_______________________________________________________________

THE PHILIPPINES

Megan Young, Miss Philippines, is Miss World (2)
Miss World 2013 is Miss Philippines (1)
The Philippines: A wonderful holiday!

—

DO THEY HATE THEIR TRAFFIC COPS SO MUCH THAT THEY WANT TO MAKE THEM A LAUGHING STOCK?

Or is it just a trick they’re playing on us?

METRO MANILA TRAFFIC COPS IN DIAPERS? LMAO.

(The 25,000 regular police officers on papal security detail will not be in diapers.)

MANILA: Philippine traffic officers and crowd control personnel are to wear adult diapers on the job during next week’s visit of Pope Francis, when they will spend long hours marshalling crowds expected to run into the millions, authorities said Thursday (Jan 8).

The nappies will ensure that about a thousand of the personnel can stay at their posts without diverting for the call of nature during the papal tour, Metro Manila Development Authority official Emerson Carlos told AFP.

He said the diapers will get a trial run during the procession of the Black Nazarene, an annual parade of a wooden image of Jesus Christ which will also draw enormous crowds in the capital on Friday.

“We will be giving them these diapers because we don’t know when the crowds may rush in,” said Carlos, the agency’s deputy general manager for operations.
…

National police spokesman Chief Superintendent Wilben Mayor said the 25,000 regular police officers on papal security detail would not be following the lead of the Metro Manila Authority. “We are trained for these situations and as of now, we have not considered (diapers),” he said.

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asiapacific/philippine-traffic/1577170.html?cid=twtcna

—

DTN Dubai: Huge fire razes Philippine shanties, killing 3: A huge blaze believed to have been ignited by firec… http://bit.ly/1EOvMa7

—

MANILA (THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK): A Filipino national is suspected to be the first Asian to be involved in beheadings by the Islamic State In Iraq and Syria (ISIS) militants.

The man, who appeared in a video released over the beheadings of 18 Syrian soldiers and American aid worker Peter Kassig last Sunday, is believed to be of Asian origin but was not named in the report by British online site Daily Mail on Wednesday.

—

Women commuters in Manila fear sexual and verbal harassment, robbery on public transport http://cna.asia/1xz06kK 

MANILA: In Manila, millions of women rely on public transport while braving the city’s infamous snarling traffic. They also face the prospect of harassment.

Elsa Sanchez, a resident of Manila, is wary when she takes public transport – so much so that she asked Channel NewsAsia not to reveal her real identity. When taking a taxi or bus, she is conscious of the people sitting near her and the driver.

Ms Sanchez said she has witnessed a robbery right in front of her, and many times has been made to feel uncomfortable or even threatened.
…

A recent survey showed 94 per cent of women in Manila support women-only transport as a solution.

Each train in Manila is fitted with a women’s only carriage which makes travelling more comfortable for them. However during rush hour these carriages fill up quickly and women are forced to stay in other sections. According to government officials, this is when most cases of harassment occur.

As an additional measure, the government has also recently introduced Gender Focal Points within its different departments. Rowena Quiogue heads the committee, named GAD, at the Department of Transportation and Communications.

“Each agency has its own GAD desk so if there are harassments or problems arising on the road they can coordinate with the GAD desk of each agency to conduct investigations,” she said.

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asiapacific/women-in-manila-voice/1478964.html?cid=twtcna

—

Manila shelter for street kids run like ‘concentration camp’

An official of Bahay Tuluyan, a nongovernment organization promoting children’s rights, took this picture of “Frederico” during an Oct 12 visit to the Reception and Action Center, a youth shelter run by the Manila city government.

MANILA, Philippines – Officials running a local government facility in Manila that is supposed to shelter and nurture street children have come under fire for acts of negligence and maltreatment so severe that shocked observers likened the place to a “concentration camp.”

To stress just how bad things are at the Manila Reception and Action Center (RAC), welfare advocates wrote City Hall for the third time last month. This time, they enclosed a photo of “Frederico,” one of the wards, showing the naked boy lying on the pavement, reduced to skin and bones.

