Editor's Note |
20 years of service to the community
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Time flies.
Exactly 20 years ago this month, The SUN shone for the Filipinos in Hong Kong. It was
the fulfillment of a dream that took shape years earlier, or shortly after I arrived here in 1987 and
realized there was no reliable information channel serving the community.
But turning that dream into reality proved to be difficult. Several people offered to fund
the publication of a news-paper, but everyone wanted a business model different from what we had
in mind.
Details...
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Anak Araw |
Pagpapabaya
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Nitong nakaraang buwan ay naging saksi tayo sa nangyari kay Manang Gloria Ortinez,
ang OFW na biktima ng tanim-bala sa Manila airport. Halos buong araw kasi ay naglagi siya sa
opisina ng The SUN, kasama ang mga naghatid sa kanya na sina Susan "Toots" Ople na tagataguyod ng
mga OFW, at ang abogado niyang si Atty Spocky Farolan, kaya nasaksihan namin siya nang malapitan.
Details...
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Migrant's Forum |
Nanay Gloria's journey to HK
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President Benigno Simeon Aquino III recently told the media that cases of tanim-bala
were sensationalized, citing figures to prove his point. As an OFW advocate, I respectfully
disagree. Looking at this from a purely numbers perspective could lead one to overlook the deep trauma
that such incidents have caused its innocent victims.
Had he met and spoken to 56-year old OFW Gloria Ortinez, our President would have
learned the following:
Details...
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Know Your Rights |
The Mission
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This was the speech delivered by the Mission for Migrant Workers' general manager,
Cynthia Tellez, at the launch of the 10-year Impact Evaluation Report of the Mission's work held on
December 5, 2015 at the Li Hall of St. John's Cathedral.
Details...
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With at least one -- and possibly two disqualification cases in the presidential race --
the Supreme Court has assured the nation politics will not dictate its decisions.
See this month's stories...
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Staff and volunteers at the Mission for Migrant Workers had reason to celebrate when
they launched the non-government organization's 10-year Impact Evaluation Report at Li Hall of St
John's Cathedral on Dec. 4. Nearly all, or 97% of migrants who sought assistance said that they were
helped by the Mission, and more than half of them (57%) said they would recommend the NGO to others.
See this month's stories...
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Mid-December 2015
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Philippine News
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With at least one -- and possibly two disqualification cases in the presidential race --
the Supreme Court has assured the nation politics will not dictate its decisions.
Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno said that all cases will be discussed and decided based
on "utmost wisdom" and not on politics.
She said the high tribunal is anticipating a "not so usual" Christmas season because of
the urgent election-related petitions, such as those involving disqualification cases and the "No Bio,
No Boto" program of the Commission on Elections (Comelec).
The justices, she said, have been undertaking preliminary research in preparation for
discussions on the cases.
Disqualified presidential aspirant Rizalito David had taken his petition to unseat Senator
Grace Poe after his defeat in the Senate Electoral Tribunal (SET). Poe, on her part, said her lawyers will
ask the Supreme Court to reverse the rulings of two divisions of the Comelec to cancel her certificate
of candidacy (CoC) because she failed to meet the 10-year residency requirement under the
Constitution.
Another disqualification case involves Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, whose candidacy
as substitute for a candidate who had withdrawn is being questioned before the Comelec.
Poe herself counts on the Supreme Court to allow her to seek the presidency in the May
2016 elections by reversing two Comelecdecisions.
The second division had voted 3-0 on December 1 to grant the petition of lawyer
Estrella Elamparo to disqualify Poe because she is not a natural-born Filipino and she failed to comply
with the 10-year residency requirement under the Constitution.
Ten days later, the first division voted 2-1 on three consolidated petitions to cancel Poe's
certificate of candidacy (CoC) on the same issues involving her citizenship and residency.
The Comelec panel said Poe "committed material misrepresentation in her CoC when
she declared that she has been a resident of the Philippines for a period of 10 years and 11 months as
of the day of the election on May 9, 2016."
The panel cited inconsistencies in Poe's declarations in her CoCs when she ran for the Senate
in 2013 and her CoC for president filed last October. Based on its interpretation, the Comelec
panel said Poe's residency in the Philippines could be reckoned from April 2006, not May 2005 as
she claimed in her CoC for president.
Poe took to Facebook minutes after her disqualification, saying that she has no plans to
abandon her presidential bid. "I am still a candidate for President," she posted on the social media tool.
