RH bill to House floor today

It’s been a long way since l4 years ago

By WENDEL VIGILIA

The much-debated reproductive health bill may not be in the list of Malacañang’s top 23 priority legislative measures but it continues to gather steam at the House of Representatives where plenary deliberations on the bill start today.
The consolidated measure’s principal sponsors led by minority leader Edcel Lagman will take turns in delivering their sponsorship speeches despite the strong opposition by the Catholic Church and other organizations.
It will be a fresh start for the RH bill which was first filed in the 8th Congress (1987-1992), during the time of President Corazon Aquino, and has been consistently re-filed in subsequent Congresses.
Lagman said that contrary to what those opposing House Bill 4244 claims, the measure "does not in any way endorse abortion as a family planning method nor does it propose to change the country’s current laws prohibiting abortion."
Lagman is the author of House Bill No. 96 or "An Act Providing for a National Policy on Reproductive Health, Responsible Parenthood and Population and Development."
The consolidated measure hurdled the House committee on population and family relations last January after three hearings.
The bill advocates the use of artificial contraceptives like condoms and pills.
The Church, led by the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines, wants couples to use only the natural family planning method.
A vote for the controversial measure could be political suicide for some congressmen whose constituents are mostly Catholics.
Earlier this month, Northern Samar Rep. Emil Ong withdrew his support to the measure but denied that the Catholic Church pressured him into making the decision.
Ong has said he backtracked on his earlier position after realizing that the Department of Health can implement the programs even without an RH law.
Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. said the RH bill will remain among the top priorities of the House, especially since President Aquino has not changed his position in favor of it.
If passed enacted into law this year, the RH bill will be temporarily funded by the Department of Health’s P731 million budget for "family health and responsible parenthood."
The Philippine Legislators’ Committee on Population and Development Foundation (PLCPD) yesterday said it will continue to hold President Aquino to his commitment to support the measure. PLCPD executive director Ramon San Pascual said Aquino cannot escape his campaign promise of support to the RH bill.
"At some point, the President and Malacañang will have to walk their talk," said San Pascual.
He added that they are hopeful that Aquino will do it soon enough especially after they were given assurance by his Cabinet members that it remains in the program of the government.
"Those officials who met us told us that even if the RH bill is not in this LEDAC meeting, it can still be included in the next LEDAC," related San Pascual, referring to his meeting with Health Secretary Enrique Ona, Social Welfare Secretary Dinky Soliman, and Presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda.
Yesterday (Monday), President Benigno Aquino III convened the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC), wherein he is expected to present the proposed 23 priority legislative measures.
According to Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa, the RH bill was not among the 23 measures, which include the postponement of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao elections, the strengthening of the witness protection program, and the creation of the Department of Housing and Urban Development, among others.
San Pascual said that, for the moment, they are not so worried about Malacañang’s exclusion of the bill since the RH bill is already "doing well" in Congress.
"We are okay about it since maganda din naman ang takbo ng bill sa Congress at sana magtuloy-tuloy na hanggang Senate," said San Pascual.
To the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), non-inclusion of the reproductive health bill in the Aquino administration’s 23 priority legislative measures is no longer of moment.
Fr. Melvin Castro, CBCP Episcopal Commission on Family and Life (ECFL) executive secretary, said it is already immaterial whether it is a priority measure by the administration or not because it is already up for debates in the House plenary.
He said this is why the Catholic Church, the laity and other pro-life groups are just focusing their efforts in Congress.
And as part of their preparation for today’s plenary debates, Castro said they are looking to "bombard the heavens with prayers."
He said the CBCP is not certain if it will be sending representatives to the plenary proceedings.
"We would rather have the laity and the multi-sectoral groups attend so that the legislators will see the Filipino people regardless of faith and economic condition," Castro explained. – With Gerard Naval

