join the mainstream Philippine society instead of continuously evading immigration laws and remaining as “TNTs” (“tago ng tago”).

The BI chief added that illegal aliens should be given amnesty as long as they are not involved in criminal or illegal activities that makes them undesirable or a menace to society.

Libanan noted that many of these illegal aliens have already assimilated themselves into Philippine society by marrying Filipinos and siring children with them.

He also cited the huge revenues the government would generate from the integration fees to be paid by those who would be given amnesty.

According to BI chief technical assistant Manuel Ferdinand Arbas, the bill applies to illegal aliens who entered the country on or before January 1, 2003 and proposes an integration fee of P300,000 to be paid by each applicant. (PNA)

Source: http://www.balitapinoy.net/
 

Australia warns citizens... Teal, Mayon and Bulusan Probability of volcanic activity high.
05/25/2007 | 03:48 PM

Photo of 1984 eruption.

The Australian government joined Friday advisories by other foreign nations to avoid travel near three volcanoes in southern Luzon, and to watch out for typhoons in the coming months.

In an advisory updated Friday, the Australian embassy warned against travel near Taal in Batangas, and Mayon and Bulusan in Bicol.

"There are currently two volcanoes with alert levels of one indicating a decreased probability of volcanic activity. These are the Mayon Volcano in Albay Province in south east Luzon and the Taal Volcano on Volcano Island located in Batangas, around 50km south of Metro Manila. The alert level for the Bulusan volcano in Sorsogon Province is level two, which indicates the activity could eventually lead to an eruption," it said.

It added all volcanoes have a permanent danger zone (PDZ) established around the volcano summits by the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology.

"Mayon volcano has a PDZ of six kilometres, Bulusan volcano has four kilometres and the entire Volcano Island is a PDZ. You should avoid areas surrounding these volcanoes," it said.

It said ash, dust and toxic fumes emitted from the volcanoes represent a significant health risk especially to those with existing respiratory problems.

"Be aware that falling ash following a volcanic eruption can be distributed over a wide area. Exposure to ash can harm your health, particularly your breathing. If there is falling ash in your area you should stay inside with the windows and doors shut and place damp towels at door thresholds and other draft sources. When ash has ceased to fall or you need to go outside, wear a disposable face-mask if available and change it frequently," it advised.

The embassy also advised wearing long-sleeved clothing and long pants "to protect your skin, and goggles to protect your eyes."



"Avoid direct contact with ash as much as possible and be cautious about driving as ash can clog and stall engines," it said.

Australians should follow the advice of the local authorities. We recommend that you monitor the media closely for information on evacuation procedures, it added.

"Tropical cyclones usually occur in the Philippines between late May and early December. This is also the wet season and flooding and landslides are common," it said.

It added telephone and Internet communications may be disrupted in affected areas. If a natural disaster occurs, follow the advice of local authorities.

"All oceanic regions of the world can experience tsunamis, but in the Indian and Pacific Oceans, there is a more frequent occurrence of large, destructive tsunamis because of the many large earthquakes along major tectonic plate boundaries and ocean trenches," it said. -

Source: GMANews.TV http://www.gmanews.tv/story/43826/Australia-warns-citizens-vs-active-RP-volcanoes-typhoons
 

Researchers explore scrapping Internet

By ANICK JESDANUN, AP Internet Writer
Fri Apr 13, 11:04 PM ET

NEW YORK - Although it has already taken nearly four decades to get this far in building the Internet, some university researchers with the federal government's blessing want to scrap all that and start over.

The idea may seem unthinkable, even absurd, but many believe a "clean slate" approach is the only way to truly address security, mobility and other challenges that have cropped up since UCLA professor Leonard Kleinrock helped supervise the first exchange of meaningless test data between two machines on Sept. 2, 1969.

The Internet "works well in many situations but was designed for completely different assumptions," said Dipankar Raychaudhuri, a Rutgers University professor overseeing three clean-slate projects. "It's sort of a miracle that it continues to work well today."

No longer constrained by slow connections and computer processors and high costs for storage, researchers say the time has come to rethink the Internet's underlying architecture, a move that could mean replacing networking equipment and rewriting software on computers to better channel future traffic over the existing pipes.

Even Vinton Cerf, one of the Internet's founding fathers as co-developer of the key communications techniques, said the exercise was "generally healthy" because the current technology "does not satisfy all needs."

One challenge in any reconstruction, though, will be balancing the interests of various constituencies. The first time around, researchers were able to toil away in their labs quietly. Industry is playing a bigger role this time, and law enforcement is bound to make its needs for wiretapping known.

There's no evidence they are meddling yet, but once any research looks promising, "a number of people (will) want to be in the drawing room," said Jonathan Zittrain, a law professor affiliated with Oxford and Harvard universities. "They'll be wearing coats and ties and spilling out of the venue."

The National Science Foundation wants to build an experimental research network known as the Global Environment for Network Innovations, or GENI, and is funding several projects at universities and elsewhere through Future Internet Network Design, or FIND.

Rutgers, Stanford, Princeton, Carnegie Mellon and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology are among the universities pursuing individual projects. Other government agencies, including the Defense Department, have also been exploring the concept.

The European Union has also backed research on such initiatives, through a program known as Future Internet Research and Experimentation, or FIRE. Government officials and researchers met last month in Zurich to discuss early findings and goals.

A new network could run parallel with the current Internet and eventually replace it, or perhaps aspects of the research could go into a major overhaul of the existing architecture.

These clean-slate efforts are still in their early stages, though, and aren't expected to bear fruit for another 10 or 15 years — assuming Congress comes through with funding.

Guru Parulkar, who will become executive director of Stanford's initiative after heading NSF's clean-slate programs, estimated that GENI alone could cost $350 million, while government, university and industry spending on the individual projects could collectively reach $300 million. Spending so far has been in the tens of millions of dollars.

And it could take billions of dollars to replace all the software and hardware deep in the legacy systems.

Clean-slate advocates say the cozy world of researchers in the 1970s and 1980s doesn't necessarily mesh with the realities and needs of the commercial Internet.

"The network is now mission critical for too many people, when in the (early days) it was just experimental," Zittrain said.

The Internet's early architects built the system on the principle of trust. Researchers largely knew one another, so they kept the shared network open and flexible — qualities that proved key to its rapid growth.

But spammers and hackers arrived as the network expanded and could roam freely because the Internet doesn't have built-in mechanisms for knowing with certainty who sent what.

The network's designers also assumed that computers are in fixed locations and always connected. That's no longer the case with the proliferation of laptops, personal digital assistants and other mobile devices, all hopping from one wireless access point to another, losing their signals here and there.

Engineers tacked on improvements to support mobility and improved security, but researchers say all that adds complexity, reduces performance and, in the case of security, amounts at most to bandages in a high-stakes game of cat and mouse.

Workarounds for mobile devices "can work quite well if a small fraction of the traffic is of that type," but could overwhelm computer processors and create security holes when 90 percent or more of the traffic is mobile, said Nick McKeown, co-director of Stanford's clean-slate program.

The Internet will continue to face new challenges as applications require guaranteed transmissions — not the "best effort" approach that works better for e-mail and other tasks with less time sensitivity.

Think of a doctor using teleconferencing to perform a surgery remotely, or a customer of an Internet-based phone service needing to make an emergency call. In such cases, even small delays in relaying data can be deadly.

And one day, sensors of all sorts will likely be Internet capable.

Rather than create workarounds each time, clean-slate researchers want to redesign the system to easily accommodate any future technologies, said Larry Peterson, chairman of computer science at Princeton and head of the planning group for the NSF's GENI.

Even if the original designers had the benefit of hindsight, they might not have been able to incorporate these features from the get-go. Computers, for instance, were much slower then, possibly too weak for the computations needed for robust authentication.

"We made decisions based on a very different technical landscape," said Bruce Davie, a fellow with network-equipment maker Cisco Systems Inc., which stands to gain from selling new products and incorporating research findings into its existing line.

"Now, we have the ability to do all sorts of things at very high speeds," he said. "Why don't we start thinking about how we take advantage of those things and not be constrained by the current legacy we have?"

Of course, a key question is how to make any transition — and researchers are largely punting for now.

"Let's try to define where we think we should end up, what we think the Internet should look like in 15 years' time, and only then would we decide the path," McKeown said. "We acknowledge it's going to be really hard but I think it will be a mistake to be deterred by that."

Kleinrock, the Internet pioneer at UCLA, questioned the need for a transition at all, but said such efforts are useful for their out-of-the-box thinking.

"A thing called GENI will almost surely not become the Internet, but pieces of it might fold into the Internet as it advances," he said.

Think evolution, not revolution.

Princeton already runs a smaller experimental network called PlanetLab, while Carnegie Mellon has a clean-slate project called 100 x 100.

These days, Carnegie Mellon professor Hui Zhang said he no longer feels like "the outcast of the community" as a champion of clean-slate designs.

Construction on GENI could start by 2010 and take about five years to complete. Once operational, it should have a decade-long lifespan.

