MANILA, Philippines – If he doesn’t speak out, who will? 

President Benigno Aquino III on Monday night, March 28, called out presidential candidate Davao Mayor Rodrigo Duterte for his promise of a “bloody” presidency, saying this could very well just be a step away from a dictatorship. 

"Problema ko po pag napapakinggan ko po, nababasa ang mga sinasabi ni Manong Digong Duterte, ang sabi po niya sa debate noong Pebrero: '...If I become president, it will be bloody. Because we'll order the killing of all criminals, ang mga durugista at drug lords,'" Aquino said at the Liberal Party's proclamation rally for its local candidates in Plaza Miranda, Manila. (My problem is with Duterte's statements, especially what he said during the February debate...)

Aquino added: “Ano po ba ang sinasabi niya? Ibig sabihin ho ba ng mga katagang ‘yun kanyang bingkas: Siya ang tutukoy, siya ang huhusga, at siya rin ang magpaparusa? Bawal ba sa kanyang palakad ang pagkakaroon ng kontrang opinyon at  siya lang ang tama sa lahat ng pagkakataon? Kung ganyan nga ang sinasabi niya, ako lang ho ba dapat ang medyo kabahan sa pwedeng kahinatnan natin?”

(What’s he trying to say? Does he mean to say that he’s judge, jury, and executioner? Under his rule, will contrary opinions be banned and will he be the only one who’s right? If that’s what he’s saying, am I the only one who should be worried about our future?) 

This marked the first time since the national campaign period began that Aquino named the rivals of his anointed bet while criticizing them.

Aquino is endorsing former interior secretary Manuel "Mar" Roxas II, who's behind Duterte, Senator Grace Poe and Vice President Jejomar Binay in the surveys. Last week's opinion polls showed Duterte already tied with Poe in the first place.

The Davao mayor is known to be tough on criminals, which has earned him both praise and criticism. Human rights groups accuse him of using extra-judicial means in running after thieves and drug lords in Davao, but supporters say his no-nonsense approach to crime is what the country needs.

Quoting theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer in Hitler's time, Aquino explained why he needed to speak out against the hard-hitting Duterte. "First they came for the communist, but I was not a communist so I did not speak out. Then they came for the socialists and the trade unionists, but I was neither. So I did not speak out. Then they came for the Jews, but I was not a Jew, so I did not speak out. And when they came finally for me, there was no one left to speak out for me.”

Echoing the sentiments of Duterte’s rivals, Aquino told the crowd that the mayor's conviction should leave everyone worried. 

“Maraming gagawin sa mabilis na panahon; di ba’t kaakibat noon ay shortcut at ano kaya ang ibig sabihin ng shortcut kung hindi kasama na rin ang pagsasabalewala na rin ng mga tamang proseso?” said Aquino, son of anti-dictatorship icons icons Ninoy Aquino and Cory Aquino. 

(A lot of things will be done in a short amount of time; but doesn’t that also mean that in taking shortcuts, you also bypass the right processes?) 

Poe's anti-crime czar

Although Aquino said the most about Duterte, he did not spare the other front runners in the presidential race. 

The President pointed out that many of Roxas’ rivals were also his friends. But, Aquino said, his role as the “country’s father” rises above personal ties. 

President Aquino criticized Poe, who was once allied with the ruling party, for supposedly confusing the military and police’s roles when he announced she would appoint a retired Marine colonel as her “anti-crime czar.”

Twice during the Cebu debate, Poe said she would appoint Ariel Querubin to her anti-crime efforts should she be elected president. Querubin is now a security consultant of San Miguel Corporation, which is owned by Ramon Ang, a known campaign funder of Poe. (READ: Poe eyes ex-coup plotter as her anti-crime czar)

“Sa unang tingin, mukhang maganda ‘yan, matigas ang Philippine Marines, aayusin ang krimen. Ang tanong: Tama ba ang kanyang binigkas (At first glance, it seems like a good idea. The Philippine Marines are strong, he’ll be able to fight crime. But I ask: Was she right in her pronouncements)?” he said. 

The country’s commander-in-chief pointed out that cops are tasked with chasing after and arresting criminals while soldiers are taught to crush external threats. Police can only use deadly force in extreme situations – in self-defense or in defending others. 

“Si Colonel Querubin po, may kakayahan. Totoo. Pero angkop ba siya sa trabaho (Colonel Querubin is good, that’s true. But if he right for the job)?” said Aquino. 

Again echoing common criticisms of the neophyte legislator, Aquino added: “Pagbigyan na po natin dito si Senadora Grace, sa kung sa ano ang gusto niya pong sabihin. Pero sa mga panukala niya, ang tanong na palagay ko’y angkop: Handa na nga ba siya sa lahat ng desisyong kailangan niyang gawin?”

(Let’s allow Senator Grace to say what she wants to. But with that decision, I think it’s right to ask: Is she truly ready for the decisions she will have to make?) 

Poe has been hit for supposedly being ill-prepared for the presidency. Prior to bagging a senate seat in 2013, Poe was appointed Movie And Television Review And Classification Board chief by Aquino. 

Binay, too

In the case of Binay, a close friend of the Aquino family, the President hit him for allegations of corruption. Binay is the subject of a year-long Senate probe into allegations of corruption while he was mayor of Makati. 

“Batid natin ang sama ng loob ni VP; nasa poder siya nang pagkatagal-tagal, pero ngayon, ang daming kumukuwestyon sa kanya. Ako naman po, kilala ninyo ako; wala akong tinataguang tanong, o tinatakbuhang isyu. Doon po sigurado tayo nagkakaiba sa kanya,” said Aquino. 

(I understand the Vice President’s woes; he’s been in power for so long and now people are questioning him. But you know me: I don’t shy from questions or run away from issues. In that, I’m sure I’m different from him.) 

Despite several invitations from the Senate Blue Ribbon sub-committee, Binay has constantly snubbed hearings supposedly because he won’t get fair treatment even if he shows up.

The only Roxas rival that Aquino chose not to mention Monday night was Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago, who's battling cancer and has not been active in the sorties. – Rappler.com

LOS ANGELES, USA – The FBI has unlocked the iPhone used by one of the San Bernardino attackers, officials said Monday, March 28, ending a heated legal standoff with Apple that had pitted US authorities against Silicon Valley.