Malacañang seeks Congress’ support for 23 priority bills

BY SAMMY JULIAN Manila News Bureau Chief, Panay News MANILA – Malacañang presented 23 priority bills to congressional leaders during the Legislative Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC) meeting convened by President Benigno Aquino III yesterday. Aquino was joined in the meeting, which began at 10 a.m., by Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr., several members of the Senate, the House of Representatives and the Cabinet. Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr. earlier stated the priority bills initially identified were 17 but six more were added. "All the 23 proposals went through benchmarking, goal-setting, and prioritization process during various Cabinet workshops and the succeeding meetings of the Cabinet clusters," Ochoa said. He said the measures reflect the administration’s 16-point agenda for human development, infrastructure development, economic development, sovereignty and security and good governance, as well as the targets under the integrated Medium-Term Development Plan. "In determining the measures to be included in our priorities, we reckoned with four parameters: people, resources, legal basis and political objectives," he added. The 23 priority measures are: • An act further amending certain sections of Republic Act (RA) 6957, as amended by RA 7718, entitled "an act authorizing the financing, construction, operation and maintenance of infrastructure projects by the private sector, and for other purposes," appropriating funds for the said purpose, and for other purposes. • An act creating the Department of Housing and Urban Development, defining its mandate, powers and functions, providing funds therefore and for other purposes. • An act rationalizing the night work prohibition on female workers, thereby amending Articles 130 and 131 of Presidential Decree 442, as amended, otherwise known as the Labor Code of the Philippines. • An act enhancing the curriculum and increasing the number of years for basic education, appropriating funds therefore, and for other purposes. • An act providing a definite targeting strategy in identifying the poor, amending RA 7875 or the National Health Insurance Act of 1995 as amended, and for other purposes. • An act reorganizing the National Food Authority into the National Food Corp. and the Food Development and Regulatory Administration, redefining their powers, appropriating funds therefore and for other purposes. • Amendments to RA 9136 or the Electric Power Industry Reform Act of 2001. • An act rationalizing the economic regulation of water utilities, creating the water regulatory commission, and for other purposes. • An act rationalizing the grant and administration of fiscal incentives for the promotion of investments and growth, and for other purposes. • An act instituting a national land use act, providing the implementing mechanisms therefore, and for other purposes. • An act to establish the archipelagic sea lanes in the Philippine archipelagic waters, prescribing the rights and obligations of foreign ships and aircraft exercising the right of archipelagic sea lanes passage through the established archipelagic sea lanes and providing for the associated protective measures therein. • An act to define the maritime zones of the Republic of the Philippines. • An act to strengthen the modernization of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, extending the implementation of the modernization program of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, instituting necessary reforms in the Armed Forces of the Philippines, amending for the purpose certain provisions of RA 7898, otherwise known as the AFP Modernization Act and for other purposes. • An act resetting the date of the regular elections for elective officials of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), synchronizing the ARMM elections with the synchronized national and local elections 2013, amending for the purpose RA 9333, entitled "an act affixing the date for regular elections for elective officials of the AMM pursuant to RA 9054" entitled "an act to strengthen and expand the organic act for the ARMM, amending for the purpose RA 6734, entitled an act providing for an organic act for the ARMM, as amended," and for other purposes. • An act penalizing anti-competitive agreements, abuse of dominant power, and anti competitive mergers, establishing the Philippine fair competition commission and appropriating funds therefore, and for other purposes. • An act strengthening the witness protection, security and benefit program, amending for the purpose RA 6981 otherwise known as the Witness Protection, Security and Benefit Act and providing additional funds. • An act providing for protection, security and benefits of whistleblowers. • An act to provide for the National Defense of the Philippines, penalizing certain violations thereof, appropriating funds therefore, and for other purposes. • An act instituting reforms in land administration. • An act to promote financial viability and fiscal discipline in government-owned or controlled corporations and to strengthen the role of the state in its governance and management to make them more responsive to the needs of public interest and for other purposes. • An act amending certain sections of RA 9184 otherwise known as the Government Procurement Reform Act. • An act to further strengthen the anti-money laundering law, amending for the purpose RA 9160, otherwise known as the Anti-Money Laundering Act of 2001, as amended, and for other purposes. • An act defining terrorist financing as a crime and providing penalties./PN

Antique gears up for Women’s Month

SAN JOSE, Antique — Various activities have been lined up by the Gender and Development Inter-Agency Committee (GAD-IAC) in preparation to celebrate the Women’s Month this March.
This year’s celebration will focus on the advocacy on implementing Republic Act 9710 or the Magna Carta of Women, according to Precy Galluego, Provincial Women’s Desk coordinator.
The Magna Carta of Women, signed on August 14, 2009, is a comprehensive women’s human rights law.

It seeks to eliminate discrimination against women by recognizing, protecting, fulfilling and promoting the rights of Filipino women, especially those in the marginalized sectors.
For the province’s celebration, GAD-IAC created the theme “Kababainhan Amligan, Katarungan Dampigan, agud Maabot ang Kauswagan kang Tanan.”
This underscores the protection and promotion of rights of women to attain holistic development, said Gallego.
Kicking off the celebration on March 8, International Women’s Day, is a caravan from this capital town to the University of Antique in Sibalom.
Caravan participants are women’s rights supporters which include government agencies, nongovernment organizations, women’s groups and multi-sectoral agencies.
Other activities include medical and dental mission in the towns of Tobias Fornier (Barangays Aras-asan, Banawon and Tina) on March 9, in Bugasong (Barangays Pangalcagan and Igsoro) on March 10 and Barbaza (Barangays Mablad, Cadiao and Lumbuyan) on March 17.
The Provincial Health Office and the medical and dental societies, among others, will spearhead the event.
GAD-IAC will also organize legal consultation on the creation of family court.
This will be attended by multi-sectoral representatives like women’s groups, nongovernment organizations, government agencies and other child/women’s rights duty bearers.
The celebration will culminate on March 28. (JCM/PSM/PIA/PN)

Antique residents want Javier buried at Libingan ng mga Bayani

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KALIBO, Aklan, Feb. 28 (PNA) - Several sectors and residents in Antique believe that their hero, former Governor Evelio B. Javier should be buried in the Libingan ng mga Bayani in Metro Manila.
Jose Allan Bartolo, municipal consultant of Bugasong, Antique, and at the same time station manager of Hot-FM Bugasong said that he received so many reactions from Antique residents after watching the celebration of the 25th year commemoration of People Power revolution.
It has been said that Javier's death contributed to the people's revolt in the Visayas. Javier is a staunch supporter of Sen. Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino who was also assassinated triggering the people's revolt against former President Ferdinand Marcos.
“With the reactions that we received, the Sangguniang Bayan of Bugasong is studying if they could file a resolution seeking the government to allow Javier's remains to be buried in the Libingan ng mga Bayani. We expect more support from different sectors on this move,” he said.
Javier was assassinated on February 11, 1986 by armed men at the Antique provincial capitol. He was buried in San Jose, Antique attended by thousands of supporters. (PNA)
DCT/LAP/AJP/JNA/vlo

Multi sectoral group in Neg Occ pushes for RH bill passage

PIA Press Release
Friday, February 25, 2011

 by Lorenzo O. Lambatin Jr.