FIND, meanwhile, funded about two dozen projects last year and is evaluating a second round of grants for research that could ultimately be tested on GENI.

These go beyond projects like Internet2 and National LambdaRail, both of which focus on next-generation needs for speed.

Any redesign may incorporate mechanisms, known as virtualization, for multiple networks to operate over the same pipes, making further transitions much easier. Also possible are new structures for data packets and a replacement of Cerf's TCP/IP communications protocols.

"Almost every assumption going into the current design of the Internet is open to reconsideration and challenge," said Parulkar, the NSF official heading to Stanford. "Researchers may come up with wild ideas and very innovative ideas that may not have a lot to do with the current Internet."

___

Associated Press Business Writer Aoife White in Brussels, Belgium, contributed to this report

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070414/ap_on_hi_te/rebuilding_the_internet_8
 

The old idea of people retiring being poor is gone, Western retirees are being actively lured to the Philippines as their £, € and $ go a long way. Their retiring also brings financial benefits to the Philippines.

PRA aims to surpass Thailand in foreign retirees -- Aglipay

DAVAO CITY, Mar. 26 (14.56a)

Describing himself as “passionate” in his advocacy in his new government post as head of Philippine Retirement Authority (PRA) after retiring as police director, PRA chair Edgar Aglipay is seeing the country surpassing Thailand in foreign retires any time soon.

He said this during a recent Davao visit to promote the PRA's latest program of opening better opportunities for foreign retirees to invest in the Philippines .

Aglipay admitted the program had long been conceptualized in the country but never fully materialized. Instead, the concept was learned by Thailand and soon it became the tool that fueled its growth especially on foreign arrivals and investments.

Survey and studies showed that if the Philippines would only focus on this area of opportunity, it promises P44 billion cumulative investment by the end of 2015.

"With these figures, I am safe to say that Filipinos need not leave the country and work abroad just to earn better living," Aglipay said.

Such opportunity, he said, will provide employment to at least four million Filipinos by 2014.

To reach the targets, the PRA has packaged itself so as to make the country attractive for foreign investments.

In terms of marketing, the said agency has thought of a branding scheme for the country that was used as a product every time it holds business meeting with big Japanese, American, and other foreign investors.

This early, Aglipay has also led the group that identified existing inventories that could cater to high, medium, and low markets.

"At the moment, we are tapping big properties of SM, Robinsons, Ayalas which are also established and ready for marketing," Aglipay ended. (PNA)

Source: http://balitapinoy.net

MT BULUSAN FEARS GROWING


By Danny O. Calleja

SORSOGON CITY

Episodes of mild explosions associated with ash emissions continued over Mt. Bulusan on the second day Monday, pouring ashfall into distant areas including this provincial capital over 40 kilometers from the volcano's summit.

Monday's explosions that took place at 6:11 a.m was followed by another event that lasted for 20 minutes over an hour later, a report released by the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) here said.

These events, according to Bella Tubianosa, head of the Phivolcs monitoring team at its observatory in Barangay Cabid-an here, were relatively "smaller" in magnitude than those of last Sunday that sent thick ash columns about one kilometer over the crater.

A high frequency volcanic earthquake was detected during the 24-hour observation period ending 8 a.m. Tuesday as recorded by seismographs at the Cabid-an Observatory, Tubianosa said.

Reading of sulfur dioxide flux was relatively high at 640 tons per day to indicate that the restiveness of the volcano that started in March last year was yet to wane, she said.

In view of these activities, Tubianosa said, Mt. Bulusan remained under alert level 1 that prevents human activities within the four-kilometer permanent danger zone of the volcano.

This is to prevent any human casualty should major eruptions took place, she added. (PNA)

Philippines volcano eruption warning

Authorities in the Philippines' Albay province have urged villagers not to return to their homes near Mayon Volcano, which was evacuated last month after signs of possible eruption.


Manila vulcanology expert Dr Raymundo Punong-Bayan: "It is giving us some signs"
The 2,462m volcano, among the Philippines' most active, belched steam seven kilometers into the air in June, and panicking residents fled to emergency evacuation centers.

The volcano simmered down a day later but has been showing signs of possible eruption in recent days.


Defence Secretary Orlando Mercado said a 7km area around the volcano is a permanent danger zone.

But around half of the 18,000 locals within the zone refuse to leave while others return to work on farms and homes during the day.

Fatal eruption

Lying 340km southeast of Manila, the crater attracts many tourists because of its cone-shaped profile

The most violent eruption killed around 1,200 people According to volcanologists, Mayon's gas emissions are increasing and there is a slight bulging of the volcano's slope near the crater.

With unfelt tremors becoming increasingly frequent, experts believe magma may be rising toward the crater.

Mayon last erupted in February 1993, killing at least 70 people.

Its most violent eruption occurred on 1 February, 1814, killing more than 1,200 people and burying an entire town in volcanic mudflows.

The Philippines lies on the Pacific "Ring of Fire", the focus of much of the world's volcanic and tectonic activity as continental plates on either side of the world continue to shift.
 

Source: news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/386100.stm

PHILIPPINES & INDONESIA JOLTED BY EARTHQUAKES


Earthquakes jolt Indonesia and Philippines

HA NOI

A strong 5.8-magnitude earthquake hit off Indonesia's northern Sulawesi province on Tuesday, according to Indonesia's Meteorology and Geophysics Agency (MGA).

The quake struck overnight around 90 kilometers northeast of Bitung, the main port in North Sulawesi province, the MGA said adding that the quake struck at a depth of 95 kilometers.

There were no immediate reports of casualties.

Earlier on Monday, a mild earthquake with magnitude of 3.1 also hit Borongan town in Eastern Samar, central Philippines, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) reported.

No one was reported injured in the quake.

The quake came two hours after the Phivolcs lifted a level-2 tsunami alert on 20 provinces following an earthquake in Solomon Islands also on Monday morning. (PNA/VNA)
 

CEBU NOW ATTRACTING MORE TOURISTS


Cebu now attracting more tourists from Europe, airline official says

CEBU CITY

An official of a foreign airline that links Cebu to Europe has observed that the province is now attracting more tourists from Europe.

Mary Rose Macapagal, Qatar Airways Cebu and South Philippines district sales manager, said European tourists come to Cebu as a big delegation or in groups.

She said European travelers account for 70 to 80 percent of Qatar Airways’ passengers.

Qatar Airways, Qatar’s flag carrier, has been operating three times weekly flights direct from Doha, Qatar to Cebu since 2003. The average travel time is nine and a half hours.

Data from Department of Tourism (DOT) 7 revealed that European tourists to Cebu grew by 29.75 percent last year or from 34,178 in 2005 to 44,435 in 2006.

Tourists from the United Kingdom, Germany and Switzerland were identified as the top three visitors frequenting the province.

”They come for the beaches, the resorts,” Macapagal said, referring to the interests of the European market on Cebu as a destination.

She said Qatar Airways is also bringing Russian travelers to Cebu.

Earlier, DOT Undersecretary Phineas Alburo said tourism stakeholders are penetrating the Russian market, whose average length of stay in the province is from seven to 14 days.

Apart from Europeans, Macapagal said the airline also get bookings from expatriates and locals who travel as early as March to Jerusalem and Rome, among others, for pilgrimages to the Holy Land.

Macapagal said she is optimistic the airline will draw more foreign tourists to Cebu, especially with Qatar Airways’ launch of additional summer flights from Doha to New York, Washington, Bali, Ho Chi Minh, Chennai, Geneva and Stockholm.

The airline now flies to over 75 destinations worldwide, including nine weekly flights from Manila to Doha and three weekly flights from Cebu to Doha.

With 54 aircraft to date, Qatar Airways is determined to double the fleet by 2015, Macapagal said.

In a statement, Qatar Airways plans to acquire 60 new generation Airbus A350s and 20 Boeing 777s worth a total 15.2 billion US dollars.

The airline introduced last week its improved Airbus A330 aircraft at the Mactan-Cebu International Airport.

Macapagal said Qatar Airways will soon be ordering four Airbus A380 “super jumbos” with a seating capacity of 500 passengers which are scheduled for delivery in 2009 to coincide with the opening of the redeveloped New Doha International Airport.

Recently, Qatar Airways was awarded by Skytrax, an independent aviation industry-monitoring agency, as one of the only four airlines worldwide with a five-star ranking for service and excellence. (PNA)

Source: http://balitapinoy.net/

Guard's Honesty Praised
 

DMIA security guard returns bag with $ 7,000

CLARK ZONE, PAMPANGA, Mar. 16 (08.02)

A security guard at the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport who found a black bag that contained $ 7,000 (or some P336,000) and other items of value returned these to the owner, a Korean national.

Michael Lacandula, a member of the Royal Security Agency detailed at the DMIA here, said he found the bag on a bench at the DMIA terminal greeters' area.

Lacandula said he informed DMIA Security Inspector Allan Simbulan of his find. Simbulan, in turn, sought police assistance for proper handling of the lost bag when a lady Korean national approached them, claiming the bag was hers.