Apple, backed by a broad coalition of technology giants like Google and Facebook, was fiercely opposed to assisting the US government in unlocking the iPhone on grounds it would have wide-reaching implications on digital security and privacy.

A key court hearing scheduled earlier this month to hear arguments from both sides in the sensitive case was abruptly cancelled after the FBI said it no longer needed Apple's help and had found an outside party to unlock the phone.

"Our decision to conclude the litigation was based solely on the fact that, with the recent assistance of a third party, we are now able to unlock that iPhone without compromising any information on the phone," US attorney Eileen Decker said in a statement.

"We sought an order compelling Apple to help unlock the phone to fulfill a solemn commitment to the victims of the San Bernardino shooting – that we will not rest until we have fully pursued every investigative lead related to the vicious attack."

It was unclear who helped the FBI access the phone and what was stored on the device, but news reports have said the FBI may have sought assistance from an Israeli forensics company.

In a court filing asking that the case be dismissed, federal prosecutors said the US government had "successfully accessed the data stored on (Syed) Farook's iPhone and therefore no longer requires assistance from Apple Inc."

Farook and his wife Tashfeen Malik killed 14 people in San Bernardino, California on December 2 before dying in a firefight with police. Two other phones linked to the pair were found destroyed after the attack.

Tech companies, security experts and civil rights advocates had vowed to fight the government, saying it would set a precedent and open the door to companies being forced to hand over customer data.

The government had fired back, insisting that Apple was not above the law and that its request for technical assistance concerned only Farook's work phone from the San Bernardino health department.

Some experts speculated that the government's fight with Apple was more about gaining wider access to data than unlocking a single phone.

In a recent editorial, The Wall Street Journal said the Justice Department's legal effort was "reckless" and that the FBI "fibbed by saying the Apple case is about one phone."

FBI director James Comey said his agency only decided to back down in the court case after it found a third party that could crack the phone.

"You are simply wrong to assert that the FBI and the Justice Department lied about our ability to access the San Bernardino killer's phone," Comey said in an open letter. – Jocelyne Zablit, AFP / Rappler.com

WASHINGTON DC, USA – Police shot an armed man at an entrance of the US Capitol visitor center Monday, March 28, sparking panic during the busy spring tourist season in a city on heightened alert following terror attacks in Brussels.

The suspect, who police said was known to authorities, was hauled into custody and transported to hospital, where he underwent surgery. The incident was not believed to be terror-related.

A female bystander suffered what police said appeared to be minor injuries and was hospitalized. 

The incident prompted an hour-long lockdown on Capitol Hill in the heart of Washington, where staffers and frightened visitors were ordered to shelter in place. 

Congress is in recess this week for the Easter holiday, but it is a busy week for tourists in Washington, with the city's famed flowering cherry trees in full bloom. Many school groups visit the city during the week after Easter.

"We believe that this is an act of a single person who has frequented the Capitol grounds before and there is no reason to believe that this is anything more than a criminal act," Capitol police chief Matthew Verderosa told reporters.

Verderosa said the suspect, who he did not identify, had entered a security checkpoint at the visitors center. 

During a routine screening, he "drew what appeared to be a weapon and pointed it at officers. An officer fired and struck the suspect," Verderosa said, adding that a weapon was recovered at the scene.

"The suspect is currently undergoing surgery. His condition is unknown at this time," he told reporters.

No officers were injured in the incident and it was not yet clear how many of them had fired on the suspect, Verderosa said.

Local media identified the suspect as Larry Dawson of the southern state of Tennessee.

'Stay low'

The visitors center – where tourists go through security and begin their guided tours of the domed building – remained closed to the public afterwards so police could pursue their investigation. 

"We expect regular order of business tomorrow morning at the Capitol visitors center. So people can safely visit the United States Capitol and their member offices," Verderosa said.

Police cordoned off access to the Capitol building during the incident. An ambulance was at the scene.

Jeff Westbrock, a North Carolina resident who was visiting a sunny Washington with his family, was in the main lobby of the visitors center when the incident erupted.

He said Capitol police officers yelled for everyone to get down, and then tourists were directed into nearby rooms, away from the scene.

"We covered each other up, Capitol police told everybody to stay low, and they neutralized the situation and told us to go into the auditorium and to stay safe," Westbrock told Agence France-Presse.

"They kept everybody calm and did a great job."

The White House – where thousands were attending the annual Easter Egg Roll – was briefly on lockdown as well, apparently after someone tried to scale the fence, but the order was quickly lifted.

Heightened security measures have been in place in Washington since last week's attacks on the Brussels airport and metro, which killed 35 people. – Ivan Couronne, AFP / Rappler.com

SUBIC BAY FREEPORT, Philippines – A huge number of US military vehicles and heavy equipment arrived at the Subic Bay International Airport here Monday, March 28, for use in the coming annual Balikatan 2016, the joint Philippine-US military exercises.

Robert Chester, director of Liberty Call Logix Corporation, a Subic-based one-stop-shop for land, sea and air services coordinating the arrival of the US military cargo, said: “This military cargo will be used in the coming Balikatan joint military exercise between the United States and the Philippines scheduled from March 18 to April 22 this year.”

The shipment included Humvee vehicles, trucks, jeeps, back hoes, and bulldozers, among others.

Chester added that part of the cargo will be for humanitarian and disaster relief assistance as well as community projects.

He declined to comment on whether some of the military cargo would be distributed to the 4 air bases and one army camp in other parts of the country that the US had identified its troops will use as temporary bases.

These places were earlier identified as: Antonio Bautista Air Base in Puerto Princesa in Palawan; Basa Air Base in Floridablanca, Pampanga; Fort Magsaysay in Palayan Nueva Ecija; Lumbia Airport in Cagayan de Oro; and Mactan-Benito Ebuen Air Base in Cebu.

US troops were allowed on Philippine soil again after the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) was signed between the Philippines and the US in April 2014.

Its implementation was delayed because the Supreme Court had to look at the constitutionality of the deal.

Last January the SC ruled the agreement to be constitutional. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – There have been "too many" incidents of drowning during the Holy Week break, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said Monday, March 28.

"Masyading marami ngayon (there are too many incidents this time)," said Commodore Armand Balilo, PCG spokesperson, referring to the 15 fatal drowning incidents across the country last week.

Of the 15, at least 5 each were recorded in Negros Occidental and Calaca, Batangas. The other incidents happened in Pasig; Subic; Ilocos Sur; and Taal Lake.