BACOLOD CITY,Negros Occ, Feb. 25 ( PIA)—A multi-sectoral group from this province has urged legislators to vote in favor of the Reproductive Health (RH) Bill because it will support the welfare of the women and help in the eradication of poverty in the country.

Silay City Councilor Mari June Castro, speaking in behalf of the Development of Active women in Negros (DAWN) said that as an anti-violence against women advocate, she supports the bill because it will serve the causes of women especially their health.

Family Planning, which she said is just one of the components of the RH bill, will ensure that women have the right to choose between natural and modern method during a “Multi-Sectoral forum on the Responsible Parenthood –Reproductive Health Bill,” at the Carribean Waterpark and Resotel, this city.

Alliance of Young Nurse Leaders and Advocates International ,Inc. represented by Melody Hope Uy called for the immediate passage of the law for the country to have a comprehensive reproductive health program.

Citing poverty, burgeoning population and high fertility rate among Filipino women, Bacolod City Councilor Em Ang expressed support to the bill. The councilor by profession is a registered nurse and has long been an advocate of Family Planning, Reproductive Health and Population Management.

Reacting on the criticism that RH bill advocates are promoting a culture of death, Population Commission Regional Director Vicente Molejona refuted the attack and explained that the existing hunger and poverty because of over-population do promote a culture of death.

Meanwhile, Philippine Non Government Organization Council , NGOC, Executive Director Eden Divinagracia called on RH bill supporters to let their legislators know of their sentiments towards the bill and make known their stand so that their leaders can well-represent their intentions in the chamber.(JCM/LOL-PIA6

Central Municipalities forged health alliance - the Central Antique Health Alliance (CAHA)

Pantelco and Barbaza Cable assured Mayor Pesayco of Landline and Internet Connection soon...

DSWD SEA-K Profiling at Bugasong, Antique with Parent Leaders

Surprised Lapating calls for investigation

By Francis Allan L. Angelo

ALLEGATIONS of cheating in the National and Regional Achievement Tests in Iloilo are both alarming and unfair to the teachers, according to the Division of Iloilo of the Department of Education (DepEd).

Schools Division Superintendent Raymundo Lapating said he was surprised by the exposé of Dr. Gracia D. Malazarte, head teacher of Lico-an Elementary School in Barotac Nuevo (see related story).

“I did not expect this. This matter should be investigated thoroughly because it is alarming and unfair at the same time for the teachers who worked hard to top the NAT,” Lapating said.

Lapating said it is impossible for teachers to cheat in the NAT and RAT because of the security measures employed by the regional and national DepEd offices in administering the examinations.

Lapating said there is no way for teachers to obtain the answer keys to the NAT since the questionnaires are checked in Metro Manila.

As regards the RAT, Lapating said they undergo the examinations as a matter of compliance and in preparation for the NAT.

“We are focused on the NAT results reason why work hard to top the exams by making weekend reviews,” he added.

Dr. Julio Villanueva, Barotac Nuevo schools supervisor, said the questionnaires are released on the eve of the examinations, thus it would be hard to see the questions and make cheats in advance.

“The examiners are teachers from other schools who are swapped from one district to another. The questionnaires are placed in sealed plastics which will only be opened during the administration of the tests. It’s hard to cheat in this case,” Villanueva said.

Villanueva said he has no idea why Malazarte would expose the alleged cheating although he expressed readiness to cooperate in the investigation.

More Pinoys have left Libya – DFA chief

BY SAMMY JULIAN
Manila News Bureau Chief, Panay News
MANILA – Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Acting Secretary Albert Del Rosario is now in Jerba, the Tunisian city closest to the Libyan border, and has reported that an increasing numbers of Filipinos have already exited Libya.
Del Rosario, Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs Esteban Conejos and a small team originally planned to proceed to Tripoli but decided to proceed to Tunisia due to the de facto “no fly advisory” that is being considered for Libya by the international community.
According to Del Rosario, an additional 131 Filipinos have crossed the Libyan-Tunisian border at Ras al-Jedir late Saturday.
A DFA team received them at the border and made arrangements for their flight home.
Meanwhile, Philippine Embassy in Athens Charge d'Affaires Constancio Vingno reported that five Filipinos arrived safely in the Greek island of Crete late on Saturday.
Philippine Honorary Consul Alexandros Fasoulakis and the Filipino community in Crete are providing assistance to the five Filipinos.
Vingno is en route to the Greek port city of Pereos to receive some 144 Filipinos working for the Dutch construction company Bam who are due to arrive there.
He is likewise finalizing arrangements with Greek shipping companies for ferries to pick up Filipinos in Benghazi.
Meanwhile, 15 Filipinos who were flown to Madrid by their employers were expected to arrive in Manila yesterday afternoon.
The Philippine Embassy in Madrid, in close coordination with the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) in Madrid, welcomed them Saturday afternoon and provided them shelter and food during their short stay there.
The DFA also announced that its has dispatched its second batch of augmentation teams to assist Filipinos exiting Libya and on their way to the Philippines.
Four teams composed of five persons each are being deployed to the border crossing stations in Tunisia, Egypt, Malta and Crete, the DFA said.
These personnel come from the DFA headquarters in Pasay City and selected Philippine embassies in the Middle East. Most of them are Arabic speakers or had previous stints in Libya or nearby countries.
The teams will welcome and assist Filipinos who are crossing the Libyan border to Egypt or Tunisia, as well as those arriving by boat in Malta or Crete, and arrange their onward flights to the Philippines.
The DFA has likewise mobilized its other embassies and consulates in that region where the Filipinos will be passing through.
The teams started departing for their posts Saturday night. They had a briefing Saturday morning from Special Assistant at the Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs lawyer Enrico Fos on their respective assignments.
In view of the escalating violence and widespread insecurity in Libya, the DFA is on a full relocation and repatriation mode.
In Manila, the DFA Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs (DFA-OUMWA) continues to attend to families of Filipinos in Libya, briefing them about the government's measures being undertaken and in place.
On Saturday, 97 Filipinos from the OEA Grand Projects arrived in Manila from Paris after being repatriated by their employer.
They arrived in five batches, with a group of 16 and 20, Saturday morning aboard a Cathay Pacific flight and a Gulf Air flight respectively.
A third batch of 12 arrived at noon the same day aboard a Singapore Air flight./PN

