by magnolia_eic | May 26, 2011 | Headlines, World
Tagbilaran City, May 25 (PIA) – Tungod sa nagka-grabeng kagubot sa Yemen, gipasaka na sa
Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) sa alert leve3 ang alarma alang sa gibanabanang 3,000 ka
mga Pinoy sa maong nasud.
Tungod niini, andam na ang DFA ug ang Embahada sa Pilipinas sa mandatory evacuation sa
mga Pinoy nga gastuhan sa kagamhanan.
Gitahasan na ni Foreign Affairs Sec. Alberto del Rosario ang Embahada sa Pilipinas sa Riyadh
ug Philippine Consulate sa Jeddah nga maoy nasakop sa Yemen nga sugdan na ang pagbakwit
sa mga apektadong OFWs didto.
Usa ka 5-man team na ang gipadala sa Embahada aron moadto sa capital sa Yemen sa Sanaa
aron makig-alayon sa mga Pinoy communities alang sa repatriation program.
Aduna nay mga Pinoy nga nagpalista alang sa maong repatriation program.
Matud pa ni Philippine Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Ezzedin Tago nga gihulat na lamang nila ang
final confirmation sa mga nagpalista tungod kay posibleng nausab ang hunahuna sa uban nga
nagpalista na. (PIA-Bohol/ecb)
by magnolia_eic | May 26, 2011 | Headlines, National News
PRESIDENT Benigno S. Aquino III will be attending to a busy schedule as he embarks on a 2-
day state visit to the Kingdom of Thailand on May 26 to 27, which aims to further strengthen
bilateral ties between the two countries.
During the visit, President Aquino and PM Abhisit is set to discuss important issues including
combating drug trafficking, agriculture cooperation, cooperation in regional and multilateral
forums and most importantly explore ways to further strengthen bilateral ties of the two nations.
It is also expected that the President will take the opportunity to present his administration’s
Public-Private Partnership (PPP) program to PM Abhisit and the Thai business community.
Dating back to 1949, bilateral relations between the Philippines and Thailand are among the most
robust and stable in the Asian region.
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) noted that the two countries have regular exchanges of
high-level government visits, healthy trade and investment environments that have encouraged
major Philippine and Thai companies to invest in each other’s countries, and friendly people-to-
people interactions that have promoted closer social and cultural understanding between and
among their citizens.
The President will then also meet the Filipinos living and working here in Thailand to personally
thank them for their hard work and ability to participate in the Kingdom’s economic growth and
development. (PCOO/PIA)
by magnolia_eic | May 26, 2011 | Headlines, National News, Weather Coverage
TROPICAL storm Chedeng (international codename Songda) has been upgraded into a typhoon
by the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA)
on Wednesday morning.
In the bureau’s 11 a.m. press conference, PAGASA said Chedeng has intensified into a typhoon
as it remained almost stationary at 350 kilometers east of Catarman, Northern Samar.
Chedeng has maximum sustained winds of 130 kilometers per hour (kph) and moving 9 kph west
northwest.
It had slightly changed its course as it approached Samar and toward Camarines Norte. It may hit
Metro Manila and some of the southern parts of Luzon, weather forecaster Robert Sawi said.
Signal No. 2 is now hoisted over Catanduanes, Sorsogon, Albay, Camarines Sur, Camarines
Norte, and Samar provinces.
Signal No. 1, on the other hand, has been raised over Marinduque, Masbate, Burias and Ticao
Islands, Southern Quezon, Polillo Island, Northern Leyte and Biliran Island. (PIA)
by magnolia_eic | May 25, 2011 | Headlines, National News
PRESIDENT Benigno S. Aquino III declared the month of September 2011 as “Structural
Engineering Month,” to express appreciation for the work of structural engineers and to spread
awareness of their vital contribution to the country.
By virtue of Proclamation No. 164 signed by Executive Secretary Paquito N. Ochoa Jr. on May
9, 2011, the President declared the month of September as “Structural Engineering Month,
coinciding with the 50th anniversary of the Association of Structural Engineers of the Philippines,
Inc. (ASEP).
“The recent global developments related to natural disasters highlight the importance of
promoting public safety through the design and construction of safe and sound engineered
structures such as buildings, bridges, towers and other structures,” President said.
He further noted that there is a need to increase public awareness about the role and the
social and moral responsibilities of Civil Engineers specializing in structural design in relation to
promoting public safety.
The ASEP, an affiliate society of the Philippine Institute of Civil Engineers (PICE), is the country’s
only national organization of practitioners of structural engineering.
“For the past 50 years, ASEP has been a partner of the government in its commitment to the
protection of life and property by promoting responsible structural engineering through various
undertakings, such as effective programs for disaster risk reduction and management and
continuing professional development,” the President said. (PCOO)
by magnolia_eic | May 18, 2011 | Headlines, National News
HIGH ranking officials from Mindanao were among the names mentioned in the “black book”
owned by suspected car smuggler Allan Bigcas in an inquiry at the House of Representatives
revealed on Monday.
The names of Governor Jalosjos and Sultan Naga Dimaporo Mayor Mutalib Dimaporo (Lanao
del Norte) surfaced as House members opened the “black book” of Bigcas.
Other names mentioned included Mayor Ali, Noah Dimaporo, Edward Emillan, Col. Pimentel,
Boy Plaza, Hannah Toronto, Bullet Jalosjos, among others.
It was not clear what kind of transactions Bigcas entered into with the names mentioned as
he insisted that these individuals were “merely asking him to canvass for the price of several
motorcycle parts” in the U.S. But the “black book” also listed transactions for high-powered
firearms and ammunitions.
He however confirmed ownership of the “black book”, which was recovered by the raiding
NBI teams in his house in Cagayan de Oro.
In joint operations of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and Federal Bureau of
Investigation (FBI) weeks ago, authorities recovered 25 vehicles from the properties of
Bigcas in Cagayan de Oro and Bukidnon. (PIA)
by magnolia_eic | May 18, 2011 | Headlines, National News
APPEALING for sobriety, Malacañang on Sunday sought to heal a widening rift between
Church and State over the controversial parenthood bill that last week saw prelates
threatening civil disobedience and President Benigno Aquino III warning he would jail them.
Malacañang yesterday encouraged the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines
(CBCP) to a healthy debate over the reproductive health bill in Congress, but only within the
bounds of law – without resorting to anything unlawful, like civil disobedience.
“This is a debate on an issue of national importance. We have different views but discussions
should be within the means of the law,” Secretary Ricky Carandang stressed.
“That is what the President said. There is room for debate, but it doesn’t have to degenerate
to illegal acts or anything like that,” he said, referring to the civil disobedience threat of those
opposed to the RH bill in the House of Representatives.
Some Catholic prelates have indicated they would rather go to jail on charges of sedition –
a warning that no less than President Aquino himself issued to anti-RH bill advocates – than
give up their campaign to promote life. (PIA)