In Hinigaran, Negros Occidental, 5 people – including 3 minors – drowned during a family outing Sunday, March 27, at the Paradiso Beach Resort, after they were swept away by strong currents.

Lieutenant Commander Ramil Palabrica, chief of the Philippine Coast Guard-Bacolod, identified the fatalities as Mary Dane, 49, and Jefferson, 24, all surnamed Disocos; and Nikka, 15, Kian, 13, and Kimberly, 12, all surnamed Betilla, all of Bacolod City, while the survivors were Jane Rose Tabligan, 11, of Binalbagan town, and Wiljohn Brillo, 16, of San Enrique.

Swimming drunk

In Ilocos Sur, 17-year-old Alvin Saupan drowned after he swam while drunk on Saturday, March 26.

In an incident in Calaca, Batangas, Lorenzo Kyle Boa drowned Thursday, March 24, while relatives who tried to rescue him also drowned.

The number of drowning incidents is higher compared to last year, according to the PCG, with most of the drowning reports blamed on the victim being drunk, or on other people not knowing how to swim.

Some incidents were due to people swimming in prohibited areas.

To help prevent more drowning incidents, especially as people flock to beaches over the summer season, the PCG appealed to the public to keep an eye on their companions when they head for a swim, especially children.

The agency is also coordinating with resort owners to have licensed lifeguards and put up safety warnings and signages in their properties. – With a report from Marchel Espina/ Rappler.com

BOGOTA, Colombia – Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos told the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) rebels Monday, March 28, to set a date to disarm, after a self-imposed March 23 deadline to sign a peace deal passed unmet.

"The government demands a set, precise and clear date to finish the disarmament process," he said in an address from the presidential palace.

Santos has staked his presidency on bringing peace to Colombia, where the FARC have been fighting the government for more than half a century, a conflict that has killed more than 260,000 people.

The two sides have recently announced advances in a more than 3-year-old peace process in the Cuban capital, Havana.

But key questions remain unsettled, including disarmament.

In September, the two sides agreed the Marxist rebels would begin disarming "at the latest 60 days after the signing of the final accord."

But they did not set a date to finish disarming.

Santos said the lack of clarity on that issue was one of the reasons the two sides failed to sign a peace deal by the March deadline they had announced with great fanfare six months before.

The peace process aims to turn the FARC from a guerrilla group to a political party.

So far, the two sides have reached deals on four of their six agenda items: justice for victims, land reform, a political role for ex-rebels and fighting the drug trafficking that fuels the conflict.

The unsettled issues are disarmament and how to ratify the final accord. – Rappler.com

HAVANA, Cuba – Fidel Castro laid into Barack Obama after the US president's historic visit to Cuba in a testy newspaper column Monday, March 28, saying the communist island doesn't need any "gifts from the empire."

The retired revolutionary, who has reacted tepidly to Cuba's rapprochement with the United States, scoffed at what he described as Obama's call to forgive and forget more than half a century of Cold War enmity.

"Listening to the words of the US president could give anyone a heart attack," Castro wrote in his first public reaction to the visit.

"My modest suggestion is that he think and not try to theorize about Cuban politics," said the 89-year-old leader of the 1959 Cuban Revolution, who handed power to his younger brother Raul in 2006.

He made the comments in a tortuous opinion piece headlined "Brother Obama" and published in Granma, the official newspaper of Cuba's communist party.

Obama, who met Raul but not Fidel Castro during his 3-day visit last week, defied the regime's warnings not to wade into Cuba's internal affairs, meeting with anti-Castro dissidents and calling for democracy and greater freedoms.

"Voters should be able to choose their governments in free and democratic elections," he said in an unprecedented speech carried live on Cuba's tightly controlled state television.

Castro lashed out at that speech, the symbolically charged centerpiece of the first visit by a US president in 88 years.

"Obama gave a speech in which he used the most syrupy words," he wrote, recounting the long history of acrimonious relations between Havana and Washington as he defended the accomplishments of his 47-year rule.

"Nobody has any illusion that the people of this noble and selfless country will surrender glory and rights and the spiritual wealth that has come through the development of education, science and culture," Castro wrote.

"I would also warn that we are capable of producing the food and material wealth we need with the labor and the intelligence of our people. We don't need any gifts from the empire."

PR problem

Obama's visit posed an awkward public relations problem for the Castro regime, juxtaposing a charismatic, 54-year-old leader known for the political brand of "change" with the octogenarian brothers who have ruled the island since 1959.

The fact that Obama is black and the Castros are white was not lost on Cubans, many of whom also have African roots, and Castro appeared to take particular umbrage both at the US president's relative youth and his description of both countries as New World nations "built in part by slaves."

"He doesn't mention that racial discrimination was erased by the Revolution, that retirement benefits and salaries for all Cubans were decreed before Mr Barack Obama was 10 years old," he wrote.

Castro remained out of sight during Obama's visit, which aimed to cement the thaw announced in December 2014 by the US president and Raul Castro, who has proven more reform-minded than his older brother.

Fidel Castro waited a month and a half to publicly give his blessing to the US-Cuban rapprochement, and then gave it only a lukewarm embrace.

Since announcing their landmark rapprochement, the United States and Cuba have reopened embassies in each other's capitals and are slowly normalizing ties. 

But several thorny issues remain unsettled, including the fate of the US naval base at Guantanamo Bay, which Cuba wants back, and Washington's more than five-decade-old embargo on the island, which Obama again called on Congress to lift.

Since stepping down, Fidel Castro has spent part of his time writing reflections that occasionally appear in the communist party press.

His last public appearance was in July 2015. – Alexandre Grosbois, AFP / Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines (UPDATED) – Although Chinese casino junket agent Kam Sin “Kim" Wong and the owners of money transfer firm PhilRem Service Corporation said they have known each other for quite a while now, they differed on claims about where the unaccounted $17-million stolen fund from Bangladesh Bank may have gone.

Of the $81 million stolen money from the Bangladesh central bank, about $63 million went to Solaire and Midas casinos, while the remaining $17 million is said to be still with PhilRem – a claim denied by its officers.

Wong vehemently denied any link to the money laundering scandal, telling senators he does not know where the $81 million came from.

