BERLIN, Germany – About a dozen migrants may have entered Germany on forged Syrian passports like those used by two Paris suicide bombers, according to a news report Tuesday, December 22, which authorities did not confirm.

Bild newspaper, citing unnamed government sources, said the passports bore the "same forgery characteristics" as those carried by two men involved in the November 13 France attacks claimed by the Islamic State group.

The passports were stolen blanks issued by the Syrian government, but filled in by forgers with the personal details of people who then joined tens of thousands on the refugee trail to Europe, according to Bild.

The report said German authorities did not know where the "about one dozen" arrivals were now, having entered the country before November 13, and that no fingerprints had been taken of them.

Germany's Office for Migration and Refugees now only had copies of the passports, which Bild said had been issued in 2013 in Raqqa, now IS's de facto Syrian capital.

The German interior ministry, contacted by Agence France-Presse, declined to comment on the claims "for tactical reasons", but stressed that it was aware of the risk criminals and extremists could use forged Syrian passports.

German newspaper Welt am Sonntag, citing Western intelligence sources, reported on Sunday that IS may have stolen "tens of thousands" of blank passports in Syria, Iraq and Libya that it could use to smuggle its fighters into Europe.

The two unidentified Stade de France attackers in Paris appear to have used fake Syrian passports to enter Europe along the migrant trail.

Germany is Europe's top destination for refugees, most of whom travel through Turkey and the Balkans, and expects more than one million arrivals this year.

Europe's biggest economic power has to date maintained an open-door policy for Syrians escaping their country's bloodshed, giving them "primary protection" -- the highest status for refugees.

A deputy leader of Angela Merkel's Christian Democrats, Julia Kloeckner, demanded Tuesday that Germany tighten its controls and immediately re-introduce personal interviews of all asylum seekers arriving in Germany. – Rappler.com

ATHENS, Greece – Greece's parliament approved a resolution Tuesday, December 22, calling on the government to recognize the state of Palestine, but Prime Minister Alexis Tspiras said Athens will judge when the time is right to make the formal move.

At a special session attended by visiting Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas, all  parliamentary parties voted in favour of the move, speaker Nikos Voutsis said.

It urges the Greek government to "promote appropriate procedures for the recognition of a Palestinian state and every diplomatic effort for the resumption of discussions for peace" in the region, Voutsis added.

Abbas said he was proud to be in the Greek parliament, calling it "the sanctuary of democracy", and thanked the deputies for a vote he said would "contribute to the creation of a Palestinian state".

Deputy speaker Tassos Kourakis also called the resolution "an important step" towards the recognition of a Palestinian state.

Tsipras announced Monday after talks with Abbas that Greece would no longer refer on official documents to the Palestinian Authority, but rather to Palestine.

Israel criticises 'flawed path'

The Palestinian Authority considers over 130 countries to have recognised Palestine as a state, although the number is disputed and several recognitions by what are now European Union member states date back to the Soviet era.

Nine EU members -- the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Poland, Bulgaria, Romania, Malta, Cyprus and Sweden -- have so far recognised Palestine.

But no EU heavyweight has yet made the move.

Israel responded to the Greek vote by saying the Palestinians' "unilateral" efforts to secure recognition were meaningless.

“The Palestinians and Abu Mazen continue to choose the unilateral path to obtain recognition which has no meaning in practice," said deputy foreign minister Tzipi Hotovely, using another name for Abbas.   

"Instead of Abu Mazen ceasing to incite and fund terror he is following a flawed path that will lead him nowhere."

Athens has forged closer ties with Israel in recent years, especially in the field of energy, while retaining its traditionally good relations with the Palestinians.

Tsipras travelled to the region last month when he met both Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

He said Abbas' visit to Greece signals the "strengthening" of traditionally historic ties between the two.

"Greece was committed to the installation of a viable, independent and sovereign Palestinian state based on borders set in 1967 and with east Jerusalem as its capital, a country that will coexist peacefully with Israel," Tsipras said.

However he added that Greece would "judge the right time" for recognising a state of Palestine, taking into account its "brotherly relations with the Arab people and ties of cooperation with Israel".

In Ramallah, the headquarters of the Palestinian Authority, Saeb Erakat, the number two of the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO), welcomed the resolution.

"We truly hope that the Greek government will follow through with the parliament's decision and officially recognise a state of Palestine with the 1967 borders and East Jerusalem as its capital," he said.

Palestine's flag was hoisted for the first time at UN headquarters in New York on September 30 in a symbolic gesture.

Abbas then took to the podium to call for universal recognition of Palestine. – Hélène Colliopoulou, AFP/Rappler.com

GENEVA, Switzerland – More than one million migrants and refugees reached Europe this year, including over 970,000 who made the dangerous journey across the Mediterranean, the UN refugee agency said Tuesday, December 22.

About half were Syrians fleeing the country's brutal civil war, according to the new figures released by the UNHCR and the International Organization for Migration. 

"The number of people displaced by war and conflict is the highest seen in Western and Central Europe since the 1990s," the UNHCR said, referring to the conflicts in the former Yugoslavia that decade. 

A total of 3,692 migrants died or disappeared crossing the Mediterranean sea this year, IOM said. 

The figures were released as Turkey's state-run Anatolia news agency reported that 11 more people, including three children, drowned in the Aegean Sea, underscoring the grave risks taken by those striving to reach Europe.  

Greece was by far the leading landing spot for migrants to Europe this year, with 821,008 arrivals, including 816,752 by sea. 

At certain points over the last 12 months upwards of 5,000 people were landing in the Greek islands each day.

But the rate of arrivals in Greece has eased slightly since November, partly due to increased maritime patrols by Turkey and partly because of colder weather. 