Frederico’s appalling condition showed the kind of care-or the lack of it-that children like him had been receiving at the RAC, according to Catherine Scerri, deputy director of Bahay Tuluyan, a nongovernment organisation promoting children’s rights.

It was Scerri who took Frederico’s photo on Oct 12 during a visit to the centre, which is located on Villegas Street in Ermita, a five-minute walk from City Hall.
…

“It can definitely be described as a prison. (My colleagues) have compared it to a concentration camp. It is supposed to rehabilitate street children but it is not a child-friendly place,” Scerri told the Inquirer in an interview on Thursday.

Operated by the Manila Social Welfare Department (MSWD), the RAC was established about 30 years ago as a place where the police or village watchmen can bring child vagrants and beggars. It occupies a cluster of buildings built in the 1930s.
…

“The centre officials said the place can accommodate about 100 people, but on any given day there can be as many 400 there. Recently I saw about 160 boys sharing a room just about five-by-six meters wide. They have nothing in there but a bucket-for those who need to pee,” Scerri said.

http://news.asiaone.com/news/asia/manila-shelter-street-kids-run-concentration-camp#xtor=CS1-4

—

US marine accused of murder moved to Philippines military HQ http://goo.gl/V42Sgs 

MANILA, Oct 22, 2014 (AFP) – A US Marine accused of murdering a transgender woman was moved to the Philippines  military headquarters Wednesday, authorities said, following huge public pressure for him to be taken off an American warship.

The Philippine government said the transfer of Private First Class Joseph Scott Pemberton was in response to its demands to the United States, as it sought to assure angry critics that he would not receive special treatment.

“I don t think there is any shielding. There is the desire for protection of everybody s rights, from the victim to everybody who is accused,” President Benigno Aquino told reporters shortly after Pemberton was moved.

http://dunyanews.tv/index.php/en/Crime/241792-US-marine-accused-of-murder-moved-to-Philippines-m

—

Philippine activists have burned a US flag as they protested at the Manila embassy on Tuesday after what they termed a hate crime committed by a US Marine against a transgender Filipino. Activists demand the Marine be handed over.

The victim, 26-year-old Jeffrey Laude, was apparently left strangled and drowned next to a toilet bowl in a motel room in Olongapo city, northwest of Manila Bay.

On Tuesday, some 40 Filipino activists took to the streets, demanding the exodus of US troops from their archipelago and shouting “US troops out now!” A replica of the Stars and Stripes was set alight as the demonstrators approached the US embassy, reported AP.

“This is just so abominable. It’s one of the worst hate crimes I’ve seen,” Corky Hope Maranan, leader of a group of transgender and lesbian Filipinos, told the agency.

…

—

Police referred their case to prosecutors recommending that Private First Class Joseph Scott Pemberton be charged with murder, Olongapo city police spokeswoman Inspector Michelle Depano said.

The US embassy did not immediately respond to AFP’s requests for comment.

Prosecutors now have to decide if there is sufficient evidence to try Pemberton – a process that can take weeks. If tried and convicted, Pemberton could face life in jail.

“I think we have sufficient evidence to sustain the charge of murder,” Harry Roque, a lawyer representing the family of the victim told local television network ABS-CBN.
…

The murder victim, Jeffrey Laude, was found dead in an Olongapo hotel room in the early hours of Sunday.

http://news.asiaone.com/news/crime/murder-charge-sought-us-marine-philippine-transgender-killing#sthash.6HgjU4uF.uxfs

…

…

Why then would Laude be accompanying a US Marine to a hotel room in Olongapo City on the night of his murder if he was already engaged to his German boyfriend?

Some clues to consider lie in the way his relatives described him. They reportedly described him as the family “breadwinner” who was “paying for the education of youngest sibling Rex, and also provided for their family’s other needs.” So the rather confronting answer to the above question as to why he was with a US Marine that night is the possibility that Laude was engaged in prostitution and other, shall we say, technologically-enabled income-generating activites that may necessarily involve foreign men from affluent countries.

http://getrealphilippines.com/blog/2014/10/was-jeffrey-laude-a-prostitute-who-concealed-his-true-gender-in-the-practice-of-his-trade/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

…

Wake for Jeffrey Laude, the transgender killed in Olongapo City on Saturday. #rstream @rapplerdotcom

…

MANILA, Philippines (UPDATED) – The United States Embassy in the Philippines has vowed to investigate the possible involvement of an American in the murder of a transgender Filipino in Olongapo City.

