US Asian Post February 26, 2016

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Vol. 5 No. 22

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PHL church defends Pacquiao on gay slur M a n i l a , P h i l i p pines | AFP | Sunday 2/21/2016 – The Philippine Catholic church on Sunday defended boxing hero Manny Pacquiao for his opposition to gay marriage, saying he was only quoting the Bible.

But Father Jerome Secillano also said over radio station DZMM that Pacquiao should respect homosexuals and not judge and condemn them after the eight-division world champion last week described them as worse than animals.

Pacquiao, 37, who converted from Catholicism to an evangelical

Protestant faith late in his boxing career, was pilloried by local gay rights groups and celebrities and has lost lucrative commercial endorsements as a result.

Secillano, executive secretary of the Catholic bishops’ public affairs office, said: “This is really in the Bible. There is this quote he (Pacquiao) uses from the Bible and we cannot change that.”

He said it was “unfair” to condemn Pacquiao for echoing what he reads in the Bible when he was asked about same-sex marriage.

But Secillano also said the boxSee CHURCH DEFENDS, page 12

President Aquino views two of the four FA-50 Golden Eagle jets that accompanied Philippine Airlines flight PR 001 as it arrived the Philippine area of responsibility Friday, from the President’s participation in the US-ASEAN Summit. The FA-50 jets are part of the PAF’s modernization program.(MNS photo)

Pacquiao under probe for poll violations

Commission on Elections spokesman James Jimenez demonstrates how the votecounting machine (VCM) works, during a congressional hearing on poll automation, Tuesday. Senator Koko Pimentel urged the Comelec to provided printed receipts to allow voters to check if their votes were properly scanned.(MNS photo)

M a n i l a , P h i l i p pines | AFP | Monday 2/22/2016 – The Philippines’ election commission said Monday it would consider a complaint accusing boxing champion Manny Pacquiao of violating election regulations by promoting his upcoming fight in the thick of the campaign.

It was the latest blow to Pacquiao’s bid for the Philippine Senate after he drew global condemnation last week for describing gay people as “worse than animals”.

“The complaint will be discussed during the commission en banc meeting tomorrow (Tuesday),” Commission on Elections

Comelec’s vote-counting machines, Filipino torture hackable, ‘expert’ claims victims vow to MANILA, Feb 20 (Mabuhay) “This one, it is hackable... Don’t – A man claiming to be an auto- talk about source code. Ano ba derail Marcos mated elections expert said the ang source code? Panloloko lang vote-counting machines (VCM) ‘yan. Source code? There’s nothing campaign that will be used by the Commission on Elections (Comelec) in the May elections are vulnerable to hacking and manipulation.

Dr. Jin Battung, who claims having ties with the Israeli founders of instant messaging app Viber, said the claims that the VCM’s source code was “unhackable” meant nothing as it was the machine’s algorithms that the Comelec should be concerned with.

there. What you have to do- algorithim... ,” Battung said in a media forum on Saturday.

Battung said that suspicions about the VCM’s capabilities would’ve been eradicated if the Comelec let each party observe the VCM’s algorithm with their own bevy of experts.

“Kung yung algorithm, yun yung ipakita nila, yung PDP-La-

M a n i l a , P h i l i p pines | AFP | Monday 2/22/2016 – Angry victims of the late Philippine dictator Ferdinand Marcos vowed on Monday to derail his son’s vice-presidential bid as they demanded long-delayed retribution.

Hundreds who endured torture and imprisonment during Marcos’ two-decade reign gathered in

See HACKABLE, page 12

See TORTURE, page 12

PHL presidential candidates face off in debate Manila, Philippines | AFP | Sunday 2/21/2016 – The five main Philippine presidential candidates faced off for the first time in a national debate Sunday, vowing to fight corruption and crime if they succeed President Benigno Aquino.

The televised debate was the first in a series aimed at focusing the contest on policy issues, rather than the colourful personalities running in the May presidential election.

But candidate Rodrigo Duterte played up his image of ruthlessness, as he vowed he would wipe out crime, illegal drugs and corruption in just three months by ordering authorities to kill criminals.

“If I become president, it will be bloody because I will order the killing of all criminals,” said Duterte who has been accused of abetting death squads as longtime mayor of the southern city of Davao.

The debate, held on the strife-torn southern island of Mindanao, brought together the top contenders seeking to succeed Aquino who See DEBATE, page 12

(Comelec) chairman Andres Bautista told AFP. Bautista said Pacquiao’s promotion of his April fight with Timothy Bradley in Las Vegas was a “grey area”, given the cap on radio and television airtime for candidates during the 90-day campaign period that started this month.

A rival senatorial candidate who has trailed Pacquiao in opinion polls, Walden Bello, filed the complaint against the boxing champion on Monday.

The most recent poll by Social Weather Stations put Pacquiao in eighth place in the race for 12 Senate seats up for grabs in May.

Bello said the poll body should determine whether Pacquiao’s television appearances to promote the Bradley fight should be counted against the 120-minute television airtime limit for the campaign.

“We want to know if this violates the equal time rule because in our view, this will give overwhelmingly great hours to Pacquiao and put us at a tremendous disadvantage,” Bello told AFP. Should Comelec decide to count Pacquiao’s media blitz against his airtime limit, Bello suggested the boxer postpone the fight until after See PACQUIAO page 12

Students led by the League of Filipino Students (LFS) and Kabataan party-list troop to the Chinese Consulate in Makati City on Wednesday, to raise concerns on the reported deployment of a surface-to-air missiles system in the disputed West Philippine Sea. (MNS photo)

Bongbong Marcos worried about Vietnam decries Chinese possible brownouts missile deployment on island on election day Hanoi, Vietnam | AFP | Fri- weapons had arrived there in the MANILA, Feb 22 (Mabuhay) – Vice presidential candidate Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. on Monday expressed alarm over the series of bombings of transmission lines in Mindanao and north Luzon, saying he could not help but suspect that they may have something to do with the May 9 elections.

“I don’t want to speculate but I could not help but suspect because no less than the National

See BROWNOUTS, page 12

day 2/19/2016 - 15:44 GMT | Vietnam on Friday hit out at China’s deployment of missiles on a disputed island chain, saying Beijing had “seriously violated” its sovereignty as international censure mounted over the apparent militarisation of the hotly-contested zone.

Chinese state media on Thursday confirmed the presence of unspecified weapons on Woody Island, part of the Paracels chain.

The admission came after Fox News reported that surface-to-air

past week – although Chinese media suggested they have been in place for longer.

Vietnamese authorities handed “a note of objection” to the Chinese Embassy in Hanoi on Friday, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

“These were moves that seriously violated Vietnam’s sovereignty over the Hoang Sa archipelagoes,” spokesperson Le hai Binh said Friday, using the Vietnamese name See VIETNAM, page 12

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Pacquiao ‘not bothered’ by disqualification threat

Vice President Jejomar Binay meets members of the Filipino-Chinese Club at the Manila Hotel on Friday. Binay promised to pursue the present administration’s Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipinong Program (4Ps) and implement changes in the Bureau of Internal Revenue.(MNS photo)

Palace fires back at Binay over poll cheating accusations MANILA, Feb 20 (Mabuhay) – Malacañang on Saturday fired back at the camp of Vice President Jejomar Binay for claiming that the administration may resort to cheating to help its bets win in the May elections.

United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) secretary-general JV Bautista on Friday said that the administration has “the capability to cheat by manipulating the vote-counting machines or exploiting the Commission on Elections.”

“It’s always a possibility that the Liberal Party (LP) will exploit the flaws of the electronic elections. It is not far-fetched that the party will be using the VCM to manipulate the results of the election,” Bautista added.

He also said the LP has already started cheating by buying votes through the conditional cash transfer program, and lying that Binay will stop this scheme

if he wins as president.

In a radio interview Saturday, Communications Undersecretary Manuel Quezon III said the Binay camp only made the allegations because it failed to downplay the corruption allegations against the vice president.

Quezon pointed out that the Office of the Sandiganbayan on Friday has formally charged the vice president’s son, former Makati Mayor Junjun Binay, for graft and falsification of public documents.

The elder Binay is also tagged in the complaints in connection with the allegedly anomalous bidding and construction of the P2.28 billion-Makati City Hall Building II. The criminal complaint against the vice president, an impeachable officer, will be filed after his term expires, the Office of the Ombudsman said.

READ: Ombudsman indicts VP Binay, Junjun for

graft “Of course, the Vice President would say that because nakikita niya naman na habang lumilitaw ang iba’t ibang mga ebidensya—nakita natin ang desisyon ng Ombudsman na ibinalita kahapon about the former mayor of Makati, the son of the Vice President—na hindi talaga nila maisasantabi o maiilagan ang katotohanan na may mga seryosong alegasyon at hindi ito hinaharap dati at ito ang nangyayari ‘pag may masusing imbestigasyon ng isang independiyenteng opisyal at tanggapan, namely the Ombudsman,” Quezon said.

The Palace spokesperson added that the Binay camp can easily make the accusation without factual basis.

He added that Binay may have realized that his own political machinery has weakened while administration bet Mar Roxas supposedly gains more support.

“It may be that he (Binay) realizes that his own machinery is not as formidable as he used to boast. It may also be that, as the President mentioned noong nag-Coffee with Media siya sa Los Angeles, as the public opinion—particularly the beneficiaries of the reforms of Daang Matuwid get their opinions known—that the tide is turning in favor of the administration candidate and siyempre hindi ito masisikmura ng Bise Presidente bilang pinuno [o] bahagi ng oposisyon,” Quezon said.

Quezon also denied that the Ombudsman’s findings against Binay is part of a black propaganda headed by the administration.

“Again, that’s the only thing he can say because, as you know, the Vice President has been given every opportunity to explain his side and to face the charges against him, but he refused to do it,” the official said.