Overall, sea arrivals this year dwarfed those of 2014, when the UNHCR recorded 219,000 migrant landings in Europe via the Mediterranean. 

The UN has previously said it sees no let up in the coming months and that the number of migrants who reach Europe in 2016 could exceed the 2015 figures, especially if relentless violence in Syria persists. 

"We know Syrians will go on trying to reach Europe until there is a fundamental change in the factors that are pushing them to leave," UNHCR chief Antonio Guterres told the UN security council on Monday. 

Guterres said there was need for a "New Deal" between the international community, especially Europe, and Syria's neighbours who have born the brunt of the refugee influx caused by the civil war. 

- Migration 'inevitable' -Afghans made up 20 percent of migrant arrivals in Europe, while seven percent were Iraqis. 

After Greece, Italy received the second highest number of migrants, with 150,317 people reaching its territory this year, all by sea. 

This marked a slight decline from 2014, when 170,000 people landed in Italy after crossing the Mediterranean from North Africa.

Rounding out the list of European countries that saw migrant arrivals in 2015 was Bulgaria (29,959), Spain (3,845), Cyprus (269) and Malta (106). 

"We know migration is inevitable, it's necessary and it's desirable," said IOM chief William Lacy Swing, 

"But it's not enough to count the number of those arriving... We must also act," he added, calling for "legal, safe and secure" migration for those forced to leave their home country. 

Reflecting on the last 12 months, the UNHCR criticised the "initial chaotic reaction" in parts of Europe to the flood of migrants, but applauded signs that a more coordinated response was now emerging. 

But a unified EU positon remains elusive, with Hungary and Slovakia having made threats of legal action against the bloc's controversial plan to distribute 160,000 refugees across member states. – Ben Simon, AFP/Rappler.com

PARIS, France – The Philippines became the first Asian country on Tuesday, December 22, to approve the sale of the world's first-ever dengue vaccine.

Dengvaxia, manufactured by French pharmaceutical giant Sanofi, secured its first regulatory approval in Mexico a fortnight ago and is currently being reviewed by around 20 countries in Asia and Latin America. (READ: World's first dengue vaccine cleared)

It is hoped the drug could eventually help prevent millions of deaths from dengue, the world's fastest-growing mosquito-borne disease. 

The World Health Organization says as many as 400 million people are infected worldwide every year, and two-thirds are in Asia.

"It's a major step in the prevention of dengue and for public health," Olivier Charmeil, head of Sanofi's vaccines division, said in a statement.

Scientists have long been stumped by dengue, which has 4 separate strains, forcing researchers to find a drug able to fight all of them at once.

Clinical tests -- carried out on 40,000 people from 15 countries -- have found Dengvaxia can immunize two-thirds of people aged nine years and older, rising to 93 percent for the more severe form of the disease, dengue haemorrhagic fever. 

It was also found to reduce the risk of hospitalization by 80%.

Dengue can trigger a crippling fever, along with muscle and joint pain. There is no known cure, and children are at particular risk.

The deadliest form of the disease kills 22,000 people a year, the WHO says.

It was once considered a disease of the tropics, endemic in only 9 countries, but globalization, urbanization, climate change and jet travel are helping it to move into more temperate zones.

It is now endemic in more than 100 countries.

The WHO says cases have risen 30-fold over the last 50 years, with more than half the world's population potentially at risk.

Several million doses of the vaccine are ready to ship, and Sanofi expects annual production to reach 100 million doses by 2017.

Sanofi's research and development work took 20 years, costing more than 1.5 billion euros ($1.6 billion).

But the vaccine could bring the company more than $1 billion annually starting in 2018 or 2019, analysts said.

Other pharmaceutical companies are developing dengue vaccines, including US firm Merck, Japan's Takeda and Britain's GlaxoSmithKline, but Sanofi is ahead of the competition. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – Vice President Jejomar Binay and Senator Grace Poe are tied again in a new presidential poll conducted by the Social Weather Stations (SWS) conducted a week ago, showing erratic changes in the ranking of the leading candidates.

Binay and Poe were each chosen by 26% of 1,200 respondents polled from December 12-14, according to a report published by BusinessWorld.

The other candidates are close behind. Administration candidate Manuel Roxas II was chosen by 22% and Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte by 20%.

It is Senator Miriam Santiago who is lagging behind with only 4% of the respondents saying they will vote for her.

The survey has 3 points error margin. 

Erratic surveys

A Pulse Asia survey conducted a week earlier, December 4-11, showed Binay's gains to become the survey leader again. But the same survey showed a different story for Poe. 

The Pulse survey showed Binay was a runaway winner with 33% of respondents saying they will for him. He is followed by Duterte (23%), Poe (21%), Roxas (17%), and Santiago (4%).

The Pulse survey has captured initial reactions to the decisions of separate Commission on Elections divisions to cancel the candidacy of Poe, a ruling that she appealed but were junked by the Comelec en banc on Tuesday, December 22.

Quoting political scientist Edmund Tayao, the BusinessWorld report said Binay benefitted from the qualification issues hounding Poe and Duterte. The Davao Mayor topped the SWS poll conducted after he declared his presidential bid, but he also faces at least 3 disqualification cases.

Another survey by pollster Junie Laylo about the same time that Pulse Asia conducted its field work showed a different story. Poe led the race with 28% of respondents saying they will vote for her. Binay and Roxas were close behind with 23% and 22% of respondents choosing them, respectively.

Leni's rise

The new SWS survey also shows that Senator Francis Escudero has kept his lead in the vice presidential race with 30% of respondents saying they will vote for him. 

Administration candidate Leni Robredo has caught up with her rivals, however. She is tied with Senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr, who like her was chosen by 19% of the respondents, based on the SWS survey.