“We are aware of the situation and express our deepest condolences to the family and friends of the deceased. We are also aware that there are allegations that a foreigner, including possibly a US national, was involved in the incident,” the US Embassy said in a statement aired by GMA News on Monday, October 13.

“We are currently looking into these allegations and working closely with the Philippine National Police (PNP) to take all necessary steps to help identify the suspects,” the embassy added. On Monday afternoon, the US Pacific Command ordered to put on hold the departure of US ships from Subic Bay. (READ: US stops departure of ships after transgender murder)

—

Offensive rape t-shirt spotted in Filipino supermarket http://dailym.ai/1rjXaDg  pic.twitter.com/vLZ8rGO8yP

—

—-

The Twitter photo helped investigators trace a vehicle used in the crime, on Manila’s main thoroughfare to a policeman who eventually confessed.

…

NST

MANILA: Rogue policemen who staged an audacious robbery on one of the Philippines’ busiest roads have been exposed by a photo of their crime that went viral on Twitter, authorities said Tuesday.

Social media-fuelled anger over the image, apparently taken by a motorist of gun-wielding men surrounding a van in daylight last week, forced law-enforcers into a manhunt that led to some of their own.

Two men have been arrested while seven others are being pursued, all former or active policemen, said national police spokesman Senior Superintendent Reuben Sindac.

“We really started our investigation based on this photo,” said the head of the suburban police force investigating the incident, Chief Superintendent Abelardo Villacorta.

http://www.nst.com.my/node/31631

—–

Star

KOTA KINABALU: Notorious cross-border kidnapping mastermind Apo Kahumbo was shot dead by Philippine security forces within 72 hours of his arrest in what is suspected to be a black operation to prevent his eventual release.

The 44-year-old was killed when he purportedly tried to escape while being escorted under heavy guard from a court appearance in Bongao, the administrative capital of Tawi Tawi islands in southern Philippines.

Tawi Tawi police chief Col Joey Salido confirmed yesterday that Mobin Sahibudin Hailil alias Apo Kahumbo was killed by Philippine police on Friday.

He said investigations would be carried out on the shooting of Kahumbo, who was arrested for illegally possessing a .45 Colt loaded with six bullets and an MK2 grenade at a mobile checkpoint at Sanga Sanga village in Tawi Tawi province on Tuesday.

http://www.thestar.com.my/News/Nation/2014/08/31/Kahumbo-shot-dead-in-black-ops-Kidnapping-mastermind-allegedly-killed-by-Filipino-security-forces/

…

Alleged Abu Sayyaf member linked to deadly Malaysian raid nabbed in Tawi-Tawi “Mobin Hailil, alias “Kahumbo,”… http://fb.me/1eLbrPtC4

—–

NewsLife Interview: Honorito Chaneco, LRT Admin./OIC, MRT-3 – on ‘MRT mishap’ || August 19, 2014 | Watch: http://ift.tt/1oNFWQ2  via PTVph

Video: NewsLife Interview: Honorito Chaneco, LRT Admin./OIC, MRT-3 – on ‘MRT mishap’ || August 19, 2014

..

DOTC: Human error blamed for MRT-3 train accident; 4 train workers face raps – INQUIRER … – http://face2book.url.ph/news-uplinkz/dotc-human-error-blamed-for-mrt-3-train-accident-4-train-workers-face-raps-inquirer-news-uplinkz/ … DOTC: Human error

..

Rappler Newscast: MRT accident, Jardeleza for SC, ISIS-inspired Malaysians | Watch: http://ift.tt/1uRZfdh  via Rappler©

Video: Rappler Newscast: MRT accident, Jardeleza for SC, ISIS-inspired Malaysians

—–

The Manila Times

Panic, chaos at MRT station as train crashes into street barrier

August 13, 2014 5:37 pm

SCORES of passengers were hurt when a defective Metro Rail Transit (MRT) train overshot the station at Taft Avenue and crashed into a street barrier.