MANILA, Feb 20 (Mabuhay) – Jabbed by possible disqualification in the May senatorial race, and swarmed by global outrage at his LGBT comments, boxing icon Manny Pacquiao still appears unperturbed.

“I’m not bothered, that’s the world. I mean, Jesus lives in me so I’m always happy,” Pacquiao told reporters after a training session in General Santos City Saturday.

“Sabi nga ng Bible, everyday has enough troubles of its own, so don’t be bothered about that,” Pacquiao said.

Senatorial hopeful Walden Bello earlier said that Pacquiao may face disqualification if he pushes through with the megabout with Timothy Bradley in April.

Bello argued that Pacquiao will exceed the allowed airtime for candidates during the bout and will also earn him free media mileage.

Pacquiao said he is willing to postone the match if the Commission on Elections (Comelec) will order him to.

But the boxing great noted that this is not the first time that he will be fighting in the ring during election period.

“Kung iyan ay against the law, sa rules, bakit hindi.

Pero hindi naman ito ang unang laban ko na tumakbo ako sa eleksyon, mga nakalipas na eleksyon lumaban din ako. Wala naman,” Pacquiao said.

Pacquiao fought Jorge Solís in April 2007, a month before he ran and lost as South Cotabato representative.

In March 2010, Pacquiao defeated Joshua Clottey in the height of poll campaigns.

He won his first term as Sarangani congressman in May of the same year.

Comelec chairman An-

dres Bautista has said that they still need to study the issue. He also asked Bello to file a formal complaint if he wants the poll body to address Pacquiao’s case.

Pacquiao earlier drew flak for saying that homosexual couples are “worse than animals.” Sportswear giant Nike also dropped him as an endorser, saying the boxer’s comments are “abhorrent”.

Pacquiao’s close friend, retired two-division champion Gerry Peñalosa, does not believe the controversy will affect the congressman’s training.

But Peñalosa said the backlash from Pacquiao’s comments may hurt the senatorial bid of the congressman.

“Maybe in his campaign for senator na takbuhan niya, baka may mga taong iba ang pagkaintindi sa sinabi niya. Baka isipin nila na-offend sila. Baka as a political move, baka hindi maganda,” Peñalosa said.

“Pero as a boxer, nakikita kong hindi makaaapekto sa kanya. Strong ang personality niya, so ano man iyung bagyo na darating o kontrobersya, nakikita kong hindi makakaapekto sa kanya.”

Pacquiao has apologized for his LGBT comments, but stood firm in his religious views. Peñalosa also observed that Pacquiao has reached 60 percent of his optimum condition.

He is confident Pacquiao will be 90 percent ready to face Bradley once his sparring session starts in two weeks.

Boxing trainer Freddie Roach, meanwhile, said they are aiming for a knockout in the match, and focusing on Pacquiao’s power and speed.

“His speed is great but when you put speed and power together, you get a knockout,” Roach said.

(MNS)

Duterte back to full health, says PDP-Laban spokesperson MANILA, Feb 20 (Mabuhay) – Davao City mayor and presidential candidate Rodrigo Duterte is back to full health, PDP-Laban spokesperson Paula Alvarez said on Saturday.

“Okay naman po siya.

Na-explain na po namin yung nakaraan. It was only a short migraine kasi nga po sunod-sunod yung pangangampanya niya nung araw na ‘yun,” Alvarez said in a media forum.

Alvarez explained that Duterte merely suffered a stress-induced headache caused by working from 12 midnight until Thursday afternoon when he was rushed to the hospital.

“Kung babalikan po natin, he started at 12 midnight tapos dire-diretso po.

Nagkaroon lang po siya ng migraine at sinabi ho na magpahinga siya ng konti kasi siyempre po 70 na rin po siya pero pagkatapos po

nun, lahat po ng kanyang mga succeeding events, napuntahan naman po niya at regular programming po,” she said.

As Alvarez spoke, Duterte’s media handlers announced that the mayor’s campaign schedule for Saturday was cancelled. Duterte was scheduled to meet with fisherfolk in Barangay Dumalag in Davao City Saturday afternoon.

The PDP-Laban spokesperson also clarified that Lito Banayo, Duterte’s political adviser, was not sanctioned for falsely stating that the presidential candidate returned to Davao on the night he was confined at the Cardinal Santos Memorial Medical Center.

“Kinausap lang po siya kasi po nagkaroon po ng misunderstanding pero hindi naman po siya nag-collapse. Kumbaga wala rin po

kasi si Lito Banayo dun sa mismong scene. Nagkaroon lang po rin ng miscommunication pero wala naman pong mga ganung pangyayari,” she said.

The statement was apparently a product of miscommunication, partly caused by the need-to-know status of Duterte’s campaign schedule.

“Yung kanyang itinerary personal po talaga yan. Ang nakakaalam lang po niyan ay yung aide niya, yung si Christopher Go. So kami rin po, hindi po namin alam kung nasaan na talaga ng mga ganung oras,” Alvarez said.

“Hindi naman po national issue na kailangan 24 hours alam niyo po kung nasan siya, kung nasa banyo siya o ganun. Ito po ay isang national issue na kailangan of private ano na po kasi security na po ‘yan,” she added.(MNS)

Comelec, DOH to set up medical assistance stations at polling centers MANILA, Feb 20 (Mabuhay) -- The Commission on Elections (Comelec) and the Department of Health (DOH) will set up medical assistance stations in polling centers during the May 9 elections.

Comelec Chairman Andres Bautista said he and DOH Secretary Janette Garin have met to discuss plans for the medical assistance stations, where basic

first-aid and medicines will be available to voters and election workers.

“As you know, summer has probably kicked in by May. The heat combined with the throng of people in voting centers can cause heat stroke, among other illnesses. We just want to have quick-response teams in place in case we need first-aid medical care,” Bautista said. There will be at

least 36,000 voting centers nationwide for the coming local and national elections.

He said that based on his discussion with DOH, the medical stations will have a quick link-up feature to local hospitals, which will be activated during emergencies.

Bautista said they may sign a memorandum of agreement with the DOH this month to formalize the partnership. (MNS)

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Napeñas insists SAF killed Marwan MANILA, Feb 22 (Mabuhay) – Former Special Action Force (SAF) chief Getulio Napeñas on Monday insisted that his troops killed Zulkifli bin Hir alias Marwan after a group claimed that it was the terrorist’s aide who killed the Malaysian bomb expert.

The Anti-War Anti-Terrorism (Awat) party-list group earlier said that a group of police assets had already completed the SAF mission last January 25, 2015 when anti-terror commandos barged inside Marwan’s hut.

According to Awat, these assets were recruited by then suspended Philippine National Police chief Alan Purisima and Director Charles Calima Jr., then the head of the police Directorate for Intelligence.

Napeñas also allegedly knew of the plan.

The dirty job was carried out by Datukan Singgagao, one of the police assets who is also an aide to Marwan, AWAT leader Jose Agduma said.

Agduma said Singgagao was later killed when the clash erupted between the approaching policemen and Marwan’s followers.

But Napeñas, an aspiring senator, stood firm that his troops were responsible for the death of the terrorist.

He also denied any knowledge of the supposed role of

police assets, and challenged the anti-war advocates to back their claims with evidence.

“They should just come up with their evidence kung anong sinasabi nila diyan.

I-prove nila iyung kini-claim nila at napakasakit iyung ginagawa nila. Biro mo, inaagaw nila iyung accomplishment ng Special Action Force na nagbuwis na nga ng buhay, 44 na iyun,” Napeñas said.

“Tapos here comes somebody na magsasalita na lang bigla. Ang masakit dito, maganda ba iyung implication niyan? Sinisira mo iyung unit na nagtrabaho at sinisira mo rin ang bansa.

Ginugulo at nililinlang mo rin ang taumbayan.”

Napeñas also questioned the timing of Singgagao’s supposed attack against Marwan.

“Napakagaling naman ng timing na iyan, one in a million sigurong timing iyan. Hindi nga nila alam na papasok ang SAF sa Tukanalipao,” he said.

“Kung aide niya iyan, sa tagal na panahon nilang magkasama, bakit hindi pa niya ginalaw before nang magkasama sila ni Marwan?

Bakit noong pinasok ng SAF, saka lang niya ginawa? Anong klaseng trabaho iyun? Iyung impormasyong lumabas na ito, basura ito,” he added.

Napeñas also said the

AWAT’s exposé was politically motivated, driven by its need for media mileage for the May 9 elections.

“Obvious naman ito, party-list ito, anti-war, anti-terrorism... Nang-aagaw ng eksena para lang makuha iyung taumbayan,” he said.

The bloody SAF mission in Tukanalipao, Mamasapano last year led to the deaths of 44 SAF troopers, 18 Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) rebels, and at least 3 civilians.

Outrage from the clash led to doubts on the sincerity of the MILF in the peace deal with government and stalled the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL).

A Philippine Star report, meanwhile, quoted PNP spokesman Chief Superintendent Wilben Mayor as saying that the police “stand firm” on their position that SAF members killed Marwan.

Mayor stressed that unless “incontrovertible evidence” is presented showing otherwise, police will not veer away from the findings of police, government and congressional investigations, the report added.

President Aquino also earlier said that new evidence, including photos of the operation and Marwan’s severed finger, prove that no one else but the SAF troopers killed their target.

(MNS)

Muslim rebel tells followers to keep ceasefire Manila, Philippines | AFP | Thursday 2/18/2016 – The head of the Philippines’ main Muslim rebel group on Thursday urged his followers to maintain a ceasefire with the government despite failure to pass a bill implementing a peace accord.

Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) chairman Murad Ebrahim made the appeal in a statement carried on the group’s Facebook page.

“In spite of the non-passage of the (bill), the MILF will continue to uphold the peace process and ensure that all the gains will be preserved,” his statement read.

