MANILA, Philippines – The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on Monday, October 3, denied claims by self-confessed hitman Edgar Matobato that he was once a militiaman, either as part of the Civilian Home Defense Unit (CHDU) or the Civilian Armed Forces Geographical Unit (CAFGU).

Reading certifications from Army chief Lieutenant General Eduardo Año, Colonel Bartolome Bacarro told the Senate committee on justice and human rights that the military has no records of a certain "Edgar Matobato" in its list of militiamen since the 70s. 

Matobato claimed that in the 80s, he was a militiaman, a member of the auxiliary force of the Second Scout Ranger Battalion based in Davao City.

Matobato said he was a hitman of the infamous "Davao Death Squad," a vigilante group that allegedly targeted criminals and even personal and political foes of then Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte.

He has accused Duterte of forming and spearheading the supposed death squad. (READ: Duterte denies knowing Matobato personally)

Bacarro added that contrary to Matobato's claims, it was impossible for him to have undergone a Scout Ranger course since this is only available to military personnel. (READ: Matobato's hits and misses)

But Senator Antonio Trillanes IV, among President Duterte's critics in the Senate, defended Matobato, pointing out that another witness, Senior Police Officer 3 Arthur Lascañas had earlier testified that he saw Matobato in "camouflage" with an M14 rifle. 

"In Davao City, in the early 80s, there was a unique situation. So we'll have to check deeper so we can reconcile the statements of Lascañas and Matobato regarding his membership in the auxiliary unit of the Scout Ranger battalion," said Trillanes, who used to be part of the Philippine Navy. 

Matobato has alleged that Lascañas, a longtime Davao City police officer, was among Duterte's chief aides. Lascañas denied Matobato's tale, saying all his assertions were lies. (READ: Edgar Matobato: Liar or truth-teller?) – Rappler.com  

Working abroad can be really tempting, moreso when people consider living in the Philippines, where the minimum wage is low, taxes are high, and jobs are hard to come by.

It’s no surprise that a tenth of our population has chosen to walk the path of an overseas Filipino worker (OFW), despite the emotional toll of being away from their family.

But the OFW life is no shortcut to success. Despite the higher wage they get abroad, many OFWs come home empty-handed, some even poorer than before they left.

Poor financial literacy is usually the cause, according to Vince Rapisura, wealth expert and president of the Social Enterprise Development Partnerships, Inc. 

Leaving without a proper financial plan, many OFWs tend to overspend and overstay abroad.

How can OFWs better manage their finances and reach their financial goals faster, thereby be able to come home sooner? Here are some tips from Vince:

Set your goals

According to Vince, economic migrants should make it a goal to be able to come back within 10 years. 

OFWs should ideally go through the following migration process:

• Beginning stage (1-2 years) - For the first two years, the migrant should work on paying off the debts he/she incurred to be able to work abroad. (ie. money spent for plane tickets, processing fees, etc.)
• Medium term (2-3 years) - During the medium term, the migrant’s focus should be to provide for his/her family’s basic needs.
• Long term (3-5 years) - The migrant’s last years, meanwhile, should be spent for their financial goals like being able to buy a house, open a business, among others.

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Before you start packing your bags, it’s also important that you and your family understand why you have to leave and what you are trying to achieve.

Just as important is being able to stick with your goals.

"When they go there, initially they say, 'I only want a tricycle as a business,' and send my children to school.' After 5 years and they've already attained that, the goal would shift somewhere else. Maybe the tricycle is now a jeepney, and sending the children to school is finished and now they want to put up a house," Vince explained.

Changing goals is not necessarily a bad thing, but having no definite end-goal contributes to OFWs overstaying abroad. (READ: 'Are you an OFW? Here are bad spending habits you need to break' )

Know where you are

The next step to financial success is knowing where you are. 

Vince introduced a personal financial diagnostic test in his book entitled (L)earning Wealth: Successful Strategies in Money Management.

The test aims to describe a person’s financial practices and provide a rating scale to help you determine whether or not they are good practices.

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According to Vince, this self-diagnostic test is not meant to extensively measure your financial status but gives an idea of which spectrum of personal practices you generally belong to – from very high personal finance practice to very poor. You may take the test here. 

For a guideline, you may also follow the financial life stages explained by Vince here: 

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Budget your money

When it comes to budgeting your money, Vince suggests that OFWs follow the 5-15-20-60 budgeting rule, with 5% of income going to insurance premium, 15% to savings, 20% to investments, and 60% to expenses.

You can learn more about this formula here: 

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Filipinos also tend to mix financial decisions with emotions.

This is a problem because rationality is necessary when making these decisions – something we lack when we are in a highly emotional state.  

One of these emotions that prevents us from making rational financial decisions is fear, specifically the fear of not being loved - a common distress for OFWs. 

Many OFWs fear that their children or spouses would love them less if they fail to send remittances to buy the things they want. In some cases, some relatives threaten OFWs with emotional blackmail.

According to Vince, it’s important that we teach our family to be independent and make them understand that reaching their financial goals requires a collective effort. 

Here’s how an OFW can make love and money work: 

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On helping others financially:

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Clear your debts 

Borrowing money is common among many Filipinos and OFWs are no exemptions. Many OFWs leave to be able to pay for their loans or borrow money in order to finance their move overseas. With loans hounding them, OFWs fail to save and often end up overextending their stay abroad.

As a guideline, Vince suggests you follow these cardinal rules on borrowing money:

1. Borrow money only when you plan to use it for productive purposes. This means using the money to finance something that creates income.
2. Income from this project should be greater than the interest you will pay.
3. Installment amount should not exceed 20% of your regular income.
4. Do not borrow to finance wants. To be able to buy the things you want, save for it or create an investment portfolio that will provide you with a passive income.
5. Lastly, borrow only from formal financial sources. This way, you can take advantage of lower interest rates and establish your credit history.

Burdened by debts? No worries, it's still not the end of the road for you. Here's how you can get out of bad debts:

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But not all debts are bad. If you do it right, loans may help you reach your financial goals faster. Watch this video to find out which debts are good and which are bad:

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Invest! Invest! Invest!

Investing your money can help grow it even further and help you reach your financial goals even faster.

According to Vince, one thing that hinders many Filipinos from investing is the thinking that investing requires a big amount of money. This is not true.

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You can start investing with small amounts by simply opening a savings account. As you get more money using your active income (salary, commission, etc), you gain the propensity to invest in other investment vehicles.

While many OFWs do invest, a lot also do not invest in the right places - often falling victim to investment scams.

The key is to be patient. Carefully research before investing your money. Watch this video for tips on avoiding investment scams:

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To help even more OFWs and young professionals manage their finances better, Vince wrote a guide to financial literacy entitled (L)Earning Wealth: Successful Strategies in Money Management. Find out more about it here:

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The bottom line: The n OFW life is not a sure recipe for fortune. Whether your sacrifices take you to success or not will depend not only on how hardworking you are but also on how smart you are in managing your money. Do it right and you'll finally be able to be with your family again without financial problems haunting you every day. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) on Monday, October 3, condemned threatening behavior against Reuters journalists Karen Lema and Manuel Mogato.