“Dalawang foreigners ang nagpasok ng $81 million. Isa sa kanila ay matagal nang labas-pasok sa Pilipinas at kilalang junket agent at high roller… Ilalagay ko sa isang sealed envelope ang kanilang pangalan at kopya ng passport at isa-submit ko sa komite," Wong told the Senate.

(Two foreigners brought the $81 million in the country. One of them has been in and out of the country and is a popular junket agent and high roller. I will write their names and put it in a sealed envelope, with a copy of their passport and will submit it to the committee.) 

'Investors'

He eventually was prodded to name one of them as a certain "Gao Shuhua", a Beijing-based junket agent whom he has known since 2007. Wong said he met Gao in Solaire Resort and Casino in February.

According to Wong, Gao wanted to invest in junket operations in Manila and that a certain "Ding Zhize" from Macau wanted to do the same. The two asked to meet Wong in Solaire on February 5.

On the same day, Wong narrated that Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation (RCBC) branch manager Maia Santos-Deguito called him to say that funds which totaled $81 million had arrived at the bank. A total of P100 million was eventually delivered to Solaire by PhilRem and Deguito whose car was photographed by a CCTV camera in the Solaire parking lot. 

Wong made his first appearance before the Senate during its 3rd hearing on the grand Bangladesh Bank fund heist on Tuesday, March 29, after his medical treatment in Singapore.

Asked if he knows the owners of PhilRem personally, Wong replied: “Kilala ko si Concon (PhilRem treasurer Michael Bautista) personally. Magkakilala kami sa pag-refer ng kotse (I know Concon personally. We know each other from referring car models to each other).”

PhilRem: We delivered everything

Bautista confirmed he knows Wong and that the junket agent had visited their house several times, but denied that the $17-million stolen money is still with his company.

“I would like to deny that the $17 million is still with us,” PhilRem president Salud Bautista said, adding that her company has wired all the money to Midas junket operator Weikang Xu.

Baustista had earlier testified before the Senate committee that "upon instruction of Maia Santos-Deguito," PhilRem personally delivered a total of $18 million and P600 million to Xu.

The delivery was spread over several days from February 5 to February 13, 2016.

Meanwhile, Wong admitted that PhilRem transferred a total of P1 billion of the laundered funds to Eastern Hawaii Leisure Company Limited's account with the Philippine National Bank.

Wong is the president and general manager of Eastern Hawaii Leisure Company Limited.

Of the P1 billion, Wong said P550 million was converted into chips, of which P510 million was lost to Midas.

He said the other P450 million was a payment of the debt of Gao.

Wong claimed that he accepted the money, not knowing that the funds were connected to the Bangladesh Bank heist.

Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) executive director Julia Bacay Abad told senators during the hearing that the P40 million remaining from the money converted into chips can still be returned to the Bangladesh Bank.

"If we can identify if the money is still there (in Eastern Hawaii), then we can recover it," Abad said. – with reports from Chrisee Dela Paz and Nile Villa/Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – Haters are simply going to hate.

Liberal Party (LP) standard-bearer Manuel Roxas II shrugged off criticism hurled at him over a comic book that his supporters produced. Called "Sa Gitna ng Unos," it tells a "dramaticized" story of the presidential candidate’s life.

An extensive part of the campaign material portion on his involvement in the aftermath of Super Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan).

"Alam mo 'yung mga natutuwa, maraming salamat sa mga natutuwa. Sa mga nagre-react nang negative, malamang mga kakampi sila nga aking mga katunggali. Siguro nakita nila na epektibo ito kaya nagre-react sila nang negative. Ganyan naman talaga 'yan," Roxas told reporters in Quezon province on Tuesday, March 29.

(Those who were amused, thank you. Those who reacted negatively, it’s likely they are on the side of my rivals. Maybe they realize that it’s effective, so they react negatively. That’s how it works.)

Roxas was asked about a comic book that was distributed during the birthday party of LP Cavite chairman Erineo Maliksi on Easter Sunday. The comic depicts Roxas’ life – from his entry into politics up until he got President Benigno Aquino III's endorsement.

But it also goes into detail about Roxas' track record in government, including his role as one of two Cabinet secretaries who were on ground zero in the aftermath of Yolanda.

"The comic book was made by supporters who wished to inform our countrymen of what Mar did during Yolanda. This was made due to the continued spread of lies about his deeds," Roxas' spokesman Akbayan Representative Ibarra Gutierrez earlier said.

Speaking to media on Tuesday, Roxas thanked those supporters who have yet to be identified.

"Nagpapasalamat ako sa ating mga supporters sa kanilang paggawa, pagpapaliwanag nitong pangyayari noong kapanahunang 'yun, nagpapasalamat ako sa kanila. Ang komiks naman ay kabahagi ng ating kultura, kabahagi ng regular o kumbensyunal na pangangampanya," he said.

(I want to thank my supporters for producing that comic book and explaining what happened during those times. Comics are part of our culture, they’re part of regular or conventional campaigns.)

In Manila, Roxas' ally, Social Welfare Secretary Corazon Soliman, said the criticisms hurled at him over Yolanda were "unfair."

"'Di ko maintindihan bakit sinasabi ng media na wala siya, na wala siyang ginawa. Nandoon siya, siya 'yung nag-meeting araw-araw doon," Soliman said in a press conference on Tuesday.

(I don't understand why media says he was not there, that he did nothing. He was there, and he held daily meetings there.)

Roxas arrived in Leyte a day before Yolanda made landfall on November 8, 2013, and stayed there for over two weeks.

"Nakikita ninyo kami araw-araw nagmi-meeting sa sports center, ini-interview 'nyo si Sec Mar, alam ninyong nandoon siya, alam ninyong araw-araw ginagawa namin food distribution," Soliman told reporters.

(You saw us there everyday, holding meetings at the sports center. You interviewed Sec Mar, and you knew every day we would conduct food distribution.)

Without naming anyone, Soliman compared Roxas, who stayed for weeks, with his critics who, days after Yolanda struck, came in a helicopter to distribute goods only to leave immediately after.

"At 'yung ibang nagsasabing sila ay nagmalasakit, ako ang testigo, hindi sila natutulog sa Tacloban. Wala sila doon noong first 3 or 4 days. Nagdatingan lang sila on the 5th day, 6th day. Darating ang eroplano nila, magbibigay, aalis. 'Di sila tumira sa Tacloban," Soliman pointed out.