Several passengers were trapped when the train lost power between the Magallanes and Taft stations because of a technical problem. Because it had lost power, the train had to be pushed by another train into the Taft station.

The incident triggered a stampede in the crowded train station.

Aside from MRT passengers, pedestrians were also injured when they were hit by flying debris

Panic, chaos at MRT station as train crashes into street barrier | The Manila Times OnlineThe Manila Times Online http://www.manilatimes.net/panic-chaos-mrt-station-train-crashes-street-barrier/118612/ 

…

Click on the photo for the video..

38 hurt as MRT overshoots barrier by INQUIRER.net

—–

Philippines arrests ex-general ‘The Butcher‘: Retired military general Jovito Palparan has been captured and … http://goo.gl/NYidBL

…

Philippines: A former general know as the Butcher and wanted in 2 activists’ disappearance was arrested. http://nyti.ms/1vCDY8F

…

Aljazeera

Philippines arrests ex-general ‘The Butcher’

Jovito Palparan, accused of torture, killings and enforced disappearances, captured after three years in hiding. Last updated: 16 Aug 2014 08:40

Retired military general Jovito Palparan has been captured and arrested after three years of hiding.

Palparan, also known as “The Butcher”, has been accused of torture, killings and enforced disappearances in the Philippines.

Human rights activists say his legacy of impunity lives on within the Philippine military, a legacy entrenched in abusing and terrorising targeted civilians.

http://www.aljazeera.com/video/asia-pacific/2014/08/philippines-arrests-ex-general-butcher-201481662435854922.html

—–

Click on the photo for video..

Raw: Manila Commuter Train Crashes Into Barrier by Associated Press

—

Philippine commuter train rams through concrete barrier and crashes into busy Manila intersection, injuring dozens http://ift.tt/1sT1Wap

National Post

Philippine commuter train rams through concrete barrier and crashes into busy Manila intersection, injuring dozens

…

Philippine commuter train rams through concrete barrier and crashes into busy Manila intersection, injuring dozens http://natpo.st/1sT1CbF

…

—–

Philippines mayor among 4 killed in shooting at Manila airport

http://youtu.be/lRLXcLNWmtw

—

Philippine mayor killed at Manila airport

Gunmen have shot dead a town mayor and three other people at the airport in the Philippine capital, Manila, sending travellers fleeing for safety, authorities said. Ukol Talumpa, the mayor of the town of Labangan in Zamboanga del Sur province, was killed together with his wife, an 18-month-old baby and one other person. Four other people were wounded in the incident, according to airport manager Jose Honrado. Al Jazeera’s Jamela Alindogan reports from manila.

—

Philippine Mayor Gunned Down at Manila Airport

A small-town mayor was killed along with four others outside the busy Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Manila on Friday. Via The Foreign Bureau, WSJ’s global news update. Photo: AP

—

AFTER A TYPHOON AND AN EARTHQUAKE, THE COUNTRY IS NOW THREATENED BY THE WORLD’S STRONGEST TYPHOON, SUPER TYPHOON HAIYAN OR YOLANDA!

The Philippines: hit by EARTHQUAKE after typhoon Santi/Nari!

—

Firstpost ‏@firstpostin 4m

Typhoon Haiyan makes landfall in Philippines killing at least four http://dlvr.it/4HMm18

—

Super Typhoon Haiyan hits Philippines with all-time record winds (VIDEO)

http://on.rt.com/8r7kg9 ”

—

Watch the video!

AJELive ‏@AJELive 48m

Three dead, one missing as one of the world’s strongest cyclones on record, Typhoon #Haiyan, hits the #Philippines: http://aje.me/1d2rA4Z

—

BBC Breaking News ‏@BBCBreaking 7m
3 dead, 12 million at risk as super typhoon #Haiyan hits Philippines. Updates LIVE http://bbc.in/HMG7qR  #Yolanda pic.twitter.com/0DewOVF1iF

—

Video: Haiyan Tropical Storm Slams Into The Philippines

http://youtu.be/yoBqijqMtnM

—

Watch all Video amateur Super typhoon Haiyan closes in on Philippines, among strongest storm

http://youtu.be/l70cVsvsArQ

—

mews.com.au

Deaths reported as super typhoon Haiyan lashes the Philippines

November 08, 2013

WITH the first deaths confirmed as super typhoon Haiyan smashes through the Philippines, locals and tourists alike are desperately trying to stay out of danger.