NUJP chairman Ryan Rosauro's statement pointed to a GRPundit post from Get Real Philippines, which accused the Reuters reporters of deliberately misreporting Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte's comments about Adolf Hitler.

The post from GRPundit said "malicious and irresponsible journalists" like Lema and Mogato "are the true enemies of democracy," and they "should be punished with the full force of the law."

In recent days, Lema and Mogato have been shown on memes that called for "violent punitive action," said Rosauro.

Some netizens, the NUJP chairman added, have also demanded "controls on freedom of the press and of expression."

Lema and Mogato wrote Reuters' story about Duterte's comments on Hitler, entitled "Philippines' Duterte likens himself to Hitler, wants to kill millions of drug users."

The President had said last Friday, September 30: "Hitler massacred 3 million Jews. Now there [are] 3 million drug addicts… I'd be happy to slaughter them."

Duterte's comments sparked outrage from the international community. The President later apologized on Sunday, October 2, saying it was not his intention to offend the memory of victims of the Holocaust.

The online vitriol against Lema and Mogato followed online attacks against freelance journalist Gretchen Malalad and Al Jazeera correspondent Jamela Alindogan, who were targeted for their reports on Duterte's bloody war on drugs.

The NUJP also condemned those attacks, saying other people had "gone beyond legitimate criticism of their professional output to outright threats on their persons."

After the attacks against Malalad and Alindogan, Duterte on September 22 asked his supporters to stop threatening journalists.

"I appreciate very much your support and maybe your – how would I say it – enthusiasm to back me up. You are correct, I am doing nothing wrong, but of course we should also not threaten people kasi hindi na sila makapagsulat ng totoo (because they aren't able to write the truth)," said the President.

Rosauro said this appeal from Duterte has apparently been ignored.

"Mr. Duterte's injunction to his supporters not to harm journalists and leave them to pursue independent reporting about his government seems to have fallen on deaf ears, drowned by the overflowing zeal of an army of social media warriors who are quick to deflect the slips in judgment and pronouncements he has made as if he is infallible," Rosauro said.

While the NUJP does acknowledge that criticism and calling out errors can enrich public discourse and improve the practice of journalism, "threatening journalists when their reportage is disagreeable or erroneous is criminal, as is helping spread these threats."

Rosauro added: "We are worried over the continued vilification of media and attempts to lay the predicate to muzzle freedom of the press and of expression. However, we are certain that most of the public who we serve know and understand the crucial role an independent Fourth Estate plays in a democracy." – Rappler.com

DAMASCUS, Syria – At least two suicide bombers detonated explosive belts in Syria's central Hama city on Monday, October 3, leaving two people dead and others wounded, state media reported. 

Citing a police source inside the city, state news agency SANA said the attacks hit Assi Square in the city center about 15 minutes apart. 

Hama governor Ghassan Khalaf told Syrian state television that the attack killed two people and wounded 12 others. 

Monday's blasts came as a coalition of rebels edge closer to government-controlled Hama city, which has remained relatively insulated from the brutal violence of Syria's five-year war. 

In August 2013, a car bomb in the city killed Hama's former governor, and another blast two months later left more than 30 people dead. 

In the first months of Syria's uprising, which broke out in March 2011, Hama saw some of the largest demonstrations against the rule of President Bashar al-Assad.

But later that year security forces stormed the city, killing scores of people. They have held a tight grip on the city ever since. 

While the city has remained calm, the surrounding province has seen some major clashes between government troops, rebels, and jihadists. 

The Islamic State (ISIS) group has a presence in the province's northeast, while an alliance of opposition fighters and extremist groups has battled regime forces northwest of the provincial capital. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – Senator Leila de Lima admonished a Davao City policeman for throwing an "insult" at her during the 5th Senate hearing into the spate of extrajudicial killings.

Davao City PO3 Enrique Ayao, one of the 16 police allegedly linked to the Davao Death Squad, alleged that a staff of De Lima approached him during the Commission on Human Rights' public hearing into the extrajudicial killings in Davao City held on May 22, 2009.

Ayao indirectly accused then-CHR chairperson De Lima of wanting to settle the charges filed against him in exchange for a testimony against the DDS.

While he did not directly say De Lima offered such a deal to him, Ayao said it was questionable that the senator asked to meet with him in a discreet place.

"Nakakapagtaka sa discreet place, undisclosed place held 'yung pag-uusap po," he claimed. "Eh bakit nila ako lalapitan ng gano'n? Sinabi ko nga baka ma-co-compromise ang appeal ko diyan sa Napolcom kung makipag-usap ako sa kanila."

(It's suspicious that we had to meet in a discreet place. Why would they approach me like that? I even said that my appeal to Napolcom might be compromised if I speak with them.)

De Lima, however, denied there were irregularities. She asked Ayao about her staff who supposedly approached him but the latter said he could no longer recall the details.

"Sorry po 'di ko kayo matandaan (I don't remember you). I deny that," De Lima said.

The committee spent at least an hour trying to squeeze out of Ayao what he truly meant with his insinuations against the senator. 

In the end, after the continuous questioning by senators, he only told De Lima: "Wala kayong kasalanan. At saka wala kayong ginawang masama." (You're innocent. You did not do anything wrong.)

But minutes after, in another exchange with De Lima, Ayao again hinted there were anomalies. This time, the senator did not take the inconsistencies and insinuations sitting down.

She was questioning Ayao, who allegedly belonged to the Davao Death Squad, about the cases filed against him.

Ayao said the Philippine National Police Legal Service already dismissed the administrative charges against him – grave misconduct and violation of police operation procedures.

He, however, still has a pending case before the Ombudsman for alleged perjury and bribery.

"Ang pending na lang ay 'yung sa Ombudsman (The only one pending is the case before the Ombudsman)?" De Lima asked Ayao.

Instead of confirming, Ayao interjected: "Sana'y tulungan 'nyo ako (I hope you'll help me)."

A visibly irked De Lima admonished him: "Insult po ba 'yan (Is that an insult)? I take it as an insult."

Even before Ayao could finish his apology, De Lima warned him to stop such antics.

"So stop it! Ang lalakas ng loob 'nyo ha (The nerve)! Don't ever do that again," she said, ending her interpellation.

Witness Edgar Matobato, self-confessed hitman of the DDS, alleged that Ayao killed Davao-based journalist Jun Pala in 2003 upon the orders of then-Davao City mayor and now president Rodrigo Duterte.

Ayao denied it, claiming the murdered journalist was his "friend." – Rappler.com

TOKYO, Japan – Japanese police are probing the deaths of 46 patients on the same floor of a hospital where a pair of elderly men were fatally poisoned, reports said on Monday, October 3.

An autopsy on the two men who died at the hospital in Yokohama determined they were caused by a chemical found in disinfectant, public broadcaster NHK and other media reported earlier. 

Police reportedly suspect the chemical was injected into intravenous drips that were administered to the two 88-year-old victims, Sozo Nishikawa and Nobuo Yamaki. The men both died last month.

But the probe has grown with authorities looking at how almost 4 dozen others died at the hospital since early July, although some were already seriously ill.