Senator Alan Cayetano was chosen by 17% of the respondents; and Senator Gregorio Honasan, by 8%.

The ealier Pulse Asia survey showed a tighter race among the vice presidential candidates.– with reports from Carmela Fonbuena/Rappler.com

WASHINGTON DC, USA – Republican frontrunner Donald Trump found himself accused of sexism again Tuesday, December 22, after he coined a vulgar new term of abuse while attacking rival Hillary Clinton.

Whipping up a raucous crowd of supporters in Michigan on Monday night, December 21, Trump's scorn for his Democratic rival took a sexually graphic and personal turn.

Recalling the 2008 presidential race, in which Hillary lost out to Barack Obama in the battle for the Democratic nomination, the billionaire real estate mogul appeared to reach for a Yiddish term.

"She was favored to win and she got schlonged. She lost, I mean she lost," he said, apparently turning the noun "schlong" – a penis – into a verb.

Then, with the partisan crowd cheering him on, he turned to an incident on Saturday, December 19, when Clinton returned late to a televised debate after a bathroom break.

"I know where she went, it's disgusting, I don't want to talk about it," Trump said. "No, it's too disgusting. Don't say it, it's disgusting."

Clinton did not address Trump's comments directly, but when a young woman at a campaign rally asked her what she would do about bullying, she used the opportunity to launch a not-so-veiled attack on her Republican rival.

"We shouldn't let anybody bully his way into the presidency, because that is not who we are as Americans," Clinton told a crowd at a school in Keota, Iowa.

Trump's campaign trail outburst was not the first in which the thrice-married billionaire real estate mogul expressed distaste for women's bodily functions.

In August, Trump triggered outrage when he insinuated that Fox News host Megyn Kelly had subjected him to sharp questioning because she may have been menstruating.

Trump's personal attacks on women also extended to his Republican rival Carly Fiorina, of whom he declared: "Look at that face! Would anyone vote for that?"

Heated rhetoric

His latest remarks drew predictable anger, with liberal site Think Progress dubbing it an "astonishingly sexist attack."

Clinton's team urged supporters to denounce Trump and his belittling remarks.

"We are not responding to Trump but everyone who understands the humiliation this degrading language inflicts on all women should," campaign communications director Jennifer Palmieri said on Twitter.

Trump, a reality television star turned White House candidate, has ridden out all the fury directed his way after previous outbursts.

Polls show the 69-year-old New Yorker remains the frontrunner for the Republican nomination.

His heated rhetoric has infused the campaign, perhaps most notably when he called for a ban on Muslims entering the United States. 

Clinton pounced on those comments during the Democratic debate, saying that Islamic State (ISIS) extremists were using videos of Trump as a recruiting tool.

Trump slammed Clinton as a liar for that remark and demanded an apology.

None was given, but Clinton did appear Tuesday to shift her story somewhat about jihadist recruitment efforts.

"If you go on Arabic television as we have, and you look at what is being blasted out, with video of Mr. Trump being translated into Arabic – 'No Muslims coming to the United States,' other kinds of derogatory, defamatory statements – it is playing into the hands of the violent jihadists," she said.

Trump's speeches are often unscripted, and supporters applaud him for what they see as his authenticity and disdain for political correctness.

A new survey, however, shows that those voters who have not been won over are turned off by his bombast.

Fifty percent (50%) of registered US voters said in a Quinnipiac poll Tuesday that they would be "embarrassed" to have Trump as president, compared to 23% who would be proud.

If Clinton were elected, 33% would be proud and 35% would be embarrassed, according to the poll.

Quinnipiac has Trump leading Republicans with 28% support, followed by Senator Ted Cruz at 24% and Senator Marco Rubio at 12%. – Michael Mathes, AFP / Rappler.com

BOGOTA, Colombia – Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos signed a decree Tuesday, December 22, legalizing and regulating medical marijuana, the latest softening of the country's hardline tactics in the war on drugs.

In a nationally televised address, Santos announced it would be fully legal to grow, process, import and export cannabis and its derivatives for medical and scientific use.

"This decree allows licenses to be granted for the possession of seeds, cannabis plants and marijuana," he said from the presidential palace.

"It places Colombia in the group of countries that are at the forefront... in the use of natural resources to fight disease."

He added that the measure "does not go against our international commitments on drug control."

Colombia's government has long been a close ally of the United States in fighting international drug trafficking, using its military and billions of dollars in US funding to try to shed its title as the world's largest cocaine producer.

But it has shown signs of easing its hardline stance in recent months.

Santos's announcement follows a recent decision to stop aerially spraying the herbicide glyphosate on fields of coca, the raw ingredient for cocaine.

The World Health Organization warned in April that the chemical, sold by US biotech company Monsanto under the brand name Roundup, is "probably carcinogenic."

Santos also announced in September that Colombia would begin giving land to farmers who stop growing coca.

Medical marijuana had previously fallen into a legal gray area in Colombia.

It was authorized under a 1986 law, but the lack of regulation prevented production on a national level.

"The manufacture, export, sale, and medical and scientific use of this and other substances have been permitted for several decades in Colombia. However, they were never regulated. That is what we are doing today," Santos said.

Under the decree, growers will apply for licenses from the National Narcotics Council, while those seeking to manufacture cannabis-based drugs will apply for permits from the health ministry.

The health ministry will also grant permits to export such drugs to countries where they are legal.

"Our goal is for patients to be able to access medications made in Colombia that are safe, high-quality and accessible. It is also an opportunity to promote scientific research in our country," Santos said.

'Plan Colombia'

The push to legalize marijuana appears to be gaining momentum in Latin America, for both medical and recreational use.

Uruguay legalized the production, sale and use of marijuana in 2013, Chile's Congress is debating a bill to legalize pot, and Mexico will open a "national debate" in January on overhauling its prohibitionist marijuana laws.