Tunisian PM Mohammed Ghannouchi resigns over protests

Tunisian Prime Minister Mohammed Ghannouchi has announced on state TV that he is resigning - a key demand of demonstrators.

He was speaking at a news conference in Tunis, after making a lengthy speech defending his record in government.
Mr Ghannouchi is seen as being too close to former President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali, who was toppled in an uprising last month.
Mr Ghannouchi, 69, had served under Mr Ben Ali since 1989.
"After having taken more than one week of thinking, I became convinced, and my family shared my conviction, and decided to resign. It is not fleeing my responsibilities; I have been shouldering my responsibilities since 14 January [when Mr Ben Ali fled]," he said.
"I am not ready to be the person who takes decisions that would end up causing casualties," he added.
"This resignation will serve Tunisia, and the revolution and the future of Tunisia," he added.

At the scene

Paul Moss BBC News, Tunis

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It is exactly what the protesters had been demanding. Mohammed Ghannouchi, had served under the country's old dictatorship, and as far as they were concerned, until he went, their revolution was unfinished.
The question now is whether this resignation will be enough to quell the violence. As the news has spread, people have been taking to the streets, chanting and singing of victory.

Within hours a replacement was named for Mr Ghannouchi - Beji Caid-Essebsi, 84, who served as foreign minister in the government of the late President Habib Bourguiba.

Earlier in the day, police in Tunis fired tear gas and warning shots to disperse the latest demonstration calling for a new government and a new constitution on a third day of violence.

Huge protests

 

On Friday and Saturday, anti-government protesters held huge rallies calling for Mr Ghannouchi's resignation.
At least three people were killed in clashes between hundreds of demonstrators and security forces in Tunis on Saturday.
Tunisia's government had insisted it was introducing reforms as fast as it could, and that it was planning to hold elections by July.

Libya unrest sparks refugee crisis at Tunisia border

Libya's border with Tunisia is being overrun with migrants, many of them from Egypt, fleeing turmoil in Libya, aid workers say.

A UN refugee official told the BBC that 20,000 Egyptians were stranded and needed food and shelter. Many are sleeping in the open despite the cold.
Some Egyptian refugees staged protests shouting: "We want to go home."
About 100,000 people have fled anti-government unrest in Libya over the past week, the UN estimates.
The BBC's Jim Muir at the Ras Jdir border crossing with Tunisia says the exodus of Egyptian workers from western Libya began on Wednesday, but has been intensifying daily since then.
Liz Eyster of the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) told the BBC that Tunisian authorities were no longer able to cope with the influx.
"They've been accommodating people in shelters, schools and places of their own. But we're now aware of the fact that they're very much stretched and they need the support of the international community."
Monji Slim, the local representative of the Red Crescent, told AFP news agency: "It is a humanitarian crisis, our capacities to take in people are exhausted. The entire world should mobilise to help Egypt repatriate its nationals."

About 7,000 Egyptians have already been evacuated by air, but Ms Eyster said there was a "bottleneck in getting the Egyptians back home".
One stranded refugee said: "All the people here are demonstrating because they want to go to Egypt. All countries are sending aircraft to rescue their people - Turkey, Korea, India, Bangladesh - everyone is arriving and leaving except for Egyptians."
A number of countries have been evacuating foreigners by air and sea.
On Sunday a Greek ship carrying hundreds of migrants - mainly from Brazil, the Philippines, Thailand, Portugal, the Netherlands and Britain - docked at the port of Piraeus near Athens.

'Revolution'

The exodus comes as the Libyan leader, Colonel Muammar Gaddafi, battles for political survival in an uprising that began in the east of the country.

AT THE SCENE

Jeremy Bowen BBC Middle East editor, in Zawiya

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I spoke to doctors, to a lawyer, to various police officers who have changed sides - there were soldiers there who changed sides as well - and they're running (Zawiya) as a sort of people's republic in the centre of the town.
Some people are saying that the town is split. They're saying there may even be a protest rally in favour of Gaddafi. We await that with interest.
But certainly the people in the centre of town - at least a couple of thousand - were adamant they were not going to budge.

At least 1,000 people are believed to have been killed in nearly two weeks of violence in which eastern cities cities have fallen to anti-government forces.

Col Gaddafi is facing the biggest challenge to his 41-year rule, but still controls the capital Tripoli.
However the centre of Zawiya, about 50km (30 miles) to the west, was being held by the anti-government camp on Sunday. Pro-Gaddafi forces are surrounding the city.
"This is our revolution," some demonstrators, quoted by Reuters news agency, chanted.
A number of protesters stood on top of a captured tank while others crowded around an anti-aircraft gun, Reuters added.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Washington was "reaching out to many different Libyans in the east".
She was speaking on her way to Geneva to meet the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to discuss the crisis.
Opposition forces that control Benghazi and other eastern cities say they have formed a national council to act as the political face of the anti-Gaddafi movement.