The Korean lady, identified as Deng Choy, said she had just arrived from Incheon, South Korea aboard an Asiana flight and had inadvertently left her bag on the bench.

Deng Choy was able to name the items inside the bag including the money, proving that she is indeed the owner of the bag.

The DMIA Security Department lauded Lacandula for his honesty. (PNA)

CDP/Enrique A. Sapnu/ebp

Source: http://balitapinoy.net/

Photo Credit: Boeing Image

Boeing 777-300ERs Selected by Philippine Airlines

SEATTLE, March 15, 2007 (17.05a)

On the airline's 66th anniversary today, Philippine Airlines (PAL) and The Boeing Company announced the order of two Boeing 777-300ER (Extended Range) commercial airplanes, with purchase rights for two additional 777-300ERs. PAL is a long-time Boeing customer and currently operates five Boeing 747-400s and three Boeing 737-300/-400s.

PAL, the national flag carrier of the Philippines, mounted its first flight March 15, 1941 and has been operating longer than any other airline in Asia. It has a modern fleet and a route network that spans 24 foreign cities and 18 domestic destinations.

"The acquisition of the Boeing 777-300ER allows PAL to expand direct services between the Philippines and the United States," said Jaime J. Bautista, president of Philippine Airlines. "Our passengers will also benefit from the higher level of comfort and amenities that this high-technology aircraft brings."

Separately, PAL has signed a letter of intent with GE Commercial Aviation Services (GECAS) to lease two Boeing 777-300ER aircraft.

"The Boeing 777-300ER is a great choice for Philippine Airlines, giving Asia's first commercial airline the most efficient airplane in the 300-to-400 seat segment, and offering its passengers the highest levels of comfort and reliability," said Rob Laird, vice president - Greater China Sales, Boeing Commercial Airplanes.

The fuel-efficient 777-300ER is the world's largest long-range twin-engine jetliner and is capable of carrying approximately 365 passengers in Philippine Airlines' two-class configuration, with a maximum range of 7,880 nautical miles (14,594 kilometers).

Photo Credit: J Lanuza

Legazpi, Mar 14 2007 (07.38)

The problems that beset all the people living around Mt Mayon have not gone away.

In the wake of the eruption, as well as the storms at the end of last year, a possible early rainy season thanks to La Nina, Lahar (floods)  may be coming down. This was seen 10 years ago in Pampanga, those thoughts are in many minds right now.

A UFO at O'Hare? Some pilots thought so
Mon Jan 1, 7:02 PM ET


Federal officials say it was probably just some weird weather phenomenon, but a group of United Airlines employees swear they saw a mysterious, saucer-shaped craft hovering over O'Hare Airport last fall.

The workers, some of them pilots, said the object didn't have lights and hovered over an airport terminal before shooting up through the clouds, according to a report in Monday's Chicago Tribune.

The Federal Aviation Administration acknowledged that a United supervisor had called the control tower at O'Hare, asking if anyone had spotted a spinning disc-shaped object. But the controllers didn't see anything, and a preliminary check of radar found nothing out of the ordinary, FAA spokeswoman Elizabeth Isham Cory said.

"Our theory on this is that it was a weather phenomenon," Cory

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070102/ap_on_fe_st/o_hare_ufo_sighting_3&printer=1

Eyewitness to Chicago O'Hare Airport UFO, IL-Sighting lasted 20 minutes

Note from the National UFO Reporting Center- This individual was interviewed, at length, by one of the investigators involved in the follow-up investigation. The investigators were highly impressed with the witness's credentials, and with the accurate description of the event. We deem this witness to be extremely highly credible. We express our sincere gratitude to this witness for his having shared the information about his sighting with NUFORC, and with his fellow American Citizens. Peter Davenport

Chicago O'Hare UFO Report

Ok I have been hesitant about talking about this, but after hearing the report on Coast to Coast AM with Mr. Noury, I cannot be silent. I work for a major airline at O'Hare, I am a taxi mechanic. I have the job responsibility of moving aircraft under there own power from gate to gate or the hangar complex for maintenance. We also accomplish the engine run-up testing needed. So I hope that does something for establishing a little credibility for my report. I am still in absolute wonder and amazement at what I saw that afternoon.

Around 16:30 hours, a pilot made a comment on the radio about a circle or disc shaped object hovering over gate C-17 at the C concourse in Chicago. At first we laughed to each other and then the same pilot said again on the radio that is was about 700 feet above ground level. The day was overcast with the ceiling being reported at 1600 feet if I remember correctly. I was taxing a Boeing 777 from the International Terminal to the Company Hanger on the North side of the Airport.

As we passed the C Terminal on the Alpha taxiway we observed a dark gray hazy round object hovering over O'Hare International Airport. Is was definitely over the C Terminal. It was holding very steady and appeared to be trying to stay close to the cloud cover. The radio erupted with chatter about the object and the ATC controller that was handling ground traffic made a few smart comments about the alleged UFO sighting above the C terminal.

We had to continue moving the aircraft to the hangar. After parking I noticed the craft was no longer there but there was an almost perfect circle in the cloud layer where the craft had been. The hole disappeared a few minutes later.

For the rest of the night there were jokes made on the radio about the sighting.

original source: www.nuforc.org
 

Clark Field Memories
by Terry Ballard with photographs by Sam Ballard

The Philippines changed my life even before I got there (and by a curious coincidence, I was born on the day in August 1946 that the Republic of the Philippines was proclaimed by President Harry Truman). Dad had been sent to Clark in November, 1958. Initially, we were all going to go together, but we got bumped by somebody. The next month, the rest of us had to go to Luke AFB near Phoenix to get shots for tropical diseases. When we got our first typhoid shots, I was the only one in the family that did not have any side effects. A few weeks later, I took the second typhoid shot and did have a side effect - I was in a coma for more than a week. I went to the base hospital just before Christmas, 1958. The next thing I knew, I was watching the Rose Bowl Parade, in a long ward filled with sick airmen. Mom swears that my little brother Sammy got out of shots by running out of the line when nobody was looking - he had the right idea.

We moved out to Clark the following April. We were one of the last families that had to make the trek on propellor-driven airplanes. The trip from San Francisco to Clark lasted 36 hours

Visit: http://www.terryballard.org/clark.htm for more memories of Clark.

 

In the Philippines:

Instead of a dowry, you got the whole bill for the wedding and honeymoon.

Most of the decorations in your house are made of wicker.

You are expected to be able to read her mind just by watching her eyebrows move up and down and which way her lips are pointed.

All her relatives think your name is Joe.

Your in-laws take 10 years to acknowledge your existence and to call you by something other than "that white guy."

The instant you are married you have 3000 new close relatives that you can't tell apart.

Your refrigerator is always full but you cannot find any food that you recognize.

All the desserts are sticky and all the snacks are salty.

You throw a party and everyone is fighting to chop the leathery skin off a roast pig.

You try to call her up on the phone and someone tells you "for a while." And you want to know for a while, what?"

You are trying to go to sleep and she keeps asking for the comFORT'r, and you ain't got a clue what she's talking about.

Your phone bills are all international and average 3 hours per call.

She sweeps with something that witches usually fly around on.

On your first trip to the Philippines, you have 18 giant boxes that weigh 1000 pounds each and your "carry on" luggage requires a small forklift truck.

The first time she's pregnant you have to go out at 4:00 in the a.m. for some weird type of greasy sausages.

Everything in your house was bought on sale, even if you don't need it as long as it was a "bargain" is all that matters.

All your postage bills instantly double.

She prefers bistek to beef steak.

She'll offer you a halo-halo with 2 straws for a romantic dessert.

You still don't know what the difference is between manong and manok.

Her homeland has more Megamalls than islands.

Your kitchen table has a merry-go-round in the middle.

All the vegetables she buys at the Filipino store look like they were grown at Chernobyl.

Your in-law's first visit lasted 6 years.

All your place settings have the silverware backwards and there are no knives
 

In part from the Mahal-Kita.com website
 

15-Megawatt a Day, Five Year Power Supply Agreement
Sun Star Reports:

CONSUMERS of the Visayan Electric Co. (Veco) in Cebu can expect more stable energy supply next year once the distribution utility starts getting 15 megawatts a day from the Northern Negros Geothermal Power (NNGP) plant.

This, as Veco signed yesterday a 15-megawatt a day, five-year power supply agreement with the Philippine National Oil Co.-Energy Development Corp. (PNOC-EDC).

"This is an important development for Veco as we continue to look for ways and means to provide quality service to our customers by improving our system reliability, " Veco president Dennis Garcia said during the agreement signing at the Veco conference room in Banilad,

 

Bowling at Country Mall bowling Center - Banilad, Cebu City

Wednesday August 2, 2006
1:00 pm - 4:00 pm

EVENT LOCATION: Rear of Gaisano Country Mall in Banilad, Cebu City

NOTES: A group of foreigners and their Filipina companions (wife, girlfriends) bowl every Wednesday afternoon at Country Mall Bowling Center. We currently have about 20 bowlers.
TIME: We bowl every Wednesday at Country Mall Bowling Center starting at 1:00 PM. This is a social event that focuses more on people enjoying themselves and having a good time than on competition.