“Our military forces will

at all times maintain its defensive posture,” he added.

Lawmakers this month failed to pass a bill that would have implemented a peace agreement forged between the 10,000-strong MILF and the government, which raised fears of fresh violence.

Philippine President Benigno Aquino, whose sixyear term ends in June, had lobbied hard for the passage of the bill, which would have granted the nation’s Muslim minority an autonomous southern homeland.

But he was unable to muster enough support in the lower house of Congress to secure a vote before the legislature adjourned this month ahead of national

elections in May. The MILF signed a peace accord with Aquino’s government in 2014 to end its struggle for independence, which began in the 1970s.

Four decades of fighting in the south have left 100,000 people killed according to official estimates.

Most political analysts say Aquino lost lawmakers’ support for the autonomy bill after 44 police commandos were killed during a raid into MILF territory last year.

The commandos killed a Malaysian bomb maker on the United States’ list of most-wanted “terrorists” but they were attacked by armed Muslims including MILF fighters.

PhilPost head faces raps for failure to remit loan payments of employee MANILA, Feb 22 (Mabuhay) – The Office of the Ombudsman has ordered the filing of charges against Philippine Postal Corporation (PPC) postmaster general Josephine dela Cruz for the agency’s alleged failure to remit to the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) the loan amortizations of an employee.

In a resolution recently signed by Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales, the anti-graft body found probable cause to charge Dela Cruz with 15 counts of violation of Republic Act 8291 or the GSIS Act of 1997.

Also ordered charged with the same violation were PPC Eastern Mindanao area director Bernardito Gonzales

and Arlene Bendanillo of PPC- Zamboanga City.

Based on the Ombudsman’s investigation, the PPC failed to remit the loan amortizations of one of its employees in Zamboanga City, Santos Pamatong Jr., to the GSIS for the period of October 2011 to December 2012.

In her defense, Dela Cruz claimed that due to insufficiency of funds, “the PPC prioritized the net take home pay of employees and operating costs, over the remittance to the GSIS of premiums and loan amortizations.”

In her resolution, however, Morales dismissed Dela Cruz’ claim for lack of proof.

“Dela Cruz has not pre-

sented any evidence that would support her allegation that the PPC lacked the funds to be able to remit to the GSIS complainant’s loan amortizations,” the resolution read.

Under Section 52 of the GSIS Act, the heads and personnel of a national government office involved in the collection of premium contributions, loan amortizations and other accounts due to the GSIS who shall fail to remit the same within 30 days from the time it is due and demandable, “shall, upon conviction by final judgment, suffer the penalties of imprisonment of not less than one year nor more than five years and a fine”.(MNS)

Indonesia sinks 27 foreign boats to stop illegal fishing Jakarta, Indonesia | AFP | Monday 2/22/2016 – Indonesia sank 27 impounded foreign boats on Monday, a minister said, as the world’s largest archipelago nation stepped up a campaign against illegal fishing in its waters.

The empty vessels from the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Myanmar were blown up or scuttled at five separate locations across the country, said Fisheries Minister Susi

Pudjiastuti.

The boats had been all caught fishing illegally in the archipelago of more than 17,000 islands. Four Indonesian boats were also sunk after they were caught fishing without proper documentation.

“The government is taking stronger and firmer action to enforce regulations to keep our waters safe,” Pudjiastuti, a key figure in the campaign against illegal fishing, told journalists.

Indonesia has sunk foreign boats on several occasions since the government launched the drive to combat illegal fishing, with President Joko Widodo claiming the practice costs the country’s economy billions of dollars annually.

However, the campaign has caused tensions with other countries in the region. China last year expressed concern after a Chinese boat was blown up.

Children from Tondo join environmental activists during an anti-coal protest in front of Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) on Friday. The group demanded the closure of the Rockenergy coal stock-piling operation at Port Area in Manila, which allegedly causes health problems.(MNS photo)

Plastic campaign tarpaulins are a health risk: EcoWaste Coalition MANILA, Feb 22 (Mabuhay) – EcoWaste Coalition on Monday warned against the public health risks of plastic tarpaulins used by politicians in the campaign for the May elections.

It said the plastic tarpaulins contain carcinogenic cadmium.

“Plastic tarpaulins have become extremely popular for all types of advertising and promotion. The use of tarps by politicians running for the May polls is a case in point,” Aileen Lucero, EcoWaste Coalition coordinator said.

She continued, “The problem goes beyond the huge volume of tarps hanging on unauthorized places like bridges, cables, lamp posts and trees that have to be laboriously removed by

MMDA (Metropolitan Manila Development Authority) or DPWH (Department of Public Works and Highways) workers.”

Aside from being a carcinogenic, cadmium also accumulates in the kidneys, which can lead to the formation of kidney stones. It also affects calcium metabolism, softening the bones and causing osteoporosis.

Lucero said their group screened 300 pieces of campaign tarpaulins from the MMDA’s “Operation Baklas” tested positive for the chemical.

“All of the 300 tarps were found to contain cadmium in the range of 697 to 1,921 parts per million (ppm), way above the European Union’s 100 ppm limit for cadmium in plastics,” according to

EcoWaste.

The MMDA had said that it collects an average of two tons of illegally place campaign posters a day .

The United Nations, through its Environment Programme (UNEP) and the World Health Organization (WHO), have detailed the hazardous effects cadmium and Lucero said that it is time that the Philippines legislate against its use.

“We need to ban the intentional use of cadmium-based pigments and stabilizers in all plastics, including tarps and packaging materials, to protect the public health and reduce the amount of cadmium that enters the waste streams, which, at the end of the day, will get dispersed into the environment,” she said.(MNS)

Ex-MMDA chief Tolentino washes hands off metro traffic woes MANILA, Feb 22 (Mabuhay) -- Former Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) chairman Francis Tolentino on Monday defended himself from observations that he failed to solve Metro Manila’s traffic woes during his stint at MMDA. Tolentino, who is running for senator in the May elections, said the MMDA should not be solely blamed for the perennial traffic problem in Metro Manila.

“Ang sana maunawaan ng tao [ay] hindi ko po kontrolado ‘yung pagi-issue ng prangkisa, hindi ko po kontrolado ‘yung public works, hindi ko rin kontrolado ‘yung MRT [at] LRT,” he said, adding the MMDA is only involved in traffic management.

Noting that every city has its own traffic management system, Tolentino, a former mayor of Tagaytay City, said the traffic problem could be best addressed through legislation.

However, Tolentino said if ever he becomes senator, his first bill would be for disaster mitigation.

“Ang nakikita ko po diyan ay we really need to have a Philippine disaster reconstruction agency,” he said. “Ang isusulong ko ay recovery and rehabilitation.”

During the interview, Tolentino took pride that during his term as MMDA chairman, he was able to unify Metro Manila mayors and launched the Pasig River Ferry Service project.

Tolentino first served as an OIC mayor of Tagaytay in 1986 appointed by then-President Corazon Aquino. He then ran unopposed in 1995 and served the city until 2004.

Tolentino said he sees Tagaytay as an achievement, saying, “Ang Tagaytay dati araruhan at pinyahan lang ‘yan.” He added that he opened St. Patrick’s village, a “grassroots, LGUbased, socialized” housing.

He also boasted about St. Michael Village and Sto. Niño Homes.

“Nakatira po doon ang mga mahihirap na kababayan natin,” Tolentino said, adding, “Tagaytay is one of the most progressive cities

in the Philippines na ginagawang modelo ng iba’t ibang lungsod at bayan.”

“I have won several Galing Pook Awards for those achievements,” he said.

Tolentino also noted that he is “case-free”: “You can search the Sandiganbayan records. I don’t have a Sandiganbayan case, I don’t have a fiscal case, I don’t have an RTC (Regional Trial Court) case.” When asked regarding the allegedly lewd performance of an all-girl group after a Liberal Party oath-taking ceremony in Laguna that put him in hot water months ago, the former MMDA chair said, “It’s not an issue—it’s not graft and corruption, it’s not job-related.”

“Part ng kultura ‘yun.

It’s not job-elated, it has nothing to do with substance and qualifications,” he said, adding that the incident had somewhat helped him improve his character.

“It strengthened my character. Nanghingi ako ng patawad, humingi ako ng paumanhin, at nagpakababang loob.

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Nearly half of Filipinos expect clean, credible polls: Pulse Asia MANILA, Feb 22 (Mabuhay) – Nearly half of Filipinos, who are registered voters, are expecting clean and credible automated elections in May, based on the latest Pulse Asia survey.

Pulse Asia said that 48 percent of its 1,800 respondents (registered voters), agreed to the statement: “The May 2016 elections will be clean and the results credible for the citizenry because the counting of votes is automated.”

The survey was conducted from January 24 to 28 using faceto-face interviews, the survey firm said.

Meanwhile, 36 percent of the respondents were undecided and 15 percent disagreed with the statement.

Pulse Asia said that agreement to the statement is “more pronounced” in the Visayas and Metro Manila with 56 percent and 59 percent, respectively.

Cheating In the same survey, Pulse Asia said that 39 percent of the respondents or nearly four in 10 Filipinos expect cheating in the May elections.

Vote-buying is the most popular among the respondents with 65 percent of them who believe that it will be the most likely form of cheating during the coming elections.

Only 29 percent said they do not expect cheating to take place while 32 percent were undecided.

The survey was conducted more than a week after the start of the election period, which kicked off last January 10.

Among the other election-related issues cited by Pulse Asia while the surveys were being conducted were: The announcement of the Commission on Elections on the delay of start of ballot printing The oral arguments at the Supreme Court of the Comelec’s disqualification of Sen. Grace Poe from the presidential race The word war between Comelec chief Andres Bautista and Commissioner Rowena Guanzon Pulse Asia said the survey has a ± 2% error margin at the 95 percent confidence level. (MNS)

Gabriela to Manny Pacquiao: Knockout homophobia Last week, Filipino world champion professional boxer and member of the Philippine House of Representatives, Manny Pacquiao called people in gay relationships “worse than animals”.