Gaddafi's sons told ABC News there were no attacks on protesters

Late on Saturday, the UN Security Council unanimously backed an arms embargo and asset freeze on senior Libyan government officials.
It also voted to refer Col Gaddafi to the International Criminal Court for alleged crimes against humanity.
In a telephone interview with a Serbian TV, he said the sanctions were null and void.
"The people of Libya support me, small groups of rebels are surrounded and will be dealt with," he added.
Col Gaddafi's son Saif al-Islam denied that his father had any assets abroad.
"We are a very modest family and everybody knows that," he told ABC News. "They are saying we have money in Europe or Switzerland... It's a joke."
He also denied widespread reports that Libyan troops and mercenaries had fired on civilians.

PRESIDENT AQUINO LEADS CONSULTATION WITH CONGRESS

                                                                                                
Executive Secretary Paquito N. Ochoa Jr. is set to present 23 proposed legislation the administration wants Congress to prioritize when President Benigno Aquino III convenes on Monday for the first time the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC). Six more priority bills were added to the previous 17 initially lined up by Cabinet members to include the proposed anti-trust law, protection and security to whistle-blowers, amendments to the Witness Protection Program, creation of a water regulatory body, government procurement reforms, and defining the powers and functions of the Department of National Defense.
According to Ochoa, the priority bills reflect the Aquino Administration's 16-point agenda for human development, infrastructure development, economic development, sovereignty and security and good governance, as well as the targets under the integrated Medium-Term Development Plan. The list of administration-backed proposals also includes commitments of the President in his first State of the Nation Address in July last year, such as giving flesh to the constitutional provisions that prohibit monopolies and penalizing anti-competitive deals, strengthening the law on witness protection and providing security and benefits to whistle-blowers. “All the 23 proposals went through benchmarking, goal-setting, and prioritization process during various Cabinet workshops and the succeeding meetings of the Cabinet Clusters,” Ochoa said. “In determining the measures to be included in our priorities, we reckoned with four parameters: people, resources, legal basis and political objectives,” he added

Advance Central College conducts Food and Beverage Service in Bugasong

UN Council slaps sanctions on Libya's Gadhafi

By ANITA SNOW, Associated Press Anita Snow, Associated Press – 59 mins ago

UNITED NATIONS – The U.N. Security Council moved as a powerful bloc Saturday to try to halt Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi's deadly crackdown on protesters, slapping sanctions on him, his five children and 10 top associates.
Voting 15-0 after daylong discussions interrupted with breaks to consult with capitals back home, the council imposed an arms embargo and urged U.N. member countries to freeze the assets of Gadhafi, his four sons and his daughter. The council also backed a travel ban on the Gadhafi family and 10 close associates.
Council members additionally agreed to refer the Gadhafi regime's deadly crackdown on people protesting his rule to a permanent war crimes tribunal for an investigation of possible crimes against humanity.
The council said its actions were aimed at "deploring the gross and systematic violation of human rights, including the repression of peaceful demonstrators." And members expressed concern about civilian deaths, "rejecting unequivocally the incitement to hostility and violence against the civilian population made from the highest level of the Libyan government."
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon congratulated council members for the unified vote. Earlier in the day, it appeared some countries would not sign on because of concerns about the war crimes investigation.
"The text sends a strong message that gross violations of basic human rights will not be tolerated, and that those responsible for grave crimes will be held accountable," said Ban. "I hope the message is heard, and heeded, by the regime in Libya."
Richard Dicker, director of Human Rights Watch's international justice program, said the council action "sends a powerful signal on behalf of justice for the people of Libya and all others victimized by mass force and violence."
The uprising that began Feb. 15 has swept over nearly the entire eastern half of the country, breaking cities there out of his regime's hold. Gadhafi and his backers continue to hold the capital Tripoli and have threatened to put down protests aggressively.
There have been reports that Gadhafi's government forces have been firing indiscriminately on peaceful protesters and that as many as 1,000 people have died.
Council members did not consider imposing a no-fly zone over Libya, and no U.N.-sanctioned military action was planned. NATO also has ruled out any intervention in Libya.
The Libyan mission to the U.N., run by diplomats who have renounced Gadhafi, told the council in a letter that it supported measures "to hold to account those responsible for the armed attacks against the Libyan civilians, including through the International Criminal Court."
The letter was signed by Ambassador Mohamed Shalgham, a former longtime Gadhafi supporter who had a dramatic change of heart after the crackdown worsened. Shalgham pleaded with the council on Friday to move quickly to halt the bloodshed in his country.
Earlier Saturday, U.S. President Barack Obama said in a telephone conversation with German Chancellor Angela Merkel that Gadhafi needs to do what's right for his country by "leaving now."
The White House on Friday announced sweeping new sanctions and temporarily abandoned its embassy in Tripoli as a final flight carrying American citizens left the embattled capital. The U.S. put an immediate freeze on all assets of the Libyan government held in American banks and other U.S. institutions. The sanctions also freeze assets held by Gadhafi and four of his children.
Britain and Canada, meanwhile, temporarily suspended operations at their embassies in Tripoli and evacuated their diplomatic staff.
Gadhafi is no stranger to international isolation.
U.N. sanctions were slapped on his country after suspected Libyan agents planted a bomb that blew up Pan Am Flight 103 over the Scottish town of Lockerbie in 1988, killing 270 people, mostly Americans.
Libya accepted responsibility for the bombing in 2003 and pledged to end efforts to develop weapons of mass destruction. The U.S. and Libya in 2009 exchanged ambassadors for the first time in 35 years, after Libya paid about $2.7 billion in compensation to the families of the Lockerbie victims.
In Geneva on Friday, the U.N. Human Rights Council called for an investigation into possible crimes against humanity in Libya and recommended Libya's suspension from membership of the world body's top human rights body.

