KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — President Benigno Aquino uses the East Asia Summit to criticize China's land reclamation in the South China Sea or West Philippine Sea.
He says the world is watching, and expects Beijing to be a responsible global leader.
Ayee Macaraig files this VLOG. - Rappler.com
MANILA, Philippines – Months since the controversy in the influential Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) erupted, Lolita "Lottie" Manalo-Hemedez appeared in public for the first time on Monday, November 23, to testify before a Quezon City court.
But the estranged sister of INC executive minister Eduardo Manalo was unable to present her testimony as a respondent in the petition filed by the influential church, which seeks to prohibit Lottie and her brother Angel from meeting visitors or accepting deliveries at the INC compound in Tandang Sora because of security concerns.
The INC, represented by lawyer Serafin Cuevas Jr, asked to defer the proceedings pending a decision on their motion to expunge the respondents' answer.
Cuevas argued that the Manalos' answer to the INC petition should not be admitted into records of the case because it was filed 8 days from the due date.
"Respondents at best is deemed to be in default. Whatever they have presented as evidence should now be ordered expunged or stricken off the record along with their answer," the motion read.
With the court's decision on the motion and the submission of Manalo-Hemedez's judicial affidavit still pending, she is set to testify on the next hearing date on December 16.
Family squabble
Lottie and her brother, Felix Nathaniel "Angel" Manalo, have been residing at the INC compound in Quezon City even after being expelled from the powerful church last July.
Their elder brother and the INC's leader, Eduardo, expelled his siblings and his mother after they claimed that their lives were in danger.
Angel Manalo later spoke out against corruption within the church. (INFOGRAPHIC: The Manalos of the Iglesia ni Cristo)
In September, the INC asked the court to ban visitors from the compound.
The Manalos' camp, however, hit the move as part of a "series of oppressive acts" against the siblings.
'Explosive' testimony?
In an interview after the proceedings, expelled INC minister Isaias Samson Jr said top church officials may have been worried about the weight of Hemedez's testimony, which he described as "explosive."
"Siguro medyo iniiwasan nila si Ka Lottie sa witness stand at marahil ay mayroon siyang isang eksplosibong sasabihin, kaya they're trying to prevent her from doing so," he said.
(They're probably trying to stop Lottie from taking the witness stand because she may have something "explosive" to reveal, so they're trying to prevent her from doing so.)
Samson also said that the siblings continue to be harassed by top church officials. The Manalo camp earlier hit the installation of additional security cameras, a guardhouse, and a portable toilet that blocked the driveway of the compound.
The former INC minister also claimed another move allegedly made by the INC camp: a deed of sale allegedly faked to bear the signatures of Lottie and her late husband, Edward Hemedez.
The supposed deed of sale, dated April 2015, transferred the 36 Tandang Sora residence to the church. Edward Hemedez, however, died in April 2013.
Speaking to reporters after the proceedings, Cuevas denied that he filed the motion to delay Hemedez's testimony.
To avoid his objections from being considered waived or moot, Cuevas said that he asked the court to defer proceedings.
The INC counsel also reiterated that the church only wanted to know the occupants of the compound for security reasons.
"Ang iniiwasan lang naman namin ay kung may makapasok na hindi namin nalalaman, na hindi namin kilala. Kung may nangyari sa kanila sa loob, ang sisisihin ang Iglesia...Pagmamalasakit din sa magkabilang panig doon," Cuevas said.
(What we're trying to prevent is someone we don't know being able to enter the compound. If something happens to the Manalos there, it's the Iglesia leadership that will be blamed...This is also for the benefit of both parties.) – Rappler.com
MANILA, Philippines – “Do I look worried?”
Liberal Party standard-bearer Manuel Roxas II on Monday, November 23, brushed off insinuations that the possible late entry of Davao Mayor Rodrigo Duterte would be a threat to his own presidential run in 2016.
“Welcome to the campaign!” was Roxas’ first line when asked by reporters to react to Duterte’s supposedly final decision to run for president in the coming national elections.
Duterte, mayor of Davao for over 2 decades, made the announcement over the weekend, following months of insisting he would not be running for president. Although he did not file his certificate of candidacy in time, it’s believed that Duterte will be subbing as political party PDP-Laban’s official standard bearer.
WATCH: @MARoxas asked -- Is he threatened by Mayor Duterte's entry into 2016 presidential race? #PHvotehttps://t.co/z5grIuMvcE
— Bea Cupin (@beacupin) November 23, 2015“Mabuti at nakapagpasya na ng pinal si Mayor Digong Duterte na sasabak siya sa halalan. Maganda naman ito para lahat ng kandidato na ay makakapagpresente ng kanilang plataporma, kung ano ang pangarap nila sa ating bansa, sa ating mga kababayan, kung ano ang mga pamamaraan ang gagamitin nila para makamit ang kaginhawaan na siyang inaasam-asam ng ating mga kababayan,” added Roxas, who is running on the promise of continuing the current administration’s supposed gains.
(It’s good that Mayor Digong Duterte has finally made a decision to join the presidential elections. It’s good for all candidates because now we present our platforms, our dreams for the country and our fellow Filipinos, and how we intend to achieve the good life that all our countrymen dream of.)
There are 3 other candidates considered “mainstream” bets for the presidency – Vice President Jejomar Binay of the opposition United Nationalist Alliance, independent candidate and survey front runner Senator Grace Poe, and Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago of the People’s Reform Party.