"Let's fight for democracy, where the people' welfare takes front & center."
She added: "It is sad that the Comelec First Division has chosen to ignore the facts just to
deny me the chance to better serve our countrymen, and to also deny our people their choices in an
open election."
Poe won at the Senate Electoral Tribunal (SET) that voted 5-4 on Nov. 17 to dismiss the
petition of another presidential aspirant Rizalito David to unseat her as senator. Five senators voted
to uphold Poe's argument that she is a natural-born Filipino while the three Supreme Court justices
and Sen. Nancy Binay voted in favor of the petition.
The case reached the Supreme Court on Dec. 9 when David filed a petition for the reversal
of the SET decision.
Binay entices LGUs with higher IRA
In an apparent bid to lure local government executives to support his presidential bid in
2016, Vice President Jejomar Binay promised to build major infrastructure projects across the country
and provide higher funding through the internal revenue allotments (IRA) to local government units.
Appearing at a Galing Pook forum at the Ateneo de Manila campus in Quezon City on
December 11, the opposition United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) standard bearer in the 2016 elections,
said each of the Philippines' 18 regions will have at least one mega project and each of the 81
provinces will have a major project.
Binay had earlier said he would overspend in infrastructure development projects if and
when he is elected president in 2016. "I will convene the regional development councils to
identify, implement, and monitor major infrastructure projects in their regions. Our aim is to have one
mega project per region and one major project per province," he said at the forum attended by about
100 people.
Duterte wants 5 thugs killed weekly
Living up to his image as Davao City's "The Punisher", presidential aspirant Rodrigo
Duterte said he believes that law and order problems can be solved by "killing five criminals" every week.
The 70-year-old Duterte, incumbent mayor of Davao City, vowed to make sure that when he
is elected president in 2016, Filipinos could walk the streets even at night without fear of being
victimized by criminals. Eradication of crime will be his top priority, he said.
The tough-talking mayor, has admitted having killed more than 1,000 criminals over the years.
Duterte also said he would revive the death penalty, and mobilize the police and the military
to maintain law and order across the country.
He said people should not be afraid to kill criminals who prey on civilians and molest minors.
According to him, the country needs a firm resolve to punish wrongdoers such as those
who peddle illegal drugs, which he considers as the prime factor that pushes people to commit crime.
Presidential contenders trade barbs
Verbal exchanges among the leading presidential contenders have been heating up as part
of effort to in pre-election surveys toward the fourth quarter polling.
Senators Grace Poe and Francis Escudero, independent candidates for president and vice
president, have separately accused administration standard bearer Mar Roxas II of flexing his muscles
on the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to disqualify Poe, adopted daughter of action king
Fernando Poe Jr. who ran but lost in a fraud-tainted election to Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in 2004.
Roxas, in turn, took potshots at Rodrigo Duterte, the tough-talking mayor of Davao City, for
his martial-law type of keeping law and order. Unlike Duterte, Roxas said he was against the
restoration of the death penalty and vowed to fight against summary justice which, he said, would mark a
return to the dark ages.
Roxas said the claim that Davao is peaceful is a myth, noting that it is the fourth in rank
among the cities with worst crime rate.
For his remarks, Roxas came under fire from Duterte and his diehard supporters. Duterte
shot back by saying that Roxas' credentials as a graduate of the Wharton School of Business in the
US was a myth. Roxas promptly showed evidence he graduated from Wharton.
Duterte likewise narrated in interviews alleged incompetence of Roxas in handling
emergencies in the aftermath of the Yolanda storm surge in Tacloban.
Roxas and Duterte were friends but their relationship has turned sour after the latter accused
the LP of spreading rumors that he has cancer. Roxas has clarified he has nothing to do with the
newsman who wrote on Facebook that Duterte has cancer.
Poe in turn questioned Duterte's moral right to lead the country.
"A government or people who abuse human rights are violating international human rights
and have no right to lead our country," Poe said in an interview.
Duterte, a lawyer, has been linked to the infamous "Davao Death Squad," a loose group
of vigilantes said to target criminals in the city. He has not denied allegations that he uses force
to combat crime in Davao City.
"When I said I'll stop criminality, I'll stop criminality. If I have to kill you, I'll kill you.
Personally," Duterte said in one interview with online news website Rappler.
Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano said Poe has risked dishonesty and hypocrisy by questioning
his running mate's capacity to lead.