(Some of those who say they care, I can testify, they did not sleep in Tacloban. They were not there during the first 3 or 4 days. They arrived on the 5th day, the 6th day. Their plane arrived, they distributed goods, they left. They did not stay in Tacloban.)

During the first presidential debate in February, Roxas called out Binay for being a tourist in a helicopter in the aftermath of the typhoon.

Binay answered back, saying at least he saw many things from his helicopter, unlike the former interior secretary who "pagkatapos sa Leyte nawala na" (went missing after going to Leyte). – with a report from Jee Y. Geronimo/Rappler.com 

BEIJING, China – The World Health Organization on Tuesday, March 29, urged tighter regulation of privately sold vaccines in China as a scandal involving out-of-date immunization fuels public outrage in the country's latest safety scare.

The case involves the illegal and improper storage, transport, and sale of tens of millions of dollars' worth of vaccines – many of them expired – reports say.

"The vaccines that are in the private sector need to be managed, stored, handled, distributed, and used in accordance with recognized standards," Lance Rodewald, a WHO expert on immunization, told a briefing.

"This is a very serious situation, it's being taken seriously. We take it seriously. We want to see the root causes identified so that remedies can be provided."

Standard vaccines such as those for polio, hepatitis B, and measles are mandatory for all children in China and supplied by the state, while parents can opt to buy additional immunizations privately such as those for meningitis, influenza, or rotavirus.

China's public vaccination system is fundamentally sound, Rodewald said, adding that the expired private-sector vaccines did not pose a threat to children who received them.

"Parents should be comfortable knowing that their child will not have a toxic reaction," he said, although some children "may need to be revaccinated."

Authorities have already arrested more than 130 suspects in the investigation into the sales. – Rappler.com

BANGKOK, Thailand – A panel appointed by Thailand's military junta on Tuesday, March 29, unveiled a draft constitution touted as the solution to a decade-long political crisis, but derided by critics as undemocratic and divisive.

Thailand has been controlled by the army since a 2014 coup overthrew the elected government of Yingluck Shinawatra, whose billionaire family has swept the last 3 elections but is hated by the Bangkok elite. 

If the charter is ratified, it will perpetuate the military's influence. 

A junta-appointed senate would check the powers of lawmakers for a 5-year transitional period following fresh elections.

The document also enshrines a proportional voting system, a move that would likely reduce the majority held by any elected government once Thais regain the right to vote.

The drafters insist their new constitution – the kingdom's 20th in less than a century – will end the cycle of elections, street protests, and coups.

"We see it as a return to a period where you don't have people confronting each other on the streets," Constitutional Drafting Committee spokesman Norachit Sinhaseni told reporters.

"That is what the majority of Thais want."

But critics say it is aimed squarely at breaking the Shinawatras' electoral stranglehold on the country.

The document is set to go to the public in a referendum on August 7. 

However the junta has warned it will not tolerate criticism of the charter in the run-up to the vote, making debate all but impossible.

"I have laws in hand. Whoever violates those laws, legal action will be taken against them," junta chief Prayut Chan-o-cha told reporters after the draft was unveiled. 

Two opposition politicians have already been detained by the military this week for voicing criticism of the document and the junta. 

'Expands military power'

Paul Chambers, a Thailand-based academic, said the document would in effect prolong army rule and establish a "frail democracy" easily controlled by a junta-stacked senate.

"It is a charter which expands military and judicial power at the expense of democracy," he told AFP.

In the run-up to its unveiling the charter has been criticized by both sides of the political divide, even those who cheered the toppling of the government led by Yingluck's Pheu Thai party.

Jatuporn Prompan, a prominent leader of the Red Shirt movement loyal to the Shinawatras, hit out Tuesday.

"If they (the military) want to return democracy to Thais, (they should) return whole – not partial – democracy," he told AFP.

Pheu Thai's bitter rival the Democrat Party has yet to say what it will advise voters but its leader, former Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, has publicly criticized the charter. 

Thailand is no stranger to constitutional rewrites but these have done little to calm its turbulent politics. The general public often shrugs off the passage of a document seen as heavily biased and liable to change with the political winds.

The latest chapter in the country's long struggle with democracy began in 2006 when Thaksin Shinawatra, Yingluck's brother, was ousted by a coup.

That power grab sparked years of rival street protests and political chicanery by the Bangkok establishment.

Thaksin, who lives in self-exile to avoid a graft conviction he says is politically motivated, has pilloried the junta for bungling the economy and ruining the political landscape.

The army claims legitimacy from the revered but ailing king. 

Analysts attribute the current political crisis to the monarch's ill-health and a bitter tussle for influence among competing elites once his reign ends. – Jerome Taylor, AFP

BRUSSELS, Belgium – Under-fire Belgian authorities hunted a fugitive bomber on Tuesday, March 29, a week after the attacks on the heart of Europe, as the city's airport warned it could take months to fully reopen despite holding a drill for a partial restart.

As Brussels struggled to get back on its feet, criticism of Belgium's handling of the case mounted after the sole suspect to be charged over the metro and airport attacks was freed for lack of evidence linking him to the carnage.

Prosecutors had charged the suspect, known as Faycal C., with "terrorist murder" and were investigating whether he was the third airport attacker who fled after his bomb did not detonate.

With his release on Monday, the hunt was back on for the so-called "man in the hat" seen in CCTV footage next to the two Islamic State (ISIS) suicide bombers at Zaventem airport.

The airport, closed since the blasts wrecked the departure hall, was readying to stage a test run Tuesday involving hundreds of volunteer staff to determine if it was ready to resume flights, albeit in a very limited capacity, on Wednesday.

A temporary check-in facility has been set up and passengers will be subject to extra security checks.

Brussels Airport chief executive Arnaud Feist told L'Echo daily it could take "months" for the airport to be fully operational again.

Telephone alibi

A total of 35 people died in the attacks at the airport and Maalbeek metro station and 340 were injured, 96 of whom remain in hospital.

Many foreign nationals were among the victims, testament to the cosmopolitan nature of a city that is home to both the European Union and NATO.

Nearly all the fatalities have now been identified. The Indian government on Tuesday confirmed that a 31-year-old Indian man was on the metro train blown up by a suicide bomber.

While Belgian authorities were quick to identify all three bombers, the inquiry has been dogged by accusations that Belgium missed a series of leads in cracking down on a jihadist network linked to the Brussels attacks as well as the November 13 Paris massacres that killed 130 people.