It was the recent decision of the Senate Electoral Tribunal (SET) to thumb down a disqualification case that supposedly pushed Duterte to run for president. Petitions against Poe insist she is not a natural-born citizen, a requirement to run for president.
The tough-talking Duterte said he’s running because he does not want Poe, who he says is an American, as president.
Duterte, Roxas ties
Roxas and Duterte are not strangers to each other. They’ve been friends since the late 90s, when both were members of the House of Representatives. In 2010, when Roxas ran for vice president, Duterte was among Roxas’ supporters.
Before Roxas announced his 2016 candidacy, the two met over dinner in Davao City but the 2016 elections were reportedly not part of the discussion.
Roxas admitted they have not spoken to each other about Duterte’s decision to run for president. “Itong desisyon na ito naman ay personal sa bawat kandidato (It’s a personal decision for any candidate."
But the relationship of the two soured recently after Duterte accused Roxas’ team of being behind rumors that the Davao mayor had cancer. Roxas and the Liberal Party campaign have denied the allegations. – Rappler.com
MANILA, Philippines – Senate President Pro-Tempore Ralph Recto on Monday, November 23, proposed a mechanism to address underspending in the 2016 General Appropriations bill or the national budget.
The P3.002 trillion budget for 2016, Recto said, is nothing to be bragged about, as budgets have always followed “a natural upward trajectory.” The game changer, he said, is the quality of spending, as he criticized the Aquino administration’s underspending.
While it is good to have checks in the expenditure system, Recto said “it should not be so numerous that they choke spending.”
“If private groups are complaining about too many rules, and being tied down by red tape, then the relief they seek must be applied on our spending regimen as well, but in a way that will shorten and simplify the process, without leaving the government shortchanged,” Recto said in his sponsorship speech during the 1st day of budget deliberations.
He cited as example the “complicated and circuitous way” that a disaster-hit town can apply for calamity funds. Before a city or province receives calamity funds, several steps have to be followed; and as with bureaucracy, it usually takes a lot of time.
“A relaxation of rules is in order. Yes, rules must be followed in buying fire extinguishers, to use an analogy, but one must not haggle down the price of a water hose when the neighbor’s house is already on fire,” he said.
To further push his point, the reelectionist senator mentioned the “slow pace” of building classrooms and hiring teachers.
Citing government data, Recto said the government spent P416.2 billion below program in the past 5 years, saying unspent “balances from 2011 to 2014 of P850 billion painted a more dire picture.”
With this, he suggested including a provision in the 2016 budget to institutionalize faster spending.
“It is my opinion that [the Department of Budget and Management’s] exhortations must be incorporated in the provisions of this budget as an institutionalized antidote to the poor absorption of funds. We cannot hector them into paying taxes on time while putting projects that their taxes are funding on hold,” he said.
The reelectionist senator also said he would seek certain amendments to the House-approved budget bill.
Recto said he would push for the expansion of the coverage of senior pension, funding for the unfinished work in Typhoon Yolanda-hit areas and in Zamboanga, financing of Typhoon Lando reconstruction, and improvement of facilities in science high schools, among others. – Rappler.com
MANILA, Philippines – With Manila's hosting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit now over, a more permanent solution to the capital's problem of street dwellers should now be discussed, Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada said on Monday, November 23.
This comes after various sectors criticized the government for keeping homeless families out of sight of the foreign dignitaries and international journalists flying into Manila for the key regional meeting – a claim denied by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD). (READ: In hiding street children for APEC, PH gov't violating rights)
The Manila city government also "rescued" street children prior to the APEC summit, but city officials said they have been doing so regularly, and not just for the international event.
In a statement on Monday, Estrada also said the city government has a "continuing campaign" to rescue the homeless and take them off the streets.
But he added that a more permanent solution should be found.
"I firmly believe that as part of fulfilling our mandate to care for the citizens and help them have productive lives, we should implement a permanent solution to the issue on street dwelling families," Estrada said.
He added, “Anything short of that, like hiding these people during special events in our country as critics claimed, would just be a ‘band-aid solution,’ or temporarily covering the wound or the problem."
Arnold Pangan, head of the Manila Department of Social Welfare (MDSW), also said that contrary to claims that they hid street families, they were taken away to be "processed" for inclusion in assistance programs for street dwellers.
"In compliance with the directive of Mayor Estrada, the MDSW has been doing this for years now at a frequency of at least two times a week – not just during the November APEC preparation, and in all of the six districts of Manila – not just in the APEC-busy streets," he said.
But non-governmental organization Bahay Tuluyan has disputed these claims, pointing out that the same thing was done by the DSWD during the papal visit in January.
Catherine Scerri, deputy director of Bahay Tuluyan, said some street families reported feeling that they were "not given a choice" in the rescue operations. – with reports from Fritzie Rodriguez/Rappler.com
MANILA, Philippines – Liberal Party standard-bearer Manuel Roxas II dodged questions about the Senate Electoral Tribunal (SET) and its decision to reject a petition to disqualify as senator one of his presidential rivals but did concede to one thing: Nobody wants a foreigner in Malacañang.
“Palagay ko (I think), without any specificity… lahat naman tayo ayaw ng isang dayuhan bilang isang presidente, diba (None of us would want a foreigner as president, right)?” said Roxas in a chance interview with reporters on Monday, November 23.
Roxas was asked to comment on Davao Mayor Rodrigo Duterte’s supposed reason for finally jumping the gun and announcing his own presidential bid: the SET’s decision not to disqualify Poe from the 2013 senatorial elections, supposedly because she is not a natural-born Filipino. (READ: Why did SC justices vote to disqualify Poe?)