"If Senators Poe and (Chiz) Escudero think that Mayor Duterte is not fit to lead the
country then why did they ask for his endorsement in the 2013 senatorial election? And why did Sen. Poe
ask if she could be Mayor Duterte's vice president earlier this year?" Cayetano asked in a statement.
Tieup to curb smuggling
The Bureau of Customs (BoC) has signed an agreement with DHL Group, the largest
courier service in the Philippines, for an exchange of information and consultation on shipments meant
to curb smuggling. The BoC said in a statement that it is the first-of-its-kind public-private
partnership that aims to counter smuggling. Under the agreement, the Germany-based global courier will
provide technical assistance to BoC to upgrade the capability of its personnel on tracking deliveries in
and out of the country.
BoC, for its part, vowed increased efficiency on clearance of air consignments.
NBI confirms `tanim-bala'
The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) has filed robbery-extortion and graft
complaints against six individuals including four policemen involved in a "tanim-bala" incident at the
Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia) passenger terminals. While the NBI has found sufficient
evidence to file criminal charges against airport personnel, it concurred with the assertion of
President Benigno Aquino III and Transportation Secretary Jose Emilio Abaya that while the
"tanim-bala" extortion racket happened, those involved were not organized as a syndicate. Those charged
were airport personnel involved in the case of Lane White, an American missionary victimized by
the scheme last September.
OFW lawyer wants Honrado out
Lawyer Spocky Farolan, pro-bono counsel of overseas Filipino worker (OFW) Gloria
Ortinez who was detained for several days at the ASG office over the "tanim-bala" scam, has urged
Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) general manager Jose Angel Honrado to resign out
of delicadeza. Farolan said Honrado, a distant cousin of President Benigno Aquino III and
close-in security of his late mother, should resign "to allow a more competent and qualified manager
to manage the airport." Ortinez, 56, was prevented from taking her flight on October 28 back to
Hong Kong where she has been working for more than 20 years after airport personnel found a bullet for
a carbine rifle in her hand-carried bag. She was detained after failing to pay P80, 000 bail on
charges of illegal possession of ammunition filed before the Pasay prosecutor's office. But Honrado
refused to heed calls for his resignation.
455 years for pyramid queen
The Makati regional trial court had sentenced so-called "pyramid queen" Rose Baladjay and
her husband to imprisonment of up to 455 years after they were found guilty of scamming investors
of the Multinational Telecoms Investors Corporation (Multitel) in 2001. The Securities and
Exchange Commission (SEC) said in a statement on December 9 that Makati RTC Branch 56 had
sentenced Baladjay and her husband, Saturnino, to 7 years imprisonment for each of 65 counts of violation
of Section 8 of the Securities Regulation Code (SRC) for selling or offering unregistered securities
to the public. The Baladjay couple was also ordered to pay P8 million to the victims of the
pyramiding scam. Each violation of the SRC is punishable, upon conviction, with a fine of not more than
P5 million ($106,033.30) or imprisonment of 7 to 21 years, or both. The SEC said the ruling was
dated Nov. 2 yet but was transmitted to the SEC only on Dec. 2. The Baladjay couple operated
under Multitel which was not registered with the SEC. The SEC then issued multiple cease and
desist orders against Multitel and its officers, prompting the couple to register Multitel International
Holdings, Incorporated (MIHI) with the SEC. MIHI, while registered with the SEC, used several
conduit corporations to continue their illegal operations. Multitel managed to attract investors by
offering them a guaranteed 4 percent monthly interest or 48 percent per year, for a minimum investment
of P10,000 ($212.02). Investors were also offered an alternative of double-your-money scheme for
a period of 18 months.
Baladjay employed counselors to recruit investors; each successful recruited investor earned
the counselor one to 20 percent commission.
Multitel used conduit companies such as Everflow and One Heart offering investors 10
percent return per annum. Alarmed by what Multitel is offering, the SEC issued a cease and desist order
in March 2001.
The couple was estimated to have victimized at least 2 million people, including politicians
and Cabinet members and the wealth damage is around P100 billion.
Migrants' Health Day
PathFinders held a Migrants' Health Day event in Yuen Long on Dec 13. About 1,000
migrant workers came to the event to avail themselves of various health- and job-related services offered
by 10 partner NGOs or watch cultural presentations. The most popular booth was that of
Chinese Medicine for All, where visitors were given free accupressure massage or accupuncture for
those with more serious body pains.
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