by magnolia_eic | Aug 23, 2011 | Headlines, National News
PRESIDENT Benigno Aquino III on Tuesday inspected the country’s first Hamilton class cutter, the newly acquired and refurbished BRP Gregorio del Pilar.
In his speech, Aquino said BRP Del Pilar will further modernize the Armed Forces.
Manned by 13 officers and 82 enlisted personnel, BRP Gregorio del Pilar entered the country last week after a month-long voyage from the United States. It dropped its anchor at the Manila Bay, Monday morning to undergo customs, immigration and quarantine inspection.
The Philippine Navy recently acquired the refurbished US Coast Guard Cutter Hamilton (WHEC- 715) and commissioned it as BRP Gregorio del Pilar Pacific Fleet 15. The 378-foot vessel with a crew capacity of 180 is equipped with armament and weapons system, propulsion plant, electrical generation, helicopter hangar and flight deck, among others.
It will be deployed to carry out the mission for drug interdiction, law enforcement, search and rescue operations, defense readiness and migrant interdiction. It will also perform tasks in protecting the country’s natural gas and oil exploration projects off Palawan amid reported incursions in the West Philippine Sea.
Also present during the ceremonies were United States Ambassador Harry Thomas Jr, Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin, Energy Secretary Rene Almendras, Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr, Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim, Communications Operations head Herminio Coloma Jr. (End)
by magnolia_eic | Aug 23, 2011 | Headlines, Major Events, National News
TAGBILARAN CITY, Aug. 23 (PIA)– MIPAHIGAYON og usa ka Buddhist ceremony ang mga paryente sa Manila hostage victims ug survivor sa mismong nahitaboan sa insidente atubangan sa Quirino Grandstand, Luneta, Manila.
Apil sa mga mitambong sa ritwal silang Lee Ying Chuen, survivor; James To Kun Sun, legislative councilor; Tse Chi Kin, Tse Chi Hang, igsuon sa tour guide nga si Masa Tse; Lee Mei-Chun, inahan ni Masa; Man Ho Ching, abogado sa mga biktima ug ang mga Budhist monks
nga nakabase sa Pilipinas.
Sa maong programa, mihalad sila og mga buwak, pagkaon ug ilimnon. Nagtuo man gud ang mga mihalad nga manginahanglan ang mga namatay og pagkaon alang sa ilang pagtaliwan sa laing kinabuhi.
Miabot usab sa Rizal Park si Tourism Sec. Alberto Lim ug uban pang opisyal sa DoT.
Sa Camp Crame, gipasigarbo usab sa Philippine National Police (PNP) ang nahimong rebisyon ug pagbag-ong nahimo sa ilang pundok human sa dugo-ong Agosto 23 nga hostage crisis.
Matud pa ni PNP chief Gen. Raul Bacalzo, nahimo na sa gobyerno ang ilang katungdanan ilabi na sa mga pulis nga angay makasuhan nga nagresulta sa pagkamatay sa walo ka Hong Kong tourists mao nga giingong dili tinuod ang mga gibuhiang pahayag sa mga paryente sa mga biktima.
Gipahayag ni Bacalzo nga apil sa nahimong rebisyon sa PNP ang critical incident policies partikular na ang pagpagawas sa hostage negotiation handbook sa hostage negotiator, pag- usab sa 1996 manual on crisis management, pagpa-ubos sa refresher course sa PNP SWAT team ug ang pagmugna og PNP Crisis Action Force (CAF), interim elite unit nga gilangkoban sa 11 ka opisyal ug 143 ka non-officers gikan sa SAF, aviation security group ug maritime group alang sa epektibong paggunit sa hostage crisis.
Mihalad usab og misa sa Camp Crame alang sa mga biktima sa insidente nga gipangunahan ni Bishop Leopoldo Tumulak nga gitambongan sa mga dagkung opisyal sama nilang DILG Sec. Jesse Robredo, Gen. Bacalzo ug Mr. Tan Ching, ang presidente sa Philippine Chinese Federations. (PIA-Bohol/ecb)
by magnolia_eic | Aug 23, 2011 | Headlines, National News
TAGBILARAN CITY, Aug. 22 (PIA)– ATUBANGAN sa nagpadayong panaghisgot sa gobyerno sa Pilipinas ug Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) sa Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, giseguro pagbalik sa Malacañang nga ipaagi pa gihapon sa gobyerno sa public consultation, unsa man ang mauyonan sa exploratory talks.
Matud pa ni Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Sec. Teresita Deles, human sa giinggong pagtapos sa tulo ka adlaw nga negosasyon, makigpulong ang gobyerno sa mga stakeholders aron hisgotan ang inisyal nga nasabotan, sa dili pa iduso ang final peace accord tali sa MILF.