The Davao mayor, who for months insisted he would not be running for president, said he refused to accept an “American president,” referring to Poe, who still faces residency and citizenship issues before other bodies.
On the sidelines of the turnover of new police patrol vehicles in Pasay City, reporters pressed Roxas to comment on the SET’s decision and its possible implications on Poe’s presidential bid. Roxas refused to give his 2 cents on the issues.
“It’s not for me to comment on how anyone voted sa SET. Manalo, matalo sa SET ang kaso ni Senadora Grace, kami ni Leni sa Daang Matuwid ay nakatutuok at ginagawa namin ang pagpresenta ng aming plataporma, ng aming pagkatao, ng aming kakayanan sa ating mga kababayan,” insisted Roxas, who once wooed Poe to be his running mate.
(Even if Senator Grace wins or loses before the SET, [Camarines Sur Representative Leni Robredo] and I are focused and working to present our platform, our persons, and our credentials to our fellow Filipinos.)
In a chance interview months back, Roxas had said he believed Poe was a Filipino and that the ruling Liberal Party in 2013 “presumed regularity” when it recruited the adopted daughter of 2 movie stars and former MTRCB chairman as one of its senate bets. Poe topped the 2013 senatorial elections, beating a record Roxas earlier set for nabbing the most votes in a national election.
On Monday, Roxas said the issues against Poe were not about her being a Filipino, but whether she was a natural-born or naturalized Filipino.
“Ang issue ay pagiging natural-born Filipino na nakasaad sa ating Saligang Batas. At sa dulo niyong lahat, ang pangingibabaw ng batas ang pinakamahalagang pinaglalabanan dito dahil kung wala ang batas magiging [might is right],” said Roxas.
(The issue is about being a natural-born Filipino as stated in the Constitution. At the end of it all, we’re fighting for the rule of law which is important because without it, it’s going to be might is right.)– Rappler.com
MANILA, Philippines – More than two months after the United Nations launched the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the House Special Committee on Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) has identified legislative priorities for the next Congress to ensure these goals would be achieved by 2030.
On Monday, November 23, committee member Masbate 2nd District Representative Elisa Kho presented to Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr their proposed legislative agenda, urging the 17th Congress to prioritize measures that will seek to address the concerns laid out by the SDGs. (READ: Sustainable goals: From the MDGs to the SDGs)
Among the bills in the list are:
The committee noted that the bills included in the agenda have been pending in the committee level but failed to be enacted into law due to "time constraints."
Mismatch between Congress and Malacañang
Committee chairperson Representative Teodorico Haresco also noted that MDG-related measures such as the Reproductive Health Law "took a very long time to pass."
"It was a case of the executive department perhaps not getting enough support from Congress or some policy proposals in Congress did not converge with the strategies of the executive branch."
Haresco added, "Legislators who were invited to pertinent international conferences attended as mere 'observers,' and not as part of the official Philippine delegation."
Speaker won't lose hope
Also speaking during the presentation, Belmonte acknowledged the importance of the SDG-related priority list.
"What we need is a responsive, appropriate and sensible legislative agenda that will represent a program of action allowing us to achieve not merely sustainable or inclusive growth but sustainable and inclusive growth." (READ: Evaluation: Key to achieving Sustainable Development Goals)
Belmonte also said he is not losing hope that the bills would be passed during the current administration.
"Many of the proposed measures identified in the Proposed Sustainable Development Goals Legislative Agenda are the same priority measures that we are working on in this 16th Congress," Belmonte said.
"I am not about to give up on the passage of these measures." – Rappler.com
Rappler talks to Zachary Abuza, a policy analyst specializing on Southeast Asian politics and security issues.
With the recent attacks in Paris, France, Southeast Asia should be alarmed over the looming threat of terrorists from the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). The threat posed by ISIS in Southeast Asia is comparatively small, but real, and it has the potential to become larger if not addressed properly. (READ: 4 things you need to know about ISIS in Indonesia)
Watch this interview with Abuza on Rappler. – Rappler.com
MANILA, Philippines – Six years after the 2009 Maguindanao massacre, the trial for the worst election-related violence in Philippine history continues to drag on.
As of November 2015, not one of the 197 accused has been convicted for the killing of 58 people in Ampatuan, Maguindanao.
Three of them – including the alleged mastermind of the massacre, Andal Ampatuan Sr – have already died. Meanwhile, 111 of the accused have been arrested and arraigned. (READ: 6 updates on Maguindanao Massacre's 6th year)
The Maguindanao massacre is considered the single deadliest attack against media. Thirty-two journalists were among those killed when the convoy of Esmael Mangudadatu, then running for governor against Andal Ampatuan Jr, was attacked in Sitio Masalay, Barangay Salman, Ampatuan, Maguindanao. (INFOGRAPHIC: Maguindanao massacre case, 5 years on)
Ongoing trial
Six years after the incident, proceedings at the Quezon City regional trial court handling the case have reached the hearing of the evidence-in-chief. The prosecution has rested its case against 95 of the accused after filing 3 batches of formal offers of evidence against them.
In a press update, the Supreme Court said the defense may either present its evidence or submit a demurrer to evidence, after which the murder cases will be submitted for the decision of the Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 221.
A demurrer is a response in a court proceeding where a defendant does not dispute the truth of the allegations but claims that these are insufficient to justify legal action.