Adding to the recriminations, Brussels mayor Yvan Mayeur said he regretted the release of the man identified by Belgian media as Faycal Cheffou, who claimed to be a freelance journalist.

Hinting at suspicions that the man was a jihadist recruiter, he told French media: "There is a very thin line between an agitated radical and a radical recruiter, and in this case the judge probably didn't want to cross that line."

The man's lawyer Olivier Martins told RTBF television that his client was let go because he had an alibi.

"He gave an alibi based on telephone analysis which showed that he was at home at the time of the attacks," Martins was quoted as saying.

'Enemy in Syria'

Under pressure at home and abroad for an apparent series of missed clues in keeping tabs on criminals linked to jihadist networks, the Belgian government has admitted mistakes were made.

In the most glaring such example, Turkey accused Belgium last week of ignoring a clear and present danger after revealing it had deported airport suicide bomber Ibrahim El Bakraoui as a "terrorist fighter" last year after arresting him near the Syrian border.

Two Belgian ministers, including Justice Minister Koen Geens, offered to resign after the Turkish link emerged.

Underscoring the tense political climate in a notoriously complex and fragmented country, Geens on Tuesday called for unity.

"This is not the time to argue with each other. As far as I know the enemy is in Syria," he told VRT television.

In a bid to uncover the identity of the mystery third airport suspect, police have released video footage of a man in a hat and white jacket pushing a trolley with a large bag through the departure hall, next to suicide bombers Ibrahim El Bakraoui and Najim Laachraoui. 

Bomb-maker Laachraoui's DNA was found on some of the explosives used in Paris.

Ibrahim El Bakraoui's brother Khalid, who blew himself up on a Brussels metro train shortly after the airport blasts, is meanwhile believed to have rented a property linked to Paris prime suspect Salah Abdeslam.

Abdeslam was arrested in Brussels on March 18 just metres from his family home after four months on the run.

Raids and arrests in Belgium, France and the Netherlands since the Brussels bombings have exposed a complex web of jihadist cells, underscoring the need for better European coordination in the fight against terrorism. – Michelle Fitzpatrick, AFP/Rappler.com

BATANGAS, Philippines – It's all about trust, discipline, and credibility.

That's what presidential bet Grace Poe said on Tuesday, March 29, as she defended her choice of Ariel Querubin as her "anti-crime czar."

No less than President Benigno Aquino III questioned Poe’s pronouncement that she would appoint the retired Marine colonel to fight crime and drugs if she wins as president. (READ: Poe eyes ex-coup plotter as her anti-crime czar)

Aquino doubted Poe’s capability and readiness to lead the nation for supposedly confusing the roles of the military and police.

The commander-in-chief pointed out that cops are tasked with chasing after and arresting criminals while soldiers are taught to crush external threats. 

Poe stands by her choice, however, citing Querubin's experience in the military, which eventually garnered him the Medal of Valor award – the highest combat award given to a soldier.

“Hindi, dahil puwede naman pagdating sa crime, lalo na retirado na siya na mamuno nito. At isa pa, siya may medal of valor, ‘di ba? At hindi lamang ‘yon, kailangan isang taong mapapagkatiwalaan mo kung ano man ‘yung background nito. Tactically, magaling siya, may respeto sa kanya ang kanyang mga kasama,” Poe said in a chance interview in San Juan, Batangas.

(No, because when it comes to crimes, a retired military can lead in the fight against it. And also, he received a medal of valor, right? Not only that, you need someone whose background is trustworthy. Tactically, he is good. His colleagues respect him.)

Poe said she trusts Querubin as she has known him for years. The latter protested the results of the 2004 presidential elections, claiming then-president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo cheated the late action star Fernando Poe Jr (FPJ).

“Matagal ko nang kilala si Querubin. Ang kailangan natin disiplinadong pulis o disiplinadong indibidwal na kayang patakbuhin ang isang ahensya. At meron syang kredibilidad, ilang beses na nga ‘yan nabaril eh pero dahil nga sinasalba nya ibang sundalo, di sya sumuko, natapos ung operasyon nya, marami sya nasalba,” she said.

(I've known Querubin for a long time now. We need a disciplined police or a disciplined individual who can run an agency. He has the credibility. In fact, he had been shot many times but because he saved other soldiers, he did not back down, he ended the operation. He saved a lot.)

Valid 'reasons' for staging mutiny

Querubin was imprisoned from 2006 to 2010 for alleged involvement in attempts to unseat Arroyo in the aftermath of the "Hello, Garci" scandal that exposed her phone calls to an election commissioner during the canvassing of the 2004 election votes.

For the senator, Querubin had valid “reasons” for staging a mutiny against her father’s rival.

“At coup plotter nga pero sino naman ang kanyang sinuway? ‘Di ba, meron ngang dahilan noon dahil nga sa kwestyonableng resulta ng eleksyon noong 2004. So para sa akin integridad kahit na sabihin mo pang sumuway siya dahil naniniwala siya na hindi makatarungan ang naging pamamalakad noon,” Poe said.

(Yes he is a coup plotter but look at who he disobeyed? They had reasons then because of questionable results of the 2004 election. For me, integrity is important even if he disobeyed the president becaus he believed the leadership then was unjust.)

“Sa tinging ko naman merong dahilan. Ngayon kung akoy magiging ganung klaseng pangulo, di na ko magtataka kung merong gagawa ng ganyan. Pero nakita naman natin kung matino ang isang pangulo, ang taumbayan mismo ang magpprotekta sayo,” she added.

(I think there was a reason. Now, if I would be that kind of president, I would not be surprised if somebody would do that to me. But we saw that if the president is good, the country will be the one to protect him/her.)

Querubin was also implicated in the December 1989 coup that almost brought down the government of then President Corazon Aquino.

Now, he is a security consultant for business conglomerate San Miguel Corporation, the same company helping Poe’s campaign. SMC is headed by Eduardo “Danding” Cojuangco Jr, one of the senator’s backers.

Asked if SMC has a role in her choice, Poe denied this, saying, “I think nagkataon sapagkat marami rin syang ibang tinutulungan at lalong lalo na mag-iingat ako kumuha ng isang taong di ko alam ang background.” (I think it was just a coincidence because he is also helping others and I will be more careful in choosing a person whose background I do not know.) – Rappler.com

KANDAL, Cambodia – Cambodian authorities rescued more than half a ton of live tortoises and pythons stolen by smugglers, a forestry official said Tuesday, March 29, the latest haul in a country with a thriving illegal wildlife trade.