Colombia decriminalized possession of up to 20 grams of marijuana in 2012, and it is legal to grow up to 20 cannabis plants in the country. But consuming it in public and selling it are illegal.

Medical marijuana is already used in Colombia on a small scale.

For example, some epileptics use cannabis extract to control their seizures.

But health professionals and pharmaceutical companies say the new decree will make it much easier to buy, sell and manufacture such drugs.

Illegal drugs have given rise to horrific violence by drug cartels in Colombia, and have fueled a five-decade conflict between leftist guerrillas and the Colombian government that has killed more than 220,000 people.

The country has received $9 billion in US funding since 1999 under "Plan Colombia," a military and economic cooperation program aimed at combating drug trafficking.

But it remains a top producer of illegal drugs, particularly cocaine.

Colombia's cocaine production surged by 52% last year, to 442 tons, according to the United Nations. – Paula Carrillo, AFP / Rappler.com

BANDAR SERI BEGAWN, Brunei – Christmas is just around the corner, but there are no tinsel-laden trees or Santa hats in the oil-rich sultanate of Brunei, where celebrations have been banned under a shift towards hardline Islamic law.

The all-powerful Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, one of the world's richest men, announced last year he would push ahead with the introduction of sharia law, eventually including tough penalties such as death by stoning or severed limbs. 

Religious leaders in the oil-rich sultanate warned this month that a ban on Christmas would be strictly enforced, for fear that Muslims could be led astray.

"Using religious symbols like crosses, lighting candles, putting up Christmas trees, singing religious songs, sending Christmas greetings... are against Islamic faith," imams said in sermons published in the local press.

Punishment for violating the ban is a 5-year jail sentence, and the government warned last year that Muslims would be committing an offense if they so much as wore "hats or clothes that resemble Santa Claus".

Although Christians are free to celebrate, they have been told not to do so "excessively and openly", in a directive that has had a chilling effect on the Southeast Asian nation, which sits on a corner of Borneo island.

Businesses have been warned to take decorations down and authorities have stepped up spot checks across the capital. Hotels popular among Western tourists that once boasted dazzling lights and giant Christmas trees are now barren of festive decor.

"This will be the saddest Christmas ever for me," a Malaysian expatriate resident told Agence France-Presse, requesting not to be named for fear of reprisals from authorities.

"The best part of Christmas day is waking up and having that feeling that it is Christmas, but there's just none of that here and you just feel deprived."

"All this is just because of what the Sultan wants. In 2013, I saw many Muslims together with Christians having a good time at their house parties. Everything was normal and good," he said.

#MyTreedom

Most people are too scared to speak up about the ban, and while some privately gripe about the rule they know there is little to be done.

"I will be working on Christmas after church. We just have to cope," a Filipino waitress – one of Brunei's many guest workers – told Agence France-Presse.

Some people dared to post pictures on social media depicting Christmas cheer using the hashtag #MyTreedom, part of a global campaign to highlight oppression against Christians. 

At least one church in the capital sported decorations that were visible from the street, a rare glimpse of holiday cheer in the otherwise decoration-free city. 

"The ban is ridiculous. It projects this image that Islam does not respect the rights of other religions to celebrate their faith," said a Muslim mother in the capital, also too scared to provide her name. 

"Islam teaches us to respect one another and I believe it starts with respecting other religions even if what is being banned are ornamental displays."

Others were more tempered, and urged the prohibition to be respected. 

"It is an Islamic country and so with respect to the law, churches need to keep decorations indoors," said a Christian Bruneian, unfazed by the strict rules.

"The meaning of Christmas for us isn't all about Christmas decorations."

Controversy at home 

However, the prohibition does not extend to the business interests of the sultan, whose estimated $20 billion fortune includes the historic Beverly Hills Hotel – part of his Dorchester Collection with branches in London, Paris, Milan and Rome.

It is Christmas as usual this year in the upscale Le Richemond hotel in Geneva where guests are greeted by lavish displays in the hotel lobby, include bowls overflowing with pine branches, ornaments and candles aplenty. 

The Le Meurice hotel in Paris advertises a Christmas eve 7-course gourmet menu for 650 euros – before drinks – while the Beverly Hills Hotel is decked out for the holidays too.

Before unveiling the hardline law, the sultan had warned of pernicious foreign influences such as the Internet and indicated he intended to place more emphasis on Islam in the conservative Muslim country.

Strict rules against homosexuality in the sharia law, punishable with death by stoning, sparked a backlash among A-listers including Jay Leno, Ellen DeGeneres and business tycoon Richard Branson, who called for the hotels to be boycotted. 

The sultan is no stranger to controversy at home either – the monarchy was deeply embarrassed by a family feud with his brother Jefri Bolkiah over the latter's alleged embezzlement of $15 billion during his tenure as finance minister in the 1990s.

Court battles and investigations revealed salacious details of Jefri's un-Islamic jetset lifestyle, including claims of a high-priced harem of foreign women and a luxury yacht he owned called "Tits".

Some say that Brunei is on a dangerous path towards religious intolerance in a state where only 9% of 430,000 population are Christian.

"In a globalized world, many countries are trying to unite different people and different religions but it doesn't seem to be the case here," a Catholic foreign worker told Agence France-Presse.

"What's happening here is that Christians are being alienated from the majority Muslim community." – Rappler.com

DAVAO CITY, Philippines – The Davao City Council on Tuesday, December 22, approved a resolution granting Mayor Rodrigo Duterte the legislative authority to disburse P11 million and donate the amount to the provinces of Sorsogon and Oriental Mindoro which were hit by Typhoon Nona (Melor).