His comments outraged the LGBTQ community and their allies globally, and although he made a public apology, Pacquiao made it clear that he would not back down from his stance against homosexuality, referencing Bible verses to support his views.

“Pacquiao’s statements are disgraceful coming from a politician. This type of religious conservatism has no place in a government that claims the separation of church and state. It is the duty of our government representatives to fight for the lives of all the citizens they represent, which include LGBTQ and gender non-conforming (GNC) people. Members of the LGBTQGNC community face daily systemic violence, and comments such as Pacquiao’s legitimizes hate crimes, discrimination, and harassment,” says Irma Bajar, Vice Chair of International Relations and a queer-identified member of GABRIELA USA. “Transgender people such as Jennifer Laude suffer from unspeakable violent acts and human rights abuses, we must rally in support of the LGBTQGNC community” Manny Pacquiao has been campaigning for a Philippine Senate seat in elections scheduled for May of this year. “Comments like Pacquiao’s legitimizes hate crimes, discrimination, and harassment against the LGBTQGNC community. This form of violence unacceptable, and Pacquiao should educate himself if he wants to become a senator that represents all Filipinos,” continues Bajar. Since the release of Pacquiao’s homophobic comments, we have already witnessed the inevitable backlash from all over the world.

In the last year, the United States has witnessed murders of trans people on the rise and LGBTQ youth suicides caused by bullying and harassment. It is vital to provide ongoing education for children, teens, adults, community workers, church people and the government to deconstruct homophobia and transphobia.

GABRIELA USA will continue to educate, organize, and mobilize our community to fight for the rights and liberation of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Queer and Gender Non Conforming community.

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OPINION

Marquez: Pacquiao legacy intact despite controversy MANILA, Feb 20 (Mabuhay) – Juan Manuel Marquez and Manny Pacquiao again found themselves on opposing sides.

The four-division world champion Marquez, who had four epic fights with Pacquiao, believes his Filipino rival made a costly mistake in making derogatory remarks against gays during a recent interview.

Pacquiao, who is running for a Senate seat in the May elections, is under fire after describing homosexuals and gay couples as “worse than animals.”

Marquez feels Pacquiao has to pay for the consequences of his actions. However, the Mexican legend doesn’t think Pacquiao’s legacy will be affected by the controversy.

“Pacquiao’s legacy will not get stained by this, it’s something separate and he’s about to finish writing the final chapter. He made a mistake and he will pay,” Marquez told ESPN Deportes as posted on BoxingScene.com. “There is no doubt about his quality as a fighter, but there are times when the fish dies by its mouth. He lost his Nike sponsorship and the people behind him told him

he was wrong.”

“And he is paying the consequences and he must assume [the reaction to those statements]. Sexual preferences are now open, a marriage of persons of the same sex is now open and he has to accept it.”

The 37-year-old Pacquiao, boxing’s only eight-division champion, plans to retire after his third fight with Timothy Bradley on April 9 in Las Vegas.

Marquez also lauded Pacquiao’s promoter Bob Arum for backing the apparel giant’s decision to cut its ties with the former WBO welterweight champion. “[Arum] was right to support the decision of Nike. It was Pacquiao’s error and [Arum] shouldn’t be involved in something like that. Arum [did the right thing], people are going to come after Arum if he supports Pacquiao,” said Marquez, who knocked out Pacquiao in their final meeting in 2012.

“Pacquiao said he made a mistake and now he must accept the mistake and suffer the consequences. Pacquiao has to be more responsible [for] his statements, in what he says or declares and he won’t have these problems.” (MNS)

HR victims’ anger dims democracy celebrations

By Joel Guinto

Manila, Philippines | AFP | Tuesday 2/23/2016 – The Philippines is this week celebrating 30 years of democracy, but thousands who suffered through the Marcos dictatorship tremble with anger at slow justice and the stunning political ascent of the late strongman’s heir.

President Benigno Aquino will on Thursday lead the commemoration of the “People Power” uprising that allowed his mother, Corazon, to take over from Ferdinand Marcos after he fled to the United States.

But in another part of the city, those who were tortured and imprisoned under martial law will hold their own rally to mourn a lack of justice.

They will also try to raise the alarm over the dictator’s only son and namesake from getting elected vice-president, as he has surged to the top of polls with national elections less than three months away.

“We are angry, disappointed, frustrated at the system because until now there has been no justice,” said Marie Hilao-Enriquez, vice president of Selda, a group of people who were detained by Marcos’s security forces.

“The Marcoses have not returned what they stole and they are rewriting history,” said Enriquez, who was imprisoned for two years and whose activist sister was believed killed by government forces.

Treasure hunt Philippine parliament passed a law in 2013 to distribute money that was plundered by the Marcos family to human rights victims.

However, out of $10 billion that the government estimates to have been plundered, it covers only $210 million that was discovered in a Swiss bank account.

The government says it has recovered close to $4 billion worth

of assets, but can not distribute the vast bulk of it because of legal challenges by the Marcoses and their cronies.

Meanwhile, an arduous process to verify 75,000 claims will not be finished until 2018, and only then can the victims finally get much-delayed compensation.

The victims have submitted medical records, prison logs and photos of themselves bruised or behind bars, according to Lina Sarmiento, head of the Human Rights Victims Claims Board tasked to verify the applications.

Although the money may not be a lot when it is finally distributed, she said it would be an important symbol of justice.

“More than the compensation for the victims, this is a recognition from the state, giving them back their dignity because they suffered for democracy,” Sarmiento told AFP. “This is long overdue.”

The need to finally recognise and compensate human rights victims is not lost on the government claims board.

A timer that counts down to the number of days until the board’s 2018 deadline to pay all approved claims is installed on every computer screen in their spartan office.

Marcos resurgence Meanwhile, Ferdinand Marcos Jnr is on the verge of cementing a remarkable comeback for the family.

The dictator died in US exile in 1989, but wife Imelda was allowed to return a few years after with her son and two daughters, and they began rebuilding a political power base.

If Marcos Jnr, 58, wins the vice presidency, he would be well positioned for a tilt at the nation’s top post at the next elections in 2022.

In the Philippines, the two positions are elected separately.

His mother and elder sister

are also poised for re-election as congresswoman and governor, respectively, of Ilocos Norte, a northern province that has long been the family’s stronghold.

“This is the irony of our time: the activists of the 70s are now ageing and struggling for indemnification and we have not really achieved our objective and here comes another Marcos trying to make a comeback,” Selda president Bonifacio Ilagan, a former student activist who was jailed without trial for two years during the dictatorship, told AFP. Marcos Jr was not available for comment.

But he has consistently denied any wrongdoing by his family while portraying his father’s 20-year rule as benevolent, with tough measures used only to quash security threats such as communism.

In slick election campaign videos, Marcos Jnr proudly declares that “I am not my past”—in a nod to critics of his father – while trumpeting his father’s alleged gains in the economy and peace and order.

Marcos Jnr is surging in the polls on the back of the family’s “loyalists” and a generation of voters who were born after the martial law years, political analyst Ramon Casiple told AFP. One third of the voters in the upcoming election were born after “People Power”, and are susceptible to the Marcos charm offensive as they live in a country still racked by poverty and corruption, according to Casiple.

He said democracy had failed to end these and other long-standing problems, allowing Marcos Jnr, known by his nickname of Bongbong, to falsely portray his father’s rule in a golden light.

“Bongbong is portraying the Marcos years as paradise,” Casiple told AFP.

Syrians at mercy of greedy smugglers after Turkey’s border closure

By Michel Moutot

Kilis, Turkey | AFP | Tuesday 2/23/2016 – After a harrowing 15-hour journey by minibus, dodging gunfire and explosions, a group of Syrian refugees reached a village near Turkey, desperate to cross the recently shut border into safety.

“The people smugglers are there and they’re shouting ‘Turkey! Who wants to go to Turkey?’”

Fatima al-Ahmed recalled, after reaching the town of Kilis on the Turkish side of the frontier.

“They are mean, violent, and only think about money. They push us like beasts, hitting the women who don’t walk fast enough, even when they are carrying babies.The 27-year-old woman told AFP about her clandestine escape from Aleppo to Kilis in southern Turkey a week ago—a journey that in peacetime would have taken little more than 90 minutes. Turkey’s decision to close its border with Syria

has become a boon for smugglers who are charging refugees to secretly cross over.

Like the traffickers who make thousands of dollars off each boat-load of migrants crossing the Mediterranean to Italy or the Aegean to Greece, smugglers at the Turkish border take advantage of Syrians who refuse to wait in overcrowded tent camps for Ankara to possibly open up the crossing.

Fatima, sitting at a table outside a cafe in Kilis, said she crossed the border with her twoyear-old son in her arms through an opening cut in the barbed wire fence. She had decided to flee her home in the rebel-held neighborhood of Sakhur in eastern Aleppo, when her husband was killed a month ago in the bombing while he was out looking for food.

The smugglers organised them “in groups of eight, with our neighbors,” she said, speak-

ing in a soft voice. “They helped me pay, I didn’t have enough money. Before, everything was organized in Aleppo, we used smugglers we trusted.

“But now since the Russian bombing, there are too many people,” she said referring to the Russian aerial bombing campaign launched in September last year in support of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s regime.

Like others in Kilis, Fatima told how the Syrian smugglers were in constant contact, by cellphone and walkie-talkie, with the Turkish smugglers who would take charge of the refugees once they were over the border.

“They made us wait, sitting on the ground under some trees, until it was time – the time when the Turkish soldiers who they paid are on guard and look away while we pass,” she said of the clandestine journey that cost around 300 euros ($330).