According to the High Tribunal, the Quezon City RTC has already heard a total of 178 witnesses: 93 from the prosecution, 27 from the defense, and 58 private complainants.
The trial court has also resolved bail applications of the major accused in the case, except for Andal “Unsay” Ampatuan, Jr. and two other minor bail applications.
Unsay Ampatuan Jr has also been ordered to close his presentation of evidence by December.
In December 2013, the Supreme Court issued guidelines in the conduct of the trial to expedite proceedings, including the designation of a third assisting judge to handle "non-trial incidents" such as arraignments and pre-trials.
Up to the trial court
As relatives of the victims continue to mourn 6 years after the bloody massacre, Malacañang said it has done what it can "within its powers" to bring justice to the victims.
But Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda pointed out that the pace of the trial depends on Quezon City RTC Branch 221 Judge Jocelyn Solis-Reyes.
"Make no mistake, we are very concerned also. We would certainly like to have the trial of the Ampatuan case hastened as well and, in fact, we do want to see a decision before the President leaves office. But is it something within our control? That is not within our control. And I think we’re just stating what is the reality on the ground," Lacierda said.
He added that while Malacañang also wants the case expedited, they cannot go beyond "certain limitations" to avoid being accused of interference.
"At the end of the day, it is with Judge Solis-Reyes and how she conducts a trial that makes a difference on the pacing of the Ampatuan case," he said. – Rappler.com
MANILA, Philippines – It’s all-systems-go for a Duterte-Cayetano tandem in 2016, as far as the two politicians are concerned.
Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte confirmed on Monday, November 23, that his vice-presidential running mate is Alan Peter Cayetano.
“Oo, kaya nagsasama na kami (Yes, that’s why we are appearing together),” he told reporters during an ambush interview. (READ: Alan Peter Cayetano: A good partner is worth waiting for)
But Duterte is yet to consult political party PDP-Laban (Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan) on the tandem. He said he plans to meet with party chairman Senator Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III next week.
Once he speaks to the party, he said he plans to file his Certificate of Candidacy “at the most convenient time for everybody.”
He intends to file before December 10, the Commission on Elections deadline for substitution of candidates by political parties.
To those who still doubt Duterte’s determination to run for president, Duterte said “nothing” can now convince him to withdraw from the race.
“The die is cast. I have crossed the Rubicon,” he told reporters during an ambush interview.
'Everyone' is tough competition
He dismissed criticism that his disgust over the Senate tribunal decision on Grace Poe’s disqualification is not a fitting reason to gun for the presidency.
“Anong hindi magandang rason, magkapresidente ka na Amerikano hindi magandang rason? As a matter of principle, hindi ko matanggap ang katarantaduhan na ‘yan,” he said.
(Having an American president is not a good reason? As a matter of principle, I cannot accept this insanity.)
Asked who is his toughest competition among the presidential candidates, he said, “All of them.”
“If you want an American president, go to Grace. If you want a competent person, vote for Mar. If you want a man of integrity, you vote for Binay. If you want a brilliant president. integrity and all, competence, vote for Miriam. Ako, isipin niyo na lang ako sa last week before election (As for me, just consider me on the last week before the elections).”
The challenge confronting him now is his lack of campaign funds, saying he cannot accept money with strings attached.
“That’s my problem now. It could not be something that can compromise [the presidency], let me just lose if I have to compromise the presidency,” he said in a mix of English and Filipino.
Cayetano said that while the campaign has no money at the moment, they will be able to source from volunteers supporting Duterte.
“The good news is even if there is no money, his expenses will be less and less because of his supporters. Any of these posters you see on these highways were shouldered by supporters. There are young businessmen with big names and no demands who just want change,” said the senator.
Asked about forming a senatorial line-up, Duterte named his top choices: Sergio Osmeña III, Panfilo Lacson, Manny Pacquiao, and Susan "Toots" Ople. – Rappler.com
YANGON, Myanmar – Rescuers were searching for victims of a huge mine landslide in northern Myanmar Monday, November 23, as the toll passed 100 in a disaster highlighting the perils of the country's secretive billion-dollar jade trade.
Authorities in the remote town of Hpakant, the epicenter of the world's production of highly valuable jade, have pulled scores of bodies from the earth since a huge mountain of debris collapsed onto dozens of flimsy shacks early on Saturday morning.
While recovery operations continue, desperate rescuers have little hope of finding survivors with only dead bodies pulled from the rubble on Monday.
Those killed are thought to be mainly itinerant workers, who scratch a living picking through the piles of waste left by large-scale industrial mining firms in the hope of stumbling across a previously missed hunk of jade that will deliver them from poverty.
"First we kept the bodies in Hpakant hospital but there were so many it could not hold them all so we arranged to burn them at the cemetery," said Dashi Naw Lawn, of Kachin Network Development Foundation, a community group helping with the search.
Hpakant Township Administrator Tint Swe Myint said the total toll had risen to 113, with eight more bodies retrieved from the rubble on Monday.
"We will go on searching tomorrow," he told Agence France-Presse.
Officials in the area have said they do not know precisely how many people are missing because they did not have figures for the number of workers living in the ad hoc slum area.
But Monday's state-backed Global New Light of Myanmar newspaper said "many more people are still missing" after the accident.
The landslide is thought to be the deadliest in recent memory in the hard to reach and impoverished area of northern Kachin state bordering China, where locals say scores of workers have died this year alone in frequent landslides.
Stone of heaven
Myanmar is the source of virtually all of the world's finest jadeite, a near-translucent green stone that is enormously prized in neighboring China, where it is known as the "stone of heaven".
