Philippine News

MANILA -- The administration of President Rodrigo R. Duterte is trying a different tact to attain peace through localized peace engagements, Malacañang said Saturday.In a statement, Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) founder Jose Maria Sison seems to have no control over communist rebel forces in the Philippines."The administration still seeks peace. We are just trying a different tact by localizing the peace talks as the concerns of rebel groups vary from one locality to another, especially so that Mr. Sison appears not to have control over the communist forces on the ground," Panelo said.He dismissed Sison's claim that Duterte is like an “old broken record" and never gets tired of repetitively terminating peace negotiations between the government and communist rebels."The latest statement of CPP founding chairman, Jose Maria Sison, is a case of the pot calling the kettle black. If as Mr. Sison says the Pres…

ILOILO CITY -- To address the continuous stereotyping and limiting roles of women and men in the community, the National Museum Western Visayas hosted a hablon weaving demonstration and lecture on Saturday.Some 63 men and women from public and private schools and universities, public and private institutions, artist groups, and tourists experienced weaving fabric in a loom, locally called the “teral”.The event underscored that men can also take part in the weaving industry.Master weaver Connie Atijon from Miag-ao town, Iloilo held a brief lecture, with his son Franco, before the demonstration proper.Connie emphasized the need for the younger generations to value the weaving tradition and to learn the weaving process if given the opportunity.She expressed hope that her weaving skills would be passed on to the youth so that the age-old tradition would continue.“Some of the youth now prefer to play with their gadgets than learn traditions like hablon (weaving). I hope they give time lear…

MANILA -- Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma has welcomed the delegates to the upcoming National Youth Day (NYD) 2019 to be held in Cebu on April 23-28."We are happy and we feel privileged to be the host for the National Youth Day this coming April 23 to 28," Palma said in a video message.Palma expressed hope for a peaceful, memorable and spiritually-fruitful gathering."Together, let us pray, like Mary, that we may realize that we are all servants of the Lord, servants who are called to bring and share God's peace and joy," he said.The National Youth Day 2019 is organized by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines, through the Episcopal Commission on Youth.More than 10,000 youths are expected to attend the NYD 2019 that will be held in Cebu for the first time since the activity was conceived in 1986.At least 52 parishes in the Archdiocese of Cebu are set to host the gathering.Nine festival sites are being organized to conduct different activities in line wi…

DANAO CITY, Cebu -- Senatorial candidates under the Hugpong ng Pagbabago (HNP) ticket received a warm welcome from residents of the hometown of President Rodrigo Duterte’s father on Friday.The President’s father, Vicente, was born in Danao and served as its mayor in an acting capacity by virtue of an appointment by then president Sergio Osmeña from 1944 to 1946. He and his family eventually moved to Davao in 1949.“Masaya po ako na nakabalik ako dito sa lugar kung saan nanggaling ang Pangulong Duterte, dito sa Danao City. Napakainit po ng pagtanggap ng mga kapwa (ko) Bisaya (I am happy to be able to return here where President Duterte came from, here in Danao City. The welcome extended by my co-Visayans is so warm),” Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go, former special assistant to the President and now HNP senatorial bet, said in an interview before the formal start of the rally held at the Barangay Dungguan covered court here.Go even told the crowd that Duterte is fond of tracing his roots…

LAOAG CITY -- Former Ilocos Sur governor Luis “Chavit” Singson is bent on bringing down the prices of building materials in the country as he reported a looming business partnership with Korean investors.Singson confirmed this in an interview this week, saying a new technology in Korea and China is on its way to Ilocos Sur to provide an alternative for steel bars used for building houses and roads.Known as glass fiber-reinforced polymer rebars, this building material will soon be available in Ilocos Sur, Singson said.“This fiberglass rebar is three times stronger than steel, six times lighter than steel, and 30 percent cheaper than steel. Product testing has already been approved and the best thing about it is it is non-corrosive,” he said about this latest development.As of this posting, Singson said he is eyeing to establish about 30 warehouses from Santa to Narvacan in Ilocos Sur to store the products, which come in all sizes.Following the visit of President Rodrigo Duterte in Sout…

DATU ODIN SINSUAT, Maguindanao -- Police has launched a manhunt against two men who ambushed and killed a village official of Maguindanao at the vicinity of this town on Saturday morning.In a report to Police Col. Ronald Briones, Maguindanao police provincial director, investigator-on-case Police Master Sgt. Datuguiana Pinguiaman of the Datu Odin Sinsuat police, identified the victim as Guiamadel Ambel, village chairman of Barangay Bintan, Talitay, Maguindanao.He was declared dead at a hospital in Cotabato City while his wife Saida Uttoh Guiamadel, 45, also of Barangay Bintan, is still undergoing medication due to injuries on her arm.Initial investigation revealed that the victims, while on board their pickup vehicle heading toward Cotabato City from Talitay, were waylaid along the national highway in Barangay Taviran of this town at about 7:40 a.m.."According to witnesses, the ambushers were on board a motorbike that tailed the victims,” Pinguiaman said in his report.Investigato…

COTABATO CITY – Health officials in North Cotabato have expressed alarm over the rise in the incidence of dengue since January and urged the public to help contain the disease.Dr. Eva Rabaya, North Cotabato’s Integrated Provincial Health Office (IPHO) head, said that to date, a total of 1,162 dengue cases have been reported in North Cotabato’s 17 towns and Kidapawan City. During the same period last year, IPHO-North Cotabato only listed 306 dengue cases. Since she noticed the spike, Rabaya has directed all municipal health officials, as well as all health providers, especially those in the front line, to be proactive in containing the spread of the disease. “There is still no outbreak,” she told reporters here in an interview on Friday, as she sought the active participation of local government executives in the fight against dengue. Health providers admitted that they cannot do it alone and that they needed the support of the public. IPHO-North Cotabato data showed that Kidapawan Cit…

MANILA -- A shipment, containing 276 kg. of shabu worth PHP1.8 billion and packed to appear like tea products, was intercepted by the Bureau of Customs (BOC) and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) at the Manila International Container Port (MICP) Friday night.MICP District Collector, lawyer Erastus Sandino Austria, said the illegal drugs, declared as plastic resin, were found inside a 40-foot container van that arrived at the Manila North Harbor last March 17.“When the container was inspected, Customs and PDEA found 12 sacks containing items wrapped in clear cellophane and sealed in foil packaging designed to look like tea products,” Austria said in a statement.“Upon testing the sample of the subject substance, authorities were able to confirm that the items were shabu,” he added.The shipment was allegedly consigned to Wealth Lotus Empire Corp.The contents of the intercepted shipment will be inventoried, and the illegal drugs found were turned over to PDEA for proper handli…

MANILA -- The Diocese of Cubao is inviting the faithful to attend the celebration that will elevate the National Shrine of Our Lady of Mount Carmel into a Minor Basilica on Monday.In a post on the Diocese’s Facebook account, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Cubao said the occasion will be memorable since it is the first Basilica under the diocese.“The Roman Catholic Diocese of Cubao, together with the Order of Discalced Carmelites and the National Shrine of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, invites all the pilgrims and devotees to the Solemn Declaration of the Shrine as a Minor Basilica, the first in the diocese on March 25, 2019 at 6 p.m.,” it said.Bishop Honesto Ongtioco heads the diocese.The diocese added that those who will not be able to go to the venue can also watch the livestream at the diocese’s FB page, Veritas846.ph, and the National Shrine of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel’s FB page.Once the church is declared a Minor Basilica, the faithful would be able to see three physical signs that it h…