Hospital staff reportedly found puncture marks in 10 intravenous bags stored near the nursing station on the same floor.

"We see many people pass away due to the nature of this hospital, but had the impression that the number of those dying was increasing a bit," a hospital official told Kyodo News.

Many have already been cremated, making determining a cause of death more difficult, reports said.

Neither police nor the hospital would confirm the news reports, and no suspects have been named.

The investigation comes two months after the murder of 19 people at a centre for the mentally disabled, Japan's worst killing spree in decades.

In 2000 a male nurse was charged with killing one patient and attempting to murder four others by poisoning them at a clinic in the northern Japanese city of Sendai. – Rappler.com

MOSCOW, Russia – Russia's FSB security service on Monday, October 3, said it had detained a Ukrainian journalist for spying, sparking the latest diplomatic scandal in the bitter feud between Kiev and Moscow.  

Journalist Roman Sushchenko – who has worked for Ukrainian state news agency Ukrinform since 2002 – was detained in Moscow "while conducting espionage activities," the FSB told Interfax news agency. 

Russia's security service said that Sushchenko, 47, is a serving colonel in Ukraine's military intelligence and was "collecting state secrets... that could damage the defense capability of the state if leaked abroad."

Pro-Western Kiev blasted the allegations and portrayed Sushchenko's detention as the latest aggression in the stand-off over Moscow's 2014 annexation of Crimea and support for separatist rebels fighting in eastern Ukraine.

"Russia has definitively condemned itself to isolation from the civilised world," Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman wrote on Facebook.

He slammed the detention as "further evidence of massive and systematic abuses of human rights through persecution, arrests and trials on trumped-up charges."

Latest detainee

Sushchenko is the latest Ukrainian citizen Kiev says has been illegally detained by Russia.

In May, former army pilot Nadiya Savchenko was released by Moscow in a prisoner swap after being found guilty of the murder of two Russian journalists in east Ukraine at a high-profile trial that drew international condemnation. 

The Ukrinform news agency said Sushchenko -- who works as its Paris correspondent -- was detained on September 30 after he arrived in Moscow on holiday.

Russian lawyer Mark Feigin, who defended Savchenko, told AFP that he was being held at Moscow's Lefortovo prison.

Kiev called for the Sushchenko's immediate release and demanded Russian authorities allow Ukrainian diplomats to access to him. 

But Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov insisted that the detention was "the standard security agency work" and said that Sushchenko did not have permission to work as a journalist in Russia. 

"There is not and cannot be any campaign against the Ukrainian media or any other foreign media working in Russia," Peskov told journalists.   

The conflict between Russia and Ukraine has also seen a sharp spike in the number of people put on trial for espionage and treason as it has pushed broader East-West ties to their lowest point since the end of the Cold War.   

A Russian court last year sentenced an elderly Ukrainian citizen to six years in prison for allegedly attempting to smuggle sensitive missile defense technology out of the country.  – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines (UPDATED) – Past the 12th hour of a Senate hearing on the so-called Davao Death Squad (DDS) on Monday, October 3, Senator Leila de Lima walked out after being chastised by the committee chairperson for "material concealment."  

An “umbraged” Senator Richard Gordon chastised the neophyte senator for failing to disclose early on that her star witness Edgar Matobato, who claims to be a hitman for the so-called DDS, has a pending case for the supposed kidnapping of a certain Salim Makdum.

Witnesses at the hearing – Davao police whom Matobato had earlier accused of being members of the infamous death squad – said that Matobato and several others were charged before the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) over the disappearance of Makdum.

Matobato earlier claimed that Makdum, whom he said was a “suspected terrorist,” was ordered kidnapped and killed by the supposed Davao Death Squad.

De Lima, who first presented Matobato when she still chaired the Senate justice committee, admitted that the information was part of “notes” gathered over a series of interviews with Matobato in September. De Lima admitted the mistake, calling it an “oversight.”

However, Gordon would not have any of it. “I am umbraged by it…. We went on a very wild goose chase here, because had we known that we would not have called all these people,” said Gordon, referring to the Davao Police who were invited to the hearing.

De Lima walked out after close to an hour of heated debate between senators still present at the session hall as of posting.

Trancript shows Matobato's admission

A transcript provided later by De Lima's office showed that Matobato did mention the kidnapping charges against him during the September 15 hearing, the first time he testified at the Senate. 

Matobato, when asked if he would stand by his claim that he killed Sali Makdum, said: 

“Opo, ma’am kasi pinaylan ako ng kaso, ma’am ng kidnapping kang Sali Makdum. Hindi ko sila tinuro. Prang inako ko rin. Pinaylan ako sa NBI,” Matobato said. (Yes, ma'am. They filed a case against me for kidnapping Salik Makdum. I did not squeal on them. I simply admitted to it. NBI filed a case against me.)

De Lima then clarified what the witness said. Matobato confirmed it. “Oo, ako ang kinasuhan ma’am. Opo ma’am.” (Yes, they filed a case against me. Yes, ma'am)

A week after, Matobato once again mentioned the kidnapping case filed against him, the same transcript showed. (READ: Matobato admitted kidnap case vs him) 

'Act of cowardice'

Matobato had earlier claimed that President Rodrigo Duterte, during his time as Davao mayor, formed, funded and headed the notorious Davao Death Squad, a vigilante group that targeted criminals and, supposedly, even personal and political enemies of the mayor. 

Among Matobato's allegations was a "2002" case wherein the death squad supposedly kidnapped and killed Salim Makdum, whom he said was a suspected terrorist.

Matobato named several Davao police, supposed members of the death squad, as those involved in the operation. Several of those police officials were at the Senate on Monday to testify. 

Matobato's details regarding the Makdum case – and other parts of his testimony – had been inconsistent.

Davao police disclosed on Monday that Makdum's wife had filed a kidnapping for ransom case against Matobato in 2000 – and not in 2002 – a fact De Lima failed to disclose.

De Lima later said it was part of her notes, gathered over a course of several interviews with Matobato in September. 

Gordon said De Lima’s failure to mention the case was “material concealment,” noting that it was “very strong piece of vital information.” 

Senator Antonio Trillanes IV, who has had protective custody of Matobato, read parts of the Senate's official transcript, wherein Matobato had apparently mentioned that a case was filed against him for the abduction of Makdum.

After this, De Lima was fuming: "So where is the material concealment on the part of Senator De Lima? It pains me to be accused of material concealment."

She demanded an apology from Gordon, who had replaced her as chairperson of the justice committee. 

Gordon quipped: "Don't melt down, you're melting down."

Gordon against chastized De Lima, noting that she acted "meek" before Trillanes arrived. 

Still fuming, De Lima added: "Since no apology is forth coming, I'm walking out." She then began gathering her belongings. 

Speaking after De Lima had walked out, Gordon said it was an act of "cowardice" to walk out. 

Taken for a ride?

Gordon tried to summon Matobato, but was later told by the staff of Senator Antonio Trillanes IV that he had left the Senate building “so his security won’t be compromised.”

“Para bang kung nabuko na, nawala na,” quipped Gordon. (It’s as if the moment he was found out, he disappeared.)