"The Willing Smile of Shalani"

The Skyscapper is Sofitel Plaza

Urban leisure breathes life inside the sprawling area  of Sofitel Plaza.  SB  Gerry  Antoy takes  time to be photographed as a sideshow of the  NMYL National Congress. February 23-25, 2011

Obama says Gadhafi must leave Libya 'now'

By ERICA WERNER, Associated Press Erica Werner, Associated Press – 23 mins ago

WASHINGTON – Ratcheting up the pressure, President Barack Obama on Saturday said Moammar Gadhafi has lost his legitimacy to rule and urged the Libyan leader to leave power immediately.
It was the first time Obama has called for Gadhafi to step down, coming after days of bloodshed in Libya. Gadhafi has vowed to fight to the end to keep his four-decade grip on power in the North African country.
"When a leader's only means of staying in power is to use mass violence against his own people, he has lost the legitimacy to rule and needs to do what is right for his country by leaving now," the White House said in a statement, summarizing Obama's telephone conversation with German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
Until now, U.S. officials have held back from such a pronouncement, insisting it is for the Libyan people to decide who their leader should be.
Obama commented a day after the administration froze all Libyan assets in the U.S. that belong to Gadhafi, his government and four of his children. The U.S. also closed its embassy in Libya and suspended the limited defense trade between the countries.
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton announced further sanctions Saturday, revoking visas for senior Libyan officials and their immediate family members. She said applications from these people for travel to the United States would be rejected.
Gadhafi "should go without further bloodshed and violence," Clinton said in a separate statement.
Obama has been conferring with world leaders about the unrest in Libya. The administration is hoping that the world speaks with a single voice against Gadhafi's violent crackdown on protesters, and Obama is sending Clinton to Geneva on Sunday to coordinate with foreign policy chiefs from several countries.
The U.N. Security Council met urgently Saturday to debate new sanctions against Libya but disagreed over a proposal to refer Gadhafi and his top lieutenants to an international war crimes tribunal.
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon wants immediate action to protect Libyan civilians. The U.N. chief was due in Washington on Monday for talks with Obama at the White House.
The administration had been facing increasing pressure to more forcefully condemn Gadhafi and explicitly call for his ouster, as French President Nicolas Sarkozy has done. Witnesses in Libya said Gadhafi is arming civilian supporters to set up checkpoints and roving patrols in Tripoli, the capital.
The U.S. held back, but its tone shifted sharply on Friday after Americans in Libya were evacuated to safety by ferry and a chartered airplane.
Shortly after, Obama signed an executive order outlining financial penalties designed to pressure Gadhafi's government into halting the violence. The order said that the instability in Libya constituted an "unusual and extraordinary threat" to U.S. national security and foreign policy.
A nonviolent revolt against Gadhafi's government began Feb. 15 amid a wave of uprisings in the Arab world. Most of Libya's eastern half is under the control of rebels. Witnesses say Gadhafi's government has responded by shooting at protesters in numerous cities.

Police plant 100 fruit trees

BY MARGIE L. GADIAN

SAN JOSE, Antique — As their way of commemorating the 25th anniversary of People Power 1, the Antique Police Provincial Office (APPO) held a tree planting activity at the APPO premises on February 22.
Deputy Provincial Director for Operations, Supt. Art June Yotoko led the undertaking together with the 18 chiefs of police and personnel of APPO.
They planted 100 fruit-bearing seedlings inside the camp.
“Planting more trees is our way of showing concern for our ailing environment and raising the awareness of the community that caring for the environment is everybody’s concern,” said Yotoko.
Provincial Board member Victor Condes, chair of the Environmental Protection and Conservation Committee, witnessed the event.
He also lauded the Antique police for taking steps in the battle against environmental issues and for upholding their duty as stewards of the community.
The Philippine National Police marked the 1986 People Power Revolution on its 25th anniversary with a simultaneous tree planting activity nationwide.
The activity’s theme was “Tatak EDSA 25: Pilipino Ako, Ako ang Lakas ng Pagbabago.” (PIA/PN)

White House Picks First Gay Man to Be Social Secretary

Elspeth Reeve Elspeth Reeve – Fri Feb 25, 1:55 pm ET

WASHINGTON, DC – President Obama has tapped Jeremy Bernard to be White House social secretary, making him both the first man and the first openly gay person to hold the job. Bernard was an early supporter of Obama and raised a lot of cash for his 2008 presidential campaign. The job was once held by Desirée Rogers, who was celebrated for her glamour in several glossy magazines before eventually stepping down following Michaele and Tareq Salahi's crashing of a state dinner.
Bernard was previously one half of a gay power couple in Los Angeles; with partner Rufus Gifford, he founded B&G Associates. "Bernard and Gifford know how to work a room, people like them," the L.A. Weekly's Patrick Range MacDonald wrote in 2008, explaining that the pair went into fundraising to push for gay rights. Hillary Clinton's campaign offered them a job, too, but they were concerned by Bill Clinton's mixed record on gay issues.
Bernard is currently the chief of staff to the U.S. ambassador to France and has also served as the White House liaison at the National Endowment for the Humanities. The Washington Post's Jonathan Capehart, a friend of Bernard's, says he has "a reverence for the presidency ... that will make him an imaginative steward of their image."