The Hpakant landscape has been turned into a moonscape of environmental destruction as firms use ever-larger diggers to claw the precious stone from the ground.
But while mining firms – many linked to the junta-era military elite – are thought to be raking in huge sums, local people complain they are shut out from the bounty.
In an October report, advocacy group Global Witness estimated that the value of Myanmar jade produced in 2014 alone was $31 billion and said the trade might be "biggest natural resource heist in modern history".
Much of the best jade thought to be smuggled directly to China.
With little help from authorities, Hpakant community groups have pooled limited resources to help workers injured in the accidents which have become commonplace as the diggers creep closer to villages.
Heroin and methamphetamine are also easily and cheaply available on Hpakant's dusty streets, a side effect of Myanmar's massive narcotics trade.
Locals have launched desperate campaigns to try to persuade Myanmar's quasi-civilian government, which replaced outright military rule in 2015, to force mining firms to curtail their rapidly expanding operations.
But their pleas have so far fallen on deaf ears.
Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy swept landmark November 8 elections and will form a new government early next year.
But it has not yet outlined any firm plans for the jade trade beyond pledges for a more equitable allocation of profits from the country's natural resources.
NLD spokesman Win Htein told AFP that some party members were helping out with search and rescue operations at the site.
"It is our duty to help the country when we can," he said. – Athens Zaw Zaw, AFP/Rappler.com
GENEVA, Switzerland – Weather-related disasters have grown more frequent over the last 20 years, claiming more than 600,000 lives, the UN said Monday, issuing a further call for nations to strike a landmark deal on climate change.
The report from the United Nations agency for disaster risk reduction (UNISDR) said floods, storms and other extreme weather events have killed 606,000 people since 1995, "with an additional 4.1 billion people injured, left homeless or in need of emergency assistance."
The report noted that while there was no way to establish how much of the rise in such disasters was caused by climate change, the link between the planet's changing climate and extreme weather was clear.
"The contents of this report underline why it is so important that a new climate change agreement emerges from the COP21 in Paris", said UNISDR chief Margareta Wahlstrom, referring to crunch climate talks starting next week.
The talks that open in the French capital on November 30 are tasked with crafting a 195-nation pact to curb greenhouse gas emissions blamed for dangerous levels of climate change.
Between 2005 and 2014, the leading database that tracks weather-linked disasters recorded 335 such incidents, a 14 percent increase compared to the previous decade and nearly double the number recorded from 1985 to 1994.
Overall, the report said, the planet has seen "a sustained rise in the numbers of floods and storms", noting that drought, heatwaves and extreme cold were also growing concerns.
According to UNISDR data, flooding accounted for 47% of all weather disasters over the last 20 years, affecting more than 2.3 billion people, the vast majority of whom live in Asia.
A full 75% of the 4.1 billion people affected were in either China or India, underscoring the extent to which densely populated areas in those countries were disproportionately vulnerable.
Next in line in terms of the number of people affected over the reporting period were Bangladesh (131 million people) and the Philippines (130 million people), while Brazil (51 million people) led the way in the Americas and Kenya was the most affected country in Africa (47 million people).
The report also detailed the heavy damage to property and infrastructure inflicted by extreme weather.
This includes 87 million homes damaged or destroyed, with hundreds of thousands of schools, hospitals and other key facilities affected worldwide.
In total, UNISDR data counted $1.9 trillion (1.8 trillion euros) in financial losses attributable to extreme weather events.
Given the correlation between climate change and extreme weather, the planet will "witness a continued upward trend in weather-related disasters in the decades ahead," the report warned. – Rappler.com
BRUSSELS, Belgium – Belgian police offered a virtual bowl of pet food to Internet cats on Monday, November 23, to thank social media users for agreeing to pause their posts during a major anti-terrorism operation in Brussels.
"For the cats that helped us last night... help yourselves!" Belgian police said on their Twitter account, with a photo of a metal bowl with the police logo in French and Flemish, filled with cat food pellets.
It was retweeted more than 4,400 times in French and 1,400 times in Flemish.
The Twitter hashtag #BrusselsLockdown went viral on Sunday night when social media users posted pictures of their feline friends – a light-hearted response to an official request from police not to put information about their operation on the Internet.
There were pictures of cats with guns, cats looking scared, cats with helmets on and even a surreal picture of two Star Wars stormtroopers riding hover scooters shaped like cats.
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The cat photos were a whimsical break from a tense situation, with Brussels under security lockdown since Saturday morning after the government said there was a "serious and imminent threat" of attacks like those in Paris on November 13.
Key Paris suspect Salah Abdeslam, who is believed to be in Belgium, remains at large despite police arresting 21 people overnight. – Rappler.com
LONDON, United Kingdom – Anti-Muslim hate crimes rose 300% in Britain in the week following the coordinated attacks in Paris, according to figures published on Monday, November 23.
A "vast and overwhelming majority" of the 115 attacks were against Muslim women and girls aged between 14 and 45 who were wearing traditional Islamic dress, according to the findings reported in The Independent newspaper.
The perpetrators were mainly white males aged between 15 and 35, according to the report, which noted that the true numbers of attacks were likely much larger than those reported.
The figures come from a report to a government working group on anti-Muslim hate compiled by Tell Mama, a helpline that records incidents of physical and verbal attacks on mosques and Muslims.
A large number of the attacks occurred in public places such as buses and trains.