“We were all taken for a ride by Mr Matobato, and it’s so frustrating that, after all, we’re not smarter than a first grader,” said Senator Panfilo Lacson.

De Lima took offense at “insinuations” that she and Trillanes purposely allowed Matobato to leave the Senate as Davao police began their testimony. Gordon said he was ordering Matobato to return to the Senate.

“I feel very much betrayed by it. Not just by Mr Matobato but our fellow senators as well,” said Gordon.

De Lima and Trillanes are fierce critics of Duterte, while Gordon and Lacson are generally allied with the ruling coalition led by the President.

The Senate probe initially began as a investigation into the rise of killings directly linked to or suspected to be related to Duterte’s war on drugs.

But since Matobato was presented as a witness, the probe has shifted focus onto allegations that Duterte had a hand in the notorious Davao Death Squad.

Duterte has long been linked to the alleged vigilante group, but no cases have been filed against him because of the lack of evidence.

The hearing is ongoing as of posting. – Rappler.com

GENEVA, Switzerland (UPDATED) – UN chief Ban Ki-moon said on Monday, October 3, he had "urgently" sent his Colombia envoy to Havana for talks after a peace deal with communist FARC rebels suffered a shock referendum defeat. 

"I have seen the results of yesterday's plebiscite. We would have hoped for a different result," the United Nations secretary general told reporters in Geneva. 

But Ban said he was "encouraged" by the commitment to ending Colombia's half-century civil war demonstrated by the country's President Juan Manuel Santos and FARC chief Roderigo Londono. 

"To support them, I have urgently dispatched my special representative Mr. Jean Arnault to Havana to continue his consultations," Ban added. 

The peace pact was negotiated in the Cuban capital Havana. 

Ban named Arnault as his top Colombia envoy in March, in an effort to help seal a historic deal after four years of talks. 

But Colombians rejected the accord by a razor thin margin -- 50.21 percent to 49.78 percent against the truce -- throwing the country's future into uncertainty. 

A slim majority of voters were said to be resentful of the bloodshed by the leftist guerrillas and the immunity the accord offers many of them from prosecution.

Leaders on both sides have said they remain committed to peace.

Ban hailed "the profound desire of the Colombian people to end the violence". 

"I count on them to press ahead until they achieve secure and lasting peace," he added.  – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – Senators Leila De Lima and Antonio Trillanes said on Monday, October 3, there was no attempt to conceal the kidnapping case against witness Edgar Matobato before the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI).

The issue prompted a heated debate among senators on the floor, with Senators Richard Gordon, Alan Peter Cayetano, Panfilo Lacson, and Manny Pacquiao ganging up on De Lima for allegedly keeping the information from the chamber. (READ: Senators gang up on De Lima over Matobato kidnap case)

Gordon, chairman of the committee, said De Lima has committed “material concealment” after supposedly failing to inform the public of the kidnapping for ransom case filed by the wife of Sali Makdum, alleged international terrorist, against Matobato.

De Lima, for her part, cried foul over the accusation.

“So where is the material concealment? It pains me to be accused of material concealment because it was mentioned. There's nothing to disclose to the body after the witness had disclosed it,” she said.

"I will let you have a meltdown and have the floor," Gordon told De Lima.

De Lima asked for an apology from Gordon but the latter refused. In the end, De Lima walked out of the hearing.

Transcripts say otherwise?

Citing page 166 of the transcript, De Lima said Matobato himself mentioned the information before the chamber during the September 15 hearing. (READ: Matobato admitted kidnap case vs him – Senate transcript)

Matobato, when asked if he would stand by his claim that he killed Sali Makdum, said:

“Opo, ma’am kasi pinaylan ako ng kaso, ma’am ng kidnapping kang Sali Makdum. Hindi ko sila tinuro. Parang inako ko rin. Pinaylan ako sa NBI,” Matobato said.

(Yes, ma'am because they filed a case against me, of the kidnapping of Sali Makdum. I didn't point to them. I took it upon myself. The NBI filed a case against me.)

De Lima then clarified what the witness said. Matobato confirmed there was indeed a case filed against him.

“Oo, ako ang kinasuhan ma’am. Opo ma’am.” (Yes, I'm the one they filed a case against. Yes, ma'am.)

A week after, transcripts showed that Matobato once again mentioned the kidnapping case filed against him.

On September 22, Cayetano asked Matobato about Sali Makdum: “Paano, sir, ngayon, dine-deny na terrorist si Makdum? Wala man record. There’s no record that he’s a terrorist or wanted.”

Matobato, in response, said: “Kaya nga, sir, pinaylan ako ng kidnapping, sir, na-dismiss iyan, sir. Kasi si Sali Makdum, backdoor. Backdoor iyan, sir, si Sali Makdum. Walang record sa embassy, sir. Walang record.”

Gordon said it is still “material concealment” for a senator to keep from the chamber the details of a case filed against the witness. 

“But for a senator to conceal that she has record na nafile yung kaso, that’s still the same to me,” Gordon told Rappler after the 12-hour hearing.

Trillanes, for his part, came to the defense of De Lima. Trillanes drew the ire of Gordon on Monday night for allowing Matobato to leave the Senate premises when he has not asked the committee’s permission.

Gordon said it was questionable that Matobato left the chamber when he was about to face the Davao policemen he linked to the Davao Death Squad.

The committee suspended the hearing and is set to hold a caucus on Tuesday, October 4, to discuss whether or not they would still continue with the investigation into the extrajudicial killings – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – Senators on late Monday, October 3, ganged up on neophyte Senator Leila De Lima for allegedly concealing the kidnap for ransom case against witness Edgar Matobato, a self-confessed hitman of the Davao Death Squad.

This came after witnesses – Davao police whom Matobato linked to the Davao Death Squad – said that the latter was charged for kidnapping alleged terrorist Sali Makdum. The case was filed by Makdum’s wife before the National Bureau of Investigation.

Gordon called out De Lima for hiding the information from the committee. De Lima initially admitted it was an “oversight” on her part but later on presented transcripts of previous hearings to show Matobato himself disclosed it before the chamber.

Gordon, however, refused to accept the “fatal” mistake and accused De Lima of “material concealment.”

“I cannot let that pass. I can speak for lawyers, that concealment is really despicable and even unethical. I have to express my umbrage at this very very bad situation.”

“We went on a very wild goose chase here because had we known that we would not have called all these people,” Gordon said, referring to the Davao City policemen.

Senator Panfilo Lacson then questioned her neophyte colleague for skipping the detail. He also lamented how Matobato fooled the senators.

“We are taken for a ride by Matobato. It’s frustrating, after all, that we are not smarter than a first grader,” Lacson said.

“We are accusing Matobato of fooling this committee and lying through his teeth!” Lacson exclaimed.

Senator Manny Pacquiao, a partymate of President Rodrigo Duterte, took the chance to slam De Lima and Matobato.

“Dahil dito nga pinatawag mga ininvolve ni Matobato na pangalan, para nandito magkaharap harap. Marami pa tayo dinidiscuss na mas may importansya sa ating gobyerno.. parang pinagloloko lang tayo," Pacquiao said.

