MANILA, Philippines – A senator wants to restore the dignity of commuters in the country, especially in Metro Manila where people have to endure long lines in transportation terminals, packed public utility vehicles, and bumper-to-bumper traffic nearly every day.

Senator Francis Pangilinan has filed Senate Bill No. 775 or the dignity in commuting bill which seeks to guarantee and protect the right of Filipinos to travel safely, conveniently, affordably, and with dignity.

"Wala nang dignidad ang ating mga commuter sa ngayon. Ang ating mga commuter, tao hindi sardinas. Pero araw-araw nakikipagsapalaran, ilang oras naiipit sa traffic, nasisiraan ang mga public transport systems natin," Pangilinan said in a Rappler Talk interview.

(Our commuters have lost their dignity. Our commuters are human beings, not sardines. But every day they take a chance, spending hours stuck in traffic, while our pubic transport systems break down.)

Pangilinan said that Filipinos do not deserve this kind of daily suffering. He added that the Philippines needs to catch up with its neighbors that have better transport systems.

In the 2018 Global Competitiveness report, the Philippines ranked 7th among 9 Southeast Asian countries in terms of transportation infrastructure. Singapore was ranked the best and Cambodia the worst.

"Malungkot isipin parang tinanggap na natin na wala na tayong magagawa dahil 'Ganyan eh.' Nais nating baguhin 'yun. Hindi natin dapat sabihin na 'Wala tayong magagawa.' At hindi natin dapat sabihin na 'Tanggapin na lang natin,'" Pangilinan told Rappler.

(It's sad to think that it seems like we've given up because we can't do anything as "It's aways been that way." We want to change that. We shouldn't say,"We can't do anything." And we shouldn't say, "We should just accept this.")

While on its way to becoming an upper middle income country, the Philippines loses at least P3.5 billion a day because of traffic congestion according to a study by the Japanese International Cooperation Agency. This figure could reach up to P5.4 billion daily by 2035 if interventions are not made, said JICA.

Demand accountability

Pangilinan said an  important feature of his bill is that Filipinos can demand accountability from government or private actors who violate commuter rights.

The measure seeks to protect the following rights of commuters:

• Right to adequate public transportation services
• Right to affordable public transportation services
• Right to alternative public transportation services
• Right to road safety
• Right to proper mobility infrastructure
• Right to a fair share of public road space
• Right to breathe clean air during travel
• Right to information for efficient and convenient travel
• Right to compensation for public transportation service breakdowns
• Right to participation in decision-making process involving mobility and public transportation services

Declaring that "dignified mobility" is a human right, the measure seeks to reduce waiting time at public transport stops to at most 10 minutes at peak hours.

"It has to start na kinikilala natin na karapatan natin 'yan, dapat makuha natin 'yan bilang mamayan. Dahil isa 'yang indikasyon na progresibo na tayong bansa, at nangingibabaw ang kapakanan at kaligtasan ang ating mga commuter," Pangilinan said.

(It has to start by recognizinf that this is our rights, and we need to acquire that as a citizen. Because that is an indication that we are a progressive country, and we put a premium on the welfare and safety of our commuters.)

SB  775 also seeks the construction of a continuous network of dedicated sidewalks and protected bike lanes in national and local roads, and consideration for the needs of the more vulnerable members of the society, among others. (READ: Manila Moves: Cycling through the metro's traffic)

The bill also provides for the creation of a national Office of Commuter Affairs, and local offices in each city or municipality under the supervision of the city or municipal administrator to implement the proposed law.

Pangilinan said the offices would act on commuters' complaints, and can also receive  suggestions on how to improve their travel.

Under the bill, violators of the act may be fined P100,000 for the first offense, P200,000 for the second offense, and at most half a million pesos and suspension of franchise or license for a year for the third and succeeding offenses.

For government officials or employees who would violate the provisions of the measure, they may face administrative complaints apart from the penalties.

Pangilinan said that the bill was crafted with the help of Alt Mobility, a group that promotes sustainable transportation. One of Alt Mobility's platforms is the Facebook group "How's Your Byahe, Bes? (How's your travel, friend)?" which brings holds lively discussions on commuting, policies, and anything related to transportation.

Obstacles

Pangilinan hopes that his colleagues will be supportive of the measure. He acknowledged that it may be difficult to get enough support for it.

"Mahirap kasi marami pa tayong kukumbinsihin. May mga natatanong, 'Hindi ba suntok sa buwan yan?' Eh sabi ko, 'Dun naman nag-uumpisa lahat ng pangarap pero hindi ibig sabihin hindi natin itutulak,'" Pangilinan said.

(It's difficult because we need to convince more lawmakers. There are some who asked, "Isn't that like shooting for the moon?" But I say, "That's where all dreams start but it doesn't mean we shouldn't pursue it.")

Pangilinan's bill has been referred to the Senate public services committee which is chaired by Senator Grace Poe, who has filed her own version of the measure as well.

"Ang lahat ng batas, meron kang aspiration…. Kaya meron kang mga batas para mabigyan ng konkretong mga hakbang para mangyari ang kanilang mga pinapangarap. Ganun din sa pagba-byahe. Lahat tayo we aspire for an easier commute," Pangilinan said.

(All laws have aspirations. That reason why we have such laws is to give concrete steps on how we can realize our dreams. It's the same thing with commuting. We all aspire for an easier commute.)

At the House of Representatives, Quezon City 3rd district Representative Allan Benedict Reyes has filed a counterpart measure as well. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – A barangay chairman of Tondo, Manila, was gunned down by riding-in-tandem suspects on Friday, August 16.

According to the police report, Barangay 161 Chairman Alfredo Lansigan was onboard a motorcycle along Dagupan Extension at around 9:40 am when the shooting happened.

Police said that the chairman was "called" by one of the suspects "prompting the victim to approach."

When he got near, Lansigan was shot "in different parts of the body."

He was rushed to the Chinese General Hospital but was declared dead on arrival at about 10:17 am. The suspects were seen fleeing to Caloocan.