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Ultimate Heartthrobs Piolo & Sam with ‘Pokwang’ & Darren Live at Pechanga in March Two of the most sought after young Filipino actors, both on screen, cinema and singing sensation, Piolo Pascual and Sam Milby – along with comedian extraordinaire, ‘Pokwang’ and budding male actor Darren Espanto, in one of a kind performance ever will lead the pack of performers live at Pechanga Resort & Casino on March 26 at 8p.m. and March 27 at 5pm.

Pechanga Resort & Casino is well-known for hosting the best and the brightest Filipino entertainers and performers such as international singer Gary Valenciano, Megastar Sharon Cuneta, the singer/actress and Tony Award winnerLea Salonga, popular comedian and actor Vice Ganda, winner of “Star Power Search 2011”Angeline Quintos, international actress and top endorser Anne Curtis, and Pop Star Princess Sarah Geronimo - who all gave wholesome entertainment to the delight of the crowd.

Dubbed as ‘ Heartthrobs Reloaded Live at Pechanga, ‘ Pascual, an award winning actor and singer, was tagged as one and only ultimate heartthrob due to his peculiarity, smart looks and hot appeal. He’s being link to well-known famed celebrities and is notorious as every lady’s dream man.

Born Piolo Jose Nonato Pascual on January 12, 1977 to Amelia “Amy” Nonato and Philip (Herzig)

Pascual. The youngest of six (four girls and 2 boys), Peejay (his nickname) was considered a “miracle baby”.Pascual was discovered by a family friend who picked him up and on their way home and stopped at the taping of the late German Moreno’s That’s Entertainment show.

It was there that a staff member saw a potential star in Piolo. He was asked to audition and later got a call back to be part of the show.He also became one of the country’s leading endorsers. Billboards lined up in highways with him endorsing brands such as Hammerhead, Max’s

chicken, San Mig Coffee, Bench, Belo, Banco de Oro, etc.

Meanwhile, the Philippines’ ‘Rockcoustic Heartthrob’, Sam Milby is an established actor and multi-awarded singer who is one of the few homegrown actors to venture into Hollywood while maintaining a successful career in the Philippines.

From being just another Pinoy Big Brother housemate, the Filipino-American looker has eclipsed even his own popularity with sold-out concerts and Platinum albums, top-rating TV soaps. Born and raised in Troy, Ohio, Milby

is the youngest son of Filipina Elsie Lacia who hails from Surigao Philippines and American entrepreneur, Lloyd Milby.

Commonly known as Pokwang – A comedienne, television host, and singer.

Born on August 27, 1960 as Marietta Subong. She is a well-known actress, who won the Clown in a Million contests in ABS-CBN’s comedy-gag show program.

Yes, Yes Show! (2004).

She is the ninth child in a family of twelve.

Darren Lyndon Gonzales Espanto (born May 24, 2001) is a Filipino singer.

Born in Calgary, Canada to Filipino parents, at 10 years old, he won the Masters Finals of the Pinoy Singing Sensation competition in Edmonton.

He made his first television appearance at the age of ten when he joined YTV’s

reality television The Next Star in 2012; he became the youngest finalist in the history of the show to be included in the Top 6.

Espanto rose to prominence after joining the first season of the The Voice Kids Philippines, the youngest artist who staged a major solo concert at the age of 13.Piolo, Sam, Pokwang, and Darren – are perfect combinations to thrill you come March by Temecula, California’s only pride – Pechanga Resort & Casino. Buy your tickets now (from $118, $98, $88 to $78) at the Pechanga Box Office, Wednesday-Sunday from noon to 8p.m. or go online at www.Pechanga. com.

About Pechanga Resort & Casino Pechanga Resort & Casino offers one of the largest and most expansive

resort/casino experiences anywhere in the United States.

Voted the Number One Casino in America by readers of USA TODAY and rated a Four Diamond property by AAA since 2002, Pechanga Resort & Casino provides an unparalleled getaway. Offering more than 3,400 of the hottest slots, table games, world-class entertainment, 517 hotel rooms, dining, spa and championship golf at Journey at Pechanga, Pechanga Resort & Casino features a destination that meets and exceeds the needs of its guests and the community.

Pechanga Resort & Casino is owned and operated by the Pechanga Band of Luiseño Indians. For more information, call toll free 1-888-PECHANGA or visit www.Pechanga.com.

Nadine disputes claims that James not a gentleman Nadine Lustre came to the defense of her onscreen partner James Reid after some fans criticized him for not helping the actress carry her things when they were spotted at a mall in Makati on Valentine’s Day. Speaking during the final press conference of their show “On the Wings of Love,” Reid admitted that they were at Rockwell on February 14 because he asked Lustre if she could accompany him buy some computer games.

Reid also shared that they planned to have dinner together but this didn’t push through because the restaurant where they wanted to eat was already full. Photos of their “date” made the rounds online on Monday.

One photo showed the two taking the escalator with Lustre carrying a shopping bag and Reid standing in front of her.

Some netizens, however, criticized Reid for not being a gentleman.

But Lustre quickly

quashed these accusations. “’Yung mga gamit po na ganun, I really don’t mind kung ako yung magbibitbit. It’s okay,” she said.

“Kasi, number one, it’s really not heavy. Number two, kaya ko naman po.

Even kapag may schedule, minsan wala akong PA (personal assistant), I carry my stuff, I drive, so parang it’s really nothing to me,” she added.

In fact, Lustre shared that Reid actually offered to help her.

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UTREACH President Benigno S. Aquino III shares the stage with the officers and members of the Philippine embassy and participants of the meeting with the Filipino Community for a snap shot at the Hilton Los Angeles Airport for his working visit to Los Angeles, California, United States of America.(MNS photo)

Fun and self-discovery await next-gen Filipino-Americans on now tour 2016 WASHINGTON, D.C. — Filipino-Americans aged 18 to 44 have the chance to rediscover their roots while taking on an exciting adventure in the Philippines by joining the “Now Philippines Tour” or simply, NOW Tour 2016, to be held on 7-14 April 2016 in the key destinations of Manila, Dumaguete and Cebu.

“Wherever I go in the United States, I meet young

Filipino-Americans who are excited to learn more about the Philippines. Theirs is the generation that is very conscious of its uniqueness, and how that uniqueness can be a powerful driver of self-actualization, achievement and the desire to make a difference in the world. It is our hope that the next generation of Filipino-Americans who will participate in this inaugu-

ral tour will not only discover an important component of their identity while in the Philippines, but also develop a life-long desire to give back to their country of heritage,” Philippine Ambassador to the United States Jose L. Cuisia, Jr. said.

The one-week tour program comprises activities that allow for exploration, adventure and reflection.

It includes dialogues with

government and business leaders, a visit around the secluded island of Sumilon, whale shark-watching in Oslob, Cebu, and interaction with the local communities.

The NOW Tour 2016 is organized by The Travel Outlet, which is based in Virginia Beach, VA., with the support and cooperation of the Philippine Embassy and Consulates General

in the United States, the Department of Tourism, US-Philippines Society, and Philippines-based Resort 4 U. The Travel Outlet’s proprietor and lead tour organizer Naomi Estaris tells prospective participants, “This is your time - we are here to give you the time of your life. Our mission is your mission to discover your roots. They say you can’t really move

forward unless you know your past and know where you came from. Take the time and take the trip - a journey that you wished you had done a long time ago. More than ever, NOW is the time.”

Interested parties may visit the NOW Tour 2016 website http://www.justgoph.com/ and Facebook pagehttps://www.facebook. com/JustGoNowtour.

‘Bamboo Flowers’ charms US audiences at 8TH Bridges to the World Film Fest

Washington, D.C. – “Bamboo Flowers,” a critically acclaimed film by multi-awarded director Maryo J. delos Reyes, charmed audiences during the 8th Bridges to the World Film Festival held at six separate venues in Maryland.

The Bridges to the World Film Festival is an annual flagship event organized by the World Artists Experiences (WAE), a non-profit organization with the mission to bridge international understanding through cultural and citizen diplomacy.

“World Artists Experiences (WAE) looks forward to presenting the film, Bamboo Flowers, in partnership with the Embassy of the Philippines, as way to bridge our people and countries. The film is a wonderful means of people being taken to the Philippines and better understanding the spirit of the people, the culture, and the country through the arts,” WAE President and founder Betty McGinnis said.

“We celebrate the Philippines-US relations for over seventy years. Our hope is

that WAE can continue to build bridges between the people of the Philippines and the US,” she added.

“Bamboo Flowers” is a 2013 production that tells the stories of diverse characters experiencing major changes to their otherwise idyllic lives in the Philippine province of Bohol. It takes on themes such as school bullying, urban migration and vice versa, the problematic path of establishing careers and making ends meet in a limited economic environment.

“The Philippines has

so much to offer in terms of culture and heritage.

‘Bamboo Flowers’ is only one of the many Philippine films that have been able to successfully combine exposition of local culture and entertainment value in recent years. We intend to showcase more of these movies to foster appreci-

ation of the Philippines among international audiences, especially to mark the 70th anniversary of the establishment of Philippines-US relations this year,” Philippine Ambassador to the United States Jose L. Cuisia, Jr. said.

The other four participating countries in this

year’s festival are Israel (“Cupcakes”), Panama (“Breaking the Wave”), Slovakia (“Cruel Joys”), and Syria (“Vent and Cham Leaves of Damascus”).

The 8th Bridges to the World Film Festival takes place from the first week of February to the first week of March.

Bedans of SoCal induction April 16 San Beda College Alumni Association of Southern California (SBCAASC) is having their 34th Annual Induction Ball on April 16, 2016(Saturday) to be held at Anaheim Marriott Suites located at 12015 Harbor Blvd., Garden Grove, CA 92840 from 6:00 pm to midnight.