Senator Alan Peter Cayetano, a staunch ally of the President, hit De Lima anew for bringing an unvetted witness to the Senate. Matobato’s questionable testimony, he said, was the basis of the news reports of most international media agencies.

“The problem is because that Mr Matobato was allowed here without vetting him, without disclosing that case, BBC, CNN, New York Times and Washington Post put on their front page that the President is a mass murderer," he said.

Pacquio and Cayetano then moved that the hearings be terminated already, saying there is no more point in doing so.

Gordon, however, only suspended the hearing and called for a caucus on Tuesday to decide whether or not the investigation into the killings would continue.

Apology?

In the middle of the heated exchange, Senator Antonio Trillanes IV came to De Lima’s aid. He presented transcripts of previous hearings that show Matobato himself mentioned the kidnapping case against him.

De Lima then slammed her colleagues for already having a “conclusion” when the hearings are not yet over.

"The inquiry is not done yet. We are still establishing the facts but there is a conclusion already that the witness is lying all along. Mr Matobato has testified on a lot of things. Kung meron mang pong pa iba iba, that’s why were trying to thresh it out," she said.

But Lacson did not take this sitting down and immediately returned the question to the lady senator.

“Who first made the conclusion? Isn’t it you and Senator Trillanes na may conclusion? That’s why we allowed Matobato to testify and testify kahit bali-baliktad. We bent backward,” Lacson exclaimed.

De Lima, at this point, denied all accusations and asked an apology from Gordon for accusing her of material concealment.

Gordon, however, refused to do so.

“I will let you meltdown and have the floor,” he said.

De Lima then walked out of the Session Hall, with Gordon calling such act "cowardice."

Gordon said De Lima may be charged with ethics complaint for hiding significant information from the chamber. He, however, said he would not file the case himself.

“It’s up to those who would file,” he told Rappler after the hearing. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – A division of the anti-graft court Sandiganbayan ordered on Monday, October 3, an end to the years-long hospital detention of former Antique Governor Jovito Plameras. 

Plameras was originally sentenced to serve 6 to 10 years in the New Bilibid Prisons in Muntinlupa City, but the Sandiganbayan Special Third Division considered certifications issued by doctors that he might not be healthy enough to fly from the province. 

The 81-year-old ex-governor has been committed to the Antique provincial jail instead.

The 4-page resolution that overruled the continued hospital detention of Plameras was penned by Presiding Justice Amparo Cabotaje Tang. Associate justices Samuel Martires and Sarah Jane Fernandez concurred.  

In May 2000, Plameras was charged for making a false certification of full delivery of supplies. The provincial government paid supplier CKL Enterprises in full, P5.67 million, for 1,354 grade school desks and 5,246 armchairs in May 1997.

However, auditors found that only 1,294 desks and 1,838 armchairs were delivered.

Plameras was convicted of graft on December 2, 2008. He challenged the guilty verdict, but the Supreme Court affirmed his conviction on September 4, 2013.

He said, however, that he suffered a stroke on August 11, 2014, and needed therapy to cure the partial paralysis on the left side of his body.

The Philippine National Police tried to take custody of the former governor on April 6, 2015, but he was rushed to the Angel Salazar Memorial General Hospital, where he was diagnosed for hypertension, his lawyers said.

Plameras had admitted he was worried by reports that “the situation of the National Bilibid Prison is deplorable.”

Dr Lester Dizmon of Western Visayas Medical Center – the government doctor who examined Plameras to validate the certification by his private doctor – confirmed that the patient has a history of stroke, and recommended further evaluation and diagnostics before Plameras can be flown to Manila.

“Considering the testimony of Dr [Samuel] Tonogan and the medical report of Dr Dizmon…there is no more imperative need for the continued hospital detention of the accused. The medical findings merely show that the accused is not fit to travel by air,” the Sandiganbayan said.

“Wherefore, the Court hereby orders the commitment of the accused Jovito C. Plameras to the Provincial Jail of Antique.” – Rappler.com 

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines and the United States launch war games on Tuesday, October 4, against the unusual threat of American forces being ejected from the Southeast Asian nation as its firebrand leader pivots to China. (READ: Duterte's pivot to China won't be easy for Americanized PH military)

President Rodrigo Duterte has launched a sustained verbal assault on the United States, the Philippines' former colonial ruler and mutual defence partner, since he took office on June 30 in response to criticism of his deadly war on crime.

Duterte has in recent days warned the war games will be the last of his 6-year term, and threatened to scrap a defense pact implemented by his predecessor that was meant to see more US troops in the Philippines to counter Chinese expansion in the South China Sea.

"Better think twice now because I will be asking you to leave the Philippines altogether," Duterte said on Sunday, October 2, as he launched a tirade against the Americans full of typical invective.

"The Americans, I don't like them... they are reprimanding me in public. So I say: 'Screw you, fuck you'," he said, while signalling again that he wanted to forge closer alliances with China and Russia.

Last week Duterte, 71, also claimed the CIA was plotting to assassinate him. 

Duterte has vowed to eradicate illegal drugs in the Philippines, warning the nation is in danger of becoming a narco-state.

His crime war has seen more than 3,000 people killed, with the United Nations, the European Union and rights groups raising concerns about alleged extrajudicial killings and a breakdown in the rule of law.

Duterte has insisted he is not doing anything illegal, yet at the same time said he would be "happy to slaughter" three million drug users.

He also likened his crime war to Nazi leader Adolf Hitler's effort to exterminate Jews,
but following an outcry apologised for referring to the Holocaust.

China circling

Two thousand troops from both sides will take part in the war games, including in waters close to flashpoint areas of the South China Sea.

China claims nearly all of the sea, even waters close to the Philippines and other Southeast Asian nations, and has in recent years built artificial islands in the disputed areas capable of hosting military bases.

To counter China, the Philippines' previous president, Benigno Aquino, sought to draw the United States closer. This included the signing of the Enhanced Defence Cooperation Agreement that Duterte now wants to scrap.

Duterte appears intent on adopting the opposite tactic, saying recently he hopes to travel to China and meet with President Xi Jinping.

Aquino also launched international legal action that in July saw a UN-backed tribunal declare China's vast claims in the sea illegal.

However Duterte has declined to use the verdict to pressure China.

He has also said there will be no joint patrols with the United States in the sea.

Still Duterte's comments have not filtered down into government policy, and it remains unclear how badly he is prepared to damage ties with the United States.

"The (US military) relationship has not changed as of today," Philippine defence department spokesman Arsenio Andolong told Agence France-Presse.

The US Embassy in Manila also said Philippine authorities had not officially communicated Duterte's statements.

"We continue to focus on our relationship with the Philippines and we're going to continue to work together in many areas of mutual interest," embassy spokeswoman Molly Koscina told Agence France-Presse. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – The running mates of the two leading candidates for the presidency of the United States face off on Tuesday, October 4 (Wednesday, October 5 in Manila), during the 2016 election season's vice presidential debate.