In a special session called by Duterte, City Council Finance Ways and Means Committee chair Danilo Dayanghirang, read Duterte's letter stating, among others, the need to provide assistance to the calamity-stricken provinces as Christmas is coming and people need support.

"There is no greater service to the country than serving our fellowmen suffering the effects of Typhoon Nona, who at this time of Christmas is experiencing pain of losing their houses and livelihood," Dayanghirang quoted Duterte as saying.

In a unanimously approved resolution, the Davao City Council granted Duterte the legislative authority to disburse P11 million from the unspent quick-response fund which is taken from the 5% disaster risk reduction and management fund of the city for calendar year 2015.

Residents from the municipalities of Barcelona, Bulan, Bulusan, Casiguran, Castilla, Donsol, Gubat, Irosin, Uban, Magallanes, Matnog, Pilar, Getoguias, Sta Magdalena, and Sorsogon City from Sorsogon province; and Baco, Calapan, Gloria, Mauian, Pinamalayan, Pola, and Victoria in Oriental Mindoro will benefit from the support.

Dayanghirang said each town will receive P500,000 but this will be subject to existing government auditing and accounting procedures, as well as guidelines from the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) and the Commission on Audit (COA).

Duterte or any representative from the city government of Davao will hand-carry the assistance as soon as the fund is available.

The Davao City government has been extending support to fellow LGUs suffering from calamities or disasters. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – The camp of presidential race front runner Grace Poe questioned on Wednesday, December 23, the timing of the release of the final decision of the Commission on Elections (Comelec), which upheld her disqualification from the 2016 elections.

of presidential aspirant Senator Grace Poe, her camp questioned the timing of release of the decisions during the holiday season.

Poe's counsel George Garcia said the poll body could have made the ruling sooner or later, and not during the holiday season, when government offices are already on break.

"Di ko masasagot kung sinadya. Di naman po siguro maililihim na p'wede naman ito mailabas noong nakaraang linggo. P'wede rin po ito mailabas sa susunod na linggo. Ang sinasabi po namin, bakit ngayon nailabas bago mag-Pasko?” Garcia told reporters after he received the decision on Wednesday, December 23, at the Comelec main office.

(I can't answer if it was planned. I guess, we cannot deny that the decision could have been released last week. It can also be released next week. All we're saying is, why did you release it before Christmas?)

Comelec Commissioner Rowena Guanzon has said Poe has 5 days upon receipt of the copy of the decision to get a temporary restraining order (TRO) from the Supreme Court (SC). Garcia disagrees, however, and says the Comelec decision only becomes final and executory 30 days upon receipt of the ruling.

Garcia said they will be filing for a TRO on Monday, December 28, when the High Court resumes office.

Poe's counsel said they have to secure two TROs, one each on the two separate decisions by the en banc. (READ: What now for Grace Poe? 3 things to expect)

“Dalawang desisyon ang 'nilabas, dalawang petition ang ipa-file namin sa SC. Hindi p'wede isa lang. Nangangahulugan po na dalawang beses kami dapat makakuha ng TRO. Kung makakakuha kami pero 'yung isa hindi, ano po ung effect? Tatanggalin din po ang aming pangalan sa listahan,” he said.

(Two decisions were released, we also need to file two petitions [seeking TRO] before the SC. We can't just file one. This means we have to get TRO twice. If we get a TRO for the other case, and not for the second one, what's the effect of that? Our name will be removed from the list [of candidates].)

Poe’s spokesman Rex Gatchalian said the questionable timing is “meant to disadvantage Senator Poe’s legal response.”

“Despite these timing obstacle thrown our way, we will bring the battle to the SC in a timely manner, taking into account the prescribed deadlines. We will not let the plotters of this low-handed tactic get away with it,” he said.

The turn of events, Garcia said, have made them believe that this is an orchestrated move by some groups.

"Ayaw namin masyado maniwala sa suggestion ng iba sa sinasabing may mga forces na maaaring nag-impluwensya, kaya lang po di mo po maiiwansan na mag-isip-isip din. Baka totoo nga 'yung ganung klaseng alegasyon na may mga kumikilos-kilos na grupo laban sa atin. Kasi tingnan 'nyo po 'yung timing, 'yung timing ng paglalabas ng desisyon. Alam ko may disecretion ang Comelec, pero Pasko naman po sa susunod na araw," he said.

(We didn't want to believe suggestions that there are influential forces. But now, we cannot avoid thinking that it might be true because of the timing. The timing of the release of the decision. I know Comelec has its own discretion, but it's Christmas day in two days.)

Still a candidate

Despite the unfavorable decision of the en banc, Poe’s camp said the senator is still a candidate for president in next year’s elections.

“Senator Poe remains a candidate in the running for the presidency until the whole process takes its course in the SC,” Gatchalian said.

Gatchalian maintained they will continue the fight, as he expressed optimism the High Court would “correct the injustice committed against the senator.”

“We are extremely disappointed with the decisions rendered by the Comelec en banc. The en banc’s decisions blatantly disregarded the rights of foundlings enshrined in international customary laws that also prevail in our country,” Gatchalian said. – Rappler.com 

MANILA, Philippines – The Commission on Elections on Wednesday, December 23, bared the final list of candidates for vice president in next year’s polls.

Comelec Chairman Andres Bautista said the initial list is already “final.”

The 6 names are Senators Francis Escudero, Alan Peter Cayetano, Fedinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr, Antonio Trillanes IV, and Gregorio Honasan, and Camarines Sur Representative Maria Leonor "Leni" Robredo.

Aside from this, Bautista said there are 23 people that are so far qualified to run for president, 68 for senators, and 119 for party list groups. He, however, refused to give details, saying these are not yet final.