"Many of the victims have suggested that no one came to their assistance or even consoled them, meaning that they felt victimized, embarrassed, alone and angry about what had taken place against them.
"Sixteen of the victims even mentioned that they would be fearful of going out in the future and that the experiences had affected their confidence."
The rise in attacks is in line with a similar increase that happened after the murder in south London of British soldier Lee Rigby by Muslim extremists in 2013, according to the report.
Islamophobic and anti-Semitic incidents had already risen sharply before the attacks in Paris, by 70.7% and 93.4% respectively in the year to July 2015 compared to the previous 12-month period, according to police figures.
In all, 816 Islamophobic incidents were recorded in Greater London between July 2014 and July 2015, compared to 478 in the previous period.
The same period saw 499 anti-Semitic incidents, a rise from 258 the previous year.
The police did not give a breakdown on whether the recorded attacks were physical or verbal assaults, but said there were a number of factors leading to the rise including a greater willingness of victims to report such incidents and better police recording.
Britain has 2.7 million Muslim residents and a Jewish population of 263,000, according to the 2011 census. – Rappler.com
PARIS, France – Climate experts say the need to agree on a global carbon price to cut pollution and aid clean technologies is a no-brainer, and yet the topic will have no place at the upcoming Paris climate talks.
World leaders, captains of industry, the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank had all expressed hope that the Paris meeting would welcome the idea.
Paris will host beginning next week a gathering of nearly 140 world leaders to spearhead a climate pact tasked with keeping Earth livable for humanity.
But despite a myriad carbon pricing schemes having been experimented with across the world and plenty of big-name support behind the idea, the Paris gathering will not address putting a global price on pollution.
The idea of a setting a price for the cost of carbon is to encourage polluters to reduce the amount of greenhouse gases they emit by making them pay the bill and focus on the need to develop and invest in green technology.
Frederic Dinguirard, from The Shift Project think-tank, wants to see "the creation of a 'signal-price' which triggers a decision to invest long-term, as these are the investments which are necessary to make the transition to a low carbon society".
The Global Commission on the Economy and Climate, an independent initiative on how the global economy can meet green challenges that is co-chaired by Mexican former president Felipe Calderon and economist Nicholas Stern, recommends that "governments introduce a strong, predictable and rising carbon price."
The body says carbon pricing is "a particularly efficient way to advance climate and fiscal goals" as a means of "helping to guide consumption choices and investments towards low-carbon and away from carbon-intensive activities. It also sees the recent fall in oil prices as "an opportunity to advance carbon pricing and fossil fuel subsidy reform."
Twenty managers' organizations from around the world, including Business Europe, recently wrote to UN climate chief Christiana Figueres stressing the importance of a carbon market being created as part of accords stemming from the Paris conference.
"The development of a global carbon market will help stimulate investments in innovative technologies, installations and products to be made in locations where they deliver the greatest possible climate benefits at the lowest economic cost," wrote Business Europe, which urged "the setting of a global level playing field to ensure a fair comparison."
Key to judging success
But despite their efforts, the issue will not feature in COP21 talks, to the chagrin of Brice Lalonde, UN special advisor and a former French environment minister.
"(This) illustrates perfectly the rather abstract side of the negotiations and the world inhabited by diplomats as compared to the world's economic reality," says Lalonde.
Lalonde says it is "not totally to be ruled out" that carbon pricing could win a mention in an international Paris agreement.
But he suggests it is somewhat unlikely given that "the petrol producing or coal producing nations don't want it as it will render their development more expensive."
To date, some 40 nations and 23 cities have already introduced or scheduled the introduction of carbon pricing, covering around 12% of global greenhouse gas emissions, according to World Bank figures.
"So things are evolving – but not quickly enough to have a real impact on economic models," complains Pascal Canfin of the World Resources Institute in his guide to the issues facing Paris participants.
Europe did bring in an emissions trading scheme a decade ago but with its surplus of allowances, coupled with low pricing, has not sparked the desired low-carbon investment decisions.
Canfin says: "The price of carbon is an issue where international cooperation allows acceleration of national action. The results of Paris on this point will thus be a key element our in judging the success or otherwise of the climate summit."
Lalonde meanwhile says the price level needs to be sufficiently high to "dissuade" firms from cleaving to the high-carbon path as well as pushing other green measures such as ending subsidies for fossil fuel.
Dinguirard says an "arsenal" of measures is required to cut carbon emissions, comprising "all kinds of constraints, incentives" – measures which would cement awareness of the global warming issue.
A brief look at several methods of applying carbon pricing:
Carbon Tax
A monetary levy added to a product's sale price on the basis of the volume of greenhouse gases emitted in its production and use.
Several European countries and Mexico have introduced such a tax. The IMF recently said it favored the option as the "best" solution despite reticence in the business world.
Emissions Norm
A legally fixed standard determining the limit of greenhouse gas emissions allowed for the production of a good or a technology.
Carbon Market or Exchange Quota System
This is a more flexible mechanism which fixes emissions reduction obligations and allows firms or countries to trade quotas, buying or selling depending on whether they have surpassed or remain inside set emissions limits.
This is the system currently in use in the European Union, California and New Zealand. China, the largest emitter of greenhouse gases, says it will adopt this system in 2017.
Project-Based Emissions Mechanisms
These mechanisms do not directly fix the price of carbon but are complementary. They are designed to compensate, on a voluntary or statutory basis, greenhouse gas emissions via the financing of projects aimed at emissions abatement. – Julie Chabanas, AFP / Rappler.com
MANILA, Philippines (UPDATED) – Vice presidential aspirant Senator Francis Escudero called on critics to “respect” the Senate Electoral Tribunal’s decision to dismiss the disqualification case against presidential poll front runner Senator Grace Poe.