The Democratic Party's vice presidential bet, Senator Tim Kaine of Virigina, will face the vice presidential bet from the Republican Party, Indiana Governor Mike Pence. (PROFILES: Tim Kaine and Mike Pence)

Moderated by CBS News journalist Elanie Quijano, the vice presidential debate will start 9 pm US Eastern Standard Time (9 am Philippine time), live from Longwood University in Virginia. 

Rappler will bring the debates live to Filipino viewers, starting 9 am Wednesday, with a live stream courtesy of the PBS NewsHour. Bookmark this page for updates. – Rappler.com

STRASBOURG, France – The Council of Europe voiced concern Tuesday, October 4, at a rise in racist violence in Britain in recent years, adding that campaigning for the Brexit referendum led to a further rise in "anti-foreigner sentiment".

The Strasbourg-based Council, a human rights and democracy watchdog body separate from the EU, said tabloid newspapers notably fueled hate-speech, while also lamenting a sharp rise in anti-Muslim violence.

In a report, the Council's European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) condemned "considerable intolerant political discourse in the UK, particularly focusing on immigration".

"It is no coincidence that racist violence is on the rise in the UK at the same time as we see worrying examples of intolerance and hate speech in the newspapers, online and even among politicians," said ECRI Chair Christian Ahlund.

"The Brexit referendum seems to have led to a further rise in 'anti-foreigner' sentiment, making it even more important that the British authorities take the steps outlined in our report as a matter of priority."

In a shock referendum result, Britain voted on June 23 to leave the 28-nation European Union. 

Pro-Brexit supporters campaigned heavily on immigration, and the need to regain control on Britain's borders, in a referendum battle fought against the background of Europe's worst migrant crisis since World War II.

As well as "intolerance" which it said was promoted by the UK Independence Party (UKIP), the report also noted criticism of Prime Minister David Cameron when he talked in July 2015 about a "swarm" of migrants trying to reach Britain.

The 91-page report by the ECRI, its fifth to cover the United Kingdom, was compiled based on information up to March 17 this year, three months before the landmark Brexit vote.

The report was not all negative: it welcomed, "among other things, the entry into force of the Equality Act 2010 and the generally strong legislation against racism and racial discrimination in the country".

It also noted "the government’s new hate crime action plan and substantial efforts to promote LGBT rights in the UK which have led to a significant change in attitudes."

The ECRI produces regular reports on racism and intolerance and makes recommendations to the 47 member states of the Council of Europe. – Rappler.com

WASHINGTON DC, USA – The United States on Monday, October 3, abandoned its effort to convince Russia to impose a ceasefire on the Syrian regime, even as government forces pursued their relentless onslaught on eastern Aleppo.

Accusing Moscow of abetting Syrian strongman Bashar al-Assad's assault on civilian districts of the city, Washington said it had suspended bilateral talks with Russia on reviving a truce.

"Everybody's patience with Russia has run out," White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters.

A State Department official said US Secretary of State John Kerry remains "laser-focused" on finding a diplomatic solution to the conflict through multilateral channels.

But his near daily telephone calls and regular Geneva talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on the crisis are over.

"This is not a decision that was taken lightly," State Department spokesman John Kirby said, announcing an end to plans to set up a joint US-Russian military cell to target jihadists.

There was no word on what America's "Plan B" might be, despite rumors of tougher US sanctions and talk that Saudi Arabia and Qatar might step up arms shipments to anti-Assad rebels.

The UN Security Council was to meet later Monday to consider a draft French resolution to impose a ceasefire but, having failed to ground Assad's planes, Russia is expected to veto it.

Back and forth

Kirby said the Russian and US militaries will keep a communications channel set up to ensure their forces do not get in each other's way during "counterterrorism operations in Syria."

But US personnel who had been sent to Geneva to set up a "Joint Implementation Center" with Russian officers are coming home.

"We regret this decision by Washington," Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said, according to Russian agencies.

Under a deal signed last month by Kerry and Lavrov in Geneva a truce was declared on September 12 but it collapsed within a week.

Washington accused Moscow of failing to rein in Assad's government forces and of itself carrying out air strikes on civilian targets, including a UN aid convoy.

Moscow, meanwhile, says the United States failed to separate "moderate" anti-Assad rebels from jihadists linked to Al-Qaeda.

According to Kirby, Russia was "unwilling or unable to ensure Syrian regime adherence to the arrangements to which Moscow agreed."

The US spokesman accused Moscow and Damascus of targeting hospitals and preventing aid from reaching desperate civilians.

The Russian response was just as stark.

"Washington simply did not fulfill the key condition of the agreement," Zakharova said of Washington's struggle to separate opposition fighters from the jihadist Fateh al-Sham Front.

"After failing to fulfill the agreements that they themselves worked out, they are trying to shift responsibility on to someone else."

Meanwhile, the fighting continued.

The Pentagon confirmed reports that US warplanes had targeted a "prominent" Al-Qaeda leader near Idlib in northern Syria.

This came as the Fateh al-Sham Front, which recently changed its name from Al-Nusra Front following a break with Al-Qaeda, confirmed the death of veteran commander Ahmed Salama Mabrouk.

'Speechless shock'

The aid agency Doctors Without Borders reacted with fury to the latest hospital bombings, saying strikes on clinics in Syria and Yemen leave "the global medical community in speechless shock."

This came after an air raid destroyed rebel-held eastern Aleppo's biggest hospital, the M10.

"The hospital is now not usable at all," said Adham Sahloul of the Syrian American Medical Society. "It is not salvageable, per reports from the staff and doctors there."

He said 3 maintenance workers were killed.

Moscow on Monday denied it was bombing hospitals, insisting its bombing campaign was "highly effective" and had stopped jihadists taking over Syria.

Elsewhere, at least 21 Turkish-backed Syrian rebels fighting the Islamic State (ISIS) group were killed on Sunday by landmines laid by the jihadist group, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

The toll was the highest loss of life for forces involved in the Turkish-led operation in northern Syria since it began in late August, it said. It did not mention any Turkish casualties. – Rappler.com

BOGOTA, Colombia – Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos opened a new national dialogue Monday, October 3, to seek peace with FARC rebels as both sides scrambled to revive a peace deal to end the half-century conflict.

In a televised address a day after voters rejected the agreement in a referendum, Santos said he had asked the government's chief negotiator Humberto de la Calle to "begin discussions as soon as possible addressing all the necessary issues to have an agreement and realize the dream of every Colombian to end the war with the FARC."

De la Calle had earlier offered his resignation, saying he did not want to be "an obstacle to what comes next."

Monday's announcement came after Santos – who has staked his legacy on ending the 52-year-old conflict – called an emergency meeting with leaders of the country's political parties to try to chart a way forward after Sunday's (October 2) shock referendum defeat.

As he arrived, a visibly crestfallen Santos said the meeting would seek "common ground and unity."

"That's more important now than ever," he said.

The leader of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), Rodrigo Londono, meanwhile said in a video from Havana – where the peace talks were held – that the Marxist guerrillas, like the government, remained committed to an ongoing ceasefire.

Londono – better known by the nom de guerre Timoleon "Timochenko" Jimenez – said the rebels were prepared to "fix" the rejected deal.