This annual event is

one of their ongoing yearly event to help indigent students in the Philippines to pursue their college dreams thru their scholarship program. Every Bedan, their family and friends are all invited to their “Our Fellowship Never Ceases” formal dinner and dance night. Tickets are available at the venue or by calling

the 2016 SBCAASC President Rey Castillo at (714) 749-2971.

Sponsorship and advertisement on their souvenir programs are also available. Submission of artwork and payment must be received beforeMarch 16, 2016 (Wednesday). Please contact Teddy Relatos at (818 468-2429.

23 illegal contractors nabbed in undercover sting operations SACRAMENTO – Two teams of investigators with the Contractors State License Board (CSLB) concluded a productive search for unlicensed contractors in the greater Los Angeles area on Feb. 10-11, 2016, citing a total of 23 persons in separate undercover sting operations.

Fourteen persons received misdemeanor citations on illegal contracting charges in La Cañada Flintridge, and nine were cited in the Mount Washington neighborhood of northeast Los Angeles. “Sting operations are conducted year-round up and down the state, in cities big and small,” explained CSLB Registrar Cindi Christenson. “We want to send a message that we want to shut down unlicensed contractors who frequently take advantage of consumers, and take business away from legitimate, licensed contractors.”

Here are highlights from each sting: La Cañada Flintridge – Investigators with CSLB’s Statewide Investigative Fraud Team (SWIFT) set up the two-day sting at the home near NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. A list of potential unlicensed contractors was compiled using online advertising sites, procured business cards, and internal case files. Playing the role of owners, investigators then called for bids on home improvement projects such as tree removal/service, tankless water heater installation, concrete work, and painting.

– Seven persons were cited for contracting without a license (Business and Professions Code (BPC) section (§) 7028) on the sting’s first day, Feb. 10, and seven more at the next day’s operation.

Estimates given to investigators ranged from $1,100 to $4,300, both paint bids. All bids significantly exceeded the legal limit of $500 for materials and labor before a state contractor license is required.

– An additional misdemeanor charge of illegal advertising (BPC §7027.1) was lodged against eight of the 14 suspects cited over the sting’s two days. State law requires unlicensed contractors to state in all advertising that they are not licensed.

– Background checks revealed that one bidder was on probation for a domestic violence conviction, two had outstanding traffic warrants of $50,000 and $40,000, respectively, and another was wanted on a $10,000 traffic warrant. Officers with the Department of Consumer Affairs’ Division of Investigation assisted in processing suspects.

– Those cited are scheduled to appear April 25-28, 2016, in Los Angeles County Superior Court, 600 East Broadway, Glendale, CA 91206 (MAP).

Los Angeles – Two of the nine persons cited on illegal contracting charges in this sting turned out to be recent repeat offenders.

– SWIFT investigators pretended to be owners

of the single-family home seeking bids on masonry work, painting, window and shutters replacement, and wrought iron railing.

Online advertising sites and case files helped make up the contact list of potential unlicensed contractors.

Officers from the state Department of Insurance lent assistance.

– Four persons were cited for contracting without a license on the sting’s first day, Feb. 10, and five more were caught the next day.

The $11,300 bid to replace a section of iron railing was the highest of those submitted for the two days.

Three were cited for illegal advertising.

– Investigators discovered that two of the bidders were no strangers to CSLB stings. One had been cited for unlicensed contracting at an August 2014 sting in Santa Monica. He told investigators he was still serving probation term for that offense. Another man had been cited in Alhambra

by CSLB in January 2015, and said he had been ordered to perform community service for the violation.

Both face harsher punishment if convicted of the same offense a second time.

State law calls for a fine up to $5,000 and possible jail time if there’s a previous conviction for unlicensed contracting.

Those cited are scheduled to appear at a date to be determined in Los Angeles County Superior Court, 210 West Temple Street, Los Angeles CA 90012 (MAP).

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Los Angeles passes $1.87-B homeless plan Los Angeles, United States | AFP | Wednesday 2/10/2016 − Los Angeles, sometimes called the homeless capital of America, adopted a $1.87 billion plan Tuesday to help its 44,000 down-and-out people without homes.

The 10-year plan adopted by the city council, with the ambitious goal of ending LA’s growing homelessness, includes hiring social workers, offering quality housing and building permanent housing.

In addition, Los Angeles County supervisors also agreed to release $100 million over several years ($42 million in the first 12 months) toward housing the homeless.

Homelessness is “the most serious humanitarian crisis confronting our county today,” said county CEO Sachi Hamai.

Plans for funding the

initiatives still must be adopted, with the city of Los Angeles scheduled to vote on its budget in April.

City Councilman Jose Huizar, who co-chairs the Homelessness and Poverty Committee, acknowledged that a series of past plans to reduce homelessness had failed. Between 2013 and 2015, the number of homeless in Los Angeles County soared by 12.4 percent, with the percent of those living in the street or in their car—without access to emergency shelter—soaring by 85 percent.

Of the 44,000 homeless people living in the county, some 29,000 or two-thirds, sleep in the streets, tents or their cars, according to a spokesman for the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority.

The 2008-2009 economic crisis took a hefty toll on Californians, while housing

inflation has drastically limited affordable options.

In addition, many homeless opt to live in Los Angeles due to its mild weather and social services, notably near Skid Row, where some 5,000 homeless live.

By comparison, the homeless population in New York, America’s largest metropolis, is larger at 57,000 people, but 95 percent of them live in shelters or temporary housing funded by local authorities and the state.

Los Angeles County spends around $1 billion a year on medical, psychiatric and social welfare care for its homeless, not including police expenditures.

“A real bed is much less expensive than a jail bed or a hospital bed,” Phil Ansell, director of the county’s Homeless Initiative, told the Los Angeles City Council.

Loyola Marymount University (LMU) president Timothy Law Snyder confers on President Aquino the Honorary Degree Doctor of Humane Letters in a ceremony at the Auditorium, Life Sciences Building of the LMU during his working visit to Los Angeles, California, United States of America on Thursday. (MNS photo)

Majority of Americans back FBI in battle with Apple Women ‘left their kitchens’ to back W a s h i n g t o n , U n i t e d after news broke about the were in support of the govStates | AFP | Monday standoff – 75 percent in ernment by a 51-40 percent me, White House candidate says 2/22/2016 – A majority of Americans support the US government’s efforts to force Apple to help unlock an iPhone in the probe of last year’s deadly San Bernardino attacks, a poll showed Monday.

The Pew Research Center survey found 51 percent of respondents supported the effort to require Apple to help unlock the iPhone, while 38 percent said Apple should not unlock the phone to ensure the security of its other users. Eleven percent did not offer an opinion.

In the poll taken from February 18-21 – shortly

the survey said they were aware of the deadlock, with 39 percent saying they had heard “a lot” and 36 percent indicating they heard “a little” about it.

Support for the government’s case was highest among the older poll respondents, by a 54-27 percent margin among those 65 or older. There was little difference between Democrat and Republican respondents, but independents were nearly split on the issue, with 42 percent siding with Apple to 45 percent for the government.

Smartphone owners

margin, but among iPhone owners the support was a bit lower at 47-43 percent.

The researchers surveyed 1,002 American adults by mobile or landline telephone. The margin of error for the full sample was estimated at 3.7 percentage points.

US authorities are seeking to enforce an order to require Apple to provide technical assistance to unlock the iPhone of one of the attackers. Apple and its supporters argue that complying would set a precedent that would weaken security for all users.

California won’t force adult actors to wear protection Los Angeles, United States | AFP | Friday 2/19/2016 – California officials in charge of workplace safety voted down Thursday a proposal that would have required porn actors to wear condoms, dental dams and goggles to prevent sexually transmitted infections.

The state’s Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board voted down the measure 3 to 2, after failing to garner the necessary four yes votes from the seven-member panel.

The decision was handed down after dozens of porn actors, writers, directors and producers testified during a day-long public hearing that the stringent regulations would have harmed the multibillion-dollar industry.

“These regulations were based in stygma rather than science, and would have severely hurt adult performers,” said Eric Paul Leue, executive director of the Free Speech Coalition, a trade association for the adult entertainment industry.

“Finally, workers in the

industry were heard, their concerns were heard.”

He said his organization looked forward to working with state officials on a new regulation for worker safety.

“The industry has never been opposed to condoms but what performers so wonderfully and eloquently said today – ‘performers should be in charge of what enters their body or not,’” Leue said.”

He said protocols were already in place in the industry to ensure against sexually transmitted infections but these safety measures had been ignored by the board.

“We hope that the division will now be open to a meaningful conversation and to accept the industry to the table when trying to build regulation for the industry,” Leue said.

Dave Thomas, chairman of the Standards Board, said during the hearing that although the panel failed to adopt the proposal, condoms were still required under existing bloodborne pathogens standard in California.

“I know a lot of you don’t want to realize it, you are already required to wear condoms,” he said. “That’s already the law, that’s the way it is.” Michael Weinstein, president of AIDS Healthcare Foundation, a non-profit that has been pushing for the new rules since 2009, said his organization was disappointed by Thursday’s decision and planned to file a new petition with the Standards Board. The majority of adult movies are made in California and film producers are required to implement measures to protect actors from sexually transmitted infections.

However, the regulations don’t specify that actors must wear condoms or other protective gear.

According to a study conducted in Los Angeles and published in the journal Sexually Transmitted Diseases in 2012, 28 percent of adult film workers tested positive for gonorrhea and/ or chlamydia.

The majority of those who took part in the fourmonth study said they did not use condoms.

Uber driver charged with six murders in US shooting rampage

By Mira Oberman

Chicago, United States | AFP | Monday 2/22/2016 – An Uber driver was charged with six counts of murder Monday after he allegedly went on a weekend killing spree in the US state of Michigan – possibly picking up passengers along the way.