Police said they were still not done with their initial field work, as the type of motorcycle the suspects used had yet to be identified. The motive for the attack had yet to be established. – Rappler.com

TEHRAN, Iran – A tanker carrying Iranian oil, released by Gibraltar authorities after being held since July 4, is preparing to set sail into the Mediterranean, a senior Iranian shipping official said Friday, August 16.

The ship's seizure, with the help of British Royal Marines, had triggered a sharp deterioration in relations between Tehran and London and the tit-for-tat detention by Iran of the British-flagged tanker Stena Impero.

The Grace 1 will be renamed and switched to the Iranian flag for its onward journey, the deputy head of Iran's Ports and Maritime Organization, Jalil Eslami, told state television.

"At the owner's request, the Grace 1 will depart for the Mediterranean after being reflagged under the Islamic Republic of Iran's flag and renamed as Adrian Darya for the voyage," Eslami said.

"The ship was of Russian origin and Panama-flagged and is carrying two million barrels of Iranian oil," he added.

Gibraltar's Supreme Court ordered the tanker released on Thursday, August 15, after the British overseas territory said it had received written assurances from Iran that the Grace 1 would not head to any country subject to European Union sanctions.

The ship had been detained on suspicion that its cargo was destined for the Banias oil refinery in Syria in breach of an EU embargo.

But Iran denied it had provided any assurances to secure the ship's release, saying Gibraltar was only seeking to "save face."

"Iran has given no assurances over the Grace 1 not going to Syria to secure its release," the state broadcaster's youth website quoted foreign ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi as saying Friday.

"The tanker's destination was not Syria...and even if it was, it did not concern anyone else."

Hours before the court's ruling, the administration of US President Donald Trump, which has waged a campaign of "maximum pressure" against Iran, launched a last-minute legal move demanding that the Gibraltar authorities extend the vessel's detention.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif tweeted that the US attempt at "piracy" had failed, saying it showed the Trump administration's "contempt for the law."

Tehran and Washington have been at loggerheads since Trump withdrew from a landmark 2015 nuclear deal between major powers and Iran last year and reimposed crippling unilateral sanctions.

Following the Grace 1's release, Britain renewed its demand that Iran release the British-flagged tanker it seized in the Strait of Hormuz on July 19.

Tehran charged that Stena Impero was in violation of "international maritime rules" but the move was widely seen as retaliation for the detention of the Grace 1. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – University of the Philippines (UP) students across the country will stage a walkout Tuesday, August 20, to protest military and police intervention in schools. 

In a memorandum released on Wednesday, August 14, the UP Office of the Student Regent (OSR) declared Tuesday as a systemwide “Day of Walkout and Action” to assert “the right to academic freedom, to organize, and to protest.”

UP Diliman chancellor Michael Tan on Friday, August 16, endorsed the planned walkout. 

“The proposed entry and intervention of the police and military in state universities including UP is expected to result in massive surveillance and monitoring on our students, faculty, and officials, especially those who are vocally critical,” student regent John Isaac Punzalan said in the OSR memorandum. 

He also said that campus militarization was “equivalent to martial law” in the university.  

“Campus militarization is equivalent to martial law in our university and we shall not let that happen. The existing accord prohibiting these state forces to operate in our campuses is a product of the student movements that have fearlessly fought for the rights of the youth and the people,” he added. 

Punzalan was referring to a 1989 agreement that disallows the entry of military and police "except in cases of hot pursuit and similar occasions of emergency.” The agreement also requires military and police to notify the university president, chancellor, or dean prior to any activity in any UP campus or regional unit. 

The agreement was made between the university and the Department of National Defense (DND) in June 1989 and signed by then-UP president Jose Abueva and then-defense secretary Fidel Ramos.

The call for a systemwide walkout comes after Senator Ronald "Bato" dela Rosa said he wanted increased police patrols at the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) to deter communist recruitment in the state university. 

Parents at an August 7 hearing of the Senate committee on public order and dangerous drugs, which dela Rosa chairs, shared how their children left them to join militant groups alleged to be fronts of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP). 

The Philippine National Police-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) said during the hearing that it had filed kidnapping charges against top officials of Anakbayan and several of its members after a 17-year-old student was reported "missing" following her recruitment by the militant youth group. – Rappler.com

THE HAGUE, Netherlands – Princess Christina, youngest sister of Beatrix who ruled the Netherlands till her abdication in 2013, died Friday, August 16, aged 72 after suffering from bone cancer, the royal family announced.

Born nearly blind in 1947, Maria Christina, princess of Orange-Nassau, was the fourth daughter of Queen Juliana and Prince Bernhard.

"We are saddened at the death of our dear sister and aunt," the royal family said in a tweet.

"Christina had a striking personality and a big heart," said King Willem-Alexander, Queen Maxima and princess Beatrix.

"We cherish the many wonderful memories of her," the message said.

She developed a love of music and song, and a life outside the royal court.

Christina married exiled Cuban teacher Jorge Guillermo in 1975, renouncing her succession rights. They had 3 children before divorcing in 1996.

Prime Minister Mark Rutte remembered the princess as a "warm personality" and voiced his sadness in a statement.

Christina will be cremated privately, the Royal House said. – Rappler.com

SRINAGAR, India – India has eased some restrictions on movement in Kashmir but phones and the internet remained cut off for a 12th day on Friday, August 16, a police official in the restive territory said.

With the central government fearing protests and unrest, Indian-administered Kashmir has been under lockdown since August 4, a day before New Delhi stripped the region of its autonomy.

Tens of thousands of extra troops have been deployed – joining 500,000 already there – turning parts of the main city of Srinagar into a fortress of roadblocks and barbed wire.

Restrictions in Jammu, the more peaceful Hindu-majority area, have already been lifted, and in the Kashmir Valley, the main hotbed of resistance to Indian rule, there has now been some easing too, senior police officer Munir Khan told Agence France-Presse.

But he said that Srinigar's Jama Masjid, the main mosque in the Muslim-majority region with space for thousands of worshippers, also remained shut for Friday prayers.

"You need to understand that restrictions and relaxations are area-wise. You can't generalize them," Khan added.

The Press Trust of India quoted an unnamed official as saying that authorities were considering allowing schools to open in the Valley next week.