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No power, no shower as NZ quake toll rises to 123

Ferry with Americans aboard finally reaches Malta

By MARK CARLSON and SELCAN HACAOGLU, Associated Press Mark Carlson And Selcan Hacaoglu, Associated Press – 14 mins ago

VALLETTA, Malta – After three days of delays, a U.S.-chartered ferry carrying Americans and other foreigners out of the chaos of Libya has finally arrived at the Mediterranean island of Malta.
The Maria Dolores ferry evacuated over 300 passengers Friday, including at least 167 U.S. citizens, away from the turmoil that has engulfed the North African nation as residents rise up over Moammar Gadhafi's iron-fisted rule.
Minutes after the ship docked in Malta's Valletta harbor, a few people on wheelchairs were escorted out. Women holding babies then walked down a ramp, while others held the hands of children as they stepped off the ship after 8-hour voyage across the choppy Mediterranean Sea.
"Oh, it was a long ordeal. We are glad it's over," said evacuee Sara Ali, a 30-year-old with dual Libyan-American citizenship who lives in Libya. "We're just really tired and really happy to be out and safe."
U.S. State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said on Twitter that the arrivals were "a very gratifying picture."
The passengers have been stuck aboard the catamaran since Wednesday in their quest to escape Libya's escalating unrest, but strong winds and high seas had prevented the ferry from leaving the Libyan capital of Tripoli.
"It was pretty uncomfortable just because of the delay," said Lucile Usielmerazcerna, another evacuee from Santa Cruz, California. "It was really rough waters coming over here, also having to stay in the dock for 2 or 3 days."
"Right now I'm just feeling kind of good that we are here," she added.
Tens of thousands of foreigners have been fleeing Libya this week. Turkish and Chinese workers climbed aboard ships by the thousands, Europeans mostly boarded evacuation flights and North Africans have been heading to Libya's borders with Egypt and Tunisia in overcrowded vans.
A U.S.-chartered flight also left Tripoli on Friday. It arrived in Istanbul later that night with Americans — some working for the U.S. Embassy — and one British citizen on board.
Another charter, this one sent by Canada, left Tripoli on Friday with only its crew aboard after it could not find any Canadians citizens waiting at the airport.
China dispatched a navy ship to support the evacuation of its citizens. An estimated 30,000 Chinese live in Libya, working on dams, roads and other infrastructure projects. Most are now seeking to flee the country, where fighting between rebels and Libyan militiamen loyal to Gadhafi has killed hundreds. Chinese state media reported Friday that about 12,000 Chinese have been evacuated so far.
Still, bad weather forced thousands of Chinese to remain in Libya as their Greek ship stayed in port. About 6,000 were expected to head to the island of Crete on Saturday.
China also evacuated more than 450 citizens by plane and bus Friday — nearly half of them employees of Sinohydro, a state-owned company involved in construction, engineering, investment and real estate.
Gong Xuefei, a Sinohydro employee based in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi, told the official Xinhua News Agency that the evacuees first took buses to the border with Egypt, then traveled to Cairo, then flew home.
"The whole journey lasted more than 30 hours. It was exhausting," he said.
India was sending two flights a day starting Saturday to evacuate some of the 18,000 Indians in Libya, as well as sending ships.
The Italian military ship San Giorgio left the Libyan coast Friday with about 245 people, half of them Italians, said the ship's captain Enrico Giurelli. Rough seas and strong winds had delayed the operation. The ship is expected to arrive in Sicily on Sunday.
Another few dozen Italians and other foreigners were evacuated aboard an Italian C-130 plane that arrived Friday at an air field near Rome, but two dozen Italians allegedly robbed in southern Libya still awaited evacuation, the ANSA news agency said. They are reportedly running out of food.
Italy was also in touch with Libyan authorities over 150 employees of an Italian company who were stranded at the border with Tunisia in a documents dispute.
"The situation in Libya is getting worse. We are not talking about chaos anymore, but really about a civil war," Polish Foreign Ministry spokesman Marcin Bosacki said on TVN24.
Poland appealed to its 400 citizens in Libya to leave as quickly as possible, saying the window of opportunity was narrowing.
"We firmly advise that they return," Bosacki said. "If someone wants to leave they should do so as quickly as possible."
British Prime Minister David Cameron issued a similar call, adding his government was doing "everything it can" to get British nationals out.
The British naval ship HMS Cumberland sailed from the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi and reached Malta with 207 evacuees on Thursday. The trip usually takes at least 15 hours but took nearly 35 hours because of rough seas. Cameron said a second warship — HMS York — was being sent to waters close to Libya to help with rescue missions.
"People do need to leave now and that is the message that I give very strongly to British citizens in Libya," Cameron said. "For those in the desert, we will do everything we can and we are active on that right now to help get you out."
Britain, meanwhile, denied a report it had paid bribes to Libyan officials to help facilitate evacuation flights. A Foreign Office spokesman, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with policy, said "paying charges levied by the authorities at a foreign airport is not bribery."
Sam Dewhirst of Leeds, England, however, said he believed Britons' exit might have been eased.
"I think our people probably smoothed the way with a few bribes to get us in to get us preferential treatment," Dewhirst said in Malta.
Greece had to overcome serious hurdles to obtain landing clearance to evacuate 230 Greeks from Libya to Athens on Friday.
"It was total chaos on every level, and quite troubling for the people involved. But we got our people out," said Deputy Foreign Minister Dimitris Dollis, who traveled to Libya to coordinate the effort. "It took us three days just to get clearance to land."
Turkey also faced severe problems in obtaining Libyan landing permits but four Turkish military cargo planes were able to bring more than 400 Turks home from Tripoli.
About 10,000 Turkish citizens have been evacuated so far, President Abdullah Gul said Friday. Turkey has up to 30,000 citizens working in Libya, most on construction projects.
___
Hacaoglu reported from Ankara, Turkey. AP writers around the world contributed to this report.