Cost is 50 Pesos per game and 30 pesos to rent shoes.

If you are interested please just show up and we will see you there.
 

JI bomb plot uncovered in Philippines

General Santos City, Philippines (dpa) - Philippine police have uncovered a Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) plot to launch bomb attacks in the troubled southern region of Mindanao, an officer said Wednesday.

Chief Superintendent German Doria, a regional police chief, said the plot was revealed by a JI-trained bomb suspect arrested Monday in Tacurong City, 960 kilometres north of Manila.

Doria said the captured bomber, Blah Platon, revealed that among the areas targeted in the terror attacks were the cities of Davao and Cotabato.

"Based on the tactical interrogation, the suspect bared the JI was to carry out large-scale bomb attacks," he said.

Doria said Platon also revealed that about 50 improvised bombs were to be shipped to the target areas within the year.

Security forces have been conducting operations to capture key JI militants, Indonesians Dulmatin and Omar Patek, on Jolo island since August.

Dulmatin and Patek were suspected to be key plotters in the 2002 bombings in the Indonesian resort island of Bali, which killed more than 200 people, mostly Australian tourists.

Police intelligence officers said Dulmatin and Patek were in the company of six other JI militants - four Indonesians, a Malaysian and a Singaporean - protected by Muslim Abu Sayyaf rebels in Jolo.

Last month, at least six people were killed and more than 30 others were injured in a series of bomb attacks in Mindanao, which were allegedly aimed at diverting military attention from Jolo.

The attacks occurred after security forces captured the Indonesian wife of Dulmatin in Patikul town on Jolo island. She was awaiting deportation for illegally entering the country.


 

Police warn pranksters: Bomb hoax an act of terrorism

By FRANCIS EARL A. CUETO
The Manila Times Reporter

People who issue false warnings of terrorist acts through text messages or other means could face charges for terrorism.

Chief Superintendent Luizo Ticman, chief of Eastern Police District, on Sunday warned sending messages of bombs in malls or other areas in the country, with the malicious intent of sending the police into a wild-goose chase, is an unpatriotic act and should be punished as such.

Just recently, EPD officers, acting on a text message about a bomb in a mall, came in full force to inspect the area. The police breathed a sigh of relief but expressed disgust over the prank.

"It’s just like a terrorist threat," Ticman said of the alarm. The [pranksters] create an environment of fear, and that’s what terrorists want to accomplish. They should be regarded as terrorists."

Among the malls falling under the EPD jurisdiction are the branches of Robinson’s in Ortigas, Santa Lucia, Antipolo and Cainta; SM Megamall and SM C-5; Ever Gotesco and Santa Lucia East Grand Mall.

He said such text messages were apparently intended to keep customers away from the malls. Just the same, he said, the police refused to take any chances. He said that aside from explosives experts, several sniff dogs were also sent to check out the premises of the malls.

Ticman advised the public to be on the lookout for any person acting strangely and to take precaution if they notice any unattended bags.

In both cases, he said, the public should seek police assistance by calling 117 or by reporting the matter to the nearest Help Desk inside the mall itself.

For his part, Senior Supt. Freddie Panen, chief of Rizal provincial police, called such pranksters "mentally sick criminals." As for the real terrorists, he said, the police are ready for them.

Source: http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/storypage.aspx?StoryId=53949
 

Boracay's Aborigines losing their home
as tourists start to flood in

AFP , BORACAY, PHILIPPINES
Tuesday, Oct 17, 2006, Page 9

While tourists frolic in the crystal clear waters lapping the tropical island of Boracay, local natives forced from their land by developers are fighting for their piece of paradise lost.

With its warm blue waters, powder-fine white sand and palm fringed beach Boracay, in the central Philippines, is widely regarded as having one of the most beautiful beaches in the world.

But away from the foreshore, hotels and restaurants there is another side of paradise that many tourists don't see or simply choose to ignore.

For the community of Aboriginal Aeta -- descendants of the first Filipinos who are believed to have come to the archipelago tens of thousands of years ago -- the island that was once their sole domain is being taken away from them.

Many of Boracay's 180 Aeta people fear that soon they will be forced from the one-hectare plot that is their home.

Their concerns are hardly surprising. In front of their humble homes, a South Korean company is building a water sports center. Nearby, a 1.5m concrete wall is going up that will obliterate what tiny view they still have of the famous beach.

As the bricks and mortar move steadily towards them, few of the Aeta who live here have faith that a court order protecting them from eviction will save them from the encroachment of voracious developers eager to stake a claim to the profits on offer from the lucrative tourist industry.

"They are making us leave," said Paulo, a 30-year-old Aeta who asked that his full name not be used. "We know they will remove us once they need the land."

Bining Salibio, 68, who works as a laundry woman, said: "They build a wall and a building. They told us we would have to leave. I don't know where we will go."

The Aeta, a once-nomadic people who are generally shorter and darker, and have kinkier hair than most Filipinos, are considered the oldest inhabitants of the archipelago.

Historians believe they crossed from Borneo island to the Philippines between 20,000 and 30,000 years ago using a land bridge that was partially covered by water around 5,000 years ago.

They are among the first -- if not the first -- inhabitants of the Philippines, according to the official National Commission on Indigenous Peoples.

The commission says that there are about 140,500 Aeta left in the country.

Although some have migrated to urban areas, small pockets of Aeta, like those in Boracay, can still be found all around the country especially on the main island of Luzon.

But in Boracay, they have become almost invisible.

Over the last 20 years or so Boracay has grown into a world-class tourist destination. While it was originally a backpacker paradise, giant hotels and sprawling resorts are slowly spreading across the island's landscape.

Boracay's tourism revenues last year hit a record high of 9.18 billion pesos (US$183.64 million) brought by nearly half a million foreign and local tourists, according to the Department of Tourism.

Edwin Trompeta of the department's Western Visayas region said the amount represented a 16.5 percent increase over the 7.882 billion pesos recorded in 2004.

Visitor arrivals to the island grew by 16.5 percent to 499,457 last year, the latest figures available, from 428,755 a year earlier.

Unlike their counterparts in other Philippine cities who have turned to begging, the Aeta people of Boracay are known for their industriousness, and many work as carpenters, gardeners, janitors and general workers at the island's resorts.

The Aeta freely admit they do not own the land they live on, that they have simply been granted permission to stay there. But as development closes in, they are beginning to fear they may no longer have a place here.

The owners of the land, including the family of Congressman Wilfredo Miraflores, say they are only taking back plots they have allowed the Aeta to live on.

Miraflores, however, said an agreement is already in place between the landowners, the government and the Catholic diocese that cares for the Aeta to resettle them on another one-hectare site donated by a charitable foundation.

"They will be moved when the area is ready," he said, adding that a government commission for indigenous people was already designing houses for them.

Boracay Mayor Ciceron Cawaling said that infrastructure, including a school and a health center, will be set up on the new site and that the Aeta will be given certificates of land ownership to ensure they will not be pushed out later.

He adds that many of the Aeta are not native to Boracay, having come here from other regions to find work.

And he says the Roman Catholic nuns who set up a cooperative for the Aeta have been trying to talk them into staying where they are.

"We can't construct [the infrastructure] because the nuns are convincing the Aetas not to go there [to the new site]," he said.

One of the nuns working with the Aeta community, Sister Victoria Ostan, said: "They were staying in the beachfront of Boracay but since tourism arrived, they are being pushed back."

There have been no overtly violent efforts to eject the Aeta, she said, but they certainly felt pressure to leave and the morale of the community was suffering.

The Aeta village is a world away from Boracay's upscale resorts, with flimsy shacks perched in a muddy field and chickens, pigs and half-naked children milling about.

Sister Ostan says the Aeta suffer such health problems as tuberculosis and adds that malnutrition is widespread among the children, some of whom eat only one meal a day.

Many Aeta are practically illiterate, she said.

"They don't have enough money for health, nothing for education of children," she said, adding that the nuns provide some food aid and help with education.

While she knows of the plan for a new residential site, Ostan said many of the Aeta still worry it will not have adequate facilities and will be too far from their jobs.

They also worry that eventually they will be forced off that land, too, she said.

Nevertheless, she said, the Aeta won't put up much of a fight against any attempt to move them on.

"They are peaceful people. They are afraid to fight anybody," she said.

"That is the dilemma of the Aetas. If they don't like something, they just go away," she said.

Source: http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/editorials/archives/2006/10/17/200333216\5
 

Blast rips through Philippine market

16-Oct-06

AN explosion ripped through a busy market early yesterday morning in the southern Philippines causing minor damage but no injuries, police said, adding another improvised bomb was also found in the same area.

Seven people were killed and more than 30 wounded when three explosive devices fashioned from 81mm mortar rounds went off last week in three urban centers on the southern island of Mindanao, blamed by the authorities on radical Muslim militants.

No group has claimed responsibility for yesterday's blast at a public market in Pagadian City in Zamboanga del Sur province, but there were Muslim rebels operating outside the port city.