Jason Brian Dalton, 45, sat stony-faced in an orange prison jumpsuit, thick glasses shielding his downcast eyes, as a judge read the charges against him in a Kalamazoo court.

“I wish to remain silent,” Dalton said via videoconference from the jail when asked if he had anything to tell the court. Prosecutors said they were still trying

to determine why Dalton began firing – seemingly at random – as he drove through Kalamazoo Saturday night. “That is probably the million dollar question: ‘Why would this individual do this?’” Kalamazoo’s public security chief, Jeffrey Hadley, told CNN. The first victim was a young woman who was with her three children outside an apartment complex when she was shot at 6:00 pm. She was seriously wounded but is expected to survive. Four hours later, the gunman opened fire at a car dealership, killing a father and his 18-year-old son. The last and deadliest shooting came 10 to 15 minutes later at a Cracker Bar-

rel restaurant, where four more people were killed and a 14-year-old girl was critically wounded, officials said.

Dalton was also charged with two counts of assault with intent to murder and eight weapons offenses.

Hadley described Dalton, a former insurance adjuster, as “an average Joe” who had no criminal record and had not come to the attention of law enforcement before the murders.

The New York Times said neighbors described him as quiet and polite, but that he occasionally fired a gun outside the back door of the house he shared with his wife and two children, ages 10 and 15.

Washington, United States | AFP | Monday 2/22/2016 – US Republican presidential candidate John Kasich said Monday that women “left their kitchens” to support him in a 1978 Ohio state senate race, triggering pushback from voters and rivals.

“How did I get elected?”

Kasich asked rhetorically during a campaign event in Virginia.

“Nobody was – I didn’t have anybody for me. We just got an army of people... many women, who left their kitchens to go out and go door to door, and to put yard signs up for me. All the way back, when, you know, things were different.

“Now you call homes and everybody’s out working.

But at that time, early days, it was an army of the women that really helped me get elected to the state Senate,” Kasich added.

Kasich, who now serves as Ohio’s governor, first ran for the state senate in 1978.

A woman attending the

Virginia town hall later quipped: “First off, I want to say – your comment earlier about the women came out the kitchen to support you?

I’ll come to support you, but I won’t be coming out of the kitchen.”

The woman also asked a question about Kasich signing a bill on Sunday to defund Planned Parenthood, which provides abortion and family planning services.

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton – who is trying to become toe first woman US president – was quick to jump on Kasich’s remarks to suggest he was out of touch with women. “It’s 2016. A woman’s place is... wherever she wants it to be,” Clinton tweeted.

Kasich later apologized, telling CNN: “I’m more than happy to say I’m sorry if I offended somebody out there, but it wasn’t intended to be offensive.”

He also made a more vigorous defense of his record

on women.

“We had a lot of women that played a major role in my political campaign, political life, and they still do... I’m very grateful to all the work they put in for me,” Kasich said, noting his lieutenant governor is a woman (Mary Taylor).

And he sought to bolster his credentials as an independently-minded politician.

“I take orders from nobody,” Kasich said.

Earlier, Kasich had told reporters he would try to be “a bit more careful” going forward but plans to stay unscripted.

“I’ll continue to operate on a high wire without a net. And frankly, I’d like to see everyone who is running for president get out of the scripted role and start to be real and take questions,” he said.

Kasich spokesman Rob Nichols sought to defuse the controversy, dismissing the backlash as “desperate politics.”

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Eating less beef key to meeting EU climate targets: study

The findings are part of the “first study to document estimates of self-reported healthy sleep duration for all 50 states and the District of Columbia,” said the CDC in its Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

Losing five percent of body weight offers big benefits: study Miami, United States | AFP | Monday 2/22/2016 – Obese people who lose just five percent of their body weight may see big benefits when it comes to their health, said a US study out Monday.

Forty obese men and women were randomly assigned to either lose weight on a calorie-restricted diet, or to maintain their current weight.

Researchers at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis took a close look at the differences between those who lost five, 10 and 15 percent of their body weight, and found that the smallest weight loss group saw significant changes that lowered their risk for diabetes and heart disease.

The five-percent group – a total of 19 people – lost total body fat, saw improved blood pressure, lower levels of triglyceride fats in the

blood, less fat in the liver and had lower blood sugar.

“Our findings demonstrate that you get the biggest bang for your buck with five percent weight loss,” said principal investigator Samuel Klein, director of Washington University’s Center for Human Nutrition.

Those who lost 10 percent or more of their body weight saw continued improvements in some areas—like muscle tissue – but not in liver function or fat tissue, suggesting these “have pretty much achieved their maximum benefit at five percent weight loss,” added Klein.

According to current guidelines, people who struggle with obesity are urged to lose five to 10 percent of their body weight.

“This study is good news for people who struggle with their weight as it suggests that even losing a

small amount of weight can have a positive impact on heart health,” said Tracy Parker, a heart health dietitian with the British Heart Foundation.

“This study is a reminder of the benefits of gradually getting to a healthy weight,” added Parker, who was not involved with the study.

Klein said more research is needed to see if people with diabetes might show similar responses to a five percent body weight loss.

In the meantime, less is more when it comes to setting realistic goals, he said.

“If you weigh 200 pounds (91 kilograms), you will be doing yourself a favor if you can lose 10 pounds (4.5 kilos) and keep it off,” he said.

“You don’t have to lose 50 pounds (23 kilos) to get important health benefits.”

The findings were published in the journal Cell Metabolism.

U climate targets won’t be met unless greenhouse gas emissions linked to beef and dairy consumption are dramatically reduced, a Swedish study published on Monday said.

“Reductions, by 50 percent or more, in ruminant meat (beef and mutton) consumption are, most likely, unavoidable if the EU targets are to be met,” according to the findings published in the Food Policy journal.

But Stefan Wirsenius, one of the authors of the study written by researchers from Chalmers University of Technology and the SP Technical Research Institute, said there was no need to give up meat completely. “Poultry and pork cause quite low emissions,”

he said.

Dairy products are also problematic, according to the study. Producing one kilogram (pound) of protein from dairy results in emissions four times greater than for an equivalent amount of poultry.

“EU and US consumption of cheese and other dairy products is among the highest in the world.

If we were to replace some of the dairy products with vegetable products, such as oat milk, we would have a better chance of meeting our climate targets,” said Wirsenius.

The authors also explored how improvements in agricultural techniques could reduce emissions.

“Emissions from manure storage can all but be elim-

inated if the facilities are covered and waste gases are flared (burned off),” according to lead author David Bryngelsson.

But reducing the amount of food that has been thrown away only cuts emissions from food and agriculture from between five and 10 percent, according to the study.

The report, “How Can The EU Climate Targets Be Met? A Combined Analysis of Technological and Demand-Side Changes In Food and Agriculture,” was published in the February issue of Food Policy journal.

The European Union would like to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 20 percent by 2020, when compared with levels from 1990.

One in 3 Americans gets too little sleep: study One in three Americans does not get enough sleep on a regular basis, raising their risk of obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease and stroke, US health authorities said Thursday.

Healthy sleep is defined as at least seven hours per day for adults aged 18-60, according to the report by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The findings are part of the “first study to document estimates of self-reported healthy sleep duration for all 50 states and the District of Columbia,” said the CDC in its Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

Sleep patterns varied nationwide by location and ethnicity, as well as employment and mari-

tal status, said the study which was based on randomly dialed telephone surveys.

Whites were most likely to get enough sleep – with 67 percent of non-Hispanic white reporting “healthy sleep duration,” compared to just 54 percent of African-Americans.

Sixty-six percent of Hispanics and 63 percent of Asians reported getting enough sleep per night.

The lowest proportion of adults who slept adequately was centered in the southeastern United States, an area that also has the highest prevalence of obesity and other chronic conditions.

Being out of work or being sick also made it harder to sleep for more than half of those surveyed.

People with a college degree or higher were most likely to report healthy sleep patterns – at 72 percent.

Married people were more likely (67 percent) than never-married (62 percent) or divorced, widowed or separated (56) people to get at least seven hours of sleep per night.

“As a nation we are not getting enough sleep,” said Wayne Giles, director of the CDC’s Division of Population Health.

“Lifestyle changes such as going to bed at the same time each night; rising at the same time each morning; and turning off or removing televisions, computers, mobile devices from the bedroom, can help people get the healthy sleep they need.”

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MOTORING Toyota recalls 2.9-M vehicles worldwide over seatbelt defect

Seat, Samsung and SAP join forces at Mobile World Congress 2016.

Samsung drives into the connected car market

Alongside new smartphones and a virtual reality camera, Samsung will be demonstrating Samsung Connect Auto at this week’s Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain.

Described by its makers as ushering in “a new era of driving experience”, the Samsung Connect Auto is a dongle that plugs into the diagnostics port of potentially any car built since the 1990s in order to bring it up to date technologically speaking.

“We have been listening to our customers and pushing boundaries to create a connected car ecosystem that seamlessly integrates our products and partner services for a better driving experience,” said Dr. Injong Rhee, Executive VP and Head of R&D, Software and Services, Mobile Communications Business at Sam-

sung Electronics. “Through collaborations with valuable partners and experts across many industries, we are carrying out our vision of bringing IoT technology to people’s everyday lives.”

The device offers wi-fi, monitors driving behavior, and provides tips for saving fuel. It can also give maintenance advice, serve as a vehicle locator and tracker in case of theft; and as a black box for helping users lower their insurance premiums.

The final touch is support from a number of partners including Cisco, Orange, Here, and AT&T. “Samsung’s willingness to work with others to create an ecosystem of true interoperability will allow it to be one of the leaders in the aftermarket connected vehicle space,” said Chris Penrose, Senior Vice President, Internet of Things,

AT&T Business Solutions.