The result "does not mean the battle for peace is lost," he said.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, who had offered a UN team to oversee the disarmament process, said he had "urgently" sent his Colombia envoy to Havana, where the 4-year talks have been held, for new consultations.

But the outcome left no clear path to end a conflict that has claimed more than 260,000 lives and left 45,000 missing.

Opinion polls had showed the "Yes" camp well ahead, and negotiators had said there was no Plan B in the event of a "No" vote.

The peace deal had been hailed as historic from the time it was concluded on August 24 to the moment it was signed last week in the presence of Ban and US Secretary of State John Kerry.

But many Colombians resented the bloodshed by the Marxist guerrillas and the lenient punishment the deal meted out for their crimes.

Voters rejected the agreement by a razor-thin margin: 50.21% for the "No" camp to 49.78% for "Yes."

Voter turnout was low, at just over 37%.

Although a referendum was not required to adopt the deal, Santos insisted on holding one to ensure its legitimacy.

Hatred of the FARC

Santos's top political rival, former president Alvaro Uribe, led the "No" campaign.

His right-wing party, the Democratic Center, was notably absent from the meeting Santos held at the presidential palace to assess options following the referendum.

Commentators compared the result's effect to June's surprise "Brexit" vote for Britain to leave the European Union.

Forecasts apparently miscalculated Colombians' desire to punish the FARC.

The accord called for the FARC's 5,765 rebels to disarm and the group to become a political party with guaranteed seats in Congress.

That did not sit well with some Colombians who remember the FARC for massacring civilians, seizing hostages and sowing terror in a multi-sided conflict that has seen atrocities committed all around.

"How should we respond to the damage they've done to the nation? That sums it all up," said political analyst Jorge Restrepo, head of Bogota's Conflict Analysis Resource Center.

Nobel hopes dashed

Santos and Londono had been tipped as top contenders for this year's Nobel Peace Prize.

But that prospect all but vanished with the referendum defeat, experts said.

"The Colombian peace treaty or anybody associated with it simply is not a candidate for the Nobel Peace Prize this year," said Kristian Berg Harpviken, director of Oslo's Peace Research Institute.

The accord has now "lost legitimacy" to the point that it "is dead and cannot be implemented," said Maria Luisa Puig of the Eurasia Group consultancy.

The FARC launched its guerrilla war in 1964 after the army crushed a peasant uprising.

Over the years, the conflict has drawn in several leftist rebel groups, right-wing paramilitaries and drug gangs. – Rappler.com

WASHINGTON DC, USA – Donald Trump's presidential hopes suffered a punishing new setback Monday, October 3, as authorities clamped down on his charitable foundation, while Hillary Clinton seized the offensive to brand the Republican an unscrupulous businessman.

With just 5 weeks to go before the November 8 election, the billionaire Trump is struggling to regain his footing against a surging Clinton and climb out of one of the darkest periods of his White House campaign.

Already weakened by damaging revelations about his taxes, Trump was hit with an order by New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman that the Donald J. Trump foundation must "cease and desist from soliciting contributions" in New York.

The notice informed the charity that it had engaged in fundraising activities that were not permitted under the law because it had not been registered with state authorities.

With Team Trump on the defensive after leaked documents suggested he may have paid no income tax for two decades, Democrat Clinton rounded on him as a real estate bully who cares little for his fellow countrymen.

"While millions of American families, including mine and yours, were working hard paying our fair share, it seems he was contributing nothing to our nation. Imagine that," a fired up Clinton said in Toledo, Ohio.

"He has been 'dissing' America in this whole campaign," she charged, riding high on a surge in polling carried out after the bruising first presidential debate.

The pair face off in their second showdown on Sunday, October 9. 

Vice presidential nominees Mike Pence, the Republican governor of Indiana, and Democratic Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia take the stage Tuesday, October 4, for their only debate of the campaign cycle.

Personal attacks

Trump used an appearance before military veterans in Virginia to pound the former secretary of state once more for handling classified information via a "basement" private email server.

But he appeared to stumble when he addressed the mental problems facing military personnel and suggested some were returning from battle ill-equipped to cope with debilitating conditions.

"When you talk about the mental health problems, when people come back from war and combat and they see things that maybe a lot of the folks in this room have seen many times over, and you're strong and you can handle it, but a lot of people can't handle it," Trump said.

Retired lieutenant-general Michael Flynn, a Trump advisor, said the candidate was merely "highlighting the challenges veterans face when returning home after serving their country."

In recent days, Trump's strongest line of attack has been personal, and of a rare brutality even for this bare-knuckles campaign: he mocked Clinton over the weekend for coming down with pneumonia and even questioned her fidelity to her husband.

"Hillary Clinton's only loyalty is to her financial contributors and to herself," he said.

"I don't even think she's loyal to Bill, if you want to know the truth. And really, folks, really, why should she be, right?" said the Manhattan billionaire, who revived talk of Bill Clinton's past infidelities following his lackluster debate performance.

'Poster boy' for bullying

A defiant Trump meanwhile dodged swirling questions about his tax record.

Trump's top allies praised their candidate's business acumen following the bombshell revelation by The New York Times that he declared a loss of $916 million on his 1995 tax return, enabling him to legally avoid paying taxes for up to 18 years.

If true, the report based on documents leaked to the Times is proof of the tycoon's "absolute genius," said former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani, a Trump surrogate.

Trump reportedly took massive, though legal, tax breaks on failing businesses, earning millions while shareholders and investors swallowed the losses and contractors went unpaid.

Clinton seized on the Times report to blast her rival – not just for refusing to pay his share, but as a business failure.

"How anybody can lose a dollar, let alone a billion dollars, in the casino industry is kind of beyond me," she said. "Here's my question: What kind of 'genius' loses a billion dollars in a single year?"

Trump parried the accusations during a rally in Pueblo, Colorado saying he has long railed against "unfairness" of US tax laws.

"Honestly, I have brilliantly used those laws," he said.

"As a businessman and real estate developer, I have legally used the tax laws to my benefit, and to the benefit of my company, my investors and my employees," he said.

Polls released by Politico/Morning Consult and CNN/ORC showed Clinton with a 6-point and 5-point lead, respectively.

A fresh Quinnipiac battlegrounds poll showed Clinton leading in Florida, Pennsylvania and North Carolina, but trailing Trump in Ohio.

Clinton, visiting the crucial swing state, trumpeted her endorsement by one of Ohio's favorite sons, basketball superstar LeBron James.

"I could not be prouder to have LeBron joining our team as we head into the home stretch," she said. – Rappler.com

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti – Hurricane Matthew claimed its first victims, officials said Monday, October 3, leaving one person dead and another missing in Haiti as it churns through the Caribbean, the most menacing storm in nearly a decade.

Strong winds buffeted the southern coast of the Americas' most destitute country, where flimsy homes and buildings leave residents particularly vulnerable to natural disasters.

Flooding is also being reported in some areas of Jamaica as the Category 4 storm creeps closer from the south, news reports said. 

Cuba ordered the evacuation of more than 250,000 people from the east of the island.

"No one likes to leave their homes, but the sea is going to rise and that is very dangerous," said Pedro Gonzalez, a retired chef who had to leave a fishing islet where he lives off the city of Santiago, one of six areas under a hurricane warning.