"We are making arrangements that all government offices start functioning normally from Monday," the official said.

"Even if the telephone services are to be restored, it will be done in a phased manner," the official added however.

Anger

Despite the crackdown, last Friday, August 9, residents said some 8,000 people took to the streets and that the military used pellet-firing shotguns.

The Indian government confirmed the clashes only after several days had passed, blaming them on stone-throwing "miscreants" and saying its forces reacted with "restraint."

There was also a smaller demonstration on Monday, August 12, and there have been reports of others.

Kashmiri politicians – alongside university professors, business leaders and activists – are among the more than 500 people that have been taken into custody.

Security forces also detained a journalist – identified as Irfan Malik from the newspaper Greater Kashmir – on Wednesday night, August 14, the Indian Express daily reported.

Cross-border shelling

Kashmir has been divided between India and Pakistan since independence from Britain in 1947.

Tens of thousands of people, most of them civilians, have died in an uprising against Indian rule that has raged since 1989.

The territory has been the spark for two wars and countless clashes between the two nuclear-armed arch-rivals, most recently in February when they conducted tit-for-tat air strikes.

This followed the deaths of 40 Indian troops in a suicide bombing claimed by a militant group based in Pakistan.

Officials in the part of Kashmir ruled by Pakistan said Thursday, August 15, that 3 soldiers died in Indian shelling across the Line of Control, the de facto border, and two others were killed in a separate incident.

The Pakistani military also said its return fire killed 5 Indian soldiers. But an Indian army spokesman told PTI late Thursday this was "fictitious."

Skirmishes are frequent across the so-called Line of Control (LoC), but the latest deaths came after Pakistan warned it was ready to meet any Indian aggression over Kashmir.

In a rare step, the UN Security Council will discuss the situation behind closed doors later on Friday, diplomats said.

Pakistan observed "Black Day" on Thursday to coincide with India's Independence Day celebrations, with Prime Minister Imran Khan warning of possible "ethnic cleansing" in Kashmir. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana wants President Rodrigo Duterte to bring up the illegitimate passage of Chinese warships in Philippine waters when he meets with China's President Xi Jinping later this month.

"Sana ma-mention ito para matapos na. Irritant na kasi ito ngayon e (I hope this gets mentioned to get it over with. It has now become an irritant)," Lorenzana told reporters on Friday, August 16.

Duterte will visit China for a 5th time later this month, where he said he would discuss the West Philippine Sea with Xi.

Lorenzana is joining the President on the trip.

The former army general wants to get the real score on at least 9 instances of Chinese warship sightings in the Sibutu Strait off Tawi-Tawi from February to early August.

"Where did they come from? Where are they going? Obviously they are going back to China pero ang mas malaking question, saan sila galing at bakit sila dumadaan sa Sibutu Strait (but the bigger question is, where did they come from and why were they passing Sibutu Strait)?"

If the warships were coming from the Indian Ocean, then the quickest way back to China would be through the Malacca Strait between Malaysia and Indonesia, and Lorenzana found it odd that they ended up in the waters of Tawi-Tawi.

Philippine military troops in Palawan monitored the passage of 4 Chinese naval vessels near Balabac Island on June 17, including one reportedly identified as the aircraft carrier Liaoning.

Lorenzana earlier said those 4 warships were spotted in Sibutu Strait between February and July, but later on told Rappler that they were the same vessels spotted near Balabac, which they would have inevitably passed on their way from Sibutu.

Then Wednesday, August 14, the military said another 5 Chinese naval vessels were spotted in Sibutu Strait in July and August.

Military officials said the warships' sail-by could not be considered "innocent passage" because they gave no prior notice to the Philippine government, and they were on a curved course, that is, they were not taking the shortest route through the strait.

Although Sibutu Strait is considered an international sea lane, it is part of the Philippines' territorial sea.

Broken promise

The defense chief lamented that China again neglected to give prior notice of the 5 warships' passage, especially because, according to him, Chinese Ambassador Zhao Jianhua said the incident with the earlier 4 vessels would not happen again.

"Ano ba 'yung 'Huy, daraan kami, makikiraan po' (What's so difficult about saying 'Hey, we're passing through, excuse us').... Why the secrecy?" Lorenzana said.

Although he wouldn't go so far as to call the incidents "disrespectful," Lorenzana said they automatically warrant a diplomatic protest against China.

Sending Beijing a note verbale is the job of the Department of Foreign Affairs, Lorenzana said.

But he added, "Tayo sa defense, naiinis na rin tayo dahil hindi nga hindi sila nagsasabi sa 'tin (We in defense, we are getting quite pissed because they never notify us)." – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – Caloocan Bishop Pablo Virgilio David said he refused the request of Peter Joemel Advincula alias Bikoy for church sanctuary as he denied accusations of participating in an alleged plot to bring down the Duterte administration through the viral Bikoy videos.

Advincula said in his affidavit that Jesuit priest Albert Alejo accompanied him to the bishop's residence in Caloocan on February 9 as part of the supposed Project Sodoma to bring down Duterte. 

David confirmed he met Advincula on February 9 but denied the circumstances and other details.

David said in his counter affidavit that Alejo had requested to meet with him, and that meeting happened in the morning of February 9. With Alejo was Advincula, whom David described as "a chubby bespectacled young man."

"Fr Alejo briefly told me the life of the man he was with at that time was in danger, that the drug syndicate he used to work with was after him, and that he needed sanctuary," David said.

David said Advincula struck him "as a glib-talker." (READ: Bikoy vs Bikoy: The biggest flip-flops of the government's star witness)

"The word 'drug syndicate' immediately came across as a warning signal to me. I told him that while the Church indeed sometimes provide sanctuary to people who feel their lives are in danger, so far, we have only provided help to crime witnesses, not to people who have been involved in crimes themselves," David said.

David added that he told Alejo to "seek help from people who might be in a better position to help deal with the man's alleged situation."

"I whispered to him to better check first on the veracity of the man's story who came and left as a total stranger to me. It did not interest me to know more about his identity especially when Fr Alejo told me the man had a security issue," David said.

David said he only came to know about the "chubby man's identity" when Advincula introduced himself as Bikoy in a press conference, before he totally turned the tables on the Jesuit priests and the opposition.