``We're still investigating to determine the motive for the attack,'' Chief Inspector Oscar Buenaobra, chief of police, said.

``The explosives used in the attack were different from those that went off in Cotabato City, Makilala and Tacurong.''

He said bombs last week were detonated by mobile phones but those found in the market used timing devices.

Buenaobra said a garbage man found an explosive device made from a round of B40 rocket propelled grenade inside a garbage bin three hours before it was timed to go off. Bomb experts defused it two hours after it was discovered.

While the bomb was being disarmed, another device made from an M79 grenade exploded in the same area but caused no injuries because soldiers and police officers had cordoned off the market.

``We're lucky because these devices were found earlier,'' said Buenaobra.

Buenaobra said it would be premature to speculate the Islamic militants from Abu Sayyaf, suspected to have carried out the bombings last week, could also be involved in the market attack. Abu Sayyaf, the smallest and most violent of four Muslim rebel groups in the Philippines, has been sheltering members of JI in the south and around 6,000 troops, backed by US advisers, have been trying since August 1 to flush them out.

Last month, security officials warned Abu Sayyaf could launch bomb attacks in key urban centres in the south in retaliation for more offensives. The Philippines is fighting insurgencies, which have killed more than 160,000 people since the late 1960s. Reuters
 

Palace: Torching of Bacolod airport a ‘terrorist act'

Malacañan on Monday condemned as an “act of terrorism” the attack by communist rebels on the Bacolod Airport in Silay
City, Negros Occidental before dawn Sunday.

Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye said the attack “is not only a direct assault on the people whose jobs are at stake in
the construction of the airport, but also on our development vision designed to alleviate poverty.”

“Acts like this clearly justify the people's strong and relentless campaign against the [New People’s Army], as well
as its inclusion in the international list of terrorist organizations,” Bunye said in a statement.

He said the government will continue its campaign against terrorist groups.

The US has listed the NPA on its lists of organizations with terrorist links.

An ABS-CBN Regional Network Group report said 40 rebels raided the site in Barangay Bagtic and burned down about P20
million worth of construction equipment at the airport.

Police said the raiders gained entry to the site after introducing themselves as officers of the police regional
mobile group.

The Department of Transportation and Communication said the attack could result to a 30-day delay in the airport's
construction. The airport is expected to be opened by May next year.

The terminal is included in the string of infrastructure projects that President Arroyo outlined in her State of the
Nation Address in July.

Chief Superintendent Geary Barias, regional police director for Western Visayas, said he will assign officers to
guard the airport.
 

AFP: 30 JI members in Mindanao


At least 30 members of the Indonesian terrorist group Jemaah Islamiyah are hiding somewhere in Mindanao with Abu Sayyaf bandits led by chieftain Khadaffy Janjalani, the Armed Forces of the Philippines said Monday.

Lt. Col. Bartolome Bacarro, AFP spokesman, said the Indonesians are in Sulu and Central Mindanao. He did not elaborate.

Bacarro added that the arrest of Istiada Binti Oemar Sovie, the wife of JI bomber Dulmatin, confirms information that the Indonesia-based terrorist network, has gained a foothold in Mindanao.

Sovie was arrested last week in Patikul, Sulu, with her two sons. The woman said that she has been in Mindanao for the past three years acting as courier for JI.

Sovie said her husband and another JI bomb expert, Umar Patek, are holed up in the mountains of Patikul in Jolo island with Janjalani's group.

Dulmatin and Patek, both suspects in the October 2002 bombings in Bali, Indonesia, have been included in the United States government's terrorist watch-list.

In Manila, the Department of Justice on Monday gave the military three weeks to interrogate Sovie before working for Sovie's deportation.

Sovie arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 2 aboard a Philippine Airlines from Zamboanga City Monday morning.

She was immediately taken to an undisclosed military safehouse for interrogation. With a report from Jay Ruiz
 

14 killed, 24 wounded in bomb attacks
By Al Jacinto

DAVAO CITY -- At least 14 people were killed and another 24 wounded in a series of bomb attacks Tuesday in the southern Philippines, where security officials were put on alert for possible attacks by al-Qaida-linked militants, police said.

The bombing came just a week after security forces arrested the Indonesian wife -- Istiada Oemar Sovie and her two boys ages six and eight -- of a Jemaah Islamiya militant, Dulmatin, in Jolo island.

North Cotabato Provincial Police Chief Federico Dulay said the bomb, believed to be made from an 88mm mortar shell, went off at about 8 p.m. in front of the town hall of Makilala town in the southern part of the province.

"Clearly this is a terrorist act," Dulay said.

Another bomb killed two women and injured four others in a public market in Tacurong City, Sultan Kudarat province, as US and Philippine officials said they had received credible intelligence that a terrorist group may be planning to carry out bombings in the southern Mindanao region, where Sovie was captured last week.

The US Embassy warned that it had received "credible information" about possible attacks, particularly in cities in central Mindanao, "over the next several days."

Two Philippine security officials monitoring the area agreed, citing possible retaliation for last week's arrest of Sovie on southern Jolo Island, in the Mindanao region. Sovie's husband, Dulmatin, is Asia's most wanted terror suspect for his alleged role in the 2002 Bali bombings that killed 202 people.

Quoting witnesses, Dulay said an unidentified man carrying a plastic bag went to a stall selling alcohol in a crowded area along a highway during celebrations of Makilala's founding anniversary, bought a bottle of wine, then left.

The explosion occurred minutes later, killing a man and a woman on the spot, he said. Ten other people died en route to a hospital in nearby Kidapawan City or while being treated there. Twenty others suffered injuries are still being treated in nearby hospitals.

A row of commercial stalls, a carnival and cultural presentations in a nearby gymnasium have attracted crowds this week. The powerful explosion destroyed a row of stalls and two motorcycle taxis and dug a crater in the asphalt road, Dulay said.

"The area is a total wreck," Dulay said.

Makilala is a small banana and rubber-producing town 950 kilometers (590 miles) southeast of Manila. Communist and Muslim guerrillas are known to have a presence in the town.

Earlier in the day, a security guard found the bomb in Tacurong, a predominantly Christian agricultural region not far away. It was stashed in a bag filled with packs of corn chips, and the guard hurled it away from a crowd before it exploded, preventing more casualties, army Colonel Felipe Tabas said.

"We are still investigating the motive of the attack and who was behind it. Two people are dead and four more are wounded in the bombing," said Lieutenant Colonel Julieto Ando, spokesman of the Army's 6th Infantry Division.

The bomb also was made from a small mortar round and could be remotely triggered using a cell phone but it apparently went off prematurely after the guard tossed it away, police Chief Superintendent German Doria.

Such bombs have been used in the past by the Jemaah Islamiyah and its local ally, the Abu Sayyaf group, but investigators were trying to determine if other groups, like extortion gangs, were involved, Doria said.

About 10 security guards were deployed recently at the market because of intelligence reports it could be targeted, he said.

The fatalities were identified as Conchita Magon and Isabel Mariano. Those injured were Helen Mendoza, 42; Rudy Salada, 22; Roselyn Tubilla, 28; and Delia Panyoza, 22.

Soldiers and policemen were tracking down two men who were seen near the restrooms minutes before the bomb, fashioned out from an 81-mm mortar, was detonated.

Tacurong City Mayor Lino Montilla condemned the attack. No group has claimed responsibility for the noontime attack.

In southern Zamboanga city, police are on alert to safeguard an annual Roman Catholic festival that culminates with a public parade on Thursday. The predominantly Christian city of about 700,000 has been hit by deadly bomb attacks in recent years that were blamed on the Abu Sayyaf.

The United States has offered a US$10 million reward for the capture of Dulmatin and US$1 million for another Indonesian, Umar Patek. The two are believed to be hiding in Jolo with Abu Sayyaf guerrillas. (With reports from RHB/GF of Sun.Star Davao/AP/Sunnex)

(October 11, 2006 issue)
Write letter to the editor. Click here.
Join the Sun.Star message board. Click here.

 

All of Mindanao put under highest alert

POLICE and military officials have placed Mindanao under “extreme critical alert”—the highest of a four-step public terror warning system—after three bombings this week left 12 people dead and the region braced for more attacks.

“We are on full operations mode,” Armed Forces Chief Hermogenes Esperon Jr. told reporters.

He said almost 60,000 troops, half the entire military, were now on duty in Mindanao and the Sulu archipelago.

Raising the alert level to extreme signals the government is bracing itself for more terror attacks from Muslim extremists. Metro Manila remained on moderate alert.

No soldier or officer was allowed to go on leave while the alert remained, Esperon said.

He said it was likely that the Al Qaida-linked Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiyah groups would continue attacking targets in the south.

Both groups, which are on the US government’s list of foreign terrorist organizations, have been blamed for a series of bombings on Tuesday and Wednesday that killed 12.

The threat of more attacks has forced the United States, Britain, Australia and Japan to issue new travel advisories.

Esperon said more roadblocks would be put up in the south and intelligence gathering would be intensified.