Two people were killed in Cotabato province – an adult and a one-year-old – and a woman was fatally hit by a falling tree in Cebu, officials said.

With wind and rain lashing towns and resorts across the nation, Australian visitors are among the millions seeking shelter.

http://www.news.com.au/world/super-typhoon-haiyan-gaining-strength-set-to-hit-philippines/story-fndir2ev-1226755411772

—

Read the report and watch the video interview:

http://www.weather.com/news/weather-hurricanes/typhoon-haiyan-philippines-20131107

HAIYAN: American Missionary Living in Philippines

—

The Sydney Morning Herald

Evacuations as Super Typhoon Haiyan hits Philippines

November 8, 2013 – 1:30PM

Lindsay Murdoch

South-East Asia correspondent for Fairfax Media

Manila: A powerful typhoon has slammed into the Philippines’ central islands, whipping up waves as high as 4.5 metres with winds gusting up to 275 kilometres per hour.

Millions of people have been forced to move to high ground and storm shelters in 20 provinces as typhoon Haiyan lashed the islands of Leyte and Samar.

Philippine president Benigno Aquino warned Filipinos they face calamity and urged people in the path of the giant storm to make all possible precautions.

The maximum category-five level typhoon cut power lines and phone lines and grounded air and sea transport. Officials said it was too early to know the extent of damage.

—

Super typhoon Haiyan closes in on the Philippines

—

Super typhoon Haiyan is known as Yolanda in the Philippines.

http://ph.news.yahoo.com/is–yolanda–the-world-s-strongest-typhoon-this-year–080946069.html … via @YahooPH

—

Candeze Mongaya ‏@_candeze 2m

MTSAT image of Typhoon Yolanda as of November 7, 2013, 10:05 PM. pic.twitter.com/JPGbcQpdSl

—

CNN

Super Typhoon Haiyan, strongest storm of the year, heads for central Philippines

(CNN) — Thousands of people in vulnerable areas of the Philippines are being relocated as the strongest storm on the planet so far this year spins toward the country.

Packing sustained winds of 280 kilometers per hour (174 mph) and gusts as strong as 335 kilometers per hour (208 mph), Super Typhoon Haiyan was churning across the Western Pacific on Thursday toward the central Philippines.

Its wind strength makes it equivalent to a category 5 hurricane.

The storm, known as Yolanda in the Philippines, is expected to still be a super typhoon, with winds in excess of 240 kilometers per hour (149 mph), when it makes landfall Friday morning in the region of Eastern Visayas.

The storm is so large in diameter that clouds from it are affecting two-thirds of the country.

http://edition.cnn.com/2013/11/07/world/asia/philippines-typhoon-haiyan/

—

WILL PAC-MAN WIN HIS NEXT FIGHT?

Pacquiao is currently training for his next fight, which is scheduled to take place on Nov. 23 in Mancua, China. The 34-year-old will take on Brandon Rios for the vacant WBO International Welterweight title.

—

Manny Pacquiao ‏@MannyPacquiao 15h

We are very focused in training and we have no distractions. Watch training here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZgAg318f9vI&feature=share&list=SPyUTL-_U_sYfSUab9BbJise4foZfZlRzO … pic.twitter.com/mV6QmjDpNg

…

—

Manny Pacquiao ‏@MannyPacquiao 31 Oct

I am going to do my best to put my name back on the top of boxing. pic.twitter.com/GAEivTAUiC

…

Manny Pacquiao ‏@MannyPacquiao 30 Oct

The year off has been good and I am very excited to get back into the ring. I feel very fresh, strong and fast. pic.twitter.com/k337DSHYb6

—

Pacquiao is currently training for his next fight, which is scheduled to take place on Nov. 23 in Mancua, China. The 34-year-old will take on Brandon Rios for the vacant WBO International Welterweight title.

http://www.ibtimes.com/pacquiao-news-pac-man-over-training-fight-against-strong-fast-brandon-rios-1447956

…

Inquirer Sports

Manny Pacquiao training ‘like a 20-year-old’

Agence France-Presse

GENERAL SANTOS CITY, Philippines — Boxing hero Manny Pacquiao says he is furiously training like a 20-year-old to break a losing streak and re-establish his reputation as one of the world’s best fighters.