His sister Ana went with him along with their 100-year-old mother Marina, who uses a wheelchair.

"I would not stay on that cay for all the money in the world," said Ana, who recalled the horror of living through Hurricane Sandy in 2012, when 11 Cubans died.

The authorities are not forcing residents to leave, however, and many have chosen to stay to prevent looting.

Devastating blow

Matthew is expected to hit southwestern Haiti late Monday, packing powerful winds and torrential rain, the Miami-based US National Hurricane Center said.

Cuba and the Bahamas also lie along the likely path of destruction.

Haiti, eastern regions of Cuba and the southeastern Bahamas have been placed under a hurricane warning. In Haiti, the alert level has risen to the maximum level of red.

Monstrous storm swells of up to 3.3 meters (11 feet) were forecast off Cuba and Haiti, the NHC said.

"This is shaping up to be a devastating blow," said Domenica Davis, a meteorologist for The Weather Channel.

A fisherman drowned Friday, September 30, in Haiti and another went missing Sunday, October 2, both off the southern coast, civil protection officials said.

At 2100 GMT, the eye of the storm had reached 360 kilometers (225 miles) southwest of Port-au-Prince, with lashing top-wind speeds of 225 kilometers per hour, the US hurricane center said.

The storm was creeping forward at 11 kilometers per hour.

It is expected to continue north, tearing across southern and eastern Cuba between Monday and Tuesday, October 4, as it moves toward the Bahamas.

Forecasts predict the hurricane will dump 40 to 60 centimeters (15 to 25 inches) of rain over southern Haiti with up to a meter possible in isolated areas.

"Life-threatening flash floods and mudslides are likely from this rainfall in southern and northwestern Haiti, the southwestern Dominican Republic and eastern Cuba," the NHC warned.

Haiti, Jamaica, Cuba prepare

Thousands are still living in tents in Haiti after the country's massive earthquake in 2010. Erosion is especially dangerous because of high mountains and lack of trees and bushes in areas where they have been cut for fuel.

The authorities evacuated more than 500 people Sunday from the southwestern city of Jeremie as a precaution. Nearly 1,000 have also been housed in temporary shelters in other southern regions.

Some were reluctant to leave, civil defense chief Marie Alta Jean-Baptiste said.

"My countrymen, do not be stubborn, do not say 'God is good' and will take care of you," interim president Jocelerme Privert said in an address to the nation.

"The dangerous areas will be evacuated," he added. "We have no interest in risking your lives."

The poorest country in the Americas is home to almost 11 million people, many living in fragile housing.  

In Jamaica, officials said the army and military reserves were called up to help deal with hurricane damage.

Buses were also being sent to flood-prone areas to move residents to shelters.

US embassies in Jamaica and Haiti closed Monday and Tuesday due to the storm.

In Cuba, President Raul Castro traveled to the southeastern city of Santiago to oversee emergency operations.

Matthew had the potential to become a storm for the ages, he warned residents.

"This is a hurricane. It's necessary to prepare for as if it were twice as powerful as Sandy," the Cuban leader said.

At the US naval base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba – located along Matthew's predicted path – officials issued a mandatory evacuation order for all non-essential personnel and family members. The 61 remaining inmates in the base's prison are safe, US military officials said.

Forecasters predict the hurricane could hit the US East Coast around midweek. Florida and parts of North Carolina have declared states of emergency. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – Ranking members of the House minority expressed their reservations against Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez’s plan to file a bill seeking to institutionalize same-sex civil marriage in the country.

In separate interviews with Rappler, Minority Leader Danilo Suarez and Senior Deputy Minority Leader Lito Atienza said the measure might distract the 17th Congress in passing the legislative agenda of President Rodrigo Duterte.  

“Bakit pa natin pag-uusapan ‘yan? Madi-divide ‘yung House. Baka ma-refocus ‘yung ating attention (We do we even need to talk about that? The House will be divided. Our attention might be refocused). Digong (Duterte) is concentrated on drugs and peace and order. There’s health, employment, education,” said Suarez in a telephone interview. 

Alvarez said his measure will amend would lift same-sex civil marriage prohibitions in the almost 3-decade-old Family Code of the Philippines, a predominantly Catholic country. The Speaker said it is his way of showing solidarity with the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community. 

He added that the bill would have to undergo through the regular process before it can be passed because it is not among Duterte’s priority measures. 

When asked if he would support same-sex marriage, however, Suarez only said it would have to be debated upon by lawmakers. 

“Siguro masusuing debate ‘yan (Maybe that would be a thorough debate). I’m not sure whether the majority can get a unanimous [vote on that]. Maraming conflict ‘yan (There will be conflict). I voice out my concern on that. Church will go against that,” said Suarez.

Atienza was more precise, saying he is “disappointed” at Alvarez. 

“I really am disappointed of the decision of Speaker Alvarez. I was expecting more from him not to get this issue right in the midst of our busy schedule in Congress, for many of us would resist it. I am committed to resist it,” said the Buhay representative.  

Atienza said same-sex marriage is “not in accordance with” the 1987 Constitution, the Family Code of the Philippines and the law of God.” 

“So it is against the law of God, against the law of man, and natural law. Marriage is just for man and woman. I agree that we must fight discriminatory actions against any member of the LGBT community. I support the anti-discrimination bill, yes, but legalizing marriage, no, because it will completely destroy the value we have inherited from our forefathers from our faith. The value of marriage is to start a family,” said Atienza. 

Apart from passing the anti-discrimination bill, LGBT rights advocates have also been calling for the passage of a same-sex marriage law, but the Catholic Church has opposed it. (READ: Same-sex marriage, love and dissent)

A May 2015 The Standard survey also showed that 7 out of 10 Filipinos oppose same-sex marriage.

For ‘healthy’ discussions

Still, some lawmakers welcomed Alvarez’s decision, but acknowledged that passing the bill would be difficult. 

“I’m actually looking forward to the Speaker filing the bill and getting support from the coalition members. Needless to say, it’s controversial and might have a difficult path to passage, but it’s worth an intelligent deliberation in Congress,” said Ifugao Representative Teddy Baguilat Jr in a text message. 

Deputy Speaker Pia Cayetano said once Alvarez files the bill, it would pave the way for “healthy discussions” on the issues being faced by the LGBT community.  

Perhaps, Cayetano said, he can also support the anti-discrimination bill that has more adherents at the moment, and in the same vein, the divorce bill, which women’s rights advocates are also pushing. 

“Inabot ko pa po ‘yung time (I reached that time) that certain issues were considered taboo like the RH (Reproductive Health) Bill, and it took a long while for us to even attempt to discuss this in what I feel is a healthy and a productive way,” said Cayetano. 

“But I feel that the time has come that we should be able to set aside our biases, our discomfort, because as legislators, we should be able to talk about this issue whenever it affects the lives of our kababayans,” she added. 

Baguilat added that Alvarez may also support the anti-discrimination and divorce bills already filed at the House of Representatives. 

“That way, it makes him a genuine gender rights advocate,” said Baguilat. – Rappler.com