The Constitution mandates the SET to be the “sole judge” of all contests on senators’ qualifications, Escudero reminded his running mate's critics on Tuesday, November 24.
In a statement directed at Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, Escudero said Poe's political opponents who are "mostly lawyers...are assaulting” the integrity of the constitutional body.
“Bilang abogado rin, nais ko rin galangin at ipaglaban ang Saligang Batas. Nagkataon lang siguro na magkaiba kami ng pananaw at interpretasyon kaugnay ng Saligang Batas at pagiging natural-born ni Senator Grace,” he said.
(As a fellow lawyer, I, too, want to respect and fight for the Constitution. It just so happened that we have differing views and interpretation of the Constitution and Senator Grace's natural-born status.)
Escudero made the appeal a few days after Duterte's announcement that he would run for president, as he could not accept the SET’s decision on Poe's case. Duterte earlier called the Poe-Escudero tandem "excellent" but has since changed his tune, now describing Poe as a potential “American president.”
While Escudero reiterated he respects Duterte’s views, the senator called on the mayor “not to belittle” those who do not share his opinion.
The two have been exchanging barbs. Escudero had urged the mayor not to use Poe as an “excuse” to aim for the presidency; Duterte had accused Escudero of “using” Poe for his own benefit, a perennial accusation that the tandem denies.
Escudero again defended his presidential candidate. He said that during her two-and-a-half year stint at the Senate, Poe has shown she has “principles.”
“Kung may nanggagamit, may nagpapagamit palagi. At hindi naman porke’t babae o baguhan sa pulitika si Senator Grace, mayroon dapat nasa likod niya o mayroon nagdidikta sa kanya. Sa maikling karanasan niya sa Senado, naipakita niya na may sarili siyang paninindigan – sariling paniniwala na tinatayuan niya mismo nang hindi inaasahan ang sino pa man,” he said.
(If there's a user, there's always someone who allows himself or herself to be used. And not just because Senator Grace is a woman or political newbie, there has to be someone behind her or someone to dictate on her. In her short experience in the Senate, she has shown she has her own principles – own beliefs that she stands by without relying on any one.)
Who's using who?
Meanwhile, Duterte's running mate, Senator Alan Peter Cayetano, took exception to Escudero's claim that the Davao official was using Poe's citizenship question as an excuse to run for president.
“Klaro sa amin ni Mayor Duterte na hindi pwedeng tumakbong presidente ang isang hindinatural-born citizen. Tama po ba na ang isang nanumpa sa Amerika, babalik dito, gusto maging Pangulo? Hindi pwedeng palampasin ito. Lalong hindi ito drama," Cayetano said.
(It's clear to Mayor Duterte and myself that someone who's not a natural-born citizen cannot run for president. Is it right for someone who had pledged allegiance to America to come back here, and run for the presidency? We cannot allow this. This is not drama.)
Cayetano also said Poe should face the issues against her squarely, and not hide behind Escudero's back.
“Hindi maaari na hindi marinig ang tinig niya lalo na kung gusto niyang maging presidente ng bansa (She has to let her voice be heard if she wants to be president). If this early she is already hiding behind a person, who at best is only muddling the issue lodged against her, what more if she becomes president?” he said.
The camp of petitioner Rizalito David appealed the SET decision on Monday, November 23, saying the tribunal made a "wrong" judgment and that politics ruled over the law.
Lawyer Manuelito Luna said they filed a motion for reconsideration to give "chance" to the 5 senator-members who voted in favor of Poe to "correct" their decisions. – Rappler.com
YANGON, Myanmar – Search teams said Tuesday, November 24, they had abandoned hope of finding survivors from a landslide in north Myanmar's jade mining heartland which killed more than 100 people.
It is one of the deadliest incidents surrounding the billion-dollar jade trade that enriches a shadowy elite while destroying the local environment and social structure.
Scores of mainly itinerant prospectors sleeping in tents were buried when a towering mound of earth dumped by mining firms collapsed early Saturday at Hpakant in war-torn Kachin state, the hub of the jade industry.
Recovery teams including the army, police and local community organizations have pulled 113 bodies from the rubble. Only one man was found alive on Saturday, November 21, but died soon after of his injuries.
Dashi Naw Lawn of the Kachin Network Development Foundation, which is helping the search, said no further survivors were expected.
"We are seeing only dead people," he told Agence France-Presse, adding that recovery operations continued at the site Tuesday with possibly dozens of people still missing.
Authorities could not confirm the number of people who were searching for jade at the time of the landslide.
But the state-backed Global New Light of Myanmar Tuesday quoted local officials as estimating another 30 bodies could still be buried.
It said the area had been designated "high risk" by authorities, who now plan to relocate a further 70 miner huts built in the shadow of other waste mountains.
'Stone of heaven'
Myanmar is the world's main source of the finest jadeite, a near-translucent green stone that is highly sought after in neighboring China, where demand is surging as incomes rise.
The highest quality Myanmar jade is known by its Chinese admirers as "stone of heaven" or "imperial jade" because it was historically a preserve of the elite and is thought to possess a wealth of virtuous properties, including bringing its owner good health.
Jade values depend on the quality and craftsmanship of each individual piece, with raw chunks of the precious stone imported to China and Hong Kong where they are carved into jewelery and trinkets that can fetch anything between a few dollars and hundreds of thousands.