A massive manhunt for Abu Sayyaf leaders and Jemaah Islamiyah bombers Dulmatin and Umar Patek would be stepped up in Sulu, he said.

That operation alone has tied up more than 5,000 troops in dense jungle to capture an estimated 200 militants.

Esperon said the Abu Sayyaf’s strength had fallen to about 420 members from a high of more than 1,000 in 2000.

Security analysts have said that about 30 mostly Indonesian Jemaah Islamiyah militants, including Dulmatin and Patek, were now in the south.

Dulmatin’s wife was arrested last week and, under questioning, confirmed intelligence information that the Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiyah were plotting to hit more targets in coming days.

The Abu Sayyaf was responsible for the country’s worst terrorist attack in 2004, when its fighters bombed a passenger ferry and killed over 100 people.

It's fighters are also wanted for a series of high-profile kidnappings and murders, including those of two Americans seized in 2001.

Jemaah Islamiyah is believed to be Al Qaida’s Southeast Asian arm and is suspected of being behind the October 2002 and 2005 bombings in Bali, Indonesia, that killed more than 200 people.

The places being watched by security forces include the southern port city of Zamboanga, where a weeklong Christian religious festival ended Thursday with a public parade, police officials said.

In 2002, suspected Abu Sayyaf guerrillas detonated a bicycle bomb during a religious festival at Fort Pilar in Zamboanga, killing one civilian and wounding 12 others.

Fort Pilar is a complex that includes the centuries-old remains of a Spanish fort, a shrine to the Virgin Mary, and an open-air worshipping area where mass is celebrated.

But the Palace played down an accusation from North Cotabato Gov. Emmanuel Piñol that the Moro Islamic Liberation Front was involved in this week’s attacks.

“There is no report that would link the MILF—and even its so-called special operations group—to the bombings,” Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said.

He said all the evidence so far pointed to the Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiyah.

The government and the MILF are in peace talks that were recently stalled over a rebel demand for more territory.

Presidential Spokesman Ignacio Bunye said President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo had asked the joint ceasefire committee to help identify and stop the bombers.

But Piñol yesterday insisted that the MILF was involved. He challenged the group to surrender one of its sub- commanders, Basit Usman, the man he accuses of leading the bomb attacks.

The MILF has consistently denied any role in the bombings.

Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez said those who could identify the bombers would be covered by the Witness Protection Program. Arlie Calalo, Moses Billacura, Fel V. Maragay, Rey E. Requejo, AFP, AP

Trumped-Up Drug Case: Aussie raps 3 cops for ordeal
By Ding Cervantes
The Philippine Star 05/24/2002

ANGELES CITY - An Australian businessman, locked up in jail here for six months last year on trumped-up drug charges but whom the court later acquitted, has returned to get back at his police tormentors.

Trader John Brian Martin has filed perjury charges against three policemen — PO2 Edgardo Javar, PO1 Aurelio Iniwan and SPO4 Danilo Cadiz — whom the court found to have framed up the foreigner.

Martin’s ordeal has led to the publication of a book titled The Story of John Martin by American journalist Allan Atkins. The book is making the rounds of foreign expatriates here.

In his complaint with the National Police Commission (Napolcom), Martin recounted how the three policemen swooped down on his residence here on June 14 last year, based on a search warrant they got from a judge in Guimba, Nueva Ecija, some 50 kilometers away from this city.

The lawmen claimed that their search yielded five grams of shabu in tin foil. Martin and his Filipino wife Elvira were detained, although charges against her were not pursued after she gave the policemen P250,000.

Martin stayed in jail for almost six months. Sometime during his detention, the lawmen ordered him handcuffed to his
bed at the Angeles University Hospital after he was found to be suffering from a heart ailment.

In acquitting Martin, Angeles City Regional Trial Court Judge Omar Viola cited conflicting testimonies of the three policemen and their failure to arrest Martin during an alleged drug buy-bust on June 4 last year, 10 days before the raid on the foreigner’s house.

In his complaint, Martin cited the three lawmen’s claim in their sworn affidavits that they found him to be selling shabu at his residence from May 24 to June 5 last year.

Martin, however, said he, his wife and their only child, Michelle, were on vacation in Hong Kong from May 26 to June 4.

The Martins used to have a successful nursery and landscaping business in Quezon City. They later sold it to develop the Greenland sports center here.

After his acquittal, Martin was quoted by the local paper Sun Star Pampanga as saying that "my only crime was having also sold my resort in Angeles, having some money in the bank, and therefore becoming a target."

He said what happened to him was a "clear case of extortion" to which he had refused to be victimized.

The Martins fled the country after the acquittal, with his three tormentors free of any charges.

Now Martin wants justice done. "(The policemen) caused me to suffer detention for nearly six months and major business (and) financial losses, incur large expenses for hospitalization, transportation and legal fees, (and) suffer permanent loss of credibility and integrity in the local business community," he said in his complaint.
 

American Fired at in Koronadal City

The Philippine Star 10/04/2006

KORONADAL CITY — Unidentified men fired at an American national as he was on his way to the city proper Sunday night, police said.

"We are still (investigating) the incident. We are looking into the possible involvement of a gun-for-hire group. We are also pursuing the angles of car theft and kidnapping," said Superintendent Florendo Quidilla, city police chief, on the attack on Edward Lane Stevens, a resident of Agan North Subdivision in Barangay Morales here.

Stevens was cruising along the highway in Barangay Paraiso when occupants of an L-300 van tailing his car fired at him with shotguns.

Stevens continued driving, drew his caliber .45 pistol and fired back, forcing his attackers to withdraw. — Ramil Bajo

Vigilante-style in Cebu City.

Here is another victim:

CEBU CITY -- Thirty minutes after walking out of a police station detention cell, an ex-convict was shot dead by motorcycle-riding men in Cebu City Monday night.

Police identified the victim as Epitacio Ocariza Jr., 22, of Sitio Royal, Barangay Cogon-Pardo.

The manner of execution was vigilante-style, but Homicide Section Chief Erlando Metante declined to conclude the killing was carried out by vigilantes.
 

STARBUCKS DENIES COFFEE TO MARINES

Recently Marines in Iraq wrote to Starbucks because they wanted to let them know how much they liked their coffees and to request that they send some of it to the troops there. Starbucks replied, telling the Marines thank you for their support of their business, but that Starbucks does not support the war, nor anyone in it, and that they would n! ot send the troops their brand of coffee.
So as not to offend Starbucks, maybe we should not support them by buying any of their products! As a war vet writing to fellow patriots, I feel we should get this out in the open. I know this war might not be very popular with some folks, but that doesn't mean we don't support the boys on the ground fighting street-to-street and house-to-house for what they and I believe is right.
If you feel the same as I do then pass this along, or you can discard it and no one will never know. Thanks very much for your support. I know you'll all be there again when I deploy once more.

"Semper Fidelis."
Sgt Howard C. Wright
1st Force Recon Co
1st Plt PLT
 

HELSINKI - Japan and the Philippines signed a free-trade pact on Saturday after overcoming the thorny issue of Filipina nurses seeking work in the world's second-biggest economy.

Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and Philippine President Gloria Arroyo inked the economic partnership agreement in Helsinki ahead of the two-day Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) that begins Sunday, Japanese government officials said.

The deal with the Philippines will be the first of its kind for Japan because it includes landmark provisions on the movement of labor.

Under the agreement, a limited number of Philippine nurses and caregivers will be allowed to work in Japan on condition they pass Japanese qualification examinations.

"The agreement will strengthen the economic collaboration between our two countries by increasing flows of goods, persons, investments and services," the two governments said in a joint statement issued at the signing ceremony.

The trade pact will also remove tariff duties on more than 90 percent of trade in goods between the two countries.

However, some Philippine agriculture exports to Japan, including tropical fruits, and some Japanese exports of industrial goods to the Philippines will remain subject to tariffs.

Two previous deadlines for signing the pact were postponed as the two sides remained at odds on various issues, with Tokyo seeking a more open investment climate in the Philippines and Manila pushing to send more workers to Japan, mostly nurses.

Japan last year tightened visa regulations to crack down on the trafficking of sex workers after coming under pressure from the United States.

But the tougher visa rules led to protests in the Philippines, which feared that the restrictions would also affect legitimate workers. Eight million Filipinos -- 10 percent of the population -- work overseas and sent home 10.7 billion dollars last year.

Amid frosty relations with closer neighbors China and South Korea over its wartime record, Japan has been seeking warmer relations with Southeast Asia, including through free-trade deals.

Since the re-establishment of diplomatic ties, Japan has become the top aid donor to the Philippines, contributing 9.4 billion dollars over the past 23 years, or 51 percent of all foreign loans and grants to Manila in the period.

Japan's first free trade agreement, with Singapore, took effect in late 2002 and Tokyo has since signed deals with Malaysia and Mexico.

It reached a broad agreement with Thailand last year, while talks continue with Brunei, Chile, South Korea, Indonesia and the 10-nation Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) as a whole.

The agreement with the Philippines "is a very ambitious, comprehensive economic partnership agreement, including liberalisation of trade in services at a deep level," a Japanese official said.