Bishops and priests in the case

Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas, also a respondent in the inciting to sedition complaint like David, said he also met Advincula once but on a different date than what was stated in Bikoy's affidavit.

Villegas said he met Advincula inside the Jesuit residence in Ateneo as part of his priestly ministry.

Advincula made inconsistent claims in his affidavit regarding the February 9 meeting with David. First he said that opposition senator Antonio Trillanes IV was in the meeting, and later changed it so that Trillanes only supposedly called Alejo through Protonmail. Protonmail is a secure email service that has no call feature.

"Contrary to the accusations levelled against me, I will be the last to resort to any kind of activity designed to undermine the administration or oust the duly elected officials of government," David said.

David has earned the ire of President Rodrigo Duterte for the former's statements against killings in the so-called war on drugs.

Another respondent in the sedition case is Bishop Teodoro Bacani, but Advincula did not specify the bishop's alleged participation, only that he is supposedly part of Project Sodoma's "shadow group." (READ: Meet the lawyers fighting Bikoy's sedition complaint)

"I fully trust that the prosecutors will see how nonsensical and baseless Bikoy's accusations against me are, and would, I humbly submit, find merit in dismissing charges against me and spare me from the torment and expense of a public trial," Bacani said in his counter-affidavit.

The next hearing at the Department of Justice is on September 6. – Rappler.com

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia – The grief-stricken parents of a Franco-Irish teen found dead in Malaysia after she disappeared from a rainforest resort claimed her body Friday, August 16, police said, following an autopsy that showed no signs of foul play.

Mohamad Mat Yusop, the police chief of Negeri Sembilan state where Nora Quoirin died, told Agence France-Presse her remains would be repatriated to London where she had lived with her family.

An autopsy showed the 15-year-old likely starved and died  of internal bleeding after about a week in the jungle, with no immediate signs of foul play, police said.

There was also no indication that the teenager, who had learning difficulties, was abducted or sexually assaulted, they said.

Mohamad, however, said Nora's body was still in the mortuary since the documentation process for it to be repatriated was ongoing.

Claiming the body is the first step in the process to send the remains back for burial or cremation, the police chief explained.

In a statement issued through their Malaysian lawyer, the girl's family said the initial autopsy results "have given some information that help us to understand Nora's cause of death."

But they said their daughter "died in extremely complex circumstances" and they were still hoping to have "more answers to our many questions."

"We will be bringing Nora home where she will finally be laid to rest, close to her loving families in France and Ireland," the family added.

The girl had gone missing from Dusun Resort, about 70 kilometers (40 miles) from the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur, on August 4, a day after checking in for a holiday with her family.

Her disappearance sparked a massive 10-day search in the jungle that involved hundreds of people, helicopters, drones and sniffer dogs.

The search came to a tragic end Tuesday, August 13, when the teenager's unclothed body was discovered in a ravine beside a stream not far from the resort.

Police had classified her disappearance as a missing persons case.

Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Wan Azizah Wan Ismail met with the girl's family Friday at the resort.

"It is very sad. Her death was tragic and I wish to extend my condolences to the family," Wan Azizah told reporters.

The schoolgirl is believed to have died two to 3 days before her body was found.

She had a condition known as holoprosencephaly, where the brain fails to develop normally. She had limited verbal communication and could only write a few words.

The Lucie Blackman Trust, a charity that supports relatives of British people missing overseas, said ongoing investigations in France will remain underway and urged an end to public speculation on the cause of death. – Rappler.com

SRINAGAR, India – Hundreds of protesters in Indian-administered Kashmir clashed with police Friday, August 16, as the UN Security Council began its first meeting on the territory in nearly half a century, with tensions soaring over New Delhi's move to strip the disputed region of its autonomy.

The meeting began as Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan spoke with US President Donald Trump, who last month controversially offered to mediate in the seven-decade old Kashmir dispute between nuclear-armed rivals India and Pakistan.

New Delhi ended the autonomous status of its portion of the Muslim-majority territory in the first week of August, stepping up movement restrictions and cutting off phone and internet access to head off civil unrest, and igniting calls from Pakistan for the international community to intervene.

Police fired tear gas and pellet-firing shotguns to disperse residents who tried to march down the main road in the main city of Srinagar after Friday prayers.

Protesters hurled stones and used shop hoardings and tin sheets as improvised shields, as police shot dozens of rounds into the crowd. No injuries were reported.

"We are trying to breach the siege and march to the city center but police is using force to stop us," one protester told Agence France-Presse.

Friday's Security Council meeting in New York – the first to discuss Kashmir since 1972 – came as Khan spoke to Trump by telephone to express his concerns over India's actions, according to Pakistani foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi.

"A good discussion took place between both leaders and it was decided that they will remain in constant contact," he said in Islamabad.

During a meeting with Khan in July, Trump said that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had asked him to help mediate the Kashmir dispute – a claim Delhi strenuously denied.

India has always insisted the Kashmir issue can only be resolved bilaterally with Pakistan.

Kashmir has been divided between the two countries since independence, and has been the spark for two major wars and countless clashes between the two nuclear-armed arch-rivals.

Earlier this year they came close to all-out conflict yet again, after a militant attack in Indian-held Kashmir in February was claimed by a group based in Pakistan, igniting tit-for-tat air strikes.

Sporadic clashes were reported Friday in other parts of the Kashmir Valley, the main hotbed of resistance to Indian rule for decades.

Major towns and cities in the valley remained under curfew, with government forces allowing people to move only on special passes.

Government forces erected steep barricades and used concertina wires to block roads.

No big gatherings were allowed in the valley and most mosques were shut for the second consecutive Friday.

The protesters marched along the lanes of Srinagar, carrying black flags – signifying grief – and placards with slogans including "Go India, go back."

- Phone lines -

Friday's clashes took place as a top official said that authorities would begin restoring phone lines in Kashmir on Friday evening, including in Srinagar.

Jammu and Kashmir chief secretary BVR Subrahmanyam did not make clear whether mobile phones and internet connections would also be reinstated.

He said the restoration would "(keep) in mind the constant threat posed by terrorist organizations."