However, the gadget is not a new idea. US startup, Automatic Labs has been selling its own $99 plug-in dongle and smartphone app offering almost identical services since 2012 and in 2015 launched an ecosystem of car-focused apps from other companies.

At MWC, Samsung is also partnering with Seat and SAP to develop solutions for the connected car of tomorrow. The first solutions include a method of reserving a parking space and paying for it without leaving the car and a digital key that lets owners share their cars.

Volvo is also demonstrating a very similar system at MWC. However, unlike the Swedish brand, Seat is a true mass-market marque, meaning this technology could soon be available to

Toyota said Thursday it was recalling 2.87 million vehicles globally due to the possibility that their rear seatbelt could come apart in a crash and cause injuries.

The recall involved Toyota’s RAV4 sports utility vehicle made between July 2005 and August 2014 and between October 2005 and January 2016.

The announcement also involves its Vanguard SUV produced between October 2005 and January 2016.

The Vanguard is only sold

in Japan.

“There is a possibility that, in the event of a very severe frontal crash, the lap seatbelt belt webbing could contact a portion of the metal seat cushion frame and come off,” the company said in an e-mail.

“If this occurs, the seatbelt may not properly restrain the occupant, which could increase the risk of injury,” it added.

A company spokeswoman said Toyota had received two reports where a crash occurred and the rear seat-

Takata recall could hit tens of millions more cars in US Washington, United States | AFP | Monday 2/22/2016 – Tens of millions of additional cars in the United States alone could be recalled over Takata’s potentially defective airbags, which have been linked to several deaths, the US auto safety regulator said Monday.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said in a statement that it continues to investigate the dangers in Takata’s airbags equipped with ammonium nitrate-based inflators.

The inflators can rupture and send shrapnel into occupants of a car. Ten deaths are linked to the airbag ruptures, and already some 28 million Takata airbags have been recalled in the United States.

But that number could rise significantly as the NHTSA pursues the recall of all of the Japanese company’s airbags with ammonium nitrate-based inflators installed in US cars and trucks.

It is not clear exactly how many of the suspect airbags have been installed in US vehicles.

The NHTSA said it believes “that the inflators remaining under investigation number in the multiple tens of millions.”

Investigators increasingly suspect that the chemical used to inflate the Takata airbags can be unstable, especially under constant heat and humidity conditions, and cause the inflator to rupture.

The company is being forced to replace the suspect

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belt was sliced, including a fatality in Canada and an injury to a US driver.

But she added that it was still unclear if the defect was to blame.

The recall includes 1.3 million vehicles in North America, as well as 625,000 vehicles in Europe, 434,000 vehicles in China, 177,000 in Japan and 307,000 in other regions.

Toyota said it would add resin covers to the vehicles’ metal seat cushion frames to prevent the seatbelt from being cut in a crash.

l daily with local, nationa ed at pd U e. yl st fe Li m r Fil-A Your premier source fo

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airbags in cars around the world, though production of new replacements is slow and causing challenges for the recalls.

Meanwhile, the NHTSA added 180,000 Saab and Saturn cars to its Takata airbag recall list on Monday, which already includes cars from about a dozen other automakers.

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DEBATE is limited by law to one sixyear term.

Polls show the frontrunner is Vice President Jejomar Binay, political kingpin of the financial centre of Makati.

Tied for second are Duterte and Senator Grace Poe, the adopted daughter of popular movie star Fernando Poe Jnr. Aquino’s chosen successor, former interior secretary Manuel Roxas, trails behind them with Senator Miriam Santiago in fifth place.

Roxas, who suffers from

From page 1

a colourless image, took the offensive, stressing the need to maintain Aquino’s “straight path” policies that are credited with combating corruption and spurring economic growth.

“That is what the straight path has delivered and that is what I will continue,” Roxas told a crowd of civic leaders and journalists.

He also questioned Duterte’s temper, Poe’s experience and accusations of corruption that have dogged Binay.

“Becoming a president is not OJT (on the job train-

ing),” he said in a swipe at Poe. Roxas clashed repeatedly with Binay who defeated him when Roxas ran for vice president in 2010.

President and vice president are elected separately in the Philippines, allowing opposition leader Binay to serve under Aquino.

In one heated exchange Binay accused Roxas of not doing enough when Super Typhoon Haiyan hit the country in November 2013, leaving at least 7,350 dead or missing.

Grid Corporation of the Philippines had raised the alarm over the escalation of incidents and its relation to the upcoming elections. So I am extremely worried,” Marcos said at the sidelines of his campaign sortie in Muntinlupa City.

Just last week, two transmission towers in Pasuquin, Ilocos Norte powered by the windmill farm operated by developer UPC Renewables Corp. were bombed by still unidentified suspects.

Last month, two transmission towers were also bombed in Cotabato and Lanao del Sur. For 2015, a total of 16 towers were bombed

The government estimates Marcos and his family stole $10 billion from the already desperately-poor country during his rule.

The group Campaign Against the Return of the Marcoses to Malacanang or CARMMA, said Marcos Jnr was not the “guiltless son” that he claimed to be.

Opinion polls give Marcos Jnr – known as Bongbong – the lead in the vice-presidential race, three months before the May 9 general elections.

The president and vice

president are elected separately in the Philippines, each serving a single sixyear term.

The 58-year-old, an incumbent senator, denies his family stole from government coffers and insists his father’s rule was one of peace and progress.

Victory in the elections will cement a remarkable political comeback for the Marcos family, who held mostly local positions in their home provinces until Bongbong won a seat in the national Senate in 2010.

HACKABLE

CHURCH DEPENDS From page 1

ing hero should not have used such offensive language.

“The church... says that if this is your lifestyle, if this is your orientation, then we respect that, we cannot condemn them,” the priest said.

He reiterated that the Catholic church, which counts 80 percent of Filipinos as followers, still opposed legalisation of samesex marriage. Church influence has also kept divorce and abortion from being

From page 1

From page 1

TORTURE Manila chanting “No More Marcos! Marcos Dictator!” as they announced plans to dog Ferdinand Marcos Jnr’s electoral effort.

“We will hound his campaign,” the group’s convenor, torture victim Bonifacio Ilagan told AFP. “He will redeem the family, rewrite history and bring back his father’s abusive leadership framework.”

Human rights groups say tens of thousands of people were murdered, tortured and imprisoned during Marcos’ tumultuous rule.

VIETNAM

BROWNOUTS

From page 1

legalised in the Philippines.

However homosexuality is not criminalised and several LGBT figures have become celebrities.

Pacquiao, who intends to retire after his April fight against American Timothy Bradley to pursue a career in politics, issued an apology on social media on Tuesday but later said his apology was qualified.

Nike, Pacquiao’s major global sponsor, cancelled its endorsement deal with

him in the past week, describing his comments as “abhorrent”. Pacquiao, a former street kid with little education, has used his fame and fortune to launch a political career. Already a two-term congressman, he is campaigning to win a Senate seat in May elections.

Surveys published before the controversy indicated he will win.

Pacquiao has said his ultimate ambition is to be president of the Philippines.

THE US ASIAN POST

in the provinces of Maguindanao, North Cotabato and Lanao del Sur. Marcos said that the series of bombings posts serious problems not only to the already thin power supply in Mindanao but also to the credibility of the upcoming elections.

“We need swift and determined action on this very serious problem because it will affect the credibility of the elections. We might have more serious problems later on,” Marcos said, adding that some areas might experience brownouts on election day if the situation is not addressed soon.

for the Paracels.

“Threatening peace and stability in the region as well as security, safety and freedom of navigation and aviation. Vietnam requests China to immediately end those wrongful acts.”

China claims all of the Paracels, though Hanoi and Taipei have overlapping claims.

Earlier on Friday Australia urged China to refrain from the “militarisation of islands”, a day after the United States slammed Beijing for deploying missiles in the disputed South China Sea.

tayo ng eleksyon. It’s better to have an election and we’ll talk about that later on,” Battung said.

Despite Comelec making it clear that the VCMs to be used for the 2016 polls are different from PCOS, Battung feared that VCMs may still have the same glitches as the 82,000 PCOS machines bought by the government in the 2010 elections.

The IT expert said the PCOS refused to read the names of some candidates in the previous elections, proving they had memory cards that could be used to rig the elections.

“You recognize some of the names and one of the name was not recognized, it only shows that PCOS machine has a memory,” Battung said. He continued, “How many candidates in the national elections on vice and president has the letter M?... If the PCOS really carries a memory, I can transverse the candidates with M or the candidates with B from the president up to the senator and transfer it to the vote of the higher up.”

Battung then namedropped two candidates in explaining his claims on the alleged vote swapping.

been lacklustre.

Pacquiao is notorious for his absences in parliament, where he represents his wife’s impoverished home province of Sarangani.

In 2014 he attended only four congressional sessions and did not help pass a single law, with boxing training taking up most of his time.

Pacquiao’s anti-gay slur cost him a lucrative endorsement deal with US sportswear brand Nike, which called his comments “abhorrent”.

But Pacquiao, a conservative Christian, stood by his comments even as he apologised for offending the gay community.

From page 1

ban, from Liberal, from Nacionalista, kunghi-hire ng kanya-kanyang IT expert- papasok kaming IT expert and then we run off the algorithm, dun namin makikita kung yan nga ang lumalabas,” he said.

“Kasi yung algorithm nun, iba dun sa sinasabi ng PCOS (precinct-count optical scanners). I’m very sure of that,” Battung continued.

However, time has run out for parties to send in their own experts to verify the safety of the machines.

“We lack time now. Kapag ginawa pa natin ‘yan, hahaba nang hahaba, mawawalan

PACQUIAO From page 1

the elections.

Pacquiao’s Senate run is seen by his supporters and analysts as part of preparations for a possible presidential run.

While revered in the boxing ring for winning world titles in an unprecedented eight divisions, Pacquiao’s political track record has