DFA: 2 'missing' Pinoys in New Zealand quake now safe

GMANews.TV - 42 minutes ago

as earlier reported missing are now safe, according to the Philippine Embassy in Wellington, even as 12 other Filipinos remain missing following the devastating earthquake that hit Christchurch in New Zealand on Monday.
The two were identified as Rita Estrella and Hayley Concepcion, according to a release posted on the website of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Friday night.
The release did not say where the two are currently staying, but Filipinos in New Zealand who claimed to personally know the two have been sending messages to GMA News Online saying that Estrella and Concepcion are staying in Methven, located south of Christchurch.
To date, at least 12 persons are still believed to be trapped under the collapsed Canterbury Television (CTV) building, based on information from the DFA. The 12 were identified as:Jesse Lloyd Redoble John Christopher Chua Ezra Mae Medalle Emmabelle Anoba Jewel Francisco Ivy Jane Cabunilas Elisa Torres Mary Louise Anne Amantillo Valquin Bensurto Rhea Mae SumalpongThe DFA said its Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs (OUMWA) is coordinating with the families of the remaining 12 Filipinos to update them and request for passport information and other biometric information.
It added OUMWA is also requesting the Regional Consular Office in Cebu to coordinate with the families of Sumalpong, Anoba, Cabunilas and Chua, who are all reported to be from Cebu.
According to DFA, the team led by Charge d'Affaires Giovanni Palec is coordinating with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT), police and rescue teams.
Palec has also communicated with New Zealand Foreign Minister Murray McCully, who vowed that MFAT will actively coordinate with them in providing assistance to the Filipino community.
“New Zealand authorities are cautious in releasing information about those who may have perished in the quake, as they will need to verify the identities of the remains thru DNA testing," the release noted.
It added that authorities are currently concentrated in searching for survivors and the bodies of those who died.
The remains will be moved to a military camp in Christchurch, where the identification and processing will start approximately three weeks from now, the DFA said.
Continued search, rescue ops urged
Meanwhile, in a separate release, Migrante Aotearoa, a Filipino migrants’ rights advocacy group based in New Zealand, urged the government to push for continued search and rescue operations for Filipino nurses and other possible victims.
According to Migrante Aotearoa, Christchurch is a main destination for highly skilled Filipinos like IT specialists, aeronautical engineers, telecommunications technicians, nurses and accountants.
Many Filipinos are also working as hospitality personnel (tourism-related workers) in the city, the group added, and they could be among those still trapped in other buildings apart from the nurses.
“It was premature for the Philippine Embassy in Wellington NZ to claim there was no Filipino casualty," the group said, referring to earlier pronouncements of the DFA that no Filipino casualties were reported.
“We urge the Philippine government to do its part to make sure Filipinos in Christchurch are all accounted for," Migrante Aotearoa added.
The group further scored the Embassy’s “slow" response to the crisis, as they insisted that relatives, colleagues and friends are unable to find information on the situation of affected Filipinos.
“We have not seen Philippine embassy officials in the affected communities and there is not even a hotline where the affected families can avail of information, get updates and seek support from Philippine authorities," Marty de Lima, Migrante Aotearoa coordinator in Christchurch, said in another statement.
“We believe [such a hotline] is crucial especially for those who lost homes and need immediate relocation," De Lima added.
The group also called on the government to ready measures to assist Filipinos who may lose their jobs and be forced to return to the Philippines, in the aftermath of the worst disaster to have hit New Zealand in decades.
Migrante Aotearoa meanwhile reiterated the request of Christchurch authorities against calling and texting in the area unless urgently needed, because of the congestion in telecommunication systems.
The group said it has been able to get news about affected Filipinos through the social networking site Facebook.—JV, GMA News

Binay leaves for special mission to Middle East GMANews.TV

GMANews.TV - 1 hour 38 minutes ago

Hours after attending activities marking the 25th anniversary of the 1986 EDSA People Power uprising, Vice President Jejomar Binay left Friday evening for a one-week special mission to the Middle East.
Binay boarded an Emirates flight shortly before 6 p.m. for Kuwait, according to a report by radio dzBB's Mao dela Cruz.
While in Kuwait, Binay is to represent President Benigno Aquino III and meet with ranking officials in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates.
He will also be representing President Aquino during the celebration of Kuwait’s national day, also on February 25, after which he will go to Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
During his meetings with officials from the three countries, Binay is expected to hold bilateral discussions for a labor agreement towards improving the conditions of Filipino workers in the region.
He will also be closely monitoring the security situation of OFWs in Libya, Bahrain and Yemen in the light of massive protests and violent clashes taking place in those countries.
As of June 2010, there were around 31,000 Filipinos in Bahrain, 26,000 in Libya and 1,400 are in Yemen.
“I have received instructions from the President to closely monitor and if needed, give guidance to the team overseeing the evacuation of Filipinos from Libya. Since I am already in the region, I will be doing what needs to be done to ensure the safety of our kababayans," Binay said in an earlier news release issued by his office.
Binay also said representations will be made with other neighboring countries to allow safe passage for OFWs from Libya.
“Makikiusap pa tayo sa ibang neighboring countries para maging safe haven ng mga tao doon," he added. (We will request neighboring countries if they can be safe havens for our people there.)
Binay is due to return March 5.—JV, GMA News