Fearing an angry and potentially violent response to its move to end Kashmir's autonomous status, India deployed 10,000 additional troops – joining the half a million already there – severely restricted movement and cut telecommunications.

Kashmiri politicians – alongside university professors, business leaders and activists – are among the more than 500 people that have since been taken into custody.

Despite the lockdown, last Friday residents said some 8,000 people took to the streets and that the military used pellet-firing shotguns.

The Indian government confirmed the clashes only after several days had passed, blaming them on stone-throwing "miscreants" and saying its forces reacted with "restraint."

Tens of thousands of people, most of them civilians, have died in an uprising against Indian rule that has raged since 1989. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – The emergence of online gaming hubs operated by Chinese workers should not really be a cause for concern, said Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, but the fact that they are located near military and police camps has made him think twice.

“Personally, I think there should be no need to worry,” Lorenzana told reporters on Friday, August 16.

“Pero kung makikita mo na sigurong maraming tao diyan na palaging nandiyan (But when you already see many people there who are always there), it’s very easy for all these people to, siguro (perhaps), shift their activities to spying,” he added.

Hubs for Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGO) are located or are being constructed near the national headquarters of the military in Camp Aguinaldo and the police in Camp Crame, both in Quezon City; the headquarters of the Army in Fort Bonifacio in Taguig and the Air Force in Villamor Air base in Pasay; and the Sangley Point Naval Base in Cavite City.

Placing POGOs in self-contained hubs would protect Chinese workers’ rights and ensure better working conditions, the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (Pagcor) said earlier this month.

“I support the idea to put them in a hub malayo sa mga kampo at doon lang sila para ma-control sila ng mga authorities at ng Finance naman, at saka ng Immigration, para kung sino ‘yung pumapasok at saka lumalabas,” Lorenzana said.

(I support the idea to put them in a hub far from the camps and have them stay there so that they can be controlled by authorities and by the [Department of] Finance and by the  Immigration, to keep track of who comes in and who goes out.)

POGOs are proving to be a viable income source for the government. They paid P579 million in taxes in 2018, and owe another P4 billion, the government said.

Pagcor, which regulates POGOs, saw its revenues soar to P68 billion in the same year.

Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief General Benjamin Madrigal Jr said security officials provide information to “balance out economic considerations” with regard to POGOs.

“We have always advocated that development and security should come together. At the end of the day, sabi nga, maliban sa ating mga maaring sources of income, na dapat kasama rito ‘yung pangangalaga (As they say, aside from our possible sources of income, it should go with taking care of)…all other security considerations in undertaking these activities, naisasama natin (we should take them into account),” Madrigal told reporters on Friday.

'War and cooptation'

But for security and defense analyst Jose Antonio Custodio, spying is “the least of your worries” about POGOs.

“POGOs are the mother of all money laundering, which can benefit crooked Filipino politicians in the form of bribes on matters of questionable sales of property…and can influence Filipino politicians to play double for Chinese interests,” Custodio told Rappler.

Money laundered through POGOs can fuel dubious activities such as black sand mining and support to political dynasties, Custodio said, and other underhanded ways that “China can establish a sense of continuity of its influence in the Philippines.”

POGOs should be seen as “part of China’s unrestricted war and cooptation of a victim nation.”

By sounding the alarm on possible espionage, “the defense establishment could say they did their part,” Custodio added, “but they are questioning the wrong thing, and China could always deny it and say, no.” – Rappler.com

NEW YORK, USA – An autopsy on disgraced US financier Jeffrey Epstein – who was found dead in his jail cell – has concluded that he committed suicide by hanging, a coroner said Friday, August 16, answering one of the questions surrounding his death. (READ: Outcry as Jeffrey Epstein found dead in jail, FBI investigates)

The ruling comes 6 days after the 66-year-old, who was accused of trafficking girls as young as 14 for sex, was discovered dead in New York's high-security Metropolitan Correctional Center.

New York's chief medical examiner Barbara Sampson said in a statement emailed to Agence France-Presse that "after careful review of all investigative information, including complete autopsy findings" it was determined that Epstein killed himself.

The New York Times cited officials as saying that Epstein had used a bedsheet to hang himself.

The report came a day after US media reported that preliminary findings from the post-mortem examination had found broken bones in Epstein's neck.

The Washington Post and The New York Times quoted sources familiar with the autopsy report as saying Epstein had broken the hyoid bone near his Adam's apple.

Epstein, a multi-millionaire who once counted Britain's Prince Andrew and US President Donald Trump as friends, was charged with one count of sex trafficking of minors and one count of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of minors.

According to prosecutors, Epstein sexually exploited dozens of teenagers at his homes in Manhattan and Florida between 2002 and 2005.

He denied the charges but faced up to 45 years in jail if found guilty. 

The FBI and Justice Department are investigating how America's most high-profile remand prisoner managed to take his own life just weeks after an earlier reported suicide attempt.

The warden of the Metropolitan Correctional Center where Epstein was housed has been temporarily reassigned and two guards put on administrative leave pending an investigation. 

They guards were reportedly asleep when they should have been checking on Epstein.

Epstein's death came a day after a court released documents in which an alleged victim said he used her as a "sex slave" and that she was forced to have sex with well-known politicians and businessmen.

Virginia Giuffre has alleged she was forced to have sex with Prince Andrew, former US Senator and architect of the Northern Irish peace deal George Mitchell, ex-New Mexico governor Bill Richardson, and American celebrity lawyer Alan Dershowitz.

Lawsuits

They have all strenuously denied the allegations.

Prosecutors have pledged to pursue cases against anyone else involved in Epstein's alleged crimes and earlier this week FBI agents raided his private island in the Caribbean.

Several women have also come forward seeking damages. 

On Wednesday, Jennifer Araoz filed a lawsuit against Epstein's estate, his former girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell and 3 other female accomplices.

Araoz said she was raped by Epstein as a 15-year-old. She said Maxwell, a British socialite and daughter of the late fraudster and media mogul Robert Maxwell, enabled his crimes.

Maxwell's whereabouts are unknown but she was recently photographed at a restaurant in Los Angeles, according to US reports.