Comelec commissioner Christian Robert Lim said the final list of candidates would be approved by the en banc on January 18 to 20, before they start the printing of ballots. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – Chairman Andres Bautista is one of two dissenters in the decision of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) en banc rejecting the 2 motions for reconsideration of presidential aspirant Grace Poe on questions about her citizenship and residency.

The en banc voted on 5 points concerning the cases filed before the 1st and 2nd divisions:

• the poll body's jurisdiction over the issue
• Poe's residency
• Poe's citizenship
• whether there was deliberate intention on her part to mislead the electorate on her residency and citizenship status
• whether the appeal will be granted or not

All commissioners said the poll body has jurisdiction over the cases and that Poe is not a natural-born Filipino.

For the residency issues, 5 commissioners, including Bautista, voted against Poe. Only commissioners Luia Guia and Christian Robert Lim voted in favor of Poe.

Meanwhile, only 3 out of the 7 commissioners – Guia, Christian Lim, and Bautista – voted in favor of Poe, saying there was no deliberate intent on her part to mislead the public on her residency status.

As for alleged intent to mislead people on her citizenship status, only Bautista and Commissioner Al Parreño voted in favor of Poe. Lim inhibited from voting on this issue.

Ultimately, 5 voted against Poe's motions, except for Christian Lim and Baustista. The majority were commissioners Parreño, Guia, Arthur Lim, Rowena Guanzon, and Sheriff Abbas.

In his separate opinion on the 1st division case, Baustista said the mere fact that Poe reacquired her citizenship through Republic Act 9225 means she performed an act to perfect her Filipino citizenship, making her a naturalized, not natural-born, Filipino.

Here is the full text of Bautista's concurring and dissenting opinion on the en banc decision upholding the earlier ruling of the 1st division to cancel Poe's certificate of candidacy:

Please refer to the relevant paragprahs in my Concurring and Dissenting Opinion vis-à-vis the Resolution of the Commission En Banc in the case of Elamparo v. Llamanzares, SPA No. 15-001 (DC)

However, I wanted to add a few paragraphs in respect of the issue raised in SPA No. 15-139 (DC) regarding the status of former Filipinos who reacquire their Philippine citizenship pursuant to R.A. 9225.

The 1987 Constitution is clear in its definition of a natural-born citizen. Section 2, Article of the Constitution provides: 

“Section 2. Natural-born citizens who are citizens of the Philippines from birth without having to perform any act to acquire or perfect their Philippine citizenship.”

Thus, under said definition, a Philippine citizen who acquired his or her citizenship from birth must have acquired it without having to perform any act to acquire or perfect his or her Philippine citizenship.

Republic Act No. 9225 otherwise known as the “Citizenship Retention and Reacquisition Act of 2003” was enacted to allow the reacquisition and retention of Philippine citizenship for natural-born citizens who have lost Philippine citizenship by reasons of their naturalization as citizens of a foreign country. In the landmark case of Bengson III v. HRET and Cruz (G.R. No. 142840, 7 May 2001) involving repatriation under Republic Act No. 2630, the Supreme Court explained that repatriation results in the recovery of the original nationality. In Tabasa v. Court of Appealss (G.R. No. 125793, 29 August 2006) which involved repatriation under Republic Act No. 8171 otherwise known as an “Act Providing for the Repatriation of Filipino Women Who Have Lost Their Philippine Citizenship by Marriage to Aliens and of Natural-Born Filipinos,” the Supreme Court likewise declared that repatriation has the effect of allowing a former Filipino to recover his natural-born citizenship. Parreño v. Commission on Audit (G.R. No. 16224, 7 June 2007) characterized the procedure under Republic Act No. 9225 as in the form of repatriation.

It is important to keep in mind that the Constitution is the paramount law of the land which is deemed written in every statute and contract (Manila Prince Hotel v. GSIS, G.R. No. 122156, 3 February 1997). The doctrine of constitutional supremacy as enunciated in the Manila Prince Hotel requires that Republic Act No. 9225 must be read and interpreted in a way that would harmonize it with the Constitution. Laws should not be given an interpretation that would render it unconstitutional. As early as Haydee Herras Teehankee v. Director of Prisons, et. Al. (G.R. No. L-278, 18 July 1946), the Supreme Court, citing 11 Am. Jur., Constitutional law, Section 97, ruled to construe the law in consonance with the mandates of the Constitution, thus:

“It is an elementary principle that where the validity of a statue is assailed and there are two possible interpretations, the court should adopt the construction which would uphold its constitutionality. It is the duty of courts to adopt a construction of a statute that will bring it into harmony with the constitution, if its language will permit.

Given the foregoing, there can only be one interpretation of Republic Act 9225 that will do justice to the Constitutional requirements for natural-born citizenship: a former Filipino who reacquired Philippine citizenship should be deemed to be a naturalized Filipino citizen.” 

Signed.
J. Andres D. Baustista
Chairman

– Rappler.com 

BULACAN, Philippines – “Merry Christmas!” was all Liberal Party standard-bearer Manuel Roxas II said when asked by reporters on Wednesday, December 23, his reaction to a recent Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey.

The SWS survey, conducted from December 12-14, put Roxas at 3rd place with 22% of respondents picking him as their presidential bet. Leading the poll was opposition leader Vice President Jejomar Binay and Senator Grace Poe.

Roxas dodged questions about politics during a chance interview in Calumpit, Bulacan, where he joined local politicians in handing out relief goods to those displaced by flooding.

“Natutuwa naman ako na nakikita natin na organized ang ating relief efforts dito at ang lahat ng mga kababayan natin ay nakakatanggap ng tulong. Ang Pilipino naman ay matibay, hindi sumusuko, at sa kahit anong hamon ay tumatayo, lumalaban,” Roxas said, flanked by Govenor Wilhelmino Sy-Alvarado and other local officials.