“After this week’s negotiations, the government will undertake further consultations with the different stakeholders before going back to the negotiating table to craft with the MILF a final peace accord that will be acceptable to all and will mean more productive lives, greater opportunities, and regional harmony for families in conflict areas and the people of Mindanao,” matud pa sa kalihim.
Sa pag-atubang sa gobyerno ug MILF peace panels, apil sa gipaabot nga hisgotan ang kaso ni Kumander Ustadz Amiril Umbra Kato ug laraw sa gobyerno kalabot sa gidusong kalinaw sa Mindanao.
“The government proposal is based on the results of extensive consultations of the GPH panel with the different stakeholders in the Mindanao peace process. It takes into consideration the welfare of the people, the country and the Bangsamoro and most importantly, the overwhelming humanitarian needs of Filipinos caught in never-ending conflict.” (PIA-Bohol/ecb)
by magnolia_eic | Aug 23, 2011 | Headlines, National News
TAGBILARAN CITY, Aug. 22 (PIA) –SUKWAHI sa pahayag sa mga biktima ug kaanak sa namatay sa gitawag nga Manila hostage-taking incident, gipahayag sa usa ka miyembro sa gimugnang Incident Investigation and Review Committee (IIRC) nga duna nay nadawat nga
kompensasyon ang mga pamilya sa biktima gikan sa Pilipinas.
Matud pa ni IIRC panel member Teresita Ang-See nga tungod usab sa paningkamot sa gobyerno, nakatigom ang pribadong sektor og igong salapi isip “solidarity token” sa mga pamilya sa mga biktima.
Sigun pa sa opisyal, unom sa walo ka mga biktima ang midawat sa maong kompensasyon.
Pasabot sa opisyal, giinggong angay usab sabton sa mga survivors nga ang maong lakang pagpakita og pagpakabana sa gobyerno sa mga biktima.
Bisan wala gibutyag ang kantidad nga nadawat sa pamilya sa mga biktima, giseguro ni Ang-See nga dili “makaulaw” ang maong kantidad.
Gitakdang makig-hinabi kang Department of Justice (DoJ) Sec. Leila de Lima ang mga kaanak sa mga survivors karong adlawa. (PIA-Bohol/ecb)
by magnolia_eic | Aug 23, 2011 | Headlines, National News
THE Filipino people express their sympathy with the families of the victims of the Quirino Grandstand hostage-taking incident in last year as well as the people of Hong Kong, a Palace official said on
Monday.
“We recognize the grief that continues to burden the relatives of the victims and we remain committed to reforms and improvements that will move relations between our peoples forward,” Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said in his statement on the eve of the the Quirino Grandstand hostage-taking incident.
Lacierda said that concerned private citizens have also established a Solidarity Fund for the families of the victims, in keeping with the deep solidarity Filipinos feel for the victims and their families.
“The Philippines has undertaken the investigations into official culpability: resulting in a dismissal and the filing of administrative charges against four police officials,” he said.
Lacierda said the Aquino administration has improved the capability and equipment of the Special Action Force (SAF) and established a Tourism Police to ensure the safety of visitors.
“Officials of the government will be meeting with some of the families of the victims and with a Hong Kong legislator to share updates on progress in the year since the tragedy took place,” Lacierda said.
The survivors and relatives of the slain hostage victims arrived on Sunday from Hong Kong to seek justice and support from the Philippine government. (PCOO)
by magnolia_eic | Aug 23, 2011 | Headlines, National News
MALACANANG on Saturday expressed elation over the US State department’s report noting a continued decline of the terrorist activities in the Philippines.
Deputy Spokesperson Abigail Valte said that the government will consider the report as an indication to further improve its counter terrorism efforts.
“We are very happy about this development and we will take this as an indication to further our counter terrorism efforts,” Valte said.
The US State Department, in its “Country Reports on Terrorism 2010,” reported that the terrorist activities in the Philippines declined in the past year.
“The ability of terrorist groups, such as Abu Sayyaf, Jemaah Islamiyah and the New People’s Army, to conduct terrorist activities inside the Philippines continued to decline,” the report said.
“The Philippine government, with US support, has kept constant pressure on terrorist groups even as their security services were stretched thin by other demands such as carrying out humanitarian assistance and disaster relief and providing security for the national election in May,” it added.
The US State Department also lauded the Philippine law enforcers for their “vigorous efforts to arrest terrorists and eliminate safe havens, and closely coordinated efforts with US law enforcement officers.”
(PCOO)