On Friday two other women filed a $100 million lawsuit against Epstein's estate.

They were working as hostesses in a Manhattan restaurant in 2004 when a woman described as a "recruiter" for Epstein approached them, they said.

The recruiter allegedly offered the pair hundreds of dollars each to go to Epstein's home and give him a massage, assuring them there would be no sexual contact, according to the lawsuit.

Two days later they went to Epstein's luxurious mansion near Central Park. Once they were in the massage room, the 8-page lawsuit said, Epstein was sexually aggressive towards them before giving them several hundred dollars.

Epstein was convicted in Florida in 2008 of paying young girls for massages but served just 13 months in jail under a secret plea deal struck with the then state prosecutor. – Rappler.com

YAOUNDE, Cameroon – Nine Chinese and eight Ukrainian seamen were abducted on Thursday when two merchant vessels came under attack in Cameroonian waters, sources said Friday, August 16.

"Seventeen Chinese and Ukrainians were kidnapped... (of whom) nine (are) Chinese who were abducted on one of the ships," an official in the port of Douala told Agence France-Presse (AFP). 

A Cameroonian security official, likewise speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed the account.

The abduction was reported on Thursday by sources in the Cameroonian navy and the country's port service, but their number and nationality were not then known.

The navy source had said the kidnappers "are probably Nigerian pirates," adding that Cameroon's security forces had launched a search for them.

The Gulf of Guinea, whose coastline stretches in a huge arc from Liberia to Gabon, is notorious for piracy as well as oil theft, illegal fishing, and human and drugs trafficking.

In Malaysia, Noel Choong, who heads the International Maritime Bureau (IMB), a watchdog agency, said the 17 seamen were seized from two ships that were attacked within hours of each other while they were anchored off Douala.

Choong said one of the ships was a multipurpose German-owned ship that flew the flag of Antigua and Barbuda. 

"Eight crew were kidnapped from the ship consisting of a total of 12 Asian and European sailors," he said.

The other vessel was a Liberian-flagged bulk carrier managed in Greece with a Greek owner.

"There were 21 crew on board. All were Asians. Nine crew were taken," Choong told AFP.

"(The) IMB has issued a warning to all ships at Douala. We ask all ships to take additional precaution."

According to the IMB's figures, 62 seafarers were taken hostage or abducted in the area in the first half of 2019.

The Gulf of Guinea accounts for 73 percent of kidnappings and 92 percent of hostage-takings at sea worldwide, it says.

The 17 countries in the Gulf of Guinea and adjacent regions have limited surveillance and maritime defense capabilities.

They have been trying for several years to bolster their means of intervention and to put in place closer collaboration. – Rappler.com

WASHINGTON, USA – The White House has advanced a proposal to sell $8 billion worth of advanced F-16 fighter jets to Taiwan, a move that would likely anger strategic rival Beijing, a senior US senator confirmed Friday, August 16.

Marco Rubio, a Republican on the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee, called the administration's decision to forward Taiwan's request for 66 F-16s to Congress for approval "an important step in support of Taiwan's self-defense efforts."

"As the Chinese government and Communist Party seeks to extend its authoritarian reach in the region, it is critical that the United States continue to enhance our strategic relationship with our democratic partner Taiwan through regular and consistent support," Rubio said.

Taiwan's plan to upgrade its air defenses comes amid increasing Chinese air force incursions into its air space. 

Beijing regards Taiwan as a part of China awaiting reunification but the island is self-ruled and is a close ally of the United States.

Taiwan already has a fleet of old-model F-16s purchased in 1992, which have undergone several crucial upgrades.

Manufacturer Lockheed Martin says the newest version, the F-16 Block 70/72, includes many avionics, weapons and radar technologies not in existence when earlier models were created.

It is structurally stronger, the company says, so that it "can fly and fight to 2070 and beyond."

Taiwan requested the aircraft earlier this year, and the sale has to be reviewed by the State Department and Pentagon, and then approved by the Senate and House foreign relations committees before going back to the State Department for final approval.

"I urge the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and House Foreign Affairs Committee to quickly advance this critical arms sale," Rubio said. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines (UPDATED) – Two employees of the Bureau of Customs (BOC) were hurt after armed men attacked them as they drove through Magallanes village in Makati on Friday night, August 16.

Sisters Maricon Manalo and Marietta Lasac – identified by the BOC as its employees –and their companion Sherlyn Salazar who police said was also a BOC employee, were in a car passing through Lapu-Lapu Avenue in Barangay Magallanes when their path was blocked by another vehicle at the corner of Victoria Street at around 8:40 pm on Friday.

Police said there were 4 unidentified men on the other vehicle, some of whom alighted their car and pointed a gun at the victims to try to force them to get out of their vehicle.

When the women stayed put, one of the suspects tried to smash the other car's window at the driver's side, prompting Manalo to reverse the vehicle to escape. The suspects, who were not wearing anything to cover their faces, shot at the women as they pulled away.

The women sought help at the nearest barangay outpost.

The 55-year-old Manalo was hit in the finger while Lasac, 60, was hit in the back near her shoulder. The two were rushed to the hospital and were in stable condition. 

Salazar, who was seated at the back, was not hurt, police said.

“Initial reports indicate that the incident might have been an attempt to abduct or rob the victims,” the BOC said in a statement.

Major Gideon Ines Jr, Makati Police investigation Unit chief, said Manalo is the officer-in-charge of the BOC Formal Entry Division, Lasaca is the principal appraiser of the BOC Formal Entry Division, while Salazar is an encoder at the BOC.

Customs Commissioner Rey Leonardo Guerrero strongly condemned the attack and directed the Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service (CIIS) to closely coordinate with the PNP for updates and further investigation.

"The agency will extend the necessary support and assistance to its personnel. We enjoin all BOC employees to remain focused on our mission and pray for the speedy recovery of our colleagues," Guerrero said. – Rappler.com

WASHINGTON, USA – The White House has advanced a proposal to sell $8 billion worth of advanced F-16 fighter jets to Taiwan, a move that would likely anger strategic rival Beijing, a senior US senator confirmed Friday, August 16.