(I’m happy to see that relief efforts here are organized and our countrymen here are getting help. The Filipino is resilient, he doesn’t give up and with every challenge, he rises and fights.)

But politics and Roxas’ performance leading up to the 2016 presidential elections, is what makes news headlines now.

This week, 3 polling firms released the results of their presidential preference surveys, the last before the campaign season officially begins in February 2016.

Roxas’ numbers in the different polling bodies vary from a dip to incremental increases. According to Pulse Asia’s December 2015 survey, Roxas lost 3 percentage points from his September standing, putting him at fourth behind Binay, Poe, and race newcomer Davao Mayor Rodrigo Duterte.

Aside from the SWS survey, the Laylo survey also put Roxas at 3rd behind Binay and Poe, with 22%.  

If survey numbers were on his mind, it didn’t quite show on Wednesday. Before visiting Bulacan, Roxas joined President Benigno Aquino III in Catarman, Northern Samar, which also bore the brunt of two recent typhoons that affected the country.

Roxas’ allies in the LP have downplayed the survey results, emphasizing that the erratic numbers are proof voters have yet to decide on who to vote for in 2016. The most important survey, Roxas and his allies say, is the elections themselves.

Will it be a restful or work-filled Christmas break for the LP standard bearer?

“Malalaman na lang ninyo (You’ll find out), but I intend to be with our people on Christmas,” he told reporters. – Rappler.com

BAGHDAD, Iraq – Iraqi forces closed in on the Islamic State (ISIS) group's last redoubts in central Ramadi Wednesday, December 23, to retake the city they lost in May and further shrink the jihadists' "caliphate".

A day after punching deep into the city center, forces led by the elite counter-terrorism service (CTS) inched towards the governmental compound in Ramadi, the capital of Iraq's vast Anbar province.

"The anti-terrorism troops are now poised to break into the Hoz area where the governmental compound is located," a brigadier general in the force told Agence France-Presse.

The recapture of the compound would mark another key step towards reasserting full control over Ramadi, whose liberation a CTS spokesman said Tuesday, December 22, would be achieved in three days.

Government forces, which have been supported by daily air strikes from the US-led coalition, had to move carefully through the devastated city, whose deserted streets were littered with rubble and shrapnel.

Retreating ISIS fighters usually booby-trap their abandoned positions, plant roadside bombs and move in tunnels which can also be trapped with huge explosive charges.

Iraqi forces clearing residential neighborhoods in Ramadi were finding huge amounts of ammunition and explosives, including rockets made from gas canisters.

Officials estimated before the latest push into Ramadi that no more than 300 ISIS fighters remained holed up in the center.

"The fall of Ramadi is inevitable, the end is coming but... it's going be a tough fight," the US-led coalition's spokesman, Colonel Steve Warren, told reporters on Tuesday.

He said thousands of civilians were still believed to be inside Ramadi, some of them used as human shields by ISIS, also known as ISIS or by the Arabic acronym Daesh.

Several officials said groups of ISIS fighters were trying to slip through gaps in the Iraqi forces' net around the city.

"Dozens of Daesh members have withdrawn from the city centre towards Sufiya and Sichariyah," east of Ramadi along the Euphrates Valley, said Ibrahim al-Fahdawi, who heads the security committee in Khaldiya district.

The recapture of Ramadi would further isolate ISIS-held Fallujah – which lies half way on the road to Baghdad – and undermine the viability of the group's self-proclaimed "caliphate".

'Battle of attrition'

Iraq's defense minister, Khaled al-Obeidi, said last week that successive operations by the Iraqi security forces and its allies had shrunk the territory held by ISIS in Iraq from roughly 40% of the country last year to 17%.

Tuesday's big push into central Ramadi was only the latest step in a months-long operation, which saw Iraqi forces gradually close in after cutting off supply lines into Anbar and retaking neighborhoods, key roads and bridges one after the other.

"This has been a grinding battle of attrition. I think ISIS in Ramadi is exhausted. The city has been isolated for a while," said David Witty, a retired US army special forces colonel and former advisor to CTS.

The slow pace of the Ramadi operation had triggered calls from some critics for a greater role for the Shiite-dominated Hashed al-Shaabi paramilitary forces or even US troops on the ground.

But Baghdad largely stuck to its strategy, resorting to newly trained local forces from Anbar to move in and hold the ground reconquered by federal forces.

The loss of Ramadi in mid-May had been Baghdad's worst defeat in the war against ISIS and its recapture would provide a welcome morale boost to the country's much-criticized military.

"It could be symbolic in strengthening more local resistance in Anbar against ISIS, supported by Iraqi federal forces," Witty said.

The jihadist group, which swept through swathes of Iraq in early June 2014, still controls much of Anbar, which is Iraq's largest province and has borders with Syria, Jordan and Saudi Arabia.

Government forces, allied Shiite militia and Kurdish peshmerga forces are also battling ISIS on other fronts.

The jihadist group still controls Mosul, Iraq's second city. – Jean Marc Mojon, AFP / Rappler.com

ATHENS, Greece – At least 13 people including seven children, drowned when their overloaded boat capsized in the Aegean, police said Wednesday, December 23, the latest tragedy involving migrants seeking a better life in Europe.

The small boat went down off the Greek island of Farmakonisi overnight, sending 29 people into the water, an official with the Greek port police told Agence France-Presse.

Fifteen were rescued and taken to hospital on the nearby island of Leros, and a search is under way for one missing person.

"The weather was not particularly bad but the boat was overloaded as is often the case," the police official said.

Some 700 people, many of them children, have lost their lives trying to cross the Aegean to Greece this year, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), many of them refugees fleeing conflicts in Syria and elsewhere.