Mining firms linked to former junta figures, the military elite and cronies are thought to be raking in huge profits from the trade, which has dramatically expanded in recent years despite reforms under a new quasi-civilian regime.
Advocacy group Global Witness estimates the jade industry was worth some $31 billion in 2014 alone – a sum far exceeding the $3.4 billion official sales as most of the best-quality jade is thought to be smuggled directly into China.
As mining firms creep closer to villages in their hunt for the precious stone, residents complain of abuses including land-grabbing and strong-arm tactics from local security forces.
The area, once thickly covered in forest, is now ringed with naked hills and pocked by huge craters as large-scale mining transforms the landscape.
Access to Hpakant is barred to nearly all foreigners, while the road into the area is an almost impassable mud track lined with army checkpoints and the huge orange trucks of the jade firms.
But it is a magnet to impoverished migrants from across Myanmar who flock to the area in the hope of striking it rich.
They often fall victim to the heroin and methamphetamine that floods the area, a by-product of Myanmar's massive narcotics trade centered in neighboring Shan state. – Athens Zaw Zaw, AFP / Rappler.com
MANILA, Philippines – Sandiganbayan Presiding Justice Amparo Cabotaje-Tang and Department of Justice Acting Secretary Benjamin Caguioa are among the 16 lawyers vying for the position to be vacated in January 2016 by Supreme Court Associate Justice Martin Villarama Jr.
The 16 names come from a list submitted to the Judicial and Bar Council (JBC), which will screen the nominees and submit a shortlist to President Benigno Aquino III.
Rappler earlier reported that Caguioa, a classmate of the President’s in Ateneo and his former presidential legal counsel, is a shoo-in for the race.
Villarama’s replacement will be Aquino’s 6th appointee in the high court.
Villarama was scheduled to retire in April 2016 yet, which would have put Aquino in a bind because the period covers the election ban on appointments. The presidential election is in May 2016.
While the SC's 2010 ruling exempts the Tribunal from this appointment ban, Aquino is not keen on taking advantage of it because he had opposed such exemption when then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo named Renato Corona chief justice days before the May 2010 presidential race.
Speculations were rife that Malacañang would persuade Villarama to take early retirement to give Aquino enough time to make his own appointment without courting controversy.
Early this month, Villarama indeed filed for early retirement in January 2016, citing poor health.
Aside from Cabotaje-Tang and Caguioa, other candidates for the post are Solicitor General Florin Hilbay, Court of Appeals Presiding Justice Andres Reyes Jr., Sandiganbayan Associate Justices Maria Cristina Cornejo and Alex Quiroz, CA Associate Justices Apolinario Bruselas, Rosmari Carandang, Mariflor Castillo and Stephen Cruz, former Commission on Audit (COA) chairperson Maria Gracia Pulido-Tan, DOJ Chief State Counsel Ricardo Paras III, Deputy Ombudsman for Luzon Gerard Mosquera, Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 90 presiding judge Reynaldo Daway, Partylist Rep. Cinchona Cruz-Gonzales (Citizen's Battle Against Corruption), and private practitioner Joe-Santos Bisquera (Bisquera Balagtas Law Center).
Next president
Two other Aquino SC appointees will be retiring – one in 2017 (Justice Bienvenido Reyes) and another in 2019 (Justice Francis Jardeleza) – while 8 of the incumbent Arroyo-appointed SC members will be retiring anytime between 2016 and 2019.
This gives the next president the power to appoint 10 in the high court during the first 3 years of his administration. Theoretically, if the next president is friendly to Aquino, the added advantage will be apparent.
The JBC earlier set the deadline for application and nomination for Villarama's post on November 23 while the deadline for submission of supporting documents of nominations was set on December 8.
JBC member lawyer Jose Mejia earlier said the JBC could come up with a shortlist by February next year.– Rappler.com
MANILA, Philippines – The plunder trial of former president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo will now be on hold until February 2016.
On Tuesday, November 24, the Supreme Court extended the status quo ante order it earlier issued, ordering the Sandiganbayan to temporarily halt Arroyo's plunder trial.
Arroyo is facing charges for having approved the use of P365.9 million in Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) funds which were allegedly misused from 2008 to 2010.
The high court's order comes after the former president filed an appeal regarding the Sandiganbayan's denial of her petition for bail.
In her motion, Arroyo cited health concerns, along with the findings of the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention.
The UN body released an opinion last October 2, saying that Arroyo's detention "violates international law" and is "arbitrary on a number of grounds."
The former president remains under hospital arrest at the Veterans Memorial Medical Center in Quezon City. – Rappler.com
MANILA, Philippines – The Quezon City Regional Trial Court on Tuesday, November 24, found Jason Ivler guilty of murdering the son of a former Malacañang official.
The 28-year-old Ivler, a nephew of music icon Freddie Aguilar, shot dead Renato Ebarle Jr during a traffic altercation at Santolan Avenue in Quezon City on November 18, 2009.
Ebarle was the son of former Undersecretary Renato Ebarle Sr, the chief of staff of former president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.
The National Bureau of Investigation arrested Ivler in 2010.
In its ruling, the court sentenced Ivler to reclusion perpetua or up to 40 years in prison, and ordered him to pay P9.373 million in damages to the Ebarle family, GMA News reported.
The report also said Ivler was ordered to transfer to the New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa City from the Quezon City Jail Annex in Taguig City. – Rappler.com