Marco Rubio, a Republican on the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee, called the administration's decision to forward Taiwan's request for 66 F-16s to Congress for approval "an important step in support of Taiwan's self-defense efforts."

"As the Chinese government and Communist Party seeks to extend its authoritarian reach in the region, it is critical that the United States continue to enhance our strategic relationship with our democratic partner Taiwan through regular and consistent support," Rubio said.

Taiwan's plan to upgrade its air defenses comes amid increasing Chinese air force incursions into its air space. 

Beijing regards Taiwan as a part of China awaiting reunification but the island is self-ruled and is a close ally of the United States.

Taiwan already has a fleet of old-model F-16s purchased in 1992, which have undergone several crucial upgrades.

Manufacturer Lockheed Martin says the newest version, the F-16 Block 70/72, includes many avionics, weapons and radar technologies not in existence when earlier models were created.

It is structurally stronger, the company says, so that it "can fly and fight to 2070 and beyond."

Taiwan requested the aircraft earlier this year, and the sale has to be reviewed by the State Department and Pentagon, and then approved by the Senate and House foreign relations committees before going back to the State Department for final approval.

"I urge the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and House Foreign Affairs Committee to quickly advance this critical arms sale," Rubio said. – Rappler.com

KHARTOUM, Sudan – Sudan was poised Saturday, August 17, to celebrate a historic deal between generals and protest leaders for a transition to civilian rule, which many hope will bring increased freedom and prosperity.

During a ceremony to be held at a hall by the Nile in the capital Khartoum, members of the Transitional Military Council and protest leaders are expected to sign documents defining a 39-month transition.

But the road to democracy remains fraught with obstacles, even if the mood was celebratory as foreign dignitaries as well as thousands of citizens from all over Sudan converged for the occasion.

The deal reached on August 4 – the Constitutional Declaration– brought an end to nearly 8 months of upheaval that saw masses mobilize against president Omar al-Bashir, who was ousted in April after 30 years in power.

The agreement brokered by the African Union and Ethiopia was welcomed with relief by both sides; protesters celebrated what they see as the victory of their "revolution," while the generals took credit for averting civil war.

In the town of Atbara – the birthplace of the protests back in December – people on Friday night danced and sang at the train station as they prepared to travel to Khartoum, videos shared on social media showed.

"Civilian rule, civilian rule," they chanted, promising to avenge the estimated 250 allegedly killed by security forces during the protests.

With Saturday's official signing, Sudan is set to kick off a process that includes important first steps.

New institutions

The composition of the transitional civilian-majority ruling council is to be announced Sunday.

On Thursday, August 15, protest leaders agreed to nominate former senior UN official Abdalla Hamdok, a veteran economist, as prime minister.

He is expected to focus on attempting to stabilize Sudan's economy, which went into a tailspin when the oil-rich south seceded in 2011 and was the focus of the initial protests.

But many Sudanese are already questioning the ability of the transitional institutions to rein in the military elite's powers during the 3-year period leading to planned elections.

The country of 40 million people will be ruled by an 11-member sovereign council and a government, which will – the deal makes clear – be dominated by civilians.

However, the interior and defense ministers are to be chosen by military members of the council.

"Political dynamics will matter more than pieces of paper," said Rosalind Marsden from London's Chatham House think tank.

"The biggest challenge facing the government will be dismantling the Islamist deep state... which took control of all state institutions and key sectors of the economy, including hundreds of businesses owned by the military-security apparatus," Marsden added.

End of isolation?

Saturday's official ceremony is to be attended by Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and several other top leaders from the region.

One of the most immediate diplomatic consequences of the compromise reached this month could be the lifting of a suspension slapped on Sudan by the African Union in June.

Lieutenant General Mohammed Ali Ibrahim, a senior member of the Transitional Military Council, said Friday that the official signing would "reopen the door for Sudan's foreign relations."

Bashir, who took power in a 1989 coup and is wanted by the International Criminal Court over an alleged genocidal campaign in the Darfur region, had been slated to appear in court Saturday on corruption charges.

But his trial has been postponed to an as yet undetermined date.

Amnesty International on Friday warned against allowing Bashir to escape trial in the Hague.

"Omar al-Bashir has evaded justice for far too long as the victims of horrific crimes still wait for justice and reparations," it said.

Some within the protest camp are skeptical of the compromise deal, which they say did not do enough to curb the powers of the military or guarantee justice for those killed by security forces.

Absent from Saturday's ceremony are also the various rebel groups from marginalized regions such as Darfur, Blue Nile, and Southern Kordofan.

The Sudan Revolutionary Front that unites these insurgents has supported the protest movement but rejected the constitutional declaration, demanding representation in the government and more guarantees on peace talks. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – Senator Leila de Lima has filed a resolution urging President Rodrigo Duterte to cancel the development of 3 Philippine islands by Chinese firms. 

De Lima filed Senate Resolution No. 93 on Wednesday, August 14, in response to the Chinese firms' plans to develop 3 islands in the northern Philippines: Fuga in Cagayan, and Grande and Chiquita in Subic Bay, Zambales.

The senator filed the resolution a week after the Philippine military expressed concern over the plan, noting that the islands were strategic and their development by Chinese firms could "compromise" Philippine security. (READ: Philippine military warns on Chinese investment in key islands)

“With claims from no less than our top military officials that Chinese presence in these strategic border islands would pose, if not guarantee, security risks to our country, President Duterte should go ahead and immediately cancel these development agreements with Chinese firms involving these islands," De Lima said.

“No amount of guarantee of good behavior nor promise of economic gain from China would justify placing our country at risk by allowing foreign presence in strategic locations, especially by a government that has repeatedly expressed their claim over our territorial waters, as well as those of our neighboring states,” she added.

On August 6, the military through its spokesman Brigadier General Edgard Arevalo urged the  government should study the security implications of handing over the islands to foreign entities. 

De Lima's resolution specified two agreements regarding the developments.

The first agreement, confirmed by the Cagayan Economic Zone Authority, is with Xiamen-based Fong Zhi Enterprise Corporation to develop a $2-billion Smart City in Fuga Island. 