Nearly 3,000 others have died on the perilous Mediterranean crossing to Italy.

On Tuesday, December 22, the UN refugee agency and the IOM said more than one million migrants and refugees reached Europe this year, most of them by sea, more than four times the figure for 2014.

The vast majority of people – over 800,000 – landed in Greece, according to the figures.

On Tuesday, 11 migrants including 3 children drowned off the coast of Turkey when their boat sank. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – The World Bank approved a $500-million loan Wednesday, December 23, to help the Philippines deal with natural disasters.

It can access the new credit line following "a state of calamity" declared by President Benigno Aquino III, the World Bank said in a statement.

On average, more than 1,000 lives are lost every year in the Philippines, with typhoons accounting for the majority of deaths and damage.

The country is also highly exposed to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.

"Financial shocks caused by natural disasters undermine economic growth and poverty reduction," said Philippine finance secretary Cesar Purisima.

"This is the environmental equivalent of the middle income trap. Governments need to be agile in mobilising resources if we are to break free from disaster-traps that knock back the poorest and most vulnerable," he added.

Super Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) struck the Philippines in November 2013, one of the strongest ever storms to hit land, leaving more than 7,350 people dead or missing.

Total damage and losses reached P571.1 billion ($12.9 billion), cutting economic growth by about 0.9% in 2013, and another 0.3% in 2014, pushing about 2.3 million people below the poverty line as a result, the bank said.

Typhoons Lando (Koppu) and Nona (Melor), the two latest extreme weather events that hit the Philippines this year, claimed nearly 100 lives combined, according to official counts.

It is the second time the World Bank has given the country money to help deal with such catastrophes. – Rappler.com 

MOGADISHU, Somalia – Somalia's government has banned celebrations of Christmas and New Year in the Muslim majority country, saying the festivities might attract Islamist attacks.

"All events related to Christmas and New Year celebrations are contrary to Islamic culture, which could damage the faith of the Muslim community," the director general of the religious affairs ministry told reporters on Tuesday, December 22.

Sheikh Mohamed Khayrow said security forces had been ordered to break up any such celebrations. "There should be no activity at all," he said.

Sheikh Nur Barud Gurhan, of the Supreme Religious Council of Somalia, said that non-Muslim festivities might provoke the ire of the Shebab, East Africa's Al-Qaeda branch, which is headquartered in Somalia.

"We are warning against the celebration of such events which are not relevant to the principles of our religion," Gurhan added, saying it could provoke the Shebab "to carry out attacks".

Last year, Shebab militants launched a Christmas attack on Mogadishu airport that killed at least 12 people.

Somalia is at least the second Muslim majority country to ban Christmas this year, after Brunei announced a similar prohibition. Somalia also issued a previous ban in 2013.

Somalia also follows the Islamic calendar that does not recognize January 1 as the beginning of the year.

There are almost no Christians left living in Somalia, although a bombed-out Italian-built Catholic cathedral remains a city landmark in the capital Mogadishu.

Foreign diplomats, aid workers and soldiers living in the fortified airport compound are permitted to hold private parties. – Rappler.com

MADRID, Spain – The leader of Spain's Socialists said Wednesday, December 23, that his party will not back acting Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy's bid to form a new government following an inclusive weekend election.

"We were clear: we will vote against the continuity of the Popular Party at the helm of the government, with Mariano Rajoy as prime minister," Pedro Sanchez told a news conference after holding talks with Rajoy for the first time since Sunday's election.

With the Popular Party winning only 123 seats – far short of the 176 it needs for an absolute majority – it is seeking to form a minority government.

To do so, it needs the Socialist PSOE, which came in second with 90 seats, to support it during a vote of confidence in parliament. (READ: Spain faces uphill struggle to form government after polls)

If the Popular Party fails to form a government, Sanchez said the Socialists would "explore all options for there to be a government of change".

With left-wing parties holding the balance of power in the new parliament, the Socialists could form a government by joining forces with Podemos and other smaller nationalist forces.

That outcome would mirror events in neighboring Portugal where the ruling conservatives won an October election but fell to a Socialist government backed by leftist parties just days later.

Under Spanish law, the new parliament must be called by January 13, after which lawmakers have two months to elect a government. If they fail, the acting prime minister has to call a new election.

Sanchez said holding fresh elections should be the "last option" to overcome the impasse. – Rappler.com

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – Saudi King Salman accused Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Wednesday, December 23, of having aided the rise of the Islamic State (ISIS) group and called for a political settlement with moderate forces to end the war there.

The solution would be to form "a transitional government made up of moderate opposition forces, ensuring the unity of Syrians and the departure of foreign forces and terrorist organizations," the king said in an annual speech to the consultative Shura Council.

These organizations "could not have found fertile ground in Syria, had it not been for the Syrian regime's policies, which have exterminated hundreds of thousands... and displaced millions" of people, said the monarch.

More than 250,000 people have been killed in Syria since the conflict broke out in March 2011.

The kingdom, a key-backer of Syrian opposition groups, has repeatedly insisted on Assad's departure.

Earlier this month, Riyadh hosted a meeting of various Syrian armed and political opposition groups who agreed to negotiate with the regime but set Assad's departure as a condition for any eventual political transition process.

The kingdom "calls for a political solution to end Syria's crisis," said King Salman, who turns 80 later this month and who made only a brief appearance at the council.

He read only part of the speech, the entire text of which was later published on the official SPA news agency.

In November, foreign ministers from countries that back and oppose Assad's regime agreed on a roadmap to end the conflict. (READ: Saudi Arabia forms 34-nation anti-terrorist coalition)

This would see a transitional government set up within six months, after regime-opposition talks, and elections within 18 months. – Rappler.com