"The Philippines agreed to open up trade in services more than they offered in the WTO talks," he added, referring to the stalled multilateral trade talks in the World Trade Organization.

After the global trade talks repeatedly failed to meet the deadline of agreement on basic structure of slashing tariffs on trade in farm and industrial goods, Japan, like other countries, has geared itself towards talks on bilateral and regional free trade pacts.

http://www.channeln ewsasia.com/ stories/afp_ asiapacific_ business/ view/229\515/1/.html
http://www.channeln ewsasia.com/ stories/afp_ asiapacific_ business/ view/22\9515/1/.html
 

Mayon Volcano Eruption

(AP) A volcano in the Philippines sent six explosions of ash about a half mile into the air Monday, prompting authorities to warn that an eruption appeared imminent and to evacuate tens of thousands of people.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology raised the alert for the 8,118-foot Mayon volcano to Level 4, the second-highest level. Officials also extended the government's permanent "danger zone" from 4.3 miles to 5 miles on the volcano's southern side.

About 35,000 villagers were being evacuated Monday, and an additional 20,000 people will be moved out if there is a major eruption, said Gov. Fernando Gonzalez of Albay province, about 210 miles southeast of Manila on Luzon island.

Classes were immediately suspended in parts of Legaspi city, the provincial capital. Army trucks and government vehicles have been deployed to ferry residents to 34 evacuation centers, officials said.

Those evacuated included people who have ventured back to the danger zone to tend crops in the fertile volcanic soil.

"I survive by tending that farm and I have lived here all my life," said Gerry Losentales, an 87-year-old farmer, as soldiers helped him board an army truck in his village of Mabiniet. "I hope the government can help me now."

Lava began flowing from the volcano on July 14 and has been slowly extending down Mayon's slopes. Before the explosions Monday, volcanologists said they had detected 21 low-frequency volcanic earthquakes over the previous 24 hours.

Last week, the government deployed troops to keep sightseers away from the edge of advancing lava. Renato Solidum Jr., head of the volcanology institute, has said the danger could come from a collapse of the lava dome or sudden explosive eruption that could send pyroclastic flows _ clouds of superheated gas and ash _ racing down the volcano's slopes.

Mayon is one of the Philippines' 22 active volcanoes. Its most violent eruption, in 1814, killed more than 1,200 people and buried a town in mud. A 1993 eruption killed 79 people.

The Philippines is in the Pacific "Ring of Fire," where volcanic activity and earthquakes are common.

MMVI The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Philippines – Past & Present
Museum Volunteers of the Philippines History Course

A hands-on, seminar style, 24 week course covering historical events in the Philippines and divided into the following modules:

50,000 BC – 1521AD Ancient Artifacts and Living Traditions: The Early Period
1521 – 1898 Colonization and Conversion: The Spanish Period
1898 – 1946 Occupation and War: The American/Japanese Period
1946 – 1986 Sovereignty and Martial Law: The Independent Period
1986 – Present Post EDSA: An overview of the Modern Period

The course is ideal for anyone who wishes to learn more about the Philippines. Gain a deeper understanding of the country that is your permanent/temporary home through participatory presentations, field trips, guest speakers and special events.

The 2006/07 course begins on Monday 18th September 2006.

Sessions are held on Mondays at the Filipinas Heritage Library, Nielson
Tower, Makati Avenue, from 9.00am to 12.00 noon.

For further information please contact Angela Miller, Director, Education
Committee (EdCom) Tel: 524-9390, Mobile 0920-830-3818, Email: edcom@mail.com

Enrollment and information will be available at the Annual MVP Afternoon Tea, September 6, 2006, 2pm, Dasmarinas Village Clubhouse, Campanilla St, Dasmarinas Village.

Website of The Museum Volunteers of the Philippines:
http://mvphilippine s.hypermart. net

 

*Peril in Palawan*

CITY SENSE By Paulo Alcazaren
The Philippine STAR 08/12/2006

Tourism in the Philippines is on the rise – and it can only go up because we are close to the bottom of the Asian tourism heap, what with our measly two million or so visitors a year.

We are blessed with idyllic islands, bountiful beaches, cool mountains, pastoral plains, breathtaking waterfalls, majestic caves, (endangered, but surviving) rainforests and a host of attractions that other countries envy.

The problem is our lack of hard infrastructure and now, and an alarming lack of soft infrastructure, such as well-trained tour guides and tour programs that ensure the basics of safety and security.

Palawan is one of the country's prime tourist destinations. With 1,700-plus islands, the insular province is a veritable paradise. For one family this summer, though, their tour – which started off well enough – eventually became one of peril, not pleasure.

I received a letter from BEH, which goes:

"My family and I availed ourselves of a Palawan Adventure Package. Palawan is touted as a sports and tourism center. A humongous billboard at the Puerto Princesa Airport announces that. It is also called the Philippines' last frontier. It is, indeed, clean and green, the tourist sites are very interesting, the beaches are beautiful and the prevailing atmosphere is one of peace and calmness.

"We had fun the first two days and saw a lot of unique and interesting sites. Our package included a half-day city tour that included visits to the Crocodile Farm, Iwahig Penal Colony, Butterfly Garden, the Mitra house and Baker's Hill. On the second day we went island hopping at Honda Bay.  We stopped and snorkeled at Snake Island, Starfish Island and Luli Island (*luli *meaning *lulubog lilitaw*).

"On the third day, we went to the Underground River (a UNESCO heritage site). Because the tide was high, we had to go overland to get to the Underground River. Now… here's the downside of our trip. The road trip to the Underground River was one hour of good roads and one and a half hours of very rough roads. It would be better if all the roads were maintained
so that we can have faster travel. There was a curve that was unpaved, where our van and the vans of other travel agencies were grounded * (balaho). *

"Toilets at stops are mostly Antipolo type (*buhos* type) and a conspicuous donation box is placed at the entrance. Toilet paper (if at all available) is not in a tissue holder. This, to say the least, is unsanitary.

"Most jarring of all, we had a horrible experience with an incompetent tour guide who made us trek to the Underground River without assessing if we could manage the trek safely and without advising us on what to bring. This sad experience diminished our appreciation of the Underground River.

"Our harrowing experience started late. Our pick-up time was supposed to be by 7 a.m. We were picked up at 8 a.m.! We arrived at Sabang 10:45 a.m., where we were informed that, because of big waves, no *banca* could take us to the Underground River and so we had to trek. We were not informed by our guide that there would be three mountains to climb. We were not told how much water or essentials to bring. We were not advised to wrap our cameras to prevent damage. We were not assessed as to whether or not we could manage the climb based on our health, age, clothes, etc.

"In our group of seven, three were 50 years and above. The guide gave us some hope that we would be picked up by a *banca* at the Underground River so we would not have to trek back to Sabang. Our trek to the river lasted three hours. We arrived at the Underground River past 2 p.m. Our lunch had not arrived, so we went on to the river tour. After the river tour, lunch arrived (at 3 p.m.!) and we then were told that no *bancas* could pick us up. We had to trek back to Sabang!

"We started back at 4 p.m. A 61-year-old female teacher passed out after 30 minutes. The guide did not know any first aid. The guide did not have a first-aid kit! She did not even know CPR!

"To make this long story short, we were rescued by park rangers and boatmen. They arranged for a paddleboat to pick us up at the mangrove forest. The rescue was completed at 7:30 p.m. It was very dark and scary already. Remember that we were not forewarned, nor are we seasoned trekkers.

"What made us angrier was the apparent ignorance and arrogance of the guide. She even wanted to board the rescue boat ahead of us! My husband told her to stay and wait for the last person out. She offered no advice on how to mange the trek. She even insulted my daughter (who was worried for me), saying, *"Mahirap talaga umakyat pag malaki ang katawan"! *If she knew this, why then did she not reveal the risk of the trek before beginning the climb?

"Still, the sight of the Underground River and the surrounding landscapes and seascapes was indeed worth a visit. It is unfortunate that on our last day, we had to go with an incompetent guide. We could have lost our lives.

Our material damage includes a digital camera that fell into salt water and credit cards that became unreadable because they got wet. Our bodies suffer from muscular pains up to today. We have cuts, bruises, lesions, hematomas, insect bites, twisted ankles and, to say the least, trauma from that tour.

"We hope the connecting *banca* ride to the Underground River can be re-assessed so that appropriate boats for high tide can be used. That way, the jungle trek can be an option for younger, more able-bodied tourists.

"And, to cap our trip, the Puerto Princesa Airport had no air-conditioning the day we left. I hope we can plan to compete globally with more efficient practices and support infrastructure. If we do not do something about our tourism-support infrastructure, we will forever risk being compared to our Asian neighbors and probably always lose out." * * *Well, BEH, that trip was indeed harrowing. My apologies for printing this letter rather late (the letter is a few months old). I've had no word from you whether the tour organizer or DOT officials took any action (BEH sent letters of complaint to the tour operator).