The animals – 102 elongated tortoises and 17 pythons – weighed a total of 570 kilos. 

They were confiscated Monday afternoon, March 28, from a cargo truck in Cambodia's Kandal province, forestry official Y Sophy told AFP.

"They were being transported to Phnom Penh where they would then be smuggled to Vietnam," he said, adding the creatures were scooped up from Cambodia's Battambang province.

No arrests were made as the truck's driver fled after being pulled over, the official said.

The rescued tortoises and pythons are now with a conservation group that will release them back into the wild.

The elongated tortoise is listed as an endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

It faces dire over-harvesting for food and Asia's animal trade, which fuels a regional demand for exotic pets and traditional medicine. (READ: ASEAN wages war against illegal wildlife trade)

Cambodia's black market for trafficked wildlife is enabled by corrupt authorities and weak legislation in a country rich with biodiversity. – Rappler.com

JUBA, South Sudan – United Nations food experts warned Tuesday, March 29, of "alarming" levels of starvation in South Sudan with food prices at record highs after two years of civil war marked by atrocities.

Fighting in the war rages despite an August agreement, and food experts have repeatedly warned parts of South Sudan's northern Unity region are on the brink of famine.

"Alarming reports of starvation, acute malnutrition, and catastrophe levels of food insecurity have been reported in areas worst affected by the ongoing violence," the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said in a statement.

It warned of "a bleak forecast" for the rest of year, with "rapidly depleting food supplies and a likely protracted lean season," adding that "food prices have reached record highs."

The world's youngest country is struggling to stem soaring inflation caused by the war, rampant corruption, and the near collapse of the oil industry upon which the vast percentage of government foreign exchange earnings depend. (READ: South Sudan is dying, and nobody is counting)

"Food insecurity has spread to areas previously considered relatively stable, highlighting the cumulative impact of conflict, economic downturn, and climactic shocks," FAO added.

Fighting has spread to previously largely peaceful Western Equatoria and Western Bahr el Ghazal regions, bread basket areas for the rest of the country.

"Increased fighting puts the upcoming agricultural season at risk, with alarming potential to impact on food security for the entirety of South Sudan," FAO added.

Meanwhile the first batch of rebel soldiers arrived in Juba on Monday, March 28, as a much delayed part of the peace deal, with 39 out of a planned 1,370 troops arriving, ceasefire monitors said.

The monitors also called for rebel leader Riek Machar to return to take up his post of vice president.

"There are no remaining difficulties in the return of the First Vice President-designate and the formation of the new transitional government of national unity," said Festus Mogae, who heads the Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (JMEC).

Civil war began in December 2013 when President Salva Kiir accused his former deputy Machar of planning a coup, setting off a cycle of retaliatory killings that have split the poverty-stricken, landlocked country along ethnic lines. – Rappler.com

BANGKOK, Thailand – A Thai woman has been charged with sedition, police said on Tuesday, March 29, after photos were spread of her holding a red bowl allegedly bearing a message from an ex-premier who lies at the heart of the kingdom's bitter politics.

The images showed Theerawan Charoensuk, 54, holding a hand-sized bowl with a goodwill note apparently signed by former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, whose powerful political dynasty is locked in a decade-long struggle with the kingdom's military-backed royalist elite.

She faces up to 7 years in jail if convicted.

Her arrest comes as the ruling junta, who toppled a government led by Thaksin's sister in 2014, hardens its clampdown on political expression ahead of a referendum on a controversial charter it has penned. 

The small bowl is used to pour water during Buddhist ceremonies and was distributed at a temple fair in northern Chiang Mai, the Shinawatra's hometown.

It was painted red – a color with strong associations to the family's supporters, who are known as the "Red Shirts".  

Local media reported it was signed by Thaksin along with a slogan that read: "The situation may be hot, but brothers and sisters may gain coolness from the water inside this bucket".

Police declined to comment on the details of the bowl, saying only that they believed it was handed out by a "certain political party."

"She was charged with section 116 – inciting chaos in the country," said Nateephat Akarapongthiti from Chiang Mai's Mae Ping police station. 

The junta has outlawed all political activities and protests since the coup, in a vow to bridge the kingdom's vast divides.

But critics say the generals are more focused on rooting out the influence of the Shinawatras, who have dominated electoral politics for the past 10 years and are seen as a threat to the elite's status quo.

Junta chief Prayut Chan-O-Cha told reporters Tuesday he found the charge was "suitable" because "it might be a national security threat". 

"It was [a show of] support for people who have violated laws and run away from criminal charge," he said, a reference to Thaksin, who lives in self-imposed exile to avoid a corruption conviction.

Police said Theerawan, a Chiang Mai resident, was released from custody Tuesday and will now face trial in a military court.

"She said she held up the bowl, but she didn't think that was wrong," Nateephat told AFP.

Rights groups say the junta has increasingly leaned on the country's tough sedition law to silence critics. 

The charges have been brought against dozens since the 2014 takeover, including  peaceful anti-junta activists and pro-democracy students as well as those accused of spreading rumours about alleged military corruption on Facebook.

The military has also overseen a surge in prosecutions for royal defamation, an offence that carries up to 15 years for each charge. – Rappler.com

ISTANBUL, Turkey – Turkish police on Tuesday, March 29, detained at least 20 people in a nationwide operation aimed at cracking down on the trafficking of migrants seeking to reach the European Union, reports said.

The suspects were detained in morning raids in 5 regions, from Izmir on the Aegean to Sanliurfa close to the Syrian border and Samsun on the Black Sea following a 3-month investigation, the Dogan news agency said.

It said that the suspected traffickers, who are citizens of Turkey, Syria and Iraq, were believed to have smuggled migrants from Turkey's coast across the Aegean Sea in exchange for money.

With the operation ongoing, the number of those detained could rise, it added.

Materials seized in the raids included lists of migrants, money counting machines and hard currency, Turkish media reports said.

Turkey has over the last year emerged as the major hub for refugees and migrants from Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, Eritrea and other troubled states trying to reach the European Union via the Greek islands.