The second is with GFTG Property Holdings and Sanya CEDF Sino-Philippine Investment Corporation, which forged a $298-million project to develop the Grande and Chiquita islands under the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority.

Military and defense officials said they were not consulted about these plans.

Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo had said that the island investments were "mere plans" and that the Philippines may opt to cancel if they were found to be threats to national security.

Economic ties have improved between the Philippines and China under President Duterte, who set aside the Philippines' 2016 victory over China in the West Philippine Sea before an international court, when he was elected into office. (READ: Philippines loses to China 3 years after Hague ruling)

This has led to an influx of Chinese investment in the country, particularly with offshore gaming firms that cater to China, causing many Chinese workers to move to the Philippines. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – Flanked by grim-faced lads in crew haircuts, the 34-year-old Ronald Cardema lobbying to represent the youth in Congress gave a media conference on Saturday, August 17, where he accused a poll body commissioner of holding his party-list nomination hostage in exchange for political favors he had no official capacity to grant.

Cardema presented mobile phone screen grabs of what he said were an exchange of messages between him and a purported member of Congress whom he claimed was an “emissary” of Commission on Elections (Comelec) Commissioner Rowena Guanzon.

The images with many obscured names and lines showed the “emissary” supposedly relaying requests from Guanzon to appoint certain people to positions in a regional trial court and the public works department, said Cardema, who appeared to have eagerly agreed to the requests in exchange for an assurance that his legally challenged bid for a congressional seat would pass Comelec scrutiny.

But the requested favors were too much for him and his Duterte Youth party to secure, Cardema said, and now Guanzon has resorted to publicly harassing them, he claimed.

"Akala ng lahat, siya ‘yung pinakamatinong Comelec Commissioner pero siya ‘yung maraming hinihingi…. Hirap na hirap na kami, hindi namin maibigay. At ’tong nanalo kami at hindi namin naibigay, hanggang proclamation day hinahabol,” Cardema said during the media conference.

(Everyone thinks she is the most upright Comelec Commissioner but she’s the one with so many requests…. We are having such a difficult time, we could not grant them. And now that we’ve won and we could not grant them, we were hounded until proclamation day.)

Guanzon is a member of the Comelec division that canceled Cardema’s nomination as representative of the Duterte Youth Party-list, which won a single seat in the 18th Congress.

The poll body division ruled that Cardema was ineligible as a youth representative, who must be 25 to 30 years old on the day of the elections on May 13.

Guanzon released a separate concurring opinion in which she scored Cardema’s “clear attempt” at circumventing election laws and the Comelec’s rules by claiming he was an eligible candidate, and by filing his substitution as the party-list’s nominee only on the eve of the elections.

After Cardema’s disqualification earlier this month, Guanzon pushed for an investigation to determine whether he committed “material misrepresentation” when he filed for candidacy, which would amount to an election offense with criminal liability.

Guanzon then said she and members of her family had received death threats, and challenged Cardema to prove he and his group were not behind them.

During Saturday’s media conference, Cardema said he and his group could not have threatened Guanzon, whom he said “holds them by the neck.” He said he and his group offered to help track down the sources of the threats but they received no response from Guanzon.

"Makikita ‘nyo na pinapalabas niya, siya ang biktima. Kami sa Duterte Youth ang biktima (You see her playing the victim. We at Duterte Youth are the victims),” Cardema said.

Cardema has filed an appeal before the Comelec en banc to reconsider its cancellation of his nomination as the party's first nominee.

Guanzon shot back at Cardema on Twitter on Saturday, saying she would not be intimidated into inhibiting in the case.  – Rappler.com

BANGKOK, Thailand – A sick baby dugong whose fight for recovery won hearts in Thailand and cast a spotlight on ocean conservation has died from an infection exacerbated by bits of plastic lining her stomach, officials said Saturday, August 17.

Mariam washed up in shallow waters off southwestern Thailand months ago and photos of her nuzzling playfully next to rescuers quickly went viral.

The discovery soon after of another orphaned dugong brought the sea cows celebrity status, the attention of a Thai princess – who named the second one "Jamil" – and round-the-clock webcasts giving viewers a front-row seat to feedings and treatment.

But Mariam died just after midnight after going into shock and efforts to resuscitate her failed, Chaiyapruk Werawong, head of Trang province marine park, told AFP.

"She died from a blood infection and pus in her stomach," he said, adding they found small amounts of plastic waste in her intestinal tract.

An autopsy showed the plastic had caused obstructions in the animal's stomach, leading to inflammation and gas build-up, veterinarian Nantarika Chansue posted on Facebook.

RIP
Mariam, the baby dugong, Thailand's conservation star, is dead at around midnight last night (Friday). Plastic bag is found in her stomach.#ThaiPBSWorld#Mariam#BabyDugongpic.twitter.com/wUgyK4N0rL

— Thai PBS World (@ThaiPBSWorld) August 17, 2019

"We could partially treat the respiratory infection but the obstruction of plastic rubbish... could not be cured," she said in the post, calling for her death to serve as a lesson.

"She taught us how to love and then went away as if saying please tell everyone to look after us and conserve her species."

The dugongs are the latest marine creatures to make headlines in Thailand, whose plastic-choked waters are also a threat to habitats.

Both the animals were found in southern Thailand, home to about 250 of the sea cows, which are closely related to the manatee and classified as vulnerable.

Jamil, whose name translates to "handsome sea prince", is being cared for separately in Phuket.

Mariam's death was also announced on the Facebook page of the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources.

The post quickly garnered more than 11,000 shares and thousands of comments mourning the loss, while a meme with a picture of Mariam and "RIP" circulated online.

"It's a pity for those who fed her milk and collected sea grass for their little daughter that we have to lose Mariam because of plastic waste," one commenter said. – Rappler.com

Here are more stories about plastic pollution:

• Sea turtle found dead in Negros Occidental
• Swap trash for tickets on Indonesia's 'plastic bus'
• Microplastics in Arctic snow point to widespread air contamination
• Microplastics are getting into mosquitoes and contaminating new food chains
• Humans consume 'tens of thousands' of plastic pieces each year
• Dead whale in Compostela Valley had 40 kilograms of plastic in stomach