It is bad enough that we have inadequate airports and dilapidated air terminals (our supposedly new NAIA III is crumbling before it can even – if at all – open). We have only a fifth or a sixth of the number of hotel rooms other countries have. Un-navigable networks with inadequate directional signage mar our road travel. Our inter-island ships have a reputation for sinking. Our buses fall into ravines. We have no rail transport to speak of.

Then there's all this incompetence and utter disregard for the essentials of tourism – the safety and security of travelers. The story of BEH is symptomatic of a widening gap in our tourism capacity. All the marketing that energetic DOT Secretary Ace Durano is doing will not cover up
for the lack of tourism infrastructure or for this worrying disregard for the physical well being of tourists. * * * *Feedback is welcome. Please e-mail the writer at paulo.alcazaren@...

Heritage Conservation Society
http://preservephilippineheritage.blogs.friendster.com
Indung Kapampangan http://cityofsanfernando.blogspot.com
ICOMOS Philippines http://icomosphilippines.blogspot.com
The Gabaldon Legacy http://gabaldon.blogspot.com
Old Manila Walks http://oldmanilawalks.blogspot.com

--
Why conserve heritage?
Far from converting anything of our heritage into a museum, the HCS affirms that an efficient 21st century lifestyle can take place in the same urban and architectural envelope created by earlier generations. Built heritage can be recycled for contemporary, adaptive re-use, thereby preserving the cultural charm and traditional character of our cities and towns.  Heritage conservation enhances progress and modernization: from urban revitalization and community housing, to the revival of traditional crafts and the stimulation of entrepreneurial activities. It awakens our "pride of place," arousing cultural and historical awareness, which often advances
cultural tourism.

Heritage Conservation Society
G/F Museo Pambata Building
Roxas Boulevard, Ermita
Manila, Philippines
Tel. +632 521 2239
Fax. +632 522 2497
 

Un/scene exhibit, Photo 101 workshop

EXHIBIT
Un/scene by Jason Tengco

September 4-16, 2006 (Gallery hours: 9:00 a.m.-6:00
p.m., Tuesday to Saturday)

Un/scene, a one-man show by Heherson Tengco, is a collection of digital photographs rendered in black and white. Taken in the streets of Manila, Tokyo, and Shanghai, the photographs speak of the unexpected beauty found in places or objects enveloped in
unsettling decay, imminent ruin, and dim conclusion.

View the artworks, which reveals the artist’s style inclined towards stark realism melded with an isolationist mood, at The Alcove Photo Gallery located along Makati Avenue, Ayala Triangle, Makati City (across The Peninsula Manila).

WORKSHOP
Photo 101: Photography for Beginners by Jay Alonzo September 4, 6, 8, 11, and 13 (6:00 to 9:00 p.m.)

Intended for novice photographers and photo hobbyists, this workshop will cover the following topics:

- Factors that make or break a photograph and how to control them
- Introduction to lighting concepts and how it affect photography
- Understanding the film and the camera and how they work
- Learning the technical aspects of taking photos such as focusing, metering, and exposure setting to produce technically acceptable images
- Learning how to design your photographs for visual impact
- Applying the technical and design aspects of the workshop on various shooting applications

Requirement
135-format film-based SLR, a rangefinder type camera, or a digital camera with manual exposure control

Venue
Reading Room of the Filipinas Heritage Library (Makati Avenue, Ayala Triangle, Makati City, across The Peninsula Manila)

Speaker
Jay started his teaching career in 1996, and has conducted seminars for the Technology & Livelihood Resource Center, DBP Camera Club, Procter & Gamble, Caltex Philippines, Microsoft Philippines, and Meralco Mountaineers, among others. A professional photographer, Jay focuses mostly on photography for  the local movie/entertainment , hotel, resort, and restaurant industries. He also shoots regularly for Business day and Mabuhay magazine, the in-flight magazine of Philippine Airlines.

Fee
Php 3,000.00 inclusive of handout, film, and certificate

The number of slots for this workshop is limited. Please confirm your participation on or before August 31 by placing a Php 500.00 partial down payment (non-refundable) .
 

US official lauds RP growth
By Paolo Romero
The Philippine Star 08/01/2006

A ranking US official said yesterday he was impressed with the Philippines’ economic growth as he urged the government to continue its reform policies.

Visiting US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Christopher Hill issued the statement after meeting separately yesterday with President Arroyo and her economic managers, accompanied by US Ambassador Kristie Kenney.

"I talked to the President about the impressive growth numbers being developed in the Philippine economy, the reduction in the government deficit which is also very important and it allows the government to focus on some of the problems, such as infrastructure, so it was a very, very good discussion," Hill told reporters at Malacañang.

He added that he believes "it is very important that... this positive economic trends (continue) for the Philippines to play a positive role in the region."

Hill, who arrived in the country on Saturday for a three-day visit, earlier urged the Philippines to play a leading role in Southeast Asia in dealing with natural disasters.

He said the 40-minute meeting mainly touched on Philippine-US economic relations and how it can be strengthened, though both of them also discussed the ongoing crisis in Lebanon and the issue of Myanmar’s relations with fellow ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) members.

Mrs. Arroyo also presented her "super regions" economic plan, which is basically a massive pump-priming involving infrastructure and other key growth areas for the five sub-regions of the country.

Hill also visited some US firms in the country, including call centers, and relayed how pleased US executives are "with the Filipino workers here, how pleased they are with the business growth, and how much they’d like to do in the future."

He pointed out that he saw "notable improvement in the overall macro-performance of the economy" since the last time he visited the country in February. The government said it was able to sustain growth for the last 22 consecutive quarters, a feat unparalleled by past administrations.

Trade Secretary Peter Favila and Finance Secretary Margarito Teves also met with Hill, discussing challenges facing the country and ways to attract foreign investments from the US and the Asian region.

The US, he said, is not threatened by increasing Chinese investments in the Philippines as the country can very much benefit from China’s dynamic growth.

"From the US point of view, you know more China does not mean less US," Hill said. "I mean we welcome the development of China, we welcome it as an engine of growth for the entire region and we think the Philippines is well-poised to take advantage of that."

According to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), the US is the country’s biggest trade partner and the top destination of exports.

The US has also long been extending development aid to the country. The Philippines was recently the recipient of a P1-billion grant from the US to help the country fight corruption.

The DFA also said bilateral trade volume between the Philippines and China in 2003 reached $9.4 billion, representing a growth rate of 79 percent over the figure of $5.2 billion in 2002. The Chinese government has also began major investments in mining in the country.

Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye, meanwhile, called for more cooperation and patience from the opposition to allow the country to achieve its economic goals faster.

Bunye pointed out that the country’s "development agenda needs time, cooperation and focus to achieve its end goals."

"It is easier for some to engage in fault-finding and muckraking but what is much more difficult, and often not appreciated, is the hard work and tough decisions that go into putting our fiscal house in order, growing the economy and investments, creating jobs and bringing essential services to the doorstep of the poor," Bunye said in a statement.

"We are doing all we can to pull this nation together and make it a home for Filipino unity, peace and enterprise. It would be better for our detractors to get on board rather than pull the ship down and drown the ardent hopes of our people," he added.

Improvements needed

Hill, in his lecture before students and faculty members of De La Salle University in Manila, said Washington is very optimistic about the Philippines’ future but urged the government to address the "problem of roads and airports. It is also a challenge to see first-rate airports and roads. I do not think you want anything less."

He also said the country should keep up the GDP (gross domestic product) growth rate of over five percent.

Hill said an infrastructure program is necessary to be competitive in the region, and added that he was struck by the sight of airplane components made by Filipinos working with an American airplane parts company during his visit to Baguio last Sunday.

"This is not second-rate, but first-rate," he said, referring to the components.

The US continues to closely watch the gains from the government’s economic reform program.

Robert Ludan, counselor for economic affairs of the US Embassy in Manila, said the US does not usually comment on a country’s credit standing and overall economic environment, but said Washington sees a credible forecast of continued improvement this year.

Ludan said government debts, including the government-owned and controlled corporations (GOCCs), is one of the areas that should improve.

He added that the slight reduction in the interest rate is also a positive development.

But Ludan said the US continues to be concerned with medium and long term private investments.

The embassy official noted that the government needs to invest more on infrastructure, education and health care.

Pivotal role

Hill urged the Philippines to use its role as ASEAN chairman to bring back North Korea to the six-party talks on the nuclear weapons program and called Pyongyang a country that is "totally out of step."

"We look forward to the Philippines using its leadership role what it can do to bring North Korea back to the bargaining table," he said.

But Hill said the US will not fall into any trap by Pyongyang with its insistence that its nuclear weapons program be limited to bilateral talks between the two countries. He pointed out that Pyongyang could easily blame the US for any failure to arrive at a result or a stalled negotiation.

"The US sees the situation in North Korea not as a bilateral problem but a regional problem. The US does not want to consider this a bilateral issue. We are not going to get into that trap. This is a multilateral problem," Hill said.

Hill added that it was "extraordinary" for the Chinese delegation that went to Pyongyang after its missile launch not to be met by North Korean officials.

"It was extraordinary when the Chinese delegation went to North Korea but it refused to meet with them.