Around one million migrants crossed the Aegean to Greece in 2015, prompting rattled EU leaders to seek Turkey's help for a solution.

Under a landmark deal thrashed out between the EU and Ankara earlier this month, all migrants arriving on the Greek islands are now designated for return to Turkey.

The numbers of people reaching Greece from Turkey have declined sharply since the EU-Turkey deal went into effect on March 20.

But several EU leaders had also underlined it was essential for Turkey to crack down on the people smuggling business, which analysts say had been allowed to operate with relative impunity in Turkey.

Smugglers would ask for up to several thousand dollars for a place in a potentially unseaworthy boat for the risky crossing to the Greek islands. – Rappler.com

WASHINGTON, DC, USA – US President Barack Obama on Tuesday, March 29, announced new plans to combat the epidemic of heroin and prescription painkiller abuse which kills tens of thousands of people each year in the United States.

About a dozen funding measures and initiatives were detailed by the White House nearly two weeks after the US Centers for Disease Control urged doctors to exercise more caution prescribing opioids, which can be highly addictive and have led to soaring overdose deaths in recent years.

Forty Americans die each day from prescription opioid overdoses, according to the CDC.

Obama was to describe the new measures – which include easier access to the overdose antidote naloxone, money for community policing and improved access to mental health services – at the National Rx Drug Abuse and Heroin Summit in Atlanta, Georgia on Tuesday.

"These actions build on the President's proposal for $1.1 billion in new funding to help every American with an opioid use disorder who wants treatment get the help they need," said a statement released by the White House ahead of the event.  

The plan includes two $11 million funding opportunities. One is for states to purchase and distribute the opioid overdose reversal drug, naloxone, and the other to boost medication-assisted treatment services in up to 11 states by increasing access to buprenorphine, which can help addicts wean off heroin or painkillers.   

Earlier this month, the US Department of Health and Human Services released $94 million in new funding "to increase substance use disorder treatment services, with a specific focus on expanding medication-assisted treatment of opioid use disorders in underserved communities," it said.

"This funding is expected to help health centers treat nearly 124,000 new patients with substance use disorders."

Other steps include establishing a Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Parity Task Force "to advance access to mental health and substance use disorder treatment."

Policing programs and rural health initiatives were also included in the funding plans.

New guidance for government-funded needle exchange programs will be issued by the Department of Health and Human Services to "implement or expand syringe services programs for people who inject drugs," it said.

The bipartisan budget agreement signed last year "revised a longstanding ban on these programs and allows communities with a demonstrated need to use federal funds for the operational components of syringe services programs," said the White House statement. 

More than 60 medical schools were also to announce changes in their curricula beginning in the fall that would "require their students to take some form of prescriber education," in line with the latest CDC guidelines. – Rappler.com

WASHINGTON, DC, USA –  The US government filed suit against Volkswagen on Tuesday, March 29, charging the German automaker deceived American consumers by promoting supposedly "clean diesel" vehicles that were actually fitted with illegal pollution-cheating devices.

The Federal Trade Commission said it is seeking a federal court order requiring Volkswagen to compensate consumers who bought or leased more than 550,000 affected VW and Audi vehicles between late 2008 and late 2015, as well as an injunction to prevent Volkswagen from using the cheating devices again.

In its complaint filed in federal court, the FTC alleged that during this 7-year period Volkswagen, the world's second-largest automaker, deceived consumers by making false claims that the cars were environmentally friendly, met emissions standards and would maintain a high resale value.

The cars sold for an average price of approximately $28,000.

"For years Volkswagen's ads touted the company's 'Clean Diesel' cars even though it now appears Volkswagen rigged the cars with devices designed to defeat emissions tests," FTC Chairwoman Edith Ramirez said in a statement.

"Our lawsuit seeks compensation for the consumers who bought affected cars based on Volkswagen's deceptive and unfair practices."

The consumer protection and antitrust federal agency said Volkswagen's promotional materials repeatedly claimed that the vehicles have lower emissions than gasoline cars, and reduce nitrogen oxides (NOx) emission by 90%.

In fact, the FTC's complaint said, they emit up to 40 times the legal limit of NOx, a dangerous pollutant that contributes to environmental harms and respiratory ailments.

Volkswagen Group of America, the company's US arm, said it had received the complaint and "continues to cooperate with all relevant US regulators, including the Federal Trade Commission."

"Our most important priority is to find a solution to the diesel emissions matter and earn back the trust of our customers and dealers as we build a better company," it said in a statement.

A US federal judge last Thursday gave Volkswagen until April 21 to come up with a plan to fix some 600,000 cars outfitted with the emissions-cheating software or get them off the roads.

Volkswagen has been engulfed in a growing scandal since US regulators announced in September the automaker had installed software known as "defeat devices" to cap the output of NOx below US legal limits during emissions test by regulators.

But when the vehicles are in actual use, the software allows them to spew poisonous gases well above the permitted levels, giving the cars better acceleration and fuel economy.

Volkswagen subsequently acknowledged it had installed emissions-cheating software in 11 million diesel cars worldwide.

In addition to still-unquantifiable regulatory fines from several countries, VW is facing a slew of lawsuits from angry owners of the diesel cars – notably in the United States and Germany – and from shareholders seeking damages for the massive loss in the value of their stocks since September. – Rappler.com

GENEVA, Switzerland (UPDATED) – The World Health Organization said on Tuesday, March 29, that the Ebola outbreak in West Africa no longer constitutes an international emergency, voicing confidence that remaining isolated cases in the affected countries can be contained. 

"The Ebola outbreak in West Africa no longer constitutes a public health emergency of international concern," WHO's chief Margaret Chan told journalists, officially ending the emergency first declared in August 2014. 

The deadliest-ever outbreak of the tropical disease emerged in December 2013 and killed more than 11,300 people, mostly in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. 

Chan stressed that all 3 countries remain vulnerable to flare-ups, including an ongoing cluster of cases of Guinea, which has left 5 people dead.  

"The risk of international spread is now low, and... countries currently have the capacity to respond rapidly to new virus emergences," the head of the United Nations public health agency added. 

She also warned against complacency towards the virus, which remains in "the ecosystem" in West Africa and said that vigilance was crucial, including quick reactions to new cases. 

"Particularly important will be to ensure that communities can rapidly and fully engage in any future response, cases are quickly isolated and managed," Chan said.   – Rappler.com