Pacquiao also said his match against American Brandon Rios in the Chinese territory of Macau next month would be “a good window” to promote boxing in China, and that he felt honored to take part in the landmark bout.

“This training camp, I believe, is one of the longest preparations in my boxing career. I trained early because I want to prove that I can still fight in the top (tier) of boxing,” he told reporters late Wednesday in his home town of General Santos in the southern Philippines.

“This time my preparation is more serious, more focused. My mind is like when I was 20 years old.”

A former champion in an unprecedented eight weight divisions, Pacquiao, who turns 35 in December, is seeking to come back from two consecutive defeats which have led supporters to question if he should hang up his gloves.

He lost a controversial split decision to American Timothy Bradley in June last year, then suffered a sixth-round knockout to Mexican arch rival Juan Manuel Marquez six months later.

—

WILL ANOTHER FILIPINA BE CHOSEN THE MOST BEAUTIFUL WOMAN IN THE WORLD IN 2013?

Miss Universe Philippines is Ariella Arida.

Sahabat Pageant ‏@Sahabat_Pageant 11m
Foto foto baru dipublish, Miss Universe Philippines 2013 Ara Arida langsung ramai dijuluki Miss Photoshop pic.twitter.com/CW4LKf0TV7

After Megan Young won the Miss World crown, will this year’s Miss Philippines Ariella Arida win the Miss Universe crown? The Philippines is on a winning streak of Top 5 placements after Venus Raj won the fifth place finish in Miss Universe 2010. Arida was crowned by Miss Universe 2012 first runner up Janine Tugonon on April14, 2013.

http://au.ibtimes.com/articles/512384/20131009/miss-universe-2013-top-5.htm#.UlqE3lOmhGV

For more, click on Miss Universe 2013: Moscow, Russia. 9 Nov 2013.

—

AFTER TWO NATURAL DISASTERS, A TYPHOON AND AN EARTHQUAKE, THE PHILIPPINES GET HIT BY A MAN-MADE DISASTER.

The Philippines: hit by EARTHQUAKE after typhoon Santi/Nari!

—

20 killed in Pile up

Video: BT: 7 sasakyan, nagkarambolal; 20 patay, 40 sugatan

—

GMA News online

At least 19 confirmed killed in Quezon road accident

At least 19 people were killed, over 40 others hurt after a trailer truck hit this passenger bus from Manila. Out of control, the bus rammed five other vehicles at about 1:20 a.m. Saturday in Atimonan, Quezon province. Hadji Rieta

https://weehingthong.wordpress.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=25112&action=edit

—

The Sun daily

19 dead in Philippine pile-up

MANILA (Oct 19, 2013): Nineteen people were killed and dozens injured Saturday in a pile-up on an unlit highway in the Philippines involving three buses and four trucks, police said.

Pictures of the accident in Atimonan, 120 kilometres (75 miles) southeast of Manila, aired on ABS-CBN television showed at least 10 of the dead arranged side by side on one lane of the road, covered only by banana leaves.

One of the buses and one of the trucks had overturned.
…

Atimonan police said in a statement that the accident was caused by the driver of a Manila-bound bus losing control of the vehicle before dawn.

As well as the 19 people killed, 34 others, many of them bus passengers, were injured, it added.

The driver of the runaway bus, who was unharmed, was placed under arrest, police said. – AFP

19 dead in Philippine pile-up

—

The News

http://www.thenews.com.pk/article-122973-Philippine-pile-up-leaves-19-dead

—

ST Foreign Desk ‏@STForeignDesk 7h

19 dead, dozens injured in Philippine highway pile-up. PHOTO: ABS-CBN http://bit.ly/1gTanyb  pic.twitter.com/5vIxnFaclR

…